Midnight Crossing: A Mystery

by Tricia Fields

  “Isabella is gone, Ryan.”

  He looked up at her, apparently caught off guard at the statement.

  “Josh and Macey are gone,” she said.

  Again, confusion in his eyes.

  “I want to know where they are,” she said. “No games. No lies. You have too much on the line to screw with me right now.”

  He nodded and his expression grew earnest as his breathing returned to normal. “I understand, but I don’t know where they are. I haven’t talked to either one of them since I got back to Artemis.”

  “We’ll get your phone records. You know that, right?” she said.

  He leaned his head back and groaned. “Okay. Seriously, Josh called a few times, but not about leaving with her. He just called freaking out because they were missing. He kept telling me that he had to get them delivered. That someone would come after him if he didn’t get the women before they went to the cops.”

  “Who was coming after him?”

  “He never said. I never asked. I didn’t want to know.”

  “So what did you do about the missing women?” Josie could feel the acid burn in her stomach.

  “Nothing. He called the first time and he was like, You have to come with me. You have to help me find these two women. I was like, Listen, I did what you asked. You still haven’t paid me the other half of the money you owe me. I’m done with this. I should have never gotten involved.”

  “Did you go with him to search for the women?” she asked.

  “One night. We drove out by the river.”

  “By my house?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “How did you know to look for them there?”

  “Somebody told Josh that Isabella and Renata hitchhiked out to stay with some old lady in Mexico, and that she told them to go see you. That’s why he kept driving by your house. I swear. I drove out with him one time and that was it. I told him I was done.”

  “Who gave Josh this information?”

  “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.”

  “What day did you drive out looking for the women?” she asked.

  “It was Saturday.” He wrinkled his forehead and said, “Actually it would have been Sunday morning, at like two. We never saw them, though.”

  “Did Josh shoot Renata?”

  He put his hands up. “I have no idea. I swear.”

  “Do you know if Josh ever made contact with Isabella or Renata after they escaped in Piedra Labrada?”

  “I have no idea. After I drove out to your house with him I told him I was done. He hasn’t called me since. Check my phone records.”

  “What about the other women?” she asked. “Where are the other three?”

  “I told you, I left them in Piedra Labrada, but what I said wasn’t totally true. I didn’t leave because of my documentation.”

  He paused, and Josie glanced at Otto. She could feel the tension rising in the room as they approached the truth of what had happened on the trip.

  “Could I get a drink of water?” Josh asked. Josie noticed his sticky voice and nodded. Marta left the room.

  Ryan continued. “When we got to Piedra, we rented a cheap motel room to sleep a couple hours before we’d cross the border that night. We were all tired and hungry and pissed off. I just wanted it all to end. Josh lay down to sleep, and I took a shower. When I got done, I walked out of the bathroom and Isabella and Renata were gone. The other three women were huddled in a corner crying. I yelled at Josh, who’d slept through them leaving, and he jumped out of bed. Then all hell broke loose. He was yelling and screaming like a maniac. I was afraid the police were going to get called on us. He pulled one of the women up off the floor by her hair, and he started kicking her and kneeing her in the stomach. He said it was her fault for letting the other women go. I knocked Josh on his ass, and I left. I just walked out.”

  Ryan bent over at the interrogation table and placed his head in his hands, and Josie saw tears fall onto the table under him. “I left because I couldn’t take one more night of Josh. I keep thinking about those other three women, though. I don’t know what’s happened to them.”

  “When you drove out by my house with Josh, what did he say about them?” Josie asked.

  Marta walked back in and placed a Dixie cup in front of Ryan, who gulped noisily until it was empty. “He said they were staying somewhere together. He kept saying it was cool. He was going to get them delivered.” He looked at Josie, and she thought he’d finally reached the point she was striving for. “Maybe that’s where Josh and Macey went. Maybe they took Isabella to finish the trip to Albuquerque.”

  “New Mexico?” she asked.

  “That’s where we were headed.”

  “Why New Mexico?”

  “Josh just said he had work for the women. They were going to get jobs. He said life in their country sucked, and he was going to set them up right in the U.S.” Josh made a face like he was disgusted. “He made it sound like he was doing them some big favor, and then he—” Ryan stopped, as if he didn’t want to recall the memory.

  Otto broke in. “Ryan. This is critical for the investigation. You know what happened isn’t right. Josh did horrible things to innocent women. This is your chance to make it right. If you saw him force those women into having sex with him, then you need to tell us now. Someone is going to pay for attacking those women. We want to make sure the right person goes to jail.”

  “When we stayed in a motel, we always got one room to keep everyone together. He said it was safer and cheaper. Josh got the bed and I had to sleep in front of the door to make sure nobody tried to leave. Then he’d make one of the women sleep with him.” He clasped his hands in front of him on the table to try and stop the trembling. “The rest of us, we had to turn the TV up as loud as it would go, and sit on the floor and act like we didn’t know what was going on. It was awful.”

  “Why didn’t someone stop him?” Josie asked.

