by Lynn Cahoon
“I can go back and stay at my house.” Mrs. Potter started to stand. “Just bring my stuff back and I’ll be out of your hair.”
Angie put a hand on her arm. “Don’t be silly. I love having you here. I just want us to be more careful of the words we use.”
“That’s reasonable.” Mrs. Potter’s stomach grumbled. “What are you making for dinner? All this activity has me starving.”
“I thought I’d make a tuna casserole. Will that work?” Angie stroked Dom’s head as he laid it on her lap. The dog was growing fast. Last month he hadn’t been tall enough to sit and lean on her. She didn’t know what had possessed her to purchase a St. Bernard puppy instead of the smaller cocker spaniel she’d had in mind when she’d visited the local breeder, but Dom was hers and he was here to stay.
“That would be lovely.” Mrs. Potter looked at her delicate silver watch. “Jeopardy comes on in ten minutes. Do you think they’ll be done by then? I hate missing out on even a part of my shows. It’s like walking into a party late. You’ve missed all the good gossip.”
As if she’d called him, Rob came back onto the porch. He turned to Terry. “Tell the boys to go on home. There’s no fire here. At least not today. Seriously, Angie, do you always leave your small appliances plugged in? That’s the cause of most home fires.”
“Give me a break. Really?” Angie had never heard that.
Rob nodded. “The guy from the state had a slide on it and everything. So go unplug all those coffeemakers and I’ll see you at the winery soon. You need to come in on a Thursday. It’s ladies’ night and drinks are half off. I’ve got some friends who are dying to meet you.”
“I’m seeing someone, thanks.” Angie stood and helped Mrs. Potter up from the bench. “Time to start dinner.”
“I know a brush-off when I hear it. Good night, Mrs. Potter. Nice to see you again.” Rob stepped off the porch and waved back. Most of the pickup trucks had already left, but Terry sat in the other fire truck, waiting for Rob.
“One day done,” Angie said to Dom when they were alone on the porch. “One disaster averted. I have a feeling it’s going to be an interesting week.”
Dom barked his reply. She didn’t speak dog language, but the look on his face told her he totally agreed.
Chapter 7
Tuesday was typically her stay home and veg day, but since staying home meant talking to Mrs. Potter continuously, she decided to run into town for groceries she didn’t need. What she really wanted to do was stop by the police station and talk to Sheriff Brown. If he didn’t think Javier would have done this, she wanted to know who he thought might have.
She was already in the car when her phone rang. When she picked up, she recognized Estebe’s voice almost immediately. “How are you? How’s your cousin?”
“Javier is fine, although he’s probably going to lose favor with the elders. He still insists that he didn’t hurt that girl, but I’m afraid the chickens are coming home to roost with him. His inability to settle down or even have a decent relationship with a woman for longer than a few weeks hadn’t gone unnoticed by the community.”
“Just because he’s a horndog doesn’t mean he’s unfit to hold an office.” Although Angie had known of several past presidents who had believed that the rules didn’t apply to them. What was the saying—Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely?
“You don’t have to defend my cousin. He is not a good man.” Estebe blew out a sigh. “Anyway, I called to tell you that we don’t need your help. Javier has an attorney, and she believes it’s better to let the law investigate rather than…” He paused and Angie could almost hear the word choices that ran through this head. Chef, amateur, woman, whatever word he chose, he’d wind up annoying her.
“I realize I’m not a professional investigator, and I’d never do anything to mess with the investigation, but I think your cousin might need some help. You realize all Sheriff Brown has to prove is he might have killed Heather. Tell me what happened.” She pulled over and took out her notebook. When Estebe didn’t respond, she tried another tactic. “Humor me.”
“I don’t want you getting yourself in trouble, but I guess I owe you the story. Javier did dance with another girl. He said he was getting tired of how clingy Heather was. I told him that was love and a relationship. Anyway, he and Heather got in a fight. He left, taking this new girl home, stayed the night at her house, and then went home Saturday morning to find the police at the farm.”
“What’s the girl’s name? If that’s true, he has an alibi.”
“Now, that’s the place where my cousin being a jerk comes in. He called her star girl. Apparently, she had several star tattoos on the inside of her forearm. He didn’t get her name. In fact, it was a joke between them. The encounter would be more exciting if they were total strangers.” He sighed, showing his disapproval with Javier. “See what I’m dealing with?”
“But he has to remember where she lived. At least the police could go talk to her.”
Estebe sounded tired. “I don’t know if they are even trying.”
“Well, give me the address and I’ll go talk to her.” At least that would keep her from having to go back and watch soaps with Mrs. Potter. She wrote down the directions. “I’ll call you as soon as I find this woman. He’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you.”
After she hung up, she looked up the address on her phone to see where she would be going. The address was in Nampa, the next town over and in the opposite direction of River Vista, where she was heading. Instead of turning around, she continued her way into River Vista and parked in front of the County Seat.
She dialed Felicia’s number. “Want to go on an adventure with me?”
“Sure, let me get my shoes on. When will you be here?”
“I’m out front.” Angie leaned over so she could see the living room window in Felicia’s apartment. She saw her friend looking down at her and waved. “I’ll buy you lunch.”
