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Except it’s not for Lazaro’s sake. Instead, Henry sees this as a key to solving a cop killing. How badly do I want to know what happened to Lazaro? Bad enough to risk finding him, only to have him jailed for murder?
Disappointment fills my chest. It happens a lot around Henry when I realize that my belief in his genuine goodness and blind justice is wrong. Why do I so badly want to believe in him?
I shake my head. “Why can’t you look for Lazaro without conditions?”
He blinks, like he wasn’t expecting that from me. “What do you mean?”
“If he was just a regular guy who disappeared, would his family have to make a deal with you in order to have the police search for him?”
He sucks in a long breath. “No. But…” He continues before I can respond. “We would be looking into who the regular guy is, what he was doing, who he was involved with. We would be talking to his family and others in his life. That part isn’t different. Lazaro’s case is different because it hasn’t been looked into, which was wrong. But for me to investigate, I need to know about him and what he was up to. Based on the life he led, I have to consider his disappearance could be related to illicit activities.”
I suppose he has a point. “So, in order for the police to care about finding Lazaro, I have to give up family secrets?—”
“I care about justice, Lana. It was wrong for his case to be ignored. But if I’m to find him, I need to know information just as I would with any case. Surely, you understand that? Now if you don’t want to give information, that’s fine. But then I may not have what I need to find out what happened.”
Dammit, he has a point there too. So now I have to consider whether Lazaro's disappearance could really be connected to the murder of a police officer. Could Lazaro have killed him? Sure. But as crazy as Lazaro could be, he wasn’t stupid. He didn’t go around killing people willy-nilly. If he killed the cop, he was either threatened, or someone in the family was threatened.
So, how do I move forward? How can I help Henry without risking revealing information that could get my family arrested?
“I don’t know anything about a murdered cop.”
Henry's expression falls slightly. Disappointment flickers in his eyes, though he tries to hide it. It's clear he was hoping for more, but to help me or to solve his cop killing?
“I’m sorry to disappoint you.” I don’t hide my disdain, and once again I’m questioning my sanity that I’m still here talking to him.
“It’s not disappointment.”
“Is that all you have? That you and your cop buddies think my brother murdered your colleague? If so, I guess we’re done here.” Being with Henry is a constant emotional whiplash. Longing. Disappointment. Hope. Anger.
Irritation flashes in his eyes. “Are you looking for an excuse to leave? I’m not keeping you here.”
I’m surprised as he’s not usually so abrupt.
“I thought you wanted my help in finding Lazaro?”
I sneer at him. “And I thought you were the boy scout who thinks everyone deserves justice, but here you go again, suggesting you’ll help only if I give away family secrets.”
He shakes his head. “As I’ve already said, investigations require that I talk to people, and in this case, Lazaro’s family and friends, anyone who knew him.”
“Are you going to talk to Elio?”
“If he’ll talk to me.”
Yeah, fat chance of that. If Elio thought I’d lost my mind the other night at dinner, he’d probably have me committed learning I am spending time with Henry.
Henry holds his hands up in surrender. “Look, Lazaro was no saint. The odds of his disappearance being related to his work is high. That’s just?—”
“It could be a cop who took him,” I snap. “Have you considered that? If you all think Lazaro killed your friend, then maybe one of you took matters into your own hands.”
He doesn’t like that idea, but he gives a single nod. “It’s possible. Lots of things are possible, but I can’t find the truth without asking questions.”
“Have you asked your cop friends? How about Hartley? He seems to have a hard-on for my family. Have you interrogated him?”
Henry’s eyes close as if he’s asking God for strength. It makes me feel like he believes I’m being petulant or hysterical. I don’t like that feeling.
He finally opens his eyes. “I have to go where the evidence leads, Lana. I have no evidence that a cop is?—”
“You have no evidence my brother killed a cop, and yet you’re asking me about it.”
