AH, Ms. Church.
Rafa remembered well his thoughts of Eugenia when he had secretly given her that nickname back in high school. She was so pure and his thoughts … well, they weren’t. His friends had dared him to pursue her if only to dump her later. Getting a girl to fall for him was his specialty, but something held him back from playing the game with Genie. Maybe it was because she attended church; he didn’t know. When his father had left his mother, Rafa swore he wouldn’t follow in his footsteps, but then he never could stay in a relationship. He blamed his father's influence, and for the last several years, he avoided emotional attachment, convinced deep down a part of him still hadn’t changed.
Rafa felt a soft buzz in his back pants pocket. He pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen. Jimmy, his friend in the San Diego FBI division, had sent him a text. The FBI in Springfield had been briefed about San Diego’s money-laundering investigation against California’s La Cocina Dulce restaurant. An agent would contact him immediately. With the investigative resources of the FBI at their disposal, the motive for these killings would soon be uncovered.
“Green, you have a suit waiting for you by your desk.” An officer met them at the front of the office.
“Okay, thank you,” she replied.
Both he and Genie had just returned from their encounter with the colorful Flores Cera. Rafa smiled. He was no stranger to women flaunting their attraction for him, but Genie’s reaction had caught him off guard. Her anger at him of all people not only amused him but also gave a boost to his deprived ego.
Genie was an anomaly. She rarely favored him with a look and when she did, darts shot out of her eyes and never missed their mark. He’d caught her attempts to hide a blush a few times and despite her denial in the car earlier, he knew jealousy when he saw it. Her persistent dislike of him was thinning.
Today he’d seen an unexpected side of his partner. She spoke calmly and with compassion to Flores when the woman was distraught over her missing brother. Genie had said she empathized with the victims, but her hard exterior made it difficult to believe she possessed a soul. He was happy to have seen it… it complemented her well.
And for the first time in a long time, the primal urge to pursue a woman burned hot within him.
From a distance, a tall blond male, in a well-tailored suit, stood near their desks. As they approached, the unidentified man faced them. “You must be Detective Green,” the suit said.
“I am. And you are?” Green asked.
The suit flashed his badge. FBI. “Drake Compton. Very nice to meet you.”
“And you.”
Compton faced Rafa. “And you must be, um—”
“Detective Santiago.” He gripped Drake’s hand. “I assume you heard from Jimmy?”
“Right, right. Our office should be receiving a copy of San Diego’s case file. My boss called me from the office and I was in the area, so I decided on doing a face to face.”
“Should we perhaps move to a conference room?” Rafa suggested. As he passed the fax machine, he picked up a few pages and read over the coversheet. “We’ve received the report from the ME.”
“I hope you don’t mind me showing up unannounced.” Compton placed a hand in his tailored pants pocket. “But I heard my boss say money laundering and drug trade and I couldn’t wait to be briefed.”
“Oh, Agent Compton, it’s really no problem. It’s not often we get a case with the FBI so I’m glad we get to work together,” Genie answered.
They entered the conference room and sat at the table. Rafa, too, was pleased he would be collaborating with the FBI. He'd soon be working for them and he counted this a great opportunity to meet some of his future coworkers. “I’m actually from the PD out in San Diego,” Rafa began. “There’s a restaurant called La Cocina Dulce, which is well-known as a front for laundering drug money. The owners are deep in the trade, dealing mostly in cocaine.”
“Detective Green called our office a few days ago when she heard about the San Diego restaurant. We’ve done some preliminaries on the restaurant here, but so far, we don’t have anything concrete. I also understand there have been a few murders in your jurisdiction that might be connected.”
“That’s right, Drake,” Genie interjected. “One man who worked at the restaurant was murdered last week, along with a young boy. A mother has also been killed and, as you know, two nights ago a young woman was found dead at her apartment. It hasn’t been determined whether the latter three are at all tied to the restaurant.”
“You said you have the medical examiner’s report?”
Rafa slid the report across the table to Drake. “Genie and I attended the autopsy the other day and—”
“Genie?” Compton interrupted.
“My nickname,” Genie offered.
“Like I was saying,” Rafa began again, “Detective Green and I attended the autopsy of Maribol Canales. She was murdered in the same fashion.”
“I take it you have extensive experience with this rabble?” Compton directed his stare at Rafa.
Rafa’s own eyes didn’t relent. “I do.”
Compton gave him a brief glance-over. “You were a member.”
Rafa shifted in his chair, uncomfortable with the level of the suit's perceptiveness. “I was.”
Compton smirked and eyed Genie. “Well, it’s always good to have an inside man, especially one who has a similar mindset to these perps.”
Rafa sat up straight, the muscles in his neck hardening, as were his fists. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to meet his future coworkers.
“Wait a minute, Agent Compton,” Genie interjected. “Detective Santiago was a source against the Snakes. I wouldn’t suggest he possesses their mindset.”
Rafa couldn’t believe his ears, or his eyes. Genie had actually defended him, despite all of her attacks. The cavity around Rafa’s heart warmed, and the heat penetrated deep. He saw her give him a glance and their gazes held.
Compton swiveled in his chair to face Rafa. The smirk remained. “No offense, of course, Detective.”
Rafa responded with a stiff smile.
“What can you tell me about the money laundering?” Drake asked.
“Agent Compton, isn’t that your area? The FBI in San Diego has been working on that case for some time.” Genie sat down across from the agent.
“I haven’t been in the office today so I don’t know much about their investigation. As for businesses here, we have a joint effort with the Internal Revenue Service and receive monthly reports on local businesses that might be operating illegally. If they fall within our purview, then we investigate. La Cocina Dolce isn't on our radar and may be clean.”
Rafa wasn’t convinced. The only connection couldn’t just be family. “This restaurant has to be linked to the San Diego operation.”
“Not necessarily. But again, I haven’t been to the office so I'll make a request for an inquiry into the restaurant.” Drake checked his watch. “Speaking of the office, I better check in. I’ll give my contact at the IRS a call and let you know what he finds out. Deal?”
Rafa didn’t appreciate the agent’s nonchalant attitude. This case might not be all that sexy to the Bureau, but nevertheless, it was important. Something told Rafa he wasn’t going to like the way Drake did business.
Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) Page 12