Crossing the Line (8 page)

T
he evening was windy, throwing dirt and litter into whirling little dust devils all along the streets of downtown Dos Rios. Fabi's stomach rumbled, but it wasn't from lack of food. Everything was going according to plan so far, she thought, watching customers drive up to the shaved-ice stand. Milo, Georgia Rae, Chuy, and she were ducking down in Georgia Rae's truck, trying to be incognito.

“What do you see?” Milo asked, tugging on Fabi's jacket. They only had one pair of binoculars and she was holding them. “I wish we had some way to hear what was going on.” He bit his lower lip. “I don't know about this plan of yours.”

“My plan is fine. Look, I see the two of them talking. Alexis is nervous. She keeps looking around.” Fabi motioned for Chuy to go. Silently, he got out of the car and crossed the street toward Alexis and Dex.

“Damn it,” Georgia Rae complained. “She's totally going to ruin it.”

“Give her a break,” Fabi said, spying again. “Oh, look — no, I mean don't look. Stay down. Chuy is walking by. He's counting his money right in front of Dex. This is going to be perfect.”

“If this works,” Milo said, “I'll shave my head.”

“If this works, I'll shave
my
head!” Fabi giggled.

They both turned to Georgia Rae expectantly. “Okay, fine,” Georgia Rae gave in. “I'll shave my head, too.”

Milo, Georgia Rae, and Fabi laughed at the thought.

“I wonder if we'll get a reward,” Georgia Rae said, her voice filled with delighted anticipation of her face in the local paper. “Maybe we'll even get on TV. Wouldn't that be cool? I can see it now: ‘Local Teens Catch Town Thug!' We'll be heroes.”

“Bald heroes!” Milo cried, and began to laugh hysterically.

Fabi's heart swelled. The fame would be nice, but all she really cared about was proving Santiago's innocence. She raised the binoculars back to her eyes and looked for Alexis. But Alexis and Dex were gone. A nauseous feeling took her. “Guys.”

“Yeah,” Georgia Rae said dreamily, obviously still soaking in the hero fantasy.

“They're gone!”

“What?” shouted Milo and Georgia Rae together.

“No, wait! I see Chuy's hoodie. There are two guys with him. They look like jocks. I don't see Alexis. What the — I look away for two seconds —” Fabi jumped out of the truck without bothering to complete her sentence.

“Fabi!” Georgia Rae called after her.

Fabiola didn't look back. Her heart leapt into her throat in fright. Where was her sister? Fabi ran through the parking lot. She weaved between cars that honked as she passed. People laughed and pointed as she sprinted in her reflective hunting attire, complete with the glowing face paint Georgia Rae had insisted on applying to her cheeks. But she didn't stop until she'd reached the edge of the corner, where she finally paused and looked both ways. There was no sign of any of them. The noise from the cars cruising on the busy boulevard blocked everything else out.

Oh, no
.

Fabi heard a muffled cry. She spun back. It sounded like Chuy. Where was Alexis? She ran so hard she thought she might faint. Down the street was the town cemetery. In the daylight hours the place was decorated in bright, bushy floral displays like a parade float with streamers and balloons. But at night, it seemed like the spirits of those long-deceased loved ones came out to play. Fabiola didn't believe in ghosts, but that didn't mean she liked the idea of entering the cemetery at night. In the dimming light, she made out the shape of figures near a mausoleum in the older part of the burial ground.

“Hey,” Milo huffed, out of breath, coming up behind her. Georgia Rae was right behind him, carrying her hefty duffel bag. Fabi smiled, grateful for her crazy friends. She motioned for them to keep quiet while she pointed out the figures.

“What's in the bag?” Fabi whispered.

Georgia Rae dropped the bag on the dirt and unzipped it carefully, trying not to make any noise. She passed each of them headlamps to put on. Then she pulled out rope, some emergency flares, and a can of pepper spray.

“You better watch where you spray that.” Fabi pointed to the can.

Georgia Rae made a “don't worry” gesture with her hand. “I've used this stuff tons of times on myself. It really doesn't hurt too much after a while.”

Fabi rolled her eyes and quickly prayed that no one got hurt on this crazy mission. The three of them crouched down and snuck into the cemetery, passing marble benches and brick markers. The dried grass crunched softly under their sneakers. Sunken tombstones and angel statues created a maze to circle through. Fabi noticed the date on one of the graves. It read 1833 — when the land was still part of Mexico. Fabi and Alexis had an ancestor buried here, a great-great-great-grandfather on her mother's side who came from Spain seeking fame and fortune. Now, Fabi prayed to her nameless relative to protect her and her friends from any evil spirits and mean football players lurking in the dark.

A dull beam of light flickered off to their right. Georgia Rae, the experienced huntress, took the lead, stealthily heading toward it. Fabi had no plan. She just knew they had to rescue her sister and Chuy.

As they edged closer, Fabi could make out voices talking. Georgia Rae motioned for them to split up and surround the group. Fabi swallowed her growing anxiety and crept silently forward. Milo followed behind her. She stopped behind a large tombstone. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear their voices loud and clear.

