The Accused Coroner by Paul Austin Ardoin

Author:Paul Austin Ardoin [Ardoin, Paul Austin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781949082289
Publisher: Pax Ardsen

Fenway felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

so sorry i haven’t been in touch b4 now but i couldn’t risk it

i said i wanted u to turn yrself in but don’t do that

someone is manufacturing evidence against u

& im not sure I can stop it

lay low

i will have a phone soon and u can let me know where u r

Fenway felt a lump in her throat as Sarah set down the tray between them.

“Two lengua tacos for you. They didn’t have the kind of torta I usually get so I’m trying a veggie burrito—” Sarah glanced up at Fenway’s face. “What’s the matter?”

It wasn’t that Craig had told Fenway he loved her and she couldn’t say it back. It was that he actually did love her.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It should have been a fling. Fenway should have been a rebound from his ex.

The realization hit her hard. Fenway had picked Craig precisely because he was unavailable. He was fourteen years older; he’d been married when they first met; his daughter was closer to Fenway’s age than he was. She chose him because she’d wanted to sabotage their relationship from the beginning.

He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her.

And she definitely wasn’t supposed to fall in love with him.

“You did say lengua, right? Did I forget something?”

“No—” Fenway managed to choke out. “No. It’s not you. I got a message from Craig and—I can’t deal with it.”

“You can’t deal with it?” Sarah reached over and took the phone from Fenway’s hand. Fenway let her take it, and she read it, then handed it back. There wasn’t enough context in the message—Sarah obviously didn’t know what was so upsetting.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“When the police are looking for me?” Fenway set the phone on the table and thrust her chin out. “When I have to prove my own innocence? No. I don’t have time to deal with boy problems.”

Sarah nodded, her lips twitching slightly.

Fenway defiantly picked up the first lengua taco and bit into it.

The meat was tender and perfectly spiced; the salsa was strong yet delicate—it was the perfect taco. Maybe even better than Dos Milagros. But it tasted like cardboard.

I have to eat. I’ll need my strength to get through this.

She swallowed and took another bite, the lime and cilantro in perfect balance, and still she had to force herself to swallow.

“Are the tacos that bad?” Sarah said. “Mine’s fantastic.”

“It’s delicious,” Fenway said miserably, and she flashed for a moment on what her life would be like in Los Algodones without Craig. Working as a nurse in one of the medical offices there, seeing people come over from El Centro and Yuma, probably even Las Vegas. Eating tacos this delicious every day of the week. Taking vacations to the coast, to Ensenada. Maybe even meeting someone locally and dating. Learning the language until she dreamed in Spanish.

But it would be without him.

She didn’t want to tell him how she felt, but Craig deserved a response.

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