Yolks on You Box Set

Chapter 10-1

Chapter 10

Dom waited while Kiko followed him to the basement, leaving behind a Katie insisting she’d be all right handling things.

“You heard, then?” asked Dom, noticing Kiko’s expression had no joy in it. The stairs creaked as they descended. Kiko nodded.

“Yeah. I guess now it’s murder.”

Dom nearly fell down the rest of the stairs, not expecting to hear that. Kiko’s hand shot out and grabbed him by the shoulder to help steady him, and he turned to look at the man.

“But none of them died,” he said. “They were only injured…”

“What?” asked Kiko, looking confused. “Katie just had a call from the brewery and they said…” He trailed off as they looked at each other. “You’re not talking about the brewery.”

“No,” said Dom. “There was an explosion at Joylove Antiques just now.”

“But no one died,” said Kiko, and Dom nodded. “That’s good. Let’s get down these steps before we fall down.” Dom moved to do as suggested as Kiko kept talking. “There was one at the brewery, too. A woman died saving her niece. Whoever’s been setting these bombs is now guilty of murder.”

Kiko seemed genuinely distressed by this, and Dom thought he might be thinking of Chad, of what could have happened to him but luckily didn’t. Someone died…whoever set the explosives must have known that could happen. Probably wanted that to happen. The thought was disturbing.

“No one died at the antique place,” said Dom, setting down the boxes of eggs. Neither he nor Kiko made any move to go back upstairs immediately. “Some family got cut up, Briana a little, too. Joy looked terrified.”

“They’re a couple,” said Kiko. He tried a smile, but it was weak. “You’d think Mount Angus would have driven people like them or me out, but sometimes a small town surprises you.”

“Seems to be the case with these explosions.”

“That’s not funny, Dom,” said Kiko, frowning.

“Look, I want the culprit caught, too. What do you know about Sam, out by the bar?”

“You think it’s him?” asked Kiko, shaking his head. “No. When would he have the time? He can barely fill a dozen eggs once a year.”

“But he could really use the money,” said Dom. “I hear. Sickness and little income. It’s a lot of competition to get rid of, but Mount Angus isn’t that big of a town.”

Kiko rolled his eyes.

“You don’t think it’s Buddy Miller any longer? The other explosion was at his place. Someone died. You were so keen on him until someone dies at the brewery?”

Dom waved a hand, frowning and staring at Sam’s tiny box of eggs.

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking. This is all so confusing. Real mysteries don’t give you hints and directions like shows and books.”

“Real killers don’t want to be caught. They don’t leave breadcrumbs.”

“Did you learn anything else?” asked Dom, hoping Kiko had gotten a gossipy customer or phone call, or had made a deduction as brilliant as the one about the bombs earlier. “Something we could use to figure this out?”

“No. Maybe we should call it quits on this, Dom. It’s getting dangerous—what if the culprit hears that we’re poking into business that isn’t ours? Mount Angus isn’t exactly a discreet place; at some point it’ll get around that we’re asking a lot of questions.”

“Isn’t that a case for figuring it out sooner?”

“No,” said Kiko, trying to catch Dom’s eye. He grabbed his arm, squeezed. Dom could feel worry in the grip. Kiko could not meet his eyes. “I was…concerned, earlier. For a moment. When I’d heard there had been an explosion…”

Dom stared at Kiko, trying not to feel touched by that; it would only make it harder to leave when the weekend was over. He tried a laugh that he knew sounded forced.

“It’s a bit soon to be worrying about me. We only met a day ago.”

“Two,” said Kiko, giving Dom’s arm a squeeze before releasing him. “Two days ago.”

“Right.” An awkward silence fell. Dom didn’t like the way the conversation had headed, so he steered them away from danger. “Any more boxes for me to pick up?”