by Chaz McGee
As Rodrigo rushed up the stairs towards his brother’s cell, I saw Freddy reaching for his desk phone. Someone in the department had asked him to keep an eye on the brothers and they would likely be there soon.
The holding cells were hardly Alcatraz and, at this time of the day, deserted except for the high-profile prisoners. The guard on duty recognized Rodrigo and waved him toward his brother before returning to reading his newspaper with a bored expression. The two men met at the bars and linked fingers as Rodrigo whispered furiously in Spanish to Aldo. Aldo gave out a yelp in response and leaned his head against the bars as Rodrigo reached through the bars and cradled his brother as best he could, given the barrier between them. Aldo was sobbing. Rodrigo kissed the top of his head and it was impossible to tell whether the two men were laughing or crying. The guard looked up, his curiosity finally aroused. Rodrigo grasped both of his brother’s hands and whispered to him in Spanish. I thought I saw something pass between them, an object of some sort, but it happened so quickly I could not be sure. Aldo was still at the bars, head down, when Rodrigo left the room as quickly as he had entered.
Aldo fell to his knees in his cell and began to pray. He muttered furiously in Spanish. He was still in this position when Maggie and Calvano entered the holding area a few minutes later.
Calvano looked at the guard with a quizzical look on his face. The guard shrugged. ‘I’m no expert,’ he said. ‘And I don’t speak a word of Spanish. But I am pretty sure the guy is praying because he’s happy. His brother was just here and whatever he had to say looked like good news to me.’
I could see the realization hit Maggie and Calvano: there was only one reason why Aldo Flores would be so happy. There was only one thing that could have triggered this outpouring of emotion – his wife and baby had been found.
‘Get a translator up here quick,’ Maggie ordered the guard.
The guard heard the urgency in her voice and reached for the phone. A young woman with black glasses and spiked hair arrived soon after. She listened solemnly as Maggie explained the situation. She nodded, then gestured to Aldo Flores and asked him a series of questions in rapid fire Spanish. Aldo did not hesitate to answer. He spoke eloquently and joyously, his words a waterfall as they tumbled from his lips. The young translator’s eyes widened and she smiled along with him before she turned to Maggie.
Yes, she explained, Aldo’s wife had surfaced. She had called St Raphael’s to say that she was safe and staying with relatives at an undisclosed location. Apparently, she left of her own accord. She had not realized that her husband was being held by the police until someone told her they had seen Aldo’s photo on the news.
‘Where is she?’ Maggie asked her. ‘Why did she leave?’
‘He does not know exactly why she left,’ the translator explained. ‘He says she was frightened by something. Or, more accurately, by someone. She says a man tried to steal her baby. She panicked and left to stay with distant relatives. She is safe and the baby is safe. She told someone to let her husband know where she had gone, but apparently that person was picked up by Immigration before he could get word to Mr Flores.’
‘She just took off?’ Calvano asked skeptically. ‘Without telling her husband?’
‘She says that the man who wanted her baby was very powerful and rich. She was afraid to tell her husband for fear he might accidentally tell him where she had gone.’
‘Who in the world would have that kind of power?’ Maggie wondered out loud.
It was Calvano who made the connection. ‘Aldo’s employer would have that kind of power,’ he said. ‘I bet this goes straight back to the Delmonte House.’
‘We need to talk to Aldo’s wife,’ Maggie said. ‘She could tell us who it is. If she knows he was rich and powerful, then she knows who he is.’ Maggie looked at the translator. ‘We need Mr Flores to get in touch with his wife. It’s urgent. Can you get him to cooperate without frightening him?’
The translator looked startled by this but she came back strong. ‘I will try,’ she told them. ‘But you are not likely to get his cooperation if he’s being held as a suspect.’
That meant dealing with Gonzales. I knew Maggie did not like the idea. ‘Tell Mr Flores that if he will help us get in touch with his wife, we will get him out of here as soon as we can. I give him my personal word that it will happen.’
The translator nodded and began speaking rapidly to Aldo. They went back and forth for a while, but I could sense the translator’s heart was not in it. She knew Maggie had asked for Aldo’s cooperation before he was released because, once out, it was likely he would disappear and join his wife, wherever she was. They would never find him again. The trouble was, I’m not sure the translator blamed him.
