“Bounty hunter,” Jase said.
“Uh-huh. You hunting her killer?”
“Yeah.”
Bessie nodded her approval. “She said somethin’ once ’bout Houston. Said she’d had a real bad time of it there. Said not to say nothin’. She’s dead now, so I guess it don’t matter.”
“You tell the cops?”
“I don’t like cops.” She leaned back against the counter. “I hope you find that shit bird who killed her.”
“Don’t worry,” Kate said. “We will.”
Jase’s cell phone rang just as they pulled into the rental-car lot at the airport. He grabbed it and checked the screen. “It’s Tabby.” He parked the Mustang and put the phone on speaker. “What’s up, Tab?”
“I never got the location of Tina Galen’s last call, but I figured you’d want to know the phone was purchased in Houston.”
“Houston.” Jase flicked a glance at Kate. “Looks like the second victim may also have a connection there. That’s good work, Tab.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know if I turn up anything else.”
The line went dead, and Kate’s gaze found his across the console. “Looks like we’re going to Houston,” she said.
“Looks like.” Leaving the keys in the ignition, he cracked the car door and they climbed out into the afternoon heat.
“Are we leaving from here?” Kate asked as they walked toward the plane.
“If that works for you.”
“I’ve got my carry-on. That’s all I need. Where do we start looking once we get there?”
“I know a couple of people who might be able to help.”
Kate smiled. “You always know a couple of people.”
Jase grinned. “Comes in handy sometimes. I need to make some calls, get things rolling.” Since it was hotter inside the plane than outside, he stood in the shadow cast by the wing and went to work, sending texts, calling informants, setting the wheels of information-gathering in motion.
By tonight, he hoped to locate someone who could give him a line on what was happening on the streets in the underbelly of the city.
While he worked, Kate phoned her office. Jase could hear her going over details with her team and answering questions. He phoned The Max to let Mindy know he wouldn’t be in for a day or two and to give Chase an update on the case.
The good news was Garrett Resources, being an oil and gas company, had offices in a building on the Houston Energy Corridor. The company kept a couple of apartments there for staff and clients coming into the city to do business. Chase offered to let them use one.
“I’ll find out which unit’s available and call you back,” Chase said. “The West Houston Airport’s closest. If you land there, you can borrow one of the company cars.”
“I’m liking this deal,” Jase said, smiling. He ended the call and turned to Kate. “Looks like we’ve got a place to stay.” He opened the door on the copilot’s side and helped her climb into the seat. “Thanks to Chase, we’ve got the use of an apartment not far from the airport.”
“Wow, that’s great.”
While Jase completed his visual inspection, Chase phoned back with the info. A little over an hour later, the plane landed at the West Houston Airport, where a pair of black Range Rovers sat side by side in the parking lot.
Jase matched the license plate number to the info Chase had given him and found a set of keys inside. From the airport, he drove to a three-story apartment building at an address on Briar Forest Drive. The furnished unit had hardwood floors, granite kitchen counters and lots of windows, which pleased Kate. Him? Not so much.
As soon as they were settled, they both set up their laptops and started digging for information. Beginning with theHoustonChronicle, Jase read crime reports, public arrest records, anything to do with murder, rape, gun crimes, assault and particularly prostitution.
He had picked up enough bail skips in the city over the years to be familiar with the high crime areas. Sunnyside was the roughest, with the sixth highest crime rate in the nation. The southwest side had a lot of gang-related activity, mostly at night. Areas in the Third Ward near the university could be very bad news.
A story about an undercover sting the cops called the Easter Bunny raid caught his eye. Twenty johns picked up in various locations over a period of a couple of weeks. The police were looking into the possibility that some of the women were trafficked.
