Rosa shook her head. “I don’t suppose that new boyfriend of yours would be willing to see if she crossed the border?”
Ella pursed her lips. “They won’t tell you?”
“No,” Rosa said, anger in her tone. “They say that since I am not her spouse nor a member of law enforcement, I have no right to view their records.”
Ella shook her head. “What about asking the Sheriff?”
Rosa turned to face Ella, the sun making Rosa’s eyes glimmer like pale emeralds. “I did. He said that as Lucia is a legal adult and there was no sign of a struggle, he can’t do anything.”
Ella fell silent, and Rosa pressed her lips together. She still hadn’t figured out where the third clue was.
She dances on the turn of the crescent moon. Rosa recalled the words, her hand moving automatically to the heavy seal in her pocket. If she was honest with herself, it was because she didn’t want to know what other family secret Lucia had been guarding and had now meant to entrust to her. She was already implicated in harboring two illegal immigrants.
Her mind jumped to her aunt and cousin. She wondered if they had already heard the news, isolated as they were at the moment. How was she supposed to help them get their papers? That had always been Lucia’s job, her risk alone. That way, Rosa and Camelia could claim ignorance and be free of most of the legal ramifications if they were caught.
She shook her head, not really listening to Ella’s attempts to distract her. Why would Lucia cross the border, when their mother had been adamant that they were never to do so? Her mother had told them that the family in Mexico saw them as traitors. Traitors who had given up on the family business, their ties, their very identity, to remake themselves over the border. Was that a lie? Or had Lucia not crossed the border at all? She could have gotten a lift to somewhere else.
But no, then why would she have mentioned breaking her promise to mom?
Unless it was another promise. Rosa groaned at all the unanswered questions, and Ella gave her a lopsided smile.
“You’ll figure it out,” she said, knowing her well enough to guess she had just failed at unraveling some mystery. “You always had a keen mind.”
Rosa gave her friend a small smile in return. “Thanks. I only hope I am patient enough to figure it out.”
Ella laughed. “Ah, yes. Patience. Not one of your better-honed skills.”
Rosa rolled her eyes but felt a smile tug her lips. Ella’s cajoling finally eased the burden pressing on her heart and filling her mind with circular arguments.
“You might want to keep your distance from her, Ella.”
Rosa froze, and Ella hissed under her breath.
“Mind your own business Frank,” Ella said, tuning slowly and tossing her curls over her shoulder.
Rosa kept her eyes on the ground, the dispelled weight returning full force, seeming more eager than ever to crush her.
“Come now, Ella, there’s no need to be rude. Our families have been neighbors for generations. I’m only trying to help. I know my parents and yours would hate to see you dragged down by the wrong kinds of associations.”
“You want to help, Frank? Then shut your trap,” Rosa said, her voice like a whiplash, her eyes flashing to his face.
Everything about him seemed to piss her off, from the wavy brown hair to the sunburnt cheeks, pointed nose, and the eyes that sat too close together.
Frank Connor turned his dull eyes on her. “You got a problem with the right to free speech, Rosa? I say you and the other Kay should leave town while you can. We all know your mother did in your father and fled,” he said, his eyes flashing over the growing crowd with malicious pleasure. “Now it looks like dear Lucia followed in her footsteps.”
Rosa felt her anger crackle through her bones. Feeling it so keenly after twelve years of near-total numbness was overwhelming. Ella’s hand tightened on her arm, and she bent her head close.
“Don’t rise to it. That’s what he wants,” she breathed, her eyes darting to the side.
Rosa followed the glance from under her long lashes and saw that Mayor Goodwin had joined the crowd, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Everyone knew that the Mayor was easily swayed by public opinion. He would say and do nasty things if the majority wanted it. Popularity was his life’s blood.
Rosa gave Ella’s hand a gentle squeeze and unlinked their arms. “I’ll see you later.”
Walking up the street alone, Rosa kept her spine stiff, feeling the eyes that continued to bore into her back. It was time she stopped giving in to a vain hope that Lucia would show up. Lucia wasn’t coming back to spare her whatever ‘baton’ she had meant for Rosa to pick up, not even bothering to tell her what that entailed. Lucia had left them with nothing but cryptic clues and the growing hostility of the town.
2
Dr. Mark Fell ran a hand over his light brown hair and turned his blue eyes on the FBI agent watching with a gaze intense enough to make him feel like he was on trial for murder.
“What do you mean there’s no trace evidence, Dr. Fell?”
Mark gave Agent Reis a long stare. “Exactly what you think it means. All traces of hair follicles, fingerprints, and bodily fluids belong to the victim. These natural finds, soil, insects, and such are all native to here and are commonly found in the golf course. As he was there a few days, their presence is not unusual. His wounds were all cleaned postmortem, in my estimation. There’s nothing to find.”
Agent Reis pinched the bridge of his nose, his vivid red hair looking like magical fire under
