by Holly Plum
There was a loud scraping of gravel behind her and Mari instinctively flinched as she turned around. She realized that if a murderer found her out here, there would be little she could do to protect herself. At least Mari's brothers knew where she was, but they were busy at the moment. If anything happened to her, it would be hours before help would arrive.
Suddenly there was another loud crash and a hiss that nearly sent Mari scrambling back to her car. Her vision clouded for a second with the thought of all the terrible things that could happen. But when Mari had calmed down a little, she saw two cats nearby growling at each other.
With a loud sigh of relief, Mari walked into the dark office. It would do no good for her to turn the light on, for that would immediately attract the attention of anyone driving by. Instead, she used the light from her cell phone to illuminate her way back to the desk and placed Steve's keys back on top of the pile of bills.
Mari knew she probably should have exited as soon as this task was done, but she couldn’t resist poking around a bit longer since she was there. She had nowhere else she needed to be and no one pressuring her to leave. Mari could stay as long as she wanted, provided that no one caught her. She sent a text to David letting him know her plans and prayed their dad didn’t read it.
David, of course, was incredulous.
“Mari, get out of there,” David texted back.
“Just give me a few minutes,” Mari texted him.
“Don't be stupid,” was all he wrote in return.
Mari had no idea what she expected to find in the freezers, but she examined them anyway hoping a clue would present itself among the frozen meats. It occurred to her that she could easily walk out with forty pounds of beef. The city was starving for meat ever since Steve’s death, and here it all was, right here. But her father would want to know where she’d gotten it, and Mari had just finished lecturing her brothers about the importance of not stealing. She breathed a prayer of thanks that the thought of stealing meat hadn’t yet occurred to Alex and David.
After looking around for another ten minutes, Mari realized she wasn’t going to find anything the police hadn’t already found. She began tiptoeing her way towards the entrance.
But as she walked past the front desk, her eyes were struck by a series of framed pictures hanging on the wall. Mari had been so preoccupied the day before, and so afraid of getting caught that she hadn’t examined them closely.
Mari held up her phone for a closer look. There was a picture of Steve and his parents when he was quite young. He was wearing Mickey Mouse ears and standing in front of a large castle. Somewhat worryingly, there was a picture of him and her from the day Steve had asked Mari to prom, and she had turned him down. But Mari wasn’t the only woman on his wall. Steve had taken pictures of about a dozen different girls from around town.
The last picture in the series must have been taken in his last year of high school. It showed just Steve who was still long-limbed and gawky back then, not the sweaty walrus he became in his later years. He was standing on a stone path, looking rather jaunty in cargo pants, a plain red t-shirt, and a small backpack. Behind him stood a scene of immense beauty, and rolling hills of green to the far horizon. It was as though Steve had wandered into an alternate universe.
An enormous crash sent every nerve in Mari’s body on edge. It was like a painting falling or a rat scurrying away. A rat…or something much bigger.
Mari told herself again and again that she had stayed too long. She’d stayed just a minute too long, and now she was going to pay for it.
A shadow appeared in front of the front window. As Mari lowered herself behind Steve’s old desk, the hairs on the back of her neck rising, the shadow entered the office and moved toward the center of the room. The mystery figure held a flashlight. Mari couldn’t see who it was because she feared revealing her hiding place. She didn't know if the shadow was a friend or a foe.
Every second Mari spent pondering her next course of action was a second wasted. She had little advice for herself because she had never been in this sort of situation. The shadow moved toward the back of the room and examined the frozen meats. Now was Mari's chance to make a run for it. The only alternative was to stay and possibly be caught.
Mari darted up from her hiding spot and ran as fast as she could into the parking lot. Her hands shook, and she had trouble opening her car door. She gulped, hearing the sound of footsteps coming from inside Steve's office.
Finally, Mari unlocked her door and started her engine. But she was a second too late. Just as she was pulling out of her parking spot, a flashlight shined on her face. Mari squinted from the harsh glare.
Mari had no idea who the intruder was, but the intruder now knew who she was.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Mari sped home as fast as she could, undressed, and climbed into bed. But sleep eluded her that night. She was too worked up and too agitated after the events of the last hour. Someone had caught her breaking into Steve’s office. Mari feared what might happen next.
Not all was bad, she reminded herself as she paced the living room with Tabasco at 3:00 AM. Mari had learned some things. For one, it couldn’t have been the police breaking into Steve's office which meant there was a murder suspect wandering around town. No one on the police force would have been creeping around like that, and not carrying a warrant. It was either a criminal or another amateur sleuth like herself. Rationally those were the only two possibilities. And if it was a criminal, he couldn’t go to the police to report Mari for trespassing without implicating himself in the process. It wasn’t the law Mari had to fear in this instance.
It was something worse.
It was entirely possible that the person who had flashed his or her's flashlight into Mari's face that night as she was pulling away from the office was the person who had murdered Steve Wilson. This person would have no scruples. In Mari's mind, she pictured the killer as a man, terrifying and immense. She wasn’t safe anywhere, anymore than Steve had been. If a man could be murdered in a restaurant during the day, then there were few places the arms of the killer could not reach. She might wake up in the middle of the night to find the murderer standing over her, ready to pounce.
