Kate stuck her head between the front seats. “How many are there?”
“My first husband is dead,” she said. “And then I have another who only exists for the government.”
“Luis,” I said. “He shows up all over your background check. Everything is in his name. Even the house.”
“Yes,” she said. “If ever you need to disappear get the government to give you a fake husband and make you the beneficiary of all his assets. They’ll even pay you a monthly stipend for the rest of your life.”
“Wow,” I said. “How do I get that job?”
“You have to send everyone you love to prison,” she said. “It is not as terrible as it sounds if your relatives are horrible people. Now you will answer my questions. How did you find me?”
I figured it was only fair since she’d answered mine and somehow managed to make me more confused than I was when we started.
“Your number was on a napkin from the Four Seasons in Vince’s pocket,” I said.
“Yes, that’s where we agreed to meet for lunch,” she said. “He checks up on me from time to time, and he is a man of honor. He can be trusted.”
Kate hit me on the back of the shoulder and I winced. “My mother said that Vince has been acting strange lately—distant. And I guess when she found your name and number on that napkin in his pocket she figured you were the reason.”
“I agree,” she said, pressing her lips together. “That looks bad. We should have tacos and funnel cakes and beer down by the peer. They have outdoor dancing when it gets dark.”
“Oh good,” Kate said, catching my panic-stricken gaze in the rearview mirror. “Addison was just saying how she wanted tacos.”
“Addison?” Angelica asked.
“That’s my name,” I said.
“It’s ridiculous,” she said, flapping her hand.
“Anyway,” I said. “No one has seen or heard from Vince in three days. And I think he could be in trouble. It looks like he might have been digging into a case he and my father had worked years ago.”
“Your father?” she asked.
“Charlie Holmes,” I said.
“Sí, sí,” she said, clapping her hands together. “Carlos and Vinny. Vince was fire and Carlos was ice. Back in those days I wouldn’t have turned down a po-po sandwich.”
“Gross,” I said, squenching my face. Thinking of my dad in any kind of sandwich wasn’t settling well with my digestive system.
I had no idea where I was going. I was driving the coast road back toward the hotel, and I figured she’d tell me where to stop.
“Because I’m good at my job and can put all the clues together pretty easily,” Kate said, “I’m going to assume you know something about the old case Vince was looking into. And I’m also going to assume it has something to do with you since you’re in WITSEC.”
“We have a saying in Puerto Rico. Gato con guantes no caza ratones.”
“Yes,” Kate said, nodding her head.
“Anyone want to fill me in?” I asked.
“The literal translation means a cat with gloves can hunt no mice,” Kate said.
“Right,” I said. “That makes no sense.”
“It means sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to get the job done right,” Angelica
said. “And I was the one who got my hands dirty and cleaned up the mess. Your father and Vinny helped me when I didn’t think anyone would. Do you know what it’s like to be married to someone with so much power that every move you make is under scrutiny all the time?
“I got to the point where I didn’t care if I lived or died. I only wanted out. I only had to sacrifice everyone and everything to do it.”
Her emotions were so heavy they filled the whole car, and everyone was silent for a couple of minutes before she spoke again.
“Vinny said your father died. I’m sorry. They were a good team. I didn’t trust cops back then. Still don’t. But they had this…” She flapped her hand. “I don’t know the right word—charisma—bravísimo—machismo.” She touched her fingers to her lips and kissed them. “It was beautiful. They were predators, and they weren’t going to let go of Carmen de Salva without a fight. It was very sexy to watch them in action.”
“And how were you involved with Carmen de Salva?” Kate asked.
“Valentina de Salva,” she said, smiling. “His wife.”
“Talk about wiping away your past,” I said. “There’s nothing in your background check that