Beef Stolen-Off by Liz Lipperman

Wagyu?”
    Jordan hurriedly looked away, thinking she had screwed up again before remembering she no longer needed to keep Danny’s reason for being in Ranchero a secret. “My brother’s staying with me for a few weeks. He’s a TSCRA agent sent here to investigate the increase in cattle rustling. He gave me a ten-minute ‘all you ever wanted to know about cows but were afraid to ask’ lecture.”
    “Yeah, I’d heard an investigator was in town. Marcus and I lose about three or four head every few months despite our best efforts to prevent it. We move them to a new pasture nearly every night to confuse the thieves, but they always seem to know where to find the cows.”
    They sat down at a small table covered in crisp white linen and adorned with rust-colored stoneware plates and the most beautiful yellow carnations Jordan had ever seen. “These are gorgeous.”
    “Another of Karen’s greenhouse miracles. She makespretty good money selling her flowers to the shops all over the metroplex.”
    “I thought you said she grows herbs for homeopathic medicine.”
    “That, too. She has customers all over the world.”
    “Amazing,” Jordan exclaimed. “I’d love to see the flowers.”
    “Karen adores showing off her beauties. If you want, we can check them out after we eat.” She reached for Jordan’s empty tea glass. “Do you want a refill, or would you prefer water or a soft drink with your lunch?”
    “I can get those anywhere. I absolutely want more tea. I still can’t believe a little mint can change the taste so much.”
    Brenda Sue picked up the plates from the table. “Sit tight. I’ll be back in a flash with our lunch and more tea.”
    Jordan used the time alone to contemplate their earlier conversation about Maria. The journalist in her moved straight to a more sinister explanation for the woman’s accidental blood-thinner overdose. Was it possible Diego had slipped her an extra pill or two and then lied about how many were missing?
    A vision of Maria mouthing “Help me” popped into her head. Although she barely knew the woman, she vowed to at least check it out. She added a visit to the Morales house to her list of things to do in the next week or so. First, she’d have to research the kind of medicine Maria would have been prescribed after a hip replacement.
    Waiting for Brenda Sue to return, she formed a plan.

CHAPTER 7

    “Here you go,” said Brenda Sue, carrying a tray with the tea and stoneware plates filled with the chicken salad, a small spinach salad, and a greenish concoction.
    After her first bite of the chicken salad, Jordan was glad she’d come. Next she tried the greenish stuff, licking her lips to get every last drop. “This is yummy. What is it?”
    “Watergate Salad.” Brenda Sue beamed. “My mother made this every time we had company. The pistachio pudding makes it so good.”
    “I’d love the recipe for my column,” Jordan said, taking the last bite. “The chicken salad, too. It’s the best I’ve ever eaten.” She was already seeing both recipes as next week’s entry in the Kitchen Kupboard, hoping Victor and the gang could come up with some exotic name to go with them.
    When they’d finished eating, Jordan glanced at her watch. “I’ll help you clean up, then I have to get going. It’s about a half-hour drive back to the office.”
    Brenda Sue waved her off. “Don’t be silly. Marcus won’t be back until dinner time, so I have all day to tidy up. Let’s go out to the greenhouse, and I’ll introduce you to Karen and her garden. Bring your phone. You’ll want pictures.”
    “Terrific. Lead the way.”
    Grabbing her cell phone, Jordan followed Brenda Sue out the door to the small building sitting back about three hundred yards from the house.
    “Come on around back. Karen’s always there pampering her plants.” She led Jordan through the gate and behind the greenhouse where a yellow Lab rushed to greet them, nearly knocking Brenda Sue off her