A Killing in the Valley Read Online Free PDF

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    “I’m Tom,” the boy said. “This is Bill. And you’re…”
    “Maria,” she answered.
    Immediately, she wished she hadn’t given him her real name. Not that it mattered—they were just sitting here, sharing a table.
    “Go to the high school, Maria?” Tom asked, still smiling at her.
    She nodded again. “I’m a senior.”
    “You look old for a senior,” he told her. “I don’t mean you’re old-looking, you look kind of sophisticated for high school. I would have guessed college.”
    He was bullshitting her, but in a nice, flirty way, so that was okay. “I’m on the cusp,” she said, “I turned eighteen last week. I’m one of the older ones in the class.” She sipped some coffee—it had gone cold. “I’m going to college next year. City college.”
    “That’s smart,” he said. “Good way to get started.”
    “So, like, you’re in college?” she asked. That was pretty obvious, but she had to keep up her end of the conversation.
    “Yep. We’re in college.” He nodded at his friend, who nodded back.
    UCSB, she thought. Unless they went to one of the schools down south, like UCLA or USC. They had that L.A. look about them. “What year?” she asked.
    “Seniors,” he answered. “Our last year until going out into the real world.”
    Hers, too. The thought suddenly depressed her. Only nine more months of mindless fun.
    The boy who was doing the talking leaned forward on his elbows. “What’re you doing the rest of the afternoon?”
    Okay, there it was, he had officially hit on her. “I don’t have nothing planned,” she said, trying to sound like she wasn’t that interested in him, but wasn’t totally disinterested, either. That she could be persuaded, if he knew how to be charming.
    He glanced around. No one else was close to their table. “Do you…” He put his thumb and forefinger to his lips and sucked in slowly.
    She smiled. “Well, yeah. If it’s good.”
    “It’s good,” he told her, his smile broadening. “Better than good. It’s outstanding.” Leaning in closer, he said in a soft voice, “Got some E, too.”
    This day was going to be okay after all, she thought with a fluttering of excitement in her chest.
    “So you want to take a drive?” he asked.
    “Sure,” she answered, not pretending to be blasé now. “I’ll meet you around the corner, okay?” She couldn’t chance anyone she knew seeing her leaving here with two strange older guys she had only met ten minutes ago. Particularly Anglos; her mother would not like that, any of it. The two of them had been at war for years.
    “Okay,” he agreed. He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Do you have a friend who could join us?”
    Maria sat back. That was a problem.
    Looking around, she spied a girl sitting alone on the other side of the patio. This girl was also Chicana, but she didn’t know her, although the girl looked vaguely familiar. “Wait here,” she told the guys.
    She got up and walked over to the other girl’s table. The girl looked up as Maria hovered over her. “Hello?” she said tentatively.
    Maria picked up on the girl’s accent. She wasn’t from California, or anywhere in the United States. Mexico, or somewhere else deeper in Central America.
    “Hi,” Maria said easily. Without waiting for an invitation, she sat down at the girl’s table. “I’m Maria Estrada,” she said, favoring this new girl with an assured smile. “I’ve seen you around. What’s your name?”
    The girl seemed flustered. “Tina,” she said. “Tina Ayala.” She hesitated. “We’re in English together.”
    Maria nodded knowingly. “I knew I knew you from somewhere. You’re new around here, right?”
    The girl named Tina nodded. “We moved to Santa Barbara this summer. From L.A.,” she added.
    “Cool,” Maria exclaimed, as that explained everything. “So, like, who do you hang out with?”
    “Nobody in particular,” Tina answered self-consciously. “I haven’t met many people yet.