Ellie touched Kade’s arm. “You must be hungry. Why don’t you grab a plate and have some supper?”

He just nodded. He’d been distracted all the way back from Phippsburg. His mood was dark, his jaw tight. Worry weighed heavily on his broad shoulders. Ellie felt sorry for him.

Kade filled a plate and sat down in his usual place at the head of the table. For a moment, the hands fell silent.

“Couple of things I need to tell you,” Kade said, cutting into his steak. “But they can wait till we finish Maria’s delicious meal.” His gaze went to Ellie across the kitchen. “I know Ellie hasn’t eaten. There’s room at the table. It’s Saturday night. Why don’t both you ladies join us?”

There was always plenty of food. Ellie sometimes took a plate back to her room, or she and Maria sat together after they finished in the kitchen. The young woman made a point of not looking at Alejandro as she carried her plate over and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Ellie sat down next to Turtle, whose round face turned a little red.

It didn’t take long for the men to relax and go back to talking and laughing. Since there were often women working in the kitchen, bawdy jokes and bad language weren’t tolerated. These were western men. There was a certain code of honor when it came to females in their presence.

Dessert was served, a sweet Spanish egg dish called flan, one of Maria’s specialties.

Kade talked as the men dug into their dessert. “This afternoon I made a trip to Phippsburg. Ellie has a friend who came up with a lead on where to find Frank Keller.” Several heads came up. “By the time we got there, Keller was dead. Shot to death in the living room.” Silence fell, not even the clink of silverware.

“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Slate drawled, digging back into the flan with a little extra gusto.

The men rumbled their agreement.

“What happened?” Wyatt asked.

“His death was meant to look like a suicide, but there’s a very good chance he was murdered. The sheriff is waiting for the medical examiner’s report. But unless Webb Fischer’s an idiot—which I don’t think he is—he’ll be hunting for Frank’s killer.”

The men went back to eating. Ellie wondered if they were putting the pieces together, beginning to see that their troubles might not be over.

“What do you think, boss?” Roy asked. “You think we’re in the clear?”