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had known Reed as the star of Spring Creek High’s football team. He’d been the guy every girl wanted and every parent feared. He’d had a reputation as a stud, and even when she’d been fifteen, she had understood why girls were drawn to him like moths to a flame. He’d been big and ruggedly good-looking and possessed a cocky smile that made you think he’d been up to no good. And from what she’d heard, he usually had been up to no good.
    A knock on the door brought Ella back from her memories. “Yes?”
    “It’s me, Miss Ella,” a gentle masculine voice said. “I’ve come to fix your lights.”
    “Come on in, Roy.”
    One of the flourescent light fixtures overhead had burned out yesterday and she’d had her secretary, Kelly, request a maintenance man to replace the bulb. Roy Moses, with a tool belt hanging below his jelly-belly tummy, just above his hips, entered the room carrying a ladder. He smiled and nodded, his squinty brown eyes, greeting her with his usual appreciative glance. Roy was a few years older than she, a bit slow-witted, and one of the sweetest guys she’d ever known. He wore his white-blond hair cropped short, which made his full face look perfectly round, like a pale pink ball.
    “Good morning, Miss Ella. How are you today?”
    “I’m fine, Roy. And you?”
    “Fine as frog hair.” He chuckled, the sound a series of deep, slow haw-haw-haws.
    “That’s good.” Ella had known Roy most of her life. He had a sister who was a nurse and a brother who was a fireman. Roy’s IQ score identified him as borderline retarded, but he was a hard worker who held down two part-time jobs. He wasn’t a member of the regular maintenance staff, but was employed as a part-time janitor who did odd jobs at the courthouse—a position Webb Porter had insisted be created for him. His other position was at Conway’s Garage, where he washed and waxed cars and did odd jobs.
    “Don’t want to disturb you none,” Roy said as he set up the ladder beneath the fluorescent ceiling fixture.
    “You aren’t disturbing me. Go ahead and do your job.”
    “You look real pretty this morning, Miss Ella.”
    “Thank you.” Every time he saw her, Roy told her how pretty she looked. She suspected he had an innocent crush on her.
    “Did you hear the news?” Roy began climbing the ladder.
    “What news is that?” Ella unsnapped her briefcase.
    “That Reed Conway is out of prison.”
    “Oh, that. Yes. I’m sure everyone in Spring Creek is aware that he was released on parole yesterday.”
    “I liked Reed.” Roy inspected the light fixture. “I’ll have to take this down and go get another one.”
    “You liked Reed Conway? I didn’t realize that you’d actually known him.”
    “Sure, I knew him. He was my friend. My brother Tommy played football with Reed and he used to come to our house sometimes. He was always nice to me. He never made fun of me the way some of Tommy’s other friends did. And he’d let me toss around the football with him and Tommy.” Roy chuckled his good-natured haw-haw-haw. “Reed used to call me ‘my buddy Roy Boy.’”
    “I didn’t really know him,” Ella said.
    “You would have liked him. Everybody liked Reed. I couldn’t believe it when they sent him away to prison. Anybody who knew him knew he wouldn’t have killed nobody. Not Reed.”
    “Sometimes even good people do bad things.”
    “I know Reed’s stepdaddy was a bad man, but if Reed killed him, he didn’t mean to.” Roy removed the burned-out light fixture and climbed down the ladder with it. “I’m going to be working with Reed.”
    “What?”
    “Over at the garage,” Roy said. “Briley Joe gave Reed a job. He said wouldn’t nobody else in town give Reed a job. I can’t hardly wait to see Reed again. He’s supposed to start work today. I’ll bet he’ll call me Roy Boy. Sure will be good to have a buddy again.”
    Roy carried the light fixture with him as he left Ella’s office. She stared at the