Read Dead In The Water (Rebecca Schwartz Mystery #4) (The Rebecca Schwartz Series) for Free Online Page A

“Come in. I’ll get Esperanza,” and left before I could further humiliate myself.
    When I returned, the stranger had composed himself enough to be civil. He said, “I’m Julio Soto.”
    “Rebecca Schwartz. Sorry it didn’t work out with the kids.”
    “Is Marty home? I need to ask her something.”
    “I’m afraid not. Shall I have her call you?”
    “No, it’s okay. I’ll call her later today.”
    “No, you won’t.” It was Libby. The three of us turned to find her sitting at the top of the stairs, now dressed in shorts, no trace of tears on her face. “My mom’s in jail. She got framed for killing Sadie.” She turned and ran.
    Julio’s tanned face registered shock. “Sadie!”
    Esperanza crumpled—sat on the floor, face contorted, knees drawn up, unable to speak. It was like a sitting version of the fetal position. I dropped to my knees. “Honey, are you all right?”
    She swiveled her head, panicky, not wanting to deal with someone she didn’t know. Julio scooped her up. She whispered, “Daddy, what did she mean?”
    “I don’t know.” He looked at me, seeking confirmation.
    I nodded. “Sadie Swedlow was killed last night.”
    Julio hugged Esperanza to him as if she were a large teddy bear. Bewilderment and trouble spread over his face, making him look about her age. I’m a sucker for vulnerable men and have more than once gotten in trouble trying to take care of them. I tried to disconnect emotionally. Esperanza sobbed softly into Julio’s chest.
    Julio said, “I saw a lot of hoopla in front of the aquarium.”
    “Yes. The police sealed it off. You knew Sadie?”
    “She was my boss.”
    “And Esperanza?”
    “They were close. Kids like Sadie. I mean, they liked her. I can’t believe she’s dead.”
    “She isn’t, Daddy! Sadie can’t be dead!” Esperanza wailed it out. She formed fists and started to beat on his chest.
    “We’d better go,” he said, but over Esperanza’s shoulder, he mouthed, “What happened?”
    Silently I formed the word, “Murdered.”
    He blinked, shocked, but nodded to show he understood. “Can I call you about this?”
    I nodded. That would be fine. I wasn’t interested in married men, and therefore, there wouldn’t be a problem.
    As he headed out the door, he said, “Are you a neighbor?”
    “I’m from San Francisco. I’m Marty’s lawyer.” At the mention of the word “lawyer,” he pursed his lips. He probably knew, along with most of Monterey, the details of Marty's busted marriage.
    I couldn’t tell what his reaction was to Sadie’s death, busy as he was, attending to his daughter. But I thought it odd Esperanza should have been so upset. It was normal that the Whitehead kids had been—Sadie was their stepmother, in a de facto sense—but why this kid?
    I was exhausted. I needed to do Marty’s errand for her, but I didn’t dare leave Libby in the state she was in, and anyway, I needed to make sure she ate something. By this time the downstairs was filling up with the smell of grilled cheese sandwiches, which was apparently Keil’s idea of breakfast. Libby wasn’t the only one who needed to eat—it was getting close to noon, and Auntie was working up an appetite. I went into the kitchen.
    Keil was standing over the stove wolfing down a grilled cheese. The table was neatly set for one, and he was just pulling another sandwich from the skillet. He delivered it by spatula to the plate on the table. “That’s for you.”
    “Me? You made a sandwich for me?”
    “Yeah.”
    I couldn’t get over it. Here was a twelve-year-old whose mother was in jail, whose stepmother was dead, whose dad was God knows where, and he was taking care of
me
. To avoid falling at his feet in gratitude, I fell on the sandwich instead.
    Keil hollered, “Lib! You want a grilled cheese?” nearly pulverizing my tympana. I put my hands over my ears.
    Keil looked ashamed, caught being a kid. “Sorry.”
    Deep silence reigned from upstairs. I knew I should go