Hey, Senor Castillo...

[r_vecchio]

My name's Ray. Vecchio. Not the other Ray. I mean, I am the other Ray since Ynez knew Kowalski first but uh...you know where I can find your daughter?

Great first impression. Really spot on. He sighs and scribbles it out. 

So...heard from your daughter recently?

Nah, that won't work.

...Good evening, sir, I was just wondering if Ynez left a forwarding address when she uh...left...town...

Aw, jeez.

Ray tears out the sheet of paper, screws it into a ball and makes the trash can first time. Always been great at basketball. Too bad those talents didn't stretch as far as holding onto women.

He knows she's in Mexico. He knows she made it to Mexico City. He knows she doesn't want to see him. It's just not enough to stop him. Seeing Ynez is the only way he can try to make things better. He has no clear plan on what he'll do - or say, for that matter - once he gets there, wherever she is, but he's not going to leave it like this.

Even if calling her father, a man he's never met (and truth be told, a man who scares him more than words can express) is the only way he can find her, then there's no question that he'll do it.

So his new plan. Go with the flow. Roll with the punches. Feel him out but tread oh-so-freaking-carefully.

So basically the only plan that's going to work, that's going to actually force him to pick up that phone, is...to have no plan at all. A man doesn't jump off a cliff with no parachute, expecting to fly. He hopes to fly. So Ray's jumping. And hoping he'll find his answer.

He shoves the note book away, takes a breath and picks up the phone. When he'd found her address in LA, so he could send flowers, he'd kept her number just in case. He'd never really expected that he'd need it. Or use it. Had thought all he'd have to do is call her anywhere and she'd answer.

Tried that. Got the sore throat from the dozens of messages he left. Failed.

Asking her father for help will be a blow to his pride, yeah. Like admitting he's not good enough to find her. But he's desperate, still desperate. His pride will have to take a run and jump. Off the cliff. Without a parachute. And hope to fly.

He dials quickly and pulls the phone to his ear.

Comments

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

For once, Inocencio is home alone, enjoying every silent moment of the solitude. All three sisters have gone over to the church to help prepare the supper held there tonight, the last night before Lent begins. He has to go later, but for now, he can putter around in his workshop, fiddling with the birdhouse he's building.

He's giving up carpentry for the next forty days. The thought makes him both a little sad and a little irritable. Without that, he has no reason to escape to the little room off the garage, the only place that Lupe never goes.

The phone rings and he thinks about ignoring it, but of course, he can't. He has responsibilities.

"Castillo."

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

For a second there, Ray's expecting a really long list of Spanish sounding words. The sort to confuse him into silence when all they really mean is hello. But the answer he receives still brings him up short.

It's a long moment before he can find his tongue.

"Uh, Senor Castillo?" He begins uncertainly, then simply stops, unsure of what he's supposed to say next.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

If Ray could see him now, he'd recognize the little frown. Ynez has one exactly like it.

"Yes. Who is this?"

His accent is heavier than his daughter's.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

Okay. Okay. He can do this. Just take a running jump and fly...

"My name's Ray," he answers quietly, then clears his throat, his voice steady. No way can anyone hear the fear in him now.

"Ray Vecchio. I uh, I know your daughter Ynez."

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

It's the cop. Inocencio feels the hackles on his neck go up. Not just the cop, but the cop sniffing around after his little girl.

"So you do."

He hopes it isn't in a Biblical sense. He truly does.

"How can I help you?"

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

So Ynez has mentioned him. Ray would take that as a positive if he knew exactly when she'd told him. If it's since he messed everything up, then he doesn't hold out much hope that her father's going to help him.

Ray speaks carefully, remembering what Ynez had told him about her dad's opinion of the police. So he tries to keep as much of the cop tone out of his voice.

"To be honest, sir, I don't know if you can help me. But I have to ask anyway, so, uh, have you heard from Ynez recently?" He can't hide his curiosity. Ray can't even tell if her father knows she's in Mexico at the moment.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

If that doesn't set off the warning bells in his head, nothing will. His frown deepens.

"What's happened? Why would I?"

He should have heard from her. He's left a couple of phone messages for her and she hsn't returned the call.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

That'd be a no then. This is great. Less than two minutes on the phone with the guy and Ray's probably already got him fearing for his daughter's life. So he's quick to assure him otherwise.

"No, nothing's happened. I mean, as far as I know, she's fine. Ynez has just...uh, she's um, well, you see, she's taken a break for a little while." Ray's not going to share the specifics if he doesn't absolutely have to. He can't see it going down very well.

"...In Mexico."

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

Briefly, Inocencio wishes he could see the cop's face. If he could see his eyes, he'd know more about what's really going on. He'd be stupid to think that the situation is only what the cop is presenting.

A break for a little while.

Moving to New York was supposed to have been a break for a little while. Look where that seems to have gotten them all.

"Why are you calling me?"