Mari sank into the couch and clutched her dog close to her chest. Tabasco let out a resigned whimper. If a murderer got into the apartment, she knew Tabasco wouldn’t be much protection. But somehow he made her feel safer. She would be glad when this whole investigation was over, and she could sleep soundly in her bed again.
***
Mari’s dad was less than pleased when she brought Tabasco into work the next morning.
“He’s not going back outside,” Mari protested when her father tried to order the dog back into the car. “It’s hot out there, so he'll be staying in here with me. He’s not hurting anyone and I'll keep him out of the kitchen.”
“And what will my customers think?” Mr. Ramirez asked. “He drools everywhere, he barks at customers, and he’s constantly getting into the tabasco supply.
"Well, that is how he earned his name," Mari informed him.
"I’ve told you time and time again that I don’t want him in the restaurant, Mari." José shook his head in disapproval. "Why don't you listen? Why don't any of my children listen to me?"
“I am listening," Mari said. “I just don't agree. And Tabasco doesn’t bark at every customer.”
“Fine." José held up his hands in surrender. "Do whatever you want."
“You won't even know he's here.” Mari smiled as she led Tabasco through the restaurant. He let out a bark and Mr. Ramirez immediately rolled his eyes.
“I already do," he mumbled. By now José Ramirez was so distraught by the last few days that he was finding it hard to breathe normally.
"Are you okay, dad?" Mari watched him long enough to convince herself that he would be fine.
“Only time will tell, Marisol. I can't believe I'm complaining about business, but we've been so overloaded with customers that I'm
struggling to keep up. We need more help, but we can't afford to hire anyone yet. Besides, I have no idea how long this rush of customers is going to last. And don't even get me started on the way the police department has been watching my every move.” He went into his office and sat down.
Mari kept the events of her frightening night to herself. He had enough on his plate and, according to Mari's mother, he had a hard time taming his temper. Mari could have found herself in the middle of an hour long lecture about minding her own business and never trusting her brothers' judgment.
Because the family was still struggling to accommodate the new wave of guests that were visiting the restaurant since the murder, Mari’s mother and grandmother showed up to help during the lunch rush. Her mom welcomed customers while her Abuela stood in the back making tortillas and grilling vegetables.
Mari joined her Abuela in the kitchen and made guacamole according to her mother's recipe. It called for extra lime and cilantro. The lack of new meats rapidly pushed the family toward a crisis, but the crisis was at least two or three days away, and today Mari had resolved not to worry about it. There was simply too much else to worry about, what with her dad refusing to come out of his office and Mateo coming in early to help out with food prep.
In most circumstances, Mari would have welcomed Mateo’s help but the memories of last night were still fresh in her mind. While she had no idea who had broken into Steve’s office, Mateo was high on the list of suspects. He had left work early the previous night and was vague about where he was going. What had he been up to? Mari wanted to find out.
With the absence of an explanation, Mari’s imagination ran wild. When her grandmother stepped out to use the restroom, leaving her alone with Mateo for a couple of minutes, she nearly panicked. It didn’t help that Tabasco had escaped from the office and was following Mari around. Tabasco had never shown any hostility towards Mateo before, but today he emitted constant growling that occasionally broke into loud barks. Mari knew from experience that Tabasco only behaved this way when he smelled something fishy. Sometimes literally. It made Mari wonder why Tabasco had barked at Steve so much in the week before he died.
As soon as David and Alex arrived, Mari took them into a back room and explained what had happened the night before.
“How much do we know about Mateo?” Mari asked.
“Mari, he’s not your killer,” David commented. “Or your robber. Believe me; this isn’t a road you want to go down.”
“What makes you so sure? He’s been working here for a few months and in that time I’ve learned absolutely zilch about him. He’s the most evasive person ever. Mateo never answers my questions. He never has a good explanation for why he’s leaving early.”
“Take it from us,” Alex responded, “people have their own lives. Mateo is just being a guy.”
“But that doesn’t cut it when there’s a murder involved," Mari disagreed. "There's no room for privacy here. We need to find out everything we can about him.”
“Mari, don't blow this out of proportion,” David said.
“I'm not.” Mari glared at him. “David, this mystery isn’t going to solve itself.”
“The police might,” Alex said in a very quiet voice.
The three of them went on arguing about Mateo like until the end of their lunch break, and then the two boys returned to the dining room. As Mari headed toward the restroom, she saw that the back door was wide open once again. Her heart pounded. She hadn't seen anyone come in, or anyone go out.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The restaurant closed briefly in the afternoon to prepare for the dinner crowd. Mr. Ramirez usually remained in his office until about an hour before the restaurant opened again. He came out before the dinner rush and announced that Tabasco would be locked up for the duration of the evening and that anyone who put up an argument would be fired. Of course, he had said that before. Mr. Ramirez picked the dog up off the floor and carried him to the back room.
The crowd that night was smaller than the one the night before, but Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez were still exhausted when the restaurant closed an hour later than normal. Mari’s mom went into the kitchen to make herself a light meal while her dad warmed up some rice and refried beans.
