Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet / Четвъртия гроб под краката ми: Втора глава

Английски оригинал Перевод на български

After a long, exasperated stare, she asked, “You mean the offices we are no longer in?”

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I offered her a sheepish shrug. “Yeah, I forgot to cancel, and he painted them after we moved out. He was really happy that they were so clutter free.”

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“Well, that’s just fantastic.”

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Her enthusiasm seemed disingenuous. It was weird.

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“Surely, someone else owes us money,” she said.

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Then it hit me. The answer to all our prayers. Or at least a couple of them. “You’re right,” I said. Reyes Farrow owed me and owed me big. I grinned at Cookie. “I solved a case. I am due my usual rate, plus medical expenses and mental anguish.”

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She looked hopeful. “What case? Who?”

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The determined set of my jaw told her exactly who I was talking about. She got that faraway, dreamy look in her eyes. “Can I help collect?”

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“Nope, you have to get all this stuff sent back. How else are we going to eat for the next month?”

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“I never get to have any fun.”

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“It’s your own fault.”

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She cleared her throat. “How is any of this—” She spread her arms wide. “—my fault?”

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“That’s what you get for leaving me unsupervised. Don’t you have return receipts to fill out?”

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She lifted a handful. “Yes.”

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“From your apartment?”

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She took the receipts and started to leave me to my own devices. She would never learn.

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“Oh,” she said before opening the door, “I took your remote, so don’t even think about it.”

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That was so uncalled for.

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After she left, I sat down and tried to think up a plan of action. If only I could get ahold of Angel. If anyone could find that low-down, dirty—

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“How did you do that?”

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I jumped at the sound of a voice coming from behind me. It was high. The jump. Not the voice. I pressed my hands to my heart and turned to the thirteen-year-old departed gangbanger who went by the name of Angel Garza.

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He stood in my apartment, wearing his usual jeans and dirty T-shirt with a bandanna wrapped around his head. “Angel, what the hell?”

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“What do you mean, what the hell? What did you do?”

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“What?” I asked, trying to calm my heart. I didn’t normally get that scared when Angel popped in.

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His dark brown eyes narrowed in question. “How did you do that?”

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“I don’t know. What did I do?”

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“I was at my cousin’s quinceañera one minute, then here the next.”

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“Did you do that?”

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“I don’t think so. I just thought about you, and you were there.”

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“Well, stop it. That was weird.” He hugged himself and rubbed his arms.

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“This is cool. You never come when I need you.”

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“I’m your investigator, pendeja, not your lapdog.”

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“I can’t believe that worked.”

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“What are all these boxes?”

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“Did you just call me pendeja?”

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Then he noticed me at last and got the familiar look in his eyes. “You’re looking good, boss.”

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“And you’re looking thirteen.” Throwing his age in his face always worked. He bristled and turned to study my new cheese pot. He wouldn’t like what I was about to ask him, so I stood and faced him head-on, my stance set, my expression hard.

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“I need to know where he is.”

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Surprise straightened his shoulders a moment, but he caught himself and shrugged. “Who?”

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He knew exactly who I was talking about. “He was just here a minute ago, standing outside my apartment building. Where is he staying?”

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Frustration slid through his lips. “You’ve stayed away from him for weeks. Why now?”

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“He owes me money.”

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“Not my problem.”

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“It will be when I can’t pay your salary.” To pay for his investigative services, I sent an anonymous cashier’s check to his mother every month.

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He couldn’t use the money in his rather sparse condition, but she could. It was a perfect arrangement.

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“Shit.” He disappeared through a wall of boxes. “Every time you get near him, you get hurt.”

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“That’s not true.”

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