She shook her head. She was sad David had been killed, but it shouldn’t affect her life. She hadn’t killed him. She glanced at Dom. Then up at the clock. If she hurried, they could go for a quick run down at Celebration Park. She ran upstairs and changed into running clothes. The extra hour the contest judges had given her would be put to good use.
A little over an hour later, she was showered and back on the road, this time without Dom. He’d enjoyed his run, but now he was sleeping on his bed in the kitchen. He had learned to work around her schedule. Keeping a Saint Bernard busy was almost a full-time job.
She ordered her phone to call Felicia and got her voice mail. Leaving a quick message, she hung up and turned up the music. She spent the rest of her time planning through the day.
When she got out of the car at the grocery store, she saw Felicia leaning against her car and working on her phone. Angie walked up and stood in front of her. “What are you doing here?”
“I decided I was heading to the fairgrounds anyway. I wanted to show you something.” She handed Angie her phone.
A picture of a loaf of banana bread with a blue ribbon showed on the small screen. “You won?”
“I did. And the newspaper from town is coming to take pictures and do a story on me. Which means, on us. Next year, I’m canning. Wait, I told you that already, didn’t I?” Felicia was bouncing in place.
Angie smiled at her friend’s excitement. “Yes, you did. But I’m so excited for you. This is amazing.”
They chatted as they made their way into the store. In the produce section, Angie paused and started bagging lemons. “Check out my list and tell me what you think.”
As Felicia studied the shopping list, Angie put the bag into the cart and moved toward the berry section. A tall man was working there. “Tim, I’m glad I caught you. Did you get my email?”
The short man grinned, showing a too-bright smile. He was addicted to bleaching his teeth. Sometimes when she stopped into the store, his smile was so bright it hurt her eyes. “Good morning, Ms. Turner. I did get your email. And you are in luck. I have the crate in the back. One of my small suppliers had brought in a couple of flats just yesterday. Last berries of the season.”
“I’m so glad.” Angie knew that the start of the huckleberry season had been slowed by a hard winter and a late spring in the mountains. If the growers couldn’t get into the remote valleys to pick, the berries overripened and were ruined.
“I’ll be right back.” He tipped his hat at Felicia as he went to the back.
Felicia handed the paper back. “One thing, I’d add some pineapple. I know your lemon will add some acid, but the milk is going to offset that quickly.”
“There’s a reason I keep you around.” Angie smiled at her friend. “Not just for your award-winning banana bread.”
A woman in denim capris and a Perfect Pies for Any Meal T-shirt pushed her cart toward the area where Angie was standing. “I couldn’t help overhearing. You’re the one who won the banana bread category? I usually have that ribbon in my pocket, so imagine my surprise when I found I’d lost to someone.” She shoved her hand out to Felicia. “Sarah Fenny. I own Fenny’s Pies in downtown Nampa.”
“I’ve eaten there.” Felicia smiled and shook her hand. “Felicia Williams, and this is my partner from the County Seat, Angie Turner.”
Sarah studied Angie as they finished the greetings. “I have to admit, the County Seat has been on my list to check out for a few months now. Ever since you all got that great write-up in the Statesman.”
“You’re always welcome. We can do a chef table for you. Just let us know when you’re coming.” Angie considered the woman in front of her. She looked like someone’s maiden aunt. The one who seems to be surrounded by chaos, but yet you always have the best time at her house. “I’m afraid I haven’t visited your shop yet. Felicia gets around more than I do.”
An alarm went off on Sarah’s watch. “Well, that’s my cue, I’ve got a ton of stuff to do before we start today. Good luck at the contest.”
Before she could move her cart, another one blocked her from advancing. “Looks like you two are collaborating on your dishes.”
“We’re talking, Miquel.” Felicia pushed his cart away for Sarah to have room to leave. “Why are you being such a jerk this weekend?”
He ignored her question, his eyes narrowing his gaze on Angie. “You should watch out. Maybe you don’t want to win. You saw what happened to the last guy who did.”
“Are you saying you killed David? I have a cell, so you can call the police and confess.” Angie pulled her phone out of her purse. “Do you want to use it?”
“Whatever. That’s not what I said, but if I were you, I wouldn’t try so hard. You all think you’re so special, moving here from California, trying to steal our business.”
Angie was almost able to keep the comment from coming out, but the smirk on his face made it impossible. “No one can take away your customers. You must be sending them away with a bad taste in their mouth.”
“Now you’ve crossed the line.” Miquel stepped closer, but right then Tim came out of the back, a box on his shoulder.
He frowned at the group. The emotion must have been overwhelming for him to read the situation that quickly. “What’s going on? Everything okay here?”
“You watch yourself,” Miquel hissed as he pushed his cart out of the area.
Tim put the box on Angie’s cart. “Maybe I should help you shop. I would hate for you to run into him again without some backup.”
Angie watched Miquel storm down the long aisle in the back of the store. “I wouldn’t turn down the help.”
Chapter 5
River Vista Sheriff Allen Brown sat outside on one of the folding chairs the contest organizers had set out by each trailer. Two folding chairs and a table. Most of the restaurants had ashtrays set out as well, but none of Angie’s staff smoked. At least none who had confessed. She’d brought out two large glasses of iced tea so that Ian’s uncle wouldn’t have heatstroke as he interviewed her about the scene at the store.
“Look, I told Ian, it wasn’t a big deal. The guy was just posturing, trying to get in our heads to mess up our performance today. I don’t think he’s a killer. But if he is, he’s dumb as a bag of rocks for tipping his hand.” Angie sipped her tea. It felt good to sit still for a minute. She’d been working full-bore since they’d been let into their trailers. The staff had moved the Sandpiper trailer off-site as well as the two “losers” from yesterday’s competition.