by Carolina Mac
“The motel lady said the food was good and it wasn’t expensive.”
Before going to the saloon, we had taken a minute to study Vince Agostino’s picture. He’d been photographed for his heavy equipment license and that was the most up to date picture available. Jody had found it online and printed a copy.
Tall, well-built, with dark curly hair and a swarthy tanned complexion, Vince Agostino was a hunk. He wasn’t smiling in his license photo, but I could picture him having a smile that melted girls’ hearts.
Sonny had that irresistible smile and that’s what made him so deadly. He didn’t have to try hard to find victims. Sonny smiled and girls flocked to him.
Texas Jack’s Saloon. Junction.
Farrell parked where Pete had a good view of the back door of the roadhouse and he could also see most of the parking area. “You okay here, Pete?”
“This spot is great. I’ll have a report for you when you come out for a smoke.”
Leaving Pete on watch, the three of us headed inside like we were tourists looking for good food and a fun Friday night.
A young waitress showed us to a table not far from the dancefloor.
“What time does the band start?” asked Farrell.
“Usually around nine. The guys we have now are pros. Great lead singer and all the regulars love them.”
Farrell ordered beer while we checked out the menu. The smell of barbequed meat wafting on the air made me realize I was starving. “What are you ordering, Jody?”
“Umm…not too much. I had a snack in my room before we left and it took the edge off.”
Raw meat?
The food was just okay but the beer was cheap and ice cold. Texas Jack’s had low food prices and they relied on serving quantity not high quality. The roadhouse was packed—not one empty table—before the band even hit the stage to set up.
After we ate, I made a trip to the ladies’ room to scope out Vince Agostino and didn’t see him anywhere.
At ten o’clock, more servers arrived along with a couple of bouncers. Things were gearing up for Friday night action at Texas Jack’s.
“Look behind the bar,” said Jody. “New bartender.”
Farrell turned his head and said, “Fuck, there she is.”
“She’s safe unless she lives in the trailer park,” I whispered.
When the new bartender came on shift, stools at the long well-stocked bar began to fill up. I checked out every one of the guys at the bar watching the girl mix drinks and there was a familiar face on the last stool.
I leaned close to Farrell and whispered. “Vince is at the bar sitting on the last stool.”
“I’m going to the men’s room.” Farrell left the table to have a better look.
When he returned, he sat down and nodded. “That’s him and he’s watching her close. We’re in trouble.”
“Maybe she’s perfect for him,” said Jody, “but he can’t kill her if she lives in town and not in the trailer park.”
“Depends how badly he needs a kill,” I said. “Like we discussed earlier, if something goes wrong in his routine, he could deviate even though it upsets him to do it.”
Vince watched the bartender for another hour without moving from his spot. He ordered drink after drink and it looked like he was drinking something orange. Screwdrivers, possibly. Maybe straight orange juice? No way to tell from this far away.
Around midnight, our server brought a fresh pitcher of Shiners to our table. I took my eyes off Vince for a split second and when I looked back, he was gone.
My heart thumped when I realized there was a blond guy behind the bar filling up empty pitchers with beer and the auburn-haired girl was gone. I hopped off my chair and hurried outside to see if Pete had seen anything.
Pressing the key fob, I jumped into the driver’s seat out of breath. “Did anyone come out the back door?”
“Yep, a guy came out and went to his truck, then he went back inside.”
“Which truck was it?”
“I’ll show you,” said Pete.
Farrell ran around the truck and let Pete out. He tore across the parking lot and we followed him to a gray Ford pickup two rows over. Farrell bent down, tagged the truck and punched the plate number into his cell.
We ran back to my truck and sat inside until the ownership came up on Farrell’s screen. “Yep, that’s Agostino’s truck. At least we have a tag on him now.”
“I’ll go back inside and watch him,” I said.
“We have to stay until the bar girl gets off duty,” said Farrell. “Make sure she gets home safe.”
“Uh huh. Yep. We’re doing that.”
“I’ll stay out here for a while with Pete,” said Farrell. “Back in a few.”
Back inside, the band was blasting out two-stepping tunes and the dancefloor was packed. Vince was not sitting on his stool at the end of the bar, but the auburn-haired girl was back on duty. She smiled at all the customers, joked with the guys sitting at the bar and made drinks as fast as she could.
Keeping pitchers full for the wait staff and making their cocktails for them took every second of her time. She was a great bar tender.
Jody saw me watching her. “She’s good at her job, isn’t she? Wonder if she lives in the trailer park? I’m worried for her now.”
“It’s not often you get a glimpse of the victim ahead of time,” I said. “We have to protect her now that we know her life is in danger.”
“Could be,” said Jody. “We don’t know for sure.”
“The way Vince was eye-balling her, I give it a higher probability than could be.”
“I guess you’ve seen a lot more crime than I have.”
“You’re a rookie, but it won’t take you long. You’ll be horrified in no time.” I winked at him and he shivered.
“I hope I never become jaded.”
Who are we kidding, Jody?
Closing time was two a.m. Our girl hollered last call at one a.m. and there was a flurry of ordering for those who were not yet drunk out of their every-lovin minds.
