To Catch a Stolen Soul by R.L. Naquin

Author:R.L. Naquin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-08-14T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

I needed more suspects. No decent private eye settled for only one, and it would be nice to knock the one I had off the list, if at all possible. So I had to get to know my fellow members of the Food Truck Posse. Today probably wasn’t the most decent day to do that, considering how upset they were about having lost another member of the group.

But it was probably one of the easiest days, since they were all outside talking and consoling each other.

I grabbed a sweater and pulled it on over my genie costume. It seemed inappropriate to go half-naked into a crowd of frightened mourners. There were those who might’ve said I couldn’t tell when something was inappropriate, but those people—no matter how well they thought they knew me—would be wrong. I understood boundaries and social cues as well as the next person. Usually, I thought those boundaries and social cues were stupid, and I ignored them.

Today’s list of trucks included the Baconator, Doodlebug Cookies and Lucas’s Burrito Bandito, as well as Gareth’s Authentic Fish & Chip Shoppe and something called Bamboozled, which had a vegetarian menu that focused on meatless meat dishes. With the exception of the Bandito, which Lucas handled by himself, every truck was run by two or three people. Nearly a dozen people were gathered on the grass in a cluster.

As I approached, their chatter died away, and the group parted to make room for me.

Lisa from Doodlebug Cookies had one arm around her daughter. When I drew close, she reached out and grabbed my hand. “Lucas said you were the one who found Sandra.”

I nodded. “Yes.” I had to stop myself from apologizing, as if I were responsible for Sandra’s death. I wanted to say, I’m sorry your friend died. I’m sorry I didn’t find her sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t catch the person responsible before it was too late.

I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a deep breath to try to clear the tightness in my chest. It didn’t work.

She squeezed my hand. “How are you holding up?”

I blinked, surprised by the question. “I’m okay.” I’d expected, as the newcomer and the person who’d brought such horrible news, that I wouldn’t be welcomed this morning. “I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

Her blue eyes filled with tears. “Of course you didn’t.” She put her arms around me and hugged me tight. “That had to be horrible for you, finding her like that.”

Before I had a chance to react, Lisa’s daughter, Grace, joined us in the hug, then Amber and Terri from Bamboozled and Gareth’s wife, Claire. Someone let out a sob, and it set off a chain reaction of quiet crying. Before they let go, they’d all joined in on the pile, everyone patting everyone else on the back and making soothing noises between sniffles.

Who knew the food truck community was so close?

One at a time, people let go and stepped back until each was a separate entity again.

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