"About the Cortez Cabal ..."
"Oh, yes. I'm sorry." He chuckled. "I suppose etymology doesn't help you much, does it? Was there anything in particular you wanted to know about them? If they aren't behind the attack on Savannah--"
"It's related. I need to know about the family. The main family."
"The Cortez Cabal is headed by Benicio Cortez and his sons. I believe there's a brother or two, plus assorted nephews and cousins."
"The sons ... Do you know their names?"
"Let me see. There's Hector, then ... I'm not certain of the middle two brothers, but the youngest, of course, is Lucas."
"Of course?"
"Outside the Cabals, Lucas Cortez is the best-known of the four brothers. He has quite a reputation--" Robert stopped, then laughed. "I think I see where this is leading. Dare I presume you've met young Cortez?"
"You could say that."
"Let me guess. He wants to help you protect Savannah from this other Cabal."
"I'm guessing he does this kind of thing a lot, huh? What's your take on this ... crusade of his?"
"Well, let's see. The most unflattering view of the situation is that it is nothing more than youthful hell-raising. A spoiled delinquent protected by a blindly doting father. The middle ground, and the view most widely subscribed to, is that this is simply a developmental stage. The prodigal son rebelling against his family, a moral revolt that will last only until he realizes poverty isn't much fun, whereupon he'll return to the fold. The most optimistic view, of course, is that he truly is committed to what he's doing."
"Saving the world from the evil Cabals."
"He's around your age, isn't he? The age of idealism. The time to join protests and causes. To enlist in the Peace Corps. To fight evil Cabals. To put your life on hold to raise a thirteen-year-old stranger."
"Hmmm."
"If Lucas Cortez is offering to help, don't turn him away. No matter what people in the Cabal world say about him, no one denies the honesty of his intentions. For your situation with Savannah, I'd say the boy is perfectly suited to help. No one knows more about the Cabal world, and he can operate in it with impunity."
"About the Cabals," I said. "They seem much more ... important than I thought. Than my mother thought."
Silence hummed down the line. "Your mother and I had different views on some subjects concerning the council and its mandate."
"She chose to ignore the Cabals."
"She ..." He paused, as if choosing his words with care. "She thought our efforts were better directed. I wanted to investigate Cabals more, if only to further our understanding of them. Your mother disagreed."
"So you left the council."
"I--" He inhaled. "I felt I was no longer the right person for the job. My interests lay elsewhere." He paused. "Your mother and I were getting older, getting tired and discouraged. I thought we should pass on the torch to the younger generation, to you and Adam. She wasn't ready for that."
Maybe because she thought I wasn't ready.
"I ... I should go," I said. "Can I call you back? If I have more questions?"
"Even if you don't, I'd appreciate an update when you get time, and I'm sure Adam would like to speak to you. I'll stave off his questions for now, b
ut call him when you have a chance."
I promised I would, then signed off.
I found Cortez alone at the table, reading a week-old copy of the Boston Globe.
"Where's Savannah?" I asked.
He folded the paper and laid it aside. "In her room, if the music is any indication. You were speaking to Robert?"