Jase walked into the truck stop and glanced around for Wally, but didn’t see him. A dark-skinned woman worked behind the counter. “You seen Wally?” Jase asked.
“He’s not here. Wally called in sick.”
Jase pulled a twenty out of his wallet. “You know where he lives?”
The woman eyed the twenty. It wasn’t a lot but it beat minimum wage. “There’s a trailer park just down the road. He’s in space 14.”
“Thanks.” Jase handed the woman the money.
“Did you find him?” Kate asked as he settled himself behind the wheel.
“Wally called in sick. He lives in a trailer park down the street.” About a mile away, the Countryside Trailer Park sat off to the left. Jase pulled in, his headlights illuminating a row of single-wide trailers, grass and weeds growing up under the wheels.
Bumping along the rutted dirt lane, he pulled up in front of space 14 and turned off the engine. A dim light burned inside the trailer.
“I’ll be right back.”
Exiting the Yukon, he knocked on the door to a battered old Airstream about the size of a bedroom on wheels. He could hear shuffling, then the door slowly opened.
Wally looked like he’d been run through a meat grinder. Black eyes, split lip, bruises all over. The bags under his eyes said he hadn’t been sleeping. Probably hurting too much.
“What the hell...?” Wally blinked, recognized Jason. “You! Get the hell away from me!” He tried to close the door, but Jase shoved it open and pushed his way inside.
“Take it easy, okay? I’m not here to hurt you.”
“What are you? A cop? Are the cops out there right now?”
“I’m not a cop, and the police don’t know anything about you.” He didn’t burn an informant. Wally was just a guy trying to get by.
The kid sat down on the sofa, which also served as a pullout bed. He fingered his swollen nose. “Did you tell the police about the truck? You must have. There was never any trouble till you came around.”
“I’m a bounty hunter. I’m looking for someone. The guy I’m after is part of Los Besos.”
The color leached out of Wally’s thin face. “They thought I’d snitched to the cops, but I didn’t. I think they believed me, but they beat me up anyway. Said this was a sample of what would happen if I opened my mouth.”
“I don’t think they’ll come back to the TexMart. Too risky. You should be okay.”
Wally picked at the dried blood on the corner of his mouth. “I never wanted their dirty money, but they didn’t give me a choice. Those guys are bad dudes.”
“Real bad. What they do to those women is even worse.”
Wally knuckle-rubbed his head, making his pale hair stand up. He sighed. “I know. I feel bad about that.”
“Give me something I can use and I’ll find them, put them out of business. I won’t involve you or the cops. I’ll handle it on my own.”
Wally looked down at the bulge of the semiauto in the belt beneath Jason’s shirt. He shook his head. “They’ll kill me.”
“They won’t know. I give you my word. I just need a name, something to go on.”
Wally bit his lip.
“There’s a girl...” Jase said. “She’s only thirteen. Ran away from home a couple of days ago. I think Los Besos picked her up.”
Wally squeezed his eyes shut.
“She’s just a kid, Wally. You know what they’ll do to her.”
“Jesus.”
