Page 52 of Family Jewels

“How . . .” His sudden silence was nerve-racking. “You’ve talked to Radcliffe Dyer.”

“He reached out tome, Joe, and I encouraged him to go to the police with his story. But I doubt he will, so it occurred to me that I might know a few things that could help with the investigation.”

“What did he tell you?”

If I told him what I really knew, he’d change his mind about finding Ronnie. “Not much. But the fact that he came to see me—”

“He came to see you?” he barked in my ear. “I thought he’d made a call!”

“Joe, calm down. I sent him away.” When he didn’t say anything, I continued, “I thought it might be helpful for me to talk to the person who’s investigatin’ the case, is all.”

He hesitated. “Maybe I should come back.”

“No.If Ronnie’s living in New Orleans, then you need to find him and get those papers signed. Just tell me who’s in charge of the investigation.”

He was silent for a moment.

“Joe,” I said. “I promise. If I thought we were in danger, I’d tell you. I’m only trying to help out if I can. So will you tell me?”

He pushed out a breath. “I have a feeling I’ll regret not coming back. Do you promise Raddy didn’t threaten you?”

“I promise. He asked for our help, but I sent him packing.”

He was silent for several seconds. “Deputy Miller’s helping with the investigation. Go to him with what you know. He’ll be more understanding of your involvement.”

“Thanks,” I said, not hiding my relief.

Deputy Randy Miller was one of the few deputies I trusted. He’d helped me on several occasions, and we’d become friends. But I’d been staying out of trouble for the last few months, and I’d only seen him in passing since February. Knowing that I’d be dealing with Deputy Miller made me feel a whole lot better.

“You’re not planning on doing something crazy like tryin’ to investigate this murder yourself, are you?” Joe asked.

“My murder investigation days are over,” I said. Then a wave of guilt hit me, making me dangerously close to tears. “I talked to Rayna yesterday morning, Joe. She was alive and now she’s not. I . . . I need to help if I can.”

Joe was quiet for a moment. “Okay, but call me straightaway if Dyer threatens you.”

“I will,” I said. “I hope you find Ronnie.”

“Me too.”

I hung up and realized Muffy was still lying on the bed. Gently rubbing her head, I asked, “What’s going on, girl? Decided to sleep in today?”

She looked up at me with sad eyes, and I slid my hand down her back and under her belly. No reaction until I pressed on her back hip, which made her yelp.

“I’m sorry, Muff,” I said, picking her up and setting her on the floor to see what she would do. She made tentative steps toward the door before picking up the pace, but I noticed she barely put weight on her back leg.

When she reached the top of the staircase, she stopped and looked back at me, so I picked her up and carried her downstairs. She made her way to the kitchen, still limping, and stopped again at the back door.

“You look pretty today,” Neely Kate said from in front of the open refrigerator door. “What’s the occasion?”

“Nothing,” I said, feeling my face start to flush. “I just decided to look nice for a change.”

“Huh.”

Muffy just looked up at me when I opened the door, so I picked her up again and carried her to the lawn. I crossed my arms as I watched her limp around. When she tried to balance to go to the bathroom, she fell on her butt. I rushed over to help her back on her feet.

“Is she okay?” Neely Kate asked, joining me in the doorway. “She’s limping.”

“I don’t know. James said she seemed okay, but he’s not a vet. Besides, he told me I still might need to take her to one.”