I turn my attention to her. “No.” I peer around Leona at Carmen. “If you want me to find Elizabeth, you’re going to need to tell me everything. And I mean everything.”
“She’s done answering your questions today,” Leona says.
Carmen speaks up. “I don’t know any old woman. And I cannot believe my daughter would ever associate herself with that disgusting religion.” Now that Carmen has indicated her willingness to speak with me, Leona steps aside.
“Why did you send Hugo to follow me?” I ask.
“He’s following you?” Carmen asks as Leona retakes her seat next to her employer.
“He was at the library this morning, looking for me. Why is he following me?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t know he was.”
“What does Hugo do for you?”
“He worked for my husband for many years. He manages the stores—”
“Then why did you send him to contact me?” I ask. I know she’s hiding something. “Why him specifically?”
Carmen looks from me to Leona.
“Carmen?” I prod. I don’t want to give her time to formulate a response with Leona.
“I trust him,” Carmen says.
“How can you trust someone you didn’t know was following me?”
Carmen buries her face in her hands. She’s on the ropes.
I keep hitting. “What was his relationship with Elizabeth?”
“Please stop.”
Leona finally interjects, “That’s enough.” Her tone is stern and commanding, and this time, it gives me pause. “Hugo is a trusted member of this family. These questions are insulting to Mrs. Viramontes.”
I don’t care if Carmen is insulted. I need answers. “What is your relationship with Hugo?”
“I do not have a relationship with Hugo,” Carmen snaps. “He is someone my husband trusted, so he is someone I trust. When Elizabeth first disappeared, I asked Hugo to find her. I could not trust anyone else. Especially the police.”
“Are you involved in anything else illegal I should know about?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Oh yes, she absolutely is. “Hugo doesn’t manage the stores, does he?”
“He worked for my husband!” Carmen shouts. She’s defensive now. Emotional.
There’s a lot Carmen’s not telling me, and she won’t tell me, especially with Leona protecting her. Maybe Leona is more than a maid. Maybe Carmen is more than an immigrant. Maybe their electronics empire is more than that.
My eyes dance around the room, and I take into consideration this enormous house in an affluent neighborhood. Why does someone have a thug running personal errands, like tailing private investigators? How did Elizabeth Viramontes get mixed up in a Mexican cult known for its drug affiliation? Why would someone kidnap her? Who is Carmen Viramontes?
It’s an obvious and inevitable conclusion, and I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of it earlier. Or maybe I did and just didn’t want to admit it. I say, “It’s not the stores he manages, is it?”
“He does,” she pleads.
“It’s another part of your business.”
“No.”
“Tell me!”
Leona finally shouts, “I sent him after you!”
I freeze. Carmen looks up, shocked. Paige leans forward beside me.
“Why?” I ask, unable to hide my frustration.
“I was worried about your investigation. Finding Elizabeth is…” She trails off, her voice cracking. “We must find Elizabeth. I told Hugo I wanted any updates. I didn’t care how. Even if he had to follow you.”
Part of me wants to walk away, but I’m in too deep now. Carmen and Leona are going to continue to hide information from me, so I can no longer rely on them for my search. Carmen is no longer my client—Elizabeth is. And when I find Elizabeth, I’ll find Santa Muerte.
“If you want me to find her,” I say to them, “if you want her safe, then I don’t want Hugo following me anymore. His presence puts her in jeopardy. Put a leash on him if you want me to find your daughter.”
Leona stiffens. “You do not have to worry about Hugo anymore.”
As if on cue, the front door opens. The sound of hard boot soles clacking on wood floors echoes through the house. Hugo enters the room. Everyone stops talking.
He’s clearly surprised to see me. No one is surprised to see him. I raise my hand and offer a little wave.
“Will you excuse us?” Carmen asks.
With Paige in tow, I take my time as I stroll past Hugo and head outside. We climb down the steps of the porch to stand in the driveway, allowing a respectful distance for Carmen to handle Hugo and Leona.
Paige keeps her focus on the house as she whispers, “So, um, Carmen… she’s a drug dealer, right?”
“Pretty much.”
“That’s comforting.”
Carmen’s angry voice blasts from the house. The sudden sharp yelling startles Paige and me. Hugo’s voice counters but is immediately cut off. Leona shouts in English, and soon all three are speaking over one another.
Then silence. Paige and I exchange a look that says, Should we run?
The door opens, and Leona emerges. She’s composed as she walks down the steps toward us, her head slightly bowed. She stands before me for a moment before speaking. “Mrs. Viramontes apologizes. Neither Hugo nor I will interfere with your investigation again.”
Chapter 13
____◊____
“ELIZABETH!” I SHOUT, WAKING UP.
I’m on the couch, where I landed a few hours ago. Or maybe it was longer than that. The last thing I remember is coming home with Paige, telling her I was going to close my eyes for a quick afternoon nap, and… now it’s night outside. The only light comes from the kitchen—which does little to brighten the loft—and from a computer screen in Paige’s corner of the dining table.
Her disembodied face looks up from behind the laptop. “Bad dream?”
“Dark magic. Missing girls. Bennet’s death. Demons. The usual.” The words come out through a raspy and halting voice. I rub my head, realizing that I slept in a funny position and haven’t had enough water.
“I fixed you dinner,” Paige says, nodding toward our coffee table. A cold glass of water sits there, condensation dripping down to the coaster. Next to it is a plate with a ham-and-cheese baguette sandwich and two aspirin.
I reach for the aspirin and water first. As I start chowing down on the sandwich, Paige
