At the desk, Wyatt removed a picture of Zarah and slid it toward an older man whose shirt had manager under his name, Donald. “Have you seen this girl around here?”
The manager studied it for ten seconds and said, “Nope. We get a lot of kids in here.” He nodded his head to the group of boys, talking loud and cheering their companions in their quests on the video games they were playing. “If I remembered all the kids who come through here, I’d have no room in here,” he tapped his temple, “for anything important.”
“I’d like to ask some of your employees.”
“Sure.”
Wyatt approached several workers, and by the time he had talked with the third one, Kate came out of the restroom, a huge grin on her face.
“I saw her about two weeks ago here,” a young woman with carrot-colored hair said. “I remember her because she slammed the pay phone down real hard and then stomped into the ladies’ room. I got kinda worried and started to go in there to see if she was okay. But she left before I had taken two steps.”
“Did she leave the bowling alley?”
“Yeah. Kept her head down and plowed her way through some teens and out the front door.”
“Thanks.” Wyatt turned away from the employee and bridged the short distance to Kate. “You found it?”
“Yes. It was on the right side of the room on the bottom row fifth locker from the door. That’s what 5RB stands for.” She held up a small pad, similar to what he used to write down information about cases.
“Let’s eat lunch here and go through this. That was the only thing in the locker?”
She nodded.
“I think she left it two weeks ago. At least it sounds like she did after talking to that lady over there.” Wyatt gestured toward the woman cleaning the area behind lanes one through ten.
After they took a seat side by side in a booth and placed their orders, Kate flipped the pad open to the first page. “If u r reading this, I’m dead. Take this to the police.” Kate glanced at Wyatt. “She never said a word to me. Everywhere I look, I find I’ve let down my girls. I should have known Zarah was scared about something, but she always acted like nothing bothered or scared her.”
“False bravado.”
“It seems so,” Kate murmured in a low voice, a frown scrunching her forehead. “Maybe I have no business running Beacon of Hope.”
Wyatt slipped his hand over hers. “Remember your successes. You have saved some girls from a life on the streets. You have given some of them hope. A hope they hadn’t had in a long time, if ever.”
Kate sniffed and turned the page. “I’m trying, but so much is at stake here.”
Wyatt’s gaze lit upon Zarah’s next words. “I never knew Rose’s real last name—not sure Rose is even her real first name. When she came to Beacon of Hope, I knew who she was. I’d seen her a couple of times. She’s the boss’s niece—a recruiter for him. She denied it, but I know she’s involved with King. This might be my way out of here. I don’t belong here.”
She leaned forward. “King? Have you heard of anyone connected to this case by the name of King?”
“No.”
“I wonder if that is the man’s real name.”
“If someone like Zarah knew that name, I doubt it. But I’ll ask the rangers in this area and Detective Finch to check with the Dallas Police, especially vice.”
On the next page Kate picked up the narrative written by Zarah, “I called Tony. I told him I’d tell him where Rose is if he got me out of this place and give me a thousand bucks. I figure that’s OK on account of Rose being family to King. I don’t know who the big guy really is, but she does. My silence should be worth something. I could start over someplace else.”
“Now I see why Zarah was shot.” Wyatt tapped the word thousand. “She was blackmailing Tony and King. Not smart— even with this as insurance.”
Kate continued reading, “Tony is coming 4 me soon. I’m putting down everything I know about King. Rose is gone. Her uncle must have gotten her. I’ll use this to get what I want from Tony when he comes. He better have my $$ with him. What I heard from some of the girls is King is good looking, owns some ranch here in Texas and is rich. A couple of the girls were kept at the ranch. Not me.” She closed the pad. “That fits with what we know about Rose and her riding horses when she was younger.”
“Okay. We think Rose lived in this area of Texas, maybe on a ranch near an airport. It burned down and her parents were killed in the fire. We don’t know when, but it had to be sometime between two to eleven or twelve years ago. If she was too young, she wouldn’t have been riding horses. Then it sounds like she went to her uncle’s ranch. A man who is handsome and rich. If we can find the first, we should be able to find the second ranch. This will be my priority, especially now that we know the connection between Rose and this King.”
“Wait. What if Rose was talking about riding horses and the airport and she was referring to this King person’s ranch? Maybe at first she wasn’t used in the prostitution ring because she was too young.”
“You think he drew a line at when he would use his niece?”
“Maybe.”
Wyatt snorted. “You’re giving this man more credit than I can. Remember what your girls have gone through. These kinds of people have no morals. You know that some parents have sold their children into this type of life.”
“You’re right. But I’ll always have hope that a person can change. I have to.” Kate sighed and relaxed back against the brown vinyl cushion. “At least this is a solid lead.”
“I’d love another cup of your coffee.” King gave his mug to Carrie.
“It’s nice to have a man appreciate my coffee. I’m going to check on those sweet rolls. It’s Kate’s recipe. You’ll have to tell me how they are.” She headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll be back with breakfast.”
King waited until she disappeared through the doorway, then hopped up and moved toward the window that looked out over the porch. Sheridan had gone outside a few minutes ago when he had received a call from another ranger. He positioned himself at the corner of the window, hidden by the drapes, and leaned as close as he could.
