Leona answers and sounds surprised. “Do you have some news?”
“Not news. More questions.”
“One moment.” Minutes go by, and I’m surprised at the time I have to wait.
“Does it usually take this long?” Paige asks.
“No.” I shake my head in frustration. “They’re hiding something.”
With each passing second, I grow more and more concerned. When people ask you to wait, it’s so they can prepare. When people prepare, it’s for a show. When there’s a show, it means someone’s lying.
Five minutes later, I hear, “Come in.” The iron gates open for us.
Paige and I walk up the driveway and find the Super Tech delivery van parked out front. Paige takes in the property, from the massive house to the manicured landscape. “Maybe we should get into the electronics business,” she says.
“Yeah. Let’s get on that.”
Leona is waiting on the porch, and I can tell she’s surprised to see Paige. “And who is this?” Leona asks with a hint of annoyance.
“My business partner,” I say, “Paige Whitaker.”
Paige extends her hand to Leona, but before she can even climb a single step on the porch, Leona whirls around and disappears into the house.
“I think she likes you,” I tell Paige as we follow Leona inside.
She guides us into the drawing room—which is too bad. I was hoping for another free meal in the kitchen.
“Please have a seat. Mrs. Viramontes will be down shortly.” With that, Leona leaves Paige and me alone.
“What’s the plan?” Paige asks.
“Plan?” I say, shooting her a sardonic look.
“Right. Look who I’m talking to.”
A few minutes later, Leona returns with Carmen. With the amount of time I’ve had to wait, I was expecting to see my hostess dressed up to receive me. Instead, Carmen is wearing only a housecoat. I wonder if I’ve interrupted her bath time.
Carmen immediately casts a cold stare on Paige. “I didn’t realize you were working with anyone. I was hoping this job would remain private.” No greeting. No questions about finding her daughter. Just concern that someone is working with me.
“You can trust her.”
Carmen turns her glare on me. “My daughter has been kidnapped, and any day, I could be arrested and deported. I can’t afford to trust anyone.”
“Someone tried to kill me last night,” I say with no attempt to ease into the topic. “Don’t lecture me on not being able to trust anyone.”
Both Carmen’s and Leona’s faces register shock. “What happened?” Leona asks.
“Did you hear about the murder at the library?” I ask.
“The story on the news this morning,” Carmen answers.
“Someone thought that was me. They killed someone else instead.”
Carmen sits down, stunned.
“You’re in danger, now,” Leona says. It’s not a question but an observation.
“She is,” Paige agrees.
It’s too soon for me to mention Hugo and this morning’s brief chase through downtown. I also know he’s probably on his way here, so I need to get some answers before we get to him.
“Someone doesn’t want me to find Elizabeth, which means she must still be alive. And,” I add, “it also suggests I’m getting close to finding her.”
“Did you find something out?” Carmen asks anxiously.
I exchange a glance with Paige—a look that says, Follow my lead.
“The boyfriend, Sebastian,” I say to Carmen.
“Sebastian?” Leona exclaims. She and Carmen exchange a look, and I try to read their expressions. They are both surprised by the news, but I can’t tell if there’s concern there above the recognition.
“You know him?” I ask.
Carmen answers, “He worked for our main office for a while. We had to let him go.”
“Because he was a drug dealer?” I ask bluntly. I do it to elicit a response. Again, Carmen and Leona exchange a look that tells me everything I need to know. They are very aware of his history. I offer a follow-up question. “Was Elizabeth doing drugs?”
Carmen shakes her head. “Absolutely not.”
I shrug. “In my experience, when a young girl starts dating someone who deals drugs, it’s usually not in spite of his dealing—it’s because of it.”
Leona takes over. “Did he kidnap her? Was he involved in her disappearance?” Leona is clearly concerned. I’ve known domestic staff to develop an emotional attachment to the children of their employers. I suspect Leona has more done her fair share to raise Elizabeth.
I shake my head. “He says he wasn’t.”
Carmen speaks up. “How can you trust what he says, especially if he is, as you say, a drug dealer?” She’s on the attack now—questioning me. Doubting me. The genteel facade she put on in our first meeting is long gone.
“I never said I believed him.” I do believe Sebastian, but I’m not going to reveal his story about a witch or my experience last night. “But he certainly has information that could lead me to her.”
Carmen sits back, but Leona leans forward anxiously and asks, “Like what?”
Time to show a card. “Was Elizabeth involved in Santa Muerte?”
Carmen’s eyes widen. This is where I was going with the conversation all along. I study her. She is shocked. Is it because she didn’t know or because I found out?
Leona stands in front of Carmen, protecting her from my line of sight. “How dare you ask her that? Leave!”
This is clearly a sensitive subject. Judging by Carmen’s expression and Leona’s reaction, I’ve committed a grievous sin in even mentioning Santa Muerte. I’ve offended them. Or someone is hiding something.
I ignore Leona and keep my attention on Carmen. “Did you know Elizabeth was spending time with an old woman who was involved in the cult? Any idea who this woman is?”
I’m hoping someone will mention something about a witch, but I doubt it. Carmen looks down, recoiling deeper into her sofa. I can’t tell if this is an expression of guilt or fear. Out of the corner of my eye, I can sense Paige tense up, preparing to move.
“I said leave,” Leona
