Dont be digging around here anymore, Billy warned her. I dont want to bust you for trespassing, but I will.
Humph.
If you discover the location of any stolen pirates treasure, its your civic duty to turn it over to the policeor become an accessory. Have a nice day, Patty. Billy tipped an imaginary hat and turned to head back inside.
Claudia followed, her heart pounding, until they were safely inside. Lying to that woman goes against everything I believe in. Isnt it a pretty serious crime, impersonating a police officer?
She doesnt suspect. And even if she does, shes too busy thinking about buried treasure to report me. Maybe well luck out, and shell find the coins for us.
You just like playing games with peoples heads. Another thought occurred to her. Youre obviously a skilled investigator, good at teasing information out of people. How come you dont like field work?
He froze. How do you know that about me?
During your original evaluation. You said you didnt want to work in the field. You told me then you were tired of it. And because Daniel asked me if there was any reason, in my professional opinion, that I thought you werent fit for active duty, so to speak. At the time I didnt know you were a lunatic, so I said no, no reason, that you were just ready for a change.
We almost got our heads blown off today, and you want to know why I dont like field work?
They ended up back in the living room. Claudia spotted a bloodstain on the carpet, probably from Theresas assault. Her stomach turned, and their earlier confrontation with a loaded gun barged back into her mind.
What she recalled most clearly was how Billy had again put himself between her and danger.
She wandered back to the fireplace and noticed something she hadnt seen before. Lying on the bricks was a hunk of ceramic material, about the size of a poker chip but curved. It bore a bright blue glaze. She picked it up and studied it.
Watcha got there?
A fragment of something. It doesnt belong to anything in the vicinity.
Billy studied the area where the fragment had lain. Hey, look at this. Theres a spot here on the hearth thats not as dusty as everything else.
Now that she looked more closely, she realized the arrangement of statues was unbalanced. You think another statue used to be here?
Could be. He picked up the statue of St. Francis and flipped it upside down, examining the bottom. He did the same with the angel. These statues are hollow inside.
A good place to hide coins? Claudia ventured.
Billy nodded. Its an old drug-smuggler trick, hiding stuff inside statues. He thought about it some more. I like it. But why wouldnt Mary-Francis just tell us that?
Maybe she didnt know exactly where her sister put the coins. Or she doesnt trust us. Shes still hoping to keep the coins for herself whenifshe gets out of prison.
And the robbers beat Theresa until she told them where the coins were hidden.
Claudia shivered at the thought of what that poor woman must have gone throughthe terror, the pain. Lets just get out of here, okay?
A womans life is at stake, he reminded her. We owe it to her to be thorough. Why are you so nervous? You told me you face down violent offenders in your work pretty often, right? Billy checked the contents of two drawers in the coffee table that had been overlooked.
Thats different. Thats in a controlled setting, when Im squarely on the right side of the law. This is breaking and entering, and I for one dont relish explaining to Daniel how we got ourselves arrested.
Billy didnt seem bothered by their straying into unlawfulness. Hey, Claudia, check this out. He held up a small white box that she at first thought was a pack of cigarettes or a deck of cards.
Claudia looked longingly toward the front door. Billy, please.
His face softened, probably sensing her distress. She didnt make any attempt to hide it. Okay. He tucked the item into his pocket.
Claudia didnt take a full breath until they were back in her car. She started the engine, again turning on the A/C full blast.
You okay?
She waved away his concern. Im fine, considering I just committed my first felony.
Misdemeanor trespassing, tops.
How comforting. What was that thing you found in the drawer?
Probably nothing important. It was one of those Flip video cameras. You ready for some lunch?
How could he act so normal after all theyd been through? After seeing the visceral evidence of a violent crime? Then again, he was a former cop. She knew some homicide cops could literally eat a sandwich while standing over a bloody corpse.
I could at least use something cold to drink, she said.
