She hoped the silence on the other end indicated Hector was thinking.
“He was a drifter, if I remember, since I only heard Rodolfo refer to him once when he told me what he’d done to him, but I believe his name was Ortega. Yes, that’s it, Armando Ortega.”
Cain moved her finger from check to check until she reached the eighth one on the list. Juan Armando Ortega had used his passport to enter the United States the day Rick had been killed. Gracelia and Juan might have been unstable, but that didn’t equal stupid. That Juan was able to get a passport with that name meant Gracelia Luis had kept her lover alive in her memory, no matter how hard Rodolfo had tried to erase it.
“One more thing, Hector. How did Armando die?”
“That is one story that makes me cross my legs whenever I tell it,” he said with a chuckle. He gave her the details Rodolfo had shared with him about how he’d tied Armando to a tree and coated his genitals in honey before agitating the large red-ant hill at the base. “Rodolfo told me the ants devoured his manhood before he died, but they didn’t leave him alive very long.”
“Thank you for answering my questions and for taking my call,” Cain said as she circled Juan’s given name.
“I’ll be in New Orleans soon. Perhaps while I’m there we can share a meal.”
“I’ll be happy to treat for all your help. Good night.”
“What’d he say?” Muriel asked as soon as Cain hung up.
“Our rat has another name and he’s here.” Cain handed over the page with Juan’s name on it. “Katlin’s back, right?”
“She’s in the pool house.”
“Get her up here first thing in the morning before you two head off to finish the Anthony business. If Juan’s returned, and he is according to this, I want him found.”
“Are you still planning to meet with Rodolfo?”
“As soon as I’m done with you all in the morning.” Cain put her papers in the desk and locked it, slipping the key into her pocket.
“Do you want me to do anything else with the casino deal?” Muriel asked. She stopped at the head of the hallway that led to the rear of the house. “With everything that’s happened we’ve almost forgotten it.”
“Postponed, Cousin, not forgotten. Nunzio’s a hard guy to put out of your head for long, so there’s no way I’ve forgotten him. He’ll have to wait until I’ve squared Juan away.” A door opened upstairs, the quiet house making it easy to hear, and Cain expected to see Emma at any minute. “After Nunzio hired someone to kill Remi, it’s best to let Ramon deal with him.”
“With no input from us?”
“Of course not. I’ve been considering how best to dispense with this problem.”
“You want me to handle our end of things?” Muriel asked.
Just then, Emma came downstairs, put her arms around Cain’s waist, and said, “You better take a night to think about asking something that important, Muriel.”
“You think I can’t handle it?” Muriel asked, not yet sounding insulted but at the cusp of her patience, from what Cain could tell.
“I’ve got no doubt about that,” Emma said as Cain kissed her cheek.
“Then what’s to think about?”
“She’s talking about points of no return,” Cain said. “Up to now you haven’t had to answer a challenge like the one Nunzio issued by hiring Jorge. He tried to draw first blood and we’ve got to answer him.”
“Blood demands blood, I understand that perfectly. Don’t forget I grew up in this family too, and I did it without blinders on.”
“Take the night Emma’s suggested, and before you ask me again, remember one thing. To deal with the devil is easy, but the debt you incur weighs heavily on your soul. Not everyone’s made to carry the load.”
“More wise advice from Uncle Dalton?”
“My father agreed with the words, but your father told me that. Jarvis served Da like you have me for as long as Da was alive, and he never asked to change his lot in life.”
Muriel’s nose flared as if Cain had finally lit her ire. “Why do you have such a problem with me doing it? I thought we were beyond that.”
“I’ve tried to give you what you asked for, haven’t I? But I have a problem with you trying to prove something, not to yourself, but to a woman who you tell me is of no consequence.” Cain knew her words were stern, but she needed to say them as much as Muriel needed to hear them. “You don’t have to prove to me you deserve your name, but you’ve got to start thinking like a Casey.”
“What do you think I’ve been doing?”
“If you want the truth, putting yourself in situations to prove to Shelby you’re no one’s fool. It’s time to pick what your debt will be, but be damn sure you’re in shape to carry it. I can’t do that for you.”
Cain tensed when Muriel moved toward her, but just as quickly relaxed into the embrace Muriel initiated. “I don’t need time to think. Where you lead I’ll follow. It’s that simple, and thanks for always watching out for me.”
“That’s my privilege,” Cain said as she kissed her forehead.
“Just remember that I’ll follow, but like Emma, I don’t want to be left behind.”
