Murder in Santa Barbara: Joshua Rizzetti Series, #1 by Dean C. Ferraro

Author:Dean C. Ferraro [Dean C. Ferraro]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Digital Biz Media
Published: 2022-10-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter twenty

20

It was 5:30 p.m. on Friday night, and the happy hour group was meeting at one of their traditional watering holes. But this night differed from most Friday nights. The group was minus two. Josh and Kristen prearranged to go out to dinner unaccompanied by the happy hour gang and somewhere else. Although not a first, the two exclusively had not enjoyed dinner in a few months. Now and then, the best friends found it consoling to openly vent to a fellow attorney about work frustrations, with which only they could empathize. They liked to call it their “Misery Loves Company Night Out,” and one was long overdue.

Kristen was a big sushi fan. And it being her turn to pick, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to choose her favorite restaurant, Sushi Tsunami. Smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown, tucked away in the cozy Paseo Nuevo open-air corridor of shops and restaurants that sprouted off of State Street, the location was prime, and the food was amazing. And while the restaurant was within reasonable walking distance to both of their offices, Kristen insisted on chauffeuring her wounded companion until they cleared him to ride his bike or drive a car.

Josh stood outside his office building, waiting for his friend. He took a deep breath and consumed the crisp ocean air. He eyeballed the cars driving by, paying little attention to most. It was the high-priced luxury vehicles that caught his attention, and more so, the black SUVs. Since his bike-launch date, the once ignored large black SUVs now grabbed his attention, and justifiably merited being noticed. Josh found his newly formed concern to be exhausting, as they were everywhere. Similar to when you never see a specific vehicle model until you buy it, and then suddenly it’s everywhere. Well, that’s how Josh now felt about large black SUVs.

He heard laughter across the street and looked over to see what was so funny. He observed two teenage boys playing catch with a football in the open grass area of the courthouse property. Josh took a moment to take in the artistry of the courthouse landscaping that surrounded them and then refocused back on the boys. He eagle-eyed them. One boy had a cannon for an arm and kept yelling for his friend to go deeper. He chucked the ball to his friend, sometimes on a dime, sometimes over his head. Reminiscing on his youth and his love for playing catch with a football, Josh watched blissfully. He, too, had a cannon for an arm.

Josh looked at his watch. Kristen would arrive any minute. He redirected his attention to the teenage future NFL star quarterback and his buddy across the street. “Go deep!” the future first-round draft pick hollered and launched a torpedo, well beyond his friend’s outstretched arms, landing on the sidewalk that lined Santa Barbara Street. Josh followed the ball with his eyes, admiring the tight spiral, until it came to a rest, five yards from a large, black SUV that was stopped curbside.

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