“He should have. You are a wise man.”
Juan swiveled toward her. “You think I am?”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t. You’ve tried to cheer me up when I’m down. I wish I could do it for you.”
He smiled, his eyes still shiny. “Just what you do helps me. So where are you off to this time?”
“To interview another person in connection with the smuggling ring.”
“Gun smuggling is big business right now.”
“And people aren’t who you think.”
He struggled to his feet. “So true. I’d better get to the courthouse. There’s a restroom with plumbing problems. My work never ends.”
“It’s a big building plus the police station.”
Liliana hurried to her car, deciding to empty her thoughts of all case-related information and take a fresh look at Durango as she drove to Alfredo Flores’s sister’s house. On the surface, everything seemed normal as it had been a month before. But she knew otherwise.
Fifteen minutes later she sat across from Alfredo, his complexion not as pasty as before. His dark eyes held a spark that hadn’t been there when she’d interviewed him last week. “You must be feeling better.”
“Sí. The doctor says it will take time and rest. I can be mighty impatient.”
She leaned forward. “I’ll tell you a secret. So can I.”
His chuckles sprinkled the air, laced with a medicated scent. “I expect it from the young. I’m an old man. I should know better.”
“You aren’t that old.”
“Ah, you must visit more often. But I know you didn’t come to pass the time of day with me. You have to be busy with all that’s going on.”
“Yes and this is why I’m here again. Miguel Salazar has been linked to the smuggling ring.”
Alfredo’s eyes popped open wider. “Not my niece’s husband? He can’t be.”
“Your niece is one of the reasons I came here. She and her child are gone. Do you have any idea where she would go? We’ve talked with friends and other relatives. No one knows anything.”
A frown carved his facial lines deeper. “No.” He shook his head as if he were trying to understand all that was happening. “Unless . . .”
“What?”
“It’s probably nothing. Rita has lived here all her life. She has a few distant relatives in Mexico but most of her family is here. The same with her friends. Except there is one that moved away not long after high school. They were close as teens, but I don’t know if she’s kept up with Pamela Wilson.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know where Pamela moved to.”
“Nope. Sorry. That was seven years ago.”
The name vaguely sounded familiar, but Pamela would have been three or four years behind her in school. She knew others, though, who would have known Pamela. Maybe one of them knew where she went, and if she was still living there. “I appreciate anything you can remember.” She passed him her card. “If you recall someone else Rita would visit, please let me know.”
“Do you think something bad happened to Rita?”
“Miguel was murdered. It’s a possibility, but I’m hoping not. I hope we can find her. So far she hasn’t used any credit cards. We found her cell phone at the house so it isn’t with her.”
“It doesn’t sound good.” He laid his head on the back cushion and closed his eyes. “I’ll think about this. Maybe something will come to me. My mind isn’t what it used to be.”
Liliana picked up the manila envelope with the photo array of the men caught in the cave system. “I have one more question for you.”
He opened his eyes, the exhaustion she’d seen last week inching back into his expression. “If it will help Rita, anything.”
“Do you know any of these men or have you seen them around, especially at Cesar Álvarez’s ranch?”
“Who are they?” Alfredo examined each one, his eyes narrowing when they fell on the last photo.
“Have you seen him?”
He jerked his head up and after a long moment said, “Yes.”
The school bus dropped off Kyle at the corner, half a block away from his apartment complex. He’d told Serena he would meet her at the gym in fifteen minutes. He would just have time to get home and change—
“Hey, Jackson, where do you think you’re going?” Aaron blocked Kyle’s path on the sidewalk.
“Home.” He stiffened as two of Aaron’s pals stepped into view.
“You ain’t meeting your little girlfriend, are you?”
The way Aaron said girlfriend curdled Kyle’s blood. “It’s none of your business.”
Aaron’s friends moved closer, one on Kyle’s left, the other on the right. Kyle glanced over his shoulder to gauge his chances of escaping the way he’d come. Another guy, older and more muscular than the three, came down the sidewalk, his gaze drilling into Kyle as though intent on him. The new teen completed the cage Kyle was trapped in.
“We thought we’d teach you a lesson. No fraternizing with the enemy.”
“What enemy?”
“People who don’t belong in America.”
Ice cold rage gushed to the surface. For a few seconds, he saw himself in Aaron and didn’t like it. Hearing Aaron made Kyle regret all the previous slurs he’d said toward others different from him. He curled his hands into fists, preparing himself for what was to come. He wouldn’t give up without a fight.
The first blow struck Kyle’s back, nearly sending him to his knees.
Liliana came to look over Alfredo’s shoulder at the picture of the man he said he knew. He was the wounded one in the tunnel who was still in the hospital. “How do you know him?”
“He came to the ranch a week before I retired and asked for a job. I was training Bart in the office near the barn about ordering feed. Can’t remember the man’s name, but I didn’t hire him.”
“Why not?”
