Baja Blues: The Boy Who Played With Marbles (Liza McNairy Mysteries Book 2)

by Dan Glover

  "Are either of you Catholic?"

  "You say it like it's a sin, Father."

  "Not at all, Mr. Forthright... I'm merely curious what the two of you are doing here."

  "I was baptized a Catholic, Father."

  "Ah... but you're not a practitioner now, Mr. Forthright?"

  "No... not for a long time."

  "Did you happen to notice how the door was open when you came into the church today, Mr. Forthright?"

  "Yes, Father... I did. I also noticed there's no lock on it."

  "That's right. And why do you suppose that is?"

  "Well... honestly, Father... it doesn’t seem to me that you have a lot that anyone would want to steal."

  "That's true, Mr. Forthright. But the true reason is that everyone is welcome here, no matter their past sins. Even those who disbelieve. Even those who would accuse a priest of being a child molester as well as a murderer."

  "We're just doing our job, Father."

  "I know that, Ms. McNairy. Now, I've answered your questions to the best of my ability. Is there anything else?"

  They'd be back. He could see it, right off. Sure, he'd bought a little time, but these two were smart. They weren’t going to be fooled like the others. He watched the two of them leave, and then walked over to the confessional booth he'd built himself out of plywood and two by fours. Sitting down in the straight back chair, he looked up at the fading picture of Jesus the Christ nailed so cruelly to His cross.

  "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned."

  Chapter 20—Catholics

  (And Pod People)

  1

  "So?"

  "So what, Liza?"

  "Come on, DanDan... I saw the way you were feeling up that makeshift altar. Are you getting anything?"

  "It's too soon to tell yet. Maybe. I keep getting a sticky sense... a coppery taste in my mouth... the odor of blood."

  "Sacrifices?"

  "I don’t know, Liza. I've been wrong before. I need some time."

  "We've been here a week now, DanMan. Time's running out."

  "Look... that information Cooper gave us on Fabulinus Fletch... I think by talking to him we might've destabilized whatever confidence the man had in his past being buried. But he's not stupid, Liza. He'll figure things out. And when he does... "

  "We'll be in danger too."

  "Exactly. So yes, our time's running out here. From now on, I think we need to stick together. No more of your little sojourns to the little girl's room all by your lonesome, Liza."

  "Sweetie, you know you're always welcome to go with me. I'll squat and you can pee between my legs. How's that?"

  The man was way too easy to embarrass. No wonder the priest picked him apart. Danners Forthright, baptized a Catholic. Well how about that. She never would've thunk it. But then again, he was the psychic. He was the one who saw things when he fondled certain objects. What might he see if he took hold of her boobs for a few minutes? No telling. Maybe that was what was stopping him.

  "You know what I mean, Liza. Just don't be so wild, honey child."

  "So what's this about you being a Catholic?"

  "It isn’t something I like to talk about, sweetie. Apparently my mother thought she could beat the hell out of me and then go to church and all would be forgiven. And oh... then there's the time my third foster mother thought some good old fashioned church would do me a world of good and so she made me become an altar boy. You know, polish the brass, so to speak."

  "Jesus, Danners... I'm sorry."

  "You didn’t do anything, Liza. What've you got to be sorry about?"

  "Teasing you. I should know better by now."

  "When you love someone, Liza, none of that matters."

  "What're you saying, Danners?"

  That you really do love me? You must know I know that by now. That you'd die for me? I would die for you... yes I would. That you'd kill for me? You know that I would kill for you too, sweetie. I'd wipe out every last living motherfucker on the planet to save you, Danners Forthright. And what's more, I wouldn’t think a thing of it. You're mine. Now if only I could work up the courage in my tongue to help you realize that too.

  "I'm saying we're in this together, Liza. And if we're going to survive, we need to do it exactly that way. So yeah, if I have to, I'll pee between your legs. Wanna hold it for me?"

  "Uh oh... what is this shit? Who's kidnapped Danners Forthright and replaced him with this weird ass pod person? Ain't no way my DanMan talks to me like that."

