One Potato, Two Potato, Dead

by Lynn Cahoon

Mabel opened one eye, then closed it tight in the light. Precious was asleep on her straw, her back legs gently kicking like she was running in her dreams. Angie flipped the flashlight on her water dish and saw it was clean and filled. Then she turned off the light and used the moonlight to make her way back to the door, where Dom now sat waiting for her.

  The barn was Precious’s territory and the St. Bernard didn’t take chances, even when the goat was fast asleep in dreamland. Angle closed the door and turned the latch. Weariness was starting to take hold now that she was home and knew her zoo was all right. Maybe she wouldn’t have trouble falling asleep after all.

  * * * *

  The bright light bled through her eyelids the next morning. Angie rolled over and saw Dom sitting by the side of the bed, staring at her. She reached out and rubbed the top of his head. “You think I’m sleeping the day away, don’t you, Dom?”

  He licked her arm with his big sloppy tongue.

  She peered at the alarm clock. It was after nine. Time to get up and get some breakfast. She’d never called Ian’s aunt to see what she could bring, so she’d make her up a hostess gift instead. Angie had made several different types of jams that summer, and she would put a few into a basket with a fresh baked loaf of bread. That way, her hosts could have toast and jam for a few mornings next week.

  After a quick shower and run to the barn, she got her prep done to make the quick bread. While she was in her fridge, she took out some bacon, eggs, and salsa. She’d make up two loafs of bread, and while she was baking, she’d make breakfast. Last night between service and the emotional roller coaster of Hope’s safety and Felicia’s love life, she’d burned away any food she’d eaten during the day, and now she was starving.

  She sent a quick text to Felicia, asking how everything was going, but wasn’t surprised when she didn’t get a text back. The women had been still chatting and drinking when she’d left the apartment. Angie was glad that Hope and Felicia had bonded so quickly. She turned up the tunes and got busy doing the one thing that made her worries disappear: cooking.

  By the time she was sitting at the table eating, her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She’d expected it to be Felicia, but instead it was Ian. He was done with his Sunday class and just checking in with her. She responded that she’d be ready at one, just like they’d planned. Then she set the phone down. The bread was in the oven. Breakfast was almost over. And she was meeting Ian’s family that afternoon.

  Pressing her fingers to her eyelids, she took a deep breath. She could do this. It wasn’t a big thing. Except it was the first time she’d ever met someone’s family. Todd’s parents had been in New Jersey, and he’d gone home for the holidays without her, which should have told her something about where their relationship was heading. But instead, she’d made plans to come home to Nona’s and that was that. Now, less than a year into dating, they were being put on parade. She decided she liked Todd’s method of handling this part of the relationship better. It was less stress.

  Because it wasn’t real. She pushed the phone farther away and glanced at Dom, who’d lifted his head to watch her, hoping for some bacon leftovers. “You’re lucky your life is easy.”

  He harrumphed at that and glanced toward the door. She suspected that meant my life was easy before that goat came into it, but she ignored the implication and went back to finish her meal.

  Angie had finally settled on a pair of dress pants and a nice but comfortable blouse. She slipped on a pair of ballet slippers and added a silver chain with sparkles to the outfit. Then she grabbed a dark blue blazer that she hoped didn’t make her look like a salesman and headed downstairs to wait for Ian.

  The hostess basket sat nearer the edge of the table than she’d remembered, and as she walked into the kitchen, she saw the tablecloth slip closer to the edge. She ran and grabbed the basket before it toppled on top of Dom. He would have been surprised to get not only a fresh loaf of bread, but a few knots on his head where the jelly jars would have hit.

  “You’re becoming a little tricky with your thievery.” She took the basket and set it on the cabinet, and then grabbed the tablecloth and folded it. “Am I going to have to lock you up in the mudroom while I’m gone?”

  The look of horror on his face was priceless.

