Page 64 of Deep Tide

“Jose Rincon and Sandra Massey.” She paused, watching his expression as he read. “Both were murdered in San Antonio last fall, six weeks apart. Both had their hands bound with blue cordage at some point.”

He glanced up.

“Both victims were stabbed and left in an alley in what initially looked like a robbery.”

His brow furrowed as he flipped the page.

“Did you know about this?” she asked.

“No.” He rubbed his jaw as he read. “I should have.”

She studied his face, trying to gauge whether he was being honest with her. He looked up.

“What? I didn’t know,” he said.

She decided she believed him.

He closed the folder. “How’d you find this?”

“A reporter tipped me off.”

His eyebrows shot up. “A reporter? Who?”

She shook her head. “He’s paranoid about his safety. I had a phone call today with the San Antonio detective in charge of the cases. Rincon—the male victim—was a low-level distributor for the Saledo cartel. And Massey was the former girlfriend of one of their dealers. She was set to testify about her ex at a trial this winter, but she turned up dead behind her apartment building before she could make it to court.” Nicole nodded at the folder. “There’s a news clip about her murder in there behind the autopsy reports. The detective told me both victims’ valuables were stolen to make it look like a robbery, but the autopsy revealed tiny blue splinters in the abrasions on their wrists, indicating they’d been bound and likely held at a different location than the place where the bodies were dumped.”

Sean sighed and flipped to the article she’d printed for him. It was an AP story, and the byline wasn’t Miguel Vidales. She was trying to keep his name out of this.

“You don’t look surprised by the link to the Saledos,” she said.

“I’m not.”

She crossed her arms, trying to rein in her temper. “But you didn’t know about these two homicides?”

“I didn’t.”

She sighed. “So, if you’re here investigating a drug cartel, why isn’t the DEA involved?” she asked. “Why’d they send you?”

“That’s not what I’m investigating.”

“No?”

“I’m not here about the Saledos. They’re only involved tangentially.”

Fuming, she looked out the window and shook her head.

“You know what? I’m ready for some straight answers,” she told him. “I can’t lead an investigation this way.”

He looked at her for a long moment. Then he opened the folder again and shuffled through the paperwork she’d pulled together for him. He rubbed his chin and seemed to be debating something in his mind.

“We’re on the same side,” she said. “I want to help you, and I want you to help me. But I don’t know what it is you’re doing here in Lost Beach.”

He looked up. “Have you heard of Luc Gagnon?”

“The software mogul.”

He nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of him. He recently bought a big place down here.” She leaned forward. “Are you telling me Luc Gagnon’s running drugs with the Saledos?”

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