nine-millimeters.â
Deacon Moreno was a member of one of the nastier gangs in San Diego.
âHow about Wizard Matellion?â I asked. âKnow him?â
Willie stood up a little straighter and his jaw tightened. âI ainât talking about Wizard.â
âWhy not?â
He glared at me. ââCause dudes who talk about Wizard die. Straight up.â
âNo oneâs gonna know,â Carter said.
Willie stared hard at Carter, then shook his head. âWizard is a bad motherfucker.â
âHe a South Bay Niner, too?â I asked.
Willie laughed at me like I was retarded. âWizard fuckinâ runs South Bay Niners, Sixth Street Triples, and Hoover Down Killas.â
Carter looked at him. âHe runs the whole area?â
âFuckinâ A,â Willie said. âAnd I ainât sayinâ no more about him.â He folded his arms back across his chest.
If Matellion was running the whole show, that meant he was responsible for dozens of murders. It was how they moved up. The more you killed, the more responsibility you got. Fucking fantasticâa case Iâd originally thought would be easy had just gone from bad to much, much worse.
âYou got an address for Moreno?â I asked.
Willieâs face screwed up into a tight ball of anger. âHow about if I just drive you right up to his door? Introduce you and shit, let him know I was the one who brought your ass there?â
Carter stood up and looked at Dana and me. âWhy donât you guys give us a sec?â
Dana stood. âIâm gonna find the bathroom.â She walked toward the back of the restaurant.
âIâll be outside,â I said.
As I stepped outside into the overcast afternoon, my cell phone vibrated. I didnât recognize the number on the readout.
I flipped the phone open. âHello?â
âNoah, itâs Liz.â
I gripped the phone a little tighter. âHey.â
âWhere are you?â she asked.
âWorking. Why?â
âI need you to come down to the station.â
I took a deep breath and watched the traffic go by on Fifth. âWhy?â
She paused for a moment, then said, âI just need you to come down, Noah.â
âIs Mike gonna be there?â I said before I could think better of it.
Her irritation was nearly tangible through the phone. âDonât be an ass.â
âWhoâs being an ass?â I said, taking a little enjoyment at her annoyance. âJust wondering if your new boyfriendâs gonna be there.â
âIâm trying to do you a favor, Noah.â
I laughed. âOh, yeah? Howâs that?â
She paused again and I half expected her to hang up on me. Part of me wanted her to do just that and part of me wanted to start the conversation all over again.
âYour motherâs here,â she said. âIn lockup.â
My throat tightened and goose bumps formed on my forearms. I squeezed the phone so hard I thought it might shatter. I shut my eyes, wishing Liz had said anything other than what she had.
âIâll be right there.â
Seventeen
I sat in the Jeep, staring at the police station.
Iâd told Carter about the phone call and he waved me out of the diner. He and Dana would find their own way home.
He understood.
I didnât want to go in angry, frustrated, and disappointed, but I knew I didnât have that much self-control. I just wanted to corral all three of those emotions before facing my mother for the first time in nearly four years.
I struggled out of the Jeep, cursing the fact that my body was still hurting. All the driving Iâd done hadnât helped, either. The traffic on Pacific Coast Highway roared behind me. I walked up the steps to the SDPD building and wondered what excuse I was going to hear.
Lizâs office was on the third floor and I found her sitting at her desk, studying a file spread out in front of her.
She