We took an arched bridge across the canal and headed toward the Phra Kaew market as the rain picked up its pace. The offworld trio didn't seem to mind, thick steam venting out the top of their slickers, making them look like walking cigarettes. We were about to reach the covered portion of the Phra Kaew market, and I was beginning to think this afternoon would be a total waste if it turned out I was following them on nothing more than a shopping spree. Just then, they took a right. I resisted the urge to speed up and took the corner at my regular pace. They were gone, all four of them. I strained my eyes, stretching my gaze in all directions. They were gone, but I had a good idea where.
I passed the door without a knob, remembering it well, the secret knock that changed every ten days. I'd gotten so frustrated keeping up with their rotating knocking codes that I'd gotten Jae, the owner, to give me a knock of my own.
I turned right, then right again, and stepped into a dark alley with a low-hanging roof that made it feel like a cave. I could hear the rustle of fleeing lizards in the weeds. My feet crunched on broken glass. Opium smoke tickled my nostrils. I kept walking with confident strides—no telling how many O heads and glue huffers were camped in this alley, and until my eyes adjusted, I didn't want any of them jumping me. I could see a light up ahead, and I made for it, my eyes starting to make out shapes along the walls that looked like caved-in boxes and piles of rags that could be people. I made it to the light and rapped on the back door, using my old code. Nothing. I rapped again, this time louder, and the door swung open.
“Idris?” I said.
“Juno? Is that you?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit, let me look at you, boy.”
I stood there, letting him once-over me.
“Fuckin' A!” said the old man with a broad grin. He slid a cinder block over to prop the door and laid a hug on me. “Juno Mozambe. Where you been, motherfucker?”
“I lost my shield.”
“Yeah, I heard about that, but that don't mean you got to stop comin' by, do it?”
I shrugged.
“Shit, Juno, you done made my day, you hear me? I wish things could go back to the way they was. Things just ain't the same anymore. You was a righteous collections man, Juno. You was always fair, everybody said so. And Idris don't ever forget the fact that you took care of him. Shit, you always was willin' to throw a little cash Idris's way.”
“Glad to do it. You tell Jae that I said you need a raise. Had he paid you properly, I wouldn't have needed to look out for you.”
“You wanna come in? You can tell that pimp off your own self.”
“No thanks. How's things?”
“They ain't the same, I'll tell you that. Now them cops got this new guy, some fuckin' street cop with his blue uniform comin' by and collectin' now. The guy's a real A-hole, too. He always be demandin' a BJ from one of the girls when he come a collectin'. That shit ain't right, Juno. It ain't professional. He's supposed to pay for that shit.”
“What does Jae say about it?”
“Shit, that pimp don't do nothin'. Jae gone soft, man. That cop boy start sayin' he goin' to raise rates if he don't get his BJ, and Jae just give in. That cop don't even have to ask no more. Jae give him his payoff, and he just goes and grabs one of the girls. The girls ain't happy about it. They come a-complainin' to me, but what can I do? I'm just the houseboy.”
“I wish there was something I could do, but I don't have any standing down at KOP anymore.”
“Shit, man, I know. I wasn't askin' you to do nothin'. See, I was just shootin' the shit, that's all.”
I snagged a wad from my pocket and put it in Idris's palm.
“That's what I'm talkin' about,” he said grinning broadly. “Since you been gone, Juno, KOP's gone to shit, you know what I'm sayin'? These A-holes don't know what they's doin'. They don't understand the business. They just want they's scratch and they's snatch, and they want it now. Shit.”
“If you ask me, Idris, you should be running this shithole.”
The guy lit up. “You ain't serious.”
“I am serious.” And I was. “You know the business as well as anybody. The girls respect you. You should get a mutiny going and toss Jae out on his ass. You and the girls could turn this place around.”
“Shit! Ha! I missed you, Juno. I really did. Ha! Can you imagine me runnin' this place? Shit, Juno, that ain't me. I can't pull that shit off.”
“I don't see why not.”
“Ha! You always was the man, Juno. I wish you was still runnin' collections. I really do.”
“Listen, Idris, I can use a little info.”
“Whatever you want, Juno, but you got to promise you won't be no stranger, you hear me? You got to come by more often.”
“I will.”
“Now what you need?”
“Did you see the three offworlders come in a few minutes ago?”
“You mean those fuckers that's dressed up like parrots? Yeah, I saw them.”
“They been here before?”
“No, they's first-timers.”
“What about their guide?”
“Gomez? Shit, he be here a couple times a week. He work for this offworld company on the Square.”
“Jungle Expeditions.”
“Yeah, that's it.”
“What kind of shit are his clients into?”
“The one's he bring here is mostly just lookin' for straight pussy. Sometimes he bring one along who want a little kink, but you know we ain't one of them specialty houses.”
“Do you have an exclusive arrangement with him?”
“No. He always shoppin' around on price and shit. We get most of his straight pussy business though.”
“Where else does he go?”
