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Odelia dutifully translated my words, but Chase still looked dubious.“I don’t know,” he said. “Francis doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who would get violent, even if he was chewed out. In fact the man is so laidback I think he probably mainlines valium.”

“I’m sorry, Max, but I agree with Chase,” said Odelia. “I don’t think Francis is the person we’re looking for.”

Just then, there was a soft tap at the car window, and Chase rolled it down. It was Joaquin, Father Reilly’s loyal sexton. “You left his in the rectory,” he said, and produced the small notebook Chase always carries with him.

“Oh, jeez,” said Chase. “Thank, Joaquin. You’re a lifesaver.”

“I thought you might need that.” He glanced back. “I didn’t want to ask in there, but have you found out more about what happened to Angel?”

“No, I’m afraid we haven’t,” said the cop as he tucked away his trusty notebook.

“I heard you found her phone in a pond in Bickersfield woods?”

So much for keeping certain elements of the investigation confidential.

“Yeah, well, we’re not sure how it got there,” said Chase reluctantly. He’s one of those cops who like to play their cards close to their vest, and not share too much information with the general public.

“If it helps,” Joaquin continued, “when Angel was at the rectory yesterday, she told me that even though she might have used some harsh words with Francis, she only meant half of them.”

“You talked to Angel? asked Chase, interested.

“Well, when she left she confessed that she only said what she said because she feels that Francis is cutting her mother a raw deal, and she wants him to treat her more fairly. She also doesn’t think her mom would quit her job with Francis. ‘Mom is so attached to that stupid job that it makesme want to scream.’ Those were her exact words.”

“What was her frame of mind?” asked Odelia, leaning over Chase to address the handsome sexton.

“She looked a little frustrated. As if she knew her arguments wouldn’t make much of a difference.”

“Francis thinks she might have run away from home,” said Chase. “Do you think that’s feasible?”

“It certainly wouldn’t be out of character for Angel to pull a stunt like that,” said Joaquin, nodding. “She loves her mom, and she told me she’s fed up that she’s always working, and never home when Angel needs her.”

“Would you happen to know which friend she might be staying with?” asked Odelia.

“Well…” Joaquin thought for a moment. “You might want to try Mariko Jarmusch. She and Angel used to be best friends when they were little. Marigold once told me Mariko and Angel used to spend hours at the rectory, playing hide and seek. It used to drive Marigold crazy. I don’t know if they’re still friends, but maybe it’s worth a shot?”

“Where can we find this Mariko?”

“She works at Dough Knot Bakery on Norfolk Street. That’s how I know—I’m a regular customer there,” he explained with a smile. “Big fan of their chocolate croissants—one of my many vices.”

“Thanks, Joaquin,” said Chase. “You’ve been a big help.”

“We all love that girl, Detective. I’d do anything to see her home safe and sound.” He gave the car door a quick rap with his knuckles, then returned to the rectory with athletic step.

Chase and Odelia shared a look.“I could do with a nice ?clair for dessert,” said Chase, patting his stomach. “You?”

“I’ll see if they’ve got French bread,” said Odelia. “Dad loves some French bread with his soup.”

And so off to the bakery we went.

24

Dough Knot Bakery is one of those places where not only can you buy bread and pastry galore, but you can also consume it on the spot, as they have a tearoom attached to the main shoppe. But since it was almost time to go home and have dinner, Odelia and Chase decided to forgo this opportunity to top up their blood sugar, and instead got straight to the point. This they did by asking the girl at the counter if she was Mariko Jarmusch, Angel’s childhood friend. The girl answered in the affirmative, and stood looking at the cop and his civilian consultant with wide-eyed anticipation. A lot of people, when they have their first brush with the law, display this same response: immediately images of being arrested flash before their mind’s eye, even though they’re absolutely sure they haven’t done anything wrong.

“We just want to ask you a couple of questions,” Chase proceeded to put the girl at ease.

So she bellowed,“Frank! Can you take over for a minute!”

And when Frank, who turned out to be a pimple-faced youth of about twelve years old, arrived to take over Mariko’s duties as salesperson, she took us to a table located near the window, and Chase and Odelia launched into the interview.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Angel Church is missing since last night,” Odelia introduced the theme, “and now we’re talking to all of her friends, hoping they can shed some light on where she might be.”

“I’m not a friend of Angel,” Mariko said curtly.

“Oh, but I thought…”

“We used to be friends, until she pulled a dirty trick on me.”

“Dirty trick?”

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