tourists.
'So tell me. Why did I get kicked off the Marquez case? It wouldn't have anything to do with Cavanaugh, would it?' She leaned her elbows on the table and narrowed her eyes.
'Everything to do with him. As you know, Draper suspects the man might be the one behind the missing girls, a human-trafficking slant.' Santiago munched on chips and salsa. 'But they don't have much so far. Cavanaugh is a clever bastard, and it's not an easy crime to prosecute.'
Becca didn't hide her look of shock. 'Draper thinks the guy is using his travel business for the sex trade? That's a push, isn't it?'
'It's a theory. But human trafficking goes beyond the sex angle. It's modern-day slavery, with forced labor in factories, restaurants, or agricultural work. It can even hit closer to home with someone's nanny or housekeeper, a forced marriage, or even trafficking in human organs for transplantation. A heart going to the highest bidder under the radar of authorities. It's the third largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world, and Cavanaugh may have brought it to our doorstep. No telling what the guy's into.' Santiago shook his head in disgust.
'You'd think it would be a business with a lot of risk to it.'
'What risk? These bastards prey on vulnerable populations like runaways, abused kids, and the poor. Who are
'Hell, I would guess prosecution doesn't stack up to much compared to the income potential.' She let his anger influence her own. 'Prosecution is no kind of deterrent. And I bet a large well-funded group like Cavanaugh's organization can wield political power, too. Extortion and violence can convince a lot of people to turn their heads the other way.'
She let the idea sink in before she continued, 'I wonder how long this has been going on? Maybe Isabel ...'
'Who?' he asked.
'Oh, sorry.' She shrugged. 'I kept a little information from Draper. The bones in the theater? I may have a name. Isabel Marquez, but no firm ID yet.'
'I knew you had something up your sleeve. You caved too easy.' He took a sip of coffee, hiding a smile.
'And I think I know how Draper found out about my interview with Cavanaugh.' She pulled off a piece of a flour tortilla and ate it.
'Go ahead. Say it.' He grinned. 'I knew you'd figure it out.'
'He's got someone on the inside, doesn't he? A fed.' Becca smiled when Santiago shrugged, but she didn't share any more information about Diego. Her foray into blackmail would remain her little secret.
'Yeah, but his guy's not a fed. Supposedly, Draper turned someone already in place, made him an informant. The feds can play real dirty when they need to. He's got something on this guy, but Draper's pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing. I had to pull strings to get that much.'
The waitress brought their plates and refilled their coffee. Becca had been hungry, but the thought of Cavanaugh being involved in sex slavery turned her stomach. Had Isabel Marquez been one of his early victims? And when Danielle's sweet face emerged in her mind, she shut her eyes tight and lowered her head to stifle the image of Dani being involved in such cruelty. Her sister's last days were hard to imagine, even for a jaded cop. Had Cavanaugh been the purse strings behind Danielle's abduction?
'What's the matter, Becca?' He set his fork down on the side of his plate. 'You okay?'
'Human trafficking. What if Dani . . .'
'Don't go borrowing trouble. You don't know what happened to Danielle. Her case was different from the other girls, but whatever happened to her . . . it's over now.' His face reflected the pain in her heart. 'You've got to find some closure, Becca. I'm worried about you.'
'I know, Art. And I appreciate your concern, but I have to get through this my own way . . . my own time. Please understand.'
'I do. I hate seeing you go through it, that's all.'
To get the focus off her, she changed the subject. She briefed him on Joe Rivera and the Global Enterprises connection to Cavanaugh.
'What about Rivera? Do you think he's involved in the trafficking with the merger of his company?' she asked, poking through her eggs with a fork.
Her stomach twisted into a knot as she waited for his reply. If both Rivera and Cavanaugh were guilty of such a despicable crime, maybe Diego had played a part, too. And even if Draper turned Diego, planning to use him as an informant and a witness to indict the bigger fish, it didn't let him off the hook. Diego's bargain with the FBI wouldn't exonerate him from his part in such a heinous crime. The thought shocked her. How could she be so wrong about him?
'Art? I think the Marquez case is linked to Cavanaugh in some way. His connection to young girls could span many years. Maybe Isabel was an early victim.' She wiped her mouth with a napkin. 'I don't have any hard evidence yet, but my gut is sending me hinky vibes.'
'My gut does that, too, but I call it gas,' he teased.
'Thanks for the image burned into my brain, but hear me out. I think Draper and Murphy will drop the Marquez case to go after Cavanaugh on the bigger, more visible arrest. They may not notice I'm still working it. And this case may shed some light on Cavanaugh from another direction. What do you think?'
'Sounds logical. What are your plans?'
'Rudy Marquez, Isabel's brother, told me he saw his sister get into a Mercedes one night, along with a friend of hers, Sonja Garza. He followed them to Cavanaugh's estate.'
'No kidding. Could be a connection worth exploring, Becca.'
'Yeah, I thought so, too. I'll track down Sonja Garza later today.'
'Before I forget.' He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a thick white envelope. 'You received a couple of faxes. I thought they might have something to do with your theater case. I made copies for you but gave the originals to Murphy.'
'Yeah, I'm sure he was thrilled.'
Becca opened the envelope and looked at the contents. She had contacted Hans Muller's architectural firm and the subcontractor on the first renovation of the theater, asking for the roster of personnel on the job. The work coincided with the time frame of Isabel's disappearance. She spotted Rudy Marquez's name on the subcontractor's listing easily enough, but the architectural firm's statement would require some review. The billing of time had more detail. She wanted the invoicing for comparison against the subcontractor's payroll records. Becca shoved the documents back into the envelope and set it on the table by her plate.
'Personnel records. I'll have to check them out. Thanks.' She took her last bite of refried beans and set her fork down. Santiago had wiped his plate clean. 'So tell me, Art. Why did you decide to help me?'
The waitress slipped the check on their table and refilled their coffee cups. Santiago waited for the girl to finish and leave before he answered Becca's question.
'Draper is an arrogant ass, and he's pissing on my jurisdiction. And you? You're one of mine. End of story.' He shrugged. 'And if he's got an informant on the inside, I don't want you getting wrapped up in the middle.'
Santiago stared at her for a moment, but after a while, he rolled his eyes and grinned.
'You're probably gonna ignore my sage advice, so do me a favor. Don't fly solo on this one, Becca. If you need backup, call me. And just for grins, let's pretend I'm your supervisor. Keep me informed, will ya?' Without waiting for her reply, Santiago reached across the table and tossed her the check. 'By the way, the tab's on you.'
'Thanks, Art. Remember this at my next evaluation. A raise would be nice.'
Before he took off, Santiago stood and fixed his eyes on her.
'Without knowing more about this inside informant, I'd proceed with extreme caution. He might self-destruct in Draper's face. And with the stakes being so high, killing may become a part of the equation. Watch your back.'
Becca nodded and gave him a mock salute, pretending a show of humor she didn't feel.
'Draper won't keep me apprised of every detail, only the big-ticket items if I press him. So I don't know how
