down, dude, that girl in the Toyota back there had a killer chest,” Joe said, turning around to gawk.
Gil ignored him and instead said, “Look, what I said back at the house, I didn’t mean to—”
“Dude,” Joe said with a laugh, “it’s no biggie. You just gotta ignore me when I get mad. I’m a total jackass, but I get over it fast. If I’m ever really mad, you’ll know.”
“How will I know?”
“By my fist punching through your chest.”
Gil wondered if Joe had been as volatile before he joined the army. He maneuvered the Crown Vic around the stopped cars in front of them and through the intersection of Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive.
“What did you think of the family?” Joe asked.
“They were about what I expected.”
“Really? Did you know what I noticed most? Laura’s Nike Air Force 1s. That girl’s got style. Those were some killer kicks. I bet you she’s the most popular girl in school.”
“What are you talking about? Her shoes?” Gil asked, negotiating his way around a city bus.
“Those aren’t just shoes. I bet they were a special release. Easily cost a hundred and eighty bucks.”
“For tennis shoes?”
“What? You’ve never heard of sneakerheads? Sneaker collecting is like the new thing. Dude, do you go out into the world at all?”
“Really?” Gil wasn’t sure if Joe was joking.
“An original Nike Air Force 2 high-top from 1982 just sold for like fifteen thousand dollars,” Joe said. “God, if I owned those, I’d jerk off to them I’d love them so much.”
“How many do you have in your collection?” Gil asked, joking.
“I just have a couple pair of old Air Jordans. They’d sell for like maybe a hundred bucks each. Man, you should be all over this. You used to play basketball.”
“Yeah, but I’d throw my shoes away when they got old. I didn’t hang on to them to show to company.”
“Dude, you almost made a joke,” Joe said, feigning surprise.
“I did notice that Ashley had cutting marks,” Gil said, trying to get them back on track.
“Really? I didn’t see that,” Joe said, tapping his foot on the floor. Then he asked again, as he had three times since leaving the Rodriguez house, “So the chief didn’t say anything at all about where we’re going?”
“I already told you, no,” Gil said. Working with Joe was like being with a seven-year-old hyped up on sugar.
Gil pulled up to the Santuario de Guadalupe. He parked on the street and kept his emergency lights on. Another car raced to a stop, pulling up next to them. It was Kline with Garcia.
“Hey,” Gil said to them as they got out. “What’s going on?”
All Kline said was “Let’s go see.”
Gil and Joe walked up to the crowd of people gathered around the perimeter of a crime scene tape line that encircled a huge bronze statute of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She stood on the wide, cobbled sidewalk between the street and the church dedicated to her—the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. The church had an old mission spire, rough-hewn doors, and small, barred windows that would have guarded against Indian attack. The Santuario, which had been built in 1777, was the oldest shrine to the Virgin Mary in the United States.
Unlike the Santuario, however, the statue of Mary was new. It had been put up in 2008 and stood fifteen feet tall. It showed Mary with her head bowed in prayer, her sky blue robes rippling with stars. Flames of gold shot out from her body; a cherub below held her aloft. This statue had been made with the faithful in mind—beneath it were cubbyholes for believers to leave flowers and other offerings. This was likely why no one had noticed earlier the bulky necklace that was placed around Mary’s neck. Passersby likely thought it was a memento from one of her devoted fans.
It was a podiatrist visiting from Texas, stopping to take a picture, who finally noticed what the necklace was made of.
Gil and the other men crossed the crime scene tape and
Gil ignored him and instead said, “Look, what I said back at the house, I didn’t mean to—”
“Dude,” Joe said with a laugh, “it’s no biggie. You just gotta ignore me when I get mad. I’m a total jackass, but I get over it fast. If I’m ever really mad, you’ll know.”
“How will I know?”
“By my fist punching through your chest.”
Gil wondered if Joe had been as volatile before he joined the army. He maneuvered the Crown Vic around the stopped cars in front of them and through the intersection of Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive.
“What did you think of the family?” Joe asked.
“They were about what I expected.”
“Really? Did you know what I noticed most? Laura’s Nike Air Force 1s. That girl’s got style. Those were some killer kicks. I bet you she’s the most popular girl in school.”
“What are you talking about? Her shoes?” Gil asked, negotiating his way around a city bus.
“Those aren’t just shoes. I bet they were a special release. Easily cost a hundred and eighty bucks.”
“For tennis shoes?”
“What? You’ve never heard of sneakerheads? Sneaker collecting is like the new thing. Dude, do you go out into the world at all?”
“Really?” Gil wasn’t sure if Joe was joking.
“An original Nike Air Force 2 high-top from 1982 just sold for like fifteen thousand dollars,” Joe said. “God, if I owned those, I’d jerk off to them I’d love them so much.”
“How many do you have in your collection?” Gil asked, joking.
“I just have a couple pair of old Air Jordans. They’d sell for like maybe a hundred bucks each. Man, you should be all over this. You used to play basketball.”
“Yeah, but I’d throw my shoes away when they got old. I didn’t hang on to them to show to company.”
“Dude, you almost made a joke,” Joe said, feigning surprise.
“I did notice that Ashley had cutting marks,” Gil said, trying to get them back on track.
“Really? I didn’t see that,” Joe said, tapping his foot on the floor. Then he asked again, as he had three times since leaving the Rodriguez house, “So the chief didn’t say anything at all about where we’re going?”
“I already told you, no,” Gil said. Working with Joe was like being with a seven-year-old hyped up on sugar.
Gil pulled up to the Santuario de Guadalupe. He parked on the street and kept his emergency lights on. Another car raced to a stop, pulling up next to them. It was Kline with Garcia.
“Hey,” Gil said to them as they got out. “What’s going on?”
All Kline said was “Let’s go see.”
Gil and Joe walked up to the crowd of people gathered around the perimeter of a crime scene tape line that encircled a huge bronze statute of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She stood on the wide, cobbled sidewalk between the street and the church dedicated to her—the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. The church had an old mission spire, rough-hewn doors, and small, barred windows that would have guarded against Indian attack. The Santuario, which had been built in 1777, was the oldest shrine to the Virgin Mary in the United States.
Unlike the Santuario, however, the statue of Mary was new. It had been put up in 2008 and stood fifteen feet tall. It showed Mary with her head bowed in prayer, her sky blue robes rippling with stars. Flames of gold shot out from her body; a cherub below held her aloft. This statue had been made with the faithful in mind—beneath it were cubbyholes for believers to leave flowers and other offerings. This was likely why no one had noticed earlier the bulky necklace that was placed around Mary’s neck. Passersby likely thought it was a memento from one of her devoted fans.
It was a podiatrist visiting from Texas, stopping to take a picture, who finally noticed what the necklace was made of.
Gil and the other men crossed the crime scene tape and
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