remarked on how deserted it was, didn’t I?” She turned to
Cat for affirmation. “I tend to be very observant. I’m an Aries. It was only us and
… the fishermen. There were three, I think.”
Cat wanted to contribute to the conversation but could only squeak out a meek, “Yeah.”
The detective looked over to see that all three fishermen were accounted for. They
were huddled in the center of the jetty, poles in one hand and coolers in the other,
giving their own statements to another police officer.
Detective Alomar clicked his pen and stuck it in his shirt pocket. “Okay. Well, that
should do it. I am going to give you my business card. If either of you think of anything
else or even if you hear something, please telephone.”
Cat nodded and reached for the business card.
Another scream rang out on the beach.
They both jumped and she dropped the card on the sand. The detective whirled around,
drawing his flashlight out of his holster. In a matter of seconds he was shining it
across the sand. An older woman charged through the crime scene tape and ran to the
coroner’s van. When she saw the gurney, she clutched her chest with her thin arms
and began to wail.
“Mijo, Mijo! No!”
She threw herself on the gurney, still sobbing. Two police officers rushed over and
pulled her off. Her knees gave way and she collapsed in their arms. They escorted
her from the gurney, helplessly offering tissues and their shoulders to cry on.
Cat and Paige were frozen in the sand as they both watched the terrible scene unfold.
A hand touched Cat’s shoulder and she twitched, whipping around.
It was only Chance. “Let’s get out of here.”
Cat nodded and handed Paige the blanket. She bent down to pick up Detective Alomar’s
dropped business card.
“Es él! Es él!”
Cat stood up and saw the hysterical woman charging them.
“ Es él! ” She nudged past Paige and pointed her trembling finger at Chance. “ Tú lo hiciste! ”
What did he do? Cat thought.
Chance took a few steps back but the woman followed. She reached out, grabbed, and
yanked him across the sand. Cat hurried alongside, but stopped to crane her neck back
to the scene to see what had provoked this. The emergency personnel still on scene
looked as surprised as she did. Police charged after them and corralled the woman,
but it took three of them holding onto her arms to keep her from pursuing Chance.
She shouted after them as they rushed off the beach and toward the parking lot.
“Tú lo hiciste! Te odio! Te odio!”
“You did it! I hate you, I hate you!”
Paige maneuvered her arm away from Chance’s. “What is she ... Who was that woman?”
He pushed them toward a vintage red sports car. “Don’t know and I really don’t care.”
The girls hurried to the passenger side and he threw the car in reverse before Paige
had shut the door.
"Chance, Paige may not speak Spanish, but I do. I could've spoken to the cops myself.
You didn’t have to take control out there," Cat said.
"Trust me, you want to stay out of this. The last thing anyone needs is the American
Embassy all up on this."
Paige turned in the passenger seat and looked back and forth from Chance to Cat. “That
woman knew you. What was she saying, that she hates you? Cat? Did you hear that?”
Cat nodded.
Chance glared at Paige. “I thought you didn’t speak Spanish.”
“Well, not much, but some words are easy to remember, like odio . It makes me think of Garfield ’cause Garfield hates Odie, odio … hate. Get it?” She tried to smile, but Chance ignored the playful attempt to lighten
the mood. She dropped the act and turned back in her seat.
“I don’t know that woman,” Chance said with a sigh. “I’m guessing that was her kid
and maybe I met him one time through the agency. In this town it’s every kid’s dream
to be a baseball player and if they’re not good enough to get a contract of representation,
the
Cat for affirmation. “I tend to be very observant. I’m an Aries. It was only us and
… the fishermen. There were three, I think.”
Cat wanted to contribute to the conversation but could only squeak out a meek, “Yeah.”
The detective looked over to see that all three fishermen were accounted for. They
were huddled in the center of the jetty, poles in one hand and coolers in the other,
giving their own statements to another police officer.
Detective Alomar clicked his pen and stuck it in his shirt pocket. “Okay. Well, that
should do it. I am going to give you my business card. If either of you think of anything
else or even if you hear something, please telephone.”
Cat nodded and reached for the business card.
Another scream rang out on the beach.
They both jumped and she dropped the card on the sand. The detective whirled around,
drawing his flashlight out of his holster. In a matter of seconds he was shining it
across the sand. An older woman charged through the crime scene tape and ran to the
coroner’s van. When she saw the gurney, she clutched her chest with her thin arms
and began to wail.
“Mijo, Mijo! No!”
She threw herself on the gurney, still sobbing. Two police officers rushed over and
pulled her off. Her knees gave way and she collapsed in their arms. They escorted
her from the gurney, helplessly offering tissues and their shoulders to cry on.
Cat and Paige were frozen in the sand as they both watched the terrible scene unfold.
A hand touched Cat’s shoulder and she twitched, whipping around.
It was only Chance. “Let’s get out of here.”
Cat nodded and handed Paige the blanket. She bent down to pick up Detective Alomar’s
dropped business card.
“Es él! Es él!”
Cat stood up and saw the hysterical woman charging them.
“ Es él! ” She nudged past Paige and pointed her trembling finger at Chance. “ Tú lo hiciste! ”
What did he do? Cat thought.
Chance took a few steps back but the woman followed. She reached out, grabbed, and
yanked him across the sand. Cat hurried alongside, but stopped to crane her neck back
to the scene to see what had provoked this. The emergency personnel still on scene
looked as surprised as she did. Police charged after them and corralled the woman,
but it took three of them holding onto her arms to keep her from pursuing Chance.
She shouted after them as they rushed off the beach and toward the parking lot.
“Tú lo hiciste! Te odio! Te odio!”
“You did it! I hate you, I hate you!”
Paige maneuvered her arm away from Chance’s. “What is she ... Who was that woman?”
He pushed them toward a vintage red sports car. “Don’t know and I really don’t care.”
The girls hurried to the passenger side and he threw the car in reverse before Paige
had shut the door.
"Chance, Paige may not speak Spanish, but I do. I could've spoken to the cops myself.
You didn’t have to take control out there," Cat said.
"Trust me, you want to stay out of this. The last thing anyone needs is the American
Embassy all up on this."
Paige turned in the passenger seat and looked back and forth from Chance to Cat. “That
woman knew you. What was she saying, that she hates you? Cat? Did you hear that?”
Cat nodded.
Chance glared at Paige. “I thought you didn’t speak Spanish.”
“Well, not much, but some words are easy to remember, like odio . It makes me think of Garfield ’cause Garfield hates Odie, odio … hate. Get it?” She tried to smile, but Chance ignored the playful attempt to lighten
the mood. She dropped the act and turned back in her seat.
“I don’t know that woman,” Chance said with a sigh. “I’m guessing that was her kid
and maybe I met him one time through the agency. In this town it’s every kid’s dream
to be a baseball player and if they’re not good enough to get a contract of representation,
the
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