Killer Green Tomatoes

by Lynn Cahoon

  “If work gets too much…” Angie started, but Hope shook her head.

  She swallowed hard. “I’m learning so much working with you and Estebe, not to mention Nancy and Matt. I don’t want to lose that or fall behind in my classes.”

  “But if you need time to study, I’ll understand.” Angie smiled. “You’ll keep your job, you just let me know what hours you can work and we’ll make it happen.”

  “You didn’t call me to fire me?” Hope’s face brightened. “I was afraid when I got your call…”

  “Let’s order first and then I need to ask you something. And you have to be honest with me.” Angie tapped the table. “I’m buying you dinner, so you’re in my debt.”

  Hope laughed. “That line hasn’t worked on me since I was in high school. But I’ll answer your questions honestly.” She held up a hand in a Scout salute. “I swear.”

  They chatted about the way the dining room was set up until the waiter came to take their order, then Angie took a deep breath.

  “I know this is a hard time for you, since you and Heather were friends.” Angie noticed the surprise in Hope’s eyes. This was not what she’d been expecting to talk about.

  “Yes. She’ll be missed.” Hope picked up her water and took a drink. “It’s nice of you to think about me, but really, it’s Heather’s family who are really suffering.”

  “I bet. Anyway, I just wanted to know why you hired Thomas Post to hit on your friend.”

  Hope choked on the bite of bread she’d just taken. She took a while to answer as she took another sip of water and then wiped her mouth on the napkin. “I’m not sure I understand.”

  “It’s simple, Hope. Why did you hire an actor to make your friend feel special?” Angie watched the emotion flow through Hope’s face.

  “She deserved more than that jerk would ever give her. But she was stubborn and maybe a little low on confidence. I decided to show her that other men would want her too.” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Stupid, right? Wait, don’t answer that. Anyway, how did you find out?”

  Angie tore off a piece of roll and buttered it. “Felicia meets the most interesting people.”

  “Small towns, you can’t keep a secret to save your life.” Hope smiled. “He did a great job. She texted me that night and said she’d found someone new. She sounded happy. Well, you know about that, since the cops took my phone and all.”

  “That’s nice. But how did you pull this all together? I mean, you’re busy with work and school. Where did you find the time to set this up?”

  “I had some help. Kendra’s mom, Carlotta Mendoza, and I were talking after church one day. She said what a lovely girl Heather was and that she knew we were friends.”

  “Did that strike you as odd at all?”

  Hope shook her head. “Not at all. She was saying that Javier could be a little bit of a jerk and I told her in no uncertain terms the guy was a huge jerk, not just a little bit. Then we got to talking. She said Heather deserved better and wasn’t it a shame that someone didn’t just show her what a gem she was.”

  “And then when you agreed, she told you she knew this guy,” Angie guessed.

  Hope nodded. “Exactly. She said he was an actor who was always looking for side jobs. She said we could trust him to be charming and make her see there were more fish in the sea.” Her eyes widened. “He didn’t kill Heather, did he? Did I send a murderer to date my friend?”

  “No. Most definitely no. From what I’ve heard, when he left her at the bar, she was alive.” Angie mused as she moved the food on her plate from one side to another. “I just don’t get why Carlotta would want to help out Heather. She barely knew her, right? I mean, Javier goes through a lot of girls, why Heather?”

  “Maybe she was getting tired of seeing him mess with the women’s heads. If I had to go to family events with him, I’d be a little annoyed too.”

  “Maybe.” Angie decided to push the questions aside and focus on getting to know Hope better. “We’ve talked enough about sad things. Let’s change the subject. Tell me about your school. Any favorite classes or instructors?”

  By the time they finished dinner, Angie felt like she knew her youngest team member a little more. The girl was honest, loyal, intelligent, and had a wicked sense of humor. Driving home, she made a decision to schedule one-on-ones with the rest of the team. Even Estebe, even though as soon as she set up a dinner to talk, Missy Stockwell would see them and run and tell Ian and the rest of the world Angie Turner was a cheater. And Mrs. Potter would chime in and call her a liar as well.

