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it up.” I didn’t want to say too much for fear of the grief I’d get from Fernandez.
    “Look, I’ve talked to the sheriff’s department already and gotten as much as I could. It’s obviously a homicide because there were too many circumstances that ruled out suicide. I know the guy’s name and that he’s a general contractor. Was he working on your place?”
    “He had been. And it’s not my place, Sam, it’s a rental. I think to get any more information you’ll have to talk to the owners.”
    “That’s the lady who just went in the house and who else?”
    “That gentleman over there.” I pointed to Buck, who had finished with the kennels and was running Hondo through his paces. The big shepherd had trained as a stunt dog for movie work and could look like a ferocious attack dog.
    Sam didn’t move from where he stood. “Maybe a little later, then. Have a nice day, Ms. Harris.”

     

    Ben was hard to reach that day, and we didn’t get down to the sheriff’s department. Buck had told me that he’d take over the kennel work for a few days. It was strange, but when he told me, he was as standoffish as Dot had been earlier. I was really wondering what was going on. It was almost as if by finding Frank’s body, I was somehow responsible in their eyes for his death. Maybe things would simmer down in a few days and we could all start treating each other normally again. Or maybe not, and I’d be looking for a new place to live. What a depressing thought. Real estate out here is unbelievable, even rental units.
    I put that problem out of mind, not willing to deal with it unless I had to. On Wednesday morning I went in to classes and then came back home before my late afternoon shift at the Coffee Corner again. Surely by now Maria wouldn’t have any problems with me working. Besides, I needed that three hours pay, no matter how tiny the amount.
    Getting ready to go into work later, it dawned on me that I needed to talk to Dot. Most times we’d been going to Christian Friends meetings at church together, but tonight I’d be going straight from the Coffee Corner to the Chapel. Once I had everything else together, I put my stuff in the car and walked around to the front door.
    Once I’d knocked and set the inside dogs to barking, but before Dot shooed them away and answered, my cell phone starting ringing. I took it out of my pocket, determined to let it just ring unless it looked terribly important. It was Ben and I still needed to talk to him, so I ended up pantomiming to Dot and answering my phone at the same time.
    “Mom? I think I’m in trouble,” Ben said, sounding like a worried kid.
    Several things went through my mind at once. “Does this involve speeding tickets, tow trucks or your credit card?”
    “Not this time. No blood, either, at least not mine,” he said, knowing what worried me the most. “But when I got back from class I had a call from Detective Fernandez.”
    “That’s because neither of us have ever gotten over there to make a final formal statement and give them our fingerprints.”
    “No, I think it’s more than that. He said that I had to be there before 5:00 p.m. today. That it was still voluntary, but if I had a family attorney I might want to think about calling him or her. That didn’t sound to me like he just wants fingerprints.”
    My stomach suddenly felt like I’d been riding a really fast elevator rushing down. “Me, either. Don’t do anything, and I’ll be there to pick you up in half an hour, okay?”
    “Okay. Thanks, Mom.” Ben hung up and I stood on Dot’s doorstep feeling mystified.
    “I can’t believe the message that Fernandez left for Ben. He wants him down at the sheriff’s department this afternoon.”
    Dot’s lower lip began to tremble. “I was afraid that this would happen, but I had to tell him the truth, Gracie.”
    I walked into her cozy front room, and she didn’t stop me. “What do you mean, Dot? What were you afraid of, and why does