Dead Dogs and Englishmen by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli Page B

equipment and just about everything else, there are some who get here early, ahead of their families. If Miguel can’t help he can sure give you names of other men to talk to.”
    He got out of the pickup, as Dolly and I slid out on our side. Dolly hit the ground kind of hard and stumbled, catching herself. She didn’t straighten right away, only put an arm across her middle, and took a couple of deep breaths.
    â€œDolly,” I put my arm across her bent back and leaned down. Her face was red. She bit at her bottom lip. “What’s going on?”
    â€œNothin’,” she growled and straightened, settling her shoulders. “Tripped. Thought I was going to fall.”
    â€œLook …” I started to say but was interrupted by a short, dark man who came from one of the houses, letting the screened door snap shut behind him. Two tiny children stood on the inside of the screen, watching the man make his way over to shake Joshua’s hand and be introduced to me and Dolly.
    We took seats on logs ringing a dead fire pit.
    â€œRain tomorrow,” Joshua said after a while.
    Miguel nodded. “I got plenty to do on that engine in the barn.”
    Joshua agreed, then, after a minute, asked, “You know why these women are here?”
    Miguel turned to first Dolly and then toward me. “Somebody found dead. That’s what Mr. Sutter told me.”
    Dolly cleared her throat and moved to get comfortable on her log. “Found a woman with a gunshot to the back of her head. Over near Leetsville.”
    Miguel nodded, glanced over his shoulder at the house, called out to someone in Spanish, and the children were pulled away from the screen. The door closed.
    â€œWhat did this woman look like?” he asked.
    Dolly gave him a brief description, ending with the gold cross. Each part of the description brought a deeper frown, until Miguel was rubbing his hands between his knees, biting at his lip, then glancing back at the house, to us, then to Mr. Sutter.
    â€œI don’t think I know her.” Miguel made a face as he shook his head.
    â€œThere’s something else, Miguel,” Joshua said. “They found a dog killed with her—well, nearby. Shot, the way the woman was shot.”
    A look passed between the two men. Miguel drew in a deep breath. He blinked again and again, looking from me to Dolly. If I’ve ever seen a man with pain trapped behind his eyes, this was that man.
    Joshua saw it too. His voice went lower, softer.
    â€œWe had that incident … remember …” he said. “I don’t mean to put you on the spot but …”
    Miguel looked away and shook his head. “I don’t know … anything …”
    He got up. “Mr. Sutter, I got work to do …”
    â€œNot right now, Miguel.” Joshua cleared his throat then stood, stretching his shoulders back. “It’s about that dog someone dumped here. That dog was shot in the head. Are we looking at some kind of war going on? I really need to know if there’s something …”
    Miguel’s eyes burned. “There’s nothing for you to worry about . If I knew even one thing, I would tell these two women. You’ve been good to me and my family for almost ten years now. You know I wouldn’t let anything come close to hurting you.”
    Joshua Sutter shrugged and wiped his hands down the sides of his coveralls. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”
    Miguel shook his head. “I don’t know anything. I would give my life before …”
    Dolly stood, hands resting at her gun belt. “Miguel, I’m sorry but I’m going to be puttin’ pressure on you. You’re not tellin’ everything you know, are you? Somethin’s going on. That’s plain. You should be tellin’ us right now, before this gets worse. If there’s some kind of vendetta, or somebody’s threatenin’ people