“Of course,” Consuelo said. “Chino.” She turned to her friend again. “He must really have something.”

“A job,” Rosalia snickered. “A big one.”

“Oh shut up,” Consuelo told her. “You are thinking practical and Maria is thinking romantical. I wonder…?”

Rosalia shrugged. “She hasn’t told us that part of the secret, so we can’t broadcast it.”

“But we can say she did—” Consuelo suggested.

Maria knelt to shut off the radio, then leaned over the side of the building. “Someone is calling me. Hello! We’re up here, up on the roof.” Joyously she turned to the girls. “Now you will see him!”

She ran to the door, held it open, and waited. Poor Tony, he must have knocked at the door, and found it locked.

“Up here!” she called. “Hurry! I want you to meet some friends of mine.”

She paused and blinked because it was Chino on the landing below.

“I must talk to you,” he called to Maria. “Who is up there with you?”

“The girls,” Maria replied. “Chino, what is the matter? You look like you were in an accident!”

“Anita?” he asked.

“She’s not here. Chino, you look sick,” Maria said as she descended several steps. “What is the matter?”

Chino leaned against the wall, stared at his hands as if he had never seen them before, and wiped his streaked and sweaty face with the sleeve of his shirt. “Come down, Maria.” He pointed to the other girls. “Stay where you are, don’t listen.”

“We don’t have to be kicked out more than once to know when we’re not wanted,” Consuelo said to Chino.

“Let him alone!” Maria ran up the stairs to shut the roof door and returned to Chino. “What is it?” she asked. “You’re in trouble?”

“Where’re your father and mother? The kids?”

“They went to the movies. Chino, you’ve been fighting!”

Chino moaned, and covered his face with both hands. “It happened so fast.”

“What happened so fast, Chino?”

“Maria, at the rumble—”

“There was no rumble,” she said.

Chino turned from her. “There was. There was. Nobody meant for it to happen. Nobody.” He pounded his fist against the painted plaster for emphasis.

Maria felt the cold breath of fear against her face. “What is it?” she asked. “Tell me. Tell me fast. It will be easier if you say it very fast.”

“There was a fight,” Chino began, “and ’Nardo…”

“Go on.”

“A knife…”

“Tony!” she shrieked as she whirled Chino around. “What happened to Tony?”

Eyes large with disbelief, Chino rested with one cheek against the wall. Then, for the first time, he saw that Maria wore the white dress and high-heeled shoes, even lipstick, and knew it was not for him.

“Tony?” He was savage. “He’s all right. Fine! He just killed your brother!”

“You’re lying. You’re lying!” she said as she began to beat him with her fist. “You are making up a story, Chino, and I hate you! I will tell ’Nardo that you are not to come here any more. You are lying, lying, lying!” She paused at the sound of a police siren. “Why do you lie?”