Diego parked near the garage. It was in the middle of a commercial area, between a department store and a toy shop. Criminals were always expected to work in establishments deep in the seedy neighborhoods, but the truth was that they didn't look much different from the others.

The inspector walked straight into the shop, heading for a mechanic in overalls who was dismantling the interior of a car. When he heard Diego coming toward him, he looked up and said:

"To make an appointment you have to see the secretary."

Diego shook his head. "Thanks, but I just wanted a talk with Dino Calderón."

"Dino? Did he tune your car? He's not here today. You should ask the secretary about his schedule. I'm busy, as you can see."

Detective Diego Martinez flashed his police badge, not taking his eyes off the mechanic.

"Do you know where he is."

"No idea," the mechanic replied indifferently. "He hit a pedestrian, isn't that right? I've always told him to stop driving so fast around town, but this guy is stubborn as a mule. He didn't wait for you if you ask me. He's probably on the other side of the country by now."

"I'll find him," Diego said confidently. "Have you noticed anything unusual about him in the last few weeks?"

"Well, if you will. He's been even more excited than usual lately, but he hasn't won a race, or found any new parts for his car. Weird. The boss thinks he's on drugs and wants to fire him, but I know junkies, and it's not the same. He's worked up all day long, there's no come down."

"Anything else?" asked Diego. "Maybe some new people he'd hang out with?"

"Well, there is that journalist who came to talk to him last week. Dino sometimes tipped him off about underground races, or contraband cigarette hauls. Stuff that's not important enough for the police, but that makes the tabloids happy. I think his name is Robert Dwayne."

"Okay," Diego said as he handed his card to the mechanic "Feel free to call me if you remember anything else."

The guy pocketed the card without a word, and got back to work. The harvest was meager for the inspector. He didn't have much to go on besides that lead with the journalist, but Diego couldn't see what connection it could have to the attempted murder… No matter, a lead was a lead, and Karl would surely be able to find the address of this Dwayne.

The inspector returned to his car to call his colleague. It would be quieter, and he would avoid having someone listen in on his conversation. A good habit for when he was conducting an investigation.

"Hey, Karl, it's me again, still at the office?"

It was almost five in the afternoon. It wouldn't have been too surprising if Karl had decided to leave a little early to enjoy the end of this sunny Saturday.

"Yes, and I'm not about to leave. There's been trouble at Little Maghreb again. How are things going on your end?"

"Slow and steady, as usual. Can you run a new name in the database? Robert Dwayne."

"Okay, give me a minute."

While Diego waited, a message from the babysitter arrived. She was supposed to be done by four in the afternoon, but Melinda still hadn't come home, and wasn't answering her phone. The babysitter would soon have to leave. There would be no one left to take care of the twins...

Diego sighed, then quickly answered by text that he was coming to relieve her. What was Melinda doing? She was supposed to go shopping with her friend Louise, but she should have been back by now. He was worried. The more it went on, the less she took care of the girls. The doctor had said it was the baby blues, that he had to be patient, except that it was only getting worse with time.

"Still here?" asked Karl.

"Uh yeah, what do you got?" asked Diego, momentarily forgetting about his wife.

"No offense to his name, but I found him in the press file. There's not much there, though. His address and the address of his newspaper. Will that do?"

"Yes, thanks," Diego replied. "Send me everything, and I'll go interrogate him tomorrow or Monday. Right now I have a personal emergency to attend to."

"Do you want me to stop by his place on my way home? It's not too far, and it'll be good for me to get back on the field a bit."

Diego hesitated only a moment before answering. "No, this is not an official investigation, and the suspect is extremely dangerous. He has a mental disorder that could make him violent at any time. I'd rather do this myself, and this reporter isn't going to fly off into the night anyway."

"Okay, suit yourself, but feel free to call for backup if there's any problem."

"Don't worry, Karl. You know me, i'm always careful."

