Page 86 of Christmas Mittens Murder

I wanted to object, to defend innocent Allie. I turned away, instead.

Chapter Eighteen

I felt shaken by Thea’s looming presence and her accusation about Allie, and all this noise and holiday cheer was suddenly too much to bear. I spied trees at the far end of the row. This was a park, after all. When I glanced down the row, Cam and kids seemed to still be busy at the dog-and-cat booth.

I cut through between two booths to the park proper. I leaned against the gnarled trunk of an ancient live oak and took a moment to text Cam.

Taking a second to calm down after veiled threat from Thea. In park near trees but outside fair area. Text me when you’re on the move. I owe you.

Hearing male voices not far away, I took a peek around the broad trunk. Otto and Rafael faced each other a few trees away, also outside of the fair area. Rafael’s hands were in the pockets of his athletic pants, but his stance was defensive. A red-faced Otto gestured with one hand.

I ducked back behind the tree and listened with all my might. Isolating their voices from the buzz of the holiday shoppers wasn’t easy. It was also one of my superpowers. I’d been a minor voyeur from way back, inventing stories about people I saw in public. And if I could catch a snippet of a stranger’s conversation, even better.

Closing my eyes, I listened to these two who’d known Val intimately.

“You can’t pin it on me, you know,” Otto said. “Val and I were divorced. I had no call to kill her, and you’d best stop going around and saying so.”

“Who’s talking?” Rafael asked, his voice rising with indignation. “You’re the one telling people I might have killed Valencia. My sister. My own flesh and blood! What kind of depraved mind would accuse me of murder?”

“I never did.”

I could imagine Otto was shaking his head, his face growing ever redder.

“Jimmy Quan implied as much,” Rafael countered.

“He can go stuff it where the sun don’t shine.” Otto’s voice took on a sly tone. “I mean, I know you’ve been angry with her, but hey, you’re the one who cut ties, not her. And it hurt her, a lot, man.”

“Must be nice living in a fantasy world, Harper. She never once reached out to me.”

A gust of chilly breeze blew by. To my horror, I felt a big sneeze coming on. Sneezing had been my reaction to a cold wind since I was a child. I buried my face in the crook of my arm and also brought my other hand over my nose to try to muffle the sound. One sneeze. Two. Three. Never more, never less.

I sniffed before I relaxed my arm. The guys had stopped talking. They must have heard me. I swore silently. I was royally—

“Cece?” Otto appeared in front of me.

I jumped a little. I might have squeaked.

“What are you doing here?” Otto glared.

Rafael materialized at Otto’s side. “I know exactly what she was doing—eavesdropping on our conversation. You can pretend at being friendly all you want, Ms. Barton. But you’re nothing but a snoop, and not a very good one.” He clenched his hands into fists.

My heart went into overdrive. My own hands turned clammy and cold. “I was taking a break from all the noise.” I heard the quaver in my voice. “Having a kind of standing meditation.”

“What did you hear us say?” Otto took a step closer, his eyes narrowing.

“Nothing, honestly. You were . . .” Uh-oh. I caught myself in time from letting on I’d seen them, and where. “I mean, I heard men talking, but I didn’t know it was you. I certainly couldn’t hear the words.”

“She’s lying.” Rafael extended his left arm and set his hand on the rough bark of the tree trunk next to my head. He leaned toward me. Otto blocked my escape on the other side.

I wanted to scream. Or pass out. Neither would help me. I thought furiously.

“Listen, I have to go meet my family. If you gentlemen will excuse me?” In one move, I ducked away from Rafael and slid past Otto. As I rushed away, I saw the best sight I’d seen this year. This decade.

Artie and Franklin raced toward me. “Auntie Cee, look!”

Cam followed at a long-legged lope. I hurried toward them and away from two angry men. I swallowed and knelt to greet the two boys I loved most in the world.

“What do you have?” I asked.

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