Some of "...Owen Taylor"

This is leading up to the big reveal, after Jake's got it all figured out and just needs the proof about what happened to his uncle --

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Matt had learned Father Paul was comforting someone who might be related to one of the murder victims. Hearing that damn near made me sick, because now I knew exactly where he was.

"Lemm," I sighed, "can you handle going back to your old apartment?"

"For why?" he said, his voice a bit shakey. He was in the passenger seat, so I could also see his hands were trembling. "Those people...they drove me away. Attacked me. Because of what I am."

"I won't let them do that, again."

"Jake..." Matt started, his voice sharp and warning, but I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"We don't have time to be nice about this. I need to verify what I'm thinkin', and I need Lemm there for that."

Lemm looked at me, hard. "You are wrong about Father Paul; he is a good man..."

"He's a despicable motherfucking son-of-a-bitch who spouts about God as he pours gas onto the flames of hate in this town, all while buyin' off people like you with his 'good deeds'...till you weren't perfect in his eyes, anymore. Then look what he did to you. Hypocrite's too damn good a word for him."

I glanced at Lemm and saw confusion in his eyes. He swallowed and looked straight ahead, still not really believing me. His hands were still trembling. God, what I wouldn't give to know what's going in in his mind, right now.

Matt nudged me and asked, "Do you have a gun?"

I shook my head.

"I thought all Texans had guns. Like it's law you have to carry one, or something."

"Don't need it. I'm locked and loaded all on my own."

I pulled onto the street leading to Uncle Owen's apartment complex and saw the lights of news crews already set up. I could see the Azteca and Piercings each talking to different news crews. Yeah -- it looked too much like at least one positive ID had been made, and I had a sick feeling a young woman was never gonna get married to the father of her child. Suddenly I wanted to keep driving by, because I wasn't so sure of my plan of attack, anymore. This could turn really nasty really fast.

I stopped behind one camera truck and turned to Matt.

"Get behind the wheel," I said, "and keep the car runnin', just in case."

"You're not going in there?" Matt snapped.

"That's where Father Paul is." I turned to Lemm. "You remember a guy who lived here? Had a girlfriend. Kid. They were gonna get married."

Lemm shrugged a yes. "Hugo."

"When did he vanish?"

"I cannot say...perhaps a month after I move here. Father Paul was working on his papers when he was taken by Immigration."

"I don't think that's what happened. What apartment were they in?"

He frowned at me. "The corner. In the left. Why do you...do you think...think...?" His voice vanished as he started to understand what I was saying. His voice grew soft. Painful. "His mija is Loretta...their nino is not a year...Luis...she was nice to me, until...until..." Anger began to fill his eyes. "You are sure Father Paul knows who did this? And he has done nothing? Nothing to stop it?!"

I nodded. "But he won't tell me who it is. He might tell you. Not directly, but in a way."

Steel shifted down Lemm's spine. His face grew calm and unreadable, like a politician's, and his trembling was gone-gone-gone. He nodded and got out of the car, so cool and deliberate, I wondered if he was back to being numb, but then the TV lights illuminated his face, and I saw how tight his eyes were. He was in attack mode. All I had to do was keep up with him.