  “Because he was the only one that knew anything! He had all our documents, our identification. We were in a foreign country with no ID. He took mine too. I didn’t even know where I was. The women had fake passports that he kept. He told them once they got dropped off in Albuquerque, they’d get all their stuff back. And he’d say things about killing their families all the time. He had their addresses written on a piece of paper, and he’d read the girl’s name and then her family’s address. He let them know, If you don’t do what I say, your family will pay. Then he’d be like, Come take care of me.” Ryan shook his head like he wanted to clear the memory out of his head. Josie wanted to tell him to imagine the nightmares the women who were raped were now having.

  “When we’re done here, I need you to write down the women’s names, as much of their addresses as you can remember, and a description of each woman who was on the trip. Hair color, size, and any distinguishing marks. Everything you can think of.”

  He nodded.

  “You need to do this right,” Josie said. “You need to cooperate, in part to counter the mounting case we have against you. But you also owe these women something in return for the hell you helped put them through.”

  “I’ll do it. I’ll write down everything I can remember.”

  “Who’s running the transportation ring?” Otto asked.

  “I don’t know. While we were on the trip Josh always made it sound like he was the boss. Like he was the mastermind, hooking women up with jobs all over the U.S. I was like, Seriously, dude, I’ve seen the crappy apartment you live in. I know you’re not rich enough or smart enough to do half of what you’re saying.”

  Josie put a hand up so she could ask a follow-up question. “Hang on. You said, ‘while we were on the trip.’ Does that mean at other times he made it sound like someone else was his boss?”

  “Not him. Macey did. She’s smarter than him, but she gets all coked up and her mouth runs constantly. I can’t stand her.”

  “Did she mention someone else?”

  “Sort of. She
was always talking about somebody being pissed off at them. She never really mentioned anyone in front of me, but she was always freaking out like they were doing something wrong, and someone was going to be pissed. Josh was always trying to talk her down.”

  “Talk her down?” she asked.

  “Yeah, like, calm her down.”

  Josie glanced at Otto and Marta, then at her watch. They were losing critical minutes.

  “Here’s the deal. You give me everything you can think of that might help me figure out where Josh and Macey are taking Isabella and those women?” Josie paused and stared at him for a moment. “And I’ll cut you loose.”

  He swallowed hard and sat up straighter in the chair. “I’ll do it.”

  “I think you finally figured out lying isn’t going to help you. It’ll cause you more trouble. You’ll be intentionally hampering a murder investigation. And you don’t want to go there.”

  “I understand.”

  She looked at her watch again and then turned to Otto. “It’s almost eleven o’clock. Marta left Isabella at the motel a little before eight. She showered and dressed, even lay down on the bed for at least a short while, because the covers were slightly messed up. I’m guessing she was picked up from the motel at approximately eight-thirty, because when I got there at nine she was gone.”

  Josie pointed a finger at Ryan. “Every minute that ticks by means that Josh and Macey are farther down the road with those women. I’m going to give you five minutes to tell me everything you know about where Josh is taking them. If you hold back, I’ll make your life hell.”

  “That’s fine. I get it.”

  “Let’s start with where they’re headed,” she said.

  Otto unfolded the map in front of Ryan. It was a Texas road map the dispatcher had in her files for transporting prisoners.

  “I can tell you. I don’t need a map. He said we were going to take the interstate the whole way. He made a big deal about driving the speed limit so we wouldn’t get pulled over. Driving that junked-out van you couldn’t go seventy anyway.”

  “What kind of van?”

  “One of the big white ones. It had benches in the back. It holds twelve people.”

  “An Econoline van?”

  “That’s it,” he said, nodding.

  “How fast will it go?”

  “Sixty max.”

  Josie had pulled up a map application on her phone and said, “From here to El Paso takes about four hours. It’s another four hours from El Paso to Albuquerque. You think Josh would drive all night?”

  Ryan nodded. “If he went and picked up Isabella, and he had those other women with him, he’d want to get rid of them. He’s freaked out right now. And Macey has to be driving him insane.”

  “Why do you say that?” she asked.

  “When anything happens that’s not according to plan, she just can’t handle it. When she found out Renata was killed, I bet Macey’s brain about exploded. She has to know you guys think Josh did it. And now they’re driving that crappy van with all those women in it.”

  Josie looked at Otto. “Josh was driving his Camaro when he picked up Isabella.”

  “After what he did to her, I’m sure he knew she wouldn’t get into that van with him again,” said Ryan. “I can’t believe he got her to go with him at all.”

  “Macey’s probably the one who approached her at the motel. She probably gave her some reason why she had to leave. Once she was in the car, they had her,” Otto said.

  “Where’s the van parked?” Josie asked.

  “Josh said he parked it behind the rock quarry.”

  Josie faced Marta who was still observing from the back of the room. She had already picked up on Josie’s intent.

  “I’ll go now. The quarry’s a good thirty-minute drive from here. I’ll call you as soon as I check it out.”

  “Thanks, Marta.” As she left, Josie turned her attention to Otto. “Let’s assume Josh and Macey got Isabella at eight-thirty and drove her out to the quarry. It’s a thirty-minute drive. They’d have been there by nine.”

  Otto broke in. “There’s an old contractor’s shack out there that hasn’t been used in twenty years. I bet that’s where the other women were being held.”

