“Maybe. My subject just entered Three thirty-seven, heading your direction in the white Camry. He’s about a mile north of his turnoff, and I’m in traffic, about a quarter mile back.”

  “Give yourself enough room to pull over and hold position if he stops anywhere. Glover may be planning on a meet, though I doubt it would be right beside the highway.”

  “Understood. I’ll keep in touch. We should meet up in ten minutes or so, depending on traffic. So if it’s going to happen, it’ll happen soon.”

  Lee confirmed, then ended the connection. Looking ahead, he saw Glover’s brake lights go on, then he slowed, made a quick one-eighty in the road, and pulled off the road beside the north-bound lane.

  Lee stopped, pulling off onto the shoulder, wondering if Glover had spotted the tail, and was waiting for him to pass by. His eyes on Glover’s Jeep, Lee dialed Felix. “Hey, bro. Glover stopped and took a position on the eastern shoulder, facing north. I’ve stopped and pulled off to observe.”

  “It all depends on Sully now. I’ll be watching for the Jeep, and see what my rabbit does.” Rodriguez hung up.

  Lee had great vision, but Glover was over a quarter mile away, so he reached into the glove compartment for the small monocular. Glover had climbed out of the Jeep and was getting the jack and lug wrench from the vehicle. None of the tires were flat, so, to Lee, it was obviously a ruse. He hit redial.

  “Felix. Glover is faking a flat tire. Expect Sully to come along and ‘help’ him. I’m going to try and get closer to watch. Stick with the plan and I’ll keep you up to date.”

  Felix confirmed, so Lee ended the call. Noting that Glover was busy jacking up the Jeep, he took advantage of the distraction and pulled his SUV farther off the road, between two pine trees. Slipping out, Lee crossed the highway, jumped the fence easily, then moved south through the forest, putting on tight leather gloves. His hands were vulnerable to sunlight because he’d been handling things, wearing off the sunblock, and he had no idea how long he’d have to be outside. If Sully stopped, Lee wanted to watch and listen, and that meant he might not be able to choose a shady spot.

  Judging the distance as he ran, Lee was about fifty yards away from Glover’s Jeep when he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate. He stopped and opened the unit. “Sully is stopping. So am I,” Felix said. “Want me to keep the line open?”

  “No. Text message me,” he whispered. “I’m too close to talk.” Lee ended the call and crept forward as quickly as he could and still remain quiet. Vehicles had been roaring by every minute or so on the road to his right, and each time his ability to hear was drowned out.

  Finally, seeing the Jeep just ahead, Lee crouched low behind a tree. Any closer, and he’d be spotted for certain. A car door slammed.

  “Good idea, faking a flat tire.”

  “I’m a genius, Sully. Got the money?” Glover asked.

  “Ten thousand, total. Five now and five more when you get me the girl. She looks young, doesn’t she?” Sully answered.

  “Hell, she could pass for twelve, thirteen.”

  “But she’s legal, right?” Sully insisted.

  “Of course. I always ask to see some ID before I screw a hooker.”

  “Good idea. Keeps you from getting busted,” Sully answered.

  “God, you’ve naïve, Sully. Now quit jacking around and give me the money.”

  “Here.”

  Lee couldn’t see the actual transaction, the Jeep was in the way, but it sounded like a paper bag was being crinkled.

  “It’s all there.”

  Several more seconds went by. “You’re a thousand short, Sully.”

  “What? No way.”

  Glover laughed. “Just messing with your mind. So do I get a copy of your upcoming production?”

  “You want one? They’re going to go at five hundred a pop.”

  “Maybe I’ll wait until it comes out on rental.” Glover laughed. “Now get out of here. I’ll send you a call on your throwaway number when I pick up your leading lady.”

  “Tonight, I hope?” Sully asked.

  “We have a regular appointment. You’ll be thanking me later. She’s your kind of girl.”

  “I hope so. I’m going now,” Sully said.

  There was the sound of footsteps, a door slamming, then Sully made a three-point turn and headed south.

  “What a pre-vert,” Glover cracked. Lee started to back away, hearing the sound of the jack being lowered. Since Glover was going to be packing up things, Lee wanted to be back at his own vehicle in time to follow again.

  As he ran back through the trees, Lee checked his cell phone. No calls, no text messages. Diane was really keeping her cool. If it had been her following Glover, he’d have checked in by now.

  By the time Glover passed by, Lee had already turned his SUV around and was waiting. He ducked, not wanting the man to see him if he happened to glance in that direction, then pulled out onto the highway after a furniture delivery truck passed. Delivery charges this far from Albuquerque must be a bitch, Lee thought absently as he confirmed Glover’s Jeep about a quarter mile ahead.

  Punching out Diane’s number, he filled her in on what had just transpired.

  “I’m ready to roll, Lee. Think he’s coming home, or about to do some more business?”

  “If he’s going to pick up a hooker, I’d think he’d do that later in the day, toward the afternoon or evening hours. That kind of business doesn’t even begin until men start dropping into the taverns for lunch.”

  “I’m no expert on that, but you’re probably right. Maybe he’s just going to pick up some breakfast.”

  “He certainly can afford a decent meal with the cash he’s apparently got on hand. I’ll let you know if he heads your way.”

  Lee continued to follow, keeping his distance. Traffic was heavier now than before, and he’d sometimes lose the visual around a curve, but Glover seemed to be in no hurry. By the time they reached Quail Run, two faster-moving vehicles had already passed him.

  Seeing Glover continue north, Lee punched out Diane’s cell number. “Come on and join me. If we end up going into Albuquerque, I’m going to need some backup.”

  “You’ve got the lead,” Diane pointed out. “If he takes I-Forty exit west, let me know and I can get us some unmarked support from Logan and APD. Officer Moore seems like she’s on the ball, and Glover hasn’t seen her yet.”

  “Agreed,” Lee said. “You should be able to make up some ground and get close by the time we reach the canyon, but once we’re on the interstate, Glover will make better time. You’ll have to fly to catch up then, and that would draw too much attention from APD.”

  “Glover doesn’t want to get pulled over, Lee. Not with all that unexplained cash in the Jeep with him, and no allies that we know about on the city police force,” Diane pointed out.

  Lee continued to follow, worried about Glover’s comment concerning Sully’s “kind of girl.” Was the man referring to a boy instead, maybe Timothy Klein? And was Glover on the way to retrieve him? Or was this more of a pimping operation for a young hooker? Either way, they couldn’t afford to let Glover give them the slip.

  Lee was relieved when Glover took the interstate toward Albuquerque, as expected. He’d just relayed the information to Diane, who was only a few miles behind them, when he got another call from Felix Rodriguez, the state cop shadowing Sully.

  “Lee, thought you’d want to know. Sully’s at one of those rental storage places in Ponderosa, just west of the Elks’ lodge. He’s taking some stuff out of a storage unit.”

  Lee thought about it a second. “Camera cases, tripods, lights, maybe?”

  “That’s what it looks like. I was wondering. Like stuff from a portrait studio. Think it’s stolen?”

  “Nope. But keep a close eye on Sully, even if you have to call in reinforcements. I think he’s about to go into the porno movie business, and if he is, we’ve got to find where he’s taking the gear. Whatever you do, don’t tip him off. One of his ‘actors’ might just be Timothy Klein—the missing ten-year-old.”

  “Damn. Hope you’re right. Want me to keep you up to date?”

  “Definitely.” Lee ended the call. He knew already that Sully had plans to film the hooker Glover was going to track down for him. Hopefully, Sully wasn’t just kinky and planning to film his own action, or worse, coming up with