He reached for her hand, and she let him take it.
“What’s on your schedule for tomorrow?” she asked.
“That’s confidential.”
“I was asking because I’m following an independent line of inquiry, and I don’t want you people stepping on my toes any more than you want me stepping on yours.”
Gonçalves squeezed her hand. She didn’t squeeze back.
“I thought I might look up that fellow Cunha,” she said.
If anyone was involved in stealing hardwood, the most likely candidate was the man who had a business trading in the stuff. She wasn’t particularly interested in Cunha any more than the town’s other movers and shakers, but by mentioning him, she’d hoped to provoke a response. And she did.
“Not a good idea. Not tomorrow.”
“Right. Okay, that’s clear enough. How about if I were to talk to the delegado. What’s his name?”
“Borges. That would be okay.”
“And the town’s medical examiner?”
“If you want to waste your time.”
“And the mayor?”
“The mayor is one of the big landowners. You might want to leave all of those guys for later in the week.”
“Want,” she said, “is not the operative word. Okay, that’s it.”
“You’re going to bed?” He sounded disappointed.
“I’m not. What I meant was, that’s enough business for one night. Let’s get down to the more important stuff. Have you got a girlfriend back in São Paulo?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“HIS NAME IS FRED Vaz,” Amanda said. “He’s in the restaurant.”
After her late night with Gonçalves and far too little sleep, Maura was back at the Grand. She glanced at her watch. It wasn’t yet 7:45 A.M.
“Yeah,” Amanda said. “Early. He must need the money. He gets two hundred a day during the busy season.”
“And this isn’t the busy season?”
“No. It’s not.”
“Offer him a hundred?”
“I didn’t tell you that.”
“Thanks,” Maura said. “Any of those cops come down for breakfast yet?”
Amanda shook her head. “You’re the first.”
“Good.”
Maura had hopes of finishing her conversation with the fishing guide before Silva or anyone on his team showed up. But that was easier said than done. Before she’d had a chance to ask a single question, even before she’d gotten herself seated, Fred Vaz was off and running. He was, it soon became evident, a man in love with the sound of his own voice.
According to him, the denizens of Azevedo’s rivers were the smartest, biggest, hardest-fighting, meanest, hungriest, and tastiest fish in all of Brazil. But you couldn’t just expect to stroll over to a riverbank, get into a boat, or drop a lure into the Jagunami and catch them. Not without an experienced guide, you couldn’t. No, you needed a man like him. A man with years and years of experience. A man who’d show you where all the best places were and—
Maura waved a finger. “I don’t want to know about the best places,” she said. “I want to know about the worst.”
“Huh?”
“And I’m willing to pay well for your expertise. But you’ve got to be honest with me.”
“Well … sure. Whatever you say.”
“Have you noticed any dead fish in the rivers around here?”
He looked away. “There are … always dead fish in the rivers,” he said. “That’s what they do. They hatch, they live, they die.”
“I’m talking about something other than the natural life cycle of fish. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“I—”
“Of course, I could be barking up the wrong tree.”
“Uh …”
“Let me give it to you straight, Fred. If you don’t know of a river or stream where fish are dying on a massive scale, I’ll pay you two hundred Reais right now, and we’ll call it a day. The two hundred will more than compensate you for coming here to talk to me this morning, but two hundred is all you’re going to get.”
“But … uh … if by any chance, I should happen to know about a place like that? A place with a lot of dead fish?”
“Then I want you to take me there.”
“You want to fish in a place that’s full of dead fish?”
“I don’t want to fish. I want you to guide me there. I want to see the dead fish. I want to take samples of the water, and I want you to bring me back here. You do that, even if it only takes half a day, and I’ll pay you an additional five hundred Reais.”
“Five hundred Reais? And I also get the other two hundred?”
“That’s what the word additional means, Fred. You get the two hundred, and you get the five hundred, and that’s seven hundred in total. How about it?”
“Hmm.”
“Why are you making that noise?”
“I’m thinking.”
“What’s to think about? There is such a place. I don’t know where it is, but from what you’ve already said, I know it exists. And I know there are other fishing guides. And I know it’s the off season, so …”
“Don’t be hasty, Senhora. I’m not saying I won’t do it. Not yet.”
“It’s Senhorita. And what’s with the not yet?”
He looked pained. “To show you those dead fish we’d have to go into the Indian reservation. That’s where they are.”
“So what?”
“I’m not supposed to go in there. Nobody is, not without permission from the FUNAI. If I did, I could lose my license.”
“Why would they take away your license? It’s not like there are any Indians left.”
“It doesn’t matter. Rules are rules.”
“What if I could get permission?”
“Then there’d be no problem. But you can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because the FUNAI agent is a real hard ass.”
“That hard ass is my best friend.”
“Oh.”
“How far inside the reservation?”
“Just a couple of kilometers. The spot is a tributary of the Jagunami.”
“And the Jagunami is the border between private land-holdings and the reservation, right?”
“Mostly. Except for the property that used to be owned by Enrique Azevedo.”