  Josie nodded, feeling like they were finally hitting their stride. “The earliest they could have left the quarry was nine oh-five. It’s southwest of town, so that adds another thirty minutes to their trip to El Paso.”

  Otto picked it up. “They left Artemis at nine thirty-five. They’ve been on the road a little over an hour. There’s only one decent route to the interstate. So they’ve already made it through Marfa. They have to be on their way to Van Horn to catch Interstate 10 to El Paso before I-25 to Albuquerque.”

  Ryan started nodding his head. “That’s what he said. Interstate 10 to 25.”

  Josie left Otto and Ryan in the room and went to talk to the dispatcher for the sheriff’s department.

  Juan Smith was standing at the copy machine when Josie entered the dispatch room. He was in his late twenties, married to a local schoolteacher, and was a loyal, dependable employee. She was glad he was on duty. Josie quickly brought him up to speed.

  “Can you get with DPS to get state troopers, Border Patrol, local cops, anyone who will respond, set up around the Van Horn entrance ramp?”

  “I’m on it.”

  Juan sat down at the dispatch console and took down Josie’s information about the van and the driver and passengers they were looking for. A few minutes later she was back in the interrogation room.

  “Let’s talk about your situation,” she said, sitting down again across from Ryan.

  Josie always hoped at this point some good might come out of this kind of tragedy. Maybe Ryan would get his life turned around before jail terms became a way of life.

  “I’ll do anything you want,” he said.

  “That’s a good answer.”

  An attorney would point out that Ryan didn’t actually cross the border with the women, but Ryan didn’t know that technicality was in his favor. And he was currently so thankful not to be sitting in a jail cell with a sexual predator sign hanging over his head that Josie was sure he would continue to cooperate.

  “I’d like to cut you free. I won’t file charges tonight if you can promise me a few things.”

  “Anything you want. I swear.”

  “First. No contact with Josh or Macey Mooney.”

  “Okay.”

  “However, we may ask you to contact him if things don’t go well tonight. Will you do that?”

  “Yes.”

  “But if he calls you tonight, don’t answer the phone. If we find you tipped him off about what’s happening? I promise you jail time.”

  “I get it.”

  She pushed her business card across the table. “Other than that, if you think of anything, no matter how small it might seem to you, call or text me. Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Josie stood and put her hand out. “We’re done here.”

  Ryan shook her hand, but awkwardly stayed standing behind the table.

  “Was there something else?” she asked.

  “I just want to say thanks. I’m going to get my act together.”

  Josie patted him on the back and led him down the hallway.

  * * *

  After Ryan left, Josie and Otto walked back to the dispatch station for an update.

  “Border Patrol has two vehicles en route. Both are northbound on Interstate 10. Two state troopers are posted just before the Van Horn entrance ramp to the I-10.”

  “That’s awesome. Quick work, Juan.”

  He grinned. “If he’s on the interstate, we’ll get him.”

  Thirty-five minutes later, they listened as dispatch near Van Horn fired up. Border Patrol stopped a white twelve-passenger Econoline van with Texas plates. Josie and Otto listened to the dispatch traffic as Josh and Macey Mooney were arrested for transporting four female passengers with no documen
tation. Twenty minutes into the episode, Josie called one of the officers and received confirmation that Isabella Dagati and the other three women in the van appeared to be unharmed.

  ELEVEN

  At ten the next morning Josie and Otto arrived at the Arroyo County Jail, where Texas state troopers had transported Josh and Macey Mooney after capturing them just outside of Van Horn, Texas. The four women were now patients at the trauma center undergoing thorough medical examination, three of them getting treatment for dehydration.

  The jailer already had Josh Mooney sitting in the interrogation room next to his court-appointed attorney. The attorney had met with Josh at eight that morning to discuss the case against him. Josie was surprised that meeting had been pulled together so quickly, but a looming murder charge usually speeds the process.

  The attorney was Oliver Greene, a public defender from Presidio. Greene was an expat with a dignified bearing and a soft British accent. He managed every client as if their case were the most important of his career, but he never resorted to unnecessary drama. He was one of Josie’s favorite attorneys to work with.

  Josie and Otto sat down across from them. After the preliminaries were finished, Greene gave his standard verbal warning to Josh.

  “I expect you to consult with me about anything that might be considered incriminating. That may not always be clear. If you aren’t sure, don’t answer the question until you’ve checked with me first. Do you understand?”

  Josh nodded his head vigorously and Josie glanced at Greene, who looked weary. She wondered how he tolerated most of the people he dealt with. At least when Josie arrested someone she could stick him in a jail cell and move on. Greene had to have extended conversations with lowlifes like Josh Mooney.

  Josie began the interview with a list of charges brought against him, which included rape, the federal charge of kidnapping across a national border, and the threat of a potential murder charge. The prosecutor wasn’t yet sure how the rape charges would be handled, since the rapes occurred in a foreign country, but he had assured Josie he would pursue the steepest penalty under the law, including extradition if appropriate.

  At the word murder Josh slapped both hands down on the interview table and tipped his chair forward like a little kid. “Okay. I might have done some things wrong, but I never killed anyone. You have got the wrong man.”