by Lynn Cahoon
Erica laughed. “I really appreciate the help.”
After Erica left, Angie wondered if she really knew what she’d got herself into. She didn’t have any training dealing with the elderly. Nona hadn’t called her home when she’d gotten ill. She’d hired a live-in caretaker. Maybe she had known something that Angie didn’t know about herself. Or maybe, the internal voice of reason spoke up, she knew you were busy building a life and a career.
Angie knew the voice was rational and probably true, but it didn’t keep her from second-guessing her choices. She returned to her work, and by the time she needed to leave for town to meet Felicia at the County Seat, she had two new recipes ready.
Felicia was already downstairs, working on her laptop when Angie arrived. When the door opened, she looked up, worry creasing her brow. “Hey, I was about to call you. Everything okay?”
“I got stuck behind a line of cars following a tractor. I know it’s Saturday, but some people work weekends, right? I don’t know why they don’t move those machines on a day that’s not busy.” Angie dumped her tote out on the counter, looking for the recipe notebook she carried around at all times.
Felicia walked over, picked up the spiral notebook Erica had given Angie that morning, and opened the cover. “Is this instructions for Mrs. Potter? I thought you were going to tell Erica you couldn’t do it?”
Angie couldn’t meet her friend’s gaze. “Don’t judge. I know I told you I was uncomfortable with the whole thing, but I want to do this.”
“You don’t owe this to Nona.”
Her friend’s words struck home, and finally, Angie looked straight at her. “Maybe not, but I can be a good neighbor and a friend to Erica when she needs help. Anyway, how much trouble can one woman cause in a week? By the time Erica gets back, we’ll be best friends.”
“Doubtful.” But Felicia didn’t press the issue. “What can I do to help?”
They cooked lunch together, adding the two appetizers that Angie had developed that week. When they sat down to eat, the discussion turned to staffing and restaurant business. Like Angie’s kitchen team, Felicia was happy with her front-of-the-house staff. “Although Jeorge’s vacation has taught me that we’re too dependent on too few people. I’d like to hire a part-time server who could also be trained in bartending. That way, if someone calls in sick or vacations, we don’t have to settle for who the temp agency sends us.”
“It’s a great idea. We kind of have that built in with Hope. The week Estebe’s gone, I’m moving her out of her dishwasher duties and into a prep chef. Nancy will cover for Estebe, but I’ll need a temp dishwasher. That shouldn’t be hard to find.”
They had just finished the meal and were beginning to look at the numbers when Angie’s phone rang. She looked down at the caller ID and groaned. There was only one reason he’d be calling her. Estebe wasn’t showing up for work tonight. She tried to keep her disappointment out of her tone when she answered. “Hey, Estebe, what’s going on?”
She watched as Felicia started cleaning the dishes from the chef table. The table was cleared and the dishes were probably stacked in the dishwasher, waiting to be run, by the time Angie had finished the conversation.
Felicia returned to the table and studied her. “Do we need to call the temp agency?”
“Yes.” Angie considered the recipe she’d been planning on adding to tonight’s dinner menu. “We might need to hold back on adding the bruschetta.”
“Why? Just because Estebe called in sick?” Felicia shook her head. “I think you count on him too much. I’m sure Nancy can run his station fine.”
“Estebe’s not sick.” Angie took a deep breath. “His cousin asked him to go out to the farm. He doesn’t know when he’ll be done there.”
“Seriously? He’s ditching us for a family meeting?” Felicia sank into her chair next to Angie. “He needs to set some priorities. No wonder he hadn’t worked in a real kitchen for years.”
“It’s not that.” Angie held up a hand, stopping Felicia from continuing her tirade. “His cousin’s girlfriend was found dead this morning.”
“OMG. Did she have a heart attack?” Felicia’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, is this the player cousin? I thought you said that girl was Hope’s age. What did she die from?”
“She was killed outside the Red Eye Saloon down the street late last night. Heather, that’s her name, was found in the alley behind the bar just after closing.”
