“If you mean do I think they’ll molest her, I doubt it. Mr. Winthrop’s fast thinking may have saved her from that. I know you’re worried, Lonny, but for now, let’s focus on bringing her back alive. Everything after that is a bonus.”
From behind Lonny, Mars said, “Detective, I may have something for you. I don’t know if it’s important or not, but…”
“What?”
“A car came by the house several times in the days before they got Jada. A woman was driving, and—”
“How do you know this, Mars?”
“I asked some friends, they—”
I tried to keep the anger from my voice, but I don’t think it worked. “What did you say? Who did you talk to?”
Mars seemed nervous now. “Friends, some kids.”
“Goddamnit! I told everyone not to say anything, to anyone.”
“All I did was—”
Sameena had come over, probably warning me off, but my anger had built to a level where I couldn’t keep the tone down. I didn’t even try. “What you did was maybe get your sister killed. If they find out they don’t have Alexa, your sister’s life is nothing to them. Less than nothing.”
Mars was crying now, and Lucia had come up to hug him. “Is she gonna be all right?” he asked through the tears. “I was just trying to do something. I couldn’t stand just sitting here.”
“How the hell do I know if she’ll be all right?” I started to settle down.
Crying kids always did that to me. Kids and women. And the tears usually followed one of my rantings. I patted his shoulder. “I’m sorry to upset you, but please stay at the house and don’t talk to anyone outside.”
Scott looked at Mars, then Lonny and Lucia. “Don’t worry. Jada will be all right.”
I had forgiven Mars already. Scott was another matter. “How the hell do you know that, Mr. Winthrop? Let me run this show.”
“She’ll be all right because I’m giving them the money.”
I stopped. Stared. Lucia let go of Mars and ran to Scott, embracing him. Lonny looked as if he’d fall again.
“What?” I said.
Scott hugged Lucia. “I decided to let the Hacketts have the money.” He laughed then, one of those cover-up laughs that people do when they don’t really mean it. “Of course, I hope you recover it, Detective. I don’t want to start my life all over again.”
Lonny was beside him now, looking like a kid at a grownup’s party, with no idea what to say.
“I’m gonna cook us some dinner,” Lucia said. “I know I’m hungry, and I’m betting everyone else is too.”
Scott laughed, and I realized it was the first genuine laughter in this house all day. “Detective, are you hungry?”
“I’ll get something. This is all good news, so good, that I’m going to send everyone home to freshen up for tomorrow.” I went to Scott and Lonny. “You both have my cell. If anything happens, call me. Otherwise, I’ll see you early in the morning. And remember, don’t talk to anyone.”
I walked over to Mars my hand extended. “Sorry about blowing up. We’re all under pressure, but it’s no excuse.”
“I shouldn’t have done it,” Mars said, and shook Cataldi’s hand.
“That’s okay. Now how about telling me the rest of what happened.”
Mars filled me in on the story, including the part about the VNA license plate and how the friend remembered it because the lady had a very nice ass. I let him finish his story and thanked him again. Before leaving, I called Connors and the rest of them into the room where the techs had set up. “I want you to go home, get some rest, and be ready for tomorrow. Be here by eight.”
“Anything we need to do?” Connors asked.
I looked around. “Yeah, think of ways for us to catch these guys. We’ve got three things to focus on: catching the kidnappers; getting Winthrop back his money; and most importantly, bringing Jada home safe.”
“You don’t think they’ll let her go when they get the money?” Connors said.
“As far as I’m concerned, there is no way in hell they’ll let her go. The fact that they are talking about raping her means they were already thinking about it—at the very least. So put your thinking caps on, people. Tomorrow we’ve got to be smarter than them.”
Chapter 46
Another Long Night
Delgado stopped by Gino’s house on his way home. He tapped on the back door then let himself in. “Hey, Gino. Where are you?”
Gino exited the kitchen and headed toward the bathroom. “I’ll be right back. Gotta take a leak.”
Delgado took a seat at the kitchen table—actually a poker table with a top that flipped over to make a flat surface. It reminded him of the fun they used to have when Mary was alive. Friday night poker games were a staple at Gino’s house. Mary would cook fajitas with homemade tortillas, and there was always an ample supply of Dos Equis to wash it down. Half the guys ended up spending the night after they lost their money to either Delgado or Gino, but they didn’t mind. The stakes weren’t high, and the food and beer made losing worth it. Laughter was guaranteed. Delgado looked around the house. It hadn’t seen laughter since. Even the walls seemed lonely now.
The bathroom door opened, and Gino came out. “What are you doing here, Ribs? Want a beer?”
“Just stopped by to see my cuz. See how the world is treating you.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a beer.”
When Gino walked by, Delgado saw redness in his eyes. He’d been crying again, and likely about Mary. Or about that little girl the kidnappers had. If anything could make Gino cry, it was Mary, or Ron, or kids in trouble. Especially if he blamed himself.
“Hope you don’t have some sweet young honey handcuffed to the bed.”
Gino fake laughed. “Yeah, that’s what it is. She’s in the bathroom now, so if you have to go, step outside and man-dog it.”
“You know I can do that.”