After she caught up with the new orders, she began shutting down the bar and cleaning up.
Vince was in place at the end of the bar. Customers had begun to depart in twos, threes, and bigger groups and now there were vacant seats at the bar.
“Jody, go sit at the bar and hit on her a little. I want to see Vince’s reaction.”
Jody smiled and showed me his dimple. “My first solo op. Watch this, boss.”
I’m watching. Don’t blow it.
Farrell came in and poured the last of the beer into his glass. “Jody in the can?”
“I sent him to the bar to give Vince a little competition.”
“Aw, fuck, babe. That’s dangerous for the girl.”
“Not if we don’t take our eyes off her. Watch Vince and see how he reacts.”
It didn’t take Jody long to have the girl smiling and laughing. He was a charmer, and he was funny when he wanted to be.
Vince shifted in his seat several times, then he downed the last of his drink and said goodnight to her. She gave a little wave as he left through the front door.
Farrell took that as his cue to go to the truck, leaving Jody and me to watch the girl.
Jody returned to our table when the owner began to lock up and we had to leave. The girl would be safe until she came outside to go home.
Farrell was behind the wheel of my truck and Pete was in the back seat. “Is the bar locked now?”
“Closed up. We’ll wait for her to come out. Did Vince leave?”
“Nope. He’s sitting in his truck. It’s that gray Ford over there.”
I glanced over and could see the red glow at the end of Vince’s cigarette. Not many vehicles left in the parking lot. Staff vehicles only should be left, plus us and Vinnie.
Twenty minutes passed and the bartender came hurrying out the back door with a black purse slung over her shoulder. She ran straight to Vince’s truck and hopped in with him.
Farrell waited until the gray pickup left the parking lot and turned onto the road, then he followed giving them a fair distance between us.
Vince drove along the highway without making any stops and turned into the trailer park. He seemed to know where he was going. No hesitation.
“He’s given her a ride home before,” said Farrell. “He knows exactly where she lives.”
Farrell drove past and turned the corner at the end of the street. He cruised down the next street over until he found a spot where we could look between two single-wides and see the trailer where the girl lived.
“Got binocs?” asked Jody. “I want to see what they’re doing.”
“Glove box.” I reached in, got my binoculars, and took a look. It was dark and I couldn’t see through the back of the cab. “Can’t see. Wait. She’s getting out and going in. Good. She’s not going anywhere with him tonight.”
Lazy Jay Motel. Junction.
Vince was parking his truck in front of his room when we got back to the motel.
“I guess he’s not going to kill her tonight,” said Jody, “or he isn’t the killer at all.”
“Yep,” I said. “One of those two things. Let’s get some sleep.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Saturday, November 14th.
Lazy Jay Motel. Junction.
I opened my eyes and Farrell was staring at me with those icy blue eyes of his. “I want you, Gilly. I want you all the time, but I guess you need to sleep a little too.”
“I was having a dream about you.”
“No need to dream. Your dream man is right next to you—naked in your bed.”
“How did I get so lucky?”
“I can hear you,” growled Pete. “I need to go out.”
“Aw shit, Gilly. Why did you have to bring the dog?”
“He can be helpful—given the right circumstances.”
“I don’t want him in our bedroom.”
“I may be a dog,” growled Pete, “but my feelings are easily hurt.”
“I’m getting up, Pete. I’ll take you out.”
“I don’t need a leash. I’m a responsible canine and I won’t run away. I’m not brain dead.”
“It looks weird to people if you’re not on a leash,” I grabbed my clothes, apologized to Farrell and snapped the leash on Pete’s collar. “Let’s get this done.”
Zing flew onto my shoulder and we all went outside. No activity in the motel courtyard. Saturday morning and the motel guests were still snoozing.
“Keep an eye on room two twenty on the second floor. Do you know your numbers, Zing?”
“Point to the door you want me to watch and I won’t take my eyes off it. I’ll caw loudly when someone comes out of there.”
“Yes, please. That would be wonderful. You can sit on the roof of my truck while I walk Pete. He’s in a mood this morning.”
“I’ve known friendlier dogs,” said Zing.
“Me too. I have dogs at home on Shadow Mountain and they are sweethearts.”
“What are their names?”
“Porky and Alice.”
“Alice is a beautiful name.”
“Isn’t it?”
Pete tugged on the leash and I left Zing on her own and ran around the perimeter of the motel property with my grumpy dog.
IHOP. Junction.
Zing sat on the second floor railing and kept an eye on Vince Agostino’s room while we went to the local IHOP for breakfast.
Jody seemed well-rested and gung ho for another day of serial killer hunting.
“Did you sleep well?” I dared to ask. Farrell was pissed at me because of Pete making us miss our morning sex. Not my fault and I wasn’t taking the blame. I carried on, head held high and not a tear in sight.
Our server, a girl named Gloria, rushed over to our table and filled our mugs with coffee. “What can I get y’all?”
“I believe I’ll have a stack of blueberry pancakes,” I said without the slightest hesitation.
“I’ll have the same with sausages and bacon,” said Jody.