“What happens there?”
“It straddles the river, and there’s a bridge that crosses it. The mayor, Hugo Toledo, owns the land these days, but he lets the hard a— I mean the FUNAI lady use the bridge. Once we’re across, all we’d have to do is walk downstream until we get to this little creek the Indians call the Sapoqui. Then we follow that upstream—”
“It’s okay, Fred. I don’t need any further explanations. You guarantee me dead fish?”
“Oh, yes, Senhorita. Lots and lots of dead fish.”
“Then we’ve got a deal.”
“You’ll talk to your friend? Get the paperwork?”
“I will.”
“Make sure my name is on it, okay. It’s Vaz.”
“I know that. Can we go today?”
“Certainly, Senhorita. If you like.”
“I like. You know where she lives? The hard ass?”
“Believe me, Senhorita, I didn’t mean—”
“Just kidding you, Fred. Just kidding. Answer the question.”
“Yes, Senhorita, I know.”
“Good. I’m staying at her place. Meet me there in an hour.”
Fred nodded and left with a smile on his face. When he was gone, Maura took out her cell phone and called the newspaper’s regional office in Belem. She asked to speak to Nataniel Eder, the bureau chief, and after the usual pleasantries said, “Nat, I need a favor.”
“I didn’t think you were calling just to be friendly. What is it?”
“If I sent you some samples of river water could you get them analyzed?”
“Sure. For what?”
“Mercury.�
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“Oho. Like that, is it?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m not sure yet, but I think—”
“Say no more,” he said. “You get ’em to me, and I’ll take care of it.”
After she hung up, she went to the front desk, where she found Amanda writing in a ledger.
“How can I get something to Belem in a hurry?” Maura asked.
“That depends on how much of a hurry, how big it is, and how much you’re willing to pay.”
“Very much of a hurry. No bigger than a shoebox, and whatever I have to.”
“There’s a kid out at the airport—”
“The one whose old man runs the charter service? The one who reputedly gets more ass than a toilet seat?”
“The very one, and no reputedly about it. He does get more ass than a toilet seat. He also delivers stuff. Give the package to me, I’ll say it’s for Osvaldo, negotiate the best price, and put it on your bill. It’s best if I call him ahead of time. When?”
“This afternoon—late.”
“If you don’t get it to me by dark, it won’t go before tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, I know. Thanks.”
Her next stop was the pharmacy. She bought six sterilized bottles, the kind they kept on hand for the collection of urine samples. Following that, she visited the supermarket, where she purchased self-adhesive labels. Then she went back to Jade’s place to change—and to wait for Fred Vaz.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
MAURA FOUND HER FRIEND under the awning on her back porch, finishing breakfast.
“I need your permission,” she said, “to enter the reservation. Not to go to the village. Somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Then no permission.”
“Hard ass.”
“What?”
“Just something I heard someone say. Come on, Jade. Don’t be a pain. Write me a pass.”
“There’s no way I’m going to let you go into the reservation on your own. You have no idea how easy it is to get lost.”
“I’m not going on my own. I’m going with Fred Vaz.”
“The fishing guide?”
“Yes.”
“Forget it. White people aren’t allowed to fish that reservation. And since when are you interested in fishing anyway?”
“I’m not.”
“So what are you interested in?”
Maura sank into a chair. “If you swear to keep it to yourself, I’ll tell you.”
Jade drained her cup of café com leite. “Why the secrecy?”
By way of reply, Maura put one of the bottles on the table.
“What’s that for?”
“Promise and I’ll tell you.”
“Okay, I promise.”
“Gold?” she said when Maura had finished explaining. “But that’s—”
“As good a reason as any for someone to wipe out the Awana. Yes, it is.”
“Okay, I’ll write you the pass, but we’re going to have to tell the Chief Inspector about this.”
“And we will, but only after I’m a hundred percent sure I’m right. And only when I’m ready.”
“No. I really think—”
“It’s a secret. Remember? You promised.”
Jade sighed, and might have said more, but just then a sour-faced Alexandra Santos came out of the kitchen carrying a coffee pot.
“More coffee, Senhora?”
Jade shook her head. Maura expected the offer to be extended to her, but it wasn’t. The housekeeper went back inside.
“A ray of morning sunshine, that one,” Maura said. “Where’s Raoni?”
“In my bedroom, watching the same cartoon over and over. I taught him how to use the DVD player.”
“When are you leaving?”
Jade looked at her watch. “In twenty minutes.”
“Who’s going?”
“All of us, Osvaldo, Gilda, the cops.”
“The whole gang?”
“It was the Chief Inspector’s idea. He thinks Raoni needs the support.”
“And he’s willing to take time out of his precious investigation to give it to him? Well, there’s a surprise.”
“It surprised me, too. Apparently, he has a weakness for kids.” She stood up. “Let me get a pass and a pen.” A minute later, she came back to the table with a form.
“Make sure Vaz’s name is on it,” Maura said.
“I will. It has to be.” Jade wrote out the pass and handed it over. “How did it go last night?”