  She wanted to fall into bed and sleep for days, but instead, she took care of Precious and Mabel, checked Dom’s water and food, then dragged her tired body upstairs. Dom followed and soon both of them were asleep.

  * * * *

  When Angie woke Wednesday morning, she wanted to go right back to sleep. But the baby monitor told her that Precious was up and talking to Mabel about breakfast. Angie could probably not use the monitor anymore, but it was kind of cute waking up to the sound of a goat bleating for her breakfast. In San Francisco her secondary alarm clock was the traffic noise on the street below. As the day progressed, it got louder and louder, until finally, in the deep of the night, it quieted again. Her life here was so much simpler.

  As she walked out to the barn, she glanced over at the Potter house. She could see people milling about the kitchen, up and making breakfast for the family. Having Erica home and safe was the best news of the week, even if Mrs. Potter was furious at Angie for not spilling the beans. She did her morning chores and then walked to the irrigation ditch behind the barn and let loose the water dam she’d set yesterday morning. Her neighbor would get water a few hours sooner than scheduled, but Angie’s back pasture was soaked. Precious was a lucky goat because she had the entire pasture to herself. If the grass got longer, Angie might have to get a second goat to keep it down, but she didn’t think so.

  Walking back to the house, she saw Erica coming toward her. “Hey, girl, look at that tan.”

  Erica grinned. “I know, right? It was a perfect vacation right up to the time I missed my transport and someone stole my passport.”

  “So you did have fun?” Angie sighed. “I’d love to spend a week on a beach somewhere. I guess I’ll either have to shorten my hours or just let the team run the County Seat without me.”

  “I’m sure you hire good people. You should take a vacation. Maybe Ian would like to go along.” A wicked smile curved Erica’s lips.

  Angie shrugged, embarrassed by the suggestions. “Maybe. We haven’t been dating that long. I hate for him to get the full weight of a week of being with me so soon.”

  “Whatever, that guy adores you.” She glanced back at the house. “Mom told me that Granny went off on you. Sorry about that.”

  “I should have told her when Sheriff Brown told me about your passport.”

  “No. You did the right thing. Mom and Dad were already on their way. It was their job to tell her, not yours. You shouldn’t have had to do that.” Erica looked back at her house. “I think she’s afraid of being alone.”

  “Actually, she’s afraid of you putting her into a home.” Angie nodded at Erica’s shocked expression. “She told me that when you were delayed.”

  “There’s no way we’d ever allow that to happen. At least until she really needs that level of care. My mom and dad are talking to her about maybe giving up the house when I graduate and moving her in with them. They have a great ranch with a separate apartment just waiting for her to say yes. But she hasn’t wanted to leave home.” Erica leaned against the porch railing. “I know it’s hard on her to accept any limitations, including the fact she can’t be alone at the house for long periods of time. I really appreciate everything you did while I was away.”

  They said their goodbyes and Angie wondered if Mrs. Potter would ever forgive her. S
he decided to stay away for a while and let the family talk out these hard options. She glanced at the house across the street. Not having Mrs. Potter live there would be a change for Angie as well. Typically, when houses of that age sold, a farm nearby would grab the property, tear down the house, and turn it into farmland. She’d had an offer from the neighboring farm for her house when Nona died. But she’d turned it down. There’d be no reason for Mrs. Potter’s heirs to keep the old farmhouse in the family. Sooner or later, the house would be gone.

  Feeling nostalgic, Angie pulled out her grandmother’s journal and started flipping through it to try to find a recipe to make that would lift her spirits. She didn’t have to be at the restaurant until that afternoon. As she started the dough for Nona’s donuts, she turned on the music and tried to lose herself in the comfort of her kitchen and the actions of cooking.

  A knock sounded on her door as she pulled the last batch of donuts out of the oil. She turned off the fryer and quickly sprinkled a cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of them before they cooled. She hoped it was one of the Potters so she could hand off a pile of these donuts before she tried to eat the entire batch. “Hold on, I’ll be right there.”

