The Edge of Obsession (Black Ops Confidential 2.5)

His eyes traveled to his front door, remembering the first time Geraldo had brought him here. “Aye. That’s what he told me. Instead of trying to find her, the comandante blamed him, tried to pin Geraldo for her disappearance. Determined to clear his name and find her, Geraldo did his own investigation. No one knows exactly what happened, but he was found half-dead with his skull smashed in. He’s never been the same.”

“That’s awful. I spoke with him. I assumed…” She paused, and if it was possible to hear a woman thinking, he heard her. “I feel badly. I treated him as if he might not understand.”

“Most people do. It’s partly why he lost his phone service job and had to move back in with his mom and become the super. But he’s as sharp as a knife. A mechanical wizard and a good man.”

“Do you think he could have information for us? That maybe whoever took his fiancée could be the same person who has taken Rosa?”

Sion’s eyes sought out his most recent painting. Dee and Rosa walking across the zocola, with Carlos following behind. Bugger. Even if it was the same guy, it was doubtful Geraldo would remember. “I’ll ask him. But I don’t want to give you false hope, Sister—

“Dee.”

“Dee. He forgets much of what happened that night. Hate to trigger bad memories asking things he’ll have no recollection of.”

“I understand. But he is our only lead right now. He and the mysterious man who offered Rosa the job. And I’ve already begun asking around after him. I’m in the square now, speaking with refugees.”

“Alone at night? When a woman has gone missing?”

“I can take care of myself. Jiu jitsu, remember?”

He rubbed a hand around his tensing neck. “I’ll go talk to Geraldo now. Let’s meet after. I can help you interview people. They might respond better to Juan the Forger than Dee the Nun.”

Another pause. Longer. “I should have thought of that. Perhaps I should change.”

“Change into what?”

“Call me after. We can decide where to meet.”

She hung up before he could respond.

Bugger.

#

Sion’s bum leg decided tonight was the night it was going to remind him how pathetic it was. His usually light tread sounded clunky, like Captain Hook working his way across the bow of the Sea Devil. He hung onto the stair rail, trying to lessen the echoing sound.

Hitting the last step, he noticed someone in the shadows. Instinct took over. He shifted feet and raised his hands.

Geraldo came out from the dark corner. Sion let out a relieved breath. “Mate, I’ve told you to meet me here, not lurk.”

Geraldo frowned, clomped his feet up and down.

True. Sion probably wouldn’t have heard him anyway. “Fine. I’ll give you a pass on the heart attack. Appreciate you meeting me out here. I know your mum is watching her telenovela. I didn’t want to bother her.”

Geraldo’s blue eyes lit. His mouth twitched. “It’s not wise.”

“Exactly my thinking.” And that he didn’t want to upset Yolanda with talk of her son’s missing fiancée. Yolanda had been there that night Geraldo had first spoken to Sion of his fiancée. She’d helped her son fill in a lot of the details but had cried repeatedly. It had been a heartbreaking evening. “I’m on my way out. Can you walk with me to my car?”

Surprise on his face, Geraldo put his hands into the pockets of his coveralls. “Yes.”

Outside, they walked the darkening streets toward the lot where Sion had his car. Geraldo kept pace with Sion’s troubled steps. Which meant, to Sion’s mind anyway, that he was slowing down.

“Mate, I’m sorry to bring this up.”

Geraldo’s head swung his way.

Sion couldn’t help another flash of guilt. He’d met Geraldo on the day he’d arrived in Oaxaca. Sion had been wandering about looking like a homeless person. Which, in fact, he had been. Geraldo had started talking to him. First in Spanish and then in English. Finding a room to rent and a friend had been that easy.

“I was talking to Sister Dee today.”

Geraldo’s brown skin turned russet. He jerked his head away as they crossed the street. “Doesn’t look like a nun.”

Sion laughed. “Glad I’m not the only one who thinks so, but trust me, don’t say it out loud. Hugely offensive.”

Geraldo’s head swung back, eyes wide. “You didn’t.”

“Bach, she was so lush I couldn’t help it. The words slipped past my lips before I could retrieve them.”

Not the only thing to slip past his lips when it came to Dee.

Geraldo grinned and nodded. Felt good to be understood. And Geraldo did understand.

Although his hesitant way of talking and the fact that he sometimes skipped words led some to believe Geraldo wasn’t all there, the truth was, he was sharp as a skinner’s knife. Still, communication wasn’t in his Strengths column.

That’s why it was best to be direct with him. Cut down the back and forth. “A refugee woman has gone missing.”

Geraldo hissed through his teeth, a sound a man recently punched in the gut might make. Sion’s stomach tightened.

“Sorry, mate. I know this can’t be easy on you, and I know you don’t remember much about your own investigation into your fiancée…”

Geraldo’s ham-fist came up to knock on his own head. “Not in there.”

Poor guy. He’d spent months in the hospital recovering. “Anything you can remember? Even something before the”—accident wasn’t the right word—“incident?”

Sion took out his keys as they approached his car. They stopped.

Squeezing his eyes closed, Geraldo’s whole body seemed to tense. A single tear trailed down his cheek.

Sion put a palm against his shoulder and told him not to worry about it, but Geraldo’s eyes popped open, immobilizing him.

With uncooperative fingers, Geraldo groped at the pocket on his coveralls. He took out his wallet and pulled out a piece of soiled folded notebook paper. He handed it to Sion.

Si

on tried to decipher the faded numbers. “GPS coordinates?”

Geraldo pointed one dirt-encrusted finger at the paper. “Had it on me. Kept it.” He tossed his head to the night sky and groaned in deep frustration. “Nothing there. Looked dozen times.”

“So you had this on you when they found you with your head bashed in?”

He nodded.

“Is this where you were found?”

Geraldo shook his head.

Not where he’d been found, but he’d had it on him. Maybe he’d been checking a few spots? Or maybe it was nothing. “And you’ve checked this area at least a dozen times before?”

“Aye.”

“Oh, aye, is it?” Sion grinned. “We’ll make a Welshman of you yet.”

“Bugger, not likely.”

Sion full-out laughed. The man was clever. And if Geraldo, who knew the area, couldn’t find anything, what were his chances? Still, he memorized the coordinates. He handed the paper back, then slapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, mate. Take it easy.”

As he turned to go, Geraldo grabbed him. The warmth in his blue eyes went cold. “Careful. Dangerous.”

A flush of cold energy worked its way down his spine, setting the hair at his neck flying. “I promise to be careful.”

Chapter 11

It was full dark when Sion pulled up to the corner where he and Dee had planned to meet. A long-legged woman in black jeans, black boots, black jacket, and knit hat stood on the corner, hot enough to make him do a double and triple take.

She walked forward. Oh. Good. Lord. It couldn’t be. The richness of her skin, the sway of those hips, the length of those legs, long enough to wrap…

It was. Sister Dee.

Fine then, the Devil won this round.

Hell.

It would have to be Hell.

She knocked on the window. Swallowing his very inappropriate declaration and his tongue, he lowered it. She leaned in, bringing all that lush and the scent of rose water.

Honey-brown eyes twinkled with her smile. Those eyes. A man could get lost in them.