“Poor spoiled kids, reality is not going to be kind to them. Their story is they learned he was the one who’d stolen their horses so they drove to his condo and confronted him. Really unloaded on him, like they were used to. This time instead of sitting there and taking it, he grabbed both their wrists and squeezed hard enough to hurt them. With a ‘maniac look’ in his eyes. When the girls tried to break free, he shoved them hard enough for Ashley to fall down. Marissa tried to help her up and all of a sudden Daddy’s in their face again, blocking the door, and now he’s got a gun in his hand. They both started crying, Marissa admitted wetting herself. They started begging but Corey just stood there with a crazy smile on his face, like he was a stranger. They really thought they were finished. Fortunately, someone knocked on the door and that seemed to snap him out of it and while he was distracted, they pushed past him and got the hell out of there.”

“They didn’t think to call the cops.”

“Like I said, they don’t trust the cops. Also, they were probably too freaked out to think about anything but escape. They’re not geniuses to begin with, Alex. Look how they’ve continued to use their credit cards, thank God I got the accounts blocked.”

“Daddy with a gun,” I said. “He’s dissociating in order to accomplish things he wouldn’t ordinarily dream of.”

“Like killing his kids. And paying to have his ex murdered.”

“Ursula cheated on him, the girls gave him attitude, finally he reached his limit.”

“Lunatic with a gun,” he said. “That changes things. Let me inform Gonzales.”

He made the call to Gonzales’s home. Gonzales said, “Thanks, we’ll be ready for anything. You almost here?”

“Ten minutes.”

“My wife claims she’d still love me if she could remember my face so it’ll take me twenty, maybe twenty-five, to remind her. But my rookie will greet you, name’s Sheila Entell. The gun change your plans?”

“Hell, yeah,” said Milo. “I figured to drop in on Corey, play nice, see what I could pry out of him about Williams.”

“And now?”

“Now, I’m not sure, Frank. Okay if I call Entell directly?”

“Guess so,” said Gonzales. “No, scratch that, I’ll get there sooner, have to make it up to the wife but so be it.”

“Don’t want to sow discord, Frank.”

“One sec.” Silence on the line; Gonzales came back on, speaking softer. “Moved to another room. Yeah, my princess will be discording plenty, she cooked homemade tamales, all steamed and ready to go. Beef, chicken, these sweet ones she does with dried fruit. But she also invited her mother, catch my drift?”

Milo laughed. “Happy to oblige.”

“One thing,” said Gonzales. “Dropping in this late won’t ring any of Corey’s bells?”