by Leona Fox
“Good save, Papi. Good save,” Ru said, half chuckling at her husband. She couldn’t fault the man; Leanne Birch was a beautiful woman.
The conversation remained light during dinner; neither wanted to ruin the tasty meal with bitter subjects, so they talked about possibly planning a kayaking and camping trip during spring break. When they finished eating, they did the dishes together and then brought their glasses of wine onto the front porch and sat on the swing.
“Do you think that maybe while I’m at work tomorrow you could swing by and see how Leanne is doing? Maybe give her our condolences?” Ru asked her husband.
“I can do that,” he answered, wondering what his wife was concocting in her head. “Is there anything else you’d like me to say while I am there?”
“I guess not.”
“Won’t she think it’s weird that I stopped by? We hardly know them.”
“I don’t know. Ask her if Seth had any allergies. Pretend like we don’t know he was poisoned. Let her know we are worried that it was our food that … well, you know, let her think we are worried.”
Esteban smiled and said, “Okay, Mama.”
“Why are you grinning?”
“What? I’m not grinning.”
“You are! What are you finding so funny, Papi?”
Esteban laughed and said, “You, Mama. You are cute. You are determined to solve the mystery of who killed Seth Washington. It’s kind of like watching a movie with you! You should be a detective.”
“I’m just a concerned citizen trying to do my part in keeping my community safe,” Ru said, trying to sound concerned and convincing.
Esteban wrapped his arm around her and said, “I know, Mama. I know.”
After a few minutes of rocking on the porch swing, watching the sun set on the horizon, Ru softly and lovingly asked, “Did you make dessert?”
After a bout of laughter, Esteban answered, “But of course, my love. I made your favorite.”
“Chocolate cheesecake?”
“Yep.”
“With chocolate sauce?”
“Yep.”
“And sautéed cherries?”
“Is there any other way I would make it?”
“I love you, Papi,” she said. “You really know how to treat a woman!”
Smiling, Esteban said, “Come on, let’s get some cheesecake and watch a movie.”
“That sounds perfect!”
The two went inside, but as they walked through the door, Ru couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching her. It sent a chill down her spine, and she turned her head to look around before stepping into the house. She pushed the feeling away, figuring she just was imagining it, and hurried to the kitchen to make sure Esteban cut her a large piece of dessert.
~~~
The following day, while Ru was at the school teaching, Esteban went over to Seth Washington’s house. It was a large, modern home that had been built just a year before. It didn’t fit in with the rest of the homes in Willow Crossing, but since it was on the edge of town and about a mile away from the nearest subdivision, people didn’t really seem to mind. On the back of his property was a smaller, yet still comfortably-sized, guest house. It was there that Leanne Birch lived.
Esteban followed the driveway as far back as it would go and parked his car. It was then a short walk from the driveway to the guest house, along a beautiful cobblestone walkway. When he stepped up to the door, he hesitated on ringing the bell. Instead, he knocked softly, trying not to startle Leanne. He also wasn’t sure of her sleeping habits, and didn’t want to wake her.
After only one knock, the door opened slowly and Leanne stood there, looking as beautiful as ever. Her long blond hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, her makeup had been meticulously applied, and she was dressed casually, but still stylishly.
“Hi, Mr. Delgado. How are you?” She asked with a warm smile.
“I’m doing okay, how are you hanging in there?”
Looking around as if to see if anyone was watching, Leanne replied, “I’m doing good.”
Esteban found it odd she was looking around, and found it even odder that she was doing so well. Leanne spent practically every waking minute with Seth, so he thought she would be a little more upset over his death.
Leanne spoke again, “I was just about to go let the dogs out and feed them. Would you care to join me?”
Knowing she was talking about Seth’s Doberman Pinschers, he was a bit leery, but said, “Sure.”
They walked in silence up to the main house, and Leanne let them in through the back door. The two dogs came running to Leanne, yelping like little puppies and licking her face. Leanne laughed and baby talked for a couple of minutes and then led the dogs out the sliding glass doors. The dogs ran off and Leanne filled their food bowls. She then walked out onto the porch and offered Esteban a seat on the most comfortable patio chair he had ever sat in.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Delgado?”
“I really just came by to see how you were doing. My wife is sorry she couldn’t be here, but she had to work.”
“That’s okay, I understand,” Leanne started, “Thank you for coming to check on me. I’m doing okay. Right now I’m just making the arrangements and looking forward to this whole mess just being over.”
Esteban noticed she didn’t really sound too upset over having to make the funeral arrangements and asked, “Did Seth have family that is helping you?”