‘My money’s on Enrique Romero,’ Maggie said to Calvano as they waited. ‘He’s trying to buy a baby for the publicity.’
‘Why would he do that?’ Calvano asked. ‘His wife’s about to have one.’
‘Twins,’ Maggie said, not entirely seriously. ‘Everyone in Hollywood is offloading a kid. If he can come up with twins, it gets him the headlines.’
‘Seriously?’ Calvano laughed. It was the first break they’d had in the case and it had made them both a little punchy. ‘If you ask me, I still think the butler did it.’
‘I’m going to call Alice,’ Maggie decided, reaching for her phone. ‘She’s on the inside. She’ll be able to help us figure out who it is.’
‘Only if it’s someone at that house,’ Calvano pointed out. ‘This could still have something to do with Danny Gallagher. His father is the mayor. I call that rich and powerful. It could still be a lot closer to home.’
‘I’m calling Alice anyway,’ Maggie said. ‘I’m going to tell her to meet us somewhere.’
‘You know what?’ Calvano said abruptly. He was watching the translator talk to Aldo, trying to figure out what direction the conversation was heading in.
‘What?’ Maggie asked.
‘If Aldo’s wife was found alive, maybe there’s hope for Arcelia Gallagher. Maybe it’s not too late.’ He sounded as if he were afraid to even say it out loud, as if somehow that might jinx the possibility.
‘Maybe,’ Maggie said cautiously.
‘You’re one of those people afraid to hope, aren’t you?’ Calvano asked.
‘Maybe,’ Maggie said again.
The translator had tried to convince Aldo for as long as she could, but she looked apologetic as she approached them. ‘I’m sorry. Mr Flores will not cooperate. He is angry at being in jail. He says you must first let him out and then he will get in contact with his wife.’
‘Can’t say I blame him,’ Calvano admitted, surprising the translator. He looked at Maggie. ‘You’re the one who gets to tell Gonzales.’
THIRTY
Alice Hernandez had promised to meet Maggie and Calvano on a corner of the property shielded from the house by a curve of woods. Maggie pulled the car over and waited. Gonzales had blown her off, saying he was deep in a crisis and would have to deal with Aldo Flores later. What could be more important than tracking Arcelia Gallagher’s kidnapper? Maggie had complained about it to Calvano all the way to the Delmonte House.
Venting had not helped. She remained frustrated at not being able to talk to Aldo’s wife. Worse, Calvano kept taking Aldo’s side, saying he didn’t blame the guy for not cooperating until he got out, which irritated Maggie. It made me glad I was invisible.
‘Where is Alice?’ Calvano wondered out loud for the third time.
‘Relax, hotshot,’ Maggie said. ‘She’s not due for another five minutes.’
‘What if all of this has to do with drug smuggling after all?’ Calvano said. ‘What if this house is nothing but a big fat two-story red herring?’ He remembered something and asked Maggie about it. ‘Hey, did you ever hear back from your friend at the FBI about whether or not Arcelia Gallagher’s name was in their system?’
‘Yeah, I got it back today. But there’s nothing in it. She’s not in
volved in drug smuggling.’
I knew Maggie had just lied to Calvano. I didn’t know why, or exactly what she had lied about, and Calvano hadn’t notice, but I sure had – and I wondered why.
Alice showed up exactly as promised, darting from the woods and into the car before anyone driving by could see her. She sat inches from me, unaware I was there. I enjoyed her clean, powdery smell. If I had still been inclined to human impulses, I would surely have appreciated the maid outfit she wore. It included the short black dress and little white apron of male fantasies.
Calvano definitely noticed. ‘Hot, Hernandez,’ he commented, leering at her from the front seat with exaggerated enthusiasm.
‘Put a cork in it, Calvano,’ she shot back. Her ability to squelch romantic offers from her fellow officers was as legendary as her arrest rate. I didn’t know why Calvano would want to risk her scorn, but he seemed helpless not to try. She leaned forward, although there was no one but me to overhear. ‘I have to hurry. That poor old butler is completely overwhelmed. He’s trying to take care of his wife and do his job and she’s being a little erratic today. She’s really agitated about something, but no one can figure out what it is. He needs some help. I have to get back.’
