Silent City by Alex Segura

a dick. I’m just looking for him.”
    “Why do you want to talk to him so bad?”
    Before Pete could answer, the waitress was sliding a plate of apple pie in front of him, along with the coffee he’d ordered. He thanked her and waited for her to walk off.
    “It’s been a while since I last saw him,” Pete lied. “And I’d heard he was working there, so I thought I’d stop by.”
    Maribel took a long sip from her milkshake, her eyes locked on Pete. “He’s not a good person,” she said, looking down at her lap. “He’s a liar. He doesn’t work as hard as the rest of us. Sometimes he doesn’t even show up. I’m not sure why Jose even keeps him around.”
    Pete took a moment to digest the information. This was new territory for him. He took a bite of pie. It was dry and not very flavorful—about right for Denny’s.
    “Why would Contreras keep him around if he was such a terrible employee?”
    “No idea,” Maribel said, becoming more comfortable with the exchange. “Jose always had him running errands outside the restaurant. I’m not even sure what he was doing half the time. He was hard to keep tabs on.”
    “Were you guys dating?” Pete surprised himself with his own question. Maribel absentmindedly pushed her milkshake away.
    “Javier has a girlfriend,” she said.
    “That doesn’t make my question invalid.”
    Their eyes met briefly and Maribel sighed. “Javier is a good-looking guy,” she said. “Sometimes we worked late and went out after. Stuff happens in those kinds of situations. But he was smart about it.”
    “Smart how?”
    “He knew when to pull back,” she said, a wistful tone in her voice. “He gave me enough information and affection so I’d want more. He knows how to read people and situations.”
    “That sounds like him,” Pete said. “How did he get along with Contreras?”
    “He’s close with Jose,” she said. “So he’s got more security there. I don’t think he’s even on the books as an employee. Whatever work release he was doing finished a long time ago. I’m not sure how he makes enough to live the way he does, though.”
    Pete’s interest was piqued. He wasn’t expecting this. He noticed Maribel’s mood darkening. She seemed more annoyed, despondent. He felt he was on the cusp of learning something, but he wasn’t sure what—or if he wanted to know.
    “Money from where, though?”
    “I don’t know,” she said, getting defensive. “Maybe his family? He’s a charming guy and he knows how to make friends quickly. I don’t really know much about him, and we’ve worked together for almost three years now.”
    “What about Kathy?”
    “His girlfriend?”
    “Yes,” Pete said. “Did he ever talk about her?”
    Pete looked at Maribel. She was worried. She cared for Javier, in her own weird way. Maybe she even loved him.
    “Sometimes,” she said, slowly. “Not a lot. It wasn’t exactly something I wanted to hear about.”
    “That’s understandable,” Pete said. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he let the conversation breathe a bit.
    “They weren’t the best couple,” she said. “He cheats on her, she’s cruel to him. It’s strange. Their dynamic is weird. But he really cares for her. He talks about wanting to move away with her. Whatever.”
    “Move? Where?”
    “Contreras has a house in the Keys,” she said. “We were supposed to go there a few weeks ago, just to get away from all the bullshit—work, his girlfriend, the city. But then he mentions he wants to move there with her. It’s weird.”
    “Key Largo?”
    “No, Key West, it was a bungalow near this bar, Willie T’s,” she said. “I’ve never been, though. Why are you asking about his girlfriend? Is she in trouble?”
    Pete fought the urge to write the info down immediately, thinking that would look a little odd.
    Maribel stood up and looked around, realizing Pete wasn’t going to answer her question, or didn’t have an answer. “I have to go.” She tried to drop