Page 91 of Power of the Mind

“What exactly do you need?” Costa asked, then shouted, “Madeline Tianna Ruiz, get down from there right now before you break your neck.”

A little girl’s whiny voice traveled through the phone, but the words weren’t distinct.

“I don’t care how many mountains Elsa tries to climb. You aren’t her.”

“Anna climbs the mountains, Daddy,” a little girl shrieked.

“Anna, Elsa, same difference. Don’t climb the bookshelf.”

“You’re such a buzzkill.” Itsked. “Let the girl climb.”

“I do not want to spend my night in the emergency room. What did you need?” he asked again.

“Autopsy reports. Eleven of them.”

“Eleven? What the truck!”

I snorted. “Excuse me?”

“Get off my butt. I have kids. Eleven?”

“Yes. It’s a long story.”

Costa spit out a few Spanish curse words I assumed his daughters and wife didn’t know. “Send me their full names, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“I wasn’t asking you to do it. That’s not what this was.”

“Are you sure? Sounds like you called for a favor.”

“Yes, but not from you. I promised I wouldn’t do that.”

A while back, Costa had rightfully put me in my place when I’d continually gone to him for favors, using our family connection and his past discriminatory behavior as a reason why he should help even when I refused to accept his apologies or meet him on even ground.

“I came to you for a recommendation.”

“Doyle’s your best bet. Don’t flirt with him, or I’ll never hear the end of it from Quaid. On second thought, let me ask for you.”

“Why?”

“Because that way, he won’t refuse.”

“But I have to build a connection. Diem said… Costa, I have to do it myself.”

Doyle hadn’t been my first choice when considering who to approach. The homicide detective hadn’t been impressed with Diem and me nosing around his case a few months ago.

“You sure?” Costa asked.

“Um… yes. I can talk to him.”

“Great. Have fun. I gotta go bathe my girls before bed.”

“Wait… Okay, maybe you could help bridge the gap. Cushion the blow.”

“Am I talking to him or not?”

I sighed. “Yes. Set up a time I can meet him and remind him there might be Oompa Loompas involved.”

Costa grumbled something unsavory in Spanish and hung up.

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