Her heart went into meltdown. “Here, let me help you, Gordo.”
He stood still and allowed Elena to position the opening over his head, pull it down and push his arms through the sleeves. He had the fresh washed smell of pine soap. Dominic must have scrubbed him clean.
“There,” she said, straightening the shirt for him. “My, don’t you look good.”
The sandy haired boy didn’t look so sure. He turned away but gave a little smile, enough that Elena could see his decayed teeth.
“Gordo,” said Miguel, “this is señorita Elena. She is the nice lady I told you about. She will help us.”
Elena leaned against the edge of the exam table. “It’s nice to meet you, Gordo.” She wanted to gather the child in a big hug, but feared that’d be moving in on him a little too fast. When was the last time the little fellow had a hug?
“Help you with what?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Miguel pursed his lips, like he was gathering up courage. “Well, it is like this. Gordo and I, we thought, well really I thought, that I should tell you about the policemen. But Gordo knows, too.”
Elena’s radar moved to full alert. Did these boys know something about the police they hadn’t told anyone? “Go on. I’m listening.”
Gordo stood watching the wall, like he was afraid to look at Elena. Miguel glanced at him and took a deep breath.
“Well, Gordo and I, we used to watch happenings around town.” He hesitated.
Elena nodded encouragement.
“From the rooftops,” said Miguel.
Elena thought she saw where he was going with his story but waited for him to continue.
“And well, you know, we could see lots of things happening in people’s houses.” His cheeks reddened, and Elena could imagine some of the things he might see.
“So,” she said, “you sort of spied on people.”
“Well, yes. We didn’t have much to do at night, and sometimes we weren’t sleepy so we would climb on the rooftops and watch people in their houses.”
“Okay, and ….”
“There was one house we liked because it had one of those very big TVs, and we could see it real good from the neighbor’s roof and the guy always watched soccer, and we liked that.”
Gordo’s interest picked up at the part about the soccer. “Sí,” he said in a tiny voice.
Elena couldn’t figure out the next part. She was trying to be patient and hear him out.
“Well, one night the police inspector, he and José came to the house with the big TV. And they got into an argument with the guy and his brother. They lived there together.”
“Who was the guy who lived there and had the big TV?”
“His name is Diego and his brother they call Tito because he is big.”
A sick feeling oozed through her gut. Diego? Not the Diego she knew from the Museum. It couldn’t be.
“Do you know this Diego?” she asked. “Like where he works?”
“At the Museum shop. His brother travels a lot. He is not in town much.”
Elena covered her mouth. Diego and his brother. She couldn’t believe it. She had thought Diego a harmless flirt. What did the brother do? One of those worthless brothers Diego said he never saw. That never helped with his mother. The brother might be ferrying stolen goods with all his travelling. Boy, had she been naïve.
Another disquieting thought flashed across her mind. Had the Museum director known about Diego and the smuggling? Had he aided and abetted the smuggling ring? Had the thieves threatened to expose him and his role? Is that why he committed suicide?
It dawned on Elena that the Museum director’s anger with her might have had more to do with some nefarious role he played in the smuggling operation and his not wanting her to know. Diego may have threatened to expose him. Had blackmail driven him to suicide? They might never know.
“Is that the only time you saw the inspector and José in Diego’s house?”
“No, there were other times we saw them come. They didn’t stay very long. Only that one time they had the argument.”
“Can you remember when that was?”
“Right before the murder of that man at the Temple.”
She took Miguel’s hand. “Come, Miguel and Gordo. This is important what you’ve told me. Good job. We need to see Connie. You’ll tell this to Connie, won’t you?”
Miguel nodded, and Gordo imitated the gesture.
She steered both boys to the main room of the clinic where Dominic was still talking to Felicia.
As she approached with the two boys in hand, Dominic turned and smiled. “Hello. It’s good to see you out and about.”
“Yes,” said Felicia, all cordiality. “We’re so glad you are feeling better. You look much better although purple and yellow aren’t your colors.”
Elena suspected Felicia was trying to be civil. She was doing a decent imitation.
“Hello, you two,” she said with what she hoped was a smile in her voice. “I’m going to find Connie, and Miguel and Gordo are going with me.”
“Do you want me to go?” ask Dominic.
“No, that’s not necessary. You look engrossed in important conversation.”
“We were talking about how to get funding for a new roof and a shelter for homeless kids here in Copan Ruinas,” he said.
Elena perked up at that news. “How wonderful. Don’t let us keep you. We’ll be back soon.”
They found Connie in the police station, head bent in conversation with Paco. They greeted Elena and the boys with big hellos, smiles, and hugs.
Before she forgot, Elena pulled a small plastic bag from a vest pocket and handed it to Connie.
“This is a medal of St. Jude I found close to the murder site and, what with everything, I forgot I had it. I wanted to give it to you before I forgot again.”
Connie took the medal and studied it, asking questions about the exact location where Elena had found it.
Paco leaned over to have a look. “May I see that?”
Connie took one last look and passed it over. He examined it, turning it over and over, holding it to the light to see better.
“What do you think?” asked Connie.
“Funny. Raul Oliveros wore one like this, but his is missing. He asked me if I had seen it around anywhere.”
“Really?” asked Elena.
Connie said, “Dust it for prints though I don’t think we’ll find anything definitive. I wish I could pin that joker Oliveros to the murder site, but this might not be enough to do it.”
“Well then, you better listen to Miguel’s story,” said Elena. “This might help.”
Miguel told his story in record time. Connie and Paco listened closely with a question now and then for clarification.
When the boy finished, Connie said, “Now we’re getting somewhere. Diego, is it? I know him from the Museum. Sort of smart aleck type, isn’t he?”
“That’s the one,” said Elena.
“Let’s go, Paco,” said Connie, in high gear and rapid motion toward the door. “Bring the medal. I knew Oliveros was in this. We’ll pay him a visit and see if he’s still missing his medal.”
Dominic couldn’t believe his ears when Elena related Miguel’s story and what Paco had said about the medal.
“Wow,” he said, “this is far reaching.”
Elena nodded. “I never would have suspected Diego. Oliveros, yes. But Diego? That little worm.”
They sat on straight back chairs on the sidewalk before the open door of the clinic. Subtle rose and salmon colors tinged with dusty blue swirled across the evening sky. Everyone had left the clinic for the day. The streets carried a brisk pedestrian traffic. People waved as they went by.
“Look at the sky,” said Dominic. “The promise of normal life returns.”
“You wax poetic this evening,” said Elena and nudged him in the ribs. The two little boys were practicing their footwork with the soccer ball around the clinic.