Killer Green Tomatoes

by Lynn Cahoon

  “You are not only a chef. You are a smart, capable woman who likes to solve puzzles. Why wouldn’t you be curious about Javier’s involvement in poor Heather’s death? He was not as nice to her as he should have been.” Now he uncapped his water bottle and took a sip. “Javier has always been a problem. He does what he wants. I’m afraid for the first time in his life, he doesn’t know how to charm his way out of this.”

  “I don’t think he killed Heather.”

  Estebe stood and drained the water bottle in three gulps. When he was finished, he spoke. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter what the truth is, all that matters is what the police can prove.”

  Chapter 12

  “Your young man is quite the storyteller.” Mrs. Potter sat at the kitchen table Saturday morning sipping her coffee. “He has done so many interesting things.”

  Angie sat a mushroom-and-swiss omelet in front of her houseguest. “Tell me about them. Ian and I don’t talk about the past much.” In fact, they didn’t talk much at all, at least not the last few weeks. Either he was swamped with work, or she was. Owning your own business was supposed to give you freedom, but really, all it did was make you work even harder.

  She listened as Mrs. Potter gave her a blow by blow of the entire evening. As she was finishing, her phone buzzed with a text. She read it with a laugh. “Speak of the devil. He said to tell you he’d be by at six to pick you up for dinner.”

  “I don’t know if I should go out with him again. I mean, the boy may get ideas.” Mrs. Potter cackled with glee. “Gotcha. You should have seen your face.”

  Angie’s phone rang and she picked it up, thinking it was Ian. “Why are you calling me?”

  “Because I wanted to talk to my grandmother?” Erica’s voice held a touch of humor and a touch of annoyance. “Is she around?”

  “Oh, Erica, I thought you were…never mind. Of course she’s here. Every morning she’s tied to the kitchen chair. I move her at noon to the living room so she can watch her shows,” Angie teased. “It’s harder to tie her up in there, so Sheriff Brown loaned me his handcuffs. Nothing ever bad happens in River Vista, right?”

  “You’re a funny girl. Can I talk to her?” Erica didn’t seem amused at Angie’s try at humor, but maybe the last few days had made her kind of edgy.

  “Hold on.” Angie handed the phone to Mrs. Potter. “Don’t tell her I beat you every night directly at six p.m.”

  “I definitely won’t tell her that, but I may mention the gruel for breakfast.” Mrs. Potter grinned, getting in on the action.

  “Don’t forget lunch and dinner. Gruel is a good alternative for all meals.” Angie went to sit down on the couch with Dom, leaving Mrs. Potter to have some privacy. Dom looked up at her with soulful eyes. “Hey, buddy, tonight is a work day. I told you to get ready for these.”

  He whined softly and laid his head down in her lap, apparently understanding that she was going to be gone from him for a while.

  “No worries. Sunday I’ll take you on a walk down at the park.” The river canyon park was more aptly described as hiking, not walking, but Dom loved the area. He was always finding new and exciting things, like lizards and someone’s shoe. Now, how that person got off the trail with only one sneaker, Angie couldn’t imagine. The day they’d found that, she’d sat it near the edge of the trail, hoping someone would come back to retrieve it. Someone had, as the shoe was gone on their next visit.

  She turned on the television, quickly turning down the volume. She scrolled through the channels looking for something to distract her as she waited for Mrs. Potter to be done with her phone so she could head into town and the restaurant.

  “Local man still missing. Police are asking for anyone with information to call the River Vista Police Station. Lines will be open twenty-four hours until Javier Easterly is found.” The newscaster focused on the camera, his look serious. “In related news, the death of Heather McCurdy remains unsolved. According to River Vista’s Sheriff Brown, they are looking into any and all leads.”

  “What a sad story.” The female newscaster tsked. “I’m sure the man is just beside himself with grief.”

