“Yep,” I said. A tear came out of nowhere and soaked into the bedspread.

He dropped his jacket onto the suitcase rack. “I actually had another reason for coming over here tonight.”

I gave a sharp bark of a laugh. “You’re going to have to find another girl for that, Detective. I’m not into you.” Purple fizzled and popped in my peripheral vision, arguing with me, then faded away on a sad brown mist.

“No. Nikki.” He paused. I saw him place his hands on his hips, tipping his head down. I knew this to be his aggravated pose. A part of me was pleased as hell that I’d brought him to that pose. Another part was sad and scared and wanted to say I was sorry. “I came to tell you I remembered something. Maybe something very important.”

My head whipped up. “What?”

“When you said Leon’s name tonight at dinner. And Javi’s. It . . . I don’t know, it just connected. Rebecca Moreno is Leon’s sister.”

“Sister? The sister? The one things ‘got complicated’ with?”

He nodded. “I’m not proud of that, but yes. Heriberto was Leon’s . . . I don’t know what you’d call him . . . lackey? Right-hand man?”

“And he’s selling for the gang?” I said.

“Yeah. Probably. Only he’s not doing the selling. Too much of a chickenshit. He’s got the kids doing it. Those boys we saw at the community center. They aren’t buying the drugs for themselves. They’re selling them and bringing the money to Heriberto. He gives them more and off they go. Including Rebecca’s son, Sam.”

“That’s disgusting.”

He nodded. “Yeah, well, gangs aren’t really known for how kind and upstanding they are.”

“And how do you figure in all of this?” I had forgotten all about being mad at Chris. I was sitting on my knees, wishing I hadn’t worked so hard on chasing him out. “You’re saying Heriberto wants you dead? Why? Revenge for what your brother did to Leon? Why now, after all this time?”

He frowned, like it was painful to remember. “That, I don’t know. I only know that it was most likely Leon’s boys—now Heriberto’s—who ran me down.”

“So why don’t you just bust the dude?” I asked. “He’s obviously dealing, and right there at the community center. And to kids. You’re a cop. Get some video on your phone and take him down.”

He shook his head. “It’s not that easy.”

“Of course it is!”

“No, it’s not. I don’t know what I was in the middle of doing, Nikki. And until I figure it out, this stays open. I leave Heriberto alone.”