Diesel walked across me and jumped down onto the floor, ignoring my grunt of pain as he stepped on my stomach. That put me in my place, so I got up.

Downstairs I put the coffee on, filled up Diesel’s bowls, and cleaned the litter box. While the cat munched happily on his food, I retrieved the paper from the front lawn and sat down to read it. That coffeepot better hurry up, I thought. I needed the caffeine to kick-start my brain into gear.

Godfrey’s death was still front-page news, though I was pleased to see the article mentioned no names of suspects. I’d have to thank Kanesha Berry later for keeping my name, as well as those of Julia and Justin, out of the paper. I realized then that the local reporter had not been pestering me any further either, so I owed Kanesha for that, too.

Azalea came bustling in while I was finishing my second cup of coffee.

“Good morning,” she said, and I returned her greeting.

“How’s Kanesha doing?” I asked.

“Sore as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs,” Azalea said. “She better get this thing figured out soon, else I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.”

“She’s under a lot of pressure,” I said. “I can understand why she might be feeling stressed out.”

“That’s why I been hoping somebody might find out something to help her with,” Azalea said with a pointed look at me.

“I’m doing my best,” I said. “I’ve been digging, but so far I haven’t come up with anything solid. Godfrey managed to make a lot of people angry with him over the years, and it seems like his parents did, too.”

Azalea sniffed. “With that trashy mama of his, and that hound dog of a daddy, it ain’t no wonder.”

“Did you know them?” From the disdain in her voice, I thought Azalea must have had personal experience of the Priests.

“I sure did,” Azalea said with a pained expression. “Worked for that woman six weeks or so when I was sixteen. You ain’t never heard so much yellin’ and cussin’ in your life as the two of them, and that poor child having to hear it all. No wonder he turned out like his daddy.”

“Sounds pretty awful,” I said.

“It was,” Azalea replied. “Wasn’t no amount of money worth working for them folks, let me tell you. I got me another job fast as I could. That’s when I come to work for Miss Dottie.” Her face softened with a smile. “She was a true lady, and I loved every minute of working for her.”

I knew that Aunt Dottie had treasured Azalea, but I didn’t dare say so. This was about as sentimental as I had ever seen Azalea, and I didn’t want to offend her by some well-meant but unwelcome comment.