  When she opened the door, her smile dropped. Instead of Erica, Robin, or even Mrs. Potter, Sheriff Brown stood on her porch. He tipped his hat and smiled. “Good day.”

  “Can I help you?” She couldn’t help it, she was still steamed about his insinuation that she had something to do with Heather’s death just because he didn’t like her dating Ian. She leaned against the door, purposely not inviting him inside.

  “May I come in, Angie? I think we need to talk.” He took off his sunglasses and put them in his shirt pocket.

  “I don’t think we need to talk about anything.” Angie didn’t move.

  “Look, I need to clear the air. I’ll admit I was wrong about the whole thing out at Initial Point. I’m feeling frustrated, and now I have a missing person to deal with too. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  “Fine, I accept your apology. Now can I get back to cooking?”

  He sniffed the air. “You’re making homemade donuts? Your grandmother used to bring a batch by the station every month or so saying she’d made too many.”

  His implication was clear; the cop wanted a donut. “Fine, come in and have one. But I’m still mad at you.”

  “Apologizing wasn’t the only thing I came to talk about.” He sat at the table and took the coffee she handed him as well as a plate of the donuts. He took a bite, sat back, and groaned. “I miss your grandmother. But these are almost better than hers were.”

  “Thank you.” Angie grabbed her own coffee and a plate and sat across from him. “What did you need to talk about?”

  “I want to know everything you’ve found out about this Thomas Post and why he was hitting on Heather the night of her death.” He didn’t look up as he continued. “And anything else you’ve found out while you’ve been nosing around my investigation.”

  Chapter 19

  “I wasn’t sure I had anything to tell.” Angie took a bite of the donut, and the crunch of cinnamon sugar made her calm down a little.

  He polished off the three donuts and then stood to get more. He glanced at her. “Do you mind? I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

  “Go ahead.” She watched as he piled three more donuts onto his plate. He must have really loved Nona’s treats. If she ever got to where she liked him again, she might just have to make him a batch every now and then. She walked him through the video that Felicia had from Thomas Post, aka Jerry Reno. Then she told him about her conversation with Hope last night. “And don’t be thinking she did anything but try to get her friend away from a bad relationship.”

  He nodded. “That matches what I’ve heard too. The guy was gone before Heather was killed, and from what his roommate said yesterday, Thomas was already home at the time of Heather’s death.”

  “Who does that leave as a suspect? Heather didn’t just stick that knife in herself. And we both know Javier didn’t kill her since he was with Katie.” Angie tore off a piece of her last donut and put it in her mouth to mask the bad taste just saying the woman’s name left in her mouth.

  “Katherine now. She goes by Katherine.” He chuckled. “She was a troublemaker in high school. I can see why you don’t like her.”

  “Everyone thought she was perfect.” Angie shook her head. “High school drama isn’t what the problem is today, though.”

  “You’re right, it’s not.” He sipped his coffee. “What really bothers me is I can’t figure out why someone went to so much trouble making it look like Javier. The only person who stands to gain if he’s dead or incarcerated is his brother, Stephen. But on the night in question, he and his fiancée were having dinner in Sun Valley after watching an ice show. A gift from the bride-to-be’s mother.”

  Angie ran her finger through the cinnamon sugar on her plate. “Wait, what did you say?”

  “Stephen and Kendra were in Sun Valley?” He narrowed his eyes.

  “No, about it being a gift from her mom. Seems like Carlotta is in a lot of people’s business lately. She’s the one who talked Hope into hiring Thomas.” Angie sipped her coffee. “And she made a point of coming to talk to me at the volunteer breakfast.”

  “Just because a woman likes to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong doesn’t mean she’s up to something.” He looked pointedly at her. “I’ve already apologized for my thinking about you, now you want me to interview a woman because she sent her daughter on a holiday?”

