Misplaced (44 page)

A
t
f
irs
t
Khar
a
w
a
s
reluctan
t
t
o
ea
t
anythin
g
tha
t
explode
d
i
n
th
e
micro
w
a
v
e
.
Bu
t
whe
n
Ki
m
No
v
a
k
jumpe
d
fro
m
the
steeple
,
Khar
a
declare
d
he
r a
goddes
s
and
,
preoccupie
d
with
admiration
,
s
w
allo
w
e
d
a
kerne
l
o
r
two
.
Afte
r
that
,
th
e
b
o
w
l
emptie
d
quickl
y
an
d
V
ictori
a
considered
,
wit
h
a
smile
,
tha
t
they
could ha
v
e been any two girlfriends that night.

Later
, a
ma
n
wit
h
feature
s
indistinc
t
excep
t
fo
r
th
e
black
s
w
ee
p
o
f
hi
s
e
y
ebrow
s
entere
d
he
r
dreams
.
Th
e
colo
r
o
f
hi
s
skin
di
d
no
t
belon
g
t
o
th
e
living
,
an
d
hi
s
presenc
e
i
n
he
r
uncle’
s office frightened
her.
V
ictoria
awoke
on
the
couch,
saw
Khara sleeping
peacefully
at
the
other
end,
and
closed
her
e
y
es
again. That
w
as
all
she
remembered
the
next
morning.
Sipping
her coffee, it
dawned
on
her
that
the
man
she
had
not
recognized, the one who had sent ice through her
v
eins, had been her
P
apí
.
T
o
no
t
recogniz
e
he
r
fathe
r
mean
t
something
,
an
d
i
t
couldn’t
be good.

A
t
work,
she
revie
w
ed
a
visa
application
for
a
new
business
wit
h
non
e
o
f
he
r
usua
l
enthusiasm
.
Returnin
g
se
v
era
l
phone
calls
,
sh
e
note
d
a
mechanica
l
edg
e
t
o
he
r
voic
e
an
d
wondere
d
i
f her
client
had
noticed
as
w
ell.
After
a
passable
day’s
work,
she ducked
through the back door
to escape Gracie’s disapproving
glare
.
Sh
e
ha
d
les
s
tha
n
a
n
hou
r
befor
e
he
r
meetin
g
with
Murgat, and she needed to pick up Khara.

“Di
d
yo
u
spea
k
wit
h
you
r
uncle?
”
sh
e
inquire
d
th
e
moment
V
ictori
a
opene
d
th
e
door
.
Sh
e
w
a
s
sittin
g
o
n
th
e
ru
g
i
n
the
middle of the room, bathed in a rectangular beam of sunlight.
“
I
tol
d
you
,
it’
s
goin
g
t
o
tak
e
som
e
tim
e
fo
r
hi
m
t
o
com
e
around.
A
t least a couple of
w
eeks—maybe more this time.”

Chapte
r
Twenty
Vic
t
oria

Victori
a
ha
d
ne
v
e
r
bee
n
t
o
th
e
par
t
o
f
downtow
n
to whic
h
Murga
t
directe
d
her
.
Fo
r
safety
,
sh
e
decide
d
t
o
park nea
r
th
e
courthouse
.
I
t
too
k
onl
y
a
fe
w
minute
s
an
d
a
turn
o
r
tw
o
dow
n
obscur
e
street
s
befor
e
a
completel
y
different
neighborhood re
v
ealed itself.

After
passing
the
bus
station,
she
and
Khara
w
alked
along
a street
lined
with
adult
stores
and
vintage
clothing
shops.
There
w
ere plenty of curio markets—the kind crammed full of
v
el
v
et
sombreros
,
ke
y
chains
,
an
d
huaraches
. A
cumbi
a
blare
d
from
an
open
window
of
a
dingy,
three-story
building,
a
pot
of
coral
geranium
s
wit
h
enviabl
e
bloom
s
sittin
g
o
n
th
e
windowsill
.
A
g
roup of women lazed on
t
he s
t
e
p
s of a house
t
hat
w
as most
likel
y a
brothel—o
r
s
o
V
ictori
a
assume
d
fro
m
th
e
amoun
t
of
skin visible.

