Free Red Angel by William Heffernan Page B

lips. “He is very defensive. He says he had to relieve himself and went to the
baño
—um, the bathroom. He says the body must have been taken then.”
    “Where was the body?”
    Martínez raised his chin toward one of the interior doors. “It was in the refrigerated room. He said the body still had bandages on it when it came from the hospital, and it is his job to remove them. He did this, and saw that the body had been badly burned about the face and arms. He feared decomposition would come quickly, so he placed it inside the room so it would remain cool.”
    “Does he know who it was?”
    Martínez asked the question, then turned back to Devlinand shook his head. “He said the paperwork did not have a name. The driver told him he had not been given any, that it would be sent later in the day.”
    “And he didn’t recognize who it was?”
    Martínez relayed the question. “He says the face was badly burned and swollen, that it could have been his mother and he would not have known.”
    The old man smiled at Devlin. He had only four teeth in the front of his head. He reached into his shirt pocket and removed a black feather, then began babbling in rapid Spanish. His final words were the only thing Devlin could understand. They were “Palo Monte.”
    “Did I hear him right?” Devlin asked.
    Martínez took the feather and nodded. “He says he found the feather inside the refrigerated room. I have seen these feathers before. They are from a scavenger bird called the
aura tinosa
, and are considered sacred by the followers of Palo Monte, who call the bird
mayimbe.
The feather is always used as a part of their
mpaca
, which is a type of charm made from an animal horn that must always be worn by a Palo Monte priest.”
    “Did the old man tell anyone else about this feather?”
    Martínez asked, then shook his head. “He says the young officer who was here treated him like an old fool, so he didn’t offer the information. He says he decided to save the feather so he could give it to the
palero
, the Palo Monte priest, when he returned for it.”
    “Is that likely? That the
palero
will come back for it?”
    Martínez shrugged. “I do not think so. There will be other feathers in the
palero’s nganga.
”
    “His what?”
    Martínez smiled and took Devlin’s arm. “Come. I think we have found everything we can here. If Palo Monte is involved in this, there is much that you must learn. And I can tell you only a small part of it.”

4
    Two men are watching us,” Adrianna said. She handed Martínez her sketch pad. “I drew this. It only shows their faces in profile. It was the best I could do without them knowing.”
    Martínez nodded. “Yes, the two men dressed in white. They have been following us since we left the hotel. I suspect they will continue to follow us, so this picture of their faces may be useful.” He tore off the top sheet, folded it, and put it in his pocket.
    “Cabrera’s men?” Devlin asked.
    “They are Abakua.” He pronounced the word
Ahh-bah-quah.
“This particular sect is unusual. They dress all in white and are known to work for State Security, which in itself is unusual. Normally, the Abakua shun the police and the government. Fortunately for us, these Abakua are not very good at their jobs.”
    “What the hell is an Abakua?” Devlin asked.
    “It is a secret society with many sects. Very violent and dangerous, and much feared by the people. They considerthemselves part of Palo Monte, yet apart from it. Most
paleros
wish they were even more apart.”
    “Great. We’re being followed by
lunatic
voodoo worshipers, who also happen to work for the secret police.” He reached out and placed a hand on Martínez’s shoulder. “You have any good news?”
    Martínez offered up one of his mournful smiles. “Soon, my friend. Soon we will have good news. I promise you.”
    They drove a dozen blocks before Martínez pulled to the curb in front of a large, crumbling house that would