  Angie worried her bottom lip. “Okay, maybe it’s reaching. But she’s really nosy.”

  Sheriff Brown chuckled as he stood and put his cup and plate into the sink. “I’m not the one who’s going to tell her that, either.”

  “Fine, but where is Javier?” She followed him to the door.

  Sheriff Brown put on his hat and sunglasses. He looked like a bug staring at her. “That is the question, isn’t it? Thank you for the donuts and coffee.”

  She watched as he climbed into his squad car and pulled out of the driveway. Erica was outside and gave the sheriff a quick wave, then glanced over to Angie’s house. Angie closed the door.

  * * * *

  Angie looked forward to family meal Wednesdays. She liked listening to the chatter around the table as the servers and kitchen staff talked and bonded. Today she was going to make Nona’s donuts for dessert, maybe with a drizzle of dark chocolate over the top and a bit of vanilla bean ice cream for the side. She loved taking simple desserts like donut holes and elevating them. She could try the dish out on the team and see what they thought.

  Driving into town, she decided to stop at the market to grab the ingredients. She hadn’t had time to add them to this week’s grocery order. She grabbed a cart and almost ran into Kendra Mendoza, who was coming out of the store. “Hey, Kendra, what are you doing in town?”

  “Mom’s being generous. We’re still at the bed-and-breakfast.” Kendra flipped back her hair. “Don’t get me wrong, I love being pampered, but I really want to get back to my room and start planning my wardrobe for the cruise she wants to send us on next week.”

  “That’s a lot of traveling.” Angie leaned on her cart.

  “I know, right? I swear, she has to have a boyfriend and doesn’t want me to find out.” Kendra’s lips curved into a wicked smile. “I’d love it if she found someone. She’s been alone since my dad died.”

  “That must be hard.” Angie tried another tactic. “So why do you think she’s being weird?”

  Kendra looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Just between us, I went home yesterday to see if she was home, and she’d bolted the door from the inside. I knocked, but she didn’t answer, and I know she was there. Her car was in the garage. And you know what was worse?”

  Angie leaned forward, entranced by Kendra’s st
ory. “No, what?”

  “She has the basement windows blacked out. I couldn’t tell if it was paint or just paper, but who does that?” She swallowed hard. “You don’t think she’s into that kinky stuff, like in that book everyone was reading?”

  The thought of Carlotta Mendoza even being with a man was more than Angie could stomach. “I’m sure that’s not it. Maybe she’s making you a wedding gift?”

  Kendra nodded. “You could be right. Mom’s not all that crafty, but she thinks she is. Maybe she didn’t get the house fumigated. I bet she’s started making something and it’s turning out hideous and she doesn’t want me to see until she can get it fixed. I sure hope she doesn’t expect me to actually like it.”

  Angie didn’t like the woman at all. Spoilt and ungrateful. “It’s the thought that counts.”

  “Yeah, right.” Kendra laughed like Angie had been teasing. Her phone buzzed. “Oops, I’ve got to go. Stephen and I are going to look at convertibles. I keep telling him it’s stupid to have one here. We only have three months where you could even take it out of the garage. Nice to see you again.”

  Angie pushed her cart farther into the store. Kendra was exhausting, but at least she’d told her some more facts about Carlotta. Although she didn’t think that Sheriff Brown would do anything if she told him that Carlotta was sending her daughter on a cruise. She finished shopping, hoping she’d get to the restaurant without meeting anyone else. She was done adulting and talking to people.

  She turned the corner of the aisle and groaned. Mrs. Eisenhower was in front of the spices, and Angie needed vanilla bean and cinnamon. She took a deep breath and pushed the cart closer. “Happy Wednesday.”

  Mrs. Eisenhower glanced up and her face drained of color. “What are you doing here?”

  “Same thing as you, shopping.” Angie scanned the shelves hoping to find what she needed quickly and get away from the woman.

  “I thought you bought your supplies from some business.” Mrs. Eisenhower positioned herself behind her cart, like she expected Angie to strike out at any time.