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“Once upon a time. What’s this about?”
“Lino Martinez.”
“Lino?” The surprise came into his eyes as quickly as it had his son’s, but with none of the excitement. What Eve saw in them was dread. “Is he back?”
“We’d like to come in.”
Inez raked both hands through his hair, then stepped back. “I got kid duty. It’s my wife’s girls’ night. I don’t know how long Mitch can keep the twins in line.”
“Then we’ll get right to it. When did you last have contact with Lino Martinez?”
“Jesus. Must be fifteen years ago. Couple more maybe. He took off when we were still kids. About sixteen, seventeen.”
“You’ve had no contact with him in all this time?”
“We had some hard words before he left.”
“About?”
Something shuttered over his eyes. “Hell, who remembers?”
“You were both members of a gang known for its violence, and its blood ties.”
“Yeah. I got this to remind me, and to make damn sure my kids don’t make the same mistakes. I did some time, you know that already. I drank, and I kicked it. I’ve been clean for almost thirteen years now. When’s it going to be long enough?”
“Why did Lino take off?”
“He wanted out, I guess. He and Steve—Steve Chávez—said they were heading to Mexico. Maybe they did. I only know they took off together, and I haven’t seen or heard from either of them since.”
“Do you go to church?”
“What’s it to you?” At Eve’s steady stare, he sighed. “I try to make it most Sundays.”
“You attend St. Cristóbal’s?”
“Sure, that’s . . . This is about that priest.” Relief bloomed on his face. “About the one who died at the funeral. Old Mr. Ortiz’s funeral. I couldn’t make it, had a plumbing problem up on the fifth floor. Are you talking to everyone in the parish, or just former gang members?”
“Did you know Flores?”
“No, not really. I mean, I saw him around now and then. Most Sundays we’d go to the nine o’clock Mass. My wife liked to hear Father López’s sermons, and that was fine by me as he usually keeps them short.”
“Your boys don’t go to the youth center.”
“Mitch, he’s wild for airboarding. Doesn’t give a shit about team sports, at this stage anyway. The twins are only five and—” Whoops and shouts burst from the back of the apartment. Inez smiled grimly. “Right now, we’re keeping them on a short leash.”
“What about Penny Soto?”
His eyes shifted, went cold. “She’s around the neighborhood, sure. We’ve got different lives now. I’ve got a family, a good job here. I stopped looking for trouble a long time ago.”
“What kind of trouble was Lino Martinez in when he took off?”
It was in his eyes again, a knowledge, a fear, a regret. “I can’t help you with that. Lino was always in trouble. Listen, I can’t leave those three back there by themselves. I don’t know anything about Flores, and as for Lino? This is the only thing we’ve had in common for a real lon
g time.” He tapped the tattoo. “I gotta ask you to leave so I can keep my boys from beating on each other.”
Something there,” Eve said when they were outside. “Something went down, and the something is why Lino went rabbit all those years back.”
“But you don’t think he knew Lino was back.”