“I must have been out. I didn’t hear any of the commotion.” Felicia shook her head. “That poor girl. So Estebe’s helping Javier with the funeral arrangements?”
“Actually, he’s trying to bail him out of jail.” Angie leaned back into her chair. “They think Javier killed her.”
Chapter 4
Before service started, Angie brought the kitchen team together and explained Estebe’s absence. The temp Felicia had hired wasn’t expected for a couple of hours. Angie didn’t know what all to say, but it turned out she didn’t need to fill in the details because Matt already had told them.
“Heather and Javier Easterly were at the Red Eye drinking most of the night. They got in a big fight when Javier started dancing with some other girl.” He glanced around. “I know, the guy was a jerk with women, but that doesn’t mean he killed her. The guy already had a new one on the line, why would he care?”
“Heather was in love with him.” Hope spoke up for the first time since she’d heard the news. Everyone turned to look at her and she shrank back from the attention. “I knew her from high school. We were in a Young Leaders community service club. We stayed in touch after we graduated. She was a good person and didn’t deserve to die like this.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Angie hadn’t realized Hope had known the girl. “Do you need some time? We can drop down to a three-person team for the night.”
“I can do it. Heather and I weren’t close, we were more like Facebook friends. She talked about Javier and how wonderful he was for the last month. She’d fallen hard.” Hope shook her head. “She always fell for the guys who were never going to work out. Even in high school, she went for the players. I’ll visit her parents tomorrow. They must be heartbroken.”
“If you change your mind, you let me know.” Something in Hope’s tone made her question the relationship, but it wasn’t her business. Angie glanced around the room. The team looked sad at the tragic news but not wiped out. In a small community like River Vista, the death of one of its own had to make an impression on everyone. “We okay? I was going to add a new item, but I think we’ll hold off until next week. Let’s go over the menu.”
As they prepped for the upcoming service, the kitchen was quiet, each person lost in their own thoughts. Angie turned on the CD player and classical music poured out. Estebe must have left one of his discs in the machine. Somehow the music felt right and the team started working together, talking quietly. When the temp hire showed up, Hope took him over to the dishwasher stand and explained his job and how to work the machine.
Felicia came into the room a few minutes before opening. She stood near Angie, taking in the quiet kitchen. “Everyone all right?”
“We’ll be fine. Are we ready to open?” Angie glanced around the room and realized her words were true. The group had been shocked at the news, but they’d bounced back and stepped into Estebe’s absence well.
“The first table just got seated.” Felicia followed Angie’s glance around the room. “That didn’t take long.”
“What do you mean?”
Felicia smiled as she stepped away toward the front. “You have a team here, not just employees.”
As she cooked, Angie realized Felicia was right. When times were good or tough, the kitchen crew would get through it. Not for the first time, she felt like she was exactly where she needed to be.
* * * *
On most Sundays, Angie liked to sleep in,
but for many reasons, today her mind was running a mile a minute. She’d thought about calling Estebe more than once, but she always set the phone down, knowing it sent the wrong message. She might not see their relationship as more than friends, but she didn’t need to throw any more gas on that flame for others in town, especially Missy Stockwell. At least her husband had been nice, even though he’d compared her restaurant to a chain. Maybe she’d make up a dessert and take it over to the Farm Store tomorrow. She could say it was to thank them for coming in, but that made a bad precedent for other townies who she didn’t bake a personal thank-you for. She really just wanted to give Missy a piece of her mind, not a piece of pie.
“Hey, are you decent?” Ian’s voice called through the house. She’d been upstairs, gathering laundry to start her chores.
“Depends on what you call decent.” She called back. Glancing in the mirror, she pulled her hair back behind her ears. She looked fine. For a Sunday morning. “I’ll be right down. Grab some coffee.”
“That will work. I brought something to eat from the store.”
By the time she’d gotten downstairs and put the laundry basket on top of the washer, Ian was sitting at the table talking to Dom and sipping his coffee. A zucchini bread sat sliced on a plate at the table, and she noticed her own cup had been refilled. “You don’t have to bring food with every visit. I am a chef, you know.”
