"Don't think about it." Josie rose to put her arms around his neck. "It was just bad luck. Bad luck all around."

"That's a mighty cold way of putting it," Tucker said as he stepped into the kitchen.

Josie kept her cheek against Dwayne's hair. "It's the truth. Sometimes the truth's cold. If you hadn't been wrestling around in the pond, you wouldn't have found her. She'd still be dead, but she might've stayed down. Then the two of you wouldn't be looking so peaked."

Tucker dropped into a chair. He knew his temper was on edge, but Josie's carelessness pushed a dangerous button. "We won't look 'peaked' for long. Darleen's going to be dead forever."

"That's just my point. Finding her like that only made things hard on you."

"Christ, Josie, you've got the sensitivity of a codfish."

She straightened at that, eyes hot, cheeks pale. "I've got plenty of sensitivity when it comes to my family. Maybe I don't give two hoots about what happened to that little slut-"

"Josie." Wincing, Dwayne reached for her hand, but she shook him off.

"That's just what she was, and her being dead doesn't change it. I'm sorry for Happy and the rest, but I'm just sick about how you and Dwayne came to be involved. If you think that makes me cold, Tucker Longstreet, that's fine. I'll just save my sensitivity for someone who appreciates it."

She slammed out, leaving the smoke of her temper lingering in the air.

"Maybe I'll go after her." Dwayne rose awkwardly. "Smooth her feathers."

"Tell her I'm sorry, if you think it'll help." Resigned, Tucker rubbed his hands over his face. "No use slicing at her for being what she is."

"Mr. Tucker, you want a beer?"

Tucker lowered his hands and gave Cy a wan smile. "About as much as I want to breathe right now. But I think I'd do better with coffee."

"I'll get it." Caroline opened a cupboard for a cup. "We're all on edge, Tucker. She's just worried about you."

"I know. Did Delia go over to the Fullers'?"

"Yes, she and Birdie were going to stay the night with Happy. Help take care of the baby. Cousin Lulu's upstairs watching a movie."

She didn't add that the lady had commented that murders were much more interesting on TV than in real life, and had settled back with a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of Dixie beer.

"Why don't you go on up with her, Cy?" Tucker suggested. "She likes company."

"Can I take the pup with me?" He hauled Useless out from the dog's spot beneath the table.

"Sure." Caroline smiled. "Don't let Cousin Lulu give him too much beer."

"No, ma'am. 'Night, Mr. Tucker."

" 'Night, Cy." He touched the boy's arm. "Thanks for helping out."

"I'd do anything for you, Mr. Tucker." The words came out in a rush. Then Cy colored deep and hurried from the room.

"Devotion like that's a precious gift." Caroline ladled out soup. "You'll be careful with him, won't you?"

"I'm going to try." Tucker rubbed a hand over his rough chin. He hadn't shaved, though he'd showered twice. "I guess I wish he wouldn't look at me like I was Hercules, Plato, and Clark Kent all rolled into one."

Caroline set the bowl in front of him, brushed a hand through his hair. "It's tough being a hero."

"It's tougher trying to be one when you haven't got the makings."

"Oh, I think you'll surprise yourself." Smiling, she sat beside him. "I made you soup."

"So I see." He took her hand. "You sure are handy to have around, Caroline."

"I've been pretty busy surprising myself lately. I'm glad you didn't know me before, Tucker."

"Before doesn't mean diddly."

"This from a man who'll-at the drop of a hat-tell me stories about people who've been dead for a hundred years."

"That's different." He started to eat, more to please her than because he was hungry. After the first few spoonfuls, he discovered he was ravenous. "What happened before matters because it shapes things. But who you were a year ago isn't as important as who you are now."

"I like the way you think. Tucker?"

"Hmmm."

"Do you want me to stay tonight?"

His gaze came back to hers, fastened there with a wealth of feeling and need. "I want you to stay."

With a nod, she rose. "Let me fix you a sandwich."

Teddy was back. Josie knew he was expected since she'd spent the evening in Burns's bed and the FBI agent had told her so. The idea of having a pathologist and a special agent to juggle had eased her hurt and anger at Tucker's words.

She'd decided she wouldn't speak to her brother for a day or two-at least until he'd apologized in person rather than sending Dwayne scrambling after her as proxy.

She was still brooding over it the following afternoon. While the rest of Innocence was reeling in shock over the latest murder, Josie sat at the counter of the Chat 'N Chew, freshening her lipstick in her new purse mirror. Teddy had promised to join her for lunch as soon as he'd finished his preliminary examination of the body.

"Earleen." Pouting, Josie tilted the mirror back to fluff at her hair. "Do you think I'm a cold-hearted woman?"

"Cold-hearted?" Earleen leaned on the counter and flexed her aching feet. "Kinda hard to be hot-blooded and cold-hearted all at once."

Pleased, Josie smiled. "That's true. Being honest about things and not pretending otherwise doesn't make you cold. Why, it makes you true to yourself, don't you think?"

"That's a fact."

Using the mirror, Josie scanned the diner without turning around. Several of the booths were occupied. Beneath the crooning of Reba Mclntire from the juke, the conversation was all about Darleen.

"You know, half the people in here didn't have a minute's use for Darleen while she was alive." Josie snapped the mirror closed. "Now that she's dead, they can't say enough."

"That's human nature," Earleen declared. "It's like one of them artists whose paintings ain't worth shit while he's alive to paint 'em, then once he kills himself or gets hit by a truck, people fall all over themselves to pay a fortune for them. Human nature."

Josie appreciated the analogy. "So Darleen's worth more dead than she was alive."

While she might have agreed, Earleen was superstitious enough not to speak ill of the dead. "It's Junior I'm sorry for. And that dear little boy." With a sigh, Earleen reached back to take an order off the shelf. "And Happy and Singleton, too. The living's who suffers."

While Earleen walked off to serve a customer, Josie murmured in agreement. She dug through her purse for her atomizer of perfume, then squirted scent liberally on her wrists and throat.

When Carl walked in, the conversation died, then picked up again in murmurs. Josie patted the stool beside her.

"Come on over here and sit. You look worn out."

"Thank you, Josie, but I can't. Just come by to get some food to take back to the office."

"What can I get for you, Carl?" Earleen popped back behind the counter, hoping to exchange food for news.

"I need a half dozen hamburgers. Maybe a quart of your potato salad and some cole slaw. Make it a gallon of iced tea."

"How're you going to want them burgers?"

"Make them all medium, Earleen, and load 'em."

Josie picked up her Diet Coke. "Y'all must be busy as one-armed paperhangers down at the office if you can't even break for lunch."

"We are that, Josie." He was so tired himself he could have slept standing up. Belatedly, he remembered to take off his hat. "County sheriff and a couple of his boys're down. Agent Burns has had that fax machine clicking all morning. It's hot enough in that office to smoke a ham."

"With all of you working so hard, you must have some clues."

"We got a thing or two." He glanced over as Earleen turned expectantly from the grill. "Now, I can't tell you what we got, official like. But y'all know Darleen was killed like the others. We gotta figure it was the same person using the same weapon."