Page 31 of Shenanigans

Using my best dictatorial voice, I called, “Come to me Maria.”

The air shimmered in front of me. Thirty seconds later Maria’s spirit appeared. She took one look around and cried,“Estoy muerto?”

“I’m so sorry, but you died yesterday. Do you remember what happened?”

Tears ran down her cheeks.“You sure? Maybe it mistake?”

“Look around you. What do you see?”

“Dead people.”A smile lit up her face when a golden doorway formed a short distance away.“And papa.”Maria started toward him.

“Wait! Did the pendejo shoot you?”

“No. It was the hairy trigger.”

I sighed. I knew I should have taken that gun away from her. “The Ruger went off in your purse again?”

“Si. Tomas came for my car and my sister. He could take my sister, but not my car. I need it.”

Okey-dokey and I thought my family was screwed up. “You attempted to stop him?”

“Si. I try to pull the pistola out of my purse and it went off. Something hit my chest. Hurt bad. Muy bad. I thought Tomas had punched me and I pulled the trigger again. My sister was screaming, and everything got dark. Very dark.”

Holy crap. Maria had shot herself in the chest. Twice. “Why was Tomas angry with your sister?”

“Tomas muy loco. He hit her many times.”

I took a deep breath and tried again. “What did crazy Tomas want?”

“His dinero.”

“Your sister took his money?”

Maria’s image wavered briefly. “No, Julio did.”

“Who the heck is Julio?”

“Her boyfriend. He owed mucho dinero to Vicente Guzman.”

Yikes. Vicente Guzman was the El Jefe of the local Mexican Mafia. “Let me see if I’ve got this right. Julio had your sister sleep with Tomas, so he could rob him?”

“Si.”

Geez. Maria’s life really had been a freakin’ telenovela soap opera. “Do you think Tomas would kill her?”

“If she no tell where Julio is, Tomas say he will put her in cage with Brutus.”

“The muy bad pit bull?”

“Si. Tomas no feed it. Mucho hungry.”Horror filledMaria’s voice.

Oh, my God. Had Brutus eaten Maria’s sister and all that was left was her finger?

A ghostly hand beckoned from the doorway to the other side.

Maria reached for it.“Papa is calling to me.”

“Before you go, do you know where Tomas would hide from the police?”

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