Page 44 of Promise Keeper

"Well, I hope they could afford a bucket to hold over their heads on rainy Sunday mornings at church so they didn't get soaked."

These two were giving me a headache. "I think it's almost ten now," I said. "Maybe we should start heading next door. Will should be there before he opens. We can knock and see if he lets us in."

"He won't let this one in," Roy said jabbing his thumb in Johnna's direction. "Not after last time."

"I wasn't trying to steal anything. He didn't have to call Ben." Johnna tucked her knitting into her bag and pushed herself up out of her chair.

"We'll have to leave you outside," Roy said, traipsing around the table. "This is a high profile operation now. We have the support of the local police. We can't be getting in trouble around town."

"Oh, you're a role model now, are you?" Johnna grabbed him by his jacket lapels and reached inside for his trademark flask. "You don't think being the town drunk makes us look bad?"

"We all have our quirks," I said, trying to defuse the situation, but it was too far gone.

"Give me that!" Roy snatched for his flask and missed.

Johnna turned her back to him and stuffed the flask down the front of her blouse into her brassiere. "Let's see you get it back now, old man!"

"If that's the way you go about getting yourself a man, then youarelike my Aunt Francie!" Roy stomped past me down the hall and whipped open the front door. "You two can chat up Will without me. I'll be at Soapy's if you need me." He tugged the door shut behind him with a loud slam.

"Only because the Cornerstone isn't open this early," Johnna muttered.

"Good gravy, you two fight like an old, married couple," I said.

"If you think I'd have anything to do with that man, then you need your head examined!" Johnna threw her tote over her shoulder and made her way toward the door. "I'm no help to you since Will won't let me in his shop, so I'll see myself out."

"Johnna, wait. I was only kidding about fighting like an old, married couple."

She lifted her chin. Her nose twitched. "I have better things to do than spend my day being insulted."

And with that, the second member of the Action Agency stormed out my door.

Will Adkins was jamming rusty, antique lawn ornaments in the grass in front of his shop when I followed Johnna outside. One was a flower made from old glass cups and plates, another was a whirligig of repurposed silverware.

Johnna was half way across my yard pulling Roy's flask out of her top. She popped the top off and took a healthy swig, wiping her lips on the back of her hand.

"Morning, Johnna," Will called, watching her walk by.

"I don't want none of your old junk, anyway," she said.

He looked over at me heading toward him and I shrugged. "It's not you. I said something and she took it the wrong way."

"I saw Roy huffing and puffing past a few minutes ago. Did you make him mad, too?"

"No, Johnna made him mad. It's been a morning."

"I heard about Irene. I thought she was loyal to a fault where the Daughters were concerned."

"I guess self-preservation is an instinct even she couldn't overcome."

He leaned his forearm on the glass flower. "What happens now?"

"Now we need to find out who the bones belong to, and I think I might know."

"Really?" He tilted his head, curious.

"The man's initials are JLA. Does that ring a bell?"

"Should it?"

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