After he'd talked to Special AgentBurrows, Trey snapped his phone shut. He rubbed his chin. "They foundwhere he was staying, and he's gone. He's actually been there for threeweeks." He shook his head. "Jesus, I don't know what the hell tookthem so long."
She smiled. "It wouldn't havetaken you that long to find him."
He scowled. "Damn right.Anyway, they seem to think he's left town."
"That's good. Right?"
"Yeah. Except we don't knowwe're he's going now."
"He'll do it again. To someoneelse."
"Almost guaranteed," hereplied thoughtfully. He opened his laptop and started going through filesagain.
"What're you doing?" Shecame to stand behind him.
"Just looking at things. Maybesomething will give me an idea. Burrows thinks he may be going home toBrawley."
"What do you think?"
"It's possible. I'm going tocheck back with them later. They're checking some things out."
"What things?"
"His family." He sighed."I went and talked to them months ago. Too bad I'm not still on the case;I think they'd open up to me if I talked to them." She watched his faceand knew something was going on in his head. "Hey, maybe I'll take alittle trip."
She stared at him, shaking her headslowly, her heart sinking. "To Brawley?"
"Yeah. And maybe El Paso."
"To see his sons?"
Trey looked up at her sharply."How did you know he has sons?"
"He...um, he said that. Thatnight. He was thinking of going to see them."
Dense silence filled the spacebetween them for a moment. "You didn't tell the cops that."
She covered her eyes. "Oh,shit," she said on a moan. Her mind was all fuddled. "I don't think Iremembered it until just now. When you said that." She looked at himagain. "I didn't realize that was anything significant. Why is it important,Trey?"
Trey closed up his laptop andstarted throwing things into his suitcase. "He knows about them," hemuttered.
She was confused. "What do youmean?" She trailed after him as he strode to the bathroom. "What youdo you mean? He didn't know he had sons? I don't get it."
"His wife left him and nevertold him she was pregnant. Eleven years ago. She moved to El Paso to get awayfrom his abuse, married again, raised the kids without them ever knowing abouttheir father, or their father ever knowing about them. Until one day, herdrunken mother spilled the beans to Barnes's mother. Just after he murderedKathy Richards. Barnes called his mother after that and, for some reason, askedif she knew where Teresa had gone. When I went to see his mother, she'd justfound out and she had no way to contact Sheldon, but I was pretty sure if sheheard from him again, she'd tell him."
He turned to her his face hard,intent, bottles of shampoo and conditioner in his hands. "Is that all hesaid? What did he say that night?"
She thought back, her mind racing.She rubbed her forehead. "That's all he said. He acted like it was no bigdeal, like he was just going for a visit. He'd told Krista that he had two sonsfrom a relationship a long time ago. Like it was all normal."
"He said he was going to seethem?"
"Yes." She frowned,concentrated. "He said he was thinking about going to see them inTexas."
"Did he say El Paso? Did heknow where they were?"
"Yes. Yes, I'm pretty sure hesaid El Paso. Or else when you said that, I wouldn't have immediately knownthat's what you were talking about."
He nodded and zipped up his bag.
"You're really leaving?" Whatabout me? She was too proud to ask the pathetic, needy question. If Barneshad really left, she'd be okay. She'd go home.
He turned to her. "I wish Iknew for sure he was gone," he said roughly. "I don't want anythingto happen to you while I'm gone."
"I'll come with you." Shewas insane. Her business was disintegrating and here she was proposing to takeoff on a wild goose chase across the country.
"Marli, I can't let you getinvolved in this."
"You're just going to talk tohis family, right? I won't get in the way." She blinked at him. "Youknow this is important to me. And I don't want to stay here alone."
He stared intently back at her."Shit."
She hovered by him as he continuedpacking. "Are you going to fly there?"
"No."
"Why not? It's a longdrive..."
"I don't have time to bookflights and dick around in airports. And I don't have a bureau expense accountany more. In fact, if they knew I was going there..."
"I can help drive, if you needa break. Can we go by my place to pick up a few things? I only grabbed enoughclothes for one day yesterday. Or whenever that was. I'm all mixed up."She pushed a hand into her hair. God, she was babbling.
"Yeah. Let's go."
She was in.
When they got to her place, it feltlike years since she'd been there. She missed her beautiful condo and all herstuff and especially her cameras. Trey followed her into the bedroom and whenshe threw open the closet door, he said, "Jesus Christ."
She glanced over her shoulder at himas she started pulling things off hangers. "What?"
He gaped at her overflowing closet."Do you think you have enough clothes?"
She laughed. "No. I could neverhave enough clothes. Or shoes."
She stripped down, right in front ofhim, knowing he was watching, and put on fresh underwear, lacy red panties anda matching bra. She wriggled into a clean pair of jeans, shrugged into a snugtank top and pushed her feet into boots. She grabbed a tiny cardigan and thrusther arms into it, then started throwing some other things into her duffel bag.
"Okay," she saidbreathlessly. "I'm ready."
They were cruising on the freewayheading south toward San Diego, the sun glinting off the Pacific Ocean to theirright. Marli lounged back in her seat. Other than the small knot of anxiety inher stomach that jumped every time she thought about what they were actuallydoing,
