by Sam Hawken
‘If she was drunk, why wouldn’t you arrest her?’
‘I didn’t think it was that bad. And she was young and pretty and maybe I didn’t want to see her get into that kind of trouble.’
‘That was very thoughtful of you.’
‘You go to hell! I’m not going to answer these kinds of questions.’
Guadalupe made to get up from his chair and Gonzalo froze him with his voice: ‘Don’t you move! You’ll go when I say it’s time to go and no sooner!’
The man fell back into his seat and a bitter smile played on his lips. ‘You’re tough now, are you, Inspector? Tougher than me?’
‘I don’t have to prove myself to you,’ Gonzalo said. ‘You’re a liar and I don’t believe you for a second when you say you don’t take money. What I want to know is this: did they refuse to pay up, or was it your intention all along to arrest them?’
‘I told you: I didn’t arrest anyone. If there’s someone who says differently, they’re the ones who lie.’ With that, Guadalupe crossed his arms across his chest and fixed a stony look on Gonzalo.
Gonzalo let him stare. He carefully set back the pages in the case file and then closed the cover. He folded his hands atop the marbled green paper. ‘Tell me about águila.’
Guadalupe’s mouth drooped open before he could snap it shut again. His arms tightened around his chest and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. ‘I don’t know anyone called águila.’
‘Haven’t you figured out by now that I don’t ask questions I don’t already know the answers to?’ Gonzalo asked. ‘You can try and string me along as much as you want, but in the end I’ll get the answers I’m looking for. I have nowhere else to be and nothing else to do. I’m suspended, remember? So let me refresh your memory: you and águila at El Pájaro in La Zona. Together. I was there.’
Gonzalo saw the flicker of Guadalupe’s eyes, felt the sudden aura of vulnerability that surged out of the man, across the desk and filling the room. Guadalupe fidgeted still more, his hands tucked into his armpits. He looked left and right, but there was only the tiny space and the two of them, the camera glaring down.
‘I’m not going to say any more,’ Guadalupe said finally.
‘Just tell me how far into águila’s pocket you are.’
‘Let me out of here.’
‘It’s not too late to make a deal,’ Gonzalo pressed. ‘Tell me everything you know and you could still save yourself.’
Guadalupe unwound his limbs and waved his hands in front of himself as if trying to conjure Gonzalo away. ‘No, no, no! I won’t say anything more.’
‘Is it águila you’re protecting?’
When Guadalupe looked at Gonzalo again, his eyes shone. The bravado was gone and now there was only fear. He spoke and his voice was tremulous. ‘You don’t know what you’re asking. Now let me out.’
‘Eliseo—’ Gonzalo began, using Guadalupe’s name for the first time.
‘Let me out!’
Gonzalo looked at Guadalupe for a long time, but the man was inured to his gaze, his attention turned inward. His arms were wrapped around his body once more and there was the sense that he would burst out of his chair and attack the door if it did not open. Gonzalo sighed. He turned to the camera. ‘Let him out,’ he said. ‘We’re finished here.’
TWENTY
‘WHO IS THIS ÁGUILA?’ ALVARES asked.
‘I can only tell you what I’ve learned, and that is very little,’ Gonzalo said.
‘He’s a narco,’ Alvares said flatly.
‘Yes. A Zeta. I don’t know how far up and no one is saying. On the night I saw him, I managed to get the number from his license plate, but the plates were stolen from another vehicle. It was a dead end.’
They sat in Alvares’ office. From outside the open door came the muted bustle of activity and the sound of an upraised voice complaining about a vandalized storefront. When the Municipal Police were still in charge, a complaint like that would have been looked into. Gonzalo did not think the army would pay it much mind at all.
‘We’ll tear Guadalupe’s life apart,’ Alvares said. ‘Everything from his phone records to his financials. Nothing will be off the table. What we cannot do ourselves, we’ll pass on to our federal colleagues. It doesn’t matter that he won’t talk. By the time we’re finished, he won’t have to.’