She hadnt planned on sharing another meal with Billy. Last time, shed spotted Tubbys and gotten all sentimental, probably revealing more about herself than shed intended. But Tubbys did make her think about one of the happier times in her life. At age thirteen shed been placed in a foster home with another girl close to her age, and theyd become inseparable. One of their hangouts had been Tubbys. Marlene, whod been pretty and popular, had shared her clothes and makeup and had made sure Claudia was accepted into her in group of kids.
For the first time in her life Claudia had felt like an accepted member of a peer group. She had belonged.
After about six months, Marlenes real mother had regained custody, and the friendship had ended abruptlyalong with Claudias acceptance. It turned out her peer group had only been putting up with Claudia for Marlenes sake.
You like Mexican food? Billy asked. I saw an El Fenix on the way over here.
Sure, thats fine.
Billy gave her directions, and five minutes later she was pulling into the parking lot, the lunch crowd thinning out by now.
Once they were seated in the blessedly well air-conditioned restaurant with a basket of chips and hot sauce between them, Billy took the tiny video camera from his pocket.
Claudia couldnt bring herself to order an actual meal, so she requested an iced tea. Billy gave her a disapproving frown, ordered a plate of beef enchiladas, then returned his attention to the camera, fiddling with the buttons.
Theresa took quite a few movies. Does she have kids, grandkids? He looked at the screen and grinned. Aw, cute baby.
I saw some family photos at the house, so, yes, Im sure she has children. Mary-Francis said her sister was a widow.
A babys laughter issued from the cameras tiny speaker. Billy pushed more buttons. Now we have what looks like a Little League baseball game. And this onean elderly ladys birthday party andsomeone who apparently just got a new car.
Sounds riveting. Will the Academy of Motion Pictures be calling?
Same baby again. This time hes walking. Billy smiled a really sweet, unguarded smile, and her heart swelled. He continually surprised her. Sure, she could tell herself the kiss theyd shared earlier was an isolated incident, that it would never happen again. But the desire she felt for him wasnt going away.
Not until she figured him out.
Claudia was great at coaching her clients on relationship matters, but the fact was, shed never had a successful romantic relationship, just a few spectacular failureslike Raymond Bass.
Not until she figured him out.
Claudia was great at coaching her clients on relationship matters, but the fact was, shed never had a successful romantic relationship, just a few spectacular failureslike Raymond Bass.
Hed been executed last year.
It seemed every man she met had an angle in wanting to date her, and she always figured it out much too easily. If they were interested in sex and nothing else, she always knew it, no matter what they told her or how sweet they appeared to be. They were so painfully transparent.
Then there were the ones who wanted free therapy. Pass.
Her abysmal love life was a failing on her part. She couldnt put the blame on anyone else. Because part of her strained to learn every detail about a potential boyfriend so that she could feel safe; then she lost interest when no mystery remained.
Billys motives for kissing her were impossible to read. He was mysteriousexcitingdangerousand she ought to be running as far and fast as she could in the opposite direction. Instead, she was intrigued.
Oh, now heres something interesting.
What?
He studied the tiny screen intently for a few moments. Claudia. I think this is a memorial service for Eduardo.
Let me see.
He turned the camera partway in her direction, but as they both leaned across the table to look, neither of them could see very well. Without thinking much about it, Claudia slid out of her side of the booth and into his.
Big mistake.
Start it over. She struggled to make her voice sound calm, as if their contact, from her thighs all the way up to her shoulder, didnt affect her at all, as if her heart hadnt started beating like a drum solo and her insides hadnt clenched up in anticipation of something that would never happen.
Apparently her efforts succeeded. Billy obliged, turning up the volume.
An elderly priest stood informally before a group of people seated in folding chairs. This is Theresas house. Claudia recognized the large sofa painting of The Last Supper. I wonder why the service was held there?
Because the Torres home was a crime scene?
Now we can at least see what the house looked like before the break-in.
The priest talked about Eduardos sterling qualities, how he gave generously to the church and sponsored a poor village in Mexicothe village where his wifes parents still lived.
Theres something funny about that priest, Claudia said.
Funny, how?
He keeps glancing at the fireplace. Hes definitely distracted by something over there. See how he bounces up on his toes?