  Angie laughed, which probably didn’t help cement the threat in her voice. “No, I’m just going to have to keep things up where you can’t get them. Of course, in a few months, that will have to be a special room on the roof. You’re growing too fast.”

  He held out a paw and offered her a friendly shake to apologize for his dreadful manners and over-the-top need for her hostess gift. She shook, knowing this wasn’t the last time she’d have to remember to keep things out of Dom’s reach or keep Dom out of the room, which might be easier.

  The sound of a car coming down the driveway caused Dom to run to the door and sit patiently, his tail wagging against the floorboards.

  Angie glanced out the window and waved at Ian, who had parked and was heading toward the door. She slipped the jacket on and took a compact out of her purse to check her makeup for the tenth time since she’d put it on a few minutes ago.

  After a slight knock, Ian came into the kitchen and gave Dom a quick hug around his neck. “Hey, big guy. Have you been a good boy?”

  She laughed. “Hardly. We were just talking about proper punishment for eating the hostess gift I’d just recently put together.”

  “He ate it?”

  Angie grabbed the basket and put it into Ian’s hands. “If I’d changed one more time, this would have been just a good idea and my floor would have been covered in jam and broken glass. Things my Dom doesn’t think about when he’s figuring out a way to steal.”

  “Food. That’s all he’s thinking about. And as good as this bread smells, I don’t blame him.” He kissed her on the cheek. “You look lovely. There was no reason for you to get dressed up, but I have to say, I like it.”

  “You rarely see me in anything but jeans and T-shirts. I thought I’d like to play girl at least once.” She glanced around the kitchen one more time. “Let me make sure everything’s closed up. After seeing his new parlor trick, I’m a little hesitant to leave anything even close to his level.”

  She walked around the house, making sure the doors were locked, then met Ian out on the porch. She nodded toward the barn. “I should be back in time for evening feeding, right?”

  “Unless you are one of the slowest eaters in the world, yes, you’ll be back in time to feed Precious and Mabel.” He took her arm and led her to the passenger side door. “Don’t fret so much. This isn’t a big deal.”

  Oh, but there he was wrong. She climbed into the truck and clicked on her seat belt. This was a huge deal. And worse, she wanted to get his uncle aside and talk to him about this Evan Morris character one more time. Especially now that she thought he was after Hope.

  Thinking about that, she realized she hadn’t heard back from Felicia. She grabbed her phone and there it was. One missed text. We’re making breakfast. Need something to soak up the alcohol. Have fun with Ian.

  “You have to deal with that?” Ian nodded toward the phone as he started the truck.

  She keyed a quick Thanks and slipped the phone back into her tote. “Nope. I was just checking in with Felicia. She broke up with Taylor last night.”

  “I know.” He turned out of the driveway and onto the road leading toward River Vista.

  She turned toward him in the seat. “How on earth did you hear?”

  “Your friend’s scene was the talk of the social hour after church. By the way, the poll’s going in her favor. Most of the congregation doesn’t seem to like Taylor. And after this, they’ll like him even less.”

  “Someone who was at the County Seat went to church this morning and gossiped? That doesn’t sound very Christian.” She grinned at him.

  “Actua
lly, I believe she was just concerned about the mental health and welfare of a community member. I’d say that concern falls under the tenets of the doctrine.” He sped around an old Cadillac whose driver looked a lot like Mrs. Potter’s best friend, Delores. “The gossip part was just a side benefit.”

  “You do know how to spin a good tale.” She settled in for the ride.

  He took her hand. “You really should consider coming to church with me more. You’ll find out all sorts of interesting things about your neighbors here in River Vista. We’re a hotbed of gossip.”

  “I’m not sure I really want to know about the secret lives of townsfolk.” She turned up the radio. “I really love this song.”

  “Good distraction technique.” He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “This dinner will be fine. No worries at all.”

  Except when they got to the house, things weren’t fine. A frazzled Maggie opened the door, took one look at the two of them, then let out a screech. “Allen, come take care of Ian and his guest.”

