guy her own age, and they have a kid.” Castro pauses again. “McKenzie shook Paul down for fifty thousand dollars. I know, because I tracked him down, and that’s what he told me.”
Marin puts her head in her hands. It’s too much.
“Marin…” Castro touches her arm, and she looks up again. The tone in the other woman’s voice is making her uneasy. “How much do you know about Sal’s past?”
The question catches Marin off guard, and her heart starts palpitating. Julian. She’s going to ask about Julian. Her palms feel sweaty, and she puts her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking.
“I mean, I’ve known Sal since college,” she says. “We dated for a year. We’re best friends. I’d like to think he’s been open with me about most things.”
Except McKenzie, her brain whispers, which is a pretty big thing not to tell her.
When Castro doesn’t respond to this right away, Marin adds, “Whatever you’re thinking about Sal, he didn’t have anything to do with Sebastian. I know for a fact he was in Prosser taking care of his mom when it happened.” She holds her breath.
“Yes, the original police investigation verified that Sal was absolutely in eastern Washington when it happened, and I confirmed it myself,” Castro says, and Marin exhales. “According to Pearl Watts, Sal’s in Prosser quite often, helping out his mother. But so is McKenzie. Her mother is in a care facility in Yakima, and whenever she’s in the area, she and Sal spend time together. Nobody really cares about it anymore, because McKenzie’s an adult now, but apparently Sal’s father was a womanizer, too. The talk in town is that—”
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Marin finishes the sentence for her, then closes her eyes.
That motherfucking liar. So not only did Sal have a relationship with McKenzie, he still has a relationship with McKenzie. What kind of sick game is this? Did Sal tell her to go after Derek? Did Sal set Marin’s husband up to cheat on her?
“You think Sal helps plan McKenzie’s shakedowns?” Marin asks, when she can speak again. “Of her rich boyfriends? And Derek, too?”
“Possibly.”
“But why?” It comes out a wail, because she doesn’t understand. Everything Castro is telling her about McKenzie seems plausible, but Sal? She knows Sal, really knows him, and none of what the PI is saying makes any sense. Sal is her best friend. He loves her. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, at least not on purpose. “I know Sal’s a bit shady, but he’s never cared about money. He walked away from the family business and bought a bar, for Christ’s sake. This makes no sense.”
“I agree there might have been a time when he didn’t care about money.” There’s a careful note in Castro’s voice. “But that’s probably when he had actually had money. He doesn’t now. I took a closer look at his finances. On the surface the bar is profitable. But the winery was deeply in debt when they sold it ten years ago. Sal’s father ran it well when he was alive, but after he died, Sal’s mother took over. She didn’t manage it well. By the time they sold it, it owed more than it was worth. She was lucky to get the farmhouse out of the deal. Sal supports both of them. That kind of financial strain can cause a person to do crazy things.”
And here they are. It’s coming, Marin can feel it. It’s the way Castro’s voice sounds, getting softer by the word. The answers Marin’s been searching for are about to be revealed.
“Vanessa, tell me. Whatever it is you’ve been trying to say since you got here, just say it.”
“You already know.” Castro’s tone is gentle. “I can hear it in your voice.”
“You think Sal took Sebastian. For ransom.”
“I believe so, yes.”
Marin closes her eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly. The pain will come later. Right now, she needs to stay focused. Present. “And then did what with him?”
“That, I don’t know,” Castro says. “But it’s been almost a year and a half.”
“He could still be alive.”
“Maybe.” The PI’s voice is neutral. In her business, neutral means no. “We’d have to talk to Sal.”
“And McKenzie is part of this? Sebastian’s kidnapping? Her own? She staged her own ransom demand?”
“What ransom demand?” Castro puts her coffee mug down. “Marin, if you know something, now’s the time.”
With shaking hands, Marin reaches for her phone, which was sitting facedown on the table between them. She