Delia's Crossing (Delia 1)

“Yes.”

“Well…”

Sophia looked at me. I was sobbing softly, my tears seeming to pop out of my cheeks instead of my eyes.

“Well…why did the police come here?”

“Jana said four Mexican boys burst in on her and Bradley. She knew one of them. They went to the boy’s home and found out Delia was there and you came with some of your friends. You all left with the boy and his friends. That’s what they know. That’s what the police just told us. Satisfied? I’ll tell them you’re coming right down,” he added, and left us.

“Damn,” Sophia said. She backed herself into the chair at the vanity table.

I leaned against the bedpost to keep myself from falling.

“That Jana is such a moron. Why couldn’t she get to a phone if she saw he was bleeding so badly?” Sophia muttered. Then she looked at me quickly and stood up. “Stop crying like that. You can’t fall apart now, Delia. You have to stick with our story, understand? You remember our story? Don’t say anything else. Make believe you don’t understand anything. I’ll tell them we won’t talk until my mother gets home, understand? Don’t tell them too much.

“Delia!” she said, grabbing my arms and shaking me hard. “Are you listening to me?”

I nodded, but her words were like marbles rolling around in a can.

“You’d better, or you’ll be in very big trouble, very big. You’re not even an American citizen yet. You’ll go to jail, a terrible jail just for Mexicans,” she said.

Could that be so?

“All right. C’mon,” she said, taking my hand. “I’ll be right there with you. Just look at me before you answer anything. Let me do most of the talking. I’ll keep holding your hand. If I squeeze it, don’t answer. I hope you understand, Delia, for your sake more than mine,” she said, her eyes riveted on me and full of threats.

We started down the stairs. As we descended, I saw the two policemen waiting with Señor Garman at the entryway. Jesse had gone back to Edward to tell him what was happening. Señor Garman was in a pair of old pants and an undershirt. He glared at us with such anger I was afraid to get too close to him. Sophia took my hand as soon as we stepped off the stairway.

“What’s going on?” she asked with remarkable aggressiveness toward the police. “My mother is away, and she wouldn’t want us talking to police without first talking to a lawyer, I’m sure.”

“Why, do you think we’re here to arrest you for something?” the taller of the two policemen asked her sharply.

“No,” she said, but she hesitated to step forward.

The shorter policeman, a younger, better-looking man with a quiet smile, nodded at me. “Usted es Delia?” he asked me.

“Sí,” I said. Having him speak to me in Spanish relaxed me a little, but Sophia was shocked.

“I don’t understand Spanish, so…”

“He wasn’t speaking to you. This girl is recently here, correct?”

“This girl is my cousin,” Sophia said.

We heard Jesse and Edward coming down the stairway behind us.

“Oh, crap,” Sophia muttered. “My brother.”

“What’s happening here, Mr. Garman?” Edward asked, halfway down the stairs.

“A young man has been killed,” he said. “The police are here to question your sister and Delia.” He turned to the policemen. “Mr. Dallas was in a bad car accident, and…”

“Yes, we know about that accident,” the taller policeman said.

“What exactly do my sister and Delia have to do with this?” Edward asked. Jesse brought him right up to us.

“That’s what we’re here to find out,” the taller policeman said. He turned to Sophia. “You and your cousin and some of your friends went to the home of Ignacio Davila tonight, is that correct?”

“My cousin went there with Ignacio to celebrate his sister’s birthday, yes, and then I went there with my friends to be sure she was doing all right,” Sophia said, tightening her grip on my hand.