"Are you making any progress?" Griffin asked. He opened a tin of chewing tobacco and put a pinch in his mouth.
"It's hard to say. Did Luiza give notice before she quit?"
"Nope. She just left."
"How did she leave?"
"She walked away."
"Didn't you think that was unusual?"
"Not at the time. She didn't know how to drive, and most evenings, if the weather was nice, she'd go for a walk. She liked to walk."
"Was she carrying anything when she left?"
"Not that I noticed."
"Where would she walk to?"
"Mostly down to Ojitos Frios."
"Was she visiting somebody in the village?"
"I don't know."
"How was she dressed that evening?"
Griffin shrugged.
"Jeans, some sort of top, I think.
That's usually what she wore."
"Did she ever hitch rides?"
"Only with people she knew from the ranch."
"You're sure of that?"
"Yeah. Couple of times I'd be on the road and see some guy in front of me trying to pick her up. She'd wave him off."
"What exactly did she say to you before she left?"
"That she was going home. At the time I didn't think she meant right that minute."
"Who was here that day?"
"Me, my crew, and Richard, the boss's son. The boss was in Los Angeles that week. Richard brought a friend from college with him for the weekend, a girl."
"Tell me about Richard."
"He goes to college down in Santa Fe. He comes up on weekends, when school is out, and during summer vacations. He's twenty. A good kid."
"Did Richard ever come on to Luiza?"
"Richard doesn't like girls that way, if you get my drift."
"When did Richard and his friend leave?"
"Soon after Luiza did."
"What was his friend's name?"
"Nancy something."
"Does Richard live on campus?"
"No, Alida bought him a condo in Santa Fe."
"Do you have the address?"
"Yeah, but I'd rather you got that information from the boss. I'm sure she won't mind telling you."
Gabe arrived at the newspaper office promptly at eight in the morning and waited for Viola Fisher to show up for work. A big-boned woman with a round, cheerful face. Fisher entered her office at eight-fifteen.
"The receptionist said you were a policeman."
Gabe had his badge case ready. Fisher took it and studied the credentials before giving it back.
"How can I help you?"
"I'd like information on Joaquin Santistevan. He attended some of your singles parties last year."
"The name rings a bell." Fisher turned to the file cabinet behind the desk, pulled out a stack of papers, and ran a finger down the pages.
"Yes, here he is. He came to our Valentine's Day event a year ago in February. That's our most popular gathering."
"Was that his first time?" Gabe asked.
"Yes." Viola flipped through more papers.
"Then he attended in March and April. After that, he stopped coming."
"Do you know if he met somebody?"
"I really couldn't say," Viola replied.