“We have to get her out,” I said. “She said she’d kill herself if she has to stay in there.”

“We’ll get her out,” Edmund said. “But you’ll have to put up bail. It might be five hundred dollars.”

Robert walked me out to my car and opened the door and put me in. “Can I see you tonight?” he asked. “I’d like to kill some more mosquitoes.” He grinned widely, holding the door for me, so sure of himself, so satisfied and vain. I started disliking him intensely.

“No. I don’t know, I have to find out if Malcolm really left. What if he stays here and he comes over? It scares me, Robert, he was really mad. Look what happened at Klane’s.”

“Oh, Edmund will take care of it. No one minds if the blacks kill each other.”

“I care. And I don’t believe she did it. I talked to her. You should have seen her face. Why couldn’t someone fall on a knife? Someone could fall on a knife.”

“Oh, Rhoda. Really. Don’t talk like a fool. Of course she killed her. Nonetheless, Edmund can handle it. Can you come up with the money?”

“Of course I can. Well, I’d better go now. I have a neighbor watching the children. I don’t have any help. God, that’s all I need with Malcolm running around God knows where.”

“We’ll get your maid back. Don’t worry about it. Can I come over tonight if you find out he’s left?”

“I guess so. I’ll call you later. Where will you be?”

“Call the newspaper later. I’ll be in and out all day.”

“Thanks for helping. Thanks for getting your cousin.”

“He’s a lawyer. This is what he does. We have him on retainer for the paper, of course. Maybe he’ll waive the fee.” He grinned again and I could just imagine the conversation where he told Edmund he was fucking me. I was really getting irritated and the sun was beating down. It was past noon and it was hot.

“I’ll call you later,” I said, and drove off and left him standing there with his totally self-satisfied expression extending even to his wrinkled seersucker suit.

When I got home, Malcolm was in the yard playing with the children. He had gotten them from the neighbor and had even fed them lunch. He had made peanut butter sandwiches and put them on little plates with potato chips and pickles. He had poured milk. “I’m glad you came back,” I said. “I love you. I want to fuck you. Let’s put them to bed and go make love.”