The Replacement Child - By Christine Barber Page 0,103
Patsy wanted to get some kind of T-shirts made with that on it, navy blue with white lettering. I wanted turquoise because we were in Santa Fe.”
“Have you ever played over at Mrs. Cordova’s or Mrs. Baca’s house?”
“Oh, yes, all the time. I feel so bad for Maxine, she just lost her daughter, Melissa, bless her heart.”
“Did you ever meet Mrs. Cordova’s or Mrs. Baca’s sons?”
“Well, I met Manny Cordova. A police officer like his father was. And I met one of Maxine’s boys, I don’t remember his name, but he’s a police officer, too, if you can believe it. You would think those women would have more sense than to let their boys be cops when their husbands got killed on the job.”
“Was it common knowledge that Mrs. Burke listened to a police scanner?”
“Oh yes. Veronica’s boy, Manny, used to tease her about it all the time. He’d say things like, ‘You know, Mrs. Burke, every time I talk on my radio, I’ll be thinking of you listening to me.’” Mrs. Schoen laughed. “That boy. What a clown.”
“And everyone knew she called the newspapers?”
“Pat told anybody who would listen about it. She wouldn’t shut up. She would go on and on when one of her stories was in the Santa Fe Times.”
“But she also called the Capital Tribune, right?”
“I don’t know. I know she had a subscription to the Santa Fe Times. She liked their classifieds.”
While Pollack went back to finish interviewing Manny Cordova, Gil went to Mrs. Baca’s. The police records officer called back as Gil was driving—Sandra Paine’s arresting officers had been Kristen Valdez and Eduardo Cordova, a fifteen-year veteran of the force and no relation to Manny Cordova. One more loose end tied up.
Gil pulled up to the Baca house. There were four cars in the driveway. More company that Mrs. Baca didn’t want. An unknown relative let him in the front door without asking who he was. There were a few people in the living room. Veronica Cordova appeared at his side.
“Detective Montoya, I need to talk to you,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for you. The police have mi hito and won’t tell me why. They just keep saying, ‘We’ll call you when we know something.’”
“Mrs. Cordova, there’s nothing I can do. It’s a state police investigation.”
“But you know what’s going on?” Her voice was quiet and full of tension. She kept glancing around the room to make sure no one could hear them. “You have to tell me. He didn’t do anything. You know him. You know he’d never do anything. He’s a good boy.”
“Mrs. Cordova, I can’t discuss it. The state police will call you when they know more. You should go home.”
He went to Mrs. Baca’s room. She was on the bed and looked like she was asleep, but Gil knew that she wasn’t. Her breathing wasn’t right.
He called her name. She didn’t move.
He walked over to the shrine to Daniel. He counted fifteen pictures of Daniel; the last one showed him at about age eighteen. Someone had added a framed picture of Melissa to the shrine since Gil had last been there. It was the one that Gil had seen of Melissa with her father. Now all the dead people in the Baca family had their pictures on the shrine.
He turned back to Mrs. Baca.
“Mrs. Baca, I need to know about Ron and Melissa.”
She mumbled something. Gil had to crouch down to hear her.
“Mrs. Baca, I didn’t hear you. I need to know about Ron and Melissa.”
He heard her more clearly this time when she said, “Melissa and who?”
“Melissa and Ron.” Mrs. Baca didn’t answer. He said more loudly, “Ron, your son.” She still didn’t answer.
Someone said from the doorway, “What do you want to know?” He looked up at Veronica Cordova. She was more composed now.
“I want to know about Ron. How did he and Melissa get along?”
“I’ll tell you if you get the state police to let me see my son.”
“Mrs. Cordova, I can’t promise anything….”
“Just ask them. I just want you to ask them if I can see him.”
Gil nodded. He would ask Pollack, but he knew what the answer would be.
Mrs. Cordova sighed. “I’ve known Ron all his life, and I can tell you how he was with Melissa. They hardly ever talked to each other.”
“How did Ron get along with Daniel?”
“He didn’t. The two of them fought like you wouldn’t believe. They would get into fistfights out in the street.”