The Replacement Child - By Christine Barber Page 0,104

the day they were born. I truly thought those boys would kill each other someday. When they were done, I would clean them up so Maxine wouldn’t see. I hate to speak ill of the dead,” she crossed herself twice and whispered, “but Daniel started the fights. He once pushed Ron through a window because he didn’t like how Ron was eating.”

Her voice went back to normal as she said, “After Daniel died, things got better. Ron stayed at our house mostly and shared Manny’s room. Maxine wasn’t … Maxine wasn’t able to take care of him.”

“How long did Ron stay with you?”

“Almost two years. He would try to go home every once in a while, but Maxine would forget to make him meals, so then he would come back. After Melissa was born, Maxine tried to take care of him, but she couldn’t handle a new baby and a teenager, so he came back here.” Mrs. Cordova seemed not to be watching her words around Mrs. Baca.

“How did he act around Melissa?”

“I never really saw them together. He was fourteen when she was born. He had moved out on his own by the time he was eighteen. He always said …” Mrs. Cordova stopped and looked over at Mrs. Baca, on the bed.

“What did he always say, Mrs. Cordova?” Gil asked quietly.

She sighed. “Ron always said that Manny was his real brother … and …” She stopped again. Gil waited for her to finish. She said in a whisper, “He said that Melissa stole his mother and made her crazy.”

Mrs. Baca moved on the bed; she sat up and stared at them. “I want you out of here. Get out,” she said in a daze.

Mrs. Cordova started to go to her friend, saying, “Maxine, it’s all right….” But Mrs. Baca pushed her away. Mrs. Baca got to her feet and went to the shrine. She picked up her rosary beads and knelt, steadying herself on the altar. Mrs. Cordova knelt beside her. Gil looked at their two gray heads bent in prayer and wondered what would happen when Mrs. Baca found out that Manny Cordova had killed her daughter.

Gil went to Melissa’s room and took his cell phone out of his pocket, intending to call Pollack to keep his promise to Mrs. Cordova. But just as he was about to punch in the number, his phone rang.

Lucy sat at her desk at work, tapping her foot against the floor, waiting for Gil to answer. He finally did, on the fourth ring.

“Hi, Gil. It’s Lucy. I hope you don’t mind, but I sweet-talked a police officer at the station into giving me your cell number.”

“Not a problem. What’s up?”

“Actually, a couple of things. I heard you’re searching the principal’s house?” Gil didn’t answer right away. He was amazed that she knew about it already. He needed to stop being surprised so easily. It was all over the police scanner at work. She had been listening to the cops chatter about it while waiting for Gil to answer his phone.

She knew what Gil’s silence meant. “Before you say it, this is all off the record, completely. Let me explain why I’m asking. Scanner Lady used to keep a log of all the calls she heard. Now that log is missing. The sheriff’s department is thinking that the killer took the log, and I was just wondering if you knew to look for it at the principal’s house.”

“I didn’t know about it, but I’m not in charge of the search. I’m sure the sheriff’s department told the state police about it, but I’ll check,” Gil said, then added, “But Principal Strunk didn’t kill Mrs. Burke. He was with his wife all night on Tuesday.”

“Actually, I didn’t think it was him, either. I think it was Ron Baca or Manny Cordova.”

She explained to Gil about the bridge-club photo and talking to Mrs. Schoen.

Gil listened silently, then he said, “You told this—”

“Yes, I told all this to the sheriff’s department. I called them right before I called you. You’re getting predictable, Montoya. I think the mystery in our relationship is starting to fade,” she said with a laugh.

She could almost hear his smile before he said, “Manny Cordova confessed to killing Melissa. They got into a fight at the park, and he started choking her—”

“The usual.”

“And …” He stopped. “You know, the state police are going to have a press conference about this tomorrow morning. I’d feel more comfortable if you heard all this