“It’s a long story, Mrs. Hollowell. I can’t come all the way into Birmingham because of the children. My next-door neighbor can keep them for a while, but not all afternoon. And I hate to ask you to come to Steele. Do you think we could maybe meet in Springville? Maybe for lunch?” She hesitated. “I really wouldn’t ask you if it weren’t important.”

I looked at the wall clock. 9:15.

“Betsy, I just don’t know. I may have to go with my sister back up to Oneonta today.”

“Mrs. Hollowell, I really need to talk to you.” Betsy’s voice lowered and she almost whispered, “I’m scared about something.”

Scared? What in the world about? And why me? It didn’t make sense. I’d only seen the girl one time.

“Please?” A catch in her voice and a barely audible sniff. Betsy was crying.

That got me. The old schoolteacher help-the-kids-out mode kicked in.

“Where in Springville?” I asked. There went all of my plans for the day. The house was a mess. I needed to dust and vacuum. I still hadn’t done all of the washing or paid the bills that had stacked up while we were in Warsaw. So much for good intentions.

“You know where that bakery is right on the main street by the library?”

“The one that has some tables outside?”

“That’s it. They serve soup and sandwiches. Do you think you could meet me around twelve?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Hollowell. Thank you so much.”

We said goodbye and I hung up wondering why in the world I had agreed to this. How could I help this girl? All I knew about her was that she was pretty, had long red hair, and was grieving for her snake-handling sister who had been murdered. Also that she was scared.

“What’s she scared about?” Sister wanted to know when I called her and told her where I was going. “And what does she think you can do, Mouse?”

“I have no idea. But she said she might have some information about Virginia.”

“Well, I hope so. Richard’s on his way up to Oneonta now to see about his daddy. He wanted me to go with him and I said I had to take care of Fay and May.”

“Richardena, the twin’s nanny, is there, isn’t she?”

“Oh, sure. But Debbie’s coming home this afternoon with David Anthony. Can you believe having a baby one day and coming home the next?”

I could tell that Sister was shaking her head just like I was shaking mine. Each of us had had the luxury of four or five days in the hospital when our children were born.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I need to prepare the twins for their little brother.”