“I wonder if you might talk to me outside?” Tashi asked. “It’s hard to hear over Johnny Cash.”

“You don’t like Johnny Cash?” Ansley asked, with a little bit of an edge.

“No, I love him,” Tashi said. “But we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“Brandon Taylor,” Tashi said. “That’s why we’re here. I know you were close friends.”

“Sure, I knew him,” Ansley said. “So what? Did you track me down for that, Caddy? Shit. I thought we were friends. When did I ever talk to you about Brandon? That was a long time ago. And private. Christ Almighty.”

“You told me he was your boyfriend,” Caddy said. “You said you loved him and that his dying about busted you in two.”

“Bullshit.” Ansley crawled out of the booth, knocking her beer over and not bothering to pick it up. “I don’t give a damn about that crazy-ass kid.”

Hands on her hips, Ansley looked down into the booth at Caddy and Tashi sitting side by side. Some of the spilled beer poured into Tashi’s lap, but she didn’t look away from Ansley Cuthbert. That woman knew a hell of a lot more than she was saying.

“I’m sorry,” Caddy said. “I wouldn’t have said anything if I didn’t think this was important.”

“Who else did you tell about me?” Ansley asked, arms crossed over her chest.

“No one,” Caddy said.

“Do you promise?”

“Of course, Ansley,” Caddy said. “Listen, you can trust this woman. She’s been told a pack of lies about Quinn and Brandon having some fight over hunting land. I need you to explain that time to her. No one knew Brandon better.”

“Quinn and Brandon?” Ansley said. “God. Where’d she hear shit like that? Those two didn’t exactly run in the same circles. Did Quinn even know Brandon? Quinn was a lot older.”

“Right,” Caddy said. “Can you just sit back down and talk? All you need to do is set a few things straight. That’s all. I promise.”

Ansley closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and shook her head as if deciding something. “I can’t,” Ansley said. “I can’t do it. I talk to you and they’ll know where to find me. I’ve kept free of this shit for too many years. Goddamn it. Why the hell did you have to bring Tashi Coleman up to Memphis? That’s not how it was supposed to work.”

That stopped Tashi cold, looking at Caddy in the booth and back at Ansley Cuthbert. “How was it supposed to work, Ansley? Were you the one who first reached out to us? You can talk to me. On or off the record. I’ll keep your whereabouts safe. I promise.”