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know what I need to say.”
    “And not say, right? Don’t elaborate on your statement. Look at me before you answer any question they ask you. If I don’t tell you to answer, don’t answer. Are we clear on that?”
    “Clear as rain,” I assured him.
    We got out of his car and I felt nervous again. I’d been fine while we were talking. Now that I was about to be interviewed, I wasn’t quite so fine.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “How do I look?” I didn’t move away from the Mercedes.
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, does my hair look okay? I know it can be a little goofy looking sometimes because it’s curly. Is my lipstick straight? I think the peach color works on me, don’t you?”
    “You look good.” He glanced at his watch. “We have two minutes to get upstairs.”
    I put my hand on his. “Could you
really
look at me? Am I a mess or something?”
    Finally, it seemed that I had his full attention. His brown eyes, with a hint of sherry in them, roamed from my feet to the curls on my head. His gaze lingered on a couple of places that made me take a deep breath.
    “You look
really
good, Zoe. Much better than you need to for this interview. Your boyfriend is losing a very lovely lady.”
    That assessment, spoken in his sexy baritone, made me feel better.
Too much better
.
    I had to be careful, I realized. I was drawn to Miguel, but it was probably just a rebound thing. After all, my relationship had only broken up last night.
    Tommy Lee probably didn’t even realize we’d broken up yet at all.
    “Thank you.” I fingered the lapel of his suit. “You look very good, too.”
    He took my hand, and we got in the elevator.
    I had never been in the downtown police station before, even though I was born and raised in Mobile. I guess that you’d have to have some reason to be here. Apparently I’d never had a reason before.
    The police station was very busy with what seemed like hundreds of police officers in uniform, and people in all states of dress and undress—probably criminals.
    A thin man in uniform at the front desk called Detective Latoure when Miguel told him we were there to see her.
    “You showed up,” Detective Latoure greeted us. “I had money on you skipping town.”
    Was she talking to me? I looked around. Miguel and I were the only ones within hearing distance, besides the officer at the desk. Why would she think such a thing?
    “If you’re saying that you thought I’d leave town rather than come here this morning—”
    “Miss Chase has nothing to say about that since she isn’t here to talk about your opinions of her, Patti,” Miguel butted in before I could finish.
    It was hard to remember not to talk.
    “Maybe we should start easy,” Detective Latoure said. “Did you kill the man you found in your food truck?”

FIVE

    “Of course not!”
    “Zoe!” Miguel called out.
    Detective Latoure laughed. “I’m gonna enjoy this.”
    Since I wasn’t supposed to say anything, I gave Detective Latoure the same look I’d seen my mother use on the gardener and the housekeeper when she wasn’t pleased with them.
    I couldn’t tell if it had the same effect on her that it did on them, but it allowed me to put my nose in the air and walk past her to the interview room as though she were someone beneath my notice.
    “Have a seat, Miss Chase.” Detective Latoure opened the door to a tiny room with a table and three chairs in it.
    There was even a small window that was obviously a two-way mirror, the same as they show in movies and on TV. I wasn’t as familiar with detective shows as I was cooking shows, but I knew that someone was on the other side of the mirror.
    Detective Latoure sat down across from me and Miguel. She opened a file and started reading out of it.
    I glanced at Miguel. He shook his head and lounged back in his uncomfortable chair, apparently waiting for the detective to make the first move. He seemed completely at ease.
    I tapped my fingernails on the table. I needed a