Chapter Fourteen

Ivisited Sergio at the jail as soon as visiting hours started Thursday morning. Time was running out and while I thought I knew at least part of the truth, I didn’t have enough information to take back to Andy, nor could I prove anything. Besides, even if Andy believed my theory, he couldn’t do anything about Sergio’s confession unless Sergio recanted or I found hard physical evidence of his innocence.

When Sergio saw me, he looked resigned. He didn’t have to talk to me, but he still came out, so that told me that he really did want my help—even if he wasn’t going to ask.

He shuffled slowly to the metal table where I sat and slid onto the bench across from me.

“I told you to stay out of my life,” he said.

But there was no venom in his voice and I wondered if he was having second thoughts about his confession. This was a young man who’d had some trouble as a kid, but seemed to have gotten his life together. Maybe seeing the inside of jail for the first time had scared him and he just needed someone to help. But his pride, as both Antonio and Faith told me, prevented him from asking.

“No games, Sergio. You didn’t kill Greg Rodriguez. Whoever did was wearing your hoodie, but it wasn’t your brother. You think you’re protecting him, but you’re not.”

“Don’t talk about my family.”

“I don’t want you to go to prison for the next twenty years, and I’m pretty certain you don’t want to go to prison, either. So listen to me. Your brother is hanging around with two kids, Bruno and a kid he called Javi. I think they all live in the same foster home. I think the older kid, Javi, is the killer, and your brother was with him at the Cactus Stop. And I think you know that. So I ask you, why are you taking the fall to protect an asshole who is taking your brother down a dangerous path?”

Sergio was shaking. “You have no idea what you’re doing. Stay out of it.” His voice cracked and he looked more scared than angry.

I unfolded a print of the photo I took yesterday of the two skinny kids. “These two kids live with Henry in the foster home off West Campbell. I think that Henry and his friends have been robbing and vandalizing businesses in the area. Either they don’t think they’ll get caught or they don’t care. I’m pretty certain Javi—” I pointed to the older one “—is the leader. He’s at least sixteen, and he’s trouble. I saw it in his eyes. He’s the one who killed Rodriguez, isn’t he?”

“I did,” Sergio said. But his voice was weak, wary.

“The MO is the same as the earlier robberies and you can’t tell me you went to Lyle’s Diner and smashed their antique candy display case just for the kicks. The only difference with the Cactus Stop is that they were out late and killed someone.” As I said it, I realized it was two big differences, but I was almost positive I was right. Knowing and proving were very different.

“They’ve lain low since,” I continued, “but once they feel emboldened they’ll start up again, and guess what? They will be caught and thrown in juvie. Or they’ll be recruited by a gang. Or they’ll be dead. Or all of the above. Without you to watch out for him, Henry is going to fall. You’re smart enough to know that. So why did you confess to a murder you didn’t commit?”

“Shh!”

He glanced around, but no one was paying us any attention.

“I can help. First, call your lawyer and tell her you’re recanting. Then tell the truth.”

“I can’t,” he whispered. “Do you have brothers and sisters?” I nodded. “Do you love them?”

“Yes,” I said. “More than anything.”

Sergio stared at the picture. “His name is Javier Escobar. Henry—I want to protect him, but he’s made very bad choices. And he’s been so angry lately, angry that Sophia left his foster home, angry that I haven’t been able to get custody of them.” His voice cracked.

“Javier killed Rodriquez, didn’t he?”

Sergio didn’t answer. “Sophia left the first foster home because of Javier. He made her uncomfortable. I wanted so badly to bring her home with me, but—it was so hard, the endless paperwork, the canceled meetings, the expense.”

I remembered how Sophia seemed terrified when she saw Javier on the street yesterday.

When he suddenly stopped talking, I said quietly, “Are you trying to protect your sister? How can you protect her if you’re here, in prison?”

“Do you know how long it takes the police to investigate? Minors don’t spend time behind bars—they get probation, they live at home, they go to school.”

“It depends—”

“If I didn’t tell the police that I killed that man, Javier would have gotten to my sister. He—”

Sergio looked down. His face was hard, red, and he was trying not to cry.

“Javier threatened Sophia?”

He didn’t confirm or deny.

“Sergio, if you’re in here, how can you protect her?”

“He promised he would stay away from her. We have an agreement.”

“You trust him to hold up his end of the bargain? You’re not that naive, Sergio.”

“I was stuck. I didn’t have time to do anything else. The police talked to me again, and I knew what I had to do. I had no other choice.”

He believed that. What could I say to prove him wrong?

“If you’re in prison—and that’s where you’re going as soon as you agree to a plea deal—Javier has no one to stop him from going after your sister. You see that, don’t you?”

He squeezed his eyes shut.

I saw how this may have played out. Sometime last week, Sergio was faced with an ultimatum—confess or Sophia would be hurt. Or maybe he didn’t intend to confess until confronted by the police with the information that the shooter wore his sweatshirt. Perhaps he thought his brother was responsible, until he saw the video and recognized Javier and the threat Javier posed to Sophia. It was a knee-jerk decision that put him here, and it would take hard evidence to get him out.

But there was no evidence that Javier killed Greg Rodriguez.

Except Henry, if he made a statement.

“Your brother can go to the police and tell them Javier killed the clerk.”

“He won’t. Javier has him so twisted up, as if he cares more for Henry than I do!”

“I can talk to him.”

“He won’t listen! If he won’t listen to me, he won’t listen to a woman he doesn’t know.”

“What do you think is going to happen from here?”

Sergio shrugged, didn’t look at me.

“Call your lawyer, right now, and recant. That’ll get the ball rolling. There will be a hearing on Monday and I hope to have hard evidence of your innocence by then.”

“I do that, and Javier will get to her before I get out. I have no rights! I have nothing. Why do you even care?”

“I hate bullies and Javier Escobar is a bully. You made a mistake, but I understand why. Don’t make another one. Call your lawyer.”

Sergio shook his head. “Not until Sophia is safe. And you can’t promise me that.”

“I can—”

“Don’t lie to me, Ms. Angelhart. You don’t know me, you don’t know my family. Sophia was in danger. I made this deal. I have to believe that Henry will make sure Javier lives up to his end of it and not touch our sister.”

“What if I can find a safe place for Sophia until the police arrest Javier?”

“You can’t just take her away.”

Maybe not, but I had some ideas—starting with talking to her foster mom.

“If I can get her to safety and convince Henry to tell the truth, will you recant? His statement will go a long way.”

Sergio squeezed his eyes shut. “None of this would have happened if they were with me. I’ve been fighting for over a year to have them.”

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” I snapped, irritated. “You made a deal with the devil. I’ll help you fix it. But if you don’t recant and tell the police what you know, you’ll never be able to protect your sister.”

“If I do recant, I won’t be able to protect her either!”

We were at a standstill. Dammit, Sergio was stubborn.

But I was more stubborn.

“I’ll prove your innocence.”

“If anything happens to my sister, I will hunt you down,” he said.

I didn’t believe it. Sergio didn’t have a violent bone in his body, which is why he confessed to murder instead of pummeling sense into his little brother and dragging Javier Escobar over to the nearest cop.

Sergio didn’t want my help, but he was going to get it.

One way or the other, I would make sure the right person was in jail.

“If you won’t recant, and I don’t have the evidence by Monday, at the minimum don’t agree to a plea arrangement. Delay. Ask for something outrageous. Anything to buy more time.”

At first, he didn’t respond. Then, a small nod of his head.

I left the meeting hall, feeling Sergio’s eyes on my back even after the door closed behind me.