“Gosh, nothing ever starts until six,” she said and then, as she held her cigarette between two fingers and tilted her head flirtatiously, “I haven’t seen you around before.”
“First time,” he said, with a fake smile that mimicked her flirtation, since that seemed to be her line.
“Really?”
“Yup. To be honest with you, I’m not even sure what I’m doing here. I got an invite from a friend who said I should stop by, said things were hopping here but can’t say it looks like anything’s hopping.”
“Not now,” Concha said with a sigh. “It used to be fun. I came to so many parties and openings. But Jackie’s really dull these days. She says it’s no time to party and I get it, but also, man, it can’t all be super serious, can it?”
“Agreed.”
He offered her a sip of his soft drink, and she took it, smiling again. “I don’t think I see my friend,” Elvis said. “I’m wondering if she’s coming.”
“What’s her name?”
“Leonora.”
Concha touched his arm, squeezing it dramatically, and gasped. “Leonora? You don’t expectshe’llbe here!”
“Why not?”
“Well…not after what happened. Why, Jackie has practically excommunicated her.”
“I don’t know what happened. I haven’t spoken with her in a couple of weeks.”
“I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but you seem all right,” Concha said, now running her hand down his arm, giving him an even bigger, more flirtatious smile.
He responded by resting his palm against her hip for a few seconds, close and cozy to the girl, but casual too. “You seem all right too. Why don’t you tell me?”
She spoke in a whisper, obviously relishing the chance to gossip despite her mock secretiveness. “Jackie thinks Leonora is the mole.”
“The mole?”
“Yeah. Someone’s been talking to cops, telling them every little thing that’s going on here.”
“How’d you figure that?”
“I’m not sure. But even if Jackie’s wrong, it doesn’t matter much, does it? Luz never liked Leonora, when push comes to shove Sócrates falls in line with Jackie, and Carlito is kissing Jackie’s butt, so it’s a done deal. Rubén objected, but you know, he can be easily overruled. Are you good friends with Leonora?”
“Not really. She lives in my apartment building,” he said, because he felt it was safer than saying they had taken classes together. He’d played the role of student before well enough, but right now he wanted to distance himself a bit from Leonora, seeing as she waspersona non grata. That was a term he’d learned from El Mago. He quite liked it.
“You’re friends with her?”
“I guess I was,” Concha said thoughtfully. “But she’s been very mysterious lately. I think because she was back together with Emilio and she didn’t want others to know.”
“Emilio? Why would that bother anyone?” he asked innocently.
“Oh, you know, Rubén’s still sore about what happened. Leonora dumping him for Emilio. And then they broke up anyway! She’s silly like that, sometimes. I mean, obviously she’s my friend, but…well, you know Leonora. She’s always burning bridges. I think the only person who still likes her now is Sócrates. I think he has a thing for her. But of course everyone has a thing for Leonora.”
“Popular girl,” he replied. Leonora had a bunch of associates, but they seemed to have let her down. Jackie had turned on her for some reason, and Leonora hadn’t gone back to the priest for help. Could be she was hiding with Emilio, Sócrates, or Rubén, but the last two were apparently Jackie’s underlings. Nevertheless, Rubén had objected, and Sócrates might be a fan of the girl. What Elvis needed was to figure out the coordinates of those two.
And Emilio Lomelí…El Mago had said he, like the girl’s sister, was a dead end. But was he? Anyway, why had El Mago been so adamant about keeping him and the sister out of this? Sure, he’d said Emilio was money and also PRI, but that didn’t quite explain everything. And Leonora’s file was so thin, like El Mago was trying to hide half of the girl’s life. It didn’t add up, and though it didn’t have to add up for Elvis to do his job, he was getting curious.
“You think Sócrates would be her type?”
“Why, you’re also waiting in line for her?” Concha said, scoffing, and she flicked her cigarette out the window and rolled her eyes.
“I’m curious, that’s all,” he said, his hand resting against her hip again.