“Didn’t like the look of him and his references didn’t add up. We hired only reliable people. Only the best for Señor Álvarez.”
“References didn’t add up?”
“He didn’t count on me knowing most of the big spreads in south Texas and the people who run them.”
“So he left and that was the last time you saw him?”
“Well,” Alfredo kneaded his nape, “not exactly. About an hour later, I left the office to head to the barn and saw that man talking with Bart. He knew that Bart was taking over the following week so he was hitting him up for a job. I’d introduced them before Bart left to see about the feed delivery.”
“That’s what Bart said? That he was hitting him up for a job?” If so, why did he lie to them earlier about not knowing any of the men in the pictures?
“No, I just assumed that. Why else would Bart talk to him? I guess he could have told him of other job openings in the area.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Tell me about Bart Collins. What kind of foreman do you think he is?”
“He wasn’t my first pick to replace me, but Señor Álvarez liked him better than the other candidate. I hear he’s doing an adequate job.”
“Adequate?”
“Yeah, that’s the rumblings I’ve heard from some of the cowhands that come to visit me occasionally.” He grinned. “He’s not me they tell me.”
“I understand Bart has been working for Señor Álvarez for about six years. Where did he work before there?”
“That’s easy. He came from the ranch next to Álvarez’s. He had been working for that spread for ten years until he had a falling out with the owner. I think that is why Señor Álvarez wanted to hire Bart.”
“I gather the relationship between the two has never been a warm, fuzzy one.”
Alfredo laughed, the deep belly kind. “By all means, no. Rivals for as long as I can remember.”
Liliana flicked her hand toward the photo array. “Recognize anyone else?”
“Nope. But if they’re new to town, I haven’t gotten out much in the past
six months to see people.”
She took the pictures from Alfredo. “Thanks for the help. I’ll let you know if I find Rita.”
“I appreciate it.” He rested his head again and closed his eyes.
Liliana left to go to the hospital. Roberto Cruz was the only suspect that hadn’t been interviewed in depth. He’d been in surgery and had a complication. Earlier he was still in ICU. Maybe she could talk with him now, especially about what he and Bart had discussed.
“Kyle, what happened to you? You’re bleeding. Come in.” Serena wheeled her chair backwards to give him room to come into her apartment.
So many parts of his body ached. With one eye swollen shut and the other filmy and hurting, he had a hard time maneuvering through the narrow hallway to the living room. The horror on Serena’s face made him realize he should have told her over the phone he couldn’t work with her today.
In the living room, he finally saw himself in the large oval mirror on the opposite wall. He flinched at the sight of himself. No wonder Serena looked so concerned. His face was a bloody pulp, his shirt torn in several places. What would Dad do? He peered down at himself and started to leave.
“Don’t go. You need someone to take care of those cuts. You might need to go to the hospital. A few may need to be stitched.” Serena positioned herself between him and the hallway. “What happened?”
“There were a couple of guys who didn’t like my choice of friends. I just came to make sure you were okay.”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“One of them was Aaron Taylor, and he mentioned you.”
“He’s the one behind this?” She waved her hand at his face.
“Yes.”
“Because of me?”
“Not really. I told him to get lost. I wasn’t having anything to do with someone like him. He didn’t take too kindly to that.”
Serena wheeled herself toward the kitchen. “Come on. Let me help you clean up. See if you need to go to a doctor.”
Kyle turned too fast and swayed, the room spinning before him. He sank onto a chair nearby.
“We need to call your dad.”
Liliana pulled into the parking lot at the hospital when her cell rang. Slowing to a crawl, she answered, “Are you in San Antonio yet?”
“I arrived half an hour ago, and on my way to the lab, I received a call from Kyle. I need your help. I can’t get back to Durango for at least three hours.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, hearing the tension and frustration in his voice.
“Kyle was beat up by four guys after school. They jumped him not far from the apartment. He insists he can wash himself up and will be fine after he puts some ice on his face. Serena, his friend at the apartment complex, has a different version. She thinks he might need stitches.”
“I can take him to the ER if you want.”
“Thank you,” he said with a long drawn-out breath. “I’ll be back as soon as I can get there.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of your son.”
“Thanks, Liliana. I don’t know what I would have done without you there.”
“Called Al.”
“He wasn’t the first person I thought of.”
The implication of his words warmed her. She cared about Ranger Cody Jackson. Too much. She needed to curb these feelings before she got in over her head. “See you later.”
She hung up and headed toward the parking lot exit. Her interview with Roberto Cruz would have to wait.
Riding the elevator to the hospital’s third floor, Liliana slid a glance toward Kyle, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his face bandaged in several places. Two cuts required stitches, and the ER doctor ran some tests to make sure the damage was external only. Other than the teen looked as though he’d gone through a meat grinder, he would be all right with time—at least physically.
Kyle peered at her with his one good eye, the other swollen shut and beginning to turn several shades of black and blue. His face reminded Liliana of her sister. Both victims of a bully.
