I give him a friendly nod. “Just passing through. Looking for someone, actually.”
“Oh, yeah?”
I pull out the picture of Esme I’ve been carrying around in my pocket and show it to him.
“Have you seen this girl?”
He frowns, but he doesn’t look like he doesn’t recognize her. “Hmm. Sure looks a lot like Emily.”
“Emily?” I’m wondering if Esme had the forethought to use an alias.
“This waitress who worked in the diner across the street,” he tells me. “Pretty young thing. Disappeared without a trace after something went down with a customer.”
“Do you remember anything else about her?” I demand. “Anything at all?” My voice is growing louder and other customers are looking over in mild alarm.
“She was pregnant,” he says, all nonchalant.
I shove off the stool immediately. The Southern man flinches away from me as though I’d just tried to take a punch at him.
“Which diner?” I ask. “What’s the name of the fucking diner?”
He recoils in fear. “That one over there,” he says with a point out the window. “La Paloma.”
I throw a fistful of crumpled pesos on the counter and charge out the door without another word.
* * *
La Paloma is hopping when I walk in. Almost every table is full. I look around as a young waitress hustles past me carrying a tray that’s far too big for her.
I head to the counter but there’s no one behind it. I do see a little bell next to the cash register though and I ring it hard a few times.
A minute later, a woman exits the kitchen. She’s wearing dark lipstick and a pinched expression that clearly betrays her annoyance.
She stops short when she sees me, her eyes skittering over my tattoos and the look of annoyance on her face turns to one of suspicion.
“Is there something I can help you with?” she asks.
I produce the picture of Esme. “Did this girl work for you at any point?”
Her eyes glance at the picture and I can tell immediately.
Esme was here.
The woman looks up at me. “No.”
My face falls. “Excuse me?” I demand.
“Never seen that girl before in my life.” She starts to turn away.
I round the corner of the counter and she almost runs right into me. Her eyes go wide with alarm as she registers my height and build.
“I don’t want any trouble,” she says.
“Then answer my fucking questions,” I snarl.
Her eyes skitter past me, and she sighs deeply. “Mira, I don’t know where she is, okay? She disappeared after that… incident with your jefe. She hasn’t come back or contacted me or any of my staff. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
I frown.