He's already making a list in his head: people to call, places to check. Ynez has always been impulsive but this sounds like more than her normal act-without-thinking.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

There's no reaction from her father that Ray can easily discern. He doesn't even sound surprised, like he's simply been waiting for this to happen, and for some reason, that bothers Ray.

"I'm calling to ask for your help," he replies, as if it should be obvious. He sighs quietly and rubs his forehead. "I need to find her... And I thought maybe you'd know where she'd go. If she's got any friends in Mexico I could check out or...places she's been on holiday, maybe. Where she feels comfortable, anywhere she particularly likes. I don't have a lot to go on."

It still amazes him how much he doesn't know about Ynez.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

It will take a lot more than a surprise phone call from Ynez's cop to make Inocencio tip his hand in any way. He's trying to convince himself that she went to San Mateo Zinacapan, to family there. It's the obvious destination, one she apparently didn't feel the need to tell her gringo cop anything about.

"Why do you need to find her?"

It's either that or ask the man Why should I help you? He needs to end this call so he can get to work finding his daughter. None of the urgency he feels is apparent in his voice.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

But it's more than apparent in Ray's.

"Because I havta speak to her, sir." Sure, he's evading. Learnt that sneaky trick off your daughter, Senor Castillo. "I gotta make sure she's okay and to do that, I need to find her."

Relating all recent events in the lives of "Ray and Ynez" to her father is a sure-fire way to make him dislike Ray even more. Purely from his tone of voice, like he's the one getting the information from Ray, Ray can tell he hasn't been, and will not be, well received. Doesn't exactly inspire friendship now, does it?

"Please. Any information you might have, I'd really appreciate it." At least you can tell he's sincere.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

He remains silent for a moment, considering. He can tell that the other man is serious, and he's willing to accept that at face value for now.

"What do you know so far?"

There's no point in duplicating efforts. See what the cop knows. It might be enough that Inocencio will be able to find Ynez with very little extra effort.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

It sounds like Ynez's father is at least going to listen to Ray, which is, if he's honest with himself, more than he expected. He starts spilling right away, just in case the guy changes his mind and hangs up on him.

"Okay, so, I tracked her credit card, all the latest transactions, and I found out she bought a plane ticket to Mexico City. I figured if she hadn't gone to you, she woulda gone south so this just proved it. I rang around as many hotels and accommodation sites as I could find to see if she's a guest anywhere and nothing came up." He takes a breath, happy he hasn't been interrupted yet. Not that he's given the guy any room to speak anyway.

"That either suggests she's not using her real name, with I think is a little extreme, or she's moved on some place else. I'm more inclined to go with the moving on thing but that does mean she's stopped using her card to pay for all her stuff. So I've been checking transport services out of Mexico City but it's slow." He shrugs and something in his voice changes.

"Without a photo to show people and with very few passenger lists, I've kinda...hit a brick wall...metaphorocally speaking, sir."

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

Tracked her credit card? False names? Passenger lists? The more he listens, the more Inocencio begins to think that it's a bad, bad idea for Ynez to be involved with this man, in any way.

Silently, he examines the tips of his fingertips while he consider his next words.

"I see," he finally says. "And if I can't help you, what do you intend to do?"

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

Ray's a little wary when her father finally comes back to the line. He'd asked what Ray knows so far and Ray had told him. What's with the long, dramatic pause?

He's taken aback but the question but his determination wins through.

"Find her without your help," he answers simply.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

Inocencio makes a decision. He doesn't like this cop nosing around his family, and he intends to talk to Ynez about it as soon as possible, but first they have to find her.

The cop isn't going to go away. He sighs softly.

"I can think of one place she might go. I'll make some calls and get back to you. Where can I reach you?"

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

Ray can't be sure if he's saying that because he means it, because he intends to help, or simply to humor Ray and to get him off the phone.

He knows better than to push it by asking where this place might be though.

"I'll be at home for the rest of the evening, that's the number I've called you on. Tomorrow, you can reach me at work on 312 744-5501. Just ask for uh...Detective Vecchio," he says a little reluctantly. He doesn't really want to go reminding this man that he's a cop.

He also relates his cell number in case he's out of the precinct since there's no way he wants to miss a call.

He's quiet for a moment before taking another breath. "Sir, you may not have...the best first impression of me and that's okay 'cause I suck at first impressions anyway, but..." He choses his words very carefully. "Please believe me when I say I, I'm uh, I care about your daughter...a lot."

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure you do."

And oddly enough, he is. What matters to Inocencio is how Ynez feels about him. If she's taking a break in Mexico without telling the cop where she is, perhaps the problem will take care of itself.

"You're in Chicago, right?"

He looks at his watch. It's two hours later there.

"How late can I call you?"

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

Ray frowns slightly but nods nonetheless. "Chicago, yeah."

He looks at his own watch, then wonders why he's even doing that.

"Anytime, night or day, I don't care." Not like he'll be getting much rest anyway. He scratches the back of his neck and glances up. "Could you please ring my cell if it gets real late though? The kids are gonna be asleep soon and I don't want the phone to wake 'em up, y'know. Or the rest of my family."

