Matador: A Jessica Watts Southwest Suspense Novel (Jessica Watts Southwest Suspense Series Book 3) by Kathryn Dodson

Author:Kathryn Dodson [Dodson, Kathryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Renegade Reads
Published: 2025-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The young women gasped at the revelation of a potential murder. But Irma and Mayra stilled, as if the grave news hadn’t surprised them. Jessica immediately wanted to probe deeper, but she’d already upset this family so much.

“That is a tragedy,” Irma said. “Is there a particular reason you wanted to speak with Abel?”

“I tried to talk to him in El Paso, but he ran away from me. Robin, Paul’s daughter, wants to know more about her father. No one there knew about his second family. Well, his son suspected it, but he died years ago.”

Irma and her mother shared a glance. Irma turned back to Jessica. “His wife knew about us.”

The shock flowed through Jessica like an icy wave. Of course Barbara knew. Sitting high above El Paso in her fancy house, she probably hated the fact that Paul had a second family. Jessica would be furious if that ever happened to her, but for someone trying to impress the community, it would be devastating. A thought flickered through the back of Jessica’s mind. But no, surely, she wouldn’t have gone that far. Barbara might hold the ice queen title, but murder was a different dimension of evil.

Suddenly, the door flew open, spilling light into the dark living area. “Hola, mamá. Qué rico huele aquí.” Abel stepped into the kitchen.

Jessica steeled herself. He might think the food in the kitchen smelled great now, but finding her in his home would likely sour it for him.

His eyes swept the room and landed on her. Shock crossed his features, and a red anger rose on his cheeks. “You. Why are you here?”

“I tried to talk to you in El Paso, but you ran away. I’m here at the request of Paul Brown’s daughter.”

His eyes went first to his sister, who shook her head. “Leave us.”

Jessica thought he’d directed the comment at her, but he nodded to the younger women at the table. They scurried out a back door.

“I don’t know why you are here tormenting my family.” Abel’s voice came out in almost a growl. “But you need to leave us alone and never come back.”

“Abel, Mamá told her,” Irma said.

Abel sighed heavily with more than a trace of anger in his breath. “Do not tell the woman you work for anything about us. Paul Brown wouldn’t acknowledge us when we needed him, and we want nothing to do with him or his despicable family now. We are good people. Leave us alone.”

“I can’t lie to my client,” Jessica said.

Abel had made a good point. This family didn’t deserve to be pulled into a situation created by the man who deserted them, but he had left everyone in his life. And now it looked like that hadn’t been his fault.

“Robin is just trying to find out more about her dad,” Jessica said. “She didn’t know he had a second family. For years, she wondered what happened to him, what drove him away. I just told your mother that they found his body in the pecan orchard.

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