It was clear we were hashing out a recurring theme. I had a history of jumping into investigations, then getting in much deeper than I’d intended. When Mick was not with me for protection, he had difficulty handling the worry. Of course with respect to Pammie’s situation, we knew the authorities were not going to do anything to find her, so what choice did I have?
Talking to Mick about kids disappearing with men in the middle of the night only cemented the reality that she might well be a victim of human trafficking. I knew I had to call Don and Charlie soon to give them an update, but I dreaded destroying their hopes of finding her.
I missed my husband terribly, and although he didn’t ask, I knew he wanted me to come home. But when I was ready to leave Vegas, I had the potential investigation of the missing Florida panthers and park ranger. With enough to think about here and now, I decided to temporarily put that idea on hold.
As I ran, oxygen flooded my brain cells, and I tried to fit a bunch of mental puzzle pieces into their proper slots. Mick’s apprehension about my investigative bent was well-founded. I’d been injured several times trying to help family and friends. Until now, I’d been lucky. There was no way I would put myself in a dangerous situation here, I thought. Then I hoped it wasn’t already too late.
My concentration was broken by a familiar prickle at the base of my spine—my built-in early warning system. Something was happening that hadn’t quite entered my awareness, but it didn’t take long for my brain to catch up.
I was running on the sidewalk, and as I glanced toward the street, a black SUV came from behind and drove slowly alongside me for a few moments. Then it sped up and kept going. The windows were tinted to an illegal level of shading that totally obscured the interior.
This was disconcerting, but nothing further happened. I would have discounted it, except that on the way back to the house, the same vehicle drove by in exactly the same manner two more times. Was someone trying to get my attention or, more likely, frighten me?
I like to think that logic is my purview, and I tried to apply it to this situation. The men—I assumed they were men—might have simply been taunting an attractive woman running alone. That isn’t how it felt, though, and the neighborhood didn’t seem a likely venue for that type of behavior. On the other hand, they’d done nothing but slow down when they passed me. Maybe they were just being cautious in case I hadn’t heard the car and chose that moment to run into the street. But three times? I didn’t think so.
Only a few people knew I was staying at Sid’s, and none of them would try to intimidate me. I was in town to help Don and Charlie, but we’d stumbled onto information about criminal activity involving gangs. I’d also encouraged Sid to confront her anonymous caller. Could any of that be related to the SUV drive-by? My imagination was fueling my anxiety.
When I arrived back at the house, Brooks was just getting ready to leave for work. I told him and Sid about the SUV. “It was a little unnerving, but I’m not sure there was anything to worry about.”
Brooks set down his briefcase on a barstool, and the two of them stared at me. Then Sid’s look turned to one of incredulity.
“Aren’t you always the one telling me I should connect the dots?” she asked.
Brooks kept his eyes on mine. “Good point, Sid. Darcy, you’re doing it again. You know that, right?”
Sheesh, now my ex was giving me the same grief as my husband? “No, I’m not putting myself in danger. I’m just trying to get information about a teenage runaway. I can’t do that without talking to people.” It sounded good, but my words didn’t even convince me.
Brooks said, “In my opinion, someone was trying to scare you, and it is probably related to you and Tom pressing people in the prostitution industry for information. Last night, when you described how you and Tom confronted the pimp, I was afraid it would lead to something like this … I mean attempts to frighten you off.”
“But think about it, how could anyone downtown know I was staying out here? Tom’s at the El Cortez, so maybe he’s more vulnerable, but I don’t see how they could connect me with you guys.”
“I think you are underestimating the people involved. Prostitution is big business and illegal as hell. These people are not stupid, and they have connections. Don’t forget I went down there with you, and we used my car. I see now that was a mistake. Do you think it would be a stretch for someone to get the plate and run it?
Reluctantly, I accepted what he was saying. “Okay, I see that. It’s possible, and maybe Tina said something to Shimmer about our conversation with her.”
A sickening thought overwhelmed me. “Oh my god, what if he forced her to tell him what we talked about? What if he hurt her?”
Brooks sighed and retrieved his briefcase. After kissing Sid, he turned toward the door leading to the garage.
“That might be exactly what happened. I hate to say this, but the only way you’ll know is to go back down there and check on her. After that, you and Tom need to be very careful and leave all of it to Metro. I’ll talk to you later today.”
After he left, Sid wrapped her arms around her body and sunk down onto the sofa. “He’s probably right, Darcy. But what if the car was related to my caller? That’s a kind of stalking, so why would it be surprising if they came out here to do it in person?”
“I know, Sid. I hesitated to mention it to Brooks, but I have the same concern. Are you planning to go out today?”
“Nothing pressing, and now I believe I’ll stay here.”
“Okay, I’m going to call Tom to tell him what happened. I want to make sure he doesn’t put himself in any danger—at least not before I get there. Then I’ll stay here with you till later this afternoon.”
Tom was surprised and concerned about my story, but he assured me he would be fine. “We might have exhausted all avenues for finding her,” he said gently. “It might be time to go back to Florida, if that’s what you’re planning.”
