The Martyr of Nogales by R.B. Schow

Author:R.B. Schow [Schow, R.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-11T16:00:00+00:00

twenty-four

atlas hargrove

Atlas and Kiera followed Duvall’s directions to Tomás Navarro’s house. Kiera had texted him and said they were set to arrive shortly. He asked her to call when they were finished.

Navarro answered the door with huge, grateful eyes, but the way he ushered them into the house was like he was trying to hide them from the world. When they were safely inside, he seemed to relax and find his most hospitable self.

The three sat around the kitchen table having settled on cold glasses of water and a bowl of pub pretzels. Atlas noticed the drapes were closed, giving the house a dark, almost gloomy feel. It was not hard to be that paranoid when you thought people might want to kill you. Navarro sat down, took a sip of his water, and then changed completely. Gone were the friendly host, the kind older man, and the former lawyer; now present was a person so shocked by the horrors that had unfolded, it was impossible to clock the quickness of the change.

“That house across the way,” Navarro said, stricken. “That’s the house.”

“Really,” Atlas said, not as a question, but as a statement.

Kiera sneaked a look at Atlas. She frowned and he knew why. She was unaware that the stash house they were supposed to hit was facing them directly, with only the beaten dirt road and a few bushes between them. Atlas stood and peeked out the curtains, studying the large house. He returned to the table and saw Kiera chewing on her lower lip, which caused him to stare at her even harder. She stopped when she realized Atlas was watching her.

“I have photos of the kids,” Navarro said, relieved by their company.

The former lawyer showed them photos from his iPhone, pics he had taken of the children, and then a few of the home’s adult occupants. Some of these were permanent occupants, while others had come and gone over the months.

“I wrote down everything for you,” he said. “There are several NPD officers’ names there—including the officers who came out here but didn’t do their damn jobs.” He handed them a sheet of notebook paper with a list of names, but he kept it to himself for a moment, as if releasing the names meant their death sentence and he wasn’t ready for that just yet.

Then he showed them a picture on his iPhone again, this time a photo of a sad, broken girl. She was walking barefoot down the road, heading toward the main street.

“That’s her,” Navarro said. “I call her ‘The Martyr of Nogales.’ ”

The former lawyer spoke with an aching heart and huge, mournful eyes. Atlas saw the toll the girl’s death had taken on him. But he also saw how hard it was for Tomás, knowing what was happening across the street while having no way to put a stop to it and save the kids.

As Tomás spoke, his eyes bore the shine of sorrow, and he fought back tears. “She sacrificed her life so that people would know what was happening there.

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