Moving Serafina

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173 Locket walked into Julio’s in Presidio at midday on Cinco de Mayo and, to his surprise, found a single barstool still vacant. When he saw Locket, Julio moved from the far end, drew a frosted mug half full of tonic water, twisted a lime in it and set it in front of him. “You want the rest of that filled with gin, right?” Julio said. He pretended to reach for a gin bottle. “Yeah . . . right,” Locket said. “I always do that on holidays.” He sipped the tonic water. “Especially when it’s hot and I’m on duty and everyone in the county is watching me right now. Go ahead.” “Well, I’m afraid you’d arrest me for not checking yourID,”Juliosaid.Hetoweledthebarinfrontof Locket with one hand and swept over a bowl of chips and then salsa with the other. “Have some lunch, anyway.” “Is this a bribe?” Locket dug into the chips, dipped one into the salsa and buried it inside his mouth. He spoke around the food. “If so, that’s even worse.” “No.” Julio said. “If I wanted to bribe you, I’d do it with cocaine.” “Is that happening today?” The word was an instant red flag to Locket. He paused, narrowed his eyes at Julio but then helped himself to more chips. After C H A P T E R 16 Bob Cherry 174 he had left Jovita on the blacktop to Solitario, he spent much of Monday night driving the back roads for any sign of Perfidia or anything else unusual, but he found nothing so he went on into Solitario for the remainder of the night. Tuesday, he did the same in the daylight with the same negative results. “You figure it out,” Julio said and shrugged. “It’s Cinco de Mayo, isn’t it?” “Something you wanna tell me, Julio?” “Well, I don’t rat on my customers,” Julio said. “You know that. Besides, I wouldn’t know if it did happen. These guys in here are just beer drinkers and a little tequila, that’s all.” “Well let me put it this way, Julio. If someone was to be doing it, who’d you most suspect?” “What is this, a drug bust?” “Just doing the job you elected me to do,” Locket said. “Something like what we’re dancing around could lead to all sorts of things.” “I didn’t vote for you,” Julio confessed. “But my wife did.” “Who’d you vote for?” “I don’t vote,” Julio said. “A bartender has to be neutral, you know.” He saw Locket push aside the chip bowl with only crumbs left in it. “You still hungry?” Locket looked at him. “I’m on duty.” “Yeah, I know,” Julio said and then repeated, “You still hungry?” Locket looked at him but said nothing. “You’re still hungry,” Julio said. “It’s only carne adovada today though. You’re probably not interested.” Locket looked beyond Julio and spoke to his own MOVING SERAFINA 175 image staring back from the mirror behind the bar. “Arrest this man for bribery.” Julio smiled and disappeared into the kitchen. Locket sipped his tonic water and looked again into the mirror, this time surveying the noisy crowd behind him. He knew Julio was right. This group of locals might drink a few too many beers on a holiday, but they were mostly good citizens who held political offices and paid their taxes and sent their kids to school and worked hard. All were well aware of their proximity to the Mexican border and all the problems that presented. But these were second- or third-generation citizens from Mexican immigrants themselves, and some were first generation, but all regarded highly their status in their new country. Thesecitizenswereoftenmoreharshthantheauthorities were on illegal Mexican nationals, and especially the human smugglers, who cast a bad reflection on the entire Hispanic community on both sides of the border. There would not be a person in his view at the moment that would be dealing drugs or harboring coyotes, especially with a baby for sale. And that is why Locket became more than curious when Julio set the steaming platter of carne adovada and beans and tortillas in front of him, leaned closer and whispered, “Alvaro Muñoz was in. Him and another guy.” Locket looked wistfully at the food but held back. “When?” “Earlier this morning,” Julio said. “Drinking?” “Oh...