Chapter 10 - Scout's Warning
Ricardo drove to the house with Elena and two officers who had agreed to accompany him while he collected Arturo's belongings. He didn't want another argument about who said what. He wanted medicine, photographs, and Scout.
The dog met him at the back door, barking furiously toward the detached garage. Scout had a raw patch on his neck where his collar had been pulled too tight.
Celeste appeared in the hall. "You're making the entire street think I committed a crime."
"I didn't put Dad on the floor," Ricardo said. "You did."
One officer asked her to stay nearby while the others walked through the house. Ricardo collected Arturo's reading glasses and his favorite wool coat. In the upstairs bedroom, he saw scrape marks beside the latch. There was no handle on the inside of the door.
He stepped back, breathless with anger. Elena quietly photographed it.
From the garage came a sharp crash. Scout lunged against Ricardo's leg. The officers hurried around the corner and found the side door open. Someone had been searching through stacked storage tubs. A filing cabinet was tipped onto its face.
A white envelope lay ripped on the concrete. Ricardo recognized his father's handwriting: IF THEY SAY I'M CONFUSED.
Inside was nothing but a folded corner of a photograph.
Celeste stared at it and lost her careful composure. "That old fool wasn't supposed to keep a copy."
The officer nearest her turned. "A copy of what, ma'am?"
May you like
She pressed her lips together.
Ricardo bent down and picked up the photograph fragment. It showed Brendan Shaw shaking hands with a man Ricardo knew as the bank's regional lending officer.
