“When she went to buy the tomato juice at seven o’clock in the morning?”

“I don’t know what time it was.”

“She stopped by your apartment and gave you one earring. Lord, Sophie, you ought to be able to make up a better story than that.”

Sister chimed in. “Or you could tell the truth. Like maybe you found it somewhere.”

“I didn’t find it,” Sophie said. “It was given to me. I swear.”

I suddenly remembered the way Sophie had walked down the Stampses’ pier and a light went on. “Eddie Stamps gave it to you, didn’t he?”

“No, Mr. Stamps didn’t give me the earring.” But there was enough hesitation to tell me I had hit upon the truth.

“And when your daddy gave it back to Fairchild, you wanted to see if you could find the other one.”

There was silence from the figure below us.

“Where did Mr. Stamps find the earring, Sophie?” I asked gently.

The child-woman stubbed her cigarette out and sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe on his boat. I thought the other one might be there, but I looked all over this afternoon and it wasn’t.” She stood up and faced us. “Please don’t get Mr. Stamps in trouble. He’s such a nice old man.”

“Yes, he is, Sophie,” I agreed. “But somebody isn’t. You have to tell the police everything you know so nothing else happens.” I sounded patronizing even to myself. So Sophie’s reaction didn’t surprise me.

“All he did was give me the earring because he knew that Millicent and I did turtle watches together.”

“Then tell your parents. They’ll take care of it.”

“Shit! Leave me alone!” The child turned and fled toward the building.

“Think she’ll do it?” Sister asked.

“Of course not.”

The two of us slid down the dune.

“Well, damn, Mouse, I’m impressed. How did you know it was Eddie?”

“Part something I saw: part guess. Wait a minute.” I stopped and pulled off my sandals. The sand was cool and damp. “I don’t think he’s the murderer, though. Don’t ask me why. Just a feeling.”

“I beg your pardon, little sister, but isn’t that what you were just fussing at me about?”

True. I tried to get my tail out of the crack. “You just can’t let your feelings blind you.”

Sister sniffed. “You and your feelings. I remember the day Jimmy Carter got elected President I called you and said ‘Let’s go to Plains so we can be there for the big celebration.’ And you said no, you had a feeling Gerald Ford was going to get it. And I let you talk me out of going to what must have been an incredible party.”

“I wonder what an incredible party is like in Plains, Georgia?”