LITMIR.BIZ

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looking at others in this town.”

      “Well, there’s Shelby Mason, Leah’s best friend. She and Sarah are close, though. Then there’s Vera Peel. She owns the boardinghouse. I’ve often seen her go into the pawnshop, especially over the past month.” Jocelyn picked up her salad fork and speared a few dark greens.

      “Anyone else?” After withdrawing his pad from his inside coat pocket, Sam wrote down the two names.

      She tried to picture the people who might have something to do with either Leah or Earl. “Angelina Loring is another one. I remember she and Leah were arguing the day before Earl’s death.”

      “About what?”

      “Leah wouldn’t say, and I couldn’t hear the words. I saw them as I came back from lunch. Neither one was happy with the other.”

      “Interesting. I’ll have to pay a visit to Angelina Loring and discover what happened.”

      “Oh, I almost forgot. Leah was using Georgia Duffy as a real estate agent. She was showing Leah houses. Leah didn’t want Sarah to grow up in an apartment above a pawnshop. Leah wanted a yard for her to play in and so they could have a dog. Sarah has been wanting a puppy for a year. Her friend has one.” Jocelyn paused a moment, thinking back to a conversation with Leah. “Honestly I wouldn’t have thought about Georgia, except that Leah told me last week she wasn’t happy with the woman.”

      “Did she tell you why?”

      “Not exactly, but when I came into the shop a couple of weeks ago, Leah and Earl had been fighting about Georgia. She wanted to get another real estate agent while he didn’t. He looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. Earl is a big flirt and Georgia is, too.”

      “Okay, you’ve given me four names so far. If you think of anyone else, let me know. I’ll have one of my team check these people out.”

      “Sam, the red hair might not have anything to do with Earl’s death. Wait until I have a chance to talk with Sarah again. I might find out more.”

      “We don’t have time to wait. Leah’s life could be in the balance, and I don’t have much to go on right now.”

      “Getting information from a child, especially one so young, doesn’t occur on a schedule. In fact, it may never happen.”

      “Don’t you think I know that better than most?” A closed expression descended over his features.

      This was the Sam who had intrigued her so much last year. He was good at shutting his emotions off from others, but she’d thought she could get through his defenses; she had with many reluctant clients. Maybe she should become more like him. Then she might not have so many problems. She wanted to help children, yet dealing with them, especially as victims of crime, was taking its toll on her. She didn’t know how much longer she would last even in a small town like Loomis if she couldn’t grow a thicker skin.

      The waiter approached and set their dinners before them. Thankful for the reprieve, Jocelyn drew in a deep breath of the garlic-and-basil-laced air. Her grilled shrimp Caprese over angel-hair pasta and asparagus parmesan made her mouth water. She hadn’t eaten lunch but until this moment hadn’t realized how hungry she was.

      After the server left, Sam bowed his head for a moment, then picked up his fork and knife to cut into his tagliata di manzo con rucola.

      “Do you still go to that little church near your apartment?” Jocelyn said as he began eating.

      “Yes, when I’m in New Orleans.” Sam sliced off a piece of his peppered steak. “I know you used to live here for a while. Tell me about Loomis. Help me understand the place.”

      “Let’s just say it isn’t your typical warm, friendly Southern town, at least now. The town’s division is more pronounced than when I lived here before. Thankfully Leah and Shelby greeted me the first week I moved back here and went out of their way to include me among their friends. Otherwise this would have been a lonely nine months.”

      “So I shouldn’t expect smiles and waves when I walk down Main Street?”

      “There are a few friendly people, but many try to emulate the matriarchs of our two prominent families, the Renaults and Pershings. Charla Renault and Lenore Pershing hate each other, hence the town’s division. They put the Hatfields and McCoy feud to shame.”

      “Could Leah and Earl have gotten caught up in this feud somehow?”

      “I don’t think so. They move in different circles.”

      “Has it been hard establishing a new practice?” Sam asked, then sipped his ice water with a lemon slice.

      “I became reacquainted with Charla’s daughter, Ava Renault. Being her friend has helped me build a practice fast. There are plenty of people in this town who need help.”

      “So it may be difficult to get much out of some of them?”

      “Not for you. I’ve seen you at work. You’re very good at interviewing reluctant witnesses.”

      He inclined his head. “Thank you. I’ve seen you, and you aren’t too bad yourself.”

      “What’s your first impression of Loomis?”

      He angled toward her. “You want to know the truth?”

      “Always.”

      “Creepy.” He suddenly pulled back as though he realized he was too close. “But I’ll deny it if you tell because I won’t get a thing out of anyone if they know I feel that way.”

      She reflected back to that day she’d arrived in Loomis and had almost left immediately. It had changed in the twelve years since she’d been gone. Or maybe what had changed was her perception, since she was an adult now and viewed things differently. “You just have to look beyond the glares and frowns,” she said with a little chuckle. “But if you meet Charla Renault or Lenore Pershing, you’ll see why there’s a certain tension in the air when you hit the outskirts of the town.”

      “So they take the feud between their families seriously?”

      “Most definitely, although Charla has been at a disadvantage since the car accident. She is confined to a wheelchair. I’m not sure—” laughter drifted to her, and she peered over her shoulder at the couple entering the restaurant “—that’s stopped her much.”

      “Even though you don’t think Earl or Leah were caught up somehow in the feud or socially involved with the Renaults or Pershings, did they have anything to do with either family in some other way?”

      “Leah used to work for Charla’s son, Dylan, four years ago before she became a secretary for the mayor. I imagine that’s why the mayor was the one who called you. Leah was—is invaluable to him.” She made a small gesture to indicate the couple weaving their way through the maze of tables to a private corner, off to the side of the rest of the customers. “That’s Dylan with Angelina Loring.”

      Impeccably dressed in a charcoal silk suit with a black tie, Dylan waved the waiter away and sat without helping Angelina into her chair. He immediately flipped his menu open, burying his head behind it. His date pouted, glaring at him.

      “Ah, one of the redheads I need to interview.”

      “She’s a beauty queen and doesn’t let anyone forget that she was Miss Magnolia several years ago. She has her sights on becoming Dylan’s wife, but she has her work cut out for her. I don’t see that man settling down anytime soon.”

      Sam chuckled. “You’re a fountain of information, and you’ve only been back nine months.”

      “The good people of Loomis love to gossip, and if giving you a sense of the town helps Leah in any way, then I’ll gladly impart what I know.”

      Sam peered at the man and woman a few tables over. “Are there any other ties between Earl and Leah and the two prominent families?”

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