“It’s a jar of peppers,” she told him as if that would foreclose the case and convict the pickles.

The five of us stared back as if we all, somehow, were guilty of something.

“From the restaurant,” she said, adding another unnecessary detail. And then she frowned at Grettible who smirked a smirk that was almost winsome.

"It has to go back,” Care continued. "You two," meaning me and Abey, “have to take both of them back. Zlottie and I will wait across the street."

Zlottie carefully walked over to her side, turning righteously against the rest of us.