LITMIR.BIZ

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he did. I need you to help clear my cousin’s name.”

      Chapter 5

      “I don’t understand. How can I help your cousin?” Angie started to stand, but Estebe put his hand on her arm, stopping her movement.

      “Wait. I told him he could plead his case with you. I know I shouldn’t have agreed, but as he reminds me often, he is family. Besides, I don’t agree with his request because Javier, well, he can be convincing, especially with women. So if you really don’t want to help, just tell me and we will drive away and this conversation will have never happened.”

      “I don’t know what you think I can do for Javier. I’m a chef, that’s all.”

      Estebe shook his head. “That’s definitely not all. I know how you found the killer for that goat man. You were the one who put together the clues.”

      “And almost got killed myself for the trouble. I’m not the police. You should go talk to Sheriff Brown. He probably knows a bunch of private detectives who can help you find out what really happened that night.” Angie shook her head. She’d promised herself she’d stay out of any more investigations into a murder. Besides, she didn’t have any authority to seek out justice for the guilty. “I’m sorry, I think you’re confused about what really happened at Moss Farms.”

      “That is what I told Javier. That you are not a superwoman. That you can’t just make this go away. He needs to learn to live with consequences. Sadly, those lessons have been missing from his life. His parents spoilt him since he was the oldest child.” He stood. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

      “It’s not a bother. Come walk with me and tell me what you know. Maybe I can give you some advice.” Like hire an attorney, she thought as she stood and motioned toward the path. “Dom still needs some exercise. My Nona always said moving around helps solve what’s bothering you. I used to walk miles and miles around the house after my parents died.”

      “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” He sighed as he walked to the car. As he approached, the passenger side door swung open and Javier climbed out.

      Angie was shocked at the changes in the man’s appearance since last week. She didn’t see the overwhelming confidence, just a man who seemed desperate for someone to believe him. He ran up to her, ignoring Estebe’s outstretched hand trying to stop him. Dom growled as Javier approached, and she put a hand on his collar to control him.

      “I’m so glad you agreed to help. This is all a terrible misunderstanding. Heather and I weren’t even serious. There’s no reason I’d kill her, for God’s sake. I was the one who broke it off that night. The girl was way too clingy.” He ignored Dom and took another step closer to Angie. “I knew you’d believe me.”

      As he reached out to put his hand on her arm or shoulder, Dom reacted to the movement and lunged at him, putting himself between Angie and Javier. Angie pulled him back to a sitting position. Between the barking and the screams coming out of Javier’s mouth, Angie couldn’t hear herself think. She pulled back on the collar and stepped a few steps away from Javier. “Dom, stop it.”

      “Buck up and act like a man.” Estebe grabbed his cousin by the arm and shook him, pulling him a few steps away from Angie and Dom. “I can’t believe you don’t know how to approach someone with a large dog.”

      Angie thought Estebe was saying something else in his carefully worded statement, but she didn’t have time to interpret his undertones. She needed to get Dom settled. “Look, why don’t you come over to the house in about an hour and we’ll talk. I need to get Dom calmed down, so I’ll take him for a walk and you two go and get a cold drink.”

      “I don’t know. I have a lot of things to do.” Javier started to say something else, but he glanced up at Estebe and blanched white. “Okay, then.”

      Estebe nodded toward Angie. “We’ll go pick up some soft drinks at the Whoa and Go down the street. We’ll be at your house in an hour.”

      A car parked next to Estebe’s, and as the couple got out, they stared at the odd threesome, trying to gauge the situation. Angie put on her best I’m not being tortured by serial killers smile and the woman took a step backward. So much for being welcoming, Angie thought. And for a moment, she thought about one of her first meetings with Ian, where he said she had a creepy killer smile.

      Estebe and Javier started walking toward the parking lot, and Angie turned the other way with Dom. “You sure don’t like Javier much, do you?”

      Dom turned back toward the retreating men and huffed. Angie guessed that was her answer. She’d have to keep Dom in the kitchen while they talked in the living room. She tended to entertain most of her guests in the kitchen, probably because she was usually cooking or eating something. As they walked through the almost deserted park, Angie thought about Javier’s situation. What could she really add to the conversation? But she had helped solve Mr. Moss’s murder just last month. Maybe she had a knack for these things.

      “More like a knack for getting into trouble.” She rubbed Dom’s head as he looked up at her, trying to understand her words. “Don’t worry, boy, I’m going to be good and stay out of this investigation.”

      Now all she had to do was convince the two men she had invited over to her house of her new intention.

      When she got back home, she decluttered the living room, moving her Nona’s cookbook project over to a table on the side rather than the coffee table. Then she ran a sticky roller over the couch to get off at least some of the dog hair. She glanced at the clock. Estebe and Javier should have been here by now. She took her phone out of her tote and saw she’d somehow missed a call. She played back the voice mail.

      “We are heading back into town. Javier has a meeting with Papa Diaz that he didn’t tell me about. I will come by tomorrow if that’s all right.” The phone message ended without a goodbye or sign-off. Angie didn’t know who this Papa Diaz was, but from the way Estebe sounded, she didn’t think Javier was going to be happy after the meeting.

      She glanced around at the now-clean living room, sank into the couch, and grabbed the remote. Dom jumped up next to her and laid his head on her lap with a loud sigh. She found the Food Channel and leaned back into a television coma.

      * * * *

      Angie rubbed Precious’s head through the gate to her pen. The goat was growing fast, but she still enjoyed getting some attention every morning. As she watched, the goat stared out the barn door, then bleated a welcome to the car that had just pulled in.

      “I swear, you’re a better guard dog than Dom.” Angie looked around to make sure her pup wasn’t in earshot. She stood and gave Precious one last rub behind her ear. “Just don’t tell him I said that.”

      In Dom’s defense, he was taking a nap in the kitchen. He didn’t like coming out and helping her with the morning chores anymore. Mostly, Angie knew it was because he didn’t like the goat. She’d hoped they’d start getting along, more out of familiarity than anything, but so far, that hadn’t been the case. She walked around Mabel, who was pecking at her own breakfast, and went out to meet her new roommate. A week really wasn’t that long.

      Erica was helping her grandmother out the passenger side and had set up her walker. Mrs. Potter swiped at her hands. “I’m not an invalid. Let me be.”

      “Welcome. I’m looking forward to our week together.” Angie tried to defuse the tension. “Come inside, I’ve got breakfast ready for all of us.”

      Erica smiled, grabbing the bags out of the back of the car. “Isn’t that nice. Granny, I’m sure you’re hungry since you’ve barely eaten the last few days.”

      Mrs. Potter was on the porch, struggling with the screen door. “I’m not hungry. I suppose I’m being set up in Margaret’s sewing room?”

      “I took that stuff out, but yeah, there’s a bed with an attached bath.” Angie glanced at Erica, who shook her head. “Do you want me to show

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