“Sold. I’ll be down in a few.”
Angie turned up the music as she waited. She’d only listened to half of Carrie Underwood’s new duet with Keith Urban before the passenger side door opened. Turning down the tunes, she waited for Felicia to climb in. “That was fast.”
“I’m hungry. I didn’t eat breakfast.” She buckled in. “Where are we going?”
Angie pulled the car back on the street and headed out of town. “Somewhere in Nampa.”
“I haven’t been to Nampa yet. What’s there?” Felicia flipped open the vanity mirror and slipped on some lipstick that she didn’t need. The girl was always beautiful.
“A one-night stand.”
When Felicia turned, her mouth half fire engine red, and gaped at her, Angie laughed and told her the story. By the time she was done filling her in on Estebe’s story, Felicia had finished putting on her lipstick and was staring at her. “Let me get this straight. We’re going to find some woman who slept with Javier but didn’t give him her name? Who does that these days? With all the crap going around, I usually want to see a blood test report before I even think of kissing someone.”
“Well, I guess Javier thought he’d gotten lucky. Sex with no commitment. But now it means he has no alibi, or at least not one that can be confirmed.” Angie turned onto the road that followed the railroad tracks into town. She and Nona had usually shopped in Nampa, so she was familiar with the area and the best way to get into town. “Google restaurants nearby and we’ll see what we can find.”
When they hit the city limits, Angie looked for landmarks that Javier had relayed to Estebe. There was a small college in town, and the apartment building he’d described sat between that and the park. “The good news is Javier’s a snob about the gas he puts into that car of his. He only uses Chevron gas, and there’s only one station on this side of town. And he said the woman’s apartment building was next door.”
Felicia looked up from her phone. “You’re really good at this detail stuff.”
“That’s why I’m a great cook. I pay attention to the little things. And Estebe does too, so our information source is good.” Angie pulled her SUV into the parking lot. “Second floor. Apartment 205. Apparently, they made out in the hallway for a while before going in.”
“And what exactly are we going to do if she answers the door?”
She pursed her lips, thinking. Then it came to her. She’d use Javier’s reputation against him. “You play the upset fiancée. She just met the guy last weekend, she doesn’t know about Heather.”
“I can do that, but my name’s Liz. I always wanted to be called Liz or Beth.” Felicia flipped her hair back off her shoulders. “Let’s go see what Javier picked up this time.”
The foyer had a wall of mailboxes on one side and a stairway on the other. A big sign had been hung on the elevator. Repairs in Progress. Angie pointed to it as they started up the stairs. “Looks like that sign has been up for a few years.”
“It’s a short building. I think too many people take the elevator when they could just as well take the stairs and get some exercise in their day.”
Angie didn’t respond. She liked using elevators. It got her where she needed to go faster. Besides, who wanted to hoof it up three or four flights of stairs? Well, besides her friend, Felicia, and fitness nuts like her.
They found 205 easily, but no one answered the door. When they knocked a third time, the door across the hall opened. A curly-headed kid of about seven stared at them. “She’s gone to New York City for the summer.”
Angie turned to eye the little girl. “You know who lives here?”
The girl sighed and put her hands on her hips, leaning on the doorway. “Of course I do. Just because I’m a kid doesn’t mean I’m stupid. Carrie Sue lives there. But like I said, she’s in New York City. She’s going to bring me home a new outfit when she comes back in the fall that I can wear to school. No one but me will have a dress from New York City.”
Angie glanced at Felicia, not sure how to proceed.
“When did Carrie Sue leave for New York?” Felicia took over the questioning.
“Right after school got out in May. Her dad’s paying the rent so she doesn’t get evicted. If you don’t pay your rent, they boot you out on the street with all your stuff.” The little girl shook her head. “It’s sad.”
“Is anyone staying here while she’s gone?”
Before the little girl could answer, a woman with two grocery bags in hand came into the hallway. “Tasha, what are you doing outside the apartment? I told you to stay inside and not answer the door.” She looked at Angie and Felicia. “I was only gone for less than thirty minutes, and she was watching a movie when I left.”
“I’m not a baby.” Tasha crossed her arms. “Besides, they didn’t knock on our door, they want to see Carrie Sue.”
“You take these bags to the kitchen and start putting things away.” Then she turned back to Angie and Felicia. “Are you friends of Carrie Sue? She’s on a summer semester out of town.”
“New York City, we heard.” Angie smiled, trying to relax the woman. “Actually, we were looking for whoever is renting her space while she’s gone.”
The woman looked blankly at the door. “No one’s renting her space. The apartment has been empty since Carrie Sue left, mid-May. She’ll be back late August if you want to speak to her. Or I have her dad’s number in case of emergency. Is this an emergency?”
Angie shook her head. This alibi just went south fast. Besides, maybe she had the wrong apartment building or Javier had seen the number wrong. He had been drunk. “No, ma’am. Sorry for the bother.”
“No trouble.” The woman started to close her door.
“Wait, one more thing. Are there any other young single women who live on the floor?” Felicia asked.
