This wasn’t going to end well.
Sitting outside of Pedro’s house, Maria wasn’t sure of much, but she was sure of that.
Just like Les, Pedro was not living the high life. He lived on the right-hand side of a duplex. All these projects, running errands for the elite, but not a damn thing to show for it. Normally, when a person sold out their principles, it was for something of value. Les, at least, had been supporting his kid, paying alimony, going on trips to Disneyland.
Maybe Pedro had been getting the short end of the stick. An opening there. Something to pressure him with. Nah, Les was dead, and if Pedro had been groomed the way everyone was insinuating, he was getting all the money now.
But motive. That made more sense.
Pedro definitely had the most to gain from Les’s death, but the crime was so angry. Maybe Pedro had found out exactly how much Les was making, and he’d been enraged by how little Les was giving him. Maria didn’t get the feel from Pedro that he was capable of something so heinous, but resentment was a weird thing. Anger built up over time could make the seemingly most docile people do the most heinous things.
The physicality of the crime, though.
Pedro had looked soft, doughy.
Could he even knock a man’s jaw off of his face?
Maybe, but Maria had her doubts.
She opened her glove compartment. Pulled out the AirTag attached to a magnet. Getting warrants to track people was difficult and certainly not an option for her right now, but following people wasn’t as hard as it used to be. She just needed Pedro to show up, and she could attach the AirTag to his car and see where he went.
First, she’d question him.
Then she’d track him.
Hopefully, the pressure would make him go right to whoever else was involved.
It was thin. But it was the best chance she had.
Now she just needed him to show up.
A car turned onto the street. Headlights flashed across Maria’s hood. A silver minivan went by. It slowed as it approached Pedro’s house and then sped up and went around the corner. Maria had ducked when the car went past, so she hadn’t seen the driver. She wondered if the slowdown had been tied to Pedro’s house or just a driver checking his phone before bringing his attention back to the road.
Maria got out and climbed into the back seat. Cars driving past were more likely to look at the front seat than the back. She wouldn’t have to duck so far down the next time.
Was this a waste of time?
Probably.
But being out here staring at a dark house was a hell of a lot better than sitting at home, staring at walls, wondering if she should point the gun at her temple and pull the trigger or if she should start knocking on doors of suspects and shooting whoever answered.
She needed action.
Another car turned onto the street, a late model Toyota. The car came up the street slowly and passed by Maria’s car. Pedro was driving. He looked at the front seat of Maria’s car but never thought to look in the back seat.
He parked in his driveway. Stepped out of his car and ran inside.
Maria got out.
Pedro’s car was still idling. He wouldn’t be here long. Pressuring him could wait. She’d track him for now. See what he did and where he went. Confrontations were always more effective if she had more information.
Maria ran for the bumper, AirTag ready to be stuck on the car, but she had to be quick.
Lights were flipping on inside Pedro’s house.
Maria made the driveway and reached underneath the bumper. She fumbled around underneath, searching for a beam. She thought she had found one, but when she took her hand away, the AirTag fell to the ground.
She got down on her stomach. Searched for it. Found it a few inches from the wheel.
She looked over the trunk at the car at Pedro’s house. The lights were still on. She should still have time. She got down on her back and used her phone as a flashlight. Found a suitable beam and pressed the magnet to the metal. When she pulled her hand away, it stuck.
She crawled out and looked back over the trunk.
All the lights were off in the house, and Pedro was coming out of the front door.
Shit, she’d have to wait until he got into the car and run for it when he was situating himself. If she ran now, he’d see her go. She scouted the driveway. On the side of the house were some garbage cans. Big and green. Maybe she could get there without him seeing her.
No, it’d never work.
Her best shot was to confront him. Let him bullshit her and think she believed it. He probably wouldn’t think to check his car for a tracking device. She brushed her pants off and stood up, ready to act angry and confrontational.
The doorway was open but empty.
A light had turned back on inside. He must have forgotten something.
Maria ran for her car. Crouched beside it and watched as Pedro came back outside, climbed into his car and drove off. Maria let him turn off of the street before getting into her car. She pulled up the AirTag on her phone and watched as Pedro headed for one of the freeways circling Las Vegas.
Where was he going?
She started up the car and headed after him.
Pedro stopped in the parking lot of a shopping center off of the 215 and West Flamingo Road. When Maria pulled in, she saw Pedro’s car parked at the far end of the lot under a light stanchion. She wanted to pull up closer to see if he was inside but decided against risking it. Instead, she pulled to the left and parked in front of a fast-food restaurant, facing away from Pedro’s car.
Maria climbed into the back seat and used binoculars to look at Pedro’s car through the back window. She didn’t see any movement, but after a minute, the interior light of the car turned on, and she could see Pedro looking for something. He reached up and turned the light back off, and she couldn’t see him anymore. But at least she knew he was here.
She settled in to wait.
A silver minivan entered the parking lot and cruised by. It looked like the same van that had driven past Pedro’s house. The minivan headed straight for Pedro’s car and pulled to a stop alongside. Pedro got out of his car and looked across the roof at the minivan.
The front window rolled down, and Connor leaned out of the passenger side window. Maria couldn’t see who was driving, but she’d be willing to bet a large chunk of her monthly salary that Dillon was behind the wheel. Her suspicion was proved correct when Dillon stepped out of the van and walked around to join the conversation between Connor and Pedro.
Neither Connor nor Dillon owned a minivan, at least as far as Maria knew. But here they were. Maria focused the binoculars on the back bumper. A sticker said, “My child is an honor roll student at Decker.” Neither Connor nor Dillon had children. The van was either stolen or bought secondhand. The two of them were fancy car guys, but they were here visiting Pedro in a minivan.
Was this the missing piece that put it all together?
Connor and Dillon had alibis for when Ariella was killed.
But did Pedro?
And if they were talking to Pedro, what did that say about Les’s death? Pedro could have had Les killed in order to move up in the pecking order. Maria would need to figure out exactly how much Les was getting paid for these articles. It seemed unlikely that it was enough to justify a murder so brutal, but maybe Maria was only seeing a small portion of what was going on. Maybe Les had his hands into things much more complicated and much more profitable, and that was why Pedro wanted him out of the way.
Even as she thought it over, Maria doubted it.
The person on the other end of the video camera in the shack was calculating and demented. Pedro had been likable and a little pathetic. She doubted he’d be able to hide that side of him so well, but then again, she’d had no clue about her brother and Harold. Maybe she just had a blind spot for psychopaths.
Pedro got back in his car, as did Dillon.
The minivan backed out of the space and headed for Flamingo. She had the tracker on Pedro, so she could catch up with him whenever, but she wanted to know why Connor and Dillon were running around in the middle of the night in someone else’s car.
Maria scooted down as the van passed, the headlights lighting up the interior. She watched them turn right onto Flamingo. Pedro was already exiting the parking lot on the other side. Maria climbed back into the front seat and followed the van.