I came to her defense. “But she’s also got the turtles and sharing them with her parents. She didn’t have anything like that in Atlanta.”

“True,” the others agreed.

Mary Alice and Berry West were sitting on the sofa drinking wine when we came in.

“Hey, y’all,” she said. “Where’ve you been?”

“To see the turtles.”

“It was wonderful.”

“You should have been with us.”

Berry stood and was introduced to Fred. “There’s some beer in the refrigerator, Fred,” he said. “Can I get you one?”

“Sure.” Fred sat in one of the wicker rockers.

“Ladies?” Berry asked.

We all declined. Fred leaned forward. “I think Mary Alice’s glass needs topping off there.”

“Of course.” Berry headed for the kitchen.

Fred smiled at Sister who scowled back at him. “How you doing, Mary Alice?”

“Fine.”

“I heard you did a great reading tonight.”

“Thanks.”

“You ever heard a screech owl?”

“No. Why?”

“You should have been with us a while ago. They get your attention right off.”

“I’ll vouch for that,” Haley said.

Berry came from the kitchen with Fred’s beer and the wine bottle. “How many turtles did you see?”

Frances spoke up. “One huge one. She laid 121 eggs.”

“I hope some of them make it,” Berry said, pouring more wine into Sister’s glass.

Fred opened his beer with such an exaggerated swoosh that we all turned to look at him. “Well,” he said, “you never can tell. I have an idea that some of them will.”

“I do, too,” Haley agreed.

“Where did y’all eat?” I changed the subject.

“At The Boat House,” Sister said. “It was great. I had broiled grouper and Berry had scampi. Angel hair pasta. The doggy bags are in the refrigerator.”

Berry reached for his jacket, which was across a dining room chair. “And I’ve got to call it a night. I don’t want to wake Jason if he’s asleep.”

“You’re still staying over there?” Frances asked. She realized the question sounded rude and apologized. “That didn’t come out the way I meant.”

Berry shrugged into his jacket. “It’s real uncomfortable, but I’m not sure what I ought to do. Jason is so upset about Emily and Millicent’s deaths that I feel like I’m intruding on his grief. On the other hand, if I’m not there, he’s by himself. And I’ve been able to help some by seeing that he eats and by taking some of the phone calls. Somebody needs to be there with him.”

“He doesn’t have any family?” I asked.

“A son in the navy. He’s coming next month on leave.”

“It’s so sad,” Frances said. “Being alone.”

“Yes, it is.” Berry leaned over and kissed Mary Alice on the forehead. “Thanks for a great evening. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned to Fred and held out his hand. “Fred, nice meeting you.”