Justin squirmed uncomfortably. He was clearly outnumbered, but he didn’t want to go back on his original support of Taylor. Finally, he rolled his shoulders. “I guess you’re right. But Amy shouldn’t have said it out loud.”
Greg slapped him on the back, and the boys started walking back to town. “Get used to it. We’re dating strong, independent women who have a voice and like to use it.” He paused, then added, “A lot.”
I called after the retreating men, “I heard that.” I put my arm in Amy’s and we walked after them in silence for a bit.
Amy broke the silence first. “I’m a little worried about Justin. He’s so gung ho about this geo stuff and Taylor. Anything that man says, Justin does—or at least repeats.”
I was a little concerned, too, but I didn’t want Amy to worry. “You know men. They jump in feet first, then check the level of the water. Justin’s smart. He’ll figure this out sooner than later. You just have to be patient.”
“You’re probably right.” Amy paused on the sidewalk, looking at Esmeralda’s house. “Did you get the letter about the watering ban?”
I nodded. “It was in my mail this morning.” I knew she was calculating how many gallons of water it took to keep my neighbor’s house green. “Esmeralda probably hasn’t even opened her mail yet. She’s been doing readings.”
“If she was that good of a fortune-teller, she would have known this was coming.” Amy pursed her lips. “I’ll let this slide for now, but let me know if you see her watering this week.”
“No,” I said.
Amy turned around and stared at me along with Justin and Greg. “What did you say?”
I didn’t back down. “I said no. I decided I won’t be a snitch on my neighbors.” With that, I turned and went directly to my front door. When I reached the porch, I waved at the trio and called out, “Have a nice day.” Then I disappeared into my house.
I kept myself busy cleaning the house and the backyard, trying not to think about the hurt look on Amy’s face when I told her no.
I got a text from Amy about two hours later canceling our standing Sunday morning breakfast. Yep, she was steamed. I sighed and set down my phone. Water conservation was important, and I was acting like a jerk. I would take her cookies on Tuesday after my shift to say I was sorry. Bored with cleaning, I called Darla, hoping to reach her before the Saturday night rush on the winery.
“South Cove Winery, can I help you?” Darla answered on the first ring.
Maybe I could talk her into going for a walk with me, or maybe even dinner. The winery had to have slow days, especially in February. Coffee, Books, and More was feeling the winter blahs. “Hey, Darla, it’s Jill. You got time for a quick bite?”
“You’re kidding, right? The winery has been slammed since three. I guess we’re getting the group from Kacey’s memorial. We’re seating people outside with the heaters running full-blast. Glad it’s a warm day.” Darla paused and I heard her telling a waiter to tie his shoe before he went flying. “Maybe we can do breakfast tomorrow? I’d love to pick your brain about this Kacey thing. What’s Greg say?”
“Not much,” I admitted. “But yeah, let’s do breakfast. How about nine at Lille’s?”
I heard a tray crash in the background. “Perfect,” Darla responded. “Sorry, it’s getting crazy here, I’ve really got to go. See you tomorrow.”
I hung up the phone and supposed Diamond Lille’s would be packed for dinner, too. Besides, I didn’t feel like eating alone. I texted Greg to see if he’d eaten.
When the text came back that the gang had been fed a few minutes ago since they were all working overtime on the investigation, I slumped back into the couch. Emma stared at me. “That’s it, girl. I’ve made my only friend mad and my boyfriend is too busy to eat with me.”
Emma put her foot on my leg.
“Want to go see if we have frozen fries and clam strips?” I flipped through my movie collection and came up with the first two Percy Jackson movies. You can’t go wrong with Greek gods and their half-breed offspring for a good time. A perfect Saturday night. When the devil on my shoulder laughed, I flicked him off with a finger.
I’d just finished the first movie when I gave up, went over to my desk, and grabbed my notebook. Opening it to a clean page, I started writing down everything I knew about Kacey, Austin, and the geo club. It really wasn’t investigating, I rationalized to myself. I was just writing down what I knew so I’d remember in case . . . I stopped for a moment to try to think of a good excuse. When I didn’t come up with anything, I pushed the thought away. This time, the little devil on my shoulders was rolling around with giggles.
By the time I headed to bed, I knew one thing. I didn’t know anything about how Kacey had died, except for the place. I needed to find out whether Darla had gleaned any information from Doc Ames’s secretary. I put the notebook in my purse and headed upstairs to sleep.