“Wha’ch
u
lookin
’
at?
”
a
youn
g
woma
n
dresse
d
i
n
a
leopard
and lace tank top and not much else demanded.

Ignoring
her,
they
continued.
Though
she
remained
silent,
Khara’
s
e
y
e
s
too
k
i
n
th
e
smalles
t
detail
s
whil
e
V
ictori
a
searched
for the address, which she had scribbled on a piece of paper.

“Hey, beautiful!” a voice
y
elled from across the street. “I’
v
e
got something red and slinky that’s just your size.”

Her
middle
finger
began
to
rise,
but
she
restrained
herself.
Ahead
, a
ma
n
i
n a
s
w
eat-staine
d
gua
y
aber
a
wit
h a
pencil
mustach
e
leane
d
agains
t
a
n
avocado-colore
d
Impala
.
A
s
they
go
t
closer
,
sh
e
looke
d
hi
m
dea
d
i
n
th
e
e
y
e
an
d
dre
w
u
p
t
o
he
r
ful
l
fi
v
e-foot
,
nine-inc
h
frame
.
Reluctantly
,
h
e
a
v
erte
d
his
inappropriate
gaze.
“
A
couple
of
spectacular
pieces
of
ass,”
he
commented
as
they
w
alked
by.
V
ictoria’s
cheeks
burned
at
the
w
a
y
hi
s
e
y
e
s
continue
d
t
o
follo
w
them
,
bu
t
sh
e
sai
d
nothing
an
d
kep
t
he
r
pace
.
“
Y
o
u
girl
s
workin
g
tonight
?
I
’
l
l
tak
e
you
both for a hundred!”

She
w
as
about
to
shut
him
up
when
Khara
mo
v
ed
in
close.
“
A
hundred
paces
behind.
He’s
been
w
atching
us
since
w
e
left
the car.”

“Ho
w
ca
n
anyon
e
b
e
followin
g
us
?
N
o
on
e
know
s
w
e
’
re
here,
”
V
ictori
a
protested
,
bu
t
spu
n
around
.
Someon
e
w
as
there—
a
reed
y
silhouett
e
i
n
th
e
afternoo
n
sun
.
Instincti
v
ely
,
she
reached
inside
her
bag
and
slid
a
key
bet
w
een
each
knuckle
of
her
right
hand
before
hurrying
on.
“It’s
probably
just
Murgat
making
sure
w
e
’
re
alone.”
Looking
ahead,
she
saw
a
run-down
buildin
g
a
t
th
e
en
d
o
f
th
e
stree
t
an
d
said
,
“There
.
There’
s
no
street number, but I’m pretty
sure that’s it.”

Juego
s
Prohibodo
s
w
a
s
a
squali
d
neighborhoo
d
ba
r
infested
with
barflies
of
dubious
gender.
Khara
ga
v
e
V
ictoria
an
uneasy
loo
k
an
d
cringe
d
a
t
th
e
blas
t
o
f
musi
c
an
d
cigarett
e
smoke
pouring
from
the
open
door.
“Forbidden
games”—the
name
fit
perfectly.

In
the
ca
v
e
of
darkness
inside
the
door,
they
found
Murgat
w
aiting
.
H
e
le
d
the
m
acros
s
a
black-and-white-checkere
d
dance
floor,
past
bodies
pulsing
with
angry
mo
v
ements
exaggerated
b
y
blac
k
light
,
an
d
dow
n
a
narro
w
hall
w
ay
.
H
e
opene
d
the
last door on the left, and they
w
alked into a room with blood-red
w
alls.
A
metal
stool
sat
next
to
a
tripod,
accompanied
by
a metal
desk
and
a
banke
r
’s
chair
on
casters. Amid
the
squalor,
ho
w
e
v
er
,
w
a
s
a
n
impressi
v
e
arra
y
o
f
magnifyin
g
lamps
,
ink
pads
,
an
d
craf
t
kni
v
es
. A
ding
y
shee
t
hun
g
fro
m
nail
s
o
n
the
w
all.