“I like this zucchini bread. I know you probably have an amazing recipe, but I didn’t want to ask you to bake on this lovely day.” He gave Dom one last rub under his ear, then stood to wash his hands. “I take it you heard about Estebe’s cousin?”
“He called me yesterday afternoon, as he couldn’t come into work. Did Sheriff Brown really arrest Javier?” She slipped into her chair and took a slice of the bread. She sniffed it, then took a bite. Ian was right, it was good. But her recipe was better. She hadn’t made zucchini bread in years. She’d need to pull it out. Maybe figure a way to make a dessert for the restaurant out of the moist bread.
“He didn’t arrest him. He just brought him in for questioning. According to Allen, he sent them home about seven last night.” Ian sipped on his coffee. “Allen’s a mess. Two murders this summer and he’s gone over twenty years without one. I think he’s consulting with someone from the Idaho State Police in Meridian.”
“It must be hard.” Angie felt a twinge of guilt. She moves back, people start dying. Maybe she was a Typhoid Mary or something.
“Don’t go there.” Ian must have read the thought on her face. “Just because you’re here doesn’t mean you caused these things. Unless you’re a vicious serial killer and I’m a completely bad judge of character.”
“If I was, you wouldn’t be spending all your free time with Mildred.” Angie sipped her coffee. “You know, there was a weird vibe in the air Friday night. I left the building and thought someone was watching me.”
“Did you see who it was?” Ian sat straighter, his gaze tight on her face.
Angie laughed. “Yeah. It was Estebe. He waited for me to leave to make sure I’d be safe. Who does that? Most of my crew takes off as soon as the shift’s over. He hangs around because I don’t have good lighting in the back parking lot.”
“Well, that’s good.” Ian’s face didn’t match his words, but Angie let the comment go. They’d already had that conversation. No need to dig it up again.
“Anyway, it just felt weird. I don’t think I’ve ever felt uncomfortable in that lot, and there were a lot of times when we were getting the restaurant ready that I didn’t leave for home until after midnight.” She picked up a piece of zucchini bread and sniffed it, trying to decide if there was cinnamon and nutmeg or maybe some other spice in the mix. “I’ll call an electrician next week and get them to add some security lights. Even if I feel okay, Felicia lives there.”
“And she likes to go to the Red Eye at night,” Ian added.
“She’s a single adult. She has a right to go to a bar if she wants to go.” Angie didn’t like the sharp tone in her voice.
Ian held up his hands, blocking the emotional assault. “I’m not saying anything against Felicia. I’m saying she should be safe walking in an alley in River Vista. It’s not like we’re a big city like New York, Los Angeles, or even St. Louis.”
“Or Boise. I’ve heard on the news some surprising crimes that have been happening in their downtown area. Of course, it has way too many bars per city block down there. We’re lucky we only have two.” Angie, started doodling on a piece of paper, listing off what she thought were the ingredients in the bread.
“Three.”
She looked up, frowning. She had already lost track of the conversation and wondered how he knew how many eggs were in the dish. “Three what?”
“Three bars. The Red Eye, the Rocking Rodeo, and the County Seat.” Ian watched her react in surprise. “What? You have a liquor license, dear. Don’t think that people won’t come in just for a drink.”
“It never occurred to me that they would. I only set up the bar for an extra waiting area. People won’t really just come in to drink, right? We’re not set up for that. And we close a lot earlier than the real bars.” Angie thought about Jeorge and Felicia’s unhappiness with the temp who had covered. If they lost their bartender, it would take weeks to get someone with that kind of training. “You’re messing with me.”
“I am not. And I can’t believe this wasn’t in your plan. You plan out everything, especially when it comes to that place of yours.” He glanced at his watch. “Sorry, it’s been fun messing with your head, but I’ve got to get into town.”
