Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) Read Online Free PDF Page B

proved so
valuable, I was able to join a junior cop-like program and that
eventually catapulted me into the force and my subsequent
assignment as a detective.”
    “Junior cop?” Genie gave him a skeptical
grin.
    Rafa felt his cheeks heat. “It’s kind of a
joke, I know. But I was able to shadow officers prior to entering
the academy.”
    “Oh.”
    “Anyway, the police began to build a case
after I went to the academy. Neither the police nor the district
attorney knew how sophisticated the organization was. There have
been numerous threats on lives in both the police department and
the DA’s office, and the case changed hands several times. Now,
with this new information, our bosses want to combine these cases
and hopefully put this investigation to bed.”
    “But, ten years to finish a case?”
    “There have been numerous arrests along the
way, but investigations into money laundering and identifying drug
traffickers over the border take some time. And, the organization
has adapted by hiding its tracks.”
    Genie nodded, looking down at the stack of
papers. A heavy silence descended in the room. She didn’t ask any
additional questions and Rafa didn’t give her a reason to. Instead,
he sat quietly, watching her as she flipped through the pages in
the investigative file she picked up off the table. He suspected
she had questions about the activities he mentioned earlier. Her
thirst for the truth, or at least her desire to be in control,
would not let an area like his past be left unexplored. His
credibility lay in his intimate knowledge of the Snakes and the
operations of La Cocina Dulce. He'd eventually have to own to some
of the things he did. What she would do after knowing the truth
distressed him. His life had changed, thanks in part to the prayers
of both his handler and a faithful mother who never gave up on him,
even if she had to send him away. He hoped Genie would weigh his
heart against his past and not merely judge him on the acts of a
wayward adolescent.
    Rafa watched Genie thread a few fingers down
the length of her ponytail. She bit her bottom lip again and
started tapping her foot. Her nervousness caused the muscles in
Rafa’s neck to tighten. Despite the practice of recounting his
torrid life, looking at the lovely detective before him caused a
sudden stage fright he had never experienced.
    In high school, she was president of the
Bible Club, and he… well, he attended church until he became too
old for his mother to make him. However, knowing they shared the
same faith planted a seed of doubt in his mind about her ability to
forgive and move forward. Most would view Rafa’s transformation as
saving grace, but the chip on Detective Green’s shoulder meant
she’d have a difficult time seeing the grace through the sin. Rafa
let out a long breath. He needed to keep their focus on the case if
he didn’t want to be wrapped up in revisiting old wounds.
    “If you look in the manila envelope at the
back of the file, you'll see pictures of the deceased. Alberto
Gonzales. Again, fifty-five years old, father of three.” Her voice
was clipped and professional.
    Rafa pulled out the color photos. On top, a
close shot of the victim’s wounds. Five punctures ranging from his
heart down the left side of the body into his abdomen. “The stab
markings are definitely in the shape of a snake, the mark of the
Snakes.”
    “A punctured lung, and damage to several
internal organs, the medical examiner concluded the official cause
of death was due to blood loss.”
    “You said there were more victims?” Rafa
flipped through the photos, searching for more bodies.
    “Yes. Mario Desanto, a high school student.
Consuela Cruz, wife and mother of three. And the woman you saw at
the crime scene.”
    “The woman at the crime scene,” Rafa
repeated, his mind recalling the woman’s bloody shirt. “Does she
have the same stab wounds?”
    “From what I could see. There was a lot of
blood, though. I’m not entirely