Farrell growled and he sounded a lot like Pete. “Coffee only. I’m not used to eating this early in the day.”
Undaunted by Farrell’s testy mood I cheerfully said, “I am used to eating breakfast early in the morning with Moon and I’m happy to do it. What about you, Jodes?”
He gave me a little smirk and stirred a half cup of sugar into his coffee.
All that sugar can’t be good for him. Does he burn that much energy?
Farrell zoned the two of us out and concentrated on his cell phone. Was he that interested in the morning bullshit news? With a turn of his head I looked at the day in a whole different light.
“In the Junction PD incident reports this morning, a girl has been reported missing. Kim O’Connell is her name, her description matches previous victims and her address is listed as Riverside Estates in Junction.”
“Aw, no,” I said. “How is that possible? We saw her home safe. She walked inside and closed the door and Vince went back to the motel.”
“Can’t explain how it happened,” Farrell said, “but as soon as we’re done here, we’re going to find out all the details.”
Our server brought my blueberry pancakes and I realized I wasn’t hungry anymore.
Lazy Jay Motel. Junction.
“Jody, you’re on surveillance. Watch Vince’s motel room and his truck while we’re at the sheriff’s office. We’ll check in and you call us if there is any movement at all.”
“Okay, sure. I can do that.”
“Keep Pete with you,” I said. “He’s good in an emergency, like if Vince tries to rabbit.”
“I don’t have handcuffs or anything,” said Jody.
“Call and we’ll come running. You can handle this, Jody. You have talents and so does Pete.”
Junction Police Headquarters.
Farrell stood in front of the uniformed Sergeant at the front desk and showed his creds. “I’d like to see whoever is working the case of the girl missing from the trailer park.”
The Sergeant stared at his computer screen for a couple of minutes and said, “That would be Detective Leslie Jarvis.”
“Where can I find her?”
“She’s at the scene with the missing girl’s father at the moment.”
“Tell her to stay at the scene and let her know I’m on my way,” said Farrell.
“Does the state have an interest in this case?”
“I believe this is part of the case Ranger Hart is assigned to. I’m her partner.”
“I’d like to verify that,” said the Sarge taking a hard look at me.
“Call Chief Calhoun at Ranger Headquarters in Austin. He assigned the case to Ranger Hart.”
“And this missing girl fits in how?”
“I’ll explain all the details to the D on the case,” said Farrell. “Let’s go, Gilly.”
“They don’t want us here,” I said.
“Get used to it. The locals don’t like it when the State overrides them and the State don’t like it when the feds do the same thing. Pissing contest all around. The higher you go, the worse it gets.”
Riverside Estates. Junction.
Farrell drove to the trailer they had seen the auburn-haired bartender go into the night before. He parked on the road, noted the two squad cars in the driveway and led the way to the front door.
The inside door was open and only the screen was closed. He held up his badge, flashed it and walked in. “Ranger Donovan, Violent Crime Squad for Texas, and this is Ranger Hart.”
Detective Jarvis glared at them and pushed them out onto the front deck. A short brunette with dark-rimmed glasses, her jaw was set and she was ready to go at it. “Why are y’all here? This is my case.”
“We had Kim O’Connell under surveillance, Detective. We believe Kim’s abduction is a part of a case we’re working on an
d this case belongs to Ranger Hart.”
“You’re using your authority and jerking my case?”
“That’s exactly what’s happening, ma’am,” said Farrell.
“Fuck you.”
“No thanks.” Farrell walked in and sat down across the table from Kim’s father. At least he figured it was her father. A distressed guy looking like today was the worst fuckin day of his life.
“Mister O’Connell, I’m Ranger Donovan from State Violent Crime. I need to ask you a few questions that Detective Jarvis has probably already asked you.”
“Go ahead. Ask me anything you want. I want to find Kim.”
“I want that too, and so does Ranger Hart. We’re here to help you.”
I jumped in with the first question on my mind. “What time did you notice Kim wasn’t here in the trailer with you, sir?”
“I noticed the minute I got up because Kim’s a bartender at Texas Jack’s Saloon and she gets in late. She usually doesn’t get to bed until three in the morning. Her door is always closed when I get up but this morning her door was wide open and she wasn’t in her bed.”
“Would you mind if I took a look in her room?” I asked.
“Down the hall. Second door on the right. The detective told me not to touch anything because lab people were coming.”
Farrell nodded. “Forensic techs will be coming shortly. We need to print the room.”
I jogged down the hall and glanced into the room. Small bedroom. Kim had definitely gone to bed when she got home. Her bed was messed up. Her bar clothes that I’d seen her wearing last night were on the floor in front of her closet door.
He took her in her nightie or pjs.
On my way back to the kitchen I could see Detective Jarvis standing on the front deck talking on her cell phone. She was raising hell with somebody.
The lab people arrived a few minutes later and Farrell spoke to them before they started running Kim’s room. He gave the leader of the tech team his card.
“I’ll leave you my card, Mister O’Connell,” I said. “If you think of anything or if you want an update, call me. I realize this is the worst day of your life and the waiting for news is the hardest part. Do you have a friend or a brother who could come and wait with you?”