  “You would think, Joan, you would think.” The newscaster stared directly into the camera, then flashed a smile. “Turning to local sports…”

  Angie turned off the television. Where had Javier gone? Was he hiding because he killed Heather? Or was he hiding from the people who did? Either way, Estebe and Javier’s family got the worst of it. He was probably in some luxury suite, drinking himself blind to deal with the grief. Although he really hadn’t seemed too broken up at the knowledge of Heather’s death. He reacted more like a child who’d been told the toy they’d tossed away had been put into the trash. What toy, his eyes had seemed to say the first time they’d met. Which Heather?

  Mrs. Potter used her walker to enter the room, holding out Angie’s phone. “She wants to talk to you.”

  Angie took the phone. “Hey, Erica, are you having fun?”

  “It’s so beautiful here. I needed the head space. I won’t sugarcoat the bad news. I guess there’s a storm coming in so we might be leaving early or late, depending on the airline. So I could be home early tomorrow or not until Monday afternoon.”

  Angie didn’t respond. She’d been planning on Erica to come Monday morning so she could do the handoff. She tried to make her response convincing. “I guess we’ll see you when you get here.”

  Erica laughed. “You almost sounded like you meant it. Has she been awful to you?”

  “No, really, we’ve been having a great time.” Angie smiled at Mrs. Potter.

  “And she’s standing right next to you. We’ll talk when I get home. Thank you again for this week. You’re the best.”

  After she’d ended the call, Angie went back to the kitchen and finished her breakfast. It was still a little early to go into town, but Mrs. Potter didn’t know that. Angie grabbed her tote and headed out the door after giving Dom a rub behind the ears. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Have a good day at work.” Mrs. Potter grinned. “I haven’t said that in years since Mr. Potter retired. How strange it feels.”

  As Angie drove into town, she felt just a bit guilty leaving Mrs. Potter on her own. Of course, Erica went to school every day, so the woman was used to being by herself. Besides, she loved her game shows, and Angie knew the first would start in a few minutes. Angie was an introvert, and having someone in her house all the time, well, it had been harder than she’d expected. She made herself a large coffee when she got into the kitchen, then headed into her office. By the time Erica got back, Angie should have all the bookkeeping, payroll, ordering and inventory completed. She might even have time to start planning next month’s menu.

  Two hours later, Felicia stuck her head in the office. “I should have known you were here hiding from Mrs. Potter. What did she do now? You’ve had fire, flood—wait, isn’t the next plague some sort of insects?”

  “I actually think it’s frogs, but no matter, she didn’t do anything. I’m just not used to having someone in my house.” Angie sighed. “What are you doing today?”

  “I just got back from a massage. You should try it sometime. I’m going to be all relaxed and you’re going to have your shoulders up around your ears tonight. What did Papa Diaz want last night?” Felicia sank into a chair.

  “That was weird. He wanted to know what I knew about Heather and Javier. And, get this, he wanted to know if I knew where Javier would be. Like we’re best friends or something.” Angie laid her head on her desk. “I should have never started looking into this. Now everyone thinks I’m some sort of Miss Marple or something.”

  “You are pretty good at this. Did you ever find that woman Javier slept with? Maybe he went back to her place.”

  Angie shook her head. “Except she didn’t really live there. Although I didn’t try to reach out to the woman who did r
ent the apartment. Maybe she gave one of her friends a key.”

  “For random hookups? Eewwwww.” Felicia shuddered. “I never got why people just want the one-night stand. I want a real relationship. One that I can count on, not just random sex with a stranger.”

  “And yet you’ve dated a ton of people since you moved here.” Angie lifted her head off the desk.

  “Dated, not slept with. I’m a very traditional type of girl.” Felicia grinned and flipped back her hair. “I’ve got to go get the dining room set up. One of my waitstaff is going to be late, so I told her I’d cover the setup time.”

  Angie flipped through her notebook and found the name of the woman who rented the apartment. Then she called the apartment manager and told him she needed her cell number because of a change in her school schedule for next semester. Angie held her breath, but the guy bought the story and gave her Carrie Sue’s cell.