“I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I’m really concerned about Tina and Banu. I want to make sure they are all right, and I sure don’t want to get them into any more trouble. Only I have this notion that Pammie might have been taken out of the country, and I can’t shake it. We have to go to the police with the story about the men taking kids away from the motel at night. Maybe it will change their minds about getting involved with her disappearance.”
“It’s a long shot, but I’ll go over to the precinct today and make a report. We’ll see what they think about the story.”
“Thanks, Tom. That would be great. I’ll meet you later on. Good luck, and be careful.”
21
“Actually,” Tom said, “I was able to talk with Craig Hollister again. I got lucky because he was just leaving when I arrived, and he stayed around for a few minutes to hear what I had to say.”
We were sitting at our favorite table in the El Cortez coffee shop. I sipped my iced tea and waited. He ran his fingers through the short bristles of his semimilitary-style do. He looked frustrated.
“I’m afraid it didn’t do any good, and I can’t say I’m surprised. Unless Tina is willing to give a statement about what she saw and can give the police some help in making an ID, what can they do? Based on what Tina said, it sounds like the kids went with the men willingly.”
I kept on sipping and thought about it. How do we know we can’t convince Tina to do just that? What if we can arrange a safe place for both of them, away from the motel and prostitution?
“I can see that, Tom, but I have to check on Tina just to be sure she isn’t in trouble. Anyway, I think it’s worth talking to the girls again … and um, I’m wondering if they might be more forthcoming if I get them alone.” I peered at him from behind my cup.
“Wait a minute, Darcy. There’s no reason for you to go down there alone. It’s dangerous for you and possibly for them, and you don’t know what was behind the car stal
king thing this morning.”
“I’ll be careful. Nothing really scary has happened to us even when we were talking to Shimmer. Besides, I suspect the incident with the car had to do with Paul Denezza and his cronies, not the gang situation.”
“Maybe, but I don’t like it.” He stared at me for a moment and shook his head. “I suppose I can’t talk you out of it.”
I gently set my cup onto the saucer and gave him an affectionate smile. “No, Tom, I don’t think you can.”
“Look, I wasn’t going to tell you this because I think you’ll be angry—”
“Oh no, now what?”
“Mick made me promise to watch out for you. You know, stay close.”
Well, that figured. Mick’s given up on warning me about my activities, so now he’s soliciting others to take care of me surreptitiously. Great!
“I’m trying not to be angry, but I am disappointed. I was hoping he was over his anxiety about my work.” Of course that wasn’t entirely true.
Tom scoffed at me. “I don’t think he looks at this as an investigation involved with your work. I think he’s seeing it as a continuation of the problems we’ve all had with Paul Denezza, and he knows about the human trafficking and Asian gang connections down here. Double trouble, you might say.”
“Okay, I’ll buy that. But I’m going to try to talk to Tina and Banu again this evening. I want to go alone, but I can’t stop you from doing whatever you think you have to.”
He stared into my wide-open blues for a moment. “You’re impossible, but I have to say ever since I met you on the Sea Nymph, life has been a lot more exciting.” He smiled and winked. “You know I worry about you too, right?”
Guilt flooded in, and I suddenly felt selfish and insensitive. Tom lost his job with the cruise line because of the problems others and I had on the ship. Then he nearly lost his life in a crazy biological attack orchestrated by Paul and suffered a terrible emotional ordeal at the hands of a disturbed woman with whom he’d fallen in love.
I couldn’t help myself. I reached across the table and rested my hand gently on top of his. “Tom, I’m so sorry. You’ve been through so much since we met, and most of it is because we met. I don’t know what to say about that. I’ve thought a lot about all the odd situations we’ve encountered since 2008. Wow, has it really been five years since we all met on the ship?”
He turned his hand over and grasped mine. “I know you don’t believe in any sort of psychic or supernatural stuff, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered about how our little group—me, you and Mick, Rachael, Brooks and Sid, and Don and Charlie—seem somehow to be connected. It’s as if we’re meant to find solutions for each other’s problems. Yet in a strange twist, we wouldn’t have had most of our problems if we’d never met. I know that sounds stupid. I don’t know how to express it.”
“Don’t worry. I know exactly what you mean. We wouldn’t be here now if we hadn’t grown close to Don and Charlie because of their heroism on the ship and if Mick and I hadn’t been involved in looking for their daughter’s kidnappers. That was what led them to find Pammie in the first place.”
22
Tom and I negotiated a truce, and I admitted to feeling safer knowing he wouldn’t be far away in the unlikely chance I needed him. I drove to the mission at six o’clock to wait for the girls, knowing they sleep during the afternoon. I parked a half block away and stayed in the car, watching the motel and sidewalk.
If they didn’t appear this evening, there was every chance they’d met with some sort of violence because of me. The wait was excruciating and felt much longer than my phone indicated it actually was.
At quarter till eight, I was relieved to see Banu crossing the street wearing high heels and a white midthigh sheath that accentuated her meatless bones. She was alone, and that heightened my fear for Tina’s safety.