Gonzalo nodded, though his mind was elsewhere, lingering in the small interrogation room where Guadalupe had said so much while admitting so little. His thoughts flitted to the man with the gold watch, águila, and his Ralph Lauren shirt and dark Mercedes, the garish lights and sudden shadows of El Pájaro. He remembered the moment he first suspected Guadalupe of lying and he regretted how little distance he had come since then.
‘Inspector Soler?’
‘What? I’m sorry, can you repeat that?’
‘I said I wanted to thank you for your assistance. You’re a credit to the Municipal Police. When the time comes, you can expect to receive my highest recommendation for readmittance to the force.’
‘Thank you, Captain.’
‘What will you tell your American friend?’
‘I will tell him the truth,’ Gonzalo said. ‘As much as he would like to continue the investigation into his stepdaughter’s disappearance, the matter is best left in the hands of the army and the Federal Police.’
‘That sounds wise. We’re dealing with dangers a civilian has no business involving himself with. He should go home and wait.’
‘I’ve been telling him that all along. Maybe now he’ll listen.’
‘And what will you do?’
Gonzalo attempted a smile. ‘I will try to make my savings last as long as possible. The review process is going to take some time even with your recommendation and I would like to be able to keep eating.’
‘I’m sorry you were caught up in this,’ Alvares said. ‘It’s policemen like Guadalupe that we’re trying to root out, not cops like you. If it were up to me, things would be done very differently. It’s chaos out there.’
Gonzalo rose from his chair. ‘I should go. Thank you for the opportunity, Captain Alvares.’
Alvares got up and offered Gonzalo his hand. ‘We’ll be in touch with you the moment anything changes in regard to this case. You can tell the parents yourself what is happening.’
‘I’m sure they will appreciate that,’ Gonzalo said. ‘Thank you again, Captain.’
Alvares stopped to scribble something on a sticky note and passed it to Gonzalo. ‘Take this: it’s my personal number. If you need anything at all, feel free to call me.’
‘I will. Goodbye.’
Gonzalo waited until he was outside the building before he dialed Jack’s number. Jack answered immediately. ‘What’s happening?’ he asked.
‘I did not get the confession I was hoping for,’ Gonzalo said, ‘but I learned enough. Guadalupe was there and he did take your stepdaughter in his patrol unit. He’s too afraid of incriminating himself to admit more.’
‘Then what do we do?’
‘It’s doubtful that Guadalupe will do anything to endanger himself more than he already has. That leaves us one option: Fregoso.’
‘Fregoso. The partner?’
‘Yes. So far he’s managed to avoid any attention, so he may be useful to us. Guadalupe will also try to get in touch with him to get their stories straight. If this panics Fregoso as much as I think it will, he might do something stupid.’
‘Like what?’
Gonzalo reached his car. The inside was roasting, so he stood with the door open as he talked. ‘I know the name of a Zeta I believe Guadalupe knows well: águila.’
‘Who is he?’
‘That is one of the things I do not know, Jack. But when I asked Guadalupe about águila, he didn’t respond well. Fregoso is in this with Guadalupe at least part of the way. I believe that if either of them is to reach out to águila for help or protection, it will be the partner no one’s watching. Fregoso will lead us right to him.’
<
br /> TWENTY-ONE
THE NEXT DAY JACK CAME TO THE PLACE Gonzalo described and found Gonzalo’s car parked against the uneven curb of a sleepy street. It was early and only a few places were open, so there was room enough for Jack to slide in behind Gonzalo and stop. He brought a Thermos of coffee and a bag of churros with him and got into Gonzalo’s car.
‘Buenos días,’ Gonzalo said, and Jack saw that he was unshaven and bleary. He stretched in the small car, his shoulder making popping noises.
‘Did you sleep in your car last night?’ Jack asked.
‘I did not sleep at all,’ Gonzalo answered. He produced a Styrofoam cup and Jack poured a measure of coffee into it. Jack put the churros between them. He liked to dip them in his coffee.
‘You should have told me you needed someone to cover for you,’ Jack said.
‘Then we would both be tired. It’s all right.’
‘Which one is Fregoso’s place?’
