“Your people?”

“They already have it,” Ron said.

“What about Guidry’s family? What did they have to say?”

“Father’s been dead for roughly ten years. Cancer. Mother is still alive and seems to be a full-time junkie, says she hasn’t spoken to her son since he went into the Marines. I did some poking into her email account and her phone, and based upon what I saw I think she’s telling the truth. He’s got a sister, too, named Clarice. She lives in Seattle. Same deal—no contact.”

“Any idea why?”

“Not yet.”

“How’d you find him?”

“Government records,” Ron said. “That’s part of the reason why this took so long. Had to call in a lot of favors to get the names of the guys Paul served with when he was in the service and later as a contractor. Once I got the names, it became a process of elimination. Guidry isn’t the only sniper Paul worked with, but he’s the only who has gone off the grid, at least as far as banking is concerned. Can’t find any recent employment, either.”

Ron drank some more coffee. “I’ve only spoken with three contractors so far, and they haven’t heard from either Paul or Guidry for a good year or so. When I asked them questions about Guidry, about how I could get in contact with him, they all told me to talk to Paul. Nearly everyone I talked to said the two of ’em were real tight, always hanging out, doing shit together. They also said Guidry followed Paul around like a puppy dog. A couple of ’em thought Guidry had a thing for Paul.”

“He’s gay? Guidry?”

“I asked them that. They said they didn’t know. Guidry’s thing for Paul, from what I gathered, is more along the lines of hero worship. Like Paul could do no wrong. Guidry admired the way Paul carried himself, how he never seemed afraid of anything or anyone.”

“That’s because he’s a psychopath.”

“Paul was definitely the dominant one of the pair, Guidry the submissive. One guy told me this story about how they all went out to get tattoos someplace in Baghdad and Paul told Guidry what to get, one of those sugar skulls, and where it should go, and—”

“Sugar skulls?”

“Those skull tattoos he’s got all over him, the ones with the eyes filled with jewels, roses, and candy, like something you’d see if you dropped acid—they’re called sugar skulls. It’s a Mexican thing for the Day of the Dead. The tattoos? They’re used to symbolize someone who’s died. Guidry got one of those, didn’t even so much as question it. Paul was always telling him how and what to eat, how to train—he basically ran Guidry’s life and Guidry went along with everything.”

Ron was quiet for a moment, rocked his jaw back and forth. “What about Paul? He gay? Bi?”

“Not that I know. He dated girls in high school, and later he’d sometimes bring women he was seeing around the house to meet his mother.”