Banu headed toward the mission and me. In a repeat performance, I got out and walked up the sidewalk to intercept her before she entered. She seemed pleased to see me, although she still nervously surveyed her surroundings. It was heart-wrenching to see that paranoid habit so totally ingrained in such a young person.
“Hi, Banu. You look very pretty tonight. Is Tina around?” I held my breath.
“She already inside for meeting.”
“Oh?” Another wave of relief.
Surely, they had not been hassled by anyone about their contact with us. I wondered if the meeting was alcohol or drug related but then remembered Tina saying she did not drink or take many drugs. One of her unlikely and endearing qualities was concern about her own health.
“What kind of meeting is it?”
She shrugged and shifted her eyes to the pavement. Then she turned toward the door. Communicating with her wasn’t easy.
“Does that mean you don’t know, or does it mean there’s some reason you can’t tell me about the meeting?”
“Tina can tell it.”
I followed her inside, not knowing what to expect. Apparently, whatever meeting Tina attended was over. She was sitting at a table across from Ping along with several other teens. I estimated there were twenty-five kids scattered around the room, talking quietly. Some were eating.
Ping looked up and frowned as I approached. Tina stared at me intensely, but without expression. Somehow I understood that I should not appear too friendly or familiar with her in front of the preacher. Banu seated herself next to Tina, and Ping greeted her. When he asked if she was hungry, she nodded. He got up and disappeared behind his counter, presumably to get her food.
I took a chance. “Have you eaten, Tina? I thought you might like to go with me to the deli again. I’ll get you back here on time.”
Banu stared at me wide-eyed. She was a striking beauty shrouded in a fragile childlike body and attitude. My eyes stung, and I pushed the emotion back down along with an image of her selling herself to strangers. How could she defend herself against the misogynists and perverts who surely numbered among her customers?
“You’re welcome to come too,” I told her just as Ping came back with a plate of food. He set it down in front of her, then walked around the table to me.
“Would you also like to eat?”
“No thanks, Mr. Ping.”
“Please everyone calls me Tadashi. We’re not formal.”
“All right, Tadashi.” I looked around the room. “Seems like you just held a service here.” It was a guess. After all, he’s supposed to be a preacher.
“This too is not formal, but yes, I talk to the kids. I try to give them hope for a better future.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Tina glance up at him. Then she gave Banu an odd look, which might have been embarrassment. Why?
He turned his back to me and crossed to the other side of the room, where he engaged two girls and a boy in a quiet conversation. I studied the travel poster on the wall above his head. The Eiffel Tower in the rain was rendered in faded grays and pinks. I turned to Banu and watched her push food around the plate.
“Look, you two,” I nearly whispered, “I’m alone this time, and I’ll wait outside. Please join me.” I hoped the encouraging look I gave each of them registered.
Out on the sidewalk, I began to think they were not going to take me up on my offer. Then the door opened, and both girls stepped out, executing their usual surveillance of the street before approaching me.
“Okay, ladies, let’s go quickly.” I was already striding toward my car.
23
The deli was drawing a substantial dinner crowd when we arrived. Deborah offered a warm greeting and a raised eyebrow. The girls were decked out in street walking attire, and I in jeans and a plain white tank top. I’m sure we looked odd.
The young waitress was working, which reminded me that Walter had tried to hire Pammie, but she declined. That troubled me. A seventeen-year-old girl on her o
wn in Vegas at risk of sinking into a quagmire of street crime should have been thrilled with a job offer.
The girls ordered sausage sandwiches, and I asked for a salad. Deborah came over to our table when she had a free minute.
“Hi, how’s everyone doing tonight?”
The girls bobbed their heads. I said, “We’re doing fine. How are you and Walter?” I looked around but didn’t see him.
“Oh, Walter’s in back pulling some dumplings out of the oven. Business is picking up, and we’re thinking of hiring another waitperson.”
The girls peered up at her with similar hopeful expressions. I knew they were both too young to work in the restaurant but wondered if they would jump at the chance if asked.
Walter stepped out of the kitchen and stood behind the counter with his arms folded, scanning the crowd. His eyes shifted to our table, and although he nodded in recognition, he said nothing. He didn’t seem happy to see me there, and I wondered why.
Maybe he was afraid I was going to draw Deborah into something dangerous with my questions about the trafficking and the gangs. I knew from personal experience about protective husbands. But considering what they’d told me about their efforts to help the street teens, I doubted I could bring any more danger into their lives than they already invited.
During the meal, both girls seemed to relax a little, and I thought again that the Strohmayrs and this place offered a safe haven for lonely abused kids. I worked on my spinach, arugula, and bacon salad for a few minutes before turning my attention to the girls.
“How are the sandwiches? They look good.”
“Uh-huh,” Tina said, her mouth full of bread and meat.
It was time to probe for more information about Pammie’s disappearance. I wanted to work up to it gradually.
“I wanted to ask you something, Tina. Can you tell me about Mr. Ping’s ministry? What are his services like?”
She narrowed her eyes and frowned. It was not a good look on her. Then she swallowed and studied her plate. After a while, I realized she wasn’t going to answer. I glanced at Banu and saw that she was also uncomfortable and had abandoned her food. What the hell is going on with that guy?
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