“Mace, honey, I want you to meet my roommate.’’
I slipped my hand through the bars to grip limp fingers. Mama’s twenty-something cellmate kept her shoulders hunched and her eyes on the concrete floor. If I had to guess, I’d say she’d been knocked around some. Despite a pierced nose and a wide streak of purple in her hair, she looked like the kind of woman who’d just as soon disappear.
Mama would try to fix that.
“We’re becoming great friends, aren’t we, LaTonya? When we get out of here, I’ve asked her to come visit us at Abundant Hope, Mace. Of course, our new pastor’s not real popular. But we’re hoping he works out.’’
“Donnie said he came by already this morning. That was nice,’’ I said.
Mama pursed her lips.
“What’s wrong?’’
“I’m trying to warm up to him, I really am, Mace. But the man has a strange way of offering comfort. I mean, I’m sitting in jail. Do you think this is the time I want to hear about his plans for selling his DVDs and ‘growing’ our little church?’’
I raised my eyebrows. Mama answered her own question.
“No, it is not. He’s so full of himself, I barely got a word in edgewise about my situation.’’
I sincerely doubted that.
“Mama, if you don’t like him, just tell Donnie you don’t want to see him.’’
Her eyes got wide. “I couldn’t do that, Mace. Pastor Bob is my minister.’’
“How’re you getting along in here otherwise?’’
Mama brightened. “Well, I’ve been helping LaTonya with her colors. We’re pretty sure with her brown eyes and skin tone, she’s an Autumn. It’s kind of hard to tell, what with that interesting shade of lavender in her hair.’’
LaTonya’s eyes flickered up from the floor for a second as she touched her purple stripe. It’s just like Mama to treat jail like a slumber party, all color charts and clothing tips. I’m no expert, but those orange uniforms would flatter no one—not a Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall.
“I’m glad to see you, Mama.’’
“Me, too, Mace. But what happened to your hair, honey? It looks like a possum crawled in there and dug a nest.’’
I ignored the criticism. A woman who cuts her own hair can’t afford to be too vain. But I ran a hand through it anyway to try and fluff the flat side. “I’ve got good news, Mama. Henry’s working hard on getting you out of here.’’
Alarm registered on her face. “Henry hasn’t told his mama where I am, has he, Mace? That Irene will never let me forget it if he has.’’
By this time, the news that Mama was in jail was all over Himmarshee County, from the fish camps around Lake Okeechobee to the citrus groves that stretch to the north.
“I doubt if Henry’s said a word. Lawyers have to respect confidentiality. It’s a law.’’
I brought Mama up to date on the criminal identity of the man in her trunk.
“Poor Emma Jean,’’ she said.
“Didn’t you suspect anything funny about her boyfriend?’’
“I barely knew the man, Mace. I’d only seen him once, briefly, when he dropped Emma Jean off at bingo. He never even got out of the car.’’
I told her about Police Chief Johnson getting involved.
“He was the sweetest child in Sunday School, Mace. Loved cupcakes.’’
And I said my upcoming meeting with Martinez would give us a better idea of where things stood.
“Now, don’t make him mad, Mace. I know how you are. Just remember what I always say: you can catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar.’’
Maybe it was the stress, but that last part set my blood to boil. Mama’s constantly on me to be more charming, to smile more. She knows I’d sooner eat dirt than flutter my eyes and flirt.
I lashed out. “Yeah, we can see where all that ‘honey’ has gotten you, Mama. Right behind bars. By the way, I’m glad you’re having a good time in here, discussing colors and all, but I hope you know you’re in serious trouble. You better start thinking about something that will help Henry and the rest of us get you out of here. You can’t expect us to do all the work.’’
Mama recoiled like I’d slapped her. LaTonya lifted her eyes long enough to shoot me a dirty look.
“Mace, I’m perfectly aware of where I am.’’ Mama said softly, her voice laced with hurt. “I don’t live in a dream world. I know I’m in trouble. But that’s the difference between us. You worry and stew and make things worse. I put on the happiest face I can. I try to make the best out of things, even the worst things. And I trust the Lord to sort things out. It’s the way I’ve always gotten by. It’s the only way I know.’’
I swallowed, hard. I’m an awful daughter. My sister Marty would never be so mean; though Maddie might. I heard squeaky shoes and felt a tap on my shoulder.
“Mace, you need to get going.’’ Donnie couldn’t have come at a better time. “We’re about ready to serve lunch, and believe me, you don’t want to be around here for that.’’
I ducked my head, surreptitiously brushing away tears. “It’s okay, Donnie. I was just fixin’ to leave anyway.’’
I started to walk away, and then turned back to the cell. “I’m sorry I’m so horrible, Mama. I love you. You know that, right?’’
She’d always taught us, never leave mad. You never know which breath is your last.
“Mace, I’m as sure of your love as I am of the sun. Stop fretting.’’
“I promise you, you’re going to be home soon. Teensy’s going to be driving you to distraction again before you know it.’’
LaTonya glanced up, rewarding me with a smile.
“Detective Martinez is going to figure out this whole mess is a misunderstanding,’’ I said. “He’s going to charge in here himself and cut you loose.’’
I know lying is wrong. But Mama always said it’s not a sin if you lie in order to save another person’s feelings.
A uniformed stranger sat at the receptionist’s desk in the police lobby. Emma Jean probably needed time to recover from the shock of finding out that A: her boyfriend had been murdered; and B: he wasn’t who she thought he was.
The woman manning the desk had close-cropped hair and a husky build. A red-and-black tattoo peeked out from under her shirt sleeve. She was reading a copy of Field & Stream magazine. There was not a chance in hell she’d ever wear a kitty-cat pin or pour her bosoms into a pink bustier.