“Father . . .” Her body visibly shook as she lowered again. “Father Flores. God forgive me. I’m so selfish, so stupid, so—”
“Stop.” Eve whipped the word out, and color flooded Elena’s face. “We’re investigating a homicide, we have a few questions, and you need to pull yourself together.” She turned to the concierge. “You need to go.”
“Mrs. Solas is obviously upset. I don’t see—”
“She’s going to be a lot more upset if I have to take her downtown because you won’t leave the room. If you’re not her lawyer or legal representative, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
“It’s all right, Mr. Alonzo. Thank you. I’m all right.”
“You’ve only to call if you’re not.” He sent Eve a frigid look as he turned to go.
“I never thought of Father Flores,” Elena murmured. “When they said the police were here, I thought of Tito, and what he said he’d do to me, and our three girls. I have three girls.”
“And he used to tune you up.”
“Yes. He used to hit me. He would drink and beat me, or not drink and beat me.”
“And he molested your daughter.”
Her face tightened, a flash of pain. “Yes. Yes, my Barbara. I didn’t know. How did I not know? She never told me, until . . . She never told me because I did nothing when he hit me. Why should I protect her when I didn’t protect myself?”
“There’s a question.” Eve caught herself, ordered herself to stick to the point. “But not the one we’re here for. You’re aware that Flores confronted your husband about the minor child Barbara.”
“Yes. He and Marc and Magda called the police. But he and Marc came first. And that’s how I found out what he’d done to my baby. And had started to do to my little Donita.”
“How did you feel about that?”
“About what Tito had done?”
“About what Flores did about it?”
Elena straightened her shoulders. “I thank God for him every day. I say a rosary for him
every night. He saved us, when I was too scared and stupid to save us, he did. I know he’s with God now, and still I’ll thank God for him every day, and say a rosary for him every night.”
“Has your husband contacted you from Rikers?”
“He doesn’t know where we are. Magda took us to a shelter, one downtown from here. Duchas.”
Eve shot Peabody a warning glance as her partner started to speak.
“We stayed there for three weeks. Tito took a plea. Ten years. It’s not enough, but it’s ten years of peace. We’ve moved, and I have a new job. When I have enough, we’ll move again. Out of the city. Far away. He’ll never find us. Father Flores promised.”
“Did he? Did he tell you how he could be so sure?”
She sighed. “He said there were ways, if need be, and that there were people who could help if we had to hide. But that I shouldn’t worry. He had faith that Tito would never trouble us again. I don’t have such strong faith.”
When they were in the car headed downtown, Peabody cleared her throat. “I wasn’t actually going to mention your connection to Duchas back there.”
“It’s not my deal. It’s Roarke’s.”
Hence the connection, Peabody thought. “Well, it’s a good thing. It really helps women and kids in trouble. You were a little hard on her. Elena Solas.”
“Really?”
The ice in the single word froze the air, and had Peabody pulling out her PPC. “Anyway, I’ll check with Rikers, see if Solas contacted anyone interesting in the last couple months.”
“You do that.”