taking care of his brothers and sisters while his parents ran that restaurant.”
“Nancy…” Lil trailed off and Nancy reached out, hugged her and Lil let her even though she wanted to pull away.
“I know,” Nancy shrugged again. “I just worry about you.”
Time to move this conversation on. “Don’t worry about me.” She tossed another pair of shoes into the case then looked at Nancy again and smiled. “New suit?”
Not that it was that big of a guess really. The brown slacks and orange jacket screamed new. The matching scarf, and purse accented the shoes that showed off Nancy’s new pedicure.
“I bought it yesterday.” She sighed again. “I was hoping it would make an impact on the girls.”
The girls. Nancy’s girls. The barrio girls of Our Lady. Nancy worked with them on a weekly basis. Helping them with English and other skills.
“They didn’t like it?”
They usually loved Nancy.
“Half of them weren’t there. And Celinda Castro went back across the border with her abusive boyfriend. Her mother wept in my arms, and I couldn’t say anything other than I’m sorry.”
Lil’s heart broke. Nancy was such a champion for the barrio girls. It was one of the reasons Lil thought she’d know more about Degas.
“I’m sorry, Nancy.”
Nancy shrugged the words away. “Nothing to be done about it now. They’ve closed ranks though. The silence of the barrio.”
“Closed ranks on what?”
Nancy paced in frustration. “Degas. The monster. It’s like the Hernandez family fell off the face of the earth and no one’s talking about it.”
Lil looked up in surprise. “They’re not talking to you?”
Nancy laughed bitterly. “You think the color of my skin, my last name, the fact that my mother and grandmother lived there and crossed the border to find work makes a difference? No.” She shook her head. “The day I went to Austin to fight for their educational rights, that changed. The day I lobbied DC, it was over. I’m not one of them and they know it. Degas is a monster, but not a monster they’ll talk to me about.”
Lil blinked and tried to hide her surprise at Nancy’s anger, at her total belief in a man she wasn’t even sure existed Friday.
“You told Stan you weren’t sure what you believed.”
Nancy rolled her eyes. “Like Stan cares one way or another about someone like Degas.”
“So you believe he’s real. That he took the Hernandez family.”
Nancy walked over to the door, looked outside then stepped to the window before turning toward her. “He’s real and he’s dangerous. It’s too late for the Hernandez family.”
Lil’s heart thudded in her chest and she tried to think of a way to talk about this without letting Nancy know about David, about Ryan. “But Miguel could still be alive.”
Nancy shook her head sadly. “If he is, I feel for the poor kid.”
“What do you know, Nancy?”
She laughed sadly. “What do I know? Nothing. No one’s talking. That alone speaks volumes, Lil.”
This didn’t make sense. She needed David. Or Ryan. Or someone. “Volumes about what?”
“Everything and nothing. Just…”
Nancy wanted to tell her something. She knew something. But she was afraid. “Just what?”
For a second Nancy looked at her, just looked at her with this serious frown on her face. She was going to tell her what she knew. Lil could feel it. She leaned forward and waited.
Finally Nancy spoke. “Just tomorrow when the cops are there asking questions, be careful about mentioning the name Degas. We don’t know anything more than a bunch of teenaged gossip. No sense putting a target on our backs.”
That wasn’t what she was going to say. Lil closed her eyes and wished someone who knew about this kind of thing were there to help.
But no one was. It was her and Nancy. No one else. She opened her eyes and saw Nancy watching her face closely. Looking for what exactly?
“Are you trying to warn me about something, Nancy?”
Nancy laughed the
“Nancy…” Lil trailed off and Nancy reached out, hugged her and Lil let her even though she wanted to pull away.
“I know,” Nancy shrugged again. “I just worry about you.”
Time to move this conversation on. “Don’t worry about me.” She tossed another pair of shoes into the case then looked at Nancy again and smiled. “New suit?”
Not that it was that big of a guess really. The brown slacks and orange jacket screamed new. The matching scarf, and purse accented the shoes that showed off Nancy’s new pedicure.
“I bought it yesterday.” She sighed again. “I was hoping it would make an impact on the girls.”
The girls. Nancy’s girls. The barrio girls of Our Lady. Nancy worked with them on a weekly basis. Helping them with English and other skills.
“They didn’t like it?”
They usually loved Nancy.
“Half of them weren’t there. And Celinda Castro went back across the border with her abusive boyfriend. Her mother wept in my arms, and I couldn’t say anything other than I’m sorry.”
Lil’s heart broke. Nancy was such a champion for the barrio girls. It was one of the reasons Lil thought she’d know more about Degas.
“I’m sorry, Nancy.”
Nancy shrugged the words away. “Nothing to be done about it now. They’ve closed ranks though. The silence of the barrio.”
“Closed ranks on what?”
Nancy paced in frustration. “Degas. The monster. It’s like the Hernandez family fell off the face of the earth and no one’s talking about it.”
Lil looked up in surprise. “They’re not talking to you?”
Nancy laughed bitterly. “You think the color of my skin, my last name, the fact that my mother and grandmother lived there and crossed the border to find work makes a difference? No.” She shook her head. “The day I went to Austin to fight for their educational rights, that changed. The day I lobbied DC, it was over. I’m not one of them and they know it. Degas is a monster, but not a monster they’ll talk to me about.”
Lil blinked and tried to hide her surprise at Nancy’s anger, at her total belief in a man she wasn’t even sure existed Friday.
“You told Stan you weren’t sure what you believed.”
Nancy rolled her eyes. “Like Stan cares one way or another about someone like Degas.”
“So you believe he’s real. That he took the Hernandez family.”
Nancy walked over to the door, looked outside then stepped to the window before turning toward her. “He’s real and he’s dangerous. It’s too late for the Hernandez family.”
Lil’s heart thudded in her chest and she tried to think of a way to talk about this without letting Nancy know about David, about Ryan. “But Miguel could still be alive.”
Nancy shook her head sadly. “If he is, I feel for the poor kid.”
“What do you know, Nancy?”
She laughed sadly. “What do I know? Nothing. No one’s talking. That alone speaks volumes, Lil.”
This didn’t make sense. She needed David. Or Ryan. Or someone. “Volumes about what?”
“Everything and nothing. Just…”
Nancy wanted to tell her something. She knew something. But she was afraid. “Just what?”
For a second Nancy looked at her, just looked at her with this serious frown on her face. She was going to tell her what she knew. Lil could feel it. She leaned forward and waited.
Finally Nancy spoke. “Just tomorrow when the cops are there asking questions, be careful about mentioning the name Degas. We don’t know anything more than a bunch of teenaged gossip. No sense putting a target on our backs.”
That wasn’t what she was going to say. Lil closed her eyes and wished someone who knew about this kind of thing were there to help.
But no one was. It was her and Nancy. No one else. She opened her eyes and saw Nancy watching her face closely. Looking for what exactly?
“Are you trying to warn me about something, Nancy?”
Nancy laughed the
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