Although most of the conversation was hard to make out, King heard a couple of phrases. “Expand our search . . . all of Texas. Got to be . . .”
What search? He needed more information. His gut told him something was going on that was connected to him.
He heard Carrie returning. King scrambled away from the window and stood in front of a painting—amateurish—odd colors with geometric shapes. He noted “Caroline” was written in the corner.
Turning when she came back into the living room, he closed the space between them and took the tray she carried. “Did you paint that picture?”
Carrie blushed. “What do you think?”
“You’ve got talent. I like your use of colors.”
“My son didn’t want me to put it up in here. I insisted. It took me two days to do it a few years back.”
“Have you got any more paintings?”
“No, Wyatt isn’t into that kind of stuff. I gave them away. That was my favorite one. I kept it, and in spite of his protests, it’s hanging in here.”
“I offered to hang it up for you in your bedroom.” Wyatt said from the foyer. He picked up his cowboy hat and set it on his head. “I’m leaving. I’ll probably be late again tonight.”
“Hon, you need to slow down. You’ve been putting in a lot of late nights. I worry about you.”
“It’s this case. Hopefully it’ll be over soon.” Wyatt kissed his mother’s cheek, nodded to King, then left.
Carrie released a long breath, shaking her head. “He will never change.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He’s like a pit bull. He won’t let go no matter what. That’s him when he’s working a case that means something to him.”
“All cases don’t?”
“No.” Carrie walked to the couch and sat in front of the tr
ay, then patted the cushion next to her. “Come, eat. I need someone to appreciate my attempts to learn to cook decently.”
King took the place next to Carrie and selected a sweet roll from the plate. After tasting it, he closed his eyes and licked the sugar from his lips. “Hmm. This is good. Too bad your son is missing this.”
“He’s missing a lot. His daughter is unhappy, and his way of dealing with it is to be gone. I’ll be glad when school starts tomorrow. At least she can leave the house to go there. This grounding is my punishment too. I get to witness her moping around all day. I don’t feel I can go anywhere so I’m basically confined here too.” She leaned back and slid her arm through his. “I’m so glad you’re all right about coming here to see me.”
“When I’m not having to work, I’d much rather spend my time here. You’re prettier to look at than the walls of my hotel room.”
She playfully punched him in the arm, the color of her cheeks deepening to a bright red. “I bet you say that to all the women you date.”
He schooled his expression into a look of seriousness. “I haven’t dated since my wife died. You’re the first to tempt me to give up my bachelor ways.”
She laughed. “You’re just saying that to get another sweet roll from me.”
“Nope. The honest truth.” King held up his right hand as though he was swearing in court, then he winked at her. “But there is another one on that plate that is begging me to eat it.”
“Go right ahead. You better than me. You don’t have to watch your calories like I do.”
“Ha. Are you wanting another compliment? I could do it all day. It’s easy to give you compliments.”
She put her hand to her cheek. “Oh, my. You know how to sweet talk a gal.”
“With you, it’s a pleasure.” He reached for another roll and leaned back with his arm around Carrie.
“You said your granddaughter is home. It’s awfully quiet for a teenager.”
“That’s because she’s sleeping. I don’t think she’s gotten up before noon since she’s been grounded.”
“Doesn’t she ride her horse in the morning?”
“Not lately. It’s like she doesn’t care about riding anymore. I told Wyatt, but he seems to think she’s just pouting and everything will be all right when she’s no longer grounded. I don’t know about that.”
“What’s this big case that takes him away from the house so much?”
“I don’t know much. Just bits and pieces I’ve heard him say on the phone or to Kate.”
“Kate, the lady I’ve seen here? She works for the police?”
“Oh, no.” Carrie angled more toward him and snuggled closer. “She runs Beacon of Hope in Dallas for troubled girls.”
“Troubled? How so?”
“Girls found on the streets selling themselves.”
“What’s your son got to do with that? Isn’t that Dallas Police’s problem?”
“He’s on a task force involving human trafficking— especially children that prostitution rings move all over the place. It’s alarming what’s going on.”
King brought his other arm up to encircle Carrie, hopefully giving her a sense of security. “Is this a big problem around here?”
“It’s a big problem all over the United States. I think Wyatt is getting close to finding a major supplier in this area.”
“He is? That’s great.”
“Yes. I can’t wait until this is over with. I hate thinking there are people out there preying on young girls. I heard him talking to Kate about something one of her girls wrote about the ring she was in.”
Zarah. So it wasn’t a bluff. If only Tony hadn’t gotten into a wreck, they would have the information she had threatened them with. It wouldn’t have taken long to get it from Zarah. She had no idea who she was up against. Tony paid for his mistakes, but King had to deal with the consequences.
King slipped his arms away from Carrie, then reached for his coffee and forced himself to take a sip. “I wish I could stay longer, but work calls me too. Hopefully not for too long.”
“When are you leaving Dallas?”
“Soon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep in touch. Unless you don’t want to.” King put his mug on the tray, the bitter coffee assaulting his taste buds.
“No. Austin isn’t that far away.”
King rose. “That was what I was thinking.”