“I haven’t slept with him, if that’s what that sly smile of yours is implying.”
“And you’ve already known him for what? Almost twenty-four hours? That’s what I call remarkable restraint.”
Maura didn’t rise to the bait. “The cops are monopolizing all the male suspects,” she said. “I thought I might try to learn something from their wives. Who should I talk to first?”
“Patricia Toledo.”
“Why her?”
“She’ll get her nose out of joint if you approach anyone else.”
“Because?”
“She sees herself as the community’s leading female citizen. Her husband’s father was one of the founders of the town. This place could as well be called Toledo as Azevedo, and Patricia thinks it should be. She got Hugo to propose a name change to the city council, but it got voted down. There are people she still doesn’t speak to because of that.”
“Animosity loosens tongues. I’ll need a list of those people.”
Jade looked at her watch again. “I’ll make one when I get back. Meanwhile, why don’t you start with Patricia and her two best friends?”
“All right. Who are they?”
“Rita Cunha and Maria Bonetti.”
“What about Frade’s wife?”
“She’s not part of the intimate circle.”
“Why not?”
“They don’t respect her.”
“Because?”
“She lets José push her around.”
“Physically?”
“Physically. He beats her. None of the other three would stand for that kind of treatment, but Sonia is … different. She was an orphan. José married her when she was eighteen, brought her up his way, as he likes to put it. She’s very meek, and she’s completely under his thumb.”
“Why doesn’t she go to the cops about it?”
“Borges? He wouldn’t do a thing. He wants to get on with everybody. And, by everybody, I mean the men.”
“How about we tell Silva and his people?”
“What could they do? He’d behave until they’ve gone and then start up again, harder and worse than before. No, I think the only person who can do something about Sonia is Sonia. She’s got to run away, or stand up to him, one or the other.”
“You ever tell her that?”
“I did. Once. But maybe she took part of the conversation to José, because now she’s afraid of being seen talking to me whenever he’s around.”
“Then, as far as the big fazendeiros are concerned, that only leaves Lisboa. No wife, right?”
“Right. He’s gay.”
“How about the doctor’s wife?”
“She died last year. Some say she might have lived if he hadn’t treated her himself. Kassab, the lawyer, just got a divorce, and his wife left town about three months ago. The police chief and his wife have seven kids under the age of ten. He’s Fernando; she’s Fernanda. How do you like that? Fernando and Fernanda Borges.”
“Charming.”
“Uh-huh. And it’s the only charming thing about her. She’s a homebody, dull as ditchwater, and folks hardly ever see her. I guess the kids keep her busy.” Jade stood up. “I have to get going.”
Maura rose as well. “Have you got a telephone number for Patricia?”
“In my address book, top right-hand drawer of my desk.”
“Thanks, Jade, you’re—”
From somewhere inside the house,
a small voice cried out in alarm.
“Raoni!” Jade said.
They burst into the living room to find Father Castori holding fast to the child’s arm. The housekeeper, her arms wide, was blocking his escape toward the back porch.
“What is this?” Jade said. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Alexandra spun around. The priest released his grip. Raoni ran to Jade and wrapped his arms around her legs.
“I’m taking the boy, Senhorita Calmon,” Castori said.
“Like hell you are,” Jade said, putting her hands on Raoni’s shoulders. The terrified little boy locked his hands around her waist and buried his head in her stomach.
“A dirty Indian has no place in this house,” Alexandra said.
“I’ll decide who has a place in my house,” Jade said. “How dare you help him kidnap this child?”
“It’s not kidnapping,” Alexandra said. “It’s the Lord’s work.”
“Are you defying me?”
“Between the Lord and the Devil, I choose the side of the Lord.”
Jade could feel Raoni trembling. It was only the fear of traumatizing him further that helped her to control herself. “So I’m the Devil?” she said. “Is that what you’re saying?”
Alexandra crossed her arms above her breasts and didn’t deign to reply.
“I’ve had enough of you,” Jade said. “Go pack your things.”
The housekeeper dropped her arms and opened her mouth in surprise. “You’d choose a filthy Indian brat over me?”
“I just have. You’re fired. Get out.”
Alexandra snapped her mouth shut and stalked off toward her bedroom.
“As for you,” Jade said to the priest, “the boy’s welfare is a FUNAI matter. Leave my home. Now.”
The priest raised his chin and tried to look down his long nose at her. He couldn’t quite pull it off. She was taller than he was.
“Not without the boy,” he said. “There are higher laws at play here than those of the federal government.”
“Higher laws? What are you talking about?”
“The laws of God.”
“Yes, I thought that was what you’re about to say. And in this case, I don’t buy it. I’m not violating any of God’s laws by taking care of this child.”
“You’re being blind and obstinate. I’m fluent in his language, Senhorita Calmon. You are not. I intend to convert that little pagan to the One True Faith, and I’ll require daily and constant contact to teach him the errors of his ways. He’s going to live with me.”
The Ways of Evil Men Page 15
