Page 132 of Don't Say a Word

“Do you know how I can reach him?”

“Why?”

“Because I’d like to talk to him.”

“Look, Scott and I had a falling out, okay? I don’t talk to him. Hell, I don’t even have his new number. He was in prison for nearly two years, got out, I let him live with me until he could get on his feet. Next day he just took off.”

“When was that?”

“Fuck, I don’t know. Last year. Before Christmas. Why do you want to talk to my loser brother?”

“His name came up in the course of my investigation,” I said.

“What investigation?”

“Elijah Martinez.”

She stared at me blankly, so I asked, “Did you know that Elijah was trying to help Megan get into rehab?” I’d looked up Hope Center. It was a thirty-day rehab facility with six Phoenix locations.

She stared at me. “Look,” she said in a very calm voice, “Iamsorry about Elijah. I answered all your questions because my boss told me to. I don’t know where my brother is. I don’t even think my brother knew Elijah.”

“But they both knew Megan.”

“So?”

Did she even know her brother was dead? Maybe she suspected, but her attitude didn’t even hint at grief. For a split second I considered that she’d helped him skip town with a fake identity. Possible, but not likely.

“So you don’t have a number for Scott? Maybe a friend he might have gone to live with?”

“No,” she said. The door dinged as a customer entered and Desi looked relieved.

I turned to leave, then said, “Oh, one more thing. Did you know that after his shifts, Elijah sat outside and took pictures of people exiting the store?”

Her face paled. “Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know, why would he?”

Her hand was shaking when she picked up the six-pack that the customer put on the counter, but she didn’t say anything.

“It’s weird,” I said. “I’ll be back if I have more questions.” I walked out. Desi Jimenez was up to something. I called Mom as I walked back to my Jeep.

“Okay, I’ll go to dinner with you tonight.”

“What changed your mind?”

“I think the staff at the Cactus Stop is involved in something very illegal. Megan Osterman was selling drugs for Desi, and she was fired from that job because she used too much of the product. So, maybe we should bring Manny Ramos into it. He would be in a better position to evaluate the store records.” I remembered what Jessie Oliver said about Ramos being tight with law enforcement. “And if they are up to something criminal, he can bring in the police to investigate. That might be the only way we learn what happened to Elijah.”

“Manny may not have knowledge of day-to-day operations,” Mom said. “Sometimes, less is more—maybe share your observations and leave the rest to him.”

I considered. “Okay, I can do that. We’ll touch bases beforehand.”

“Certainly,” Mom said. “Can you pick up Rafe from the rectory?”

“And take him where?”

“Manny invited him to join us tonight, and he has a rare evening free.”

“Sure, if he wants to spend the night at a fancy dinner party for his birthday instead of drinking the tequila I got him.”