Diego then hung up and started up immediately. He didn't want to keep the babysitter waiting. She was a gem with the twins, patient, sweet, not to mention that her hours were usually very flexible. If she got tired of Melinda's whims, he would have a hard time finding another as good. Besides, the girls had become attached to her, and at that age it was very unsettling to change childminders.

When he arrived home, the babysitter was already on the doorstep. Dressed and ready to go, while the twins were watching a cartoon. Diego flatly apologized, slipping her a bill for the inconvenience, and went home to his daughters. Despite the circumstances, he was glad to have more time with them. The call of duty often took him away from his two little wonders.

As soon as they saw their father, the two girls rushed to him, abandoning their screen. Diego laughingly hugged them, and decided to take them to the park. Hopefully, Melinda would return in the meantime. If he called her now, the conversation might just turn into another one of those pointless arguments.

The weather was still beautiful. The girls were doing slide after slide. For a moment, Diego felt like he was in a perfect world, without any problems in his life. His worries with Melinda, or the Dino Calderón investigation, seemed terribly far away. All that mattered was to preserve these small moments of happiness. The twins didn't know yet how painful the world could be, and that was fine.

I hope they never realize it...

After a late afternoon snack, but who could resist the lure of a chocolate waffle after fun under the sun? Diego and his daughters made their way home. He frowned as he turned the corner: Melinda's car was still not here. It was past seven o'clock in the evening now. She couldn't have stayed with Louise that long?

His daughters kept him busy for another thirty minutes, between the toilets and the preparation of the painting they absolutely wanted to do right away. Only when they were in their bath could he find a moment to try to call his wife, but, as the babysitter had said, Melinda wasn't answering her calls or messages.

Diego was really starting to worry that something was wrong. A car accident? A mugging? He hurriedly dialed Louise's number, hoping she would know more. The ringing of the phone was punctuated by the laughter of his daughters in the bathroom. Diego couldn't help but think how terrible it would be if something had happened to their mother.

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Louise picked up and he forced himself to take a deep breath.

"Hello, Diego, you don't call me often. What's going on?" she asked.

"Melinda didn't come home, I was wondering if she was still with you?"

"Oh no! We haven't seen each other in a while... I was at the pool this afternoon."

Diego suddenly realized that his wife was hiding something from him, that she had probably been lying for several months, without him seeing anything. He, who prided himself on being the best police inspector in town, didn't know what was going on under his roof. Was she cheating on him? She couldn't abandon her daughters for an affair, this was not the Melinda he knew.

"Diego, are you still there?" Louise asked.

"Yes, sorry," he replied still reeling from the discovery he had just made. "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"I'm not sure... for the past few months she's been going to the private masses of the Church of the Covenant. Maybe there was one today? I know they do workshops too. She offered me to go with her once, but frankly I'm not very religious. I prefer to Netflix and chill during the week-end."

"Is she seeing another man?" asked Diego, stammering.

He gritted his teeth in anger. He had done hundreds of interrogations, and now he couldn't control his voice? He was better than that.

"I don't think so." Then after a time she added: "I hope this works out for both of you."

Diego replied absently. "Thanks, I hope to find her soon."

"Keep me posted," Louise said before hanging up.

Diego didn't understand. He knew she had found comfort in faith after giving birth, but if she had simply gone to a private mass, or a workshop, she should have been home on time for the babysitter. And if it was an accident, the police would surely have called him as soon as they recognized his name....

He had to go to the Church of the Covenant. If Louise was right, this was the last place Melinda had been, maybe he could learn more there. As a police inspector, he knew the need to act quickly in the event of a disappearance. Surely the neighbor could watch the twins for an hour or two when they went to bed, which would give him some time.

His daughters were getting impatient in the bath. He could hear them screaming and splashing water everywhere. Diego put his phone in his pocket, grabbed two mops, and went to work on the battlefield.

