Chapter 16
Krystal opened her front door to an exhausted-looking Pilar. “Hey, I’m glad you called, come in.” She stepped back to let the other woman in.
She was thinner than she’d been just a few months ago, the chemo having taken its toll. From what she’d told Krystal, she had multiple tumors and surgery hadn’t been an option. The chemo was palliative, helping to shrink her tumors, but it was only to buy her time.
“Thank you for seeing me.” Instead of the dark curls she’d had the first time they’d met, she wore a silky floral scarf around her head.
“Of course. I would have stopped by more but—”
“My family is a lot, I know.” There was exasperation, but love in her voice. “They mean well but I’m done letting them boss me around.” She stood there frailer and thinner, but with her jaw set in determination. “Is your family here?”
“No, not for another hour. Mike took one of the boys hiking and the other two are playing basketball with friends. We’ve got at least an hour alone. Would you like some tea? I’ve got that blueberry lavender you like.”
“You’re a goddess, thank you.” Pilar gave her a quick hug, making Krystal smile, then they headed into the kitchen.
“First things first,” Pilar started. “I haven’t been a hundred percent honest with you about things…about your mom,” she added as she sat at the center island.
“I kinda figured. And look, I obviously want to solve my mom’s murder.
But if it doesn’t happen, I’ve made peace with it.
I’d rather hear stories about her from you than have you tire yourself out.
” She wasn’t sure if the woman needed absolution or something.
Krystal didn’t want her dying with any guilt on her conscience. “I’m just happy to know you.”
“You’re very kind,” Pilar murmured. “Just like Yvette. And I’ll tell you all the stories you want. That’s partially why I’m here. Some of the things I know about your mom…the way we lived. I don’t want it to change the way you view her. It’s why I’ve been holding back.”
Krystal stilled inside, wondering what she could mean.
“Part of the reason,” Pilar added, a hint of fear flickering in her dark eyes.
“I think I was being selfish before, wanting to solve her murder. I’m dying, I have nothing to lose.
But you have a family. And…I do too. So I guess I do have something to lose.
” Another flicker of fear. Or maybe just worry.
Krystal was silent as she started boiling the water, digesting everything.
There was a lot of reading between the lines in Pilar’s words.
Finally she said, “I’m a mom too. But I was a teenager once and had a full life of my own.
Even after I took over raising my siblings, I still lived my life.
And I’m also a detective. If you’re worried you might shock me about my mom… don’t be.”
“Fine. But some of the things I’m about to tell you are probably still within the statute of limitations.”
Oh. Well then, Pilar didn’t need the reminder about her being a detective. “If you’re about to tell me about felonies, there’s no statute of limitations for prosecution,” she said dryly. “Not in this state anyway. So let’s just say this conversation is about my mom’s and your hypothetical past?”
Pilar gave her a tired smile, nodded. “Okay. Your mom and I…and others used to hypothetically rip off drug dealers. We never really thought of ourselves as a gang, but that’s what we were, I guess.
We just loved riding—ah, motorcycles in case that’s not clear.
And even though it sounds weird to say, our little side hobby happened organically. ”
Krystal blinked. “Your side hobby of…ripping off drug dealers? Stealing from them?”
“Yep. That was well before you were born though. Mostly,” she added with a cheeky grin.
Krystal blinked again. This wasn’t remotely what she’d been expecting. Like, not even in the same realm of where she thought this conversation was headed.
“Should I stop?” Pilar asked.
“No.” She poured the boiling water into the mug she’d already set the tea bag in. “I’m just a little surprised, but I want to know everything.”
Pilar nodded almost approvingly before she continued. “We were at this party. Your mom had just started dating your dad, I think… I don’t know. He was always around. No offense, but I never understood what she saw in him. To be fair, I prefer women, but he was so useless and just…blah.”
Krystal snorted. “You’ll get no argument from me.”
“I think he was just good in the sack and your mom had a shitty home life… We all did.” An unconcerned shrug.
“I don’t need to hear about their sex life,” she said dryly.
“Fair enough.” Pilar took the mug, wrapped her hands around it as it cooled off.
“Anyway, we were at this party and overheard these assholes talking about this big score. Looking back, I can’t believe how stupid they were.
But they were bragging, wanted to look like big men in front of us.
” Another eye roll. “Our friend Mia came up with the idea that we should roll them.”
“Mia?”
“She was part of our crew.”
“I don’t remember her from my mom’s pictures.”
“I’ve got some more pictures I’ll give you.
Anyway, Mia was always smart about that kind of stuff, planned it out.
We wore helmets, rode different bikes from our regular ones, had jackets custom made specifically for the robberies, then robbed these guys at night.
They never suspected us. Maybe because we’re women?
I don’t know.” She shook her head, blew on her tea.
“And it’s not the point. We ended up making a decent amount from various assholes up and down the East Coast.”
“You think one of the people you targeted killed my mom?”
“No…” She paused, looked contemplative as if considering the idea.
“That never occurred to me…” Another pause, then she shook her head.
“No. That was long before she was taken from us.” Sadness crept into her voice, her expression thoughtful.
“I just wanted to paint a picture for you, to explain who your mom was and what kind of friend she was. The five of us were inseparable,” she said wistfully.
Krystal frowned as she poured a mug for herself. “From the pictures I found and what you’ve said, I thought there were only four of you. But this Mia was the fifth of your crew?”
Nodding, Pilar reached over to her purse and pulled out a faded photograph.
It was one of the same pictures that Krystal had of her mom and her three friends, except it was clear that an image had been cut.
This one showed a fifth girl off to the side with a grin on her face as she tapped a keg.
The other four all had their arms around each other and wore bright neon shirts and bell-bottoms. Two had scarves in their hair and three just had big, teased hair, including Mia.
Krystal knew the year was 1981 because her mom had written it on the back of her own photograph, the one Krystal had tucked away.
“When Mia married her asshole of a husband, we lost touch. Not intentionally, but because he was a control freak. Abusive, is the right word,” Pilar added, sadness tinging her voice.
She looked at the picture again. “I know this was a lifetime ago, but some days I close my eyes and I’m there again, at that party, laughing, planning our futures. ”
Krystal definitely understood that but remained silent, hoping Pilar would continue. As she looked down at the picture, she frowned, looked closer at it. “What’s Mia’s last name?”
“Her last name was Ruiz, but she married Alexander Hill.”