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

"You have children?"

Ynez hadn't mentioned that. Perhaps she doesn't even know.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

"What?" Seems like random question to ask and it catches Ray off guard for a long moment. Until he runs through what he'd just said in his mind and suddenly it makes sense.

He tries not to sound so defensive this time. "No." He smoothes his eyebrow like he's seen Fraser do thousands of times before. Perhaps it's supposed to be comforting. "They belong to my sister."

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

That answers that question, at least for now. Inocencio isn't really interested in the cop's private life, except to the extent that it affects Ynez.

Nevertheless, it's probably past time to get his background checked out. Add that to the list of calls he needs to make.

"I'll call you when I know anything," he says. "I expect you to do the same."

With that, he hangs up and starts to dial an old family friend in San Mateo.


ooc: I didn't want to have him get to the callback in this post, but will in the next, if you want to continue.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

Ray doesn't even get the chance to say thanks 'cause the guy hangs up so quick. That wasn't really how he'd envisioned the first time speaking to Ynez's father panning out.

And he'd thought about it alright. How he'd make her family see him as something other than the cop. He figures this phone call hasn't helped him in his quest but that's a sacrifice he's willing to make if it helps him locate Ynez. That's the priority. Find her. Then if he's lucky, maybe he'll get the chance to impress her father later.

[ooc: Sure thing!]

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

Several hours, and one loud fight with Lupe, later, Inocencio calls the cop back. He isn't certain how late is too late, so he calls the cell number, then waits for an answer.

While he waits, he thinks about his daughter and his sisters, and the way the relationships amongst everyone in the family have gotten so strained. He's been willing to wait for Ynez to do what she needs to do, but his patience is starting to run out.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

Ray's lying on his bed when his cell begins to ring. He'd half-heartedly made the attempt to actually climb in and sleep but he'd known it wouldn't come easy no matter where he was.

His eyes snap open and he makes a quick grab for it to stop the noise, shuffling to sit upright.

"Vecchio," he says firmly, keeping his voice low.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

"Nobody's seen her." There's nothing else to say yet.

The distress he's feeling isn't apparent in his voice. He owes the cop this, but he hasn't decided whether he'll offer anything more.

"I've got some people looking now."

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

Ray's stomach ends up somewhere way down below the mattress. Nobody's seen her at all? He doesn't know why he's surprised but he'd figured if anybody could have helped him find her, it'd be her father.

"Okay. Well...thanks for letting me know," he replies dejectedly. Self-pity isn't a great feeling.

"Who've you got lookin'?" He asks after a moment.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

"It doesn't matter."

In other words, it's nothing you need to know.

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll make sure she calls you when I find her."

In other words, this isn't your problem anymore.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

"With all due respect, sir, I think it does matter," Ray's sure to keep his voice under control but he's clear as a crystal. He definitely doesn't like this guy's tone and being given the brush off like that isn't helping one bit.

“So I’m asking, what sorta people have you got looking for Ynez?” There’s no way Ray’s going to be taking a step back from this. And he sure hopes her father realizes that.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

He doesn't think the cop would take that tone with him if Ynez had told him anything of substance about the Castillo family. On the other hand, he might. Inocencio doesn't know him well enough to say, one way or another. What he does know is that he doesn't like the cop acting like he has a claim on her, his little girl.

"Friends of the family."

As far as that goes, it's true. It will take a while for the slow magic to find her, but in the end, it will. It always does. And while the search is going on, Inocencio will consider his options.

Is it likely that the cop will find her first? No, but there's always that possibility, and as such, it's best not to alienate him completely. Yet.

"I'll call you if there's any information. I expect you to do the same for me."

It isn't often that he repeats himself this way. Anyone who knows him would recognize it as a sign of stress, even though he sounds quite calm.

[r-vecchio.livejournal.com]

Ray breathes a small laugh of disbelief. Almost disbelief. "Friends of the family." He nods, voice distant. "Right, I get it."

Her father's not giving anything away. Nothing. Nada. It's more than obvious he doesn't trust Ray and why should he? They don't know each other, they've never met, Ray's just..."the cop."

But in matters concerning his daughter, Ray would've thought he'd be a bit more forthcoming with the information.

He feels like he's being spoken to by his high school teacher and he'd hated most of them. "Of course...sir," he adds, begrudgingly, wondering exactly what this guy takes him for.

He's pretty much figured out he'll find Ynez way before he ever hears from her father again. That's almost a given.

[i-castillo.livejournal.com]

"Have a good evening, Detective. Thank you again for informing me of the situation."

With that, he ends the call. Two seconds later, he's forgotten about Ray, pushed his existence completely out of his thoughts. There are more important things to worry about.

He'll tell Ynez to call the man after her finds her. He didn't lie about that. He might even call himself, to let the cop know once she's been found safe. Of course, he won't share any other information. He sees no need to.