“Listen, if you lookin' for some weird shit, you should check out Kaiser. He another one of them guides that work with Gomez, but he the one that take the special orders.”
“What kind of special orders?”
“Shit, man, them Jungle Expeditions folk cater to the dowackados. They get some regular customers, too, like them parrot motherfuckers in there, but they's main business is in kink. They's customers is regulars at the Red Room and the Cellar Dweller. From what I hear, they does some big kiddie biz. They's also into rape sims and all that bondage shit. I heard they even done some necro.”
“Necro?”
“Ha! I told you they was some dowackados, didn't I? Didn't I?”
“Thanks, Idris.”
“Anytime, Juno. You needs anything else?”
“I'll let you know.”
I walked out the way I came in. Nobody bothered me, not after they'd seen me chatting with Idris. It was courtesy of Idris that they got to stay in this alley. Piss him off and they could find themselves evicted from the alley, and this alley was primo, being covered and all.
fifteen
I REACHED the fifth floor and Maggie was already there, waiting at the end of the hall. We walked toward each other, meeting in the middle.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here.”
“No problem,” Maggie said as she led me down the hall.
“How was work?”
“The same. How was your afternoon?” Maggie knocked on door number 511.
“I got some dirt on Jungle Expeditions. That jungle adventure crap is just a cover. They do sex tours.”
Maggie nodded, not surprised at all. The door swung open, revealing a slightly heavy woman wearing a frumpy number. Maggie held up her badge. “Are you Inez Shenko?”
“Yes,” she said as she fiddled with her dated hair.
“I'm Detective Orzo, and this is Detective Mozambe. Can we come in?”
“Yes, of course.”
We entered her apartment, a plain-looking place with a decent view of the river.
“Can I get you some tea?”
“Please,” said Maggie.
Inez Shenko went into her kitchen.
My eyes inventoried the sitting room—floral print upholstery, ch
eap plastic angel figurines in glass cases, no vid system, no sign of a man. Total square.
Inez came back in after having put some water on the stove. “How can I help you, officers?”
I hoped this line of investigation would yield some results. We decided to start with the only victims we could identify: Margarita and Hector Juarez. If it wasn't their daughter who did them in, it was somebody else, and lase-whipping them in their own home didn't match the MO of our offworld serial killer with the medieval fetish.
Maggie said, “I appreciate your willingness to speak with us. We'd like to talk to you about the Juarez family.”
“I've already told everything I know to Officer Davies.”
“Yes, we know. But I'm sure you're aware of the fact that Adela Juarez is due to be executed on the fifth.”
“Yes.”
“Well, it's standard procedure for us to conduct follow-up interviews just to make sure we have everything in order before we turn our records over to the Koba Office of Records.”
“I see.”
“So if it's not too great an inconvenience, could you please tell us how you know the Juarez family?”
“Sure,” she said. “I went to school with Margarita, and we've been friends ever since.”
“Did you see her regularly?”
“We'd get together a couple times a week and have lunch or go shopping.” She targeted Maggie as she said, “Sometimes we'd treat ourselves to a spa.” She said it like she was confessing a dirty little secret, like visiting the spa was the biggest curve in her otherwise square life.
“What can you tell us about her husband?”
“Well, Hector worked a lot. He had a very important job, you know.”
“Yes, we know. Why were they going to divorce?”
“They grew apart. He was always working, and she got lonely.”
“Who initiated the divorce?”
“That was Margarita. Hector was very upset about it.”
“He still loved her?”
“I suppose so, but the way Margarita talked, he sounded more interested in keeping his money than he was in keeping her. Excuse me.” She got up to tend to the whistling teapot.
Maggie and I waited silently until Inez came back with three cups of mellow green tea. “Where were we?” asked Inez.
I spoke up for the first time. “You were saying that Margarita was going to take Hector's money in the divorce.”
“Only what she was entitled to,” she responded, semi-offended.
Maggie blew on her tea. “How well did you know Adela?”
“Oh, I've known her since she was a baby. She was always a good girl. I think it's horrible that they're going to execute her.”
“You don't think she killed her parents?” I asked.
“No, I think she did it, but can you blame her? She just lost her head. She didn't know what she was doing. That lawyer she had did her a real disservice. He should've claimed temporary insanity.”
“I don't understand,” I said.
“Didn't you read Officer Davies's notes?”
I had read Ian's notes, but they claimed Inez thought Adela Juarez was a bad seed, a wicked little girl who couldn't be controlled. I sheepishly grinned. “Well, I didn't read them in their entirety.”
She shook her head at me like a disapproving schoolmarm. “Margarita was having an affair with somebody younger. She was so lonely.”
“Who was he?”
“She told me his name, but I didn't know who he was until after she died. If I'd known, I would've done something, taken her to counseling or something.”
“Who was he?” Maggie asked.
“Really, I don't know what Margarita was thinking.”
“His name?”
“Raj Gupta,” she whispered. “Don't you see? Adela must've found out about it.”
