Page 17 of Deep Tide

“So, I take it you spent your afternoon at the police station?” he asked.

“Some of it.” She nibbled her taco. “I spent the rest at our sister location in the Windjammer Hotel.”

“Java Place?”

“You know it?”

“I was there yesterday. Good kolaches.”

She felt a twinge of pride. “If you were there yesterday, you would have had the blackberry. They’re a customer favorite. It’s my grandmother’s recipe—on my mother’s side. She’s Czech.”

Leyla was babbling, but he seemed too preoccupied with his food to notice.

“How’s your staff taking the news?” he asked.

She sighed and looked away. “Amelia’s friends were pretty distraught. Most of them went home early.”

Rogelio had stayed. She pictured him in the kitchen, wiping tears on his shoulder as he dipped biscotti in chocolate and stoically finished his shift.

“Did you know her well?” Sean asked.

“No. Not really.”

“Was she from around here?”

“Port O’Connor. I think she grew up there.”

He sipped his beer. “Did it seem like she ran with a rough crowd?”

“I have no idea,” she said, feeling defensive on Amelia’s behalf.

“Did she have a boyfriend?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Just curious.”

He was probably thinking about the case like a cop. Female homicide victims were often killed by an intimate partner. The circumstances didn’t really fit in this case, but she didn’t want to talk about it.

“I know she was a part-time student,” Leyla said. “She took classes at the community college on the mainland.”

“Oh yeah?”

“She was interested in graphic design. She did amazing chalkboards.”

His eyebrows arched.

“In the shop,” she explained. “We make them every day with the specials.”

When Leyla first heard about Amelia’s interest in art, she’d asked her if she wanted to try her hand at the boards. Her entire face had brightened.

Tears stung Leyla’s eyes, and she looked away. Sean handed her a napkin, and she dabbed her nose.

“Any chance you can take the week off?” he asked.

“God, no. I can’t afford to close the shop. And my people need the work. I’m hoping they’ll release the scene soon so I can clean up and reopen.”

“Did they say when they’d release it?”

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