by Julia Derek
It occurred to her that, as bad as it sounded, maybe Diego had deserved what had happened to him… Maybe he’d had it coming all along… No, she mustn’t think that of Diego! She shook her head to get all the thoughts swimming around out of it, then buried her face in her hands and felt like crying. She was so confused. Would she ever know who the man she had been married to, the father of her children, truly had been?
Lowering her hands slowly from her face, she stared out the window and the darkness there again. She was suddenly wishing that Trevor was next to her so she could hide in his embrace, feel his strong arms around her as he whispered soothing words into her ear. She had chosen passion over safety with Diego, and look where that had gotten her. A murdered husband. Hadn’t she known all along that those scars on his body had a more sinister explanation than the one he had provided? She sighed heavily, telling herself that she thought that she had. Thank God that Trevor, who was such a good man, had insisted on being part of her life despite that she picked Diego over him. Only a man with strong character would do such a thing. Most would have hated her for being dumped. Not Trevor. He was something else. She should’ve chosen him from the beginning.
She was grateful that God was giving her another chance.
* * *
Chapter 19
An annoying sound pulled Wil out of the pleasant dream she was having about walking on the beach in some tropical land. For once in her life she had been able to fall asleep without drugging herself, and she had remained asleep until that loud song awoke her. She rubbed her eyes, realizing it was her cell phone ringing. She felt around in the darkness to get it where it usually lay on the nightstand beside her bed. She couldn’t find it. Where the hell was her phone? When she flipped on the light on the nightstand, she discovered that it had fallen to the floor. She leaned over the edge of the bed and picked it up.
She pushed herself up into a sitting position and cleared her throat at the same time as she pressed the Talk button.
“Cooper,” she answered in as clear a voice as she could manage.
“Wil, it’s Mike at the station.”
She pushed herself up farther and checked the time on the clock radio on the nightstand. It was a quarter past nine. Wow, she must have been tired to sleep that long without waking up and while not drugged. The last she remembered, she had just lied down on her bed and rested for a moment before she would take her usual pills.
“Hey, Mike, what’s up?”
“You sleeping?”
“Um, not anymore. But I was, yeah.”
“You okay? I thought you were always up super early.”
“Not today and I’m fine. Was just more tired than usual. So, what’ve you got for me? You checked out the Pinterest board I sent you already?”
“Yeah, I did. It belongs to a woman named Mary Lou Dalton who lives a few miles south of Norman, Oklahoma. She’s a widow with two kids, a boy and a girl, and is sixty-two years old. She’s an associate member of the AB, which is short for the Aryan Brotherhood, also known as the Brand.”
“Wait, what? The Aryan Brotherhood? Did I hear that right?” Wil was suddenly all awake.
“Yeah, you did.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“Yeah, I am. She has a criminal record and her AB membership is mentioned in it. And with a criminal organization like the AB, once you become a member, you’re a member for life. Blood in, blood out is their motto.”
“Hmm. Very interesting.”
“Isn’t it? What’s even more interesting is that most of the people she’s connected to on Pinterest are also members of the AB. All of them women across the country.”
“That is interesting. What does Mary Lou’s criminal record consist of?”
“Small ball stuff. She dealt methamphetamine and laundered drug money. She spent some time in the slammer for it.”
“Got it. You have her address and contact information?” Wil looked for a pen and something to write on.
“Sure I do. I can email it to you as well as all the details regarding Mary Lou that I found.”
“That would be great. When can I have it?”
“I’m sending you an email right as we speak.”
“Thanks, Mike. Great work.”
“Anything for you, cream puff.”
She smiled. “Did you find out anything about the man who was hanged or anything about the photo of the blown-up car?”
“Not yet, but I’m working on it. I do know that Pinterest was founded in 2010, which may be why those pins show six years old. In other words, they may be older than that. I should be able to determine the man’s identity fairly quickly. The car is another story. Could take a while, if ever. Your best bet is probably to talk to Mary Lou about them. It looks like she herself pinned all three photos to her board. That is, unless someone hacked her computer and did it. That’s impossible to tell, except that it would take someone with great hacking skills.”
“Okay. Larry and I will go down south and talk to the woman today if we can find a flight. Keep me posted.”
“Will do. Stay safe.”
She thanked him and hung up the phone, then checked her email for the message from Mike. Ten seconds later, it arrived. She clicked it open and read its brief contents. As stated, the name of the owner of the Pinterest board was Mary Lou Dalton and she lived in a small county near Norman, Oklahoma. In addition to having participated in methamphetamine distribution for the Aryan Brotherhood, she had been found guilty for money laundering. All in all, she had spent four years in prison for her crimes.
Wil couldn’t wait until she got a chance to show Larry what Mike had sent her. She speed-dialed his number and he picked up on the third ring.
“Morning, Cooper,” he said.
