“I’m just kidding, bro, but what did you need me to do? I heard you mention something to Gus.”
Eduardo's smile spreads into an evil grin. “Yes, we have the camera up in Mr. Martin’s house. It’s time to find out what that old bird has been hiding.”
I get the app up, and we look through the phone to see Mr. Martin standing in his kitchen. Eduardo called him an old bird, which isn’t far from the truth. Ramón is under six feet, but that’s not what makes Eduardo’s comment accurate. He has a hook nose that mimics a beak. His eyes are beady and elongatedin an obsidian black color, much like the color of Mateo’s eyes and Mr. Martinez’s black ones that match his heartless soul. This combination gives him a bird-like quality that makes his comment laughable and highly on point.
I motion with my hand over to Eduardo. He peers over my shoulder. “Put it on speaker.”
I do as he asks and place the phone on his desk. Eli and Philip move over to see him on the screen moving about in his kitchen. The clanking of dishes in the sink sounds through the phone as he sets the clean dishes down on the rack to air dry. Suddenly, a sound pierces the room, and Philip looks over at Eli.
“What’s that noise?” Philip comments.
I laugh at his question. “I know, right? You should ask Eduardo,” is all I say as Eduardo scowls at me.
Mr. Martin dries his hands on a towel as he walks over to answer the phone on the wall. They start laughing, but it dies down as soon as Mr. Martin answers the phone.
“Hello.” He folds the dish towel over the sink and braces himself on the island. “Yes, I went to the doctor today, and Mateo took me.” He adds the last part hesitantly. He appears to be in physical pain as he shifts his weight from one leg to the other. Whether the pain is related to his doctor’s appointment or this phone conversation, we don’t know.
We hear in a hushed tone, “Please don’t ask that of me.” His head is bent down as his hand rubs at his hair, much like Mateo does.
I look over at Eduardo, and he listens intently to every word of this one-sided conversation. It funnels in through the speaker in a whirl of acrid sounds as if he is afraid to miss any detail. “Okay, son. Yes, I will.”
With that last sentence, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. He hangs up the phone on the receiver. I sit up straightand watch as Ramón hangs his head and cups his face. He stands abruptly and walks off out of view into the bedroom.
A moment of silence passes before Eduardo speaks, confirming what we all know to be another truth. Ramón definitely speaks to or is in cahoots with Mr. Martinez, Mateo’s father.
“Well, I guess we have our answer.” Eduardo looks over at us as we consider the gravity of the situation.
“So, who is going to tell them?” I ask.
As soon as Eduardo’s office door opens, Mateo and Evie walk in.
“Who’s going to tell them what?” Evie says just as Eduardo groans.
“Fuck. You always did have perfect timing, Evie.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
EVIE
“For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica
Iwalk into who knows what conversation as Mateo trails a few steps behind me.
“Perfect timing to tell me what the fuck is going on,” he grumbles.
“With pleasure, Mateo. That’s why we asked you over here. It certainly isn’t for your smashing personality.” Eduardo retorts.
He walks over to us, ushering Mateo and me into the already cramped office space. Mateo looks around at the solemn faces and whirls around to Eduardo.
“Why do I sense that we are going to get another piece of fucking information that I know we aren’t going to like?” Mateo pulls at his hair again.
I grab his hand. “Stop that. You’re going to go bald. I know you will hate that look.”
He stops to roll his eyes at me, but I can tell I at least distracted him from escalating further.
Eduardo goes to his desk, grabs another drink, and pours a large amount of an amber liquid into a glass, as he puts the bottle back. Before I think what he will do with it, he hands theglass over to Mateo. He stares at it questioningly. One eyebrow arches up, but Mateo accepts the glass from Eduardo, although hesitantly.
“O-kay.” That’s all Mateo says as he waits to hear what happened.
