Ryan handed the book back and I looked at the circle.
“Jesus Christ.”
26
“IT’S ANTONIO DIAZ.” THOUGH THE LENSES WEREN’T PINK, THERE was no question in my mind.
“And he would be?”
“The DA from hell.”
“The guy who confiscated Patricia Eduardo’s skeleton?”
“Yes.”
Ryan reached for the book. I gave it to him.
“Diaz was in the army.”
“Apparently.”
“With Bastos.”
“One picture is worth a thousand chalupas.”
“The guy Nordstern accused of running the show at Chupan Ya?”
“You heard the tape.”
“Who is Alejandro Bastos?”
“Search me.”
Ryan started to rise.
“Down, boy.”
He dropped back into his chair.
“Diaz served with this Bastos. What the hell does that mean?”
Just what I was asking myself. Were we back to Chupan Ya? Was it just that Diaz was in the army and was now a judge? Was that Nordstern’s concern? Nothing unusual there. Galiano had laid that all out in our conversation at the Gucumatz. The judicial system in Guatemala was full of torturers and murders. Everyone knew that. It wouldn’t be news. Was there a link with the Paraiso? No answers were popping to mind.
“Maybe nothing,” I said, not really believing it.
“Maybe something,” Ryan said.
“Maybe Diaz had reasons for not wanting me on the Eduardo case.”
“Such as?”
“Maybe he thought it was someone else in the Paraiso tank.”
“Who?”
“Someone connected with Chupan Ya.”
“A pregnant teenaged girl?”
He had me there.
“Maybe Diaz wanted me diverted from the Chupan Ya investigation.”
“Why?”
“Maybe he feared revelations about his past.” I was just thinking out loud. “Maybe he feared they’d cost him his job.”
“Didn’t the Paraiso case do just that?”
“What?”
“Divert you from working with Mateo and the team? And the more you investigated Paraiso, the more diverted you would be. If he wanted you diverted, he would not thwart the diversion.”
A sudden terrible thought.
“Jesus!”
“What?”
“Maybe Diaz was behind the attack on Molly and Carlos.”
“Let’s not get jiggy until we have some facts. Do you know anything about this Bastos character?”
I shook my head.
“Why would Nordstern circle Diaz’s picture?”
“You ask good questions, Ryan.”