  Ian held on to the screen door and peeked in through the hallway. “There’s no smoke coming out of the kitchen, so that’s a good sign.”

  “Maybe I should go help?” She started to step inside when Sheriff Brown arrived at the door.

  “There you two are. Maggie’s just got a few more things to prepare, so why don’t we go into the living room and have some iced tea.” He held the door open and motioned them inside. “Come on now, you don’t want all the flies to follow you inside, do you?”

  Ian put a hand on her back and followed her inside. The sheriff motioned toward a room to the left, on the opposite side of the house from where Maggie had disappeared. Ian held up the basket.

  “Angie brought this little gift along for you and Aunt Mags. I’m sure you’ll love the jam.” He looked around for a place to set it down. “Should I take it into the kitchen?”

  Sheriff Brown grabbed the basket and set it on a desk near the doorway. “No, let’s just give Maggie some space. She’s a little nervous to have a real chef in her house for dinner.”

  “That’s funny. I’m nervous to be here.” Angie smiled, trying to ease the tension. She glanced toward the doorway. “Since we have a few minutes, I wanted to ask you what you’d found out about Evan Morris and why he’s stalking Hope.”

  “You think he’s stalking Hope? Why?” Now the eyes that had been friendly turned into cold blue steel, cop’s eyes.

  “I think he’s the one who messed with her car. We saw a black SUV pulling up behind her, and it took off just as we arrived. Like he didn’t want to be seen. I thought I told you all this when you interviewed us at the restaurant afterward. Maybe I’m getting things messed up.” She nodded to a couch. “Can I sit?”

  “Of course. Sorry, my manners seem to get lost when I’m in investigation mode.” He sank down into a large recliner. “Look, I’m going to tell you something that might make you feel a little better about this Evan fella.”

  “Like he’s in jail?” Angie felt Ian’s foot kick hers, and she took a breath. “Sorry, go on.”

  “Anyway, I was told this under strict confidence, but since the guy has been such a problem, I think you need to know.” Sheriff Brown leaned forward. “Evan Morris is with the US Marshals office. He’s law enforcement. So you don’t have to worry about him being the one going after Hope.”

  Angie didn’t know how to respond. She’d been right, the guy wasn’t a professor. But why the pretense? “So why was he following her? And who messed with her car? I don’t think it just broke down.”

  “We’re looking at that. The car’s old. It could have just died.” Sheriff Brown leaned back into his chair.

  “Wait. You’re telling me that Daniel Monet was in witness protection?” The implication of who Evan was had just hit her. “What did he do? Is that why we couldn’t find him on the internet?”

  “I didn’t say that.” A twinkle sparkled in Sheriff Brown’s eye. “I don’t think I even mentioned Daniel Monet. But if he had been in protection, it wasn’t from the deeds he did back in England when he was friends with Ian. At least, that’s my impression of what’s going on. They’re keeping me pretty out of the loop on the investigation. All I know is Hope isn’t considered a suspect anymore.”

  Angie thought about what she’d just learned. Daniel could have been part of some witness protection thing. It made sense why his history looked good on the surface but, when you went down a few layers, didn’t hold up. “Sounds like he was killed because of whatever got him into this protection gig, and if that’s true, you may never find the real killer.”

  “True. But as long as there’s not some crazy running around here, I can’t say I’m sorry about it.” He must have seen Angie’s reaction in her face. “Truly, I’m saddened by the death of our culinary professor, but honestly, it’s not in my jurisdiction or my responsibility. If Ian hadn’t been in contact with Daniel the night he was killed, I might never have known at all.”

  “Daniel called his handler,” Ian mused. “That would be smart. He knew I recognized him. And if I’d been the nosy type, I might just have proven his new life was a lie.”

  “As it was, you took off to do just that before I could talk to you.” Sheriff Brown refilled his iced tea glass. “That was probably why this Evan character arrived. He wanted to make sure his charge was safe.”