“You know,” Dex said, “I've always found cemeteries kind of sexy.”

“What do you mean?” Alexis asked.

Fabi sighed in relief. Alexis was not hurt. But where was Chuy?

“There's the full moon, and you and me, here alone.”

“Yeah, this is pretty cool,” Alexis agreed. There was a hint of worry in her voice. “But like I said, I want to do something, you know, crazy and wild tonight.”

“Well, we can be as wild as you want.”

“What's the wildest thing you've ever done, Dex?”

“How 'bout I show you?”

“No, tell me.”

“It's more fun if I show you.”

“Dex, just tell me, all right?”

“What's your problem?” Dex asked, growing cautious. “And why do you still have those earphones on? Yo, what's this? What are you —” Suddenly, the sound of Dex's voice erupted into the night. He had uncovered the recording device.

Fabi's heart began to race. Alexis was caught. Just then Dex's buddies approached, making all kinds of noise huffing, puffing, and bumping into tombs.

“Dude,” one of the guys said, “that little guy got away.”

“What do you mean?” Dex asked.

“He was just too quick — he rushed into traffic. Yo, what are we doing here, anyway?”

“This slut here was recording me,” Dex said. His voice was dark and heavy. “She tried to trick me. I think we need to teach her a lesson.”

“Dex, wait. Let me explain. It's not my fault,” Alexis pleaded.

“Well, let's hurry up, then,” said one of the guys. “I don't like this place.”

“Yeah, man, it's kind of spooky,” another voice added.

“What are you ladies afraid of?” Dex teased. “Scared of the boogeyman?” He started to laugh.

“Nah, it's not that, but you know. There are ghosts here. My mom has seen them. For real!”

“You guys are idiots. Now, find something to tie her with.”

“No,” Alexis cried out.

Fabiola's heart was beating wildly, but she didn't know what to do. All she had was a stupid headlamp. She looked on the ground around her and saw a big piece of cement. It was part of a tomb that had crumbled off. Maybe she could knock one of the guys out with it. She motioned for Milo to grab a rock.

Fabi could hear Alexis struggle. The sounds tore at her core. She couldn't restrain herself and jumped out from behind the tomb, screaming at the top of her lungs. The two guys holding Alexis screamed, too, and leapt back in fright. They tried to run from Fabi, but a second figure in glowing gray appeared from the darkness and lurched at them with a long white sickle.

“La Santa Muerte!”
Dex's friends shouted.

Dex stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. He watched, stunned, as the ghostly figure dissipated before his eyes. Then he shook himself, noticed his friends running away, and started to sprint as fast as his feet could take him, not looking back.

Fabiola rushed over to Alexis, shining her headlamp brightly over her. Alexis was in a daze, but fine.

Georgia Rae hurried up to them and cried, “Oh, Fabi, I am so sorry.”

“What? You were great. Those guys were so afraid of you. I couldn't —”

Georgia Rae stared in confusion as she interrupted, “What? I didn't do anything. I got lost and couldn't find you until I heard Dex screaming.”

“Huh? If you didn't jump out, and Milo was with me, then who?”

Alexis's eyes grew large.
“La Santa Muerte,”
she whispered, low enough for only them to hear.

A branch cracked to their left. They screamed at the top of their lungs as they raced out of the old cemetery.

N
othing was the same after that day.

At Garza's, Grandma Trini hijacked the jukebox and only played forlorn country ballads, bursting into tears at the end of each song. Leonardo went through the motions, creating his traditional classic dishes, but the food was on the bland side — lacking heart. Fabi's mother spent most of the day looking out the window, and she didn't even seem to notice the customers until they came up to pay. Additional duties were piling onto Fabiola's plate, but she didn't have the energy or desire to step up. The locals continued to come, but it was more out of habit.

All Fabiola could think about was how she failed. Dex and his buddies were free to bully and rob to their hearts' content. There was nothing she could do to change that. Tomorrow, Santiago would be taken to court and it was a hundred percent likely that he would go to jail for a really,
really
long time. The idea of Santiago locked up felt completely foreign to her. Every time the door chimed, she turned, expecting to see her cousin's crooked smile at the entrance of the restaurant.

Fabi sighed and looked across the dining room. Alexis was bouncing their baby brother on her knee. She looked up and smiled back. The “
Santa Muerte
sighting,” as it would henceforth be referred to in local folklore, united the sisters like never before. They were different people in many ways, but they would always be sisters.

Tomorrow they were going to close the restaurant so that everyone could go to Santiago's hearing. Fabiola couldn't remember the last time her father closed the restaurant. But like Leonardo always said, “Family is family. The Garzas stick together, for better or worse.”

Fabi looked at the stack of schoolbooks under the counter, still waiting for her to read. How was she going to get through it all? Just then Fabi received a text message. She didn't recognize the number. It said:

If you want to save your cousin follow this link.

Fabi's heart jumped. “I need a computer!” she cried.

 

The little courtroom downtown was standing room only. Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the thin gray hair of Judge Dexter Andrews II. Dex's grandfather was a sickly old man, a shell of his former glory shrouded in black, sitting at the front of the room behind a heavy oak desk. Contrary to his feeble appearance, the man pounded hard on his gavel, ordering everyone to settle down.

