“Petar. Peter.”

“You have a picture?”

Pike thought her face darkened, but she stared at Cole glumly until Yanni mumbled something in Serbian.

Pike said, “English. I’m not going to tell you again.”

Rina pushed up from the couch.

“Yes, I have picture.”

She went into the bedroom, dug through her bag, then returned with a snapshot. It showed a smiling baby with wispy red hair. The baby was on a green carpet, reaching toward the camera. Pike didn’t know much about babies, but this one didn’t look ten months old.

She said, “When I leave apartment, I leave fast. This is only picture I have. You cannot have it.”

Pike said, “He doesn’t look almost a year old.”

She scowled like he was an idiot.

“You are stupid? He is ten months and three days now. In picture, he is six months, one week, and one day. Is only picture I have.”

Cole arched his eyebrows at Pike.

“What’s wrong with you? Can’t you tell how old a baby is?”

Pike wasn’t sure if Cole was joking or not. Cole turned back to the woman.

“I can scan a copy on my computer, and give this one back. Would that be okay?”

She seemed to think about it, then nodded.

“That would be okay.”

Cole put the picture aside, and turned back to ask more questions.

“Why did you have to leave so fast?”

“Michael was coming.”

“For Peter.”

“Michael say he want the boy, I say no, he say ha. I know what Michael thinks. He kill me, he take the boy, he pretend the whore-mother never exist.”

“So you stashed Peter with your sister while you went to find a place to live in Seattle.”

“Yes.”

“How did Michael find them?”

“I don’t know.”

“Would Ana have called him, maybe trying to work things out for you?”

Rina laughed, but it was bitter and wise.

“She would never do that. She is scared of these people. I keep her away from all that.”

Cole glanced at Pike, not understanding.

“These people?”

Yanni spoke again, and another brief, incomprehensible conversation ensued. Pike stood, and Yanni immediately raised both hands.

“She means the thieves. Ana is little girl when they come. Rina keep Ana away from these men.”

Rina was nodding, her eyes narrowed and hard, and then she picked up where Yanni left off.

“She is not to be a whore. She is not to work for Michael. I make her go to school, and have normal friends in her life, and to be a good girl.”

Pike said, “You protected her.”

Rina glanced out the window.

“Not so well.”

Cole cleared his throat, pulling them back.

“Who knew Ana had the baby?”

“No one.”

“Yanni knew.”

Yanni raised his hands again and shook his head.

“I not tell anyone. I am with Rina every minute.”

Rina made an impatient wave.

“Yanni is good. I don’t know how Michael find her there. I cannot understand.”

Cole said, “Let’s get back to Michael. This guy is your husband, but you don’t know where he lives?”

“Nobody knows. That is how he makes his life.”

“No address, no picture, not even a phone?”

“He get new phone every week. The numbers change. What do you want me to say?”

Rina scowled at Pike.

“When is he going to start all this finding he is so good at?”

Pike said, “Michael hides. We get that. But you know more about him than anyone else here. We need information so we have something to work with.”

She spread her hands.

“I am anxious to get started.”

Cole said, “Who are his friends?”

“He has no friends.”

“Where does his family live?”

“Serbia.”

“I meant his relatives here.”

“He leave them all in Serbia.”

“Okay. What about your friends? Maybe one of them can help us find Michael.”

“I have no friends. They are all afraid of Michael.”

Cole looked over at Pike again.

“I can’t write fast enough to keep up.”

Rina squinted at him.

“Is the great finder of people making fun of me?”

Pike cleared his throat.

“We need some names. Who does Michael work with? Who works for him? Even if you don’t know them, you must’ve heard the names mentioned, time to time.”

Rina frowned at Yanni as if looking for guidance. Yanni glanced at Pike, afraid to say anything. Pike nodded, giving permission. They had a brief conversation that sounded more like an argument, and then they both started spitting out names. The names were difficult to understand, and even more difficult to spell, but Cole scratched them into his notebook.

When Cole finished with the names, he looked up, and seemed hopeful.

“Has Darko ever been arrested? Here in L.A.?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I don’t know. He has been here much longer than me.”

Cole glanced over at Pike, arching his eyebrows again.

“Keep your fingers crossed on that one. I’ll check out Darko and these other guys, see if they’re in the system. If Darko’s been arrested, we might get lucky here. The one person you can’t lie to about where you live or what you own is the bail bondsman.”

Pike knew this to be true from his time as an officer. Criminals lie to everyone about everything. They would give phony names, ages, and addresses to the police, the courts, each other, and even their own lawyers, but they could not lie to a bail bondsman. A bondsman would not post a bond without collateral, and if a bondsman could not confirm that the applicant legally owned what he claimed to own, that applicant stayed in jail.

Cole continued the questioning, but she didn’t know very much more. Darko paid for everything in cash, used no credit cards that were not stolen, and made Rina pay all the bills for herself and the baby from her own checking account, which he then reimbursed in cash. Phones changed, addresses changed, locations changed, and cars changed. He was a man who left no trails and lived a hidden life.

Pike said, “How were you planning to find him?”

She shrugged as if there were only one way, and they should have gotten around to it sooner.

“I would watch for the money.”

Cole and Pike traded a glance, then Cole turned back to her.

“How does he make his money?”

“Sex. He has the girls. He has the people who steal the big trucks-”

“Hijackers? Trucks filled with TVs, clothes, things like that?”

“Yes. He has the people who steal the credit card information. He sells the bad gasoline. He has the strip clubs and bars.”

Pike said, “You know where these places are?”

“Some. I mostly know the girls.”

Cole glanced up from his notes.

“You know where he keeps the girls?”

“I don’t know to say the address. I can show you.”

Now Cole glanced over, and this time he stood. Pike followed him to the far side of the room, where Cole lowered his voice. Both Rina and Yanni were watching.

“Did you find anything of her sister’s?”

Pike told him what he found-the laptop, the yearbook, a few other things. All out in the Jeep.

Cole said, “Good. I want to check out her story. Just because she tells us this stuff doesn’t make it real.”

“I’ll put everything in your car when I leave.”

“Also, I want to see what I can find out about this guy, Darko. If she’s giving it to us straight about him, then I probably know someone on LAPD who can help.”

Pike knew someone, too, though not on LAPD, and now Pike wanted to see him.

From the couch, Rina said, “I don’t like all these whispers.”

Pike turned to face her.

“You’re going to take a ride with him. Show him whatever you know about Darko’s businesses, and answer his questions.”

“Where are you going? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to answer his questions, too.”

Pike glanced at Cole.

“You good?”

“Living the dream.”

Pike let himself out.