“Oh, sure. Ask the banger how to flee the country. Once a criminal, always a criminal.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
LeVar smirked.
“My boy knows how to hot-wire a vehicle. Stealing another car is always an option.” LeVar rested his chin on his palm and closed his eyes. “Nah. He needs to maintain a low profile. Another car theft increases his risk.”
“So how does he escape the country? It’s an awfully long walk to Mexico.”
“I’d buy a bus ticket,” Darren said.
“Don’t you need identification to buy a bus ticket?”
“Some carriers allow travelers without identification to buy a ticket online. It usually costs the purchaser an extra twenty bucks. But it can be done. Benson would need to find someone to purchase the ticket for him.”
Chelsey shook her head and said, “I don’t buy it. That’s an extra hoop for Benson to jump through. We’re assuming he didn’t have a fake ID already.”
“You’re right,” Raven said. “He thought ahead while he held Ellie Fisher for ransom. Not only did he withdraw his savings, but he hid the money, assuming he’d need to grab it and run if the authorities closed in on him. It only makes sense he purchased identification before the arrest.”
“And kept it with his money.” Chelsey swung her gaze from LeVar to Darren. “With ID, he could stroll into any bus terminal and purchase a ticket. The security in those places is nothing like an airport.”
“Clerks in bus stations don’t ask questions, either,” Darren added.
“But Wolf Lake doesn’t have a bus terminal.”
LeVar pushed the dreadlocks off his shoulder.
“The closest options are Harmon and Kane Grove.”
“Benson spends a lot of time in Kane Grove,” Darren said.
“When Aguilar and I entered the gym,” said Raven. “Someone had used the showers.”
“That’s a great place for Benson to hide if he found a way inside. He could clean up and shave off the mustache, alter his appearance just enough that a bus station clerk who’d seen Benson’s photo on television wouldn’t recognize him.”
LeVar pulled out his phone.
“If we want bus schedules out of Kane Grove, I know just the person to hunt down the information. I’ll text Scout.”
“Have her focus on routes to southern Texas,” Chelsey said. “Once Benson gets that far, he’ll sneak across the border.”
The double doors to the kitchen opened. Joining the teenager at the counter, Ruth Sims brushed flour off her apron. She noticed LeVar and his friends at the table and waved. LeVar’s smile seemed forced as he waved back. After Ruth returned to the kitchen, Raven held LeVar’s eyes.
“What was that about?”
“What?”
“That look on your face. Are you having problems with Ruth?”
“Hell, no. Ruth and I get along just fine.”
“Then why did you paint that smile on your face before you waved back?”
They were all staring at LeVar now. The teenager ran a hand through his hair.
“I can’t keep doing this. Ruth has me working twenty hours a week. Between the Wolf Lake Consulting internship and school, I barely have time to breathe.”
“Tell her you need to drop the job,” Darren said, keeping his voice low.
“I can’t do that to Ruth. She gave me a job when nobody else would. What cafe hires the enforcer for the Harmon Kings and trusts him with the cash?”
“You’re a good guy, and you’re loyal,” Chelsey said, patting LeVar on the shoulder.
“But you’re running yourself ragged,” said Darren. “Be honest. Do you plan to work at the Broken Yolk forever?”
“Well, no.”
“So don’t beat yourself up over this. Ruth will understand.”
“I don’t know, dawg. Ruth always has my back, one hundred percent.” LeVar’s phone buzzed with a received message. He lifted the phone and swiped to his texts. “Scout found our information.”
“She always does,” Raven said with a grin. LeVar set the phone on the table for everyone to read. Raven scanned the schedule. “The last bus left Kane Grove at two o’clock. Benson fled the municipal park around that time.”
“When does the next bus depart?” Chelsey asked, leaning over the table as she squinted at the screen.
Raven smirked, realizing Chelsey needed glasses. She tried to picture her friend wearing readers.
“Eleven o’clock tonight. The next bus out of Kane Grove departs at five-fifty tomorrow morning.”
Chelsey removed her phone from her pocket and held up a finger. After dialing, she pressed the phone to her ear and waited for someone to answer.
“Yes, I’m interested in purchasing a bus ticket for this evening.” Chelsey paused while the clerk confirmed her information. “That’s right, a ticket for eleven o’clock.” After the clerk replied, Chelsey scrunched her brow. “Canceled? All right. The next bus leaves at five-fifty, correct? And the connection will take me to San Antonio?” Several seconds passed. “Thank you. I’ll purchase a ticket inside the terminal. I appreciate your help.”
Raven glanced at Chelsey.
“Well?”
“They canceled the eleven o’clock route. Didn’t sell enough tickets, apparently.”
“That means Benson is stuck in Wolf Lake until morning.”
Chelsey swung her eyes to each member at the table.
“We caught a break. I’ll call the deputies and tell them what we found. Then we’ll set up surveillance.”
“Where?”
“What better place to spend Halloween night than a creepy farmhouse in the country?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
October 31st
3:10 p.m.
A sports car thumping heavy metal motored down England Street. Someone pointed at Leland, laughed, and tossed a beer can through the window. As the car squealed around the corner, Leland kicked the can aside and shoved his hands into his pockets.
He never should have stayed after school, talking to people he barely knew about Derek. Nobody consoled him. They only needed to understand how someone their age, someone they shared the hallways with, could suffer a brutal death in the shadows of their own backyards. Leland had no answers, and talking had caused him to miss the bus. Now he was stuck walking home in a windbreaker that
