“Copy that,” Clarice said. “And, your wife called earlier. Said you weren’t answering your phone.”
“Thanks.” Then he turned to Lella. “I hope you’ve been enjoying your stay. What time do you expect to leave tomorrow?”
“I’ll be gone by ten o’clock. Shall I leave my keys with Clarice?”
“That works.” Then Matt left.
Lella began wiping the graphite from her fingers. Clarice tossed her a damp towel.
“Can I see it?” she asked.
Lella looked up at her. “Clarice, I need to apologize about what I said earlier. I made it sound like your job here wasn’t worth much. Now I see how everyone in this community depends on you.”
Clarice, feeling proud that her worth was noticed, looked at the drawing over Lella’s shoulder.
“It damn near looks like me,” she said.
The next day, before she left, Lella
