"You know that's true." I felt her bones as I tightened my grip. "And Oscar will get better."

"I don't know." The words leaked out of her.

There are all kinds of pain in the world, but the jolt of hurt that slammed into me almost made me stagger. Tinkie was the heart of Delaney Detective Agency. She believed in miracles, in real love, in the doctrine of the Daddy's Girl manual, and in the goodness of at least 10 percent of the human population. To see her stripped of those values was unbearable.

"Tinkie Bellcase Richmond, snap out of it." The only thing I could do was shame her out of her blue funk. It's exactly what Jitty would do for me--or to me, depending on your point of reference.

"It's the truth." She grew defensive, which in my book was a step forward.

"Oscar's hung on this long, I can't believe you'd let him slide away now."

"I'm not letting him."

"When you give up hope, you are. You're the anchor that holds him here. Madame Tomeeka said as much. You're the guard against Death. You, Tinkie, are his salvation."

She bit her lip and it popped out in an old gesture that made grown men beg for mercy. "You sure know how to make a girl feel bad."

I kissed her forehead. "That's what friends do. When necessary. And this time it was necessary. Now get back to watch so you can kick the Angel of Death in the a.s.s if he dares to show up here."

She nodded, and there was firm commitment to the set of her chin. "Let me know if you hear anything about anything."

"Roger that, Captain Tink."

Cece's room was on another wing, but the food was still hot when I got there. She appeared to be dozing, so I hesitated.

"If you leave with that food, you're a dead woman, dahling," she said without opening her eyes. "They say people with a broken nose can't taste because they can't smell. Now that's a crock of she-it if I've ever heard one. I can taste those dumplings from here."

What ever else was wrong with Cece's nose, she could still smell. I put the food on her rolling table and sat on the edge of the bed to feed her. While her face looked worse, with all the bruising and swelling, her overall color was better.

"They're going to do a rhinoplasty ASAP. What do you think of Nicole Kidman's nose?" She pushed up in bed and opened her mouth like a little bird so I could put a fat, juicy dumpling into her mouth. Cece was enjoying the role of invalid.

"I think Nicole would be really mad if you took it."

"Ha, ha," she drawled. "I asked for a caterer and they sent a comedian. And not a very good one, but one with an impressive rock on her left hand. Let me see that."

Cece had bounced back like a red rubber ball. I perched on the bed and took a deep breath and held out my hand for her to examine the ring.

"Very nice, Sarah Booth. The man is not cheap, I'll give him that."

"The ring suits me to perfection."

"And you slipped it on without being prodded by your friends. Which tells me a lot."

"He's a good man."

"And he has a very elegant nose, dahling," she said. "If I were a man, I'd want his nose."

It was nice to visit a sick person with a good prognosis and a healthy ego. "Speaking of noses, what about Erin Carlisle's? I thought it was cla.s.sic yet pert. That would suit you. If you go too prissy, it won't match your personality." I stopped. "What?" She was giving me this look like I'd sprouted a halo--or horns.

"What are you talking about? Erin Carlisle's nose is aristocratic, that's true, but I don't think the upswept tip works with my bone structure."

Now I was the one trading strange looks. "What are you drinking? Erin has a straight nose. More Sandra Bullock."

"Not the Erin Carlisle I met in Jackson."

And there it was. Just like a sledgehammer to the temple.

"s.h.i.t," we said in unison.

I called Dewayne. "Can you find a picture of Erin Carlisle from the driver's license bureau or maybe an online Jackson newspaper and bring a copy by Cece's room?"

"Sarah Booth, I--"

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Hurry, Dewayne. Where's Coleman?"

"He said something funny about some boll weevil studies at Mississippi State University. He had to make some calls about them."

My fingers clutched the phone. "Please tell him to come by to see Cece as soon as he can."

"What, you're calling a departmental meeting?"

Ah, another comedian. But Dewayne was trying. "Maybe a break in the case, but it sounds like Coleman is pursuing the same theory."

"Should I place a bet?"

"You're frisky today for a man who's had six hours' sleep in the past week."

"I'll tell him. And I found a photo of Erin Carlisle on her studio Web site. It's printing now."

When I closed the phone, Cece looked at me. "Where is the real Erin Carlisle?"

"A d.a.m.n good question." Likely one with a tragic answer, but I didn't say that. "You were supposed to meet Erin at her studio. What happened?"

Cece was now feeding herself, tired of waiting for my distracted attention to return to her gastrointestinal needs. "I called her when I got back from Memphis and asked for a meeting."

"And she agreed, even as late as it was? What time was it?"

"One in the morning." Spoon in midair, Cece paused. "She didn't even blink at the time. And I didn't consider it strange. I had a ten a.m. deadline, dahling, and I had bait to entice her. Jimmy Janks told me more about his development plans, which was what precipitated the argument in Memphis. I told her enough to whet her appet.i.te and she instantly agreed to talk with me."

"Why at her studio?"

"She said something about being on her way there anyhow--some phone call or something." She frowned in concentration. "I got there a little early. The studio was locked tight, and then she arrived in the parking lot. She was slow getting out of her vehicle and waved me over, so I went to meet her."

An empty parking lot in the middle of the night in a city with a problem with violence. Right. Cece had been set up. But why? "I'm thinking whoever this woman is, she had Erin inside the studio. She'd already grabbed her."

Cece nodded. "My thoughts exactly. There was something strange going on. The front of the studio is plate gla.s.s, and I kept trying to see inside. I thought I saw movement in the back, but it wasn't clear."

