And now, although parts of him hadalways been closed off to her, he was totally aloof and cool. He snapped outorders to get in the car, put on her seatbelt, hand him his coffee. She seethedwith irritation at his high-handed control, but also at his stubbornness andthe ridiculous boundaries he'd set.
They were in El Paso by earlyafternoon and, once again, Trey seemed to know exactly where to go to findSheldon Barnes's sons. He stopped in front of a small but neat house innortheast El Paso. The neighboring homes were all similar in size, some of themneatly kept, others more run down. Children played outside, and a lady sat onthe front steps of one house watching them. It wasn't an affluent neighborhood,but seemed clean and safe.
Marli looked around as Trey preparedto get out.
"I know, I know," shesaid. "Just go."
He looked at her long and hard, hisface inscrutable, then opened the door and slid out. The minute it closed,Marli pressed the button that locked all the doors with a clunk. Trey went upthe front sidewalk.
There was absolutely nothing to beafraid of on this warm, sunny fall day in a friendly El Paso neighborhood, butonce again her nerves were frayed. Trey was acting like such a jerk, shewondered how she ever fell in love with him. Her chest ached. She shivered andwrapped her arms around herself, looking nervously toward the house Trey hadjust entered. She wondered if any of the kids playing two yards over wereSheldon Barnes's sons.
No, those kids were too young, onlyabout four or five years old.
She watched him knock on the frontdoor and wait. And wait. Nobody was answering. He disappeared around the sideof the house. It seemed like forever, but the clock on the dash had onlymeasured a few minutes when he returned.
"She's not there."
He sat in the driver's seat, silent.
"Now what do we do?"
Trey drew in a breath and looked outthe window. "Talk to the neighbors. Come on."
She followed him up to the housenext door to Teresa's. Nobody home there either. They went on to the next one,where the children were playing, and the woman sat on the steps watching them.Her plump curves stretched a T-shirt and shorts.
"Hi," Trey said with acharming smile.
Marli pursed her lips. He could pourit on when he had to.
"We're looking for TeresaFisher. We're old friends from out of town. Do you know where she is?"
The woman looked at him. "She'sgone. She packed up and left last night."
Trey conveyed surprise."Where'd she go? On a vacation?"
"Uh...maybe. She didn't tell mewhere she was going. I just saw her loading the kids and their stuff into thecar last night."
Trey smiled. "What time wasthat?"
She studied him. "Just afterthe kids got home from school. About four, four-thirty."
"Darn. I guess we just missedher. Thanks, ma'am."
He took Marli's elbow and directedher back to the car.
He sat in the car for a momentbefore he started it. She looked at him, but said nothing.
Then he glanced at her. "He washere."
"How do you know that?"
"Just a gut feeling. Why elsewould she pack up and leave like that? Maybe Wanda Barnes warned her Sheldonwas coming. Or maybe he showed up and scared the hell out of her."
"At least she's stillalive."
"We hope." He looked grim.He rubbed his face.
Marli bit her lip. Now they seemedto be close, her uneasiness was growing. And the fact Trey was so distant andcold didn't help. All along, his big, comforting presence had made everythingbearable. She wasn't sure if she could do all this without his reassuringsupport.
She took a breath. She had to getthrough this.
"So what do we do now?"she asked, trying to keep her voice cool and steady.
"Damned if I know." Hepulled away from the curb and drove slowly down the narrow street, mindful ofthe kids playing.
"If he was here, we just missedhim," he said thoughtfully. "He didn't get that much of a head starton us." After a moment, he said, "He must've shown up in theafternoon, while the kids were at school. I bet he'll be back. That's why she'safraid. He probably wants to see the kids."
He stopped at a stop sign, then madea right turn. "I need to think." He drove down a street lined withstrip malls and fast food restaurants. "I'm trying to remember where herhusband works. She told me. Damn. Usually I remember everything."
"It'll come to you."
"Yeah. Let's get somefood." Trey pulled into the parking lot of a donut shop.
They stood in front of the counter,eying the pastries.
Marli sighed. "I'll have acoffee and a glazed donut."
The woman working there filled acup, plucked a donut out of the case and slipped it into a paper bag. Shelooked at Trey.
"Uh, coffee and...pecans."
Marli blinked. He turned to her andflashed a grin. "Pecans. He works at a pecan factory."
It took her brain two seconds torealize he was talking about Teresa Fisher's husband. She laughed. "Thecinnamon pecan roll reminded you?"
"Yeah." Still smiling, heordered one of the sweet rolls, then pulled a few bills out of his pocket topay.
"Let's eat in the car."
He booted up his laptop, perched onthe console between them, while they ate their snacks and sipped coffee. Thenhis fingers flew on the keyboard as he searched various engines and finallyfound it. "The Texas Pecan Company." He made a disgusted noise."I couldn't remember that?"
"You have the address?"
"Yup. And directions how to getthere." He closed the computer. "Our next stop."
Marli expected a big manufacturingplant, but the pecan company operated out of a small brick building.
"This is good," Trey saidas they walked to the entrance. "If it was a huge place, they'd havesecurity and might not even know him."
He asked at
