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there. The wages are fair. The hours are long and hard, but not slave hours. Not like some places.”
    â€œAnyone he had problems with? Did he talk about having fights with anyone?”
    â€œNo.” She tapped her lips with her fingers. “Not really.”
    â€œNot really?” Sam pressed, his eyes steady.
    â€œIt was nothing. Some of the men made smart remarks over his being promoted so quickly. It was unusual, I think.”
    â€œDid it go beyond making remarks?”
    â€œNo,” she said firmly. “Just talk. But my Victor was smart. He had a degree in agriculture economics. And he was good at math. It made all the difference. He could figure feed ratios in his head faster than most people could do it with computers. And he was an honest and a decent man.”
    Tears filled her eyes again. She pressed a tissue against her mouth, but could not stop trembling. “So decent.”
    â€œOne more question and I won’t trouble you any more tonight. Where do all the men who work here come from? This is the county’s largest employer.”
    â€œA lot of the men were raised in this county. And some have come from the village in Mexico where I grew up and from other towns close by. Dwayne asked me if I knew good men who were not troublemakers or drunks and who knew how to work. He cared about helping immigrants. He knew I helped people get settled. It worked out just fine. People who had any trouble at all or didn’t want to work hard, couldn’t or wouldn’t stay. They left.”
    Sam made a quick note, rose, slapped his hat back on his head, touched the brim, and walked to the door. “I’ll go on back to the feedyard, ma’am. Keith and Lottie will stay here until Victor’s great-grandmother and sister get here.”
    â€œNo. Not them. Neither of them like me. I don’t want them on my property. Keep them away.” Her voice trembled. A mixture of rage and despair. “Keep that witch away from me.” She dabbed at her eyes. Then her voice softened with shame. “What you must think of me. Having so little sympathy for his great-grandmother, when I know this will just about kill Francesca. Just kill her. She was so proud of Victor. Even though she’s always hated me, I wish her no harm.”
    â€œMaria, we don’t want you to be alone tonight.” As law-enforcement officers we certainly couldn’t prevent his family from coming over. And by the look on the men’s faces, they were as shocked as I over her refusal to call her in-laws.
    â€œI’m sure the whole Diaz family knows by now, but please check. I owe Francesca that much. Not to hear about this from strangers,” she said softly.
    â€œWhole family? I thought there was only his sister and a great-grandmother and a cousin here.”
    â€œHere in this county, yes. But other kin scattered around Kansas. And other states, too, I suppose.”
    â€œStill, you need someone here with you.”
    â€œEstelle Simpson is on her way. She’s my closest friend. She lives in Dunkirk. Her husband is the head cowboy at the feedyard. He’s bringing her and she’ll stay a couple of days.”
    I knew Estelle by sight although I’d never made her acquaintance. A slight jangly woman with cropped blond hair and a flair for bling, her name popped up in all kinds of places. She was an effective and popular speaker on immigrant rights. When an organization needed a program, she was the first person who came to mind. Her aggressiveness counterbalanced Maria’s softer approach to problems.
    â€œShe’ll be here soon.”
    â€œShall I start coffee? Put on water for tea?”
    â€œNo. Thank you very much.”
    Keith knew what to do. He went out to the Suburban and retrieved the rosary he kept in his glove compartment. His religiosity was an odd trait in a man who could swear like a dockhand, and in his youth was a little too swift with his