“He had family, but they will not be helping me. They stopped talking to Seth about five years ago.”
“That’s sad to hear.”
“Yeah, well, not everyone can handle Seth. He is definitely someone you have to get used to.”
“We were concerned that he …” Esteban paused, not knowing how to put it delicately.
“Died?” Leanne asked, attempting to finish his sentence.
“Yes, we were concerned that he died just after eating some of our food. Do you know if he had any food allergies?”
“Not that I know of, and I knew him pretty well. I’m sure it had nothing to do with your food, but I will look at his medical files and see if he had an allergy I didn’t know about.”
“That would be great. It would really set my wife’s mind at ease.” As he spoke, Esteban noticed Leanne kept looking around as if she was expecting someone, so he asked, “I’m sorry, is this a bad time for you?”
“No, it’s a fine time. Why do you ask?”
Not knowing what to say at her nonchalance, Esteban replied, “I just know it must be hard for you to lose someone you were so close to.”
“Yeah, well, we weren’t all that close. I was his assistant and nothing more. I’m actually kind of enjoying the silence around here. It’s a pleasant change.”
Esteban was uncomfortable with how cold Leanne seemed, and really didn’t want to be there anymore. The dogs came up onto the patio and sat at Leanne’s side. She gently stroked their fur, saying soft words into their ears. Esteban remembered the argument that Don Jacobs had with Seth about his training the dogs to be mean and found it weird they were so friendly with Leanne.
“Well, I am sure you have things to do, so I’ll be going. If you need anything, please feel free to call us.”
“Thank you for stopping by, Mr. Delgado.”
Esteban smiled and then hurried back to his car. He prided himself on how well he got along with everyone he came in contact with, but this time he noticed just how uneasy Leanne made him feel. He backed his car down the long driveway and rushed out of the area. He laughed at himself as he drove home, figuring he was just uneasy over being inside the home of a dead man. Even so, he was anxious to tell Ru what he had experienced.
~~~
Since Tuesday is typically take-out night at the Delgado household, Ru left her afterschool group and stopped to pick up some Chinese food on her way home. For a small town, Willow Crossing is full of a diverse range of restaurants, making the already wonderful town an even better place to live.
With food order in hand, Ru got back into her car and went home. Esteban was anxiously waiting for her on the back patio.
“Hey, pretty Mama!” He said when Ru got out of the car.
“Care to help this pretty mama carry the food inside?”
“I have the table set out here, is that okay?”
“It’s a bit chilly out,” she said and then smiled when she noticed he had the outdoor heater already moved closer to the table.
“Sure, why not?” she smiled.
Esteban set the food out on the table while Ru went inside to put her stuff away and change. When she came back out, she was surprised to find her husband already eating. He usually waited for her.
“My little piggy couldn’t wait any longer?”
Esteban laughed, nearly spitting the food out of his mouth. He swallowed and said, “I haven’t eaten all day. I’m sorry, Mama, I should have waited.”
“I’m teasing, Esteban. Eat! Eat!” Ru sat down and put some food on a plate. She took a bite of an egg roll and then asked, “So, did you see Leanne today?”
“I sure did,” Esteban replied.
“How’d that go? She had to have been a mess.”
“Actually, she wasn’t. She was all made up and said she was enjoying the quiet around there.”
With eyes wide, Ru responded, “Really?”
“Yeah, it was really weird. She kept looking around like someone was watching or like she was waiting for someone. Then she said she and Seth weren’t really all that close, and that she was enjoying the silence. I got a weird feeling while I was talking to her.”
“Weird how?”
“Like she wasn’t being totally honest. I don’t know. I think something is going on with her.”
“She wasn’t even sad?”
“No. That’s what I mean; she was way more calm and together for having just lost someone close to her.”
Neither spoke for a moment and then Esteban said, “And those dogs that were supposedly being trained to be mean…”
“Yes?”
“They were rolling around on the floor and jumping around. They were acting like puppies, and were loving all over Leanne; licking her face and letting her pet them.”
“That’s strange. I guess Don was wrong in his accusation.”
“I guess so.”
“Hmmm…” Ru thought for a moment, “Why would Don be under the impression that the dogs are being trained to be mean if they weren’t? And if they were, why were they not all over you?”
“I don’t know, Mama. They barely paid any attention to me.”
“Interesting. Very interesting.”
Chapter 5
Ru spent the night tossing and turning. Images of Seth Washington clutching his throat and falling to the ground filled her mind. She tried to think about their upcoming kayaking trip and their next catering gig, but no thoughts were strong enough to keep her mind off of what was going on in their town. As she lay there, unable to sleep, she watched as the sun began to rise. Normally Esteban would take Opal for her morning walk after Ru left for work, but since she was up and there was plenty of time, Ru decided she would take her and get some fresh air. The mornings were crisp, and maybe the walk would do her some good…or so she thought.