Forty minutes later, the ground was mopped, the girls were dry, dressed in their pajamas, and ready for their evening meal. It was a good thing they were eating clean now. The neighbor would come over at nine o'clock in the evening to check on them, allowing Diego to make a quick stop at the Church of the Covenant. The church would probably be closed by then, but he could go knock on the convent, and maybe get the phone number of someone who had attended the afternoon private service.

Diego had just put the twins to bed when his phone rang. He grabbed it hurriedly, hoping it was Melinda calling, but it was just Rafael Duprat... He ran his hand over his forehead and sighed.

"Hello Detective Martinez, did you find Dino?" asked Rafael on the outset.

"No, not yet," replied Diego. "I had to stop for the day."

"Okay, I was able to talk to Jazz on my end. Apparently Dino knew the owner of the Bodega, and sometimes saw him one-on-one."

"The trendy nightclub?"

"Yes, any idea what he was doing with him?"

"No, so far I've only traced him back to his brother Vicente, and a journalist who would have come to see him at his work." said Diego.

"A journalist?"

"Yes, Robert Dwayne."

"I know that name... where have I heard it?" wondered Rafael.

Diego took advantage of the interruption to look at his watch. The neighbor should be here any minute now. What Rafael was saying was barely getting through to him. He kept thinking of the worst things that could have happened to Melinda.

"That's it!" exclaimed Rafael, "He interviewed me after Paulina's trial, but what does that have to do with Dino?"

"No idea," Diego replied absently. "Maybe it's just a false lead. I'll go to his house tomorrow, and question him."

"I want to go with you."

Diego snapped back to reality. "It's police work, not a game. It's better if I go alone."

"I know it's not a game," Rafael replied angrily. "Dino almost killed my cousin, and I'm the one who accepted him into the Association in the first place. I'm well aware of the situation, which is precisely why I want to be there. Don't treat me like a kid!"

"That's just it, you are too close to the situation, too emotionally invested—"

"Send me the address, I'll meet you there at nine am sharp," Rafael said in a tone without reply.

Someone knocked on the door, it was probably the neighbor.

"Okay, see you there," Diego said with a sigh before hanging up.

He grabbed his bag and coat, then headed for the door. He quickly answered the neighbor's pep talk, thanked her for her help, and slipped out as quickly as he could. It was already late, he had to hurry if he didn't want Melinda's trail to go cold.

There weren't many people on the road at that hour, but he used his flashing light to get to the Church of the Covenant faster anyway. Actually, it was a congregation rather than an actual church. The building looked like a large community center. There was a ceremonial area, a study center, the charity group's offices, and the convent.

The Church of the Covenant had grown tremendously in recent years. Once a simple evangelical mission, it had become the largest congregation in the city. It had also gained political prominence by denouncing discrimination, and reminding people that every living thing was equal before God.

Diego parked in the square in front of the buildings. As he expected, there were no lights, they were closed for the night. Without lingering unnecessarily, he went straight up to the convent, and pressed the bell several times.

He fidgeted with impatience, almost pressed the bell again, then changed his mind and waited. A long minute passed before he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. The face of an old lady in a nightcap loomed in the doorway.

"What's this for?"

"Hello, excuse me for disturbing you at this hour. I'm looking for my wife, Melinda Martinez," Diego said.

"This is a convent," said the old woman. "Men are not allowed."

"Yes, ma'am. I just want to know if you have any idea where she is. She came to Mass this afternoon."

The old woman's eyes crinkled for a moment, and she asked, "Are you married before God, Mr. Martinez?"

Diego just wanted to break down the door, push the old woman aside, and run around screaming his wife's name. Emotions made people stupid sometimes. He restrained himself as best he could.

"We are married," he said. "Have you seen her?"

"We offer the catechumenate for all miscreants on Wednesdays. Your wife wouldn't have left if you were living God's way."

Before Diego could answer anything, the old woman had already slammed the door in his face. He was all alone now. With no other resource than the glow of the stars in the dawning night.

He thought of his daughters, sleeping at home.

Where are you Melinda?