“Good morning. I have great news. Mike got back to me about the owner of the Pinterest board. Her name’s Mary Lou Dalton and she’s a member of the Aryan Brotherhood.”
“No shit? How did he determine that so fast?”
“She has a criminal record and apparently it’s mentioned there. She did four years for money laundering and methamphetamine distribution for the AB.”
“Damn. Did he find out anything about the other two images?”
“Not yet. He thinks he can figure out who the hanged man is, but when it comes to the car explosion, it’ll probably go faster if you and I talk to Mary Lou in person. She would know.”
“Okay. And where does Mary Lou live?”
“A few miles below Norman, Oklahoma.”
Larry groaned. “That means you and I have to fly down there, doesn’t it?”
“Yep. I don’t think we’ll get much out of Mary Lou by calling her. We should get down there as soon as possible. You want to book the tickets? I just woke up and need to get ready.”
“Fine. I’ll text you what I find.”
They disconnected and Wil popped out of bed and hurried into the shower where she cleaned up in less than five minutes. She toweled herself dry and threw on fresh underwear, a pair of slacks and a form-fitted sweater. She ran a brush through her short, wet hair and hurried into the kitchen where she made some coffee and poured cereal and milk into a bowl. By the time she had finished her breakfast, her phone sounded with an incoming text. It was from Larry:
Got tix with AA. We’re flying at twelve thirty from JFK. Pick me up at my place at ten and we’ll drive there. I’m packing some clothes in case we stay overnight.
She responded, saying she would do the same and that she would be at his place by ten. After packing the necessities for an overnight stay, she dried her hair and put on mascara, mostly because she looked scary tired without it today. Leaving her place, she found a cab on the street and headed for Larry’s place. He was waiting for her in front of his building when she got there.
Before Larry climbed into the cab, he handed her a big, brown paper bag. “Here, take. Donuts and coffee,” he said as she took it from him.
“I already had breakfast,” Wil sai
d and peered into the bag. “But I could use some more coffee.” She fished out the cups from the bag, as Larry shut the cab door and told the cabbie to head to JFK.
“The one with milk is yours,” Larry said and snatched the paper bag away from her. “I guess I’ll just have to eat your donuts, too, then,” He sent her a happy grin.
She chuckled and shook her head. “You go ahead.”
“Great,” Larry said and leaned back into the vinyl seat. Having a sip of his coffee, he asked, “You know, I’m wondering if it was someone from the Aryan Brotherhood who took revenge on Diego for something he did while a member of the Latin Devils. As I was waiting for you, I read up on the Latin Devils and one of their rivals happens to be the AB.”
“Really? Well, it’s a good possibility that’s the case. We’ll know more when we talk to Mary Lou. Since we’ll be near Houston, Texas, we might as well pay the Martinezes a visit and see what they have to say, and if they can point us to some of the Devils. If Diego’s death is related to something with the Brotherhood, surely one or more of the Devils will know about it.”
* * *
Chapter 20
Kate watched when Trevor was playing with Luis on the floor of her living room and the sight warmed her heart. They were using action figures and pretending to be at war with each other. As any good adult would, Trevor let Luis win most of their battles.
“You’re dead!” yelled Luis and crashed into Trevor’s Batman figure with his Superman one.
“Nooo…” Trevor whined and tilted his Batman figure backward so that it fell to the ground.
“Okay, I think that’s enough warring for now,” Kate said and removed Anna from her lap, standing up. “Who wants to eat ice cream with hot chocolate sauce?”
“Meee!” Luis said and shot to his feet, running out to the kitchen on fast little legs, his sister setting after him on stubbier, slower legs, giggling happily.
The only good thing about Diego having been murdered—if there were any good things about such an occasion—was that her kids were both so young. At least Anna would soon have forgotten about Diego, which was sad but also fortunate, as she wouldn’t go through the pain that a much older child would have experienced. Even Luis would forget soon enough.
“You have some truly wonderful kids,” Trevor said as they followed the children into the kitchen.
“Yes, I do,” Kate said and smiled at him. “And they clearly have good taste because they both like you.” She squeezed his arm with affection.
Well, at least Luis liked Trevor and wasn’t afraid to show it. Little Anna was shyer and had preferred to hang onto Kate the entire time Trevor had spent with them this afternoon. But Anna had always been reticent when it came to new people in her life, whereas Luis welcomed everyone with open arms, so her youngest child’s behavior didn’t exactly come as a surprise to Kate. Kate and Trevor had had a lovely time at dinner the other night. Trevor had picked an intimate Italian restaurant that, at first sight, Kate had thought was a bit too romantic, but she’d soon calmed down. So what if it felt romantic? She and Trevor were deepening a beautiful friendship, and that was worth celebrating. Besides, why was she so worried anyway? The way Trevor had been courting her since Diego died was quite innocent, barely romantic, quite frankly. He had never once been inappropriate with her, or said something that would even remotely fall under the category “sexual innuendo.” Never tried to kiss her or touched her the way lovers do. All he had been was a good man and an even better friend. But, yes, like Joanna had already mentioned, it was now obvious to Kate that Trevor wasn’t only interested in friendship. The man had confessed that he loved her from the moment he’d met her. If Kate was honest with herself, she had always known that Trevor had felt strongly about her. The intense way he looked at her sometimes, his blue eyes going dark with emotion, spoke of that. And all of that was totally okay with Kate, she had decided after their dinner. She hoped that she, too, would one day feel as much for Trevor as he did for her.