‘There,’ Gonzalo said, and he pointed to a turquoise-colored apartment building that sat sidelong to the street, its narrow face toward traffic. A second-floor doorway was just visible from this angle and part of a window.
‘Has he been out?’
‘Not since he came home last night.’
‘What’s he doing in there?’
‘Probably sleeping. He was out very late.’
‘Did he meet with Guadalupe?’
‘No.’
They ate and drank and when Gonzalo emptied his cup, Jack poured more for him. The smell of cinnamon and coffee was strong in the car. A few other vehicles lazily plied the street, but for the most part it was quiet, without a sign of distress. Jack thought this was the way it ought to be. No narcos. No soldiers. No guns.
‘What makes you think Guadalupe will come now if he hasn’t already?’ Jack asked.
‘He’ll be too afraid to use his phone. People could be listening in. He’ll want to meet Fregoso face to face. I thought for sure they would meet at some bar, but Fregoso kept to himself all night. Perhaps Guadalupe didn’t want to take a chance that someone followed him from the station.’
‘Someone like you,’ Jack said.
‘Exactly. Though this work isn’t what the army is here for. They have no patience for the waiting game. Seeing me may have given Guadalupe some pause. He doesn’t know who is working with the army now. It could be me, it could be anybody.’
‘Will Alvares bring in more people?’
‘I don’t know. It’s doubtful. He made a special case for you and me. It’s not likely he will do the same for anyone else.’
The churros were all gone. Jack crumpled up the bag and tucked the paper ball under his leg. The Thermos was almost empty, too. He finished the last of it.
Morning sun spilled over the edges of buildings and cascaded into the street, turning asphalt into molten gold. The more pleasant cool of night bled away and Jack felt the prickling of sweat beneath his shirt.
The hands on Jack’s watch turned around and around. Though he shifted time and again in the uncomfortable seat, Gonzalo sat motionless, watching Fregoso’s apartment with an air of total attention. Jack did not want to interrupt him to speak.
Fregoso did not come out. Guadalupe did not appear. Eventually Jack’s stomach growled for lunch.
‘Maybe he’s not coming,’ Jack said.
‘He’ll come.’
‘He could have just called. If he’s not as afraid to use the phone as you think, he could have touched base with Fregoso already and we’re sitting here for nothing.’
For the first time in hours, Gonzalo turned his gaze away from Fregoso’s apartment. He looked at Jack. ‘Is that what you think? That we’re wasting our time?’
‘The thought crossed my mind. What exactly have we gotten so far? A confession that’s not a confession, a witness who won’t come forward and the name of a narco who might not even exist.’
‘He exists,’ Gonzalo said.
‘We ought to lean on Fregoso. Get him to tell us what he knows.’
‘I’m not a vigilante, Jack. Are you?’
Jack’s face turned into a scowl. ‘I don’t know what I am. Along for the ride, I guess.’
‘I’m doing what I can.’
‘It just feels like every day we get farther away.’
Gonzalo nodded. ‘I can understand that. But you must believe that we will find Marina. And Patricia, too.’
‘Why are you even doing this, anyway?’ Jack said. ‘Staying up all night in your car, sticking your neck out… what’s in it for you?’
‘You are paying me, Jack.’
‘But you were on this before I started paying you. Right from the beginning. You’ve got a whole city full of drug dealers and murderers and God knows what and you chose to spend your time looking for Marina.’
Gonzalo looked away and scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully. ‘It is difficult to put into words you would understand. You are not a policeman. You’re not even a Mexican.’
‘Try me.’
Jack waited until it seemed as though Gonzalo would not speak, but then he said, ‘It’s because I am not proud of what we’ve become in this city. Everyone tends to his little patch, but no one looks out for anyone else. As a policeman it’s supposed to be different; we are meant to care for others before ourselves. But we do not. We are like Guadalupe and Fregoso. That’s why Alvares and his men are here now: because we failed.’
A lengthy silence passed between them. Gonzalo resumed his vigil and Jack shifted so that his sweaty back peeled free of the vinyl upholstery of the little car’s seat.
