“I heard it from my sister.”

“Your sister?”

“Yes. Nieves. Nieves Romero.”

That piqued my interest. Lacey had mentioned that Rock had a previous girlfriend who’d showed up in Manhattan wanting to start things up again.

“How would she know?”

“She and Rock are close,” Leta said.

“In what way?”

“They’re sleeping together.”

Roy’s eyes widened. “My brother’s a married man, Ms. Romero.”

“What? You think married men don’t sleep around?”

“He’s newly married, and I don’t think he’s sleeping around.” Roy paused a moment. “We’re starting out on the wrong foot. Perhaps your sister and my brother had a relationship in the past, but he’s devoted to his new wife now. But it really doesn’t matter whether you think your sister is still sleeping with Rock. We need to know everything.”

Her cheeks reddened.

“It’s okay,” Hoss said.

“Just a rumor,” Leta said. “A rumor I heard from my sister.”

“Can you elaborate?” Roy asked.

“Well, she’s close to Rock, and he said once that…”

“Go ahead,” Roy said. “We need to know everything.”

“He didn’t talk much about his previous life in New York. In fact, he hated talking about it. But once, he mentioned something. About his sister.”

“Yes? What about my sister?”

“He said it was because of his sister that he got sent away.”

Riley? She’d been all of six when Rock got sent away. What could she have possibly done?

“My sister was six at that time,” Roy said, echoing my thoughts.

“She was?” Leta shook her head. “That doesn’t make much sense, then.”

“No, it doesn’t. Perhaps your sister misheard what Rock said. Or perhaps she’s lying to you.”

“That wouldn’t be out of the question,” Leta said. “My sister is very self-motivated and isn’t above lying to get what she wants.”

“How would this lie get her what she wants?”

Leta shook her head. “I have no idea.”

“So this is what you said to Manny during your medical examination?” Roy asked.

“Partly, yes.”

“What else did you tell him about Rock or the Wolfes?” Roy asked.

“Another rumor I heard from my sister.”

“Go on.”

“She said there was more to Derek Wolfe than met the eye.”

“And did your sister say this came from Rock?”

“Yes…and no.”

Roy sighed. “I’m trying to be patient here, Ms. Romero, but you need to give us more detail. Please elaborate.”

“She said Rock hated his old man. He wouldn’t say much more than that. But Nieves is nothing if not persistent, so she did some research.”

“And what did she find?”

“Nothing.”

“This is getting us nowhere,” Roy said.

“I’m not finished yet,” Leta said.

“Go on, then.”