Scratchgravel Road (Josie Gray Mysteries #2)(16)

Her mother had walked into her bedroom early that morning, at the end of her shift, kissed her on the forehead, and whispered good night. Teresa had faked sleep, unable to admit what she had done. Then her mother had been called back into work that afternoon, and Teresa had said nothing. She had already waited too long. How could she tell her mother she had lain in bed, silent, knowing that a man had been killed?

She’d always imagined herself as tough, as someone who could take care of herself and stand up for what was right. But she had discovered she was a coward. Teresa closed her eyes and wondered what Enrico was thinking at that moment. When they had climbed back into his truck and driven away from the Hollow he had made her promise she wouldn’t tell her mom. At the time, she had thought it was an empty promise. She had imagined confessing everything to her mother, but now, the thought of telling her seemed impossible.





FIVE


Officer Marta Cruz was a ten-year veteran of the force—twelve if her first two years working as a custodian were included. She left Mexico fifteen years ago after an abusive relationship with her then husband had forced the relocation. She was a compact woman with a deeply lined face; the permanent scowl lines that fanned out from her eyes and mouth belied her generally positive outlook. Marta attributed the recent deepening of those lines to constant worry over her sixteen-year-old daughter, Teresa. The girl had the curves to turn a grown man’s head, and a smart mouth that would either serve her well in life, or prevent her from finding success. Either way, the girl kept her mother and the parish priest up nights with worry.

Marta was thinking about her daughter as the first raindrops slid down the windows of the police department. She was sitting at her desk, on hold, waiting for the Border Patrol agent, Jimmy Dare, to come back on the line with a report on missing illegal immigrants in the West Texas area. Marta was struggling to remain focused on her job. Teresa was draining all of her energy. She was infatuated with a boy who was too old and too experienced for her own good. Marta predicted Enrico Gomez would be in jail before the year was out, but she couldn’t convince her daughter that he was anything more than misunderstood.

Jimmy finally came back on the line. “There’s a group of three kids missing. They took off about a week ago and supposedly headed up north through Presidio, but they were in their early twenties. Doesn’t sound like your man.”

“Thanks for checking. You’ll let me know if you hear anything?” she asked.

“Will do.”

Marta hung up with Jimmy and called her home phone to check on Teresa. They had been fighting nonstop lately and Teresa had started threatening to run away from home with Enrico if Marta didn’t allow her to see him. Marta listened to the busy signal on the phone and sighed, relieved her daughter was at least home. As a single mother she had no idea how to handle her hardheaded teenager with a rotating shift and no family in town to help.

*

By the time Josie and Otto arrived back at the Trauma Center the rain was coming down in sheets. Josie parked just outside the emergency room door and she and Otto made a run for the building. Standing inside, shaking the rain off, they watched as Cassidy walked down the hallway with Vie on her heels. Josie was relieved to see she had apparently made a full recovery, aside from the angry red burn covering her arms, legs, and face. Josie had talked with Vie about thirty minutes prior to tell her they were coming back to talk with Cassidy. She must have decided to make a quick getaway, and Vie was determined not to let it happen.

Vie threw her hands in the air when she saw Josie and Otto. “I told her you needed to talk to her!”

Cassidy was dressed in the same yellow shorts and brown T-shirt she had been wearing when they carried her out of the desert that afternoon. She looked as if she were ready to cry.

“Hold on a minute. What’s the rush?” Josie asked.

“My boyfriend’s on his way to get me. I have to go.”

Josie turned from Cassidy and gestured back toward the entrance door. “I’m sure he’ll come in. Nurse Blessings can explain we’re talking.”

“He called a few minutes ago. He’ll be here any minute.”

“You’ve been here all day. Surely he can wait a few minutes while we talk,” Josie said.

Her lips quivered and she squinted through tears. “He doesn’t want me talking to you. I told him you were coming back and he said he was coming to get me. I can come by your office tomorrow.” Her voice had grown shrill.

Josie motioned to the brightly lit patient waiting room. “Let’s sit down for a minute. We need to ask you some questions today. I don’t think you want to come down to the police station later, do you?”

She shook her head no and sat on the edge of a plastic chair with her hands underneath her thighs. Her eyes darted around the room as if searching for an escape route, and her forehead was creased in worry. Josie wondered if it was an act to get her way, or if she was truly fearful of the boyfriend. She considered taking Cassidy in to the station just to remove her from the boyfriend’s influence so she could try and talk sense into her.

Otto sat in the seat next to Cassidy and passed her a digital camera that he had turned on and queued up. “Take a look at that picture.”

Cassidy looked at the camera, then back at Otto.

“Recognize it?” he asked.

She shook her head no.