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“No!No, never.Not physically, anyway.Only in here.”She placed a hand over her heart.“They said that he stole something from work, but they wouldn’t even tell me what, and I just… I can’t…”
“Did you ask him about it?Maybe he could clear all this up?”
“I can’t.He’s gone.”
“Gone?”I kept my face blank.“Gone where?”
“I don’t freaking know!Just gone.”
“Did you file a report?Like, a missing persons report?”
Laurie shook her head.“The cops knew he was gone before I did.And he…he left a note.”
This was new.“A note?”
“In the mailbox.I found it after the cops left.”
“Did it say where he went?Leave a number?”
“It only said that he needed space and not to worry.”
Ana sighed.“Why do men do that?Of course we’re going to worry.”
“We’ve had some problems recently.”Laurie sighed.“He… I think he cheated on me, so I made him move out, pushed him away, and now he’s disappeared.What if he…if he…?”
José had cheated?That was something else Laurie hadn’t told the ARU team.She obviously wanted to talk—neededto talk—but not to a group of investigators who made her uncomfortable.Plus the worry in her voice said she still cared for José, whether or not he’d done the dirty on her, and now she thought there was a possibility he’d taken his own life.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t have told you not to worry if he was going to do something drastic.He hasn’t gotten in touch since?”
Another shake of the head.“Even after he moved out, he still came every weekend to see Esme, but last week, he didn’t show up, and I have no idea what to tell her.”
“You think that maybe he’s with the other woman?”
“At first, thatiswhat I thought.But the cops said she’s in the h-h-hospital, and he’s still m-m-missing.”Ottie?Was she talking about Ottie Marquette?José and Ottie had been having an affair?“They said he was mixed up in some big conspiracy at work, but I don’t believe it.His job meant everything to him.”Laurie wiped away more tears.“Even more than I did.”
“Did he admit to cheating?”
“No!And that just made it even worse.My friend saw him and a redhead coming out of a hotel room together.A freakinghotel room.Why else would they have been there?Oh, he said that she was his boss and they were only working, but does he think I’m stupid?”
A redhead—yes, she was definitely talking about Ottie Marquette.But now Laurie’s voice had risen, and people began to stare at us.Time to dial this back a notch.
“Maybe he went to stay with a friend for a few weeks?To get his head straight?”
“José doesn’t have many friends, and I called all of them.He spent most of his time at work.Some important project, he said, and maybe I should have guessed that the project was his boss, but I was so busy trying to be a good mom, and…and…”
“Hey, it’s okay.You’re a great mom.Esme looks so happy, and I’ll be sure to make that sweater for her birthday.Don’t even worry about buying a plain one—I can do that.Just let me know where to mail it.”
“You’re such a kind person.”Laurie gripped my hand.“You have a good heart.”
Oh, if only she knew.
“And Esme’s lucky to have you as her mom.You want a fresh coffee?Our treat.That one must be cold by now.”
Ana didn’t wait for an answer.“I’ll get it.Cream?Sugar?”
“One sugar.Thank you.Uh, what do you think I should do about José?”
An interesting question.José Santoro had aligned himself with Ottie Marquette, for reasons as yet unknown.Hadthey been having an affair?Or was José telling the truth when he said they’d simply been colleagues with a close working relationship?Or worse, had he cosied up to her for more nefarious reasons?Only time would tell.As for where José was… It was possible he was hanging out with Stepanov’s team of bad actors, but I considered it more likely that he was six feet under.Or three feet, if the calibre of our opposition was anything to go by—I couldn’t imagine Moscow or the Mule doing more than a half-assed job.If Santoro had gotten in the way, if he’d seen something he shouldn’t, none of Stepanov’s hirelings would have risked him talking.