‘You haven’t failed me yet,’ Jack said.
‘Thank you for saying so. I know it’s been difficult for you.’
‘Just so long as we keep moving forward.’
‘That much I can promise. We will always move forward.’
‘What will you do if you see Guadalupe and Fregoso together?’ Jack asked to change the subject.
‘I will go on watching Fregoso for another twenty-four hours to track his movements. If he leads me to águila, then I’ll have my connection. If he does not, I will go back to Alvares to ask for permission to interrogate him.’
‘That’s it?’
‘What else would you have me do?’
‘What about moving forward?’
‘That is moving forward, Jack.’
Jack closed his mouth on the words he was about to say. His eyes strayed toward the apartment. The door was open and Fregoso was out. Gonzalo sat up sharply. ‘He’s on the move.’
Fregoso closed the door behind himself and locked it, then moved out of sight. Jack gripped the edge of the open window. ‘Where’s he going?’
‘There’s a small place for parking cars next to the building,’ Gonzalo said. ‘He drives a gold Camry.’
It was a long minute before Jack saw the gold Camry nose out from beside the building and into the street. It turned toward them and came on quickly, picking up speed. Gonzalo started his car.
Jack wanted to duck down when Fregoso came close, but the man did not even glance in their direction as he passed. Gonzalo goosed the accelerator and his car lurched around in a clumsy U-turn in the middle of the street. ‘We’ll have to come back for your truck,’ Gonzalo said.
Fregoso drove well above the limit and ducked around slower-moving cars without signaling. Gonzalo raced to keep up with him, nearly lost the Camry at a red light and then made up some of the distance. After another handful of blocks they saw Fregoso turn into the parking lot of a taquería with all of its tables arranged outside on a covered porch. Gonzalo stopped where he could, so close that Jack was certain Fregoso would see them if he turned his head the wrong way.
‘There is Guadalupe,’ Gonzalo said.
Guadalupe sat at one of the tables and he waved Fregoso closer. They sat down together and Jack saw them sharing food out of a paper-lined plastic basket as they talked. He wanted to be close to them, to hear what they were saying. He wished for some
kind of high-tech listening device like the cops used on television. At least he could be close enough to read their lips.
‘What is he telling him?’ Jack asked.
‘I’m sure he is telling him everything. What we know. What we don’t know.’
‘Now Fregoso will be watching his back.’
‘That’s part of the price we must pay to play this game.’
The two policemen conferred a while longer and then said their goodbyes. Jack watched Guadalupe throw away his trash before heading to his car. He itched to follow. ‘I should have driven myself.’
‘You would be too conspicuous,’ Gonzalo said.
‘What if you have it backward? What if Guadalupe goes to águila and not Fregoso?’
‘We’re committed to this now, Jack. Look: Fregoso is going.’
Fregoso drove away from the restaurant and Gonzalo followed. This time Fregoso did not speed, but his driving took on an elusive quality. He made extra turns and more than once he passed stop signs without pausing. Jack’s forehead was sweating. He saw Gonzalo’s knuckles were white on the wheel and he was biting his lip.
Eventually Jack recognized the street and he realized they were coming at Fregoso’s apartment from the opposite direction. Fregoso abruptly turned into the narrow drive that led to the parking area. Gonzalo cruised past. Jack heard a held breath hiss out of him.
Gonzalo steered them back into a spot where they could watch the apartment once more. Within a minute they saw Fregoso at his doorstep. He glanced around once and then vanished inside.
‘What now? We wait again?’ Jack asked.
‘As I said,’ Gonzalo replied. ‘We must see what he does next.’
‘Meanwhile Guadalupe’s running around with no one keeping an eye on him.’
‘He doesn’t know that,’ Gonzalo said. ‘It will be Fregoso, Jack. Fregoso is a night owl, so it’s likely he won’t move until sundown. When he does, we will be here.’
‘I don’t think I can take another six or seven hours cooped up in this car,’ Jack said.
‘If you want, I can call you when he makes his move. You don’t have to be here. Spend time with your stepdaughter. This must be very difficult for her.’