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that assaulted you,” I interjected. “Tell me his name, Sissy. I’ll have Conahegg arrest him.”
    My sister paid me absolutely no attention. She was too intent on boring a hole through Rocky with her glare. “Yourgood pal gave me a shiner because I refused to pay your debt. He said to tell you this is a warning. That he’s going to give you ten times the pounding if you don’t have his money by Monday.”
    “Monday?” Rocky’s Adam’s apple quivered.
    “I’m not taking any more beatings for you or from you, Rockerfeller Hughes,” Sissy said, looking madder and braver than I’d ever seen her. I could barely contain myself from bursting into applause. “Next time, I’ll tell him where to find you.”
    “Sissy…” Rocky whined.
    “Oh, and for the record, I’m glad I shot you.” Then Sissy whirled on her heel and marched out the door.
    “Darlene,” I heard Rocky ask the blonde as I hurried to catch up with my sister. “You got three thousand dollars I could borrow?”

CHAPTER FOUR
    N O MATTER HOW I CAJOLED , Sissy refused to tell me the name of the guy who’d beaten her. She said it was none of my business. How’s that for gratitude?
    On Sunday, I worked the three-to-eleven shift in Labor and Delivery at the hospital. We had only one patient and she didn’t deliver on our shift, which gave me plenty of time to snoop around and see what had happened to Tim and Rocky.
    Tim, I discovered, had been treated the night before for a moderate laceration to the knee, then carted off to county lockup. Rocky was scheduled for a debridement of his toe early Monday morning but was being dismissed after the procedure.
    I didn’t go up to see him again, although there were a few things I wanted to tell him. Sissy had made me promise to stay away.
    What did surprise me, however, was a visit from Conahegg.
    My coworker and best friend, Rhonda Smithy, and I had medicated the plodding mother-to-be and left her with attentive relatives. We were unenthusiastically looking forward to our Lean Cuisine frozen dinners when lo and behold Conahegg appeared with a pizza.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked, eyeing the pizza.
    “Thought I’d see if you were hungry.” He set the box down on the table.
    “You expect me to believe you brought me a pizza out of the goodness of your heart?”
    “Anyone ever tell you that you’ve got a suspicious mind?”
    “All the time.”
    Conahegg grinned and ran his gaze over my body. It was a quick perusal but he was checking me out. I wished I was wearing something sexier than shapeless hospital scrubs.
    “How did you know I was working at the hospital tonight?”
    “I went out to your house.”
    “Did you need to speak to me about something?”
    Conahegg’s eyes darkened and he cast a glance at Rhonda.
    Sharp as a hypodermic, Rhonda peered at her watch. “Oh, excuse me for a minute, I think it’s time to change the IV on the patient in room one.” She scurried from the lounge but not before giving me an exaggerated wink.
    “Have a seat.” I nodded at the chair Rhonda had vacated.
    Conahegg sat, his long-limbed frame drawing my attention. Good gawd but the man was built. The quality of light in the room suddenly sharpened. I blinked in wonder. The fluorescent bulb flickering, surely. But I couldn’t stop myself from staring at Conahegg.
    “I think I know who attacked your sister,” he said. “I drove over to see her but she won’t talk to me. I get the feeling she’s protecting Rockerfeller Hughes, but I don’t know why.”
    “Me, either.” I sighed. “Who do you think attacked her?”
    “Loan shark by the name of Dooley Marchand. Do you know him?”
    I shook my head.
    “He works as a bouncer at the strip club out on I30. Your sister’s boyfriend owes him a lot of money. Dooley doesn’t like to wait for his due. We’ve arrested him before for working people over. One of my deputies saw him at the station right before your sister was