“You kids need to go home,” Mrs. Ramirez said, taking a bite of a soft taco. “Take the rest of the night off. Your papa and I will handle this.”
“That wouldn’t be fair to you, though,” Mari responded, who was determined to remain in her father’s good graces. “I’m not leaving this restaurant until you do.”
“Well, that’s noble of you, but we can handle it on our own.” Paula took a deep breath. "You need to rest up for the breakfast burrito crowd."
“Mari is right,” Chrissy chimed in. “Sorry to interrupt Mrs. Ramirez but it wouldn’t be fair to y’all for the rest of us to bail and leave you with the clean-up. I’ll stay.”
Chrissy, Mari, and Mari’s parents all turned to look at David and Alex as if expecting them to make a similar declaration. The resigned look on their faces indicated that they would stay because they couldn’t see any way out of it, but they weren’t happy about it.
“I have to go, actually,” Mateo said in a low voice. “I already made plans for tonight. Sorry. Eh, lo siento.” He turned and walked out of the dining room before anyone had a chance to respond.
“Okay, what is his deal?” Mari asked out loud.
“I think he has a girlfriend in another town,” David replied. “And probably a kid. That would explain the look of defeat in his eyes.”
"David," his mother Paula scolded him. "Having children is a great blessing. It's when they get older that really takes its toll."
“With the exception of David and me,” Alex added. “Right, mom?"
"I gave up on you two long ago," Paula answered jokingly. Alex shrugged in response.
“Fine. We will stay tonight and help you clean.” David paused and studied the look of awe on his mother's face.
“We will?” Alex muttered to his brother. "Uh, don't we have that thing?"
"Thing?" David repeated curiously. His eyes widened. "Oh yes, the thing. How could I forget?"
“Homework?” their father guessed. “It better be homework. If I'm paying for night school, you sure as habaneros shouldn't be goofing around."
“Homework, yes,” Alex said in response. But as Alex and David headed for the back door, Mari cornered them.
“Where are you really going?” Mari whispered, glancing over her shoulder where her coworkers were hard at work.
“To do some snooping," David answered. "It's all in the name of the restaurant."
“Translation, please.” Mari clenched her jaw.
David nodded sagely. “We're going to follow Mateo so you can shut up about him once and for all. He's not a murderer, Mari. I put Alex's phone in the back of his car so I can track him using GPS."
"Hey." Alex felt his empty pockets. "Why does it always have to be my phone, bro?"
"We'll get it back." David chuckled.
"Just don't get caught," Mari responded, trying to hide the fact that she was actually impressed by the idea.
"We never do," David reminded her. He nudged Alex, and the two of them disappeared into the night.
Mari joined Chrissy wiping down tables. Chrissy returned to her favorite topic of conversation, which was the murder of Steve Wilson. Chrissy liked to talk no matter the circumstance.
“I always got the sense that Steve was smitten with me,” Chrissy said. “The thing I could never figure out was how many girls he felt that way about. I know he was very lonely, and maybe he would’ve hooked up with anyone. But I like to think we were special.”
“We?" Mari repeated. She couldn't help but recite in her mind, there is no we. "Sure. Maybe. But it's sad to think that his brain limited himself to the women of this restaurant. It's too bad he didn't get out much. Out of this town, I mean.”
“Oh, he did,” Chrissy responded. “Steve always told
stories to impress me, and he loved to talk about the year he went to China. Yep. That was a trip he seemed to love. Oh, well.”
“China?” Mari said weakly, as a thought occurred to her.
Chrissy nodded, wringing her cloth over a bucket full of water. “His favorite story was the one where a giant black tortoise chased him on the Great Wall of China.” She laughed. “It's silly, isn't it?"
“The picture," Mari stated, but Chrissy didn’t seem to hear her. "That's where he was standing in that picture in his office." She quickly shut her mouth before Chrissy paid her any attention.
“Steve always talked about wanting to visit Russia someday, and now I wish he had gotten to go.” Chrissy let out a sigh. “He used to speak to me in Chinese, just to show off. I think he might’ve traveled the world if he had had more money.”
Mari excused herself to go to the bathroom. A whole new possibility had just opened up in her mind, and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before. Mari tried calling Alex, but he didn’t answer. She only belatedly remembered that his phone was in the back of Mateo’s car. Cursing herself for her forgetfulness and praying he had remembered to put the phone on silent, she called David instead. But David didn’t answer either. His phone went straight to voicemail.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After Chrissy had left for the night, Mari continued to call David. Each time she failed to reach him, she waited a few minutes and then tried again. Mari wondered where her brothers were and whether or not they had found Mateo. She hoped David's lack of response was a sign that they were busy solving the mystery of where Mateo went every night.
The fact that Steve had spent a year in China following graduation shined a strange new light on the case. It was bizarre that she hadn’t known this given how long Steve had been into her and how often they had talked. It was almost as if Steve hadn’t wanted Mari to know. Mari asked herself why Steve would be embarrassed to talk about the most important trip of his life. Either he had been incredibly shy around her in a way he wasn’t around Chrissy, or it was all lies to impress a pretty face.