“Sure you don’t want a beer?”
“Dos Equis?”
“Corona.”
“Might as well bring me one,” Delgado said. “Did we do any good today?”
“A lot better than I figured. Scott coughed up the money.”
Delgado whistled, long and low. “You’re shitting me.”
“Seven million worth of love for his fellow man.”
“I never figured Winthrop for that kind of love.”
Gino handed Delgado a beer. “Let’s go outside. It’s a nice night.”
Delgado followed him out to the porch. “You need a dog, Gino. Someone to keep you company on nights like this.”
“There aren’t enough good nights for me to worry about.”
“Fuckin’ pussy is what you are. Down in Mexico—” Delgado always said Mexico the Spanish way, with the X pronounced as an H.
“I know all about it, Ribs. Got to one hundred before noon, right?”
“Before ten.”
Gino laughed. “When are you going to stop pretending you’re from Mexico?”
Delgado took a long swig of beer and stared up at the stars. “Who knows? In a perfect world…never. In this fucked up world we live in…” He took another swig. “Who knows?”
“Speaking of fucked up, I really let Lucia down on this.”
Delgado gave him the crooked glare. “And Lonny.”
“What?”
“You said you let Lucia down. I just reminded you that Lonny was part of that too.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you’re trying to make her Mary. She’s not. She belongs to that other man.” Delgado gulped the last of his Corona. “And if you don’t mind me citing an observation, that man could snap you in half. Maybe even after you shot him with your gun.”
“Did you come by to piss me off?”
“It’s my job. I felt obligated.”
Gino finished his beer and tossed the bottle into the container. “Next time you feel obligated, go home.”
Delgad
o went inside to the fridge and came back out with two more beers. “You’ve been in a bitchy mood since I got here. Why don’t you get some sleep?”
“I can’t.”
“Okay, you get second prize. Let’s bust some motel doors down. We’ve got plenty of them left.”
“What happened to Sanchez?”
Delgado brushed his hand in the air. “That pussy went home. Said something about feeding six kids.”
“You’re right, she is a pussy.”
Delgado sat on the edge of the chair. “So you want to go, or do I have to do this myself?”
The first smile of the night came to Gino’s face. “Now you got me excited, cuz.”
“So you’re finally accepting that blood shit, huh?”
“No, I just like calling you cuz.”
Delgado finished his beer in a couple of long gulps. “Let’s go. I don’t have all night.”
***
I knew Delgado wouldn’t let up until I agreed to go, so…I agreed. “Have you got any leads, or is Rosalee pissed at you?”
“When isn’t she?”
I started to get in my car, but Delgado grabbed my keys. “I’ve seen you drive sober, my man. I’m not getting in there after you’ve had a couple.”
We headed north on I-45, toward Conroe.
“When are you gonna start dating?” Ribs asked.
I didn’t bother answering.
“When was the last time you went out with someone?”
“Lay off it.”
“I’m asking because I’m tired of Rosalee lining up all of her friends to go out with you, and then you blow it off.”
“Ribs, I love your wife, and I love her cooking, but tell Rosalee to mind her own business.”
“I’ll let you tell her that.” Ribs drove in silence for a few miles. He was waiting for me to talk.
“I haven’t met anyone who interests me.”
He looked at me from the corner of his eye. “No one who interests you? You told Rosalee you didn’t want to go out with Mexicans because they reminded you of Mary. No one with dark hair—Mary again. And no brown eyes—Mary.” He exited the freeway into Conroe and stayed on the feeder road. “Why don’t you see if sweet-boy Chad’s got any friends who like big strong cops? His friends won’t remind you of Mary.”
“You’re crossing the line, Ribs.”
“Just trying to help.”
“I do fine living my life without you.”
“Suit yourself, amigo.”
I rolled the window down, let the air blow in my face. “Tell me again why we’re going to this motel.”
“Julie said they had three adjacent rooms rented two days ago.”
“Three? Sounds like overkill for our guys. Why three rooms for one girl?”
“Let’s find out.”
“You got Lance and his crew coming?”
“They went home, but I got a standby if we need it. We’ll call it after we see what we got.”
“This isn’t the old west, you know. I don’t want to walk into a goddamn shootout.”
“That would be fun though, huh? Just one time, shoot it out with these fuckers instead of arresting them.”
“Maybe for you, but I didn’t fare too well at the shooting range. I need to get the drop on the bad guys.”
“Don’t worry, you got me to watch out for you.”
“I’d rather have Tip.”
“Did you forget I came in fifth in the shooting contest?”
“I know, Ribs, and that’s good. But Tip came in first.” I didn’t add like he does every year, but only because Delgado knew it.
“I don’t count Tip. He’s a mutant.” Delgado turned right on #105. “In fact, they shouldn’t count him at all. So the way I figure, it I really came in fourth.”
“Good by me,” I said.
A few blocks later, Ribs pulled into the motel parking lot. We went inside, where we showed the clerk our badges.
“I’m Detective Delgado, and this is Detective Cataldi,” Ribs said. “Someone talked to you a short while ago.”
The man got nervous as soon as he saw the badges, looking around as if it were a crime to be seen with us. “I told her all there was to tell on the phone.”