  She had just enough time to call and leave a quick message asking Carrie Sue to call her back about the apartment before Estebe came into her office.

  “I am disturbing you. I will come back later.” He turned and started to leave.

  Angie set down the phone. “No, come on in. I was just finishing a call. What’s going on?” She pointed to the chair Felicia had just vacated. “How are you doing?”

  “I am better today. I spent the morning calling Javier’s old girlfriends to see if they had heard from him.”

  Angie waited for Estebe to go on. After a pause, he continued.

  “As you can guess, it was a long list. But no one has heard from my cousin since he dumped them. A few of them gave me a message to tell him if I ever found him.”

  “Do I want to know?” Angie sat on the corner of her desk.

  Estebe shrugged. “I won’t use the exact words, but some version of ‘I hope he rots in hell.’ I don’t think Javier is well liked among his exes.”

  Angie stifled a chuckle. “Well, maybe not well liked, but typically he knew how to end a relationship. He didn’t need to murder someone to get them to go away.”

  “That is true.” Estebe stood. “I wanted to tell you I am here to work prep. I need to get my mind off my problems and onto cooking.”

  Angie stood. “I understand. Cooking has always helped me through the bad times.” As she watched him leave, she thought about the nights she’d cooked until the morning light had peeked through the window. Nona had been in and out of the hospital but kept telling her she was fine and not to worry. And then there had been Todd. He’d been secretive and absent. Angie hadn’t really noticed until she’d needed him. Then his absence had been like a knife to her heart. When she’d found out he was sleeping with one of el pescado’s servers, she kicked him out of the house and out of the business. Felicia had stood behind her and Todd hadn’t argued. Of course, he still got paid his third of the profits for not working, so why would he have a problem?

  She sank back into her chair and tried to push the past away with the work in front of her. She didn’t have to worry about Ian in the same ways she’d worried about Todd. The guy was stable and their relationship too new to break apart. She picked up her phone. When he answered, she swiveled her chair away from the desk so she was facing the window and her view of the park. “What are you doing for lunch?”

  “Is this an offer?” He responded quickly. “Although I do have to tell you I have a girlfriend who may not be happy with me taking off with some stranger.”

  “Ha ha.” Angie glanced at the clock. “Come by around one and I’ll let you taste-test tonight’s menu.”

  There was no answer.

  “Hello? Are you still there?” Angie glanced at her display to see if she’d lost the call.

  He chuckled. “I’m here, I was just thinking about my dinner date.”

  “With Mrs. Potter? I’m sure she’ll be fine on her own for lunch. Please don’t go out to get her. I’m hiding here at the restaurant to try to stay away from her.” Angie leaned on the brick wall, watching a mother push her young son on the swings at the park.

  “The week is almost over.”

  “Thank goodness. I’m not sure how Erica does it. I guess that’s probably why Nona hired someone to come stay with her rather than call me. I don’t have a lot of patience.”

  “It’s different when it’s your flesh and blood.” He paused, then added, “Your grandmother was probably trying to be as independent as possible.”

  “You’re right.” Angie stopped watching the mother and son and went back to her desk. “So will you come at one?”

  “I’ll be there with bells on. I’ve been missing you. I hope we can get out for a long dinner and drive as soon as Erica gets back into town.”

  Angie liked the sound of that. Time with Ian where she didn’t have to think or keep up a conversation. “I suppose we should wait until Erica comes by and actually picks up Mrs. Potter.”

  “You’re always the thoughtful one. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  After she’d hung up, Angie felt better. Stronger. Holding on to other people’s pain was a habit she needed to break. Javier would show up. Estebe would be fine. And Sheriff Brown would find out who killed Heather. Her job was to feed the people who were planning on showing up tonight at the County Seat. And be a good friend to Felicia. And a girlfriend to Ian. She grinned as she focused back on the accounting. Girlfriend. It did have nice ring to it.