“Esteban?” Ru tried to rouse her sleeping husband.
“What’s wrong? You okay?” He asked, not even opening his eyes.
“I’m fine. I couldn’t sleep. I’m going to take Opal for her walk.”
“Okay. Wear a jacket, it’s chilly out there.” He smiled sleepily. “I’ll have coffee ready for you when you get back.”
“Thank you, love.”
Ru threw on some yoga pants and a t-shirt and then tied her running shoes. She went downstairs and slid on her gray hoodie and picked up Opal’s leash. Opal lifted her head off of her pink doggy bed and grunted as if to tell Ru it was too early for a walk. Ru laughed lightly and attached the leash.
“Come on, girl.” Opal did not want to get up, and she fought the idea of walking on the leash, so Ru pulled out the dog’s wagon and Opal gladly climbed in. “You are definitely spoiled!”
Since Ru already had spoken to Mayor Espinoza, and Esteban had spoken to Leanne Birch, Ru decided she would take her walk past Don Jacobs’ house. As she neared his home, the sound of the wagon going over the cracks in the sidewalk roused Don’s dogs. The closer she drew to the house, the louder his dogs barked, and that woke the man. Begrudgingly, Don got up and went outside to see what his dogs were barking at.
Ru knew that by going past the house with her own dog that Don’s dogs would go crazy. She wasn’t innocent in waking Don, but when he came outside, she acted as if she was surprised.
“I’m so sorry, Don. I had no idea Opal would cause such a loud reaction from your dogs. I hope they didn’t wake you.”
“It’s okay. I needed to get up anyway.” Don said. “How are you?”
“I’m doing okay. From the sounds of it, your dogs are doing well. How are you?”
“Yeah, they can get a bit loud. I’m doing fine.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
Then thinking on her feet, Ru said, “While I’ve got you here, I was thinking of getting a puppy for Esteban for his birthday.”
“That’s great!” Don said enthusiastically and then looked at Opal, “Do you think Opal will be jealous of a new puppy?”
“I hope not. Maybe it will help her to not be so lazy!”
Both of them laughed for a minute and then Ru asked, “Do you think a Doberman would be a good choice? I know they are your specialty.”
“They make good pets. They also make great watch dogs.”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
Taking a deep but not so obvious breath, Ru continued, “If I were to get a Doberman, how would we go about training it? I don’t want it to be mean, but it would be nice to have a watch dog, especially with all of our catering equipment that we keep in our garage.”
“Well, I’ll tell you how you don’t train them. You don’t withhold food to make them angry. You don’t smack them, and you don’t yell at them … and you certainly don’t get two of them and sick them on each other.” With every sentence of his response, Don got angrier and angrier.
“I’m so sorry if I’ve upset you, Don.”
“No, it’s not you.”
“You sound as if you know that has been happening. Did your rescues get treated that way?”
“No, that’s how Seth Washington was training the dogs that I sold him.”
“I had no idea he got his dogs from you. That’s horrible to hear.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have sold him the pups, but he was offering me more than what I was asking for the dogs. I should have gone with my first instinct and just said no.”
“That’s so sad. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a lesson learned.”
Don’s tone then changed, “But, hey, I’d be more than happy to pick out a great one for you and Esteban. I know you’d treat it well. I have a little girl I’m sure would fit well in your family. She comes from very calm and obedient parents.”
“I may have to come by and see her soon.”
“That would be great. Like I said, they make great watchdogs, but they don’t necessarily have to be trained to be that way. They have a keen sense of hearing, and are very loyal to their owners. They don’t need to be trained to be mean to make great watchdogs.”
Ru replied, “You know you wouldn’t have to worry about that with us. We just love having fur-friends.”
“I wouldn’t for a second think you could be mean to a dog. Let me know when you want to see my little girl. I think she’d be perfect for you guys.”
“I will,” Ru started and then changed her line of conversation.
“Esteban said he went to talk to Leanne yesterday. You know, to give her our condolences. He said the dogs were so loveable with her … like they were happy little puppies.”
Ru saw Don’s
body relax at the mention of Leanne. A look of calm came over his face and he said, “That is one heck of a woman. She is so friendly and gentle. I’m not surprised the dogs acted that way around her.”
“That’s what Esteban said. He was impressed with how easy going the dogs were. They didn’t pay any attention to the fact that he was even there.”