  "It must be that second margarita I had for lunch, bumpkins. Sorry. I might need to go back to the cabin and sleep it off. You with me?"

  "Yes I am. But I need to take a long shower when we get back. Talking to Fletch made me feel all slimy. You too?"

  "God, yes... that guy's a piece of work. And to think the Church is his advocate."

  "I'll scrub your back if you do mine."

  2

  "So those are the marbles Elena gave us?"

  "Yeah... after our discussion this afternoon I thought I might take them out and have a look."

  "Oh... I like this one! It reminds me of Lissi's eyes."

  Though they were identical twins Lissi had the red hair while hers was platinum blonde, along with that streak... where their heads touched in the womb, or so they liked to say. Lissi had the jade eyes while hers were alabaster. She picked up the marble and held it to the light to study it more closely.

  "Liza... you're marking that marble with your own impression."

  "Oh... I'm sorry. Here."

  "It's too late now. Once you touched it, whatever trace of Eduardo that it might've held is gone."

  "Come on, DanDan... I only had it in my hand for a few seconds."

  "It's okay, girlfriend. There are plenty more."

  "You're serious."

  "Well, yeah... you know how I work."

  "Well... now that I managed to fuck that up... what do I do for an encore?"

  "You didn’t fuck anything up, sweetie. One thing I've learned over the years is not to take anything on face value. There's a reason why you touched that marble. I just don’t see it yet."

  "Yeah... I touched it because I'm a thoughtless bitch. Why do you put up with me, DanMan? I'd of kicked me to the curb years ago. All I do is get in your way."

  "Girlfriend... without you, I'd be dead and you know it."

  How did he always know just the right thing to say? She'd tried the relationship thing a time or two but any other man she'd ever known seemed to deem it necessary to take charge... to subdue her to their will... to turn her into their good little girl. Danners Forthright not only allowed her to be herself, but he reveled in it.

  This habit of hers... who else in the world would put up with it? No one. And not only did he accept her flaws, he helped her over the rough patches that invariably came with them, like the need to score when the demon Jones was upon her clawing at her back and muddling her mind until that was all she could think about.

  "But your eyes are blue, Liza."

  "Well... yeah. So?"

  "You said that marble reminded you of Lissi's eyes. I thought you were identical twins."

  "We are... all except for the eyes... and the hair, of course."

  "But I thought identical twins also had identical DNA."

  "Sure... but hair and eye color aren't always determined by genetics, DanBoy. There are also such things as epigenetic causes which change the genetic makeup without altering the nucleotide sequence."

  "Yeah... that's easy for you to say..."

  "No, seriously... I researched that shit when I got older. Most identical twins do have the same hair and eye color, but a small percentage don't... less than point two percent, actually. We were pretty special, me and Lissi."

  "Well... I know for a fact that you're amazing, Liza, and I'm sure Lissi was too."

  "Thanks, DanMan... I miss her. I wish you could've known her too."

  "In a way I do, Liza... I know her through you."


  "You better shut up or I'm going to start bawling."

  Chapter 21—The Preacher

  (At the Edge of Town)

  "What do you know about a Father Fabulinus Fletch, Hank?"

  Well if it wasn’t Liza McNairy, quite contrary. Why did that name sound vaguely familiar? It had a certain ring to it... that much was sure. But he could've sworn he'd heard that same name before.

  Oh. Mexico... Elena Ramirez... sure, it was coming back now. The girl had mentioned something about the preacher out at an old tumble down church at the edge of town. That was his name. Fabulinus Fletch. Wait just a minute, Hank old boy. You weren’t in Mexico, remember? Don't blow it now.

  "I can't say I know anything about him, Liza. Why?"

  "We had a talk with the man yesterday. He's hiding something. After doing a little checking, we discovered some incongruities to his story. I just wondered if you had anything on him in your database."

  "I'll run the name and see what comes up. Is he from Los Angeles County?"

  "Possibly. At least he may have spent time there. We're guessing the man's been shuffled around several different parishes over the years before finally settling in Santo Tomas."

