Chapter Eleven
Lewis walked out of the House of Boots and entered the tobacco store next door. He bought a few cigars. He didn’t smoke as much as he once did, but he still enjoyed them. They calmed him, made him slow down. He unwrapped a Partagas as he passed back out to the street. He bumped into Manny Mondragon.
“Hey there, prof,” Mondragon said.
“Manny.” Lewis bit the end off of his cigar and spat it out. He looked at the sheriff’s eyes behind dark glasses. “How’s tricks?”
“I don’t want you to be upset with me.”
“Why would I be upset?”
Mondragon removed his sunglasses. “I’m sorry.”
“Did you mention me in your report on Martin?”
The sheriff looked down the street at a traffic tie-up caused by a crippled low-rider. Two men were trying to push it into a gas station. “No, Lewis, I didn’t.”
Lewis was angry. “Why not?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“I’ll tell you what’s hard to explain. It’s hard to explain how a man who knew the river better than anyone around here ended up drowning in it. It’s hard to explain how a dead man dies a second time. It’s hard to explain how the sheriff can look a citizen straight in the eye and lie to him.”
“Okay.” Mondragon was beginning to worry about someone passing by and hearing them. “Settle down.”
Lewis looked up and down the sidewalk, then whispered, “Settle down? You give me a reason to settle down. Somebody killed Martin Aguilera and if you won’t do something about it, then I will.”
“Stay out of this, Lewis.”
“I’m in it, Manny.” Lewis cupped his hands around a match and lit his cigar. “Are you in it?”
“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about someone stealing Martin’s body?”
Lewis tried to look surprised. “Stealing his body?”
“From Fonda’s.”
“Come on.”
“Last night.”
“Don’t change the subject. Why did you lie to me? Why did you lie to Martin’s grandson.”
“What would you have me tell the man? His grandfather was dead. You wanted me to say he was murdered? I don’t know that. You saw him in the cabin. I fished him out of the river.”
“You think I’m lying.”
“I don’t know that. If I told Taylor all that stuff, would that have brought his grandfather back?”
Manny had a point and Lewis felt immediately bad for having sucked young Taylor into the mess. “No.”
“All right.”
“But why lie to me?”
“Taylor was standing right there.”
“But later on the phone—”
“I’m sorry. This business isn’t easy. I was tense. I didn’t want to be bothered.”
Lewis blew smoke out. He looked back and saw Salvador watching them through his window.
“I saw you come out of Sal’s,” Manny said. “Looking for some boots?”
“He didn’t have my size.”
“Ain’t that always the way.”
“So, what now?” Lewis asked. “You try to find the body?”
“I guess so.”
“And the killer?”
“Don’t cause trouble, prof. The last thing that any of us need is everybody getting scared of a killer on the loose. There’re too many old farts around here with guns in their houses. They’ll end up shootin’ their families and maybe me.”
Lewis was disappointed.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.” Lewis looked at the man’s eyes again. “I’ve always respected you. But it’s hard right now.”
Mondragon put his sunglasses back on and walked on past.
Lewis turned to see Salvador still in the window. He shook his head no and walked on to meet Laura and Maggie.