“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “When he left Pastor Andrés’s house he had to go somewhere. He drove you to the hospital yesterday. I know you and he are seeing each other. Where did he sleep?”

Julia tossed her long mane of hair. “Me and Josie shared one bed, Billy slept in the other.”

“Why you have to go shooting off your mouth?” Josie demanded.

“Why you have to let that rich gringo stay here in your bed when he could buy a whole house if he want a place to sleep?” Julia shot back.

Little María Inés began to fuss on the couch, but neither sister paid any attention to her.

“And your mother was okay with this arrangement?” I was incredulous.

“She don’t know, you can’t tell her.” Josie looked nervously at the dining room, where her brothers were still staring at us. “The first time, she was at work, she was at her second job, and she never even got home until one in the morning, and then, last night and Friday, Billy, he come in—came in through the kitchen door after she was in bed.”

“And Betto and your other brother won’t tell her, and she won’t notice? You two are nuts. How long have you and Billy been dating?”

“We’re not dating. Ma won’t let me date anyone because of Julia having a baby.” Josie scowled at her sister.

“Well, anyway, the Bysens don’t want Billy dating no spic girl,” Julia flashed at her.

“Billy never called me a spic. You’re just jealous because a nice Anglo boy is interested in me, not some chavo like you picked up!”

“Yeah, but his grandpapa, he called Pastor Andrés, he told him he’d report Pastor to the Immigration if he hear Billy going around with any Mexican girls in the church,” Julia shot back. “Wetbacks, he called us, you just ask anyone, you can ask Freddy, he was there when Billy’s grandfather called. And after that, how long was it before he called you?”

“He don’t need to call me; he sees me every Wednesday at choir rehearsal.”

The baby began crying more loudly. When her mother and her aunt still ignored her, I picked her up and started patting her back.

“How about now?” I asked, “Now that he’s not living at home. Does Billy call you now?”

“Yes, once, to say, can he come over here, but then, he give away, gave away, his cell phone, on account of he said there’s something in the phone, a detective could find him,” Josie muttered, staring at her knees.

So he’d paid attention to my warning about the GSM signal. “Why doesn’t he want to go home?”

Julia gave a syrupy smile. “He’s in l-o-v-e with the little wetback here.”