And at that moment, the most inopportune time, I felt a vision coming on. Crap.

I saw a vision of a footprint in the dirt, behind my house. I looked up at Detective Taylor. “You’ll find a footprint behind the house, where someone cut the telephone line.”

“What? How do you know that?’ The detective bent over, getting closer, staring into my face.

Double crap.

Joe glanced my direction before he turned back toward the crowd.

“Lucky guess,” I mumbled, looking down at my hands in my lap.

The detective flipped his notebook closed. “I’m really goin’ to need you to come down to the station. If you wait here, we’ll take you in a few minutes.”

“I have to ride in a police car?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He stepped off the porch and walked over to another officer.

Panic gripped me. “Violet, they think I did it!”

“I know, sweetheart, we’ll get you out of this.” She took my hands, looking over my shoulder, deep in thought. Then she turned to me, a strange expression on her face. “You didn’t do this, did you?”

I jerked my hands back. “No! Of course not! How could you think that?”

She grabbed my hands again, stroking the back of one with her thumb. “I’m sorry, I knew you couldn’t, but I had to ask.”

I pursed my lips together in a pout. I knew this looked bad, but it hurt that she thought I could hit Momma hard enough to give her a hole in her head the size of a grapefruit.

“Rose,” an insistent voice whispered in my ear.

I jumped. Joe kneeled next to my chair. I hadn’t realized he’d come back.

“Listen to me, don’t say anything to them without a lawyer. The police in this town aren't the most professional and they’re bound to pin this on you just to save themselves a lot of work.”

“What?” I wondered if somehow, without my knowing it, I had been cast in a Lifetime channel movie.

The detective and another officer were walking to the porch.

“Listen to me.” Joe’s voice was harsh. “Do not talk to them. Get a lawyer.”

“But I don't know any lawyers…” I protested, fear squeezing my chest.

Joe turned to Violet.

She nodded, her eyes wide with fright. “I’ll call Mike. I’m sure he knows someone.”

“Good.” Joe stood up. “Don't tell them I told you any of this. I’m just the neighbor who called the police.”

The detective stopped to talk to a neighbor while the officer walked over. I stood up, confused. I thought Joe was just the neighbor who called the police. The policeman pulled a pair of handcuffs off his belt.

Hysteria bubbled up in my throat and I backed up, nearly tripping over the chair leg. “Violet, he’s goin’ to handcuff me!”

Joe threw me a look of irritation before he turned to the man, leaning against a column. “Officer,” Joe said in a nonchalant tone. “I’m sure those aren’t really necessary.” His voice took on a lilting tone of old Southern money. “You’re not arrestin’ her; you’re only takin’ her in for questionin’. Besides, think how it looks, cuffin’ her makes it look like y’all can’t handle a tiny little thing like that.”

Detective Taylor stopped his conversation and walked over, rolling his eyes. “Ernie, how many times do I have to tell you? You can’t just go cuffing people anytime you feel like it.”

Ernie studied his feet, but returned his cuffs to his belt. A scowl crossed his face. “Ms. Gardner, we’ll be goin’ now.” He gripped my arm and walked over to the steps. I glanced at Joe, unsure what I just witnessed, but Joe had already walked in his front door. It closed without him giving me a second glance.

We approached the crowd, Violet trailing behind. “Don’t you worry, sweetheart. I’m callin’ Mike right now. I’ll get you out of this.” She had her cell phone in her hand.

The crowd murmured as we reached the edge. They parted to let us pass. The looks on their faces told me they thought I was guilty. They knew nothing about what happened, but they knew I was Momma’s weird daughter, and that alone carried enough weight to convict me.

The officer opened the back door of the patrol car and I slid across the seat, the vinyl sticking to the dampness on the back of my legs. He shut the door and a wave of claustrophobia choked me. What if they arrested me? What if I went into the police station and I never saw the light of day again?

I searched the crowd for Violet, desperate to see her face. I found her several rows back, her cell phone against her cheek and her worried eyes on me. My heart broke for her. Not only did she lose Momma, but now she was stuck worrying about me.

Ernie got in the car. We remained silent the short drive to the police station. He helped me out and escorted me to a small room with a table, telling me someone would be in soon. A short time later, Detective Taylor entered the room and sat down across from me.

“It’s been a busy night, Ms. Gardner, hasn’t it?”

My mouth dried up and I swallowed, my heart pounding fast and furious. I looked down at my hands, which I twisted in my lap. “I refuse to answer any questions without an attorney present.”

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “Now, Ms. Gardner,” he said, emphasizing Ms. in a condescending, a no-nonsense tone that let me know he wouldn’t put up with any foolishness. “There’s no need for that. I just want to ask a few questions. We can all go home and go to bed if you'll just cooperate and answer a few more questions.”