Death on the Rio Chiquito, a New Mexico Homefront Mystery by Susan McDuffie

Author:Susan McDuffie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liafinn Press
Published: 2023-01-22T00:00:00+00:00

School ended, and Emily hadn’t heard from Gregorio, or Demetria. She decided to walk up to the plaza and see if Gregorio had returned and what he had discovered. She drank another cup of coffee with plenty of milk and sugar, neatened her hair, and started out. Her shoes scuffed up little clouds of dust as she walked up the dry, dirt road. It was unusually warm for September, and she felt a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead as she walked.

The usual men lounged around the porch at Romero’s store. Emily noted happily that the store was open for business. Hopefully Mr. Romero was feeling better, and over his cough.

Emily greeted the men. She recognized the short, somewhat stout figure of Hilario among the group. “I was looking for the fiscal,” she said to Hilario as she approached. “Have you seen him?”

Hilario took a swig of his Coke. “He went to Cochiti.”

“He’s not back yet?”

Hilario shook his head.

Emily tried again. “You haven’t seen Demetria Gonzales, have you? Joe’s wife.”

Hilario shook his head again.

“Well, thank you,” Emily said, flushing awkwardly. She made her way past the men and entered the shop. “Mr. Romero, I’m glad to see you up and about. You’re feeling better?”

Mr. Romero’s cheeks still looked pale, but he nodded. “Still a bit of a cough, que no? But much better. The osha root is helping. Osha will cure anything, Señora. That, and yerba buena.

Emily wasn’t convinced but she promised Mr. Romero she would try some the next time she was feeling poorly. She ordered a root beer, and took a nickel out of her pocket to pay for it.

“Has Demetria been in today?” she asked, hopeful her friend had turned up.

“I haven’t seen her,” Mr. Romero answered, “but she’s always busy, that one, baking bread or this and that. Sewing. She likes to sew, she’s always coming in here for thread.”

Emily took her root beer and started to leave, but paused on her way out the door. “Still no word about your niece?”

Mr. Romero’s face flushed, and he coughed a bit into a handkerchief. Emily felt bad she had asked, as the man shook his head.

“No. I think she’s run away to Albuquerque. They haven’t found a trace of her here, and the silly chica was always carrying on about friends she’d made in Bernalillo last year who moved to Albuquerque. But she didn’t tell me their names. She needs a whipping, that girl, for all that she’s my own niece. She’s loca, crazy.”

Emily nodded, thanked him, and left. She detoured slightly to pass by Demetria’s house, but it looked abandoned. Worried, Emily took a swig of her soda and continued back to the school. She was about halfway there when she heard hooves plodding up the road towards her. Looking down the road, she saw Gregorio, on Flossie, ambling back towards the pueblo. Gregorio saw her, waved, and encouraged Flossie to move at a slightly quicker pace. It wasn’t too long before they reached Emily. Gregorio looked solemn, his usual smile absent.

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