Chapter 7

   Yaritza made a quick stop at the station en route to Tika Sanchez’s home. Nothing official had been written on Mark Robertson yet, there had just been no time for it. She hated writing reports, they interfered with investigations, as far as she was concerned. Of course, the reports sometimes helped with cases, but she did not want to write them herself.

   As she began to type out the events up to that moment, there was a tap on her shoulder. She flinched, then looked up to see her boss Captain Corday frowning. “Just getting on that?”

  “Haven’t had time yet. I figure the body’s been dead for some time, and we need to get leads fast.”

  “The body’s on its way, just wanted you to know.”

  “Good.”

   Captain Corday pulled up a chair and sat across from Yaritza. “What did you get this morning on it?”

  “Seems like he did well at his bartending job, but had a few personal problems with a woman there, an affair gone south. It’s possible he got the girl pregnant.”

   Corday nodded and frowned, the usual gesture for taking in raw, unanalyzed data. “Anything on the B & E he pulled?”

   Yaritza looked at her watch. “It’s 9:00, I work only so fast. And if Jules hadn’t done the background stuff so fast, I wouldn’t be this far.”

   He held up his hands. “All right already!” He sighed, then looked at her more nicely. “Look, I owed the guy a favor, I think you’ve done your part in fulfilling it. You want off? No penalty if you do.”

   It was tempting, if only to go home and sleep. But she knew it would dog her forever if she didn’t solve it herself. “I’ll pretend you didn’t just say that. Now let me type out what we have, then I’ll check out a new lead I got, then I’ll check on the B&E.”

   Corday nodded, then looked as if there was something else he wanted to say. After a pause, he nodded again and said,“Carry on then.” He stood up and walked away. Yaritza yawned, stretched her fingers, then finished the report.

   At 10:00, Yaritza finally found Tika’s home, or rather mobile home. It had taken a bit of driving around to find the address, as the number was in the number range of the park. It was on the western outskirts of Vegas along Sahara, just before it entered The Lakes.

   She walked up the two steps to the door and knocked. A few seconds later, a strikingly beautiful woman opened the door. Right away Yaritza could see what men found attractive about her, and at this moment Tika was not made up for anyone. In fact, she looked as though she had spent a few days laying on the ouch eating bon bons. However, Yaritza knew that the average guy would look at the woman right now and want to do her. She just had ‘it’.

   Tika looked at Yaritza for a second, no anger or annoyance, just a vague curiosity. “Who are you?”

   Yaritza flashed her badge and introduced herself. “The name Mark Robertson ring a bell with you?”

   Tika’s face scrunched up in disgust. “I think you know it does. Why else would you find this place?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “I don’t know, can you?”

  “MAY I?” replied the smartass to a smartass.

   Tika shrugged and let Yaritza follow her in. Esteban saw the tight black spandex pants. The woman was dressed to titillate. They sat across from one another on a cheap cloth couch set that did not match. It looked as though Tika bought from any old used furniture store.

  “So what about Mark?” Tika asked shortly.

  “He’s dead, for one thing.” Yaritza sat back to watch her reaction. It was these moments that told her a lot.

   Tika’s face registered momentary surprise, then surprisingly, emptiness. “Is he? How sad.”

  “Especially what happened after he was killed.”

  “What?”

  “Someone chopped off his hand after shooting him, and made off with it.”

   It was a lie, to be sure, but the reaction was the key, and Yaritza saw it was a worthwhile gamble. Tika stood up right away and moved toward the kitchen. “You want any coffee?”

   There was no coffee brewing, and there was no machine to make it in sight. “No thanks, Ms. Sanchez. Tell me about Mark, how you knew him.”

  “I think you know everything.”

  “But not from your lips.”

  “We fucked for a while, then we didn’t fuck. That’s the story.”

  “Who approached whom?”

   Tika shrugged. “I guess I chased him. He didn’t fight it much.”

  “Or at all?”

  “Not that I remember.”

  “Just set your eyes on him?”

  “How else do things happen? I didn’t know anyone when I came to town, and when you’re a cocktail waitress, all that happens is guys grabbing your ass. Mark didn’t grab, just grinned. So, I took a chance.” Tika turned to look at her. “He was nice, paid attention when I needed it.”

  “Made you happy for a while?”

  “For a while.”

  “Did you make him happy?”

   Tika looked down at the floor. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, he was always worried about what I wanted.”

  “Every woman’s dream.”

  “Wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. His oral game was great, but he was short on the fucking, and I mean short.”

  “Not endowed well?”

  “Not John Holmes, that’s for sure.”

  “Not many are. That’s why you broke it off?”

  “No, I just got tired of him. Wanted something else.”

   Yaritza nodded. “He gave you something else that you didn’t want.”

   Tika’s eyes met Yaritza’s coldly. “If you mean my pregnancy, yeah. The asshole made a little mistake one night and didn’t put it on.”

  “You didn’t check?”

  “He usually did, he didn’t tell me about the surprise until I found out I had it. That’s when I ended it.”

   Yaritza looked down for a moment. “I’m sorry that happened.”

  “Why the hell are you sorry?”

  “Because I have a son, and when I got pregnant, the dad ran away. Not your situation, I know, but…”

  “But nothing, Detective! Did you keep him?”

  “I got sick and went to the hospital. There was a complication and the hospital staff decided on my behalf to terminate the pregnancy. I was only 19.”

  “You would have kept him if it was up to you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well goody goody for you!”

   There was no answer to that, so Yaritza let it go. “I do have to ask this. Was it your choice to end the pregnancy, or did it end by itself?”

   Tika looked away again. “It ended itself.”

  “How did it happen?”

   The woman’s eyes were angry. “Why are you asking me all this? What does it have to do with Mark’s death?”

  “Just covering everything.”

  “Am I a suspect?”

  “Not yet, but if you end up being one, I’ll let you know when I get around to it,” Yaritza replied coldly. She could see why the manager at the Belgian didn’t think much of her.

   Tika looked toward the door. She’d had enough. “Any more questions?”

  “No, I think that’s it, for now.”

  “If you have anything else, ask now, because I’m headed to California in a couple of days.”

  “Oh? What for?”

  “New job at a club.”

   Yaritza held back a smile. She could imagine the club, and wondered what manager would let that slightly chubby figure dance. “Good luck to you. I think that’s all I needed.”

   As Yaritza walked toward the door, Tika said, “Look, I’m sorry about Mark being killed, he didn’t deserve it. Definitely didn’t deserve having a hand cut off. Maybe something else should’ve been cut, though.”

   Yaritza shrugged. “Maybe. Good luck in California.” With that, she left, disgusted with Tika in general.