California Fire And Life

65

Letty del Rio has a headache.

She has a headache for precisely the reason she knew she was going to have a headache – she's sitting in Uncle Nguyen's den talking to Uncle Nguyen.

"From one policeman to another," Nguyen is saying, "I know how these things are."

He's a handsome old dog, she thinks. Full head of silver hair, bright eyes, a glow to the skin. Maybe thirty pounds overweight, but it looks good on him. Nice clothes, too – a plum Calvin Klein polo over a pair of white slacks.

"Then perhaps you can help me," she says.

"Difficult," he says. "These cases are difficult."

"Very difficult."

She finds it distracting that Nguyen is looking over her shoulder. The Angels are on television. Edmonds is up in the eighth with one out and a man on base.

Id rather be watching the game, too, she thinks.

"Tranh and Do?" Nguyen asks.

"Tranh and Do."

For like the seventh friggin' time.

"Missing?" he asks.

Her head feels like someone's drawing needles through her ears.

"Missing," Letty says.

"Who reported them missing?" Nguyen asks.

"Tommy Do's mother."

Nguyen watches Edmonds take a called strike, mulls over the call for a while, then says, "Tommy Do's mother."

Letty thinks maybe she has a brain hemorrhage. She turns around, lowers the volume on the television and says, "Uncle Nguyen, can we cut through the shit?"

Nguyen smiles. "Two cops? Two cops should be able to cut through the shit."

"Good," Letty says. "Then stop jerking my chain. And please stop repeating everything I say. I know you run everything around here. I know that nobody as much as pees in Little Saigon unless they ask you first if they can unzip their fly. I know this, so you don't have to prove anything to me. Okay?"

Nguyen nods his head in acknowledgment.

"So I know that you have to know something about these two boys."

"They are neighborhood boys."

"They were connected with a chop shop-"

"Chop shop?"

"Oh, come on," Letty says. "Look, I arrested five boys this afternoon who pretended they never heard of Tranh and Do when I know damn well that Tranh and Do worked there."

This is not news to Nguyen, who was informed of the raid before Letty even left the chop shop. Nguyen is royally pissed that one of his shops got busted and that he loses that income and has to spring for bail for an entire covey of young incompetents.

Letty del Rio knows that by the time she's back in her car gobbling Excedrin that Uncle Nguyen will be twanging people's wires. Letty del Rio is smart enough to know that Nguyen was not going to tell her word one. The purpose of her visit was to light a firecracker under his smug butt and then watch what happens.

Give him a headache for a change.