Page 14 of Dina's Favorite Mistake

“It’s Camila,” Ximena said urgently. “She’s missing.”

Chapter Four

Reading through case notes, Steve reached for the ice-cold Dr. Pepper he’d grabbed from the refrigerator. He had expected to shift for himself and live off of whatever he could scrounge from nearby shops or room service, but Dina’s people had fully stocked the small apartment after giving him a questionnaire. It sure had him questioning his career in public service if these were the perks that came with working for a tequila tycoon.

A frantic knock startled him. He set aside his soda can and eyed the open safe across the room where he’d stored his sidearm. Better safe than sorry, he grabbed it from the shelf and held it down at his hip while crossing the hotel room. When he reached the door, he cautiously checked the peephole. Lola Farias stood right in front of the door, her hand raised to knock again, while Dina stood behind her, talking angrily on her phone.

He stuffed his pistol in the waist of his jeans and quickly unlocked and opened the door. “What’s wrong?”

“Camila is missing,” Lola said and shoved by him into the hotel suite. Dina followed right behind her sister, shooting him a desperate glance while talking on her phone.

“Missing? When? How long?” He closed the door behind the two sisters and rushed to the desk where he’d been reading. He grabbed the case files and stowed them in the safe. He hesitated about leaving his sidearm. Technically, he was a guest of the Mexican government. He wasn't here under official capacity, and he didn’t have clearance to carry a weapon.

Better to ask forgiveness after I need it, he reasoned.

“She left after her third period class to visit the school counselor and didn’t come back,” Lola explained as he slipped into a shoulder holster and reached for his lightweight jacket. “The school realized she was missing at the end of lunch when she didn’t show up for her next class.”

“Some security that school has,” Steve grumbled.

“Don’t even get me started,” Dina growled. She tightly clenched her phone, and he expected to hear the screen crack at any moment. “They’re going to regret the day they lost my daughter.”

“Or maybe she decided to sneak out,” Lola said. “She’s one of us, Dina. How many times did Beto get expelled or run away or sneak out? It’s in her genes.”

Steve decided to stay quiet and not point out where she got the other half of her genes. Instead, he offered, “Do you share location tracking on your phones? Your devices?”

“I took her phone,” Dina admitted regretfully. “And her tablet and her laptop. She only has access to her school laptop, but it was found in the library.”

“What about a watch? Or a fitness tracker?” Steve asked, thinking of all the ways they could run down a subject.

Lola and Dina exchanged glances. “Beto?”

“Beto what?” he asked.

“Beto gave her a new Apple watch for Christmas,” Dina said as Lola tapped at her phone screen. “She probably blocked all of us, but she wouldn’t block him.”

“Beto!” Lola shouted her brother’s name. “Can you see Camila’s location on your phone? Why? Because she’s missing! Hang on.” Lola put her phone on speaker. “Camila left school, or she was taken. We don’t know. We need to find her, Beto!”

“Give me a second! Yelling at me isn’t going to make this happen any faster, Lola!” Beto snapped.

Dina started to snatch the phone from her sister, probably to lash out at her brother in anger, but Steve gently grasped her wrist, stalling her until they got an answer. She glared at him but didn’t shake off his hand. He might have been imagining it, but it felt as if she leaned into him.

“No, I can’t see her location either. I’m sorry.”

As the siblings argued, Steve tried to think the problem through rationally. If Camila had been taken from the school by force, there would have been a commotion or evidence or a ransom call. He felt certain kidnapping wasn’t the case.

From what little he knew about Camila, she seemed to have been emotionally manipulated by her father and grandmother. If anyone could convince her to leave the school, it would be the old woman. Someone kind and matronly who made her feel safe.

“Where does Diego’s mother live?” Steve interrupted the fracas.

“Mirta?” Dina frowned. “Not far. She’s near Tlaquepaque.”

“Then let’s go there,” Steve suggested. “I’d bet my last dollar she’s hiding out with grandma.”

Dina’s expression turned murderous. “I warned Mirta to stay away from her!”

“Yes, well, Mirta listens about as well as Diego,” Lola muttered. “She’s one of the reasons he’s the arrogant psycho he is.” She lifted her phone closer. “We’re leaving, Beto. I’ll keep you updated.”

“I’ll head to the house. I’m sure Mama is up in arms.”

---