Maggie and I waited at the Gupta household for Raj to show. His parents were treating us well, serving us black tea and crackers. “He should be home momentarily,” they had said. That had been over an hour ago.
I sipped my tea, wired on something other than caffeine. We'd found a loose thread in the Juarez case, and his name was Raj Gupta. Ian hadn't tied it all up as tight as he thought. Maggie and I were itching to pull on the thread, see if any fabric would come with it. We needed to find out why Ian would protect the kid. Assuming Ian framed Adela, why wouldn't he let Inez Shenko's statement stand? What better motive could he ask for? Adela's mother was screwing her boyfriend for chrissakes. But Ian went against his own interests in falsifying the report by leaving the affair out.
I squirmed in my seat. We were taking a chance talking to Raj, a big chance. If it got back to Ian that Raj had seen me at the cameraman's …
A door opened, and in he came. He recognized us at once and smiled politely. He took his wingtips off at the door—very adult shoes for such a young kid. Mrs. Gupta told her husband to make room for Raj on the couch.
“Actually, we'd like to talk to him privately,” I said.
The Guptas stepped out graciously. “How can I help you, officers?” said Raj.
Maggie took a sip of tea. “We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.”
“Of course not,” he said with a slick grin.
“It's just a formality, Raj. We're just trying to get our paperwork all straightened out.”
“No problem. I'm glad to help. Hey, what were you doing at Yuri's yesterday?”
“I'm afraid that's police business.”
“Okay, no problem,” he said without the slightest hint of nervousness.
Maggie put her teacup down. “You work at the Libre?”
“That's right.”
“What do you do there?”
“I'm an intern. I do whatever they tell me.”
“Do you get paid?”
“No.”
“Then why do you do it?”
“For the opportunity.”
“You want to be a reporter?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you go to school?”
“No.”
“How can you be a reporter if you don't get a degree?”
“You don't need a degree. The camera loves me.”
I wanted to slap the smug little bastard. Maggie kept her tone neutral. “You were dating Adela Juarez?”
“That's right.”
“How did you meet?”
“We met at the Libre. She'd come in with her father from time to time, and we'd talk and stuff.”
“How long were you dating?”
“Maybe three or four months.”
I saw something from the corner of my eye. When I turned to look, it disappeared back into the kitchen. I kept my eyes fixed on the doorway.
Maggie kept up the questioning. “How do you feel about what's happening to Adela now?”
He didn't hesitate. “She's getting what she deserves.”
“You think she killed her parents?”
“I know she did.”
“And how do you know?”
“She tried to get me to lie for her. She wanted me to say that she was with me all night.”
“And was she with you all night?”
“No.”
“Was she with you at all that night?”
“Yes. She snuck over and I let her in through my window. We did it a couple times in my bed and then she left.”
“When did she leave?”
“I don't know. I was sleeping.”
“Then how do you know she left?”
“She was gone when I woke up. She called me in the morning, when the police were at her house, and she told me to tell them that she was here all night.”
“Maybe she was.”
“She couldn't have been. Detective Davies said she killed her parents at two in the morning.”
“How do you know she wasn't in your bed at two? You just said you were asleep.”
“I never told Detective Davies that she wasn't with me at two. I just told him tha
t I couldn't say she was.”
“Didn't you want to protect her?”
“Not after I found out what she'd done. You think I want a crazy bitch like that as a girlfriend? I date a lot of girls, but I draw the line at murderers.”
Maggie paused to rub her temples. A real piece of work this kid. I returned to watching the door. It was back, a tuft of frizzy hair poking out. Slowly, the hair moved further into the doorway, followed by a pimply forehead, and then finally an eye. She saw me looking right at her and ducked back behind the wall.
Maggie saw her, too, but she kept her attention focused on Raj, whose back was turned to the doorway. Maggie asked why he thought Adela did it.
“She was pissed that they were divorcing.”
“You think she killed her parents just because they were divorcing? Doesn't that seem a little crazy?”
“Surprised me as much as anybody,” he said.
No longer afraid that she was going to get in trouble, Raj's puberty-stricken sister poked her head fully into the doorway. I threw a wink her way, getting a smile full of braces in return.
“Well, thanks for going through all that again,” Maggie said. “So you said you like to date a lot of girls?”
“That's right.”
“Did Adela know?”
“I don't think so. You think I'd tell her?”
“How do you think she would've reacted if she found out?”
“I guess I'm lucky she never did, or it might be me that got whipped to death.”
“Were you ever serious about Adela?”
“Listen, I thought Adela would be a lot of fun. I mean you've seen her, right? She's hot as they come, but she had … issues.”
“What kind of issues?”
“She was all clingy, you know what I mean? We went out a couple times, and it was like we were married or something.”
“If it bothered you so much, why didn't you just break it off?”
“She was my boss's daughter. I wanted to let her down easy.”
“By having sex with her?”
“Like I said, she was hot.”
“How many other girls were you seeing?”
“I don't keep count,” he said, self-satisfied.
“Did Adela know any of these other girls?”
“I don't think so.”
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