“Thank you, George. Back to Leonora that day. I could tell she really wanted to talk so I pushed her until she did. She said her father had left a sizable estate, her mother was already dead, and her stepmother was sick. So the money was going to be split two ways between her and her half brother, which was fine with her, there was enough for everyone. But she knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with just half. I said, What, he’s a selfish type? That’s when she broke down and cried. Said, Oh, Mavis, if you only knew. He comes across the nicest person, always wanting to do favors for people, feeds the homeless, smiles at little kids and gives ’em candy but it’s a façade. Down deep, it’s all about him, always was, I just know he’s going to cause me serious troubles over that money and it scares me.”

She sipped. Soda dribbled onto her chin and she wiped it quickly. “I said, What kind of serious troubles? She said, I don’t know, that’s what scares me, you don’t know what he’s capable of. I told her if she was scared to call the police. She said they’d laugh at her because she had no evidence, just feelings. I said, At least talk to a lawyer. You pay them upfront, they won’t laugh. But it was like she wasn’t hearing me, just kept going on about how this half brother was going to start troubles, no one knew what he was really like. Finally I said, If you’re going to accuse, at least tell me what you mean. She said, You don’t want to know, Mavis. I said if I didn’t I wouldn’t ask.”

She handed Cardenas the second soda can. “Now I’m full. You can spill that out, George, or finish it yourself.” Merriment tugged at her eyes. “Don’t worry, I don’t have cooties.”

Cardenas said, “I’m not leaving again, Mavis. This story’s too good.”

“It’s not a story, George. It’s a factual account.”

“Even better.”

“It’s going to get way better once I tell you what she said. She said he taught himself to pick locks, she just knew it was to break in somewhere. Top of that, he tortured and killed animals. First bugs, then little critters, then who-knows-what. Had been doing that kind of nastiness since he was little. Leonora loved animals. Had two little Bichon Freezes or whatever you call them, would do anything for those dogs. After she was killed, they disappeared. So you tell me.”

I said, “Did she keep them in the shop with her?”