‘Aren’t you the old softie?’ Calvano said.
‘Put a cork in it, Calvano,’ Alice repeated. ‘You are not half as cute as you think you are.’ She had his number. ‘That is one weird household to go with one weird house,’ she said. ‘The lady of the house is a mess. Her face looks like hamburger and, from what I can tell, she only gets out of bed to pee. Even then, I’m surprised her manager doesn’t offer to wipe her ass for her. He never leaves her side.’
Maggie laughed. I guess it was OK when women made jokes like that. She sure wouldn’t have laughed if it had been Calvano.
‘Have they said anything about Arcelia Gallagher?’ Maggie asked.
Alice shook her head. ‘No. And I’ve been listening. I can hear the old butler coming from about a mile away. He shuffles and breathes like he’s on the verge of a heart attack, so it’s easy for me to keep track of him. I’ve been listening to the girl and her manager all morning, and I’ve still done more work than the old maid ever did, by the way. But mostly it’s the manager telling her majesty how beautiful she is, and how she’s going to be famous again one day, and about how the husband will have to pay attention to her once she appears in the tabloids with their baby. It’s pretty sad. He’s like this creepy cheerleader urging her to indulge in her worst psychological dysfunctions. He’d be a great manager in Hell. He’s definitely earning his ten percent the hard way, too, and he’s probably doing other stuff for his cut of the take, if you know what I mean. It’s like one can’t function without the other.’
Calvano did not like what she was implying, but he said nothing. Brooding was not a good look for him, but I admired his loyalty to Dakota Wylie anyway.
‘I’m surprised you haven’t run screaming from the house with the ghost hot on your tail yet,’ Calvano said instead, in a very misguided attempt at teasing her.
‘Don’t make jokes about the ghost,’ Alice told him as she cuffed his ears. ‘It’s real. And it’s real creepy. I can’t wait to get out of there.’
‘Did the gardener come back to work after he visited his brother?’ Maggie asked. She was in no mood to talk about ghosts. I decided not to take it personally.
Alice nodded. ‘He came right back here from the station house, judging by the time he arrived, and he was really happy, even gave the old lady a peck on the cheek. Then he went out back and started working again. I’ve got to tell you – I’m not taking him for a kidnapper. I saw him feeding apple slices to some chipmunks about half an hour ago. He’s not exactly a criminal mastermind.’
‘Anyone come to the house for a visit?’ Maggie asked. ‘Did you see anything unusual at all or find a silver car in the garage?’
‘Well, you were right about the cars – there’s a whole collection of collectibles in the garage. The place is huge and it’s climate-controlled. Two of the cars are silver, but they are also very distinctive. A Rolls-Royce and a DeLorean. I think if your guy had been driving one of those, someone would have mentioned the make. Other than that, the best I can offer is that I think it’s kind of weird that the lady of the house never leaves her bed. I have to dust the rest of the bedroom every ten minutes, mostly so she can have someone to talk to.’
Now she was starting to irritate Calvano. He didn’t like her making fun of Dakota Wylie. Unfortunately for Calvano, Alice Hernandez apparently liked irritating him and she stepped it up when she noticed his expression.
‘Go ahead, ask me anything about how she got her big break into show business,’ she urged him, punching his shoulder. ‘I did everything but the windows while she talked to me this morning.’
Calvano ignored her.
‘Did you see anything that might conceal a hiding place?’ Maggie asked. ‘Any place where someone might be keeping Arcelia Gallagher?’
Alice shook her head. ‘I checked all the rooms, the closets, the hallways, even the bathroom closets. I checked dimensions and looked for discrepancies. Definitely no hidden rooms. Haven’t been able to check her majesty’s room closely yet, though. No chance.’
‘Maybe you should try harder,’ Calvano suggested testily.
‘Maybe I should,’ Alice agreed. ‘But I have to do it when her majesty is not in the room, and since she spends every moment of her waking life wallowing in her bed, it’s going to be tough.’
