Chapter 31 #2
Her father and cousin hovered nearby, the elder Sandoval’s face as livid a red as the stack of cloth napkins at his elbow.
His arms waved in the air as he demanded explanations in Spanish as they rushed to Elena’s side.
He didn’t stop when they surrounded her, but a moment later, he froze, eyes fixed on the door.
Her heart skipped a beat, thinking that Andy might have come back, but as she smoothed away the curls of Elena’s hair that obscured her vision, she caught sight of Takeda’s much more slender build.
His partner was right on his heels, removing her sunglasses so her too-alert eyes could scan the much dimmer room.
Her eyes settled on Jal, leveling an icy look that said she still wasn’t in the mood to play nice. Wonderful.
Takeda was tucking his own glasses into a jacket pocket as he crossed the room. “Good to see you, Miss Morrow.”
“Wish I could say the same, Detective.” she replied, eyes narrowed. “How many times does Andy Paolinelli need to attack someone before you keep him behind bars?”
Takeda’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t respond and instead turned his attention to Elena, who sat up a little straighter under his gaze and lowered the compress to her knee. Jal craned her head around to see the beginnings of a bruise across one high cheekbone. “Are you all right Miss…”
“Sandoval,” she replied. “Elena Sandoval. This is my father Roberto and my cousin Marilena. And yes, I’m fine, couple scrapes, a little bump on the head.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Elena cleared her throat. “I was a couple blocks away, getting a coffee like I usually do most mornings between prep and lunch service.” She glanced up at Jal, who couldn’t help but wince.
Of course, Andy would remember her friends’ routines as much as hers.
There was no condemnation in her eyes, but Jal felt the stab of guilt anyway.
“I came out of the café and there he was, waiting for me, wanting to know where Sam—I mean, Jal—was. I ignored him at first, but he followed me, and when he got impatient, he went to grab me, but I shoved him away and ran. He ran back to his car and followed me, honking and yelling out the window.”
“What was he driving?” Detective Ward asked coolly. Like her partner, she had a pen in her hand poised over a notepad.
“It was a maroon Toyota, maybe ten or so years old, looked like it had been in an accident or two.” Elena continued, her voice still shaky. “One of the front fenders was new and hadn’t been painted yet, almost like it was in the middle of being repaired.”
“It’s going to need more repairs now,” Lexi snorted.
“Along with my door!” Elena’s father exclaimed. “What about that?”
Takeda cocked his head. “Door?”
Elena nodded, “I went down the alley to the kitchen door, and he followed.” Her breathing hitched and Jal could feel a fine tremor going through her. “I think he tried to run me down. My cousin got the door open just in time. He missed me, but he crashed into the door, and drove off.”
“Can you show me?” Ward asked.
Elena’s father nodded and motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. Lexi followed and Jal stayed where she was. She settled into the stool beside her friend and Elena reached for her hand and held on tight.
“How did you know to open the door?” Takeda asked, turning his attention to Mari.
“Elena called Lexi, and Jal called me,” Mari explained. “I rushed into the kitchen and got that cranky old door open just in time for Elena to leap through. She got the bump on her cheek hitting my elbow. But the door was wide open, and the car pretty much took it off its hinges.”
Takeda made some notes. “Do you have cameras?”
Elena shook her head. “Not in the alley,” she replied. “I’m not sure if anyone else on the block does.”
Takeda nodded and made another note. “And being inside the restaurant, you wouldn’t have seen which way he went.”
The statement had been rhetorical, but Elena shook her head anyway.
“We used to live in the Bronx before he went away,” Jal offered. “I think that he’s living somewhere in that area. You should have his address on file though, since he’s on parole. For now.”
Elena nodded her head in agreement. “He came in here once looking for Jal right after he got out of prison and said he was working in Hunt’s Point. He left a phone number, but I burned it as soon as he left.”
A corner of Takeda’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t look up from his notebook. “We’ll look into it.”
“You do that.”
Takeda opened his mouth to say something else, but his partner returned through the kitchen door, followed closely by Lexi and Roberto.
“I can call my brother to come and cover it until the insurance inspector can get here.” Roberto was saying, but his posture was still tense.
“Very well,” Ward replied and handed him a business card from a slot in her notepad. “Give the station a call in the morning and they’ll give you the report number for the claim.”
“Thank you, detective.”
Ward turned to her partner, but not before her eyes swept Jal from head to toe. “Are we done here?”
“Yeah, I think we have everything we need.” He tucked his notebook back into a pocket. “Miss Morrow, please let me know if you need anything else.”
“I already told you what I need, Detective,” Jal replied, shaking the hand that he held out to her. “But thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Of course,” He gestured to his partner. “Let’s go.”
Jal watched them leave and then scanned the room, where only a few tables were occupied waiting for their orders. No one was looking their way, but there was no way they hadn’t listened in. Her attention fixed on Roberto last. “I’m so sorry for all of this,” she said to him.
His eyes softened as they met hers. “No te preocupes, mija,” he replied, and held open his arms.
Jal untangled herself from Elena and went to him. She held on tightly, breathing in the citrus and spice scent that always clung to him from the kitchen. It calmed her like nothing else had since her phone rang.
Roberto had called her ‘daughter’ for years, and Elena often joked that he loved her more than his own daughter most of the time. It mattered more than he knew that he didn’t hold all of this against her.
He gently set her back and looked down at her with a gentle smile. “Doors can be fixed, mija” he told her, giving her shoulders a squeeze. “But as long as you are all okay. The police will find him.”
Jal nodded, her throat too thick with emotion to speak.
“Well, if we’re good here,” Elena said abruptly.
Jal turned to see her get to her feet and hand the icepack to Marilena who dumped the ice with a clatter into the sink behind the bar.
“I’m going to get to work.”
“Are you sure?” Lexi asked. “No one would say anything if you wanted to take the day.” She shot a meaningful look at Roberto.
Roberto held up his hands. “Of course not. Go home, nena, get some rest.”
Elena shook her head. “We’re already shorthanded today, papá.” she protested. “Really, I’m fine. Thank you both for coming.” Without another word, she gave Lexi a quick hug and disappeared into the kitchen.
Lexi exchanged a look with Jal, who shrugged. Better to give Elena her space, if that was what she wanted.
“You girls should go back to your day,” Roberto told them.
His eyes trained on the door and worry deepened the lines on his face.
They hadn’t had the best relationship over the last few years, not since she had given up working in the restaurant for a dance career that was very off, off Broadway.
But she was still his daughter. “I’ll make sure she’s alright. ”
Reluctantly, Jal nodded and gave him another brief hug. Lexi gathered up her stuff and started heading for the door. Jal stopped her with a whistle. “You know what? Before we go, I have to see that cranky old door one last time.”