“Along with other establishments. My black card status allows me around the country.”
I paused before taking the card from him. This wasn’t gonna work, I thought as I typed the numbers into the laptop and hit enter. My mouth gaped open as wide as my eyes as the screen changed to display a woman, naked except for the cowboy hat, boots, and gun holster that she wore. She had the biggest breasts I’d ever seen, and the caption above her read: Welcome to the Horsehoe Ranch, where just like Texas, everything is bigger.
“What the fuck?” Kia whispered the exact words that I was thinking. “Bobby, is this how you found the Hellfire Club?”
“Yeah, it’s not like they put a big sign outside that says brothel,” he admitted, pushing his glasses on his nose as his eyes remained on the woman on the computer screen.
“Okay, so now what?” I asked.
“Click on her,” he told me. I did, and another woman appeared on the screen. “Keep clicking.”
I continued clicking through the images of naked women. There were plenty to choose from: all races, all sizes, all beautiful. After a few more clicks, Myesha’s naked picture appeared on the screen.
“Oh my God, it’s her!” Kia screamed.
“I told you.” Bob beamed with pride.
“I can’t believe it. We actually found her,” Kia said.
I looked at her and saw tears in her eyes. “We did it.”
“Now click and ask for a date.” Bob nudged my shoulder.
I clicked on the photo, but a message came up saying no dates were available.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It can mean one of two things: either she’s booked up, or she’s not there anymore,” Bob answered.
“What do you mean, she’s not there?” Kia panicked. “How do we find out?”
“We can always go and see,” Bob suggested.
I turned around, and Kia’s eyes met mine. “What do you wanna do?”
“Let’s go,” she said.
LC
44
“You do realize this is his town. The minute we walk in there, someone is gonna call KD or his son, Tyler,” Vegas stated, making his thoughts very clear. It wasn’t as if my thoughts were any different. It’s just I that had a little more information than my son.
“We don’t really have a choice.” I sighed, staring at the American flag and Texas state flag waving in the wind above the tan brick building. The sign in front proudly proclaimed: El Paso County Sheriff’s Office: We serve with pride
“Come on. Let’s get this over with. We only have an hour before the others arrive,” I said, leading the way.
We stepped inside, and as expected, all eyes were on us. I’m sure it wasn’t every day two well-dressed black men entered that place with confidence. It took a moment before anyone came over to the counter to assist us.
“What can we do for you boys?” a heavyset officer asked. The toothpick in his mouth moved as he talked.
“I’d like to speak with the sheriff,” I said, ignoring the fact that he’d addressed us as “boys.”
“And just who are you?” He peered at us. “We don’t hold no prisoners here. They’re down the highway at the jail if you’re looking for someone who’s been arrested.”
“Look, ain’t nobody—”
I put my hand on Vegas’s arm to stop him from speaking. “We aren’t looking for anyone who’s been arrested. We’re here to meet with the sheriff.” I mentally began counting backward from ten.
“What’s your name?” Another uniformed officer, this one tall and skinny, walked up and asked.
“Are you Duncan?” A voice came from behind them. The other two men backed off, indicating that this was their boss and the man I’d come to see, Sheriff Roscoe Porter.
“Yes,” I answered. “I take it Sheriff Kline from Arkansas called you?”
“He did.” Sheriff Porter nodded. “You boys come on back.”
He buzzed us through a door near the counter and escorted us back into his office. Vegas and I sat in two small chairs in front of his desk, which he sat behind.
“Thank you for seeing us, Sheriff,” I said.
“Kline said you’d come a long way and I should hear you out.” He folded his hands in front of him. “What’s this all about?”
“We’re looking for this young man and this young lady. We have reason to believe they’re here in your city with an older man.” Vegas showed him the picture of Nevada and Kia.
“Sounds like you need to file a missing person’s report. Billy coulda helped you do that out front,” Roscoe said.
“We don’t want to file a missing person’s report. We need you to use all of your resources and help us find them and the van they’re in,” I told him. “And neither KD Shrugs or Tyler can know anything about it.”
The room went silent for a few seconds, and Roscoe looked at me as if I’d just proposed making a nuclear strike. His face screwed up in confused amusement. “Let me get this straight. You want me to utilize all my manpower and means to help you find two young people and a vehicle, and also make sure KD and Tyler Shrugs don’t know what I’m doing? In El Paso, Texas?”
I nodded.
“What else do you need? You looking for Cinderella, or maybe a couple of dwarves and Snow White? What other fairytales you want me to bring to life? ’Cause keeping anything from those two in this part of Texas is damn near impossible. Besides, why would I want to help you do this, other than a colleague from Arkansas asked me to hear you out?” He raised an eyebrow.
I stared at him without saying anything, while Vegas stood and placed a bag on the desk, then sat back down.
“What the hell is this?” Roscoe asked, staring at the black leather bag in front of him.
“Open it and find out. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with what’s inside,” I said.
Roscoe pulled the bag near him and clicked it open. I watched as his eyes become wide and he gasped ever so slightly, then closed it quickly.
“Mr. Duncan, are you boys trying
