“I’ll say I’m a Baptist minister. For God’s sake, Maggie, you’ve got to get away from here!”

“You mean you’re beginning to believe my story now?”

He poured himself another drink. “I believe it would be dangerous for you to continue living in this place.”

“Still hedging,” I said. “Well, Duff won’t want to leave. Besides, there’s still his court appearance.”

“That can be moved up on the docket. Father Fogarty knows a lot of people around the courthouse and there’s a good lawyer in Cainesville, Dave Southworth, who handles all the parish legal affairs. Incidentally, you should have contacted a lawyer before this.”

“I should’ve done a lot of things.”

“Well, do something positive now. Take Duff with you and move to Ashland this afternoon.”

“And if he won’t go?”

“Then go without him. He’s been alone here for several days already and he seemed to get along all right.”

“You mean when I’m not here he doesn’t have problems?”

He looked at me steadily. “It’s possible, Maggie.”

I refused to get angry. I just wanted to get him out of the house.

“Let me wait a couple of more days. I have a lot of things to do here. Jack’s papers to go over, deciding how much of the junk here I want to take with me.”

“I’ll help you.”

“I appreciate that, Peter. I’ll let you know if you can.”

“Maggie, I don’t want you to spend another night in this house.”

“Don’t be silly. Nothing’s going to happen. I’ll call you if I need you. By the way,” I said as I moved him toward the door, “it was pretty nervy of Mrs. Reddy and her daughter to show up, wasn’t it.”

“Were they here? I didn’t see them, although I don’t think there’s anything unusual about it. After all, Mrs. Reddy was close to your husband’s aunt, wasn’t she, and Stephanie was here for quite a while. It might be more odd if they hadn’t come to pay their respects.”

He went away, assuring me he’d phone later. I watched as he backed out of the drive. The gravediggers were putting their ropes and tools in the truck, then they drove away too.

The graveyard was at least a hundred yards from the house, and the view was blocked by trees, but I could see Duff—standing, it seemed to me, not by his father’s grave but farther away by the back fence where General Caine was supposed to be buried.

After about five minutes he walked toward the house. I moved away from the window and busied myself at the sink. Apparently he hadn’t washed any dishes all the while I was in the hospital.