Page 145 of Don't Say a Word

“It’s much bigger than that,” Cal said. “We’re talking thousands of dollars a day per location. EBT fraud is rampant—people get cards fraudulently, clone cards, steal cards. Find a business that will let them buy alcohol with the card, sell drugs under the table, butthisoperation is far more sophisticated. And it can’t be hidden. Your staff can’t steal from you. You’re getting five thousand dollars in receipts without the corresponding product sales.” He closed his eyes. “So, there’s roughly 3300 transactions a week in a small convenience store, which is about 450 a day. If the average is twenty dollars—easy math here—that’s nine thousand a day in gross sales.” He opened his yes, nodded. “Five thousand dollars a day more—that’s more than fifty percent increase in sales than a store this size and location should have. It’s going to pop for any accountant worth their salt.”

I tensed. “You’re saying the corporate office is involved.” I pointed to the picture of John Brighton. “Like him. Elijah took his picture—he works for the Cactus Stop. He’s Manny Ramos’s nephew.”

“It just takes one person in the right position, someone with access to the accounting system. Fudge the numbers, it won’t show up unless there is a full audit—a real audit, not just bookkeeping checks.”

“Manny Ramos is going to audit his store next week,” I said. “And now, my number one suspect is his nephew.” Stealing from family—that really burned me.

I told them that my mom and I filled Manny Ramos in on what we thought Desi was up to at the store.

“Why would you do that?” Hitch snapped. “Why not come to the police with the information.”

“Oh, maybe because you were avoiding us?” I snapped back.

“We would have opened an investigation.”

Jack put his hand up. “We’re working together now,” he said.

Hitch looked like he wanted to argue, but Cal said, “We’re notgoing to get a warrant without more evidence. Like your witness. You have someone on the inside?” He looked at me hopefully.

“I have a scared kid who doesn’t think he can quit, but yeah, he’s seen things that are suspicious. But I’m not putting him in danger. One teenager was already killed.”

“And two teachers,” Jack said. “This also goes back to Sun Valley.”

“Who did you miss?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Cal said and sat down. He looked glum. “I didn’t think we missed anyone at Sun Valley, and the supplier wouldn’t be on campus. That wouldn’t make sense, because they wouldn’t need the middle man in Ben Bradford. Plus his monthly trip to Yuma.”

“Which could have been a distraction,” Jack said.

Tess and Luisa walked in. “You guys are having a party and didn’t tell us?” Tess said.

Jack introduced Hitch and Cal. I stared at my board. Cal had moved a few things around as he spoke, and I saw everything much clearer. Elijah knew Desi was selling drugs, but hadn’t understood exactly how it worked. Had he been following the people she sold tickets to? Is that what got him killed? Or had he reached out to the corporate office... and someone from there killed him?

“I didn’t know you were coming in,” Jack said to our sisters.

“We’ve been working,” Tess said, “and I called Mom to let her know what we found, and she said you and Margo were here.”

She waited a beat.

“Apparently,” I said, “we’re working together.” I waved hands to include Cal and Hitch. “Did you find something?”

“Yes,” Tess said. “I went back to the Bradfords. Went back as far as I could and found that Cecilia Bradford’s maiden name is Brighton.”

I stared. “Brighton? Same name as the guy in the Tesla? Manny Ramos’s nephew?”

“Her parents are William and Sylvia Brighton. Sylvia’s maiden name is Torrens. The name sounded familiar, so I went throughall my notes. Manny Ramos’s wife, who died seven years ago of breast cancer, her maiden name was Torrens. They’re sisters.”

“Cecilia is Ramos’s niece,” I said again. “But how does John Brighton fit in? Her brother? He’d be much younger than her.”

“Cecilia is an only child,” Tess said. “I think John is her son. I can’t prove it, but on paper it works. After a lot of digging, I learned Cecilia had a baby in high school. She was sixteen and there were whispers of sexual assault. She never named the father. Her parents went through a nasty divorce around that time, and she moved in with her aunt and uncle—Manny and Marisol Ramos. While living there, she had the baby, then finished school, then left town. Basically, disappeared. At least until the wedding announcement for Cecilia Torrens and Ben Bradford eight years later.”

“Why did she use her mother’s maiden name?” I asked.

Tess shrugged. “Don’t know. But while it’s not widely known, there is ample evidence that Manny Ramos raised hisnephew, John Brighton.”

Cal walked over to the whiteboard. He’d moved some of my notes around and added additional information.

I saw the truth.