Free No One Left to Tell by Karen Rose

sharp. But the dojo with its sense of family . . . Yes, someday she’d go back. Soon .
    The light finally turned green and Paige took off like a rocket. Her other coat pocket started to buzz, startling her until she realized it was her disposable phone. Clay was the only one who called her on the disposable. ‘I have to go, Liv. Give everyone my love. I’ll call you later.’ She hung up before Olivia could protest and flipped the disposable open. ‘What’s up?’
    ‘Where are you?’ Clay asked tersely.
    ‘Still downtown. Why? What’s happened?’
    ‘Maria Muñoz is in the ER,’ Clay told her.
    ‘ What? Why?’
    ‘Heart attack. Her younger son said it wasn’t the first one she’d had. She collapsed when the cops came to tell them about Elena. She’s conscious now and her son told me she’d said nothing about the case or you to the cops. None of them have.’
    ‘Dear God. Did you tell them about the flash drive?’
    ‘No. I figured the fewer people who knew, the better. From what I can tell, Elena didn’t tell anyone in her family that she had it. They knew she was going to the bar and all of them had begged her not to go, but she was determined to get proof.’
    ‘We need to find out how she got the drive to start with. She just didn’t walk into the bar and find it in a bowl of nuts.’
    ‘I think I can guess.’ Clay sighed. ‘Elena looked different six years ago.’
    ‘I know. She said she lost almost a hundred pounds after Ramon was jailed.’ The family business was a physically taxing one. ‘Why is that important?’
    ‘Because Ramon’s little brother said Elena told everyone in their circle that she was tired of cleaning toilets and sweeping floors because Ramon couldn’t keep it in his pants six years ago. She wanted out of the family business. The brother said the family knew it was a ruse, but they all played along. Elena got hired at the bar.’
    ‘Ramon’s alibi bar? I told her to stay away from that place. That I’d check it out.’
    ‘Yeah, well, she didn’t listen.’
    ‘How long was she working there?’
    ‘For the last two weeks. She wanted to get close to the owner. Find out why he lied on the stand. Apparently she laid it on thick and followed through with . . . action.’
    Paige grimaced. ‘Oh God. Tell me she didn’t have sex with that skeazy slime.’
    ‘Apparently she did. At least that’s the story Ramon got inside. Denny Sandoval was pretty satisfied with himself, bedding Ramon’s wife – and he made sure Ramon heard about it. News like that travels damn fast. Ramon blew a gasket. His brother said he lit into some big guys in the yard during recess. They were riding him about it.’
    Paige felt sick. ‘Is Ramon alive?’
    ‘He’s in the clinic. He’ll live, but one of the guys he pummeled might not make it.’
    ‘And then he’ll be a killer for real. That’s not fair,’ she hissed fiercely.
    ‘None of this is fair. Ramon told Elena he wanted a divorce when she went to see him in the clinic on Saturday.’
    ‘You can’t blame him, I suppose, based on what he’d heard. I guess Elena’s taking such a huge risk to get those pictures makes sense. I guess she didn’t feel like she had anything to lose.’ Paige headed into the parking garage where she’d left her truck.
    ‘That’s my take, too. What did you decide to do about the prosecutor?’
    ‘I don’t know yet. I didn’t actually talk to him.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘He was surrounded by reporters, for one, and I don’t want to be in anyone else’s video. He was in court by the time I got down here.’ She frowned. ‘I’m still not sure enough about him to risk it. He was in court for a jury verdict – they found the guy guilty of murder. He looked really happy about it.’
    ‘They usually do when they get a conviction. Most of the guys he tries are probably guilty as hell, Paige.’
    ‘I know, I know. I’m just worried that the pictures Elena died to get will get “lost” or worse.