sheriff” just fine, thank you very much.
“The dress sounds lovely, Caro, but you didn’t have to…Hey, how long has Mr. Trifle been doing that?”
The Chihuahua had stopped trembling and was lifting his upper lip in a silent snarl. If he’d been ten times bigger, he might have scared me.
She glanced down. “Oh, that. It started last week. I’ve got an appointment next Monday afternoon with that new dog psychic in San Sebastian, and I’m sure she’ll sort him out in no time. But Mr. Trifle won’t bite Miss Theodora, will he?” Cooing, she leaned over the Balenciaga tote, almost touching his nose with her own.
The expression on the Chihuahua’s face made me suspect that Mr. Trifle wanted to chew off Miss Nose. “Pull your face away, Caro. Dog bites can turn serious.”
Still cooing, she chucked the poor creature under his chin. “Mr. Veterinarian gave Mr. Trifle all his shots.”
“Shots won’t protect you from bacteria. Ever hear of necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating disease? First the derma goes, then the subcutaneous tissue starts…”
She jerked her head away. “I saw some Fendi strap pumps, so I picked up those, too. And of course I’ll loan you my diamonds. We need to make an impression, don’t we?”
No, we don’t. I was going to point that fact out to her, but then I spied a San Sebastian County sheriff’s cruiser pull into the parking lot. “Oh, how nice! Joe will be so glad to see you.”
My mother and Joe had, as the saying goes, issues . She had broken up our teenage romance by sending me away to a boarding school in Virginia. Years later, Joe married Sonia, and I married Michael. One divorce and one murder later, we were back together. Not that Caro accepted the situation.
She gave a quick look at her watch and stood up. “My, my. How time flies. I must be going.”
Keeping a wary eye on Mr. Trifle’s tiny fangs, I gave her a peck on each cheek. “Love you, Mother.”
“Caro,” she corrected, as she strutted away.
Seconds later, Joe stepped on deck. He had changed into civvies, but I could see the outline of his handgun under his blue windbreaker. As always, it made him look even sexier. After a deep kiss that took my breath away, he said, “I ran into your mother in the parking lot and she actually said hello. Quite an improvement for her, wouldn’t you say?”
“Don’t kid yourself. Caro can’t bear the idea of her daughter dating the grandson of a migrant worker; she’s just getting more subtle. She’s holding another Let’s-Find-Teddy-A-Suitable-Husband party Friday night. Want to be my date?”
He sat down on the same deck chair Caro had vacated. “As much fun as that would be, I have to work.”
I scooted my chair closer to his and was rewarded with another breath-stealing kiss. Once I’d recovered, I said, “That’s right. Friday’s a big night for law enforcement. All those drunken brawls and domestic spats, so predictable. It’s too bad you don’t have any good cases to challenge that fine mind of yours, isn’t it?”
When he didn’t answer, I shot him a look. I knew him well enough to know something was up, and it made me uneasy.
“What?” His face assumed an expression of feigned innocence.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Wasn’t it purely rhetorical? Hey, what’s for dinner? I’m starved.”
I didn’t want to say it, but I had to. “There’s a problem with Kate’s death, isn’t there?”
“If you don’t want to cook, let’s walk over to Fred’s Fish Market. I’ll treat you to the works. Chowder, lobster…”
“That makes two questions you didn’t answer.”
“What questions?”
I swallowed. “Stop dancing around, Joe. Kate didn’t drown, did she?”
His innocent expression slid away, revealing a blankness I found unsettling. “You know I can’t discuss an ongoing case with you, Teddy. Now let’s go get something to eat.”
There. He’d said it. Case.
What I’d begun to suspect was
“The dress sounds lovely, Caro, but you didn’t have to…Hey, how long has Mr. Trifle been doing that?”
The Chihuahua had stopped trembling and was lifting his upper lip in a silent snarl. If he’d been ten times bigger, he might have scared me.
She glanced down. “Oh, that. It started last week. I’ve got an appointment next Monday afternoon with that new dog psychic in San Sebastian, and I’m sure she’ll sort him out in no time. But Mr. Trifle won’t bite Miss Theodora, will he?” Cooing, she leaned over the Balenciaga tote, almost touching his nose with her own.
The expression on the Chihuahua’s face made me suspect that Mr. Trifle wanted to chew off Miss Nose. “Pull your face away, Caro. Dog bites can turn serious.”
Still cooing, she chucked the poor creature under his chin. “Mr. Veterinarian gave Mr. Trifle all his shots.”
“Shots won’t protect you from bacteria. Ever hear of necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating disease? First the derma goes, then the subcutaneous tissue starts…”
She jerked her head away. “I saw some Fendi strap pumps, so I picked up those, too. And of course I’ll loan you my diamonds. We need to make an impression, don’t we?”
No, we don’t. I was going to point that fact out to her, but then I spied a San Sebastian County sheriff’s cruiser pull into the parking lot. “Oh, how nice! Joe will be so glad to see you.”
My mother and Joe had, as the saying goes, issues . She had broken up our teenage romance by sending me away to a boarding school in Virginia. Years later, Joe married Sonia, and I married Michael. One divorce and one murder later, we were back together. Not that Caro accepted the situation.
She gave a quick look at her watch and stood up. “My, my. How time flies. I must be going.”
Keeping a wary eye on Mr. Trifle’s tiny fangs, I gave her a peck on each cheek. “Love you, Mother.”
“Caro,” she corrected, as she strutted away.
Seconds later, Joe stepped on deck. He had changed into civvies, but I could see the outline of his handgun under his blue windbreaker. As always, it made him look even sexier. After a deep kiss that took my breath away, he said, “I ran into your mother in the parking lot and she actually said hello. Quite an improvement for her, wouldn’t you say?”
“Don’t kid yourself. Caro can’t bear the idea of her daughter dating the grandson of a migrant worker; she’s just getting more subtle. She’s holding another Let’s-Find-Teddy-A-Suitable-Husband party Friday night. Want to be my date?”
He sat down on the same deck chair Caro had vacated. “As much fun as that would be, I have to work.”
I scooted my chair closer to his and was rewarded with another breath-stealing kiss. Once I’d recovered, I said, “That’s right. Friday’s a big night for law enforcement. All those drunken brawls and domestic spats, so predictable. It’s too bad you don’t have any good cases to challenge that fine mind of yours, isn’t it?”
When he didn’t answer, I shot him a look. I knew him well enough to know something was up, and it made me uneasy.
“What?” His face assumed an expression of feigned innocence.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Wasn’t it purely rhetorical? Hey, what’s for dinner? I’m starved.”
I didn’t want to say it, but I had to. “There’s a problem with Kate’s death, isn’t there?”
“If you don’t want to cook, let’s walk over to Fred’s Fish Market. I’ll treat you to the works. Chowder, lobster…”
“That makes two questions you didn’t answer.”
“What questions?”
I swallowed. “Stop dancing around, Joe. Kate didn’t drown, did she?”
His innocent expression slid away, revealing a blankness I found unsettling. “You know I can’t discuss an ongoing case with you, Teddy. Now let’s go get something to eat.”
There. He’d said it. Case.
What I’d begun to suspect was