Carrie walked him to the front door. He dipped his head toward hers and kissed her. When he left and descended the steps outside, he dug into his pocket and withdrew a peppermint. Popping it into his mouth, he savored its sweet flavor that drove the taste of Carrie’s nasty coffee from his mind. The things he did for his business. He shook his head. It would be over soon. In fact, sooner than he had planned.
After he climbed into his sedan, he called his nephew. “We’re moving everything up. Call Maddie and arrange to meet her tomorrow.”
17
I’m miserable and so bored.” Maddie lay on her bed, her cell to her ear.
“I saw Kevin and Andrew today in town. They were telling me about freshman orientation. I can’t wait till next year,” Kelly said, excitement in her voice.
“Yeah, middle school sounds so dorky.”
“Well, we don’t have to wear uniforms like Chad and Tyler.”
“Did you talk to Chad lately?”
“Yeah, he called me last night and again a little while ago. Haven’t you heard from Tyler?”
“No, I feel so isolated. There is nothing to do. Every web site I want to go to Dad has blocked, and now I can’t even use the computer until I’m off being grounded. Tyler told me he had a way to get around those blocked sites. I’m dying to learn how.” If only he would call.
“Chad told me they start school day after tomorrow. They’re lucky they have an extra day of freedom.”
“Yeah, but they have uniforms. I’d hate that. You should see the outfit I have for tomorrow. I’m gonna have to wait until Dad leaves to put it on. Lately, he’s been leaving early so he should tomorrow too. He wouldn’t like what I’m gonna wear, but Nana won’t care. She helped me pick it out before he grounded me.”
“What happens if he does see you in it?”
“He’d ground me another week probably. I’ve hidden it in my closet so I’ll just wait until he leaves.”
Kelly giggled. “The things we have to do. My mom is pretty good about things like clothes, but my dad isn’t.”
“At least you have a mom. My dad would have me wear armor if he could.”
“That would set off the metal detectors.”
The picture of her going through them and all kinds of bells clanging and going off brought a smile to Maddie’s lips until she thought of the long night ahead with nothing to do. “I’d better go. Nana said dinner would be soon. See you on the bus tomorrow.”
Maddie put her phone on her coverlet, her smile dying as thoughts of being in this house for another week, except when she was at school flooded her mind. Dad is being so unreasonable! Anger welled up in her. Her hands curled into fists, and she pounded them against her bed. He still thinks I’m a little girl.
I’m not.
Nana rapped on the door, then eased it open and peeked in. “Dinner is ready.”
“Is Dad home yet?”
“No, but he should be here any minute.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Nana came into the room. “Sure you are. You’re just mad at your dad and don’t want to eat with him.”
“Bingo. I thought he was going to be late again.”
“He called and said he got through early.” Her grandmother sat on the bed and patted Maddie’s arm. “I think he misses seeing you. You’ve done a great job of avoiding him. Staying mad at him won’t make the situation better. You need to talk to him.”
“Yeah, so he can dictate something else for me to do.”
“He loves you. He has your best interest at heart. Honey, do it for me. Please.”
“Sure
. But it’s not me. It’s him.”
“I was wrong to go behind his back about the henna tattoo and bikini.”
“But, Nana, you understand. I should have control over my own body. What harm is a tattoo, especially one that isn’t permanent? No one even sees it unless I have a bathing suit on.”
“That’s not the issue. I went against your father. He is your parent.”
Maddie scooted up and sat back against the headboard clasping her legs against her chest. “But you’re my grandmother. You’re a woman. He isn’t and doesn’t understand.”
“Then help him to understand. Dismissing him and his concerns won’t make this better.” She rose. “He should be here in five or ten minutes.”
Maddie pressed her lips together, refusing to say another word. Her dad had gotten to Nana. She couldn’t even depend on Nana’s support anymore. When her grandmother left, the door remained ajar. All she wanted to do was go to it and slam it closed. But then her stomach tightened with a hunger pang.
The cell on the bed beside her rang. She picked it up and saw Tyler’s number. As she answered it, she jumped up, hurried toward the door, and closed it quietly.
“Hi, Tyler. I can’t talk long. Dinner is about ready.”
He chuckled. “Hello to you, too. I won’t keep you long. I miss you so much. Can we see each other soon?”
“Why haven’t you called?”
“I tried to stay away. I hate talking to you and not getting to see you. All I do is think about you.”
“Me, too. I’ve been so bored. I want to see you.”
“Is there any way you can get away? Tonight?”
“Tonight? I don’t know about that.” She pressed her ear to her door and heard voices—her grandmother talking to her dad.
“Tomorrow, when your dad goes to work? We could spend the day together. We could meet at Ashland Mall. I have some shopping to do. We could have lunch there. I need to see you.”
The urgency in his voice made her legs go weak. Maddie leaned back against her door, her heartbeat accelerating at the thought of seeing Tyler, defying her father. “School starts tomorrow, but actually that might be the best day to skip. They don’t keep good attendance the first few days. They don’t call parents about students not being there until next week. And Nana goes to her ladies’ church group in the morning.”
Saving Hope: Men of the Texas Rangers Book 1 Page 23