She drew in a breath. “I’m terrified of him,” she confessed. “Not because of what he did to me, but what he could do to Tad, to get even with me. It’s the way he thinks. He doesn’t come at people head-on. He got mad at a neighbor and killed his dog.”

Banks’s eyes narrowed angrily. “What a piece of work,” he muttered.

“I worry about the Martins,” she blurted out. “Tad and I have been going with them to our church every Sunday, so I can push Mr. Martin’s wheelchair. If he’s after me, even they aren’t safe. Tad and I thought about leaving some of our few treasures with them, because we didn’t want to take them to an unfamiliar place and risk having them stolen. But I was afraid that Morris might hear about it and go after them.”

“You should have told me all this, Clancey,” he said somberly.

Her eyes, wide and bright with unshed tears, met his. “It’s my burden, not yours,” she said.

His heart jumped. He wondered if she was protective like that about other people. Certainly, she was about her little brother. She loved Tad.

“You know, there is a chance—a small one—that Morris really has changed,” he said. “Men find religion and give up bad habits.”

“Have you?”

His eyebrows arched. “Have I what?”

“Found religion and given up your bad habits.”

He looked uncomfortable. “Don’t you start,” he said curtly.

Meaning, she assumed, that Grace had been after him about that. The woman, while sweet and pleasant, was committed to her faith. So was Clancey, but not to that extreme.

“What did you do with the guitar?” he asked suddenly.

“Cal took it home with him,” she replied. “It’s the most precious thing I own.”

He didn’t like that. It bothered him that he didn’t like that. He could have taken it home as easily as Hollister could have. The difference was that Clancey had known Hollister for years. She’d only known Banks for a year and she didn’t trust him as much. He wondered if she really trusted any man very far.

“What sort of apartment is it?” he asked suddenly.

She hesitated while she searched for an answer that wouldn’t make him suspicious. “It’s bare bones. Furnished, but barely, two small bedrooms with twin beds and dressers. A worn sofa in the living room. Nothing fancy. It’s just as well. It’s only a place to sleep.”

“Do you have a portable television?” he asked.

Her heart jumped. She’d forgotten Tad’s video console and his two games. She didn’t dare go back and get them.

“What is it?” he asked, because she looked wounded.