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“But guess what?” said Elise. “They won’t even give him bail, Netta. Not even bail. They say Gramps a flight risk. I said what kind of crap is that?”

Juanita stood up. “Any who,” she said, “it’s been nice. But I gots to go.”

“Sit down, Ma,” said Joy. “We got to talk.”

Juanita looked at the determination in Joy’s hazel eyes, and then she looked at William. Max moved closer to her as if he was her prison guard, and she knew then and there that they weren’t about to let her leave. She sat back down. “Now this my last time I’m asking yo’ ass what we got to talk about?” Juanita said to Joy.

“Gramps got arrested protecting somebody,” Joy said.

“Yeah,” said Juanita. “You!”

“Blood is thicker than water,” Joy continued, ignoring her mother, “and sometimes it’s not.”

“Girrl, I ain’t got time for this,” Juanita said, attempting to stand up again. Max pushed her right back down.

“What this about, Netta?” Elise asked. “What your mama done done this time?”

“I ain’t done nothing!”

“If William dies,” Joy said, “and if I die, then Gramps is set to inherit William’s fortune because it’s in my will. I left you a little because you went to the lawyer’s office with me to draw up the will. But not nearly as much as you’ll have if you control the money Gramps will get.”

Joy looked at Elise. “Blood is thicker than water. Sometimes it’s not. But this time it is. Gramps,” she said, “is in jail protecting you, Elise. Somehow he found out what you did.”

William was floored. So was Max. They both were certain it was Juanita!

But Juanita was elated. “I knew that heifer was up to no good,” Juanita said. “I just couldn’t place what it was she was doing, but I knew that heifer was doing something!” Then she looked at Joy. “What he found out she did?”

“Is that true, Elise?” a stunned William asked her. “Is what Joynetta is saying true?”

Tears appeared in Elise’s eyes. “I been taking care of that old man my whole life. Every time something happened, it was understood that I had to help. Call Elise. Gramps fell. Call Elise. Gramps in the hospital. She’ll sit with him. Call Elise. She’ll stay with Gramps. Call Elise! Call Elise! Call Elise!”

“Well damn!” said Juanita.

Elise settled back down. “I never got married. And I ain’t never had no kids. I couldn’t have no life because of that old man.”

She turned to Joy. “When you went to Paris and Africa and all those exotic places on your honeymoon, I got real mad. I did more for Gramps than you ever did. Why I ain’t never got to go them places? That’s when I stole Juanita’s phone and got that phone number.”

“What phone number?” Juanita asked.

“To that lady. To William’s mother after you came back and said whatever you was plotting didn’t work.

William’s heart dropped. “My mother?”

But Juanita frowned. “How would you know I was in touch with his mama?”

“I heard your stupid butt talking on the phone in that back bedroom. I heard how y’all was gonna lie on Netta to get William to leave her, and then his mama was gonna pay you big bucks. It was gonna change your life. So when that didn’t work, I made the call. I called that number. Somebody answered. And I told them my granddaddy’s baby brother can take care of one of y’all, or both of y’all. It didn’t matter to him.”

Joy shook her head.

“The decision was made that Uncle DJ would take out both of y’all,” Elise continued. “And then I’d get paid. I didn’t have to wait for no reading of no will that they wasn’t gonna honor anyway. I’d have my money and be gone by then. I’d be as free as a bird for the first time in my life. And there was nothing nobody could--”

Before she could finish that last word, a hail of bullets sailed through the front picture window, and one bullet drove straight through Elise’s forehead. Death was instantaneous. She fell straight back.

William grabbed Joy and slammed her to the ground. William got on top of Joy, and Max got on top of William. Juanita had to fend for herself as she scrambled to the floor too.

But the commotion quickly turned from inside the house to outside. That was when Max got up, certain that his men outside had handled the threat, and he hurried for the front door. William and Joy and Juanita got up too.

“Stay here!” William ordered Joy as he hurried to the front door behind Max.