“Thanks for bringing me here. Serena was really upset. I shouldn’t have gone to see her. Just taken care of it myself.”
“It was a good thing she was concerned. You needed to have yourself checked out. A couple of those cuts wouldn’t have healed well without stitches.”
His chest rose as he took in a deep inhalation, then winced. “It hurts more now than earlier.”
“Your adrenaline is gone. That’s when the pain really starts. But it will get better in time. You should press charges against the ones who did this.”
“No!” His jaw set in a stubborn line.
“They ganged up on you.”
“I know, but they won’t next time. I got in a few good punches. It took four of them to bring me down.”
“They will keep doing this to others they don’t agree with if they aren’t stopped.”
The elevator doors swished open, and Kyle stepped out into the hallway. “I’ll take care of my own problem.” He looked up and down the corridor, then faced her. “What room is the patient in?”
“312. Up until a couple of hours ago he was in ICU so I’m not sure how much I’ll get from him right now, but I need to try.”
“Dad and you are really putting in a lot of hours in trying to solve the murders.”
“Yep, sadly we have to. That can be hard on someone who has just moved to a town. I hope it won’t be too long before we wrap up the smuggling ring case and find who killed those people. I know you could use your dad right now. He’ll be here soon.”
“I’m beginning to see what my dad does for others.”
“Yeah, uncovering a smuggling ring is a big deal, but he won’t take the credit. He gave our department the credit, but frankly we wouldn’t have caught the smugglers if it hadn’t been for his gut feeling.” Liliana nodded to the county deputy who was helping by guarding the prisoner. “Kyle, I shouldn’t be too long.”
Liliana pushed into the hospital room. Roberto Cruz lay in bed, his eyes closed. She moved further inside, trying to decide whether to wake him or not when he looked at her. He scowled and averted his head.
“I have a few questions for you. If you cooperate, it will go easier on you. Right now the charges are piling up with help from one of your cohorts.”
His gaze flared.
“Who hired you? Who is El Jefe?”
Silence.
“Is it Bart Collins?”
His eyes blinked several times. Other than that, there was no reaction to her question. His staunch expression remained in place.
“Why did you talk to Collins at the Álvarez Ranch after the foreman told you he wasn’t going to hire you?”
In Spanish he answered, “I was asking for directions. At least he was friendly.”
“Directions where?”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug then winced at the movement.
“You don’t remember, but you remember why you talked with Collins? I find that hard to believe.”
He stared at a spot above her and to the right. “I asked him if it would be a waste of time to come back when he became foreman.”
“What did he tell you.”
“Yes. I didn’t come back.” Stabbing her with a slicing look, he fumbled for his call button and punched it. “I have nothing else to say to you.”
“This conversation isn’t over with. I’ll be back. Is protecting El Jefe worth more years in prison?”
Liliana left the hospital room as the nurse approached. “Ready. I’ll take you home, Kyle.”
“How did the interview go?”
“I have a lead. Cruz didn’t say anything, but his body language told me there’s more to what he said.” Liliana intended to look deeply into Bart Collins’s life and finances.
“You don’t have to stay with me. I’ll be okay. Dad’s on the way home.” Kyle unlocked his front door and entered his apartment.
Liliana followed him inside. “I told your dad I wou
ld wait. I need to talk to him about the case. I’m not babysitting.”
Kyle’s face colored a faint shade of red. “I know that. I just didn’t want you to feel you have to stay.”
“It’s okay to ask for help.”
Kyle pivoted in the middle of the living room. “This isn’t any concern of yours.”
“Yes, it is. What those boys did was against the law.”
“I appreciate you taking me to the ER, but I’m fine now. I have to call Serena and let her know I’m back.” He walked toward the hallway to the bedrooms. “Make yourself at home.”
While she waited for Cody, she called Chief Winters and told him her suspicions concerning Bart Collins. He would look into the man’s background, but they didn’t have enough for a warrant for his financial records. A hunch wouldn’t work with the judge.
As she hung up, the front door opened and Cody came into the apartment. “Where’s Kyle?”
“In his room talking with Serena. He wanted to let her know he’s okay.”
Cody tossed his keys on the table in the entry hall and strode into the living room. “Is he okay?”
“He’s hurting and trying to act like he isn’t, but he’ll recover with no problems. Cuts and bruises.”
“Did he tell you who did this?”
“No, and he knows. He doesn’t want to press charges against them.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Liliana touched his arm to halt him. “Give him some time with Serena. She might convince him otherwise. I think he feels that if he did, the problem would be worse, not better.”
“Those guys are bullies and need to be stopped.”
The word bullies raked down her spine in a chilling wave. Samuel was a bully. Her father had been. “Believe me. I know how you feel about bullies, but I also know from my brother if you force Kyle he’ll shut down and not say anything. Serena was upset when I came to get him. She’ll say something to him.”
Shattered Silence: Men of the Texas Rangers Series #2 Page 24