  Well, if they didn’t know by now that he'd lied to them about being in Mexico, they would soon. He had to watch that shit. Yeah, Liza would cut him some slack. She owed him. But Forthright? Maybe not. Odds were the man would do what his partner told him, though, so no worries on that count.

  No, the real concern was that he might lose respect in the eyes of Liza McNairy. He thought a lot about that woman. Did he want to bone her? Sure he did. But it went deeper than that. Hell, he wanted to fuck any half way decent looking woman he ever met. But Liza... well, she was something special.

  Why the hell did she take up with Danners Forthright? The man was a scab waiting to be picked... an ex-con, for Christ's sake. Sure, he'd been exonerated but that meant nothing. He'd also been convicted of murder... not once, but three times. And what's more, that of a boy just about the same age as Eduardo Ramirez. And now Forthright was helping to solve that case? Why?

  Guilt. That was the reason that kept popping into Hank's head. And if he'd really killed that boy and got away with it, what sort of escapades would the man get up to down in the land of pico de gallo and chili peppers? No telling. But one thing bothered him. Forthright was alone with Liza McNairy.

  "Tell you what, Liza... I'm going to be close down by the border tomorrow... how about if I pop in and see how you two are doing? I'll bring along any information I dig up on one Father Fabulinus Fletch to drop for you while I'm there."

  "Hank Lupo... are you worried about me?"

  "Well... yeah... that area isn't conducive to one's health."

  "Danners takes good care of me... I'm okay, Hank. Really."

  "I know... I just thought..."

  "I'd love it if you were able to drop by. Call me when you're on your way and I'll give you directions. The goddamned GPS doesn’t work for shit down here."

  Hell, he had some vacation time but why waste it? He'd concoct a story for the Captain... how some new evidence surfaced concerning the Ramirez case... and have the County pay his way. Besides, he wasn’t lying. And it'd make the Captain smile knowing Hank Lupo was on the case... as cold as that motherfucker was. Now all he needed to do was convince Sally that the trip was for real and not another of his flings.

  She'd been acting strange lately. Of course their youngest had just married and moved out of state, which meant all three of the kids were off on their own now. That must've left a gaping hole in Sally's heart. Hell, it did his... and he didn’t spend a tenth of the time with the kids that his wife did.

  He'd always thought there'd be more time. Once he settled down on the job, hell, they'd take that family vacation they'd always talked about. Maybe see the Grand Canyon... hell, perhaps even do Disneyland. Why not? Nothing stopping him. Except for everything.

  He'd even take Sally with him to Santo Tomas if it wasn’t for Liza McNairy being there. Jesus, that'd be all he needed. Oh, say Sally... you remember Liza... right? The girl you thought I was screwing? Wasn't that something how you two nearly got in a fight over me at that Christmas party?

  No... that wouldn’t do... not at all. He'd have to go it alone. Hell... maybe Liza might break down and take him to one of those nude beaches Elena had mentioned. He better pack the shades and plenty of sunscreen. Not that he was going to get naked. Hell no... and show off his meager package? Scant chance. Sure'd be nice to see Liza in the buff, though. He'd pay for that shit. Danners, not so much.

  Chapter 22—Living Large

  (In Mexico)

  1

  "We've got a name we'd like run, Reilly. Can we count on you?"

  Great... Special Agent in Charge Matt Murk was all up in his ass and now Liza McNairy needed a favor. Not good. Still, he couldn’t turn her down. He'd promised to be their liaison here in the States.

  "Of course, Liza. Give me the name and I'll see what I can come up with."

  "Fabulinus Fletch... he's a Catholic priest in Santo Tomas. We've tried to access his prior history but we can only go back to San Antonio. There has to be more out there on the man but we're coming up empty."

  "Fabulinus Fletch... got it. Give me a day and I'll call you back. So how's Mexico this time of year?"

  "Fantastic... I tell you, Reilly... this place is as close to paradise as anywhere I've been. It'd be a great retirement spot."

