Salvation in death

“That’s interesting,” Eve said, her eyes sharp on Marc’s face, “because he wasn’t. A priest, that is. He wasn’t Miguel Flores.”

And the face Eve studied went utterly blank. “Sorry, what?”

Eve glanced at Peabody and motioned to her to take over.

“We’ve confirmed through dental records that the man you knew as Miguel Flores had assumed that identity approximately six years ago. We haven’t yet identified the man who assumed that name.” Peabody paused, watched Marc try to take it in. “At this time, we’re trying to identify him, and by doing so ascertain why he assumed another identity. By doing that, we may step closer to who killed him. Regardless of who he was, Mr. Tuluz, you were friends for several years. Good friends. Anything you can tell us may help us, and lead us to his killer.”

“Give me a minute, okay? This is, like… This is so way out of orbit. You just told me that Miguel wasn’t a priest?”

“Not only wasn’t a priest,” Eve put in, “wasn’t Miguel Flores.”

“Then who-You just said you didn’t know.” Marc pushed the heels of his hands to his temples, squeezed. “I can’t quite get it. I just can’t get it. Not a priest. Not Miguel. Not…

“You’re absolutely sure of this? Which is a stupid question because why would you tell me if you weren’t? All that time. It’s surreal. It’s… thanks,” he said when Peabody offered him a bottle of water.

He drank, three long, slow sips. “My mind’s blank. It’s gone off. I can’t remember your name.”

“Lieutenant Dallas.”

“Right. Right. Lieutenant Dallas, he counseled those kids as a priest, took confessions. He gave some of them their First Holy Communion. They listened to him, believed in him. That’s a terrible betrayal. And even saying that, I’m more upset knowing he lied to me every day.

“I loved him,” Marc said with a quiet kind of grief. “Like you would a brother. And I thought… if he was in trouble, hiding from something, someone, he could’ve told me. I would’ve kept his confidence. I’d have found a way to help him.”

Eve sat back, digested that. “What happened the day you confronted Solas?”

“Hell.” Marc blew out a breath. “We shouldn’t have. We were both so pissed. Miguel… I don’t know what else to call him. He had a temper. He kept it on a leash, worked at it, but now and then, you’d see it flash. Flashed big-time with Solas. Barbara was desperate when she came to us. Her face was all bruised up, and she could hardly talk for crying. It wasn’t for herself, that was the kicker, I guess. It came out that the bastard had been abusing her for years. And she took it, too afraid to do anything else. But he moved on her younger sister, and that she wouldn’t take. Miguel kept his cool with her. He was really good with her, calm, kind. And he told Magda to take her to the clinic, to have them call the police. As soon ColiHe as they left, he said we were going to pay Solas a visit.”

Marc rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t argue. It wouldn’t have stopped him, and frankly, I didn’t want to. When we got there, Miguel whaled right in.”

“He attacked Solas,” Eve prompted when Marc fell silent.

“He jumped him, pounded him. Not like sparring in the ring, which we’d done. Street moves. He had Solas on his knees and retching in under ten seconds. They went at each other in Spanish. I’m pretty fluent, in formal and in street Spanish, but I couldn’t completely keep up.”

Marc drank more water, shook his head. “But for damn sure, Miguel wasn’t worried about taking the Lord’s name in vain. Mrs. Solas had the other two girls, and they were cowering in the corner, crying. Miguel kicked Solas in the face, knocked him out, and he didn’t stop-wouldn’t stop. I had to pull him off. For a minute, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to-and if I couldn’t, I think he might have killed the man. He was that over the edge.

“I’d never seen him like that, before or since. You run a place like we do, you see some bad things. Young girls pregnant or on their third abortion. Boyfriends who slap them around, parents on the junk. Illegals, gang fights, parental neglect. You know how it is.”

“Yeah, I know how it is.”

“He handled that. He might get mad, or impatient, but he never lost it. Until Solas.

“Still, when he got himself under control again, he was good with the woman, the kids. Gentle, kind. It was… it was almost like it was someone else who’d beaten down on Solas.”

“Maybe it was,” Eve said. “Did he ever talk to you about old friends, old enemies?”

“He talked about ru

“Besides you and Magda, the priests, who did he spend free time with? Hang out with?”

“I have to say he was friendly, the outgoing type. He knew the kids, most of their parents, older sibs, cousins, whatever. If they were around, he’d hang, or join in a pickup game.”

“Try this. Did you ever notice him avoiding anyone?”

“No,” Marc said slowly. “I can’t say I did. Sorry.”

“We appreciate the time. If you think of anything, please contact me.”

“I will.” He pushed to his feet. “I feel… it’s like when I was in college and did too much zoner. I feel fuzzy-headed and a little sick.”

After Peabody escorted him out, Eve sat, swiveled in her chair. When Peabody returned, looked hopefully at the bakery box, Eve waved a hand toward it. Peabody pounced.

“Ohhh, cream-filled. Look out, ass, here it comes!”

“Lino’s going to have a sister-or another close friend or relative-who was sexually abused as a child.”

“Mmmffh?” Peabody managed.

“He sees all the other shit, hears it in confession, but the one time we can confirm he broke out of his collar-the one time he may have shown his true face-is over a kid being sexually abused.”

Peabody swallowed heroically. “Sexual predators of minors are meat in prison. Even stone killers want and do go after them.”

“He had more control than that. Five years? He had the control, or an outlet nobody knew about. But he lost it over Barbara Solas. It has to be more personal, more intimate.”

“We’re going to check the files for sexual molestation of a minor in that sector, for a couple of damn decades, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, we are. No guarantee the abuse was reported, but that’s what we’re going to do. Pull them, copy me.”

Eve swiveled again. She’d need to consult Mira, she concluded, but it could wait a day, wait until she had more. For now, she decided to simply send Mira the files, the data, and ask for a profile and/or consult. Once done, she started to contact the lab and find someone to verbally bitch slap.

And her comp signaled an incoming.

“About damn time,” she muttered as she noted the sender. She read the text with interest, then studied the reconstruction.

The tattoo was a block cross, with a heart at its intersection. The heart dripped blood-three drops-from the tip of the knife stabbed through it.

“No, I don’t guess that’s suitable body decor for a priest. Computer, search for significance of current file image. Its usage, meaning, commonality. Is there a regional or cultural significance? Is it a gang-related symbol, a religious symbol, a counter-religion symbol? Secondary task: Search and display names and addresses for tattoo parlors and/or artists within Spanish Harlem between 2020 and 2052.”

Acknowledged. Working…

While the searches progressed, Eve rose to boost her system with more coffee.

So the guy lost his grip over child rape. Hadn’t she done the same, more or less? Hadn’t she been a little hard on Elena Solas? And didn’t she feel, even now, even calm, that the woman had deserved that, and more?

He’d beaten Tito Solas, cursed at him in street Spanish. And continued to beat him when the man was down and out. It was personal, goddamn it. A trigger.