  By the time Ian arrived, Angie had already run through all the dishes for the evening. It was starting to feel like old hat. She loved the fact that the menu changed based on what she could find at the farmers market or what her suppliers brought in. She took a bite of the spicy salsa Hope had made out of the box of produce they’d gotten from Pamplona Farms Friday morning. The driver had been less than talkative, probably being questioned by all of his customers about Javier and his connection to Heather. Turning to Estebe, she asked, “Who do you think will take over running the farm until Javier returns?”

  Instead of answering, he nodded toward the kitchen door and then left the prep station and went into the walk-in. Angie turned and followed his gaze. Ian stood at the edge of the kitchen, watching her.

  “Hey.” She glanced at the clock, not realizing what time it was. “You’re right on time.”

  Ian glanced around the room, his gaze lingering on the walk-in refrigerator where Estebe had just vanished. “I can come back another time.”

  “No, this is good. I just need a few minutes to make up one more entrée.” She pointed to the table. “Take a seat. Hope, can you get Ian a drink and then give him a plate of your chips and salsa?”

  Hope came around the stoves with her appetizer. “I was just plating up a sample.” She held it up for Angie to inspect. “Does it look okay?”

  “It looks wonderful.” Angie took the plate and set it in front of Ian. “Now, what can Hope get you to drink? Beer? I don’t think Jeorge is here yet to make a margarita.”

  “How about a Coke and a glass of water. I have a feeling I might need two drinks, from the smell of this salsa.”

  Hope nodded, then ran to the drinks station to get Ian’s order. He dropped his voice. “Are you going to be joining me?”

  “As soon as I get this last entrée done.” She squeezed his shoulder. “I’m so glad you could come today and see the magic behind the County Seat.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.” He leaned back for Hope to set the drinks down. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” Hope glanced at Angie. “Okay if I make up another batch of salsa? I have one last box of tomatoes and peppers still in the walk-in.”

  “Great idea.” Angie smiled at Ian. “I’ll be right back with our lunches.”

  She gathered up the plating experiments she’d been doing with the last few dishes she’d cooked and brought them over to the table. When she finally sat down after refilling
her glass of iced tea, the butcher block table was covered with plates. Ian hadn’t touched anything except the chips and salsa. “Go ahead, eat. I’d like to know what you think of the dishes.”

  “I think I’m not going to have to eat tonight when I go get Mrs. Potter. Even between the two of us, we can’t finish all of this.” He waved his hand across the table. “Maybe you should invite the rest of the crew to join us.”

  “Nah, they’ll make their own lunch. Besides, I invited you to a meal. What’s been going on?” She brought a plate with crispy trout and roasted fingerling potatoes toward her and took a bite. The sauce Estebe had made was heavenly, light and lemony. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the first bite.

  Ian started on the chicken and dumplings. The filling homemade noodles were her Nona’s recipe, and Angie loved seeing him enjoy the dish. “I think I’m going to have to kill Mildred. I swear, that woman demands the world, then doesn’t understand the cost in time or outlay. She’s got big plans for Moss Farm and the goat dairy.”

  Angie leaned closer, wondering what the woman was planning on changing on the piece of property Angie considered almost heaven, when a scream came from the prep station. She rushed over to see Hope staring into a box.

  “What’s wrong? Did you cut yourself?” Angie tried to see the young woman’s hands, but they were behind the table. She moved over to get a better angle and sighed quickly when she didn’t see any blood or missing body parts.

  Hope didn’t answer, just stared and pointed at the box. It had to be a snake or a spider. Creatures were always hitching a ride from the farm to the city in the produce boxes. Angie bit her lip to keep from grinning. Then she looked down into the box. A chill ran down her spine and she looked up into Estebe’s eyes. He’d seen it too. Ian stepped toward the prep table, cell phone in hand. “Do you need me to call an ambulance? Is anyone hurt?”

  “Call Sheriff Brown.” Angie could barely utter the words. After pledging to stay out of the investigation, she’d been railroaded back into Heather’s death with lightning speed. And an item in the bottom of a tomato box. “Tell him we might have found the murder weapon.”