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directed, “Stay out in the hall, Mr. Black. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes where they belong. And be mindful that there are at least a hundred police officers surrounding this building.”
    Will muttered some soft obscenities as he walked into the hallway. He watched Amanda help Maw-Maw settle into the chair. She needed the assistance. Up close, Willwould’ve put her age somewhere in the mid-eighties. Her balance was off. She didn’t sit in the chair so much as fall back and trust there was something to catch her.
    Amanda asked, “Ms. Lewis, are you sure I can’t get you anything? Is there someone I can call?”
    “Oh, no, dear. I wish I could remember where my son-in-law is, but so much has happened today that it’s set my brain all a’buzz.”
    Amanda pressed, “We haven’t been able to locate a phone number for him other than at the store.”
    “I’m sure it’ll come to me. I don’t set much by these new-fangled telephones you can carry around in your pocket.” Maw-Maw patted Amanda’s hand. “I’ll let you know the minute I remember.”
    “I’ll be right outside the store if you need me.”
    Amanda gave Will a nasty look as she left the office. He was fairly certain he would’ve gotten the same response even without the old woman. He watched her walk up the hall. Instead of heading toward the exit, she stopped about fifteen feet away. Amanda leaned her shoulder against the wall. She crossed her arms and waited.
    Will looked back at the old woman in the office. She was probably under a hundred pounds, even with her heavy orthopedic shoes on. Her dress was too big for her frame. He imagined it was the smallest size she could find. She was built like a bird, from her narrow shoulders to her tiny wrists, which reminded him of Pixy Stix because of the various rubber bracelets she wore. Livestrong. Breast cancer research. Support our troops. Will had seen a display of the bands by the cash register. He wondered if she’d paid for them, and then he felt guilty for thinking that the old woman would steal.
    Of course, she had already lied to the police, so there was that.
    “Well.” Maw-Maw glanced up at him, curious, but too polite to stare.
    Will turned his attention to the scenery out the back door. Amanda wasn’t lying about the cops. He counted at least ten men walking around the field behind the building, and that was just the cops who were in his line of sight.
    The old woman asked, “Is the lesbian gone?” There was a waver to her voice, like a weak signal from a radio station. She tried to make it stronger, yelling, “I asked, is the—”
    “Yes.”
    “Good.” Maw-Maw was smiling at him like she hadn’t just said what she’d said. “She thinks she’s hiding it with that skirt, but you can always tell. We can’t forget that Satan was the most beautiful angel before the Fall.”
    Will didn’t know what to say, so he concentrated on not looking up the hallway, where Amanda was probably pulling her gun out of her purse.
    Maw-Maw whispered, “Why’d you cover for me?”
    Will cleared his throat. He took his time answering. “Cover for what?”
    She seemed exasperated. “About this morning. You know I wasn’t here.”
    Will shrugged. He assumed Bill Black would lie to the cops as a matter of pride.
    “Is it money you’re after?” Tears came into her eyes. She clutched the neck of her dress in her frail hand. “I’m an old woman on a fixed income. There’s nothing I can offer.”
    Will couldn’t look at her, mostly because he felt like the worst sort of bad person, the kind who preyed on old people.
    Down the hall, he heard a thumping sound: Amanda’s high heel hitting the floor, sort of like the way a horse thief digs its heels into the flesh of an innocent pony.
    Will swallowed, then made himself look back up. “Why’d you lie?”
    “Please, mister …” Her voice took on a pleading quality. She was still afraid he would tell. “I know it’s wrong, but I had my