Her eyes landed on Anna, who was struggling to get up on the chair opposite the one Luis had climbed up on by the kitchen table, and she saw Trevor rushing over to help the toddler. Much to her surprise and contentment, her daughter didn’t look at him with those big, frightened child eyes of hers while calling for her mommy, but instead let him help her. The moment made Kate smile, and she felt reassured that she had made the right move in inviting Trevor to spend the afternoon with her and the children. She wanted them to get to know him.
We will all be okay, she thought as Anna gave Trevor a shy smile. Even Luis would be okay. He had asked for his father every night since he died, but as of the last couple of nights, he hadn’t called her into the bedroom to ask when daddy would be back. In a month or two, he’d likely have forgotten all about Diego.
Kate felt terrible having to admit it to herself, but a big part of her was grateful for the way things were developing. The fact of the matter was that, for now, it would be better if they could take to Trevor, view him as their father. When they were much older, Kate would make sure that both Luis and his sister were aware of who their real father was, of course, and what a wonderful man he had been. When they were better equipped to deal with what had happened. But right now, Trevor would be great for them. Great as their father. The way he was leaning against the table between the two kids, propped up on his elbows and smiling at them as he told them about his boat, it looked like Trevor wouldn’t mind filling Diego’s role. He had already told her about how much he loved children, and couldn’t wait until he became a father.
He really was a handsome man, she couldn’t help but think as she remained in the doorway, watching her children interact with the smiling man, so different from her late husband. Diego had also been handsome, but whereas he had been shorter and more muscular, not to mention darker-skinned, Trevor was tall, nearly six foot three and had a lanky build, a runner’s physique. He was wearing a button-down blue shirt tucked into light gray dress pants, both which complemented his body, making it appear elegant instead of skinny. He was so blond his hair, that was short and combed sideways over his head in that conservative style of corporate employees, was almost white, but the eyelashes that framed his blue eyes were darker, and so were his eyebrows, giving his light-skinned face more contrast. There was a smattering of freckles over the bridge of his narrow nose that made him appear boyish despite his manly, angular jawline and sharp cheekbones.
Diego had been all ovals. Oval-shaped face, oval-shaped muscles, oval-shaped eyes. Even his black hair that he had kept on the longer side had curls that appeared oval. He had been good-looking in an almost feminine way, his features had been so soft. His big, black eyes that his son had inherited had ridiculously long lashes and his full mouth had a cupid’s bow. His nose had been of the button kind; their son had gotten that, as well as his mouth and hair, whereas Anna had gotten Kate’s much fairer, straighter hair. Because of Diego’s undoubtedly masculine body, big hands and feet, however, no one would ever confuse him for a woman despite his longish curls and pretty face.
An image of a smiling Diego suddenly filled Kate’s head, and she felt a pang in her heart. Oh, God, she missed him so much… Why did he have to die that night? Who would want to see her wonderful husband dead? She had turned this question over in her head every night since she found out about his murder, and she still had no idea why it had happened. After speaking to her mother-in-law and then to Maria, she no longer thought it was likely that a random person had robbed and killed Diego. Her late husband had clearly kept secrets from her and she now thought that there might be more, despite what Sofia had promised her. Diego must have pissed off someone who decided to kill him. Maybe a crazy customer or a disgruntled employee that he had been forced to fire. Like Detective Cooper had stressed, him being part of a gang was a very long time ago, so she wasn’t worried about the safety of their kids or herself. If Diego had thought that she and the kids would ever be in danger, he would have taken precautions. May
be he would never even have married her for fear of what the gang might do to his family. Yes, his death could not be something related to a gang retaliation. Gang members retaliating would not rob the victim, would they? No, they wouldn’t. She sighed. Well, she hoped that was the case at least. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part. She supposed it could have been a gang member. She shook her head, forcing all the thoughts out of her head. She would drive herself crazy if she kept thinking like this.
Her eyes went to Trevor, who was involved in a conversation with Anna at the moment. Maybe with his help, she would figure out who’d had it out for Diego, and then she would be able to relax at last.
* * *
Chapter 21
It had started to rain when Larry and Wil arrived at the address Mike the tech guy had given them for Mary Lou Dalton. Wil cursed the fact that they hadn’t checked the weather before driving all the way to the gray wooden house in which the woman lived. It had taken them an hour, and now they were in the middle of nowhere with no stores around where they could buy an umbrella.
