The Black Cat Knocks on Wood by Kay Finch Page A

Shouldn’t have said that.
    “You worked together. He’ll probably ask you about the property where it happened. Crystal’s schedule. That sort of thing.”
    Jordan frowned. “Sheriff Crawford can ask me all he wants. I don’t have any idea what happened to Crystal.”
    “Of course not,” I said.
    “I wasn’t there,” she said. “I was at the nursing home, remember?”
    “Right.” Why had she assumed the timing of her nursing home visit coincided with Crystal’s death?
    I turned toward the door. “I have to get going. Sorry to bring you such tragic news.”
    “Not your fault,” Jordan said. “Take care now.”
    She opened the door, and though she didn’t actually give me a push I got the feeling she wanted rid of me in the worst way. I hurried down the sidewalk, wondering all the way why Jordan felt the need to repeat her whereabouts earlier in the morning.
    I rounded the corner at the coffee shop quickly and bumped into a man on his way out.
    “Hey, Sabrina Tate,” he said. “Long time no talk to.”
    Hayden Birch, the rodeo clown, apparently had excellent balance, because he easily kept his cardboard tray of four tall cups level in spite of our collision.
    “Hayden, hi. Sorry, I didn’t watch where I was going.”
    “No harm done,” he said. “I’m an indestructible kind of guy. Have to be in my line of work.”
    “I guess so.” I avoided eye contact. He sounded too jollyto have learned the morning’s news, and I didn’t want to tell the story again.
    “Hey, you okay?” Hayden angled his head to catch my eye.
    “I’m fine.”
    “Been a helluva day so far, huh?” Concern creased his brow.
    I looked up. “You know?”
    “Course I do.”
    “About Crystal?”
    “Yeah.”
    “How?”
    Hayden waited as the coffee shop door opened and two women walked out. The strains of “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” drifted out. When the door closed and the women had moved a distance from us, he said, “Construction company put in a call straightaway to Mr. D. Guys who walked in and found you and that other woman on-site.”
    “Pearl.”
    “Right, Pearl.”
    “Why did they call Mr. Devlin?” I said. “It’s not exactly their job to notify next of kin.”
    “They’re pals of his,” he said.
    “The good ol’ boy network.”
    “Something like that,” Hayden said.
    “So Crystal’s husband found out she’d died, and then he what? Broadcast the news?”
    “He didn’t. Ace did. Mr. D told Ace, and Ace sent a text to the staff. Same as he does whenever anything happens that involves us.”
    “Huh.” I looked at the tray Hayden held. “Who’s all the coffee for?”
    “Ace, me, and a couple of the guys who came in for supplies. I’m going to meet them.”
    So these guys learned their boss’s wife was dead, and they came to town for supplies. Business as usual. That seemed cold, but maybe that’s how it was in the ranching business. Couldn’t let the livestock go hungry.
    “Where are you heading?” he said.
    “In there.” I nodded toward the coffee shop and noticed Max and a couple of customers looking out the front window at me. “Or maybe not. Last thing I want is to go inside and get caught up in the gossip.”
    “Want me to go back in and get you some coffee?” he offered.
    I looked at him. “No thanks, but if you could retrieve my laptop case from Max and bring it to me, I’d be grateful. I could hold your coffee.”
    Hayden didn’t seem to mind the odd request. He handed me the coffee tray and went back into the shop. After a few seconds, I saw him through the window. Max handed my laptop case to Hayden. When he came back outside, we traded coffee for computer.
    “I appreciate that more than you know.” I gave Hayden Birch a grateful smile.
    “Better watch out,” he said. “I may call in a favor.”
    I thought of Ace McKinney warning me about the clown. “You’d better deliver that coffee now before it gets cold.”
    He grinned. “I’d rather stay here