"But it would be enough to warrant an attack on you. This imposter had to have an accomplice. If we're right, and Erin was being held in the back, then they had to neutralize you. They couldn't chance that you'd seen something and would call the police."

"I wish I'd seen something important," Cece said.

"Maybe you did. First we make sure the woman you spoke with wasn't Erin."

"Do you have any idea who's behind this?" she asked before she spooned another dumpling down.

"If I had to pick, I'd say Luther Carlisle. He stands to benefit from Erin's disappearance. He'd hoped to inherit full control of the Carlisle lands upon the death of his parents, but Erin was named equally in the trust. If Erin dies, he'll likely inherit and he can sell the plantation and pave it all."

"Somehow, I don't think you'll let him do that."

There was a knock at the door and Dewayne entered with a wry expression and a shake of his head for Cece. "You look like h.e.l.l, Cece."

"Thank you, dahling. I'm undeniably hot, and I'm glad you see it."

He held out the photo to me, taking note of my engagement ring. He didn't say a word, and I handed the photo to Cece.

"That is not the woman I met in Jackson. The hair color is right, but the face is all wrong."

As I reached for the picture, Cece s.n.a.t.c.hed it back. "Nonetheless, she does have the perfect nose for me. Sandra Bullock, but better. My doctor will want to see this."

"Just so long as you don't get your priorities confused," I said. "Dewayne, let me walk you to the patrol car. I have some ideas."

23.

Taureans are slow learners when it comes to the hard lesson of restraint. By nature, we want to bullishly charge into a situation and kick b.u.t.t as fast and furious as our little legs will pedal. While extremely satisfying initially, this modus operandi often opens the door to the twin sisters, Grief and Remorse.

Standing in the parking lot with Dewayne, I thought of my natural inclination to act and the consequences that could follow. A dust devil swirled across the asphalt, blowing a few of last winter's brown pecan leaves along a slow path. In the distance, a mockingbird squawked hysterically. No doubt a cat was eyeing its nest.

"What ever it is you're thinking, don't do it." Dewayne opened the cruiser door and leaned against it.

"I want to go to the Carlisle place."

"Sarah Booth, you won't do anyone any good if you get sick like Oscar."

"True, but I intend to wear a hazmat suit."

"Yeah, they got a big sale on them down at the Casual Corner. Maybe get one in all colors for the summer season."

Dewayne's wit had sharpened considerably. "I'll borrow one from the CDC."

"They won't even let Coleman use one," Dewayne said. "He had to order one from the Feds."

"Could be because they don't have one to fit him," I pointed out. "I'm not but an inch taller than Bonnie Louise. I can use hers."

"Fat chance. The truth is the CDC has quarantined the plantation, and they aren't going to let anyone on it. The sheriff hasn't even been there and he has the inside track with Ms. McRae."

I ignored that comment. "The CDC can't supersede county authority."

"That's legally true," Dewayne said. "Coleman invited them into Sunflower County, and they technically answer to him. But the real truth is they've shared very little information with him." He frowned. "That woman is always poking around the sheriff's office trying to find out what we know, but she hasn't told us much of anything useful."

Dewayne had just tightened the knot around Bonnie Louise's neck another notch. Coleman should have put it all together by now. He must have.

"Dewayne, I'm going to the Carlisle plantation. There has to be something there. I'm telling you, because someone has to know. In case . . ."

"In case you keel over with an unidentifiable illness that may fry your brain and destroy your lungs and heart?"

"You ever thought about seeking a PR job promoting plagues, famines, and boils?"

"As soon as Coleman returns, I'll tell him where you are. Maybe he can figure out a way to talk some sense into you." He gave me a hard look. "But I doubt it. Be sure your cell phone is charged and on."

I checked it while we were standing there. Months ago, Tinkie had insisted I carry one, and while it was a major pain in the b.u.t.t, it did have its uses. "I'm good. Do you know where Bonnie Louise is right now?"

"Haven't a clue."

"If she shows up at the sheriff's office, try to detain her. And I need for you to do a complete background check on her and Peyton Fidellas." When I'd quickly checked their CDC employment records I hadn't seen anything suspicious, but Dewayne had the authority of law. He could find out a lot more than I could.

"Check both of them?" He was obviously seeing Bonnie Louise in the same light I did.

"It can't hurt. And you can play it like a regular background check, without arousing suspicion. If you only ask about one . . ."

He nodded as he twisted his hat in his hands. "Be careful, Sarah Booth."

"I promise. Let Coleman know this about Erin."

He gave me a half salute and drove away. As I was walking back to the roadster, my phone rang. I s.n.a.t.c.hed it out of my pocket, "Coleman!"

"Wrong man. If I were the sensitive type, my feelings would be hurt." Graf's voice was steady and sure and gently teasing.

"Graf! I didn't expect to hear from you at this time." I figured he'd be on the set shooting. "The ring--" To my utter surprise, my throat closed with emotion.

"Are you really wearing it?" Graf's voice was warm with humor.

"I am. Tinkie, Millie, and Cece think it's incredible."

"Then I've pa.s.sed muster with the Zinnia Gang of Four. Whew! That's a tough group."

His grace and wit eased me over the hump of emotion. "I wish you were here."

"It does my heart good to hear you say that, Sarah Booth. You're so independent, I don't ever want to crowd you."

"I love you, Graf." Those words, spoken over a cell phone to a man a thousand miles away, came more naturally than I'd ever expected.

"I promise you, Sarah Booth, while in the past I may not have realized the incredible gift you're offering me, I do now. I've never loved or wanted anyone or anything as much as I do you. I promise what ever you want or need in life, I'll do my best to provide it."