LITMIR.BIZ

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Maybe Rick was bad luck. Look at everything that had happened so far, and he’d only been in town since yesterday afternoon.

      She discarded the thought immediately. There was no such thing as luck. She remembered the quote by Louis Pasteur her father had hung in his office at home. “Chance favors the prepared mind.” People made their own luck.

      Rick and Preston stood as she came over, and Rick gestured to the chair beside him. “What brings you by so early, Kim? If you’re hungry, I can recommend the breakfast burrito. It’s terrific. The coffee...not so much.”

      She smiled. “I know. I usually order tea.”

      The waitress came over and smiled. “Hey, Kim. What’ll you have?”

      “How about a job, Sally? Only kidding. I just got fired,” she said, “so a cup of honey tea will do.”

      “I’m so sorry to hear that,” the young waitress answered.

      “So am I,” Rick added. “Order what you want and consider it part of my apology. I owe you that, at least.”

      Kim shook her head. “Tea will be enough.” As the waitress left, she touched Rick’s arm briefly. “I appreciate the offer, but all you really did was speed up the inevitable. I’ve never liked the way Angelina treated her employees and, frankly, I only stuck around because the work fit my schedule.”

      Preston spoke up. “If you need some financial help—”

      She shook her head and held up a hand, interrupting him. “I’ve got skills and experience working retail, so I’ll find a new job soon. However, if you hear of a part-time position with flexible hours, let me know.”

      “I’ve got to get back to work,” Preston said, removing a few dollars from his wallet and placing them on the table. “Kim, keep thinking hard about last night. Sometimes the answers don’t come all at once.”

      “I will.”

      As the waitress brought over her cup of tea, Kim eyed the piece of Rick’s burrito that remained but said nothing. Pride always stopped her from asking for favors or help.

      “We changed our minds. How about a breakfast burrito for the lady, too,” he said.

      “Be back in a jiff,” the waitress said.

      Kim smiled at Rick. “You didn’t have to do that, but thanks. The aromas in here always make me hungry.”

      “No problem. Now I feel a little less guilty.”

      A lengthy silence ensued until Sally returned with her food and, wanting to know more about Rick, Kim decided to start the conversation. “So tell me, Rick. Are you really home for good?” she asked, taking a bite of burrito.

      “Yes.”

      “Are you glad to be back among family or do you miss your old job?”

      “Both.”

      He obviously wasn’t much for small talk. She took several more bites, enjoying the flavorful explosion of green chili. Remembering how procedural books said that people often opened up just to fill the lapse in conversation, she let the silence stretch.

      It didn’t work. Rick had probably read the same book years ago.

      “I appreciate that you bought me something to eat and are letting me enjoy the burrito in peace, but I get the feeling there’s something on your mind,” she said, taking the last bite. “So how can I help you?”

      “I know Angelina Curley had dealings with my foster father, then one day she stopped coming around,” he said. “I don’t believe her accusations at all. Any idea what really happened between them?”

      “I’ve heard pieces of the story here and there, but because they originated from Angelina I’m not sure how accurate they are,” she warned.

      “Go on.”

      “Hosteen Silver accepted cash and jewelry in payment for her instruction and apprenticeship, but then, according to Angelina, he made sexual advances. When she rejected him, he got angry and refused to continue her training.”

      “My foster father would never have done anything like that. The woman’s lying.”

      “Uncle Frank knew your foster father. I met him once at the Brickhouse, too. He didn’t strike me as that type of person, either,” she admitted. “But in my experience, Angelina isn’t above lying if it suits her. I’ve seen how she twists things around when she’s dealing with customers and vendors. She keeps things legal, but she’s completely unethical,” Kim said. “Maybe she was the one who made a pass and got shot down. She doesn’t take rejection well, I can tell you that. Or maybe she just didn’t have what it takes to be a medicine woman and needed someone to blame. Considering Angelina doesn’t remember details, I’m surprised she’s as successful in business as she is. She’ll often ask us the same question two or three times.”

      “That might explain her failure as my father’s apprentice. The Sings have to be memorized perfectly and some last for days,” Rick answered. “One mistake and the gods won’t answer, or they might make things worse for a person out of anger. Getting it right shows respect.”

      “It took days for her to remember the combination of the new safe.” She paused for a moment. “Angelina’s not stupid, far from it, but she’s easily distracted.”

      “My foster father could be very exacting. If Angelina wasn’t measuring up, he would have told her that in no uncertain terms.”

      “Angelina would have blamed him, not herself,” she answered.

      “I was surprised to see her pull a gun this morning. Was that all a bluff, or is she capable of violence?” he asked.

      “I don’t think she would have fired at you. She’s a bully and wanted you afraid. If you’d started pleading with her to set it down, that would have made her feel in control, and you would have made her day.”

      “I get it.”

      “For what it’s worth, that’s my amateur attempt at profiling. Although I’ve worked at Silver Heritage for the past ten months, she and I aren’t friends, or even friendly. I don’t even recall having a conversation with her that wasn’t business-related.”

      “Fair enough,” Rick said.

      Kim watched him for a moment. He knew a lot about her, but she’d yet to learn much about him. Mystery clung to Rick like dust from a hot summer’s whirlwind.

      “I think my brother said something about Angelina owning another business as well as Silver Heritage,” he said.

      “That’s true. She has a high-end Southwest design jewelry business across from the regional hospital. If you want, we can go over there after I finish class. The manager’s a friend of mine. Although Angelina goes over there every day just after lunch, she usually comes back to the downtown shop after an hour or so. If you let me come along, I can watch out for her.”

      She checked her watch. “Right now I’ve got to walk over to campus. I’ve got class at noon.”

      “Mind if I tag along? It’s a nice day to be outside.”

      “Glad for the company.”

      After they left the café, he fell into step beside her. It was a beautiful October day and the air was brisk but not cold. “So tell me, what makes you so determined to become a cop?”

      “I want a career doing work that matters.”

      He nodded. “And you think you can make a difference as a cop.”

      It hadn’t been a question, but she answered him anyway. “Good people are needed to keep the bad ones in check.”

      He smiled. “That’s what Hosteen Silver used to say. It’s part of the Navajo belief that says balance is necessary for happiness.”

      Rick’s

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