  You're killing me, Liza. You're there in paradise and I'm stuck here with all the assholes of the world. And if the number one asshole gets wind of what I'm about to do, he's liable to help me right into an early retirement. Not that I'll be able to enjoy it, mind you. Christ... the things we do for money.

  "Is Danners taking good care of you down there?"

  "He is... the man spoils me."

  "How much longer will you be there, Liza?"

  "Originally we thought we'd wrap things up in a week. Now we're not so sure. Fabulinus Fletch has garnered our attention. Something's going on here, Reilly... and it's been happening for decades now. Kids keep disappearing. We're counting on you to help us fill in the rest of the details."

  Christ, that's all he needed. It'd be tough to keep a lid on a renegade priest, what with all the pedophilia going on in the Catholic Church. And now they were resorting to kidnap and murder? Was that what was happening in Santo Tomas? And if so, why hadn’t the Bureau investigated Fabulinus Fletch? He'd read the files and if that peculiar name was in there, he'd remember it.

  He had to get closer to the case. What would it hurt to make an appearance in Mexico? He'd always heard the resorts there were second to none. What was more, he'd promised to take mother someplace to celebrate her birthday. It wasn’t all the time that a person turned forty five, especially in his family.

  Obesity and high blood pressure ran rampant throughout his lineage, and what the gangbangers didn’t kill the diseases did. The average life expectancy among his relatives ran about thirty years. Aunts and uncles, cousins and nephews... all dead before they reached forty. Was he next? Probably, what with the risky lifestyle he chose.

  "Tell you what, Liza... how about if I come on down to Santo Tomas for a day or two? I could use a little vacation and I've never been to paradise."

  "Mi casa es tu casa, me amigo. Come on down, Reilly. The weather's great and there are vacant cabins right next door to us. Shall I reserve one for you?"

  "Tell you what, Liza... can you reserve two? I'm thinking of bringing my mother along. She's never been to a resort, at least not that I know of. I think she might enjoy it."

  "I know she will. Two it is then, Reilly. That's really sweet of you. When will you be here?"

  "How about we aim for the day after tomorrow? That'll give me time to round mother up and to get the information you want on Fabulinus Fletch. Plus I'll need to give the Bureau a little notice. I've got the vacation time coming so it shouldn’t be a problem."

  Yeah, it wo
uld stretch his budget taking mother along but what the hell. The prices couldn’t be that much in Mexico compared to California and besides, she deserved a holiday. And maybe seeing him in the company of a girl like Liza McNairy might ease her concerns about her son's predilection for men. But then again, Danners Forthright would be there too.

  Reilly had never actually come out to mother even though she must have known something was going on when he began bringing men home instead of women. But hell, he wasn’t sure of his homosexuality himself... at least not enough to proclaim himself an openly gay man. Or maybe he simply didn’t have the stones. Yeah, it was easy for others to go there, but when the shit got real, proclaiming oneself to be a flaming faggot was the quickest way to turn the world against a person.

  His career with the Bureau

  2

  Would be over. Oh, the FBI didn’t discriminate due to sexual orientation, but certain agents would see to it that any future he had with the Bureau would be so difficult that it'd be better simply to call it quits. He'd heard all the jokes, the snide comments, the insider gossip. Nope. The Agency didn’t take kindly to fairies, J. Edgar Hoover be damned.

  What would Murk say to him about giving such short notice? Hell, maybe he'd be better off simply using a couple sick days. Tell them he had the flu. No one wanted that shit going around. Yep. That'd be the way to go. Otherwise, Murk could make things difficult. All the bastard had to do was to ignore or worse yet turn down his request for vacation time and there'd be nothing he could do. Going over one's direct superior was probably as bad as being gay. He'd be asked politely yet firmly to resign his position with the Bureau and not only that, be blacklisted from any other government job.

  Mother, I'm sorry but you're going to have to go back to living in East Los Angeles. I lost my job and I lied about paying cash for your house. I've been making payments on the place but now the bank is foreclosing and you're out on the streets. Sorry about that. Christ, no wonder all the doctors said how stress was such a killer.