leave the office, and thoughts of baking flew from my mind like four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
SEVEN
“Miguel!” I called to him over the constant flow of people.
“Zoe?” He looked surprised to see me there. “Have you been here waiting the whole time?”
“No. I just got back from lunch. Did you decide if you can defend Delia?”
Miguel stopped. “Let’s step outside for a moment so we can talk.”
I walked out with him. The day seemed suddenly brighter. Where had that blue sky been hiding when I’d been out before?
Knowing his tragedy made me respect him even more. I wished I could say something about the untimely death of his family. I would’ve liked to give him my condolences, no matter how much after the fact.
Of course, saying something would mean I’d been gossiping about him. I didn’t want him to think that was going on.
As we hit the sidewalk outside the building, I noticed two food trucks parked there. There were long lines at Suzette’s Crepes, and at Charlie’s Tuna Shack. I hadn’t realized I could park my food truck here. I made a quick mental note to check out the regulations. Business seemed to be brisk. The area could handle another vendor.
“You mind if I get something?” Miguel nodded at the food trucks. “I skipped breakfast this morning, too. Would you like anything?”
“No. That’s fine. I’ll get a table.”
I hated it, of course. I was jealous of every minute Suzette was selling crepes and Charlie was selling tuna. I begrudged them every dollar they brought in. It was so hard getting my food truck up and going. I hoped later to look back at this and realize it had all been worth it.
Even though I put on a brave face for my parents, sometimes I was terrified. If I failed, I’d be back working at a bank, or someplace similar, again. And then I’d be afraid to dream.
I tried not to think about it that way. Once Mobile discovered my biscuit bowls, I was going to be a sensation—and so was my food.
There was an open bench—no table, but better than nothing. Miguel came back a few minutes later with a big hunk of roasted tuna on his plate, and some sweet tea. He sat down and balanced his plate and drink on his worn briefcase.
“I’m going to take Delia’s case,” he told me. “I believe her when she says she’s not guilty. I understand Patti’s point of view. She doesn’t really have any viable suspects. Delia’s been intimate with Terry Bannister. They broke up, and there was a fight. That gives her motive. Ex-lovers make the best murder suspects.”
“If that’s all she has, it should be easy to beat the charge, right?”
“I don’t know. She was also at the scene. We know Terry wasn’t killed in your food truck, but the ME thinks he was killed behind the shopping center. That gives her opportunity. We’ll know more when the report is finished.”
“What about me talking with her right before I found him?”
“That gives us something to work with on Delia’s behalf.”
“I’ll be glad to testify for her, if that would help.”
Miguel smiled at me in a strange, kind of quizzical manner as he chewed his tuna.
“You don’t even really know her, Zoe. Why would you go out on a limb like this for her? She was completely surprised when I told her you’d offered to pay for her defense. She didn’t even know your name. I had to explain that you were the woman with the food truck.”
“I don’t really see it as going out on a limb. Testifying that she’s a good person isn’t going to hurt me. And I was talking to her at around the time someone had to put Terry in the truck. Besides, I don’t have to know someone well to know about them. Take you, for example.”
He swallowed his tuna quickly. “Okay. Take me, for example. Am I a good person?”
I used his question as an excuse to deeply study his face. The sun showed a few childhood scars at his chin and forehead. He had deep smile lines fanning out from his dreamy eyes.
SEVEN
“Miguel!” I called to him over the constant flow of people.
“Zoe?” He looked surprised to see me there. “Have you been here waiting the whole time?”
“No. I just got back from lunch. Did you decide if you can defend Delia?”
Miguel stopped. “Let’s step outside for a moment so we can talk.”
I walked out with him. The day seemed suddenly brighter. Where had that blue sky been hiding when I’d been out before?
Knowing his tragedy made me respect him even more. I wished I could say something about the untimely death of his family. I would’ve liked to give him my condolences, no matter how much after the fact.
Of course, saying something would mean I’d been gossiping about him. I didn’t want him to think that was going on.
As we hit the sidewalk outside the building, I noticed two food trucks parked there. There were long lines at Suzette’s Crepes, and at Charlie’s Tuna Shack. I hadn’t realized I could park my food truck here. I made a quick mental note to check out the regulations. Business seemed to be brisk. The area could handle another vendor.
“You mind if I get something?” Miguel nodded at the food trucks. “I skipped breakfast this morning, too. Would you like anything?”
“No. That’s fine. I’ll get a table.”
I hated it, of course. I was jealous of every minute Suzette was selling crepes and Charlie was selling tuna. I begrudged them every dollar they brought in. It was so hard getting my food truck up and going. I hoped later to look back at this and realize it had all been worth it.
Even though I put on a brave face for my parents, sometimes I was terrified. If I failed, I’d be back working at a bank, or someplace similar, again. And then I’d be afraid to dream.
I tried not to think about it that way. Once Mobile discovered my biscuit bowls, I was going to be a sensation—and so was my food.
There was an open bench—no table, but better than nothing. Miguel came back a few minutes later with a big hunk of roasted tuna on his plate, and some sweet tea. He sat down and balanced his plate and drink on his worn briefcase.
“I’m going to take Delia’s case,” he told me. “I believe her when she says she’s not guilty. I understand Patti’s point of view. She doesn’t really have any viable suspects. Delia’s been intimate with Terry Bannister. They broke up, and there was a fight. That gives her motive. Ex-lovers make the best murder suspects.”
“If that’s all she has, it should be easy to beat the charge, right?”
“I don’t know. She was also at the scene. We know Terry wasn’t killed in your food truck, but the ME thinks he was killed behind the shopping center. That gives her opportunity. We’ll know more when the report is finished.”
“What about me talking with her right before I found him?”
“That gives us something to work with on Delia’s behalf.”
“I’ll be glad to testify for her, if that would help.”
Miguel smiled at me in a strange, kind of quizzical manner as he chewed his tuna.
“You don’t even really know her, Zoe. Why would you go out on a limb like this for her? She was completely surprised when I told her you’d offered to pay for her defense. She didn’t even know your name. I had to explain that you were the woman with the food truck.”
“I don’t really see it as going out on a limb. Testifying that she’s a good person isn’t going to hurt me. And I was talking to her at around the time someone had to put Terry in the truck. Besides, I don’t have to know someone well to know about them. Take you, for example.”
He swallowed his tuna quickly. “Okay. Take me, for example. Am I a good person?”
I used his question as an excuse to deeply study his face. The sun showed a few childhood scars at his chin and forehead. He had deep smile lines fanning out from his dreamy eyes.
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