I knew he was a local from the way he talked. “What rooms are they in?”
“Around the back. First three rooms when you turn the corner.”
“You got their information?”
He looked around again. “I don’t rightly know if I should…Can I give that out? Isn’t that private or something?”
Delgado leaned over the counter, whispering as if it were between the two of them. “It’s about as private as your cell’s gonna be when I send a team up to see how many underage people you let in here with alcohol and drugs.”
He loosened up quite a bit after that. “Far as I recall, the gentleman showed a license from North Carolina.” He seemed to focus more on remembering than on worrying about being seen talking to us. “What did these folks do? Nothin’ bad, I hope.” After hearing the clerk talk more, I not only knew he was local, I figured he might not have ever left the area.
“Did you see the family? You told the woman who called that a family had rented the rooms.”
“You know when that young lady called, it got me thinking. I knew something was wrong. These people been here two days, but I haven’t heard diddly squat from them. Been here two days, and they won’t even let the maids go in.”
Delgado looked to me, and I nodded. “If you’ll give us the keys, sir.”
The man fished in a drawer then handed two sets of keys to Delgado. “Here are two of them. Hold on and I’ll get the other.”
“Don’t bother,” I said. “These will do.”
He followed us out the door, hot on our heels. We couldn’t shut the man up. “What in tarnation do you think they’re doin’ in there? I run a clean establishment. I don’t tolerate drugs or women of ill-repute. I’m a God-fearing man. I…”
Delgado pulled out his gun, jammed a fresh clip in then stared at the guy. “I think it would be best if you stayed inside, sir. There could be trouble.”
His eyes got about as big as eggs. “What kind of trouble?”
I handed him one of my cards. “If you hear gunshots, call this number and tell them to come. Quickly.”
That sent him back inside, probably hiding behind the counter.
“And we’re only thirty miles from downtown Houston,” I said to Ribs.
“Imagine that.”
We came to the corner, both of us with guns drawn. Ribs had a set of keys in one hand and his gun in the other. “Cover me,” he said.
“I got it, partner.”
“Aren’t you even gonna argue over who goes in first? That’s the macho thing to do.”
“I’m not macho, and besides, you’re a better shot.”
“That talk doesn’t make me feel secure when you’re supposed to have my back. You better not shoot me.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said then took a spot behind a parked car, offering a good view of all three rooms.
Ribs stepped quietly up to the first door on the left, looked my way then reached over and knocked. I tensed up, crouched a little lower, and got a good grip on my gun. After a few seconds with no answer, he knocked again. We waited. Still no answer.
Ribs signaled he was going to the next door. Again he knocked, hard. When no one answered, he opened the door with the keys. I moved up beside him, and when he pushed it open, I went in low. Ribs followed up.
“Police!” I shouted as we moved inside.
No one was there. We kept our guns drawn. I cleared the room while Ribs covered me and watched the other two doors. Then we repeated the whole thing to clear the other rooms. No one was there. We searched the rooms but found no sign of anything strange. These were a family’s rooms. Suitcases filled with clothes, including kids. They even had a few games, the kind people played on road trips—state capitals, license-plate game—things like tha
t. I shook my head. “I don’t think we busted the case on this one.”
“I’m getting a complex, Gino. Are these guys too smart for us?”
As Ribs pulled out and got onto the freeway, I gave thought to what he said. “I hope not. For Jada’s sake, I hope not.”
Chapter 47
Who Knew What
Ribs headed south on I-45, keeping pace with the traffic. “What’s the time, Ribs?”
“Time to catch the guy who stole your watch. Or you could just look at your damn phone to get the time.”
“It’s easier to ask you,” I said, and then, “As to the watch, I’ll get the guy. Don’t worry about that.” I leaned back in the seat, head resting against the window, watching the trees as we rolled by.
“Almost ten,” Ribs said.
“What?”
“I said it’s almost ten o’clock. What the hell are you thinking about that’s got your mind so busy?”
“Sorry.” I straightened up. “I haven’t had time to think much since this all happened, but there is something strange about what these kidnappers know.”
“Like what?”
“First off, they knew Scott’s home number.”
“Come on, Gino, anybody—”
“Hang on. Let me finish.”
I gathered my thoughts again. “His number is private, and yeah, I know that’s easy enough to get. But they knew his cell phone too. They knew he would come into money. Knew the money was ready at the bank.”
“They said that?”
“Yeah. I guess we haven’t caught up since the whole thing with Doran. When Doran told them the money wasn’t ready, they said ‘I know the money is ready.’”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, and get this—when Doran told them that Scott figured it would be best if we came without the money, they looked at him and said, ‘Tell Detective Cataldi he made a big mistake.’”
“Keep talking, Gino. The story’s getting interesting.”
“Before Doran left, they said they knew he wasn’t Uncle Eddy.”
“What the fuck is going on?”
“I don’t know, but stop for coffee. We’ve got to figure this out.”
“Tonight?”
“The drop is tomorrow. When the fuck do you think we’re going to do it?”
Necessary Decisions, A Gino Cataldi Mystery Page 23