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“No,” Joey said, mystified. “You didn’t kill him, he fell through the wall. You all right?”
“Well.” Agnes leaned against the counter. “There’s some stuff I didn’t tell you.”
Joey came in and put his arm around her, the weight of muscle going to fat a comfort on her shoulders. “Like what?”
“Remember I told you I was engaged after college and my fiancé cheated on me?”
“Yeah, the bastard.”
“Well, when I found out he lied to me, I kind of hit him.”
“Good for you.”
“In the face. With a frying pan. Nonstick. Broke his nose.”
“Oh.” Joey nodded, still supportive but wary now. “He file a police report?”
Agnes nodded. “He dropped the charges, though.” Tell me I’m okay, Joey.
“Well, this is different. It won’t?—”
“And then three years ago, I got engaged to that crime reporter I told you about?”
“Yeah,” Joey said, definitely on guard.
“And two years ago, he cheated on me with my assistant? And I caught him with her on my kitchen table?”
“You didn’t tell me that part”
“And I hit him in the back of the head with a cast-iron skillet.” Tell me I’m okay, Joey.
“Oh, shit, Agnes.”
Ouch. “So if the cops look me up ...”
“Did you kill him?”
“No. They put a plate in his head. He’s fine.”
“You do any time?”
“Probation with court-ordered therapy and community service.” Agnes leaned against Joey, grateful for his bulk beside her. “A soup kitchen. It was nice. Good people worked there.” Tell me I’m okay, Joey.
“You’re good people, too, Agnes.” He patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. This was self-defense. You’re all right.”
Agnes looked up at his dear, ugly mug. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Joey said, and looked at her straight, the way Joey always did.
“Good.” She straightened up to go back to work. Self-defense was legitimate. Brenda would have pounded the kid in self-defense, too. “What were you coming in to tell me?”
He looked uncomfortable. “I called somebody to come help you, and I was waiting for him outside, and then the next bunch of cops pulled down the drive. We got trouble.”
Agnes put the cakes on the bread table. “You mean besides the cop in the hallway and the dead body in the basement?”
“The cop in the hallway is a dumb-fuck deputy, he’s not trouble,” Joey said. “But now we got Detective Simon Xavier comin’ across your bridge.”
“Who?” Agnes peeled off her oven mitt.