“That’s a random question, but no. The other two apartments are rented to retired couples. I think they’ve lived here since the place opened. Tasha gets on their nerves, so we tend to stay away from that side of the hall. Carrie Sue, on the other hand, loves my daughter.”
They didn’t talk until they got back into the car. Angie scanned the area. “This has to be the apartment building unless there’s another Chevron station on this side of town I don’t know about.”
Felicia keyed information into her phone. “Nope. There are two in Nampa. This one, and one on Nampa-Caldwell Blvd. It looks like it’s on the other side of town from this map.”
“It’s on the way to the mall.” Angie started up the car. “I don’t think I’m going to be much help to Javier. I wouldn’t mind so much, but Estebe is really worried about him.”
“Let’s go eat lunch and brainstorm. Maybe we can figure out something.” Felicia put a hand on her stomach, which growled as if on cue. “Did I mention I missed breakfast?”
“Tell me where we’re going.” Angie pulled the car out of the parking lot and followed Felicia’s directions to a renovated building downtown. Around the restaurant were bars and small specialty shops selling tourist-type items. They parked in front and walked into the brightly lit café. As soon as they opened the door, the smell of baked bread, warm soups, and coffee hit them.
As they scooted into a booth, a waitress came to give them menus. She froze when she saw Felicia. “Wow, I can’t believe you’re here. Are you still looking for servers? I would love to work for you guys. I probably blew my interview. I’m not good at interviewing.”
“Oh,” Felicia’s eyes dropped down to the name tag pinned crookedly on the woman’s blue shirt, “Marie, so nice to see you again. Yes, unfortunately we are fully staffed right now, but I’ll keep your résumé on file in case we increase our staff.”
“You will?” Marie gave a little shriek, which had most of the dining room looking at her. “Oh, sorry, I’m just so excited. I so hope you give me a chance.”
“It may be a while before we need additional staff.” Felicia tried to backpedal.
Marie leaned closer. “That’s all right. I just want to work at a real high-quality restaurant, you know. I started at IHOP a few years ago, then moved here. Now I’m ready for the next step in my career.”
“Can we get some iced tea?” Angie broke into Marie’s recitation of her résumé.
The woman flushed. “I am so sorry. You all are here to eat, not see me. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
Felicia leaned back in the booth. “Thank you. Honestly, I barely remember interviewing her. I think she was so quiet, I didn’t get much from the interview. And we had so many qualified candidates who had already worked at fine dining. I didn’t even consider her.” She straightened her knife and fork. “I feel bad for not recognizing her.”
“You can’t hire everyone.”
“I know, but sometimes enthusiasm does make up for experience. I’m going to pull her résumé out of my file and make notes on it just in case we have a slot open.” Felicia sat up and smiled at the waitress, who was power walking back to their table. “I don’t think this is going to be a relaxing lunch, sorry.”
“So not your fault.” Angie glanced over the menu and quickly made a decision on one of the seasonal salads. The place had some food chops, that was certain. And it appeared to be busy with local customers. She wondered who the owner/chef was and if she knew them.
Marie set down their drinks with a little bowl of lemons and a holder filled with sugars and sweeteners. “I hope you didn’t mean sweet tea. We don’t have that. In North Carolina, where I’m from, that’s all they serve if you say iced tea. You have to request unsweetened tea. I don’t know why we don’t have that here in Idaho.”
“Must be a regional thing.” Angie gave the woman her order and then, as Felicia gave hers, she pulled out her ringing phone. Raising her eyebrows, she answered the call. “Yes,
Mrs. Potter?”
“Oh, I didn’t expect you to answer the phone.”
Angie groaned silently. “Then why did you call me?”
“I wanted to let you know that I’m eating the leftover tuna casserole for lunch and you shouldn’t worry about feeding me. I’m perfectly fine on my own.”
“Thank you for letting me know. I was worried.” Angie hoped the sarcasm she felt didn’t come across in her tone.
Felicia looked at her questioningly and Angie shrugged.
“No need to worry. We’re just two roommates with separate lives. You’re not responsible for my well-being. It’s like I’m in college or like that Three’s Company show, but without the kind of cute guy living with us too.”
Angie stifled a laugh. “Now, that would be interesting. Look, I’ll be home in a couple of hours and I’ll make us a stir fry. How about that?”
“That would be lovely. Of course, I need some kind of meat.”
“Make a decision on what you want and I’ll make it.” Angie shook her head. “Talk to you soon.”
The phone clicked off. Angie looked at it to make sure she hadn’t disconnected the call, but no, it had been Mrs. Potter. “I guess goodbye isn’t in her vocabulary. Estebe does the same thing. When they’re done talking, they hang up. No salutations at all.”
“How’s it going with your new guest?” Felicia dipped her head, but Angie caught the grin.
Angie slipped her phone back into her purse. “Don’t ask. Half the time I feel guilty for not waiting on her hand and foot, and the rest of the time I want to kill her, so I find reasons to leave the house.”
“Erica will be back when?”
“Monday, and I can’t wait. I so hope she’s having the time of her life because the next time she asks a favor, I’m going to be away for a month hiding from her.”