  “But he came after Daniel was dead.” Angie still didn’t understand Evan’s role in this.

  “He came as soon as Daniel called him.” Sheriff Brown took a sip from his tea. Finally, he set the glass down on a coaster. “Look, I trust your instincts on this. I’m not saying there’s any fire to this smoke, but I’ll see what I can find out about our friend Evan. I may run into a few walls, but I’m going to try.”

  “One more thing before your wife comes back into the room.” Angie leaned forward. “We have Hope staying with people for the next couple of weeks. Do you really think she’s safe?”

  “Probably. The only reason the police were looking at her in the first place is the fact she drove Daniel home that night and had the bad sense to stay for a drink.” He turned his glass around on the coaster. “She didn’t kill the guy. And if some hired killer did, he’s long gone by now. I think she’s as safe as anyone else walking the streets of Boise.”

  Chapter 21

  “You don’t buy Allen’s theory about Hope.” Ian waited until they’d finished dinner and were on their way back to her place to state the thought that had been running through her head for the last couple of hours. “I could tell at dinner. You were distracted and barely ate. Of course, Maggie talked enough for all of us, so I don’t think she noticed.”

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be distracted.” She slipped her sunglasses on. “I’m just worried. I know your uncle feels like this is all over, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. And I still don’t trust Evan. Federal marshal or not, the guy gives me the creeps.”

  “Well, if he was Daniel’s handler, there’s no reason for him to be hanging around here anymore. I think that’s the missing piece that Allen found in your argument. He was so busy being bombarded with guys from Boise and then the marshal, he hadn’t thought about why Evan was still here.” He glanced over at her as they made their way out of the small subdivision where the Browns lived. “You should never have met him for coffee. I worry about you.”

  “I had enough people watching me.” She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m sure the rumor mill hit your answering machine about who I was meeting before you even talked to me.”

  “Watching you is a lot different than keeping you protected.” He focused on the road. “Sometimes you put yourself in dangerous situations and I don’t think you even realize it.”

  “Well, now we know the guy who I met with was a federal law enforcement officer. I might have my reservations about the guy, but your uncle seems to think he’s ok
ay. I went to a memorial, but I took Felicia.” She decided not to tell him about going to the college alone or searching Daniel’s house with Reana. She wouldn’t win points in the argument with either of those. “Anyway, let’s talk about something else. Dinner was nice.”

  “You’re just saying that because you don’t want to talk about this.” He gripped the steering wheel and headed out of town. “The pork was burnt and the mashed potatoes were so overworked, they tasted like glue.”

  “She tried.” Angie felt bad for Maggie. The woman had been a wreck from the moment they got there. “I thought I was nervous. Maggie was literally shaking when we sat down.”

  “She really isn’t a bad cook. I mean, we do roasts for Sunday dinner all the time and she’s never burned them. I think she just took on too much.”

  Angie knew the feeling. She was a little overloaded this week as well. “We’ll take them out to eat next time. Maybe then we can actually talk and I can learn all your childhood secrets.”

  He laughed. “Maggie’s not going to know any of those. My mum kept me off the family radar for a long time. Anything she’s learned about my formative years, I’ve told her. So ask me if you have questions. I’m an open book.”

  “Hardly. We never talk about the past.”

  He pulled the car into her driveway. “You’re right. We should spend more time just chatting. What’s your plan for the rest of the night?”

  “I’m thinking a long hot bath and a glass of wine.” She sighed as she watched Mabel pecking around the barn. “After I feed and water my zoo.”

  “Go inside. I’ll handle them. I owe you one for being such a good sport today. I promise, Maggie and Allen are good people and easy to get along with. You’ll see.”

  Angie walked over to the door and let Dom out. “You don’t have to do the feeding. I can.”

  “I know you can. I like to spend time with Precious, and Mabel tells me all sorts of things.” He tapped his leg. “Come on, Dom, you’re with me for a bit.”