“If I don't get some respect in my courtroom, I will cancel the hearing and have you all escorted out of here,” he yelled, turning blotchy red as if he had a bad case of hives. The threat seemed to work, and the audience quieted down.

Still, when Santiago entered the room, family and friends jumped from their seats in a big commotion. People shouted his innocence. Girls promised to wait for him. His mother threatened to put him over her knee for a good old-fashioned spanking. The grandmothers leaned over the railing holding sealed Tupper-ware containers of his favorite foods. The bailiff came around to collect the containers to hold them for Santiago.

Magda leaned over and whispered in Alexis's ear, “Where's your sister? She should have been here an hour ago.”

Alexis checked her cell again, in case there was another message. “She said she was on her way.”

“But that was an hour ago.”

“I know, but she needed to borrow a laptop.” Alexis kept glancing at the back door. The waiting was killing her. Her heart sank when the judge began to read the charges. She couldn't believe this was happening. Where was Fabiola?

“Santiago Reyes, how do you plead to the charges of assault and battery, robbery, breaking and entering, and possession of stolen goods?” the judge asked in his gravelly voice. It sent shivers up Alexis's spine.

Alexis glanced over her shoulder and saw Dex, who had escorted the judge, his grandfather, into the courtroom. Now Dex was standing in the back corner of the courtroom with his arms crossed. He was wearing a sinister smirk. She had tried to avoid him all week, but Dex and his friends wanted to make an example of her. They circulated false rumors of sexual exploits around school like the evening news, and taunted her in the halls excessively. Now Dex caught her looking at him and mockingly blew her a kiss.

“I'd like to plead half and half,” Santiago said in a joking manner. The crowd exploded in laughter and the judge pounded loudly, threatening again to throw everyone out if they didn't hush. When the crowd settled, Santiago explained, “Okay, so maybe those hubcaps were stolen, but I didn't steal them. I found them. So if you want to bust me for finding things, then you're going to have to bust a lot of other people in this town, too. As far as breaking and entering, I had the key and maybe I broke some plates, but I didn't think that was a serious offense. But I swear to you, Mr. Judge, sir, that I did not touch Chuy or any of those other guys, either. I didn't.”

The judge angrily waved his mallet in Santiago's direction. “You think this is all a joke, don't you? You like making a mockery of this court? Think it'll be funny if I try you as an adult? Think going to prison is a joke, son?”

Santiago's eyes widened. He started to sweat. “No, sir,” he said in a timid voice.

“What?! What did you say?” The judge cupped his hand over his ear.

“No,
sir!” Santiago repeated, louder.

Friends and family went up to the witness stand to give testimony of Santiago's character. His teachers, family, and soccer coach spoke. Most of the stories were pretty funny, but inadvertently, they all ended up with Santiago getting in trouble.

“Ten years from now,” the judge said, gathering his papers in front of him as if getting ready to go, “you're going to thank me, boy. Ten years from now you may have grown some manners.”

“Ten years!”
Alexis choked back, coughing uncontrollably.

“Excuse me, Your Honor!” a familiar voice interrupted from the back of the room. It was Fabi. She was holding a laptop computer in her right hand. “If you please, I have evidence here that will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Santiago did not mug Chuy.”

“Who are you?” the judge asked, annoyed.

Fabi snaked her way through the crowd. “I'm Fabiola Garza, Santiago's cousin.”

“This hearing has gone on long enough,” he complained. “I will have no more shenanigans in my courtroom.”

“Sir, you're really going to want to see this,” she said, still holding up the computer.

 

The judge invited Fabiola to his office to view the evidence. She set the laptop on the desk. Fabi noted a picture of Dex, from elementary school, smiling brightly, next to the judge's stapler. She hesitated. This was Dex's grandfather. Dex had parents and family parties just like Santiago. Fabi felt bad for the judge.

The old man frowned. “I hope you're not wasting my time, young lady.”

She pressed
PLAY
and the computer screen lit up in action. The video was not the best quality. It was taken from across the street and from a cell phone. But with the light from the streetlamp in front of Garza's restaurant you could clearly make out three guys with short hair beating up on a smaller man wearing a dirty apron.

“There's Chuy, the guy who was attacked, on the ground.”

The judge said nothing, studying the three large men kicking Chuy from above. They all had short hair. Standing five feet away was another guy. It was obvious that he knew the attackers, because he didn't stop it. But he didn't participate, either.

One of the attackers stopped, looked over his shoulder, and said, “What's your problem?”

The guy hesitated before calling out, “I'm cool.”

“No,” the main attacker said, “get your ass over here and hit him. You're either with us or —”

“I don't want to.”

“What is wrong with you?”

The guy shook his head, his hood fell off, and he ran. The video footage followed him down the block, clearly capturing the word “Dex” shaved into the back of his head. The cameraperson chased after him. But the angle was all wrong and captured the muzzle of some ratty dog with a sparkly collar. The video ended and Fabi took a deep breath. The judge thanked her for the evidence and asked her to leave.