Rio Grande Night by Stephen Leather

Author:Stephen Leather
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery, Horror, Paranormal, Crime, Fiction, Thriller
Publisher: Self Published
Published: 2022-11-26T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 43

“So, we know she's alive and we know she's in that house,” said Nightingale. “Both of which facts could change at any time. What can we do about it?”

“Well, get her out, I guess,” said Isabella.

“Sounds simple enough. Do I just knock on the door, ask if Marcia can come out and they'll just hand her over?”

“It's not really funny, is it?”

“I was just trying to lighten the moment,” said Nightingale. “I suppose reporting it to the Police and the National Guard would be a waste of time?”

“You really want to be telling the police that they need to organise a raid because I waved a blue stone about and saw a house in a crystal ball? Even if you could make them believe such a ridiculous story, the chances are pretty high that someone in the police would tip off her captors, and they'd be long gone before the house could be raided.”

“I'm getting the idea that it's hard to trust people in this country.”

“True enough. What about your principal, the mystery man in Texas? Does he have a security department, bodyguards, that he could send down here?”

“Not that I know of. I remember once in San Francisco, he sent a Serbian guy called Dragan down from LA to pull my nuts out of the fire. He was very big and scary, and I was surely glad he was on my side.”

“Maybe he could send him again?”

“Maybe, but I have no idea where he might be now. Even if he was in LA, it would take him at least a day to get down here, and that's time Marcia Trent may not have.”

“I wonder...”

“What?”

Isabella shrugged. “I told you that my cousin is in the National Guard, you met him. Perhaps he and some of his friends might be prepared to take the law into their own hands, if I could convince them it's urgent, and the information is accurate. And maybe if you have some large peso notes to put his way. His salary isn't so high.”

“Does he know you practise Wicca?”

“Well, of course, and he knew about my store, but I'm not sure how much he believes. I might leave out the crystal ball, maybe just tell him that you managed to follow her there after seeing her kidnapped in the street.”

“Would he buy that?”

“Not enough to put his career on the line by doing anything official,” said Isabella. “And breaking into a house with no warrant or probable cause would finish him, if anyone found out. But I have known him to do a little, how shall I put it...'moonlighting'.”

“Give it a try, otherwise I'm just going to have to find myself a baseball bat and go in by myself.”

“Hah. You might as well kill yourself here, and save the journey. I'll call him.”

“Well,” said Nightingale, “While, you're doing that, maybe I'll see if Dragan could get here any sooner.”

Isabella went into the bedroom to make her call, and Nightingale punched in Wainwright's number. It never seemed to matter what time of night or day he called.

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