be true.
‘Dumping fish in a river at night with your lights off? You’re trying to tell me you thought that was legit? Give me a break. What about the man you met last night? Was Matt Hauser the one who hired you?’
Soliatano adjusted to that, paused, and then reframed his story.
‘Hauser hired me to ride with Enrique.’
‘Ride with Enrique when he dumped fish in the river?’
‘Yes.’
‘How much has Hauser paid you?’
‘That money is all gone, man. My wife is pregnant. We’re doing the baby’s room. It’s spent. I can’t give you the money.’
‘I’m not asking for any money. I want to know how much he paid you.’
‘Two thousand each drive.’
‘Two thousand dollars each ride you took with Enrique?’
‘Yeah, and he wanted to know about everything.’
‘Did he say why?’
‘No.’
‘What did he give you when you drove down last night?’
‘He doubled it. He gave me four grand and said four more if I didn’t talk to anyone who questioned me later, so I’m giving that up.’
Marquez thought that over and said, ‘Tomorrow we’ll take a drive and you show me everything you know and everywhere you went with Enrique.’
Soliatano shook his head as a wave of emotion came over him and Marquez read it as real.
‘I know I fucked up, but my wife is six months pregnant and I’ve got a good job. I can’t go to jail.’
‘Just keep working with me. What about Enrique, did he know Matt Hauser?’
He shook his head.
‘How did you meet him?’
‘Somehow he got Enrique’s number and left this weird message and Enrique wanted me to listen to it. So I called him and he laid out the deal.’
‘Did Enrique know Hauser was paying you?’
‘No, but he wouldn’t have cared. We were good friends.’
The drill was he called Hauser after each delivery and he took photos and sent those to Hauser. He pulled out his cell and showed Marquez the number and Marquez entered it in his phone.
‘I’m supposed to call that number if we’re going to a river with fish. When my cousin calls me I call Matt and I give him a report and send photos.’
‘Let’s see the photos you’ve sent.’
They went through those and Marquez asked, ‘What about this last time? Where are the photos for that?’
‘It was too dark and it was fucked up.’
Marquez got it.
‘You called 911 from Enrique’s phone and then left him there. Is that what happened?’
‘I called 911 first.’
‘Then you left.’
‘I went down the road to wait to make sure they found him.’
‘Did you talk to any of the first responders?’
‘No, they drove past.’
‘Okay, let’s go back to dumping the fish in the river. He was driving the truck and you got outside to direct him.’
He nodded, emotion gathering on his face again. He felt responsible and guilty. He called 911 and did something with the phone afterward, possibly threw it in the river before he left Enrique and drove to where he could watch the first responders drive by. Or more likely he drove away and later went to the hospital. When he learned Enrique was dead he was so overwhelmed by grief that he hauled ass to the Bay Area and collected twice the usual payment from Hauser. Soliatano was more than he appeared to be.
I misread him earlier
, Marquez thought.
Perhaps he still had the phone and maybe there was a reason. Marquez asked about it again and Soliatano remained evasive.
‘I don’t know, man. I thought I left it with him, but maybe I didn’t. I don’t know where it is now.’
The 911 dispatcher thought she was talking to an injured man who kept repeating in Spanish that his arm was trapped and that was the same big guy standing across from him now. Marquez was six foot one, about the same height as Soliatano, maybe an inch or two shorter but close enough to be eye to eye as he rested a hand on Soliatano’s shoulder.
‘Hang in there. I’ll see you early tomorrow and we’ll talk as we drive. We’ll get this figured out. It would be a
‘Dumping fish in a river at night with your lights off? You’re trying to tell me you thought that was legit? Give me a break. What about the man you met last night? Was Matt Hauser the one who hired you?’
Soliatano adjusted to that, paused, and then reframed his story.
‘Hauser hired me to ride with Enrique.’
‘Ride with Enrique when he dumped fish in the river?’
‘Yes.’
‘How much has Hauser paid you?’
‘That money is all gone, man. My wife is pregnant. We’re doing the baby’s room. It’s spent. I can’t give you the money.’
‘I’m not asking for any money. I want to know how much he paid you.’
‘Two thousand each drive.’
‘Two thousand dollars each ride you took with Enrique?’
‘Yeah, and he wanted to know about everything.’
‘Did he say why?’
‘No.’
‘What did he give you when you drove down last night?’
‘He doubled it. He gave me four grand and said four more if I didn’t talk to anyone who questioned me later, so I’m giving that up.’
Marquez thought that over and said, ‘Tomorrow we’ll take a drive and you show me everything you know and everywhere you went with Enrique.’
Soliatano shook his head as a wave of emotion came over him and Marquez read it as real.
‘I know I fucked up, but my wife is six months pregnant and I’ve got a good job. I can’t go to jail.’
‘Just keep working with me. What about Enrique, did he know Matt Hauser?’
He shook his head.
‘How did you meet him?’
‘Somehow he got Enrique’s number and left this weird message and Enrique wanted me to listen to it. So I called him and he laid out the deal.’
‘Did Enrique know Hauser was paying you?’
‘No, but he wouldn’t have cared. We were good friends.’
The drill was he called Hauser after each delivery and he took photos and sent those to Hauser. He pulled out his cell and showed Marquez the number and Marquez entered it in his phone.
‘I’m supposed to call that number if we’re going to a river with fish. When my cousin calls me I call Matt and I give him a report and send photos.’
‘Let’s see the photos you’ve sent.’
They went through those and Marquez asked, ‘What about this last time? Where are the photos for that?’
‘It was too dark and it was fucked up.’
Marquez got it.
‘You called 911 from Enrique’s phone and then left him there. Is that what happened?’
‘I called 911 first.’
‘Then you left.’
‘I went down the road to wait to make sure they found him.’
‘Did you talk to any of the first responders?’
‘No, they drove past.’
‘Okay, let’s go back to dumping the fish in the river. He was driving the truck and you got outside to direct him.’
He nodded, emotion gathering on his face again. He felt responsible and guilty. He called 911 and did something with the phone afterward, possibly threw it in the river before he left Enrique and drove to where he could watch the first responders drive by. Or more likely he drove away and later went to the hospital. When he learned Enrique was dead he was so overwhelmed by grief that he hauled ass to the Bay Area and collected twice the usual payment from Hauser. Soliatano was more than he appeared to be.
I misread him earlier
, Marquez thought.
Perhaps he still had the phone and maybe there was a reason. Marquez asked about it again and Soliatano remained evasive.
‘I don’t know, man. I thought I left it with him, but maybe I didn’t. I don’t know where it is now.’
The 911 dispatcher thought she was talking to an injured man who kept repeating in Spanish that his arm was trapped and that was the same big guy standing across from him now. Marquez was six foot one, about the same height as Soliatano, maybe an inch or two shorter but close enough to be eye to eye as he rested a hand on Soliatano’s shoulder.
‘Hang in there. I’ll see you early tomorrow and we’ll talk as we drive. We’ll get this figured out. It would be a
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