Calvano glared at her but Alice just smiled back agreeably, revealing perfectly lovely white teeth and an enchanting smile that was completely lost on Calvano, at least at that particular moment.
‘Did her husband call her today?’ Maggie asked. ‘Gonzales is itching to nail Enrique Romero for everything.’
‘I bet he is,’ Alice said. ‘I heard Romero complained about him to the governor for something Gonzales said about him on Lindsey Stanford’s show. The commander got ripped a new one.’
‘What?’ Maggie turned to look at her. ‘Where did you hear that? How did you hear that before I did?’
Alice smiled enigmatically. ‘You have your sources and I have mine.’
Calvano groaned. ‘Now Gonzales is going to be even hotter to get Romero for this, whether he did it or not. Or Flores. Basically, the commander is not going to rest until he can pin it on someone who is Hispanic.’ He looked over his shoulder and leered at Alice. ‘Play your cards right, Hernandez, and it could be you.’
Maggie gave him a withering look. ‘Did Romero call his wife today?’ she asked Alice.
Alice shrugged. ‘I think so. Her majesty was on the phone crying and begging someone to come back, talking about how he couldn’t leave her because they were having a child together. It was pretty pathetic. You would never catch me talking to a guy like that.’
When she gave Calvano a look like he was to blame for the entire male species, I started to wonder if maybe there wasn’t something already up and running about those two. They disliked each other a little too much for there to be only casual feelings between them.
‘But whoever she was talking to wasn’t buying her act,’ Alice added. ‘She hung up just as unhappy as when she had started.’
‘That guy is a jerk,’ Calvano said suddenly. ‘If my wife was on bed rest and having a baby, I would not fly to the other side of the country and cheat on her before the plane engine had cooled.’
‘Cheat on her?’ Alice asked. ‘What do you do know that I don’t know?’
Maggie filled her in. ‘Gonzales called in some favors from the LAPD and they came up with some photos of him cheating on his wife with a hot-looking woman who looks exactly like Arcelia Gallagher. Except it isn’t her.’
‘No kidding? You mean this whole business of him marrying an endless parade of anorexic blondes is just for the publicity? I can’t decide if that’s pathetic or hilarious. You know he gets condemned in the Latino press for turning his back o
n ‘his people’, whatever the hell that means, and now you’re telling me he actually prefers hot Latinas?’
‘Apparently so,’ Maggie said with a shrug.
Calvano could not resist the opening. ‘Play your cards right, Hernandez, and maybe he’ll hit on you. I bet that would be your dream come true.’
‘Nightmare, maybe,’ she snapped back. ‘He’s not my type. I like Italian food better.’
I’m quite sure she had not meant to say that out loud, at least not in front of Calvano. She flushed and the silence in the car, while brief, was electric.
Calvano was the first to break the silence. His voice sounded a little high when he said, ‘Whatever. The guy is still a world class jerk for cheating on his wife.’
‘That may be, Adrian,’ Maggie said. ‘But we can’t arrest him for being a jerk.’ She turned to Alice. ‘Nothing else at all you think is out of the ordinary?’
She hesitated, but she had something, all right. ‘Sometimes I think that old butler is not as old and slow as he lets on,’ she said. ‘I may have caught him eavesdropping earlier today. I came around the corner and saw him down the hall, standing near Carter’s bedroom. I turned around and went the other way before he saw me. But I am pretty sure he was standing outside of the door, listening in on Carter.’
‘I told you, the butler did it,’ Calvano said triumphantly. Both Maggie and Alice ignored him. Boy, it was a tough crowd.
‘I don’t know if Carter was in his bedroom at the time, though. He is always in her bedroom, from what I can tell,’ Alice continued. ‘I think it’s creepy. I’m thinking Enrique Romero also thinks it’s a little creepy. Maybe he’s paying the butler to keep an eye on Carter for him?’
‘That could be something,’ Maggie mumbled, but she did not sound convinced.
‘We’re sure this chick is pregnant, right?’ Alice asked.
‘Why do you say that?’ Maggie said.