“Another meeting? Tell Mildred hi.” Angie couldn’t help but tease him about his new BFF.
He leaned down and kissed her. “I do have an appointment, but not with Mildred. The laundromat down the street from my apartment is my destination. I don’t have any clothes left for going back to work tomorrow. And I don’t think Allen would like it much if I started my own nudist colony here in River Vista.”
“I might.” She stood up to follow him to the door. “Make sure you call me when you’re heading outside. I’ll bring the popcorn to watch the festivities.”
After he left, she glanced around the house. She had her own chores to do, but she was curious about Javier. She picked up her phone, and hesitated. She should keep her nose out of other people’s business. There was no way Sheriff Brown was going to question her on this murder. She’d been tucked in bed by the time the bars closed, worn out from working the Friday-night service. A good boss would check in on her employee, just to make sure he was okay. It was a stressful time. She hoped he didn’t just assume she was looking for gossip. Which she probably was.
Hesitating for a second, finally, she pressed Estebe’s number and let the chips fall as they might. When he answered, she took a breath. “I was just checking to see how you are doing. Do you need anything? More time off?”
“Angie, thank you for calling. I was just about to call you, in fact.” He paused, talking to someone in the background. Finally, he came back on the line. “Could you meet me out at the River Vista park? I need a favor.”
“The park? The one in town or the one by the river?” Angie wasn’t sure why her sous chef was being so secretive, but she’d give him some leeway. His cousin’s girlfriend had just been killed.
“The one by the river. I will be there in twenty minutes.” He paused. “Thank you for not asking questions.”
“I’m not sure what questions to ask yet.” Angie glanced at the clock. It would take her ten minutes to get down to the park. “I’ll be over by the sitting area by the bridge. We can take a walk. Dom loves that area.”
Estebe’s chuckle made her feel warm. “Leave it to you to put the needs of your dog first. How do you know what the animal likes?”
“You can tell. I guess you’re not a pet owner?”
“Animals are put here for
our use. Not for us to make them our friends.” Estebe spoke with authority.
“Maybe being friends with humans is exactly the purpose of animals. Have you ever thought of that?” Angie countered.
“You are a surprising woman.” He talked to someone again, then came back on the line. “Twenty minutes. Thank you again.”
After the conversation, Angie sat her phone down and opened a notebook, listing out all the questions she’d like to ask Estebe. She’d probably not ask any of them, but she wanted to have an outline in her head before she met with him. She tucked the notebook into her tote, then grabbed her keys and Dom’s leash. As soon as he saw her take it off the shelf, he positioned himself in front of her and lifted his chin.
“We’ll put it on at the park. Do you want to go for a ride?” Angie held the door open for him. When she’d locked the kitchen door and walked to her SUV, Dom stood by his door, his tail wagging up a dust storm near the vehicle.
She opened his door and he jumped into the backseat. She slipped into the driver’s seat and turned the vehicle around in the driveway. Mrs. Potter and Erica were sitting on their porch, and Angie waved as she pulled out onto the county road. Tomorrow she’d have a roommate for a week. Angie wasn’t sure how she felt about it, but how hard could it be to have Mrs. Potter in the house? Of course, she’d have to cook, but that was a joy, not a problem.
Angie started menu planning in her head as she drove, and by the time she arrived at the park, she had a game plan. She pulled out her notebook and made a grocery list. She would have soup and sandwiches made up for Friday and Saturday dinners since she’d be too busy running the County Seat to make sure her new roomie ate. Oh, and Thursday morning Angie would be at this volunteer thing with Estebe. But other than that, she’d enjoy cooking for someone else for a week.
A tap on her window brought her out of her meal planning. Estebe stood outside her window. Dom stared at him, like he couldn’t place how he knew this human, but he didn’t bark. Angie returned the notebook to her tote, which she put on the floor, then she opened the door and let Dom out on a leash. When he was settled, she went to join Estebe on the bench where he sat waiting for her. “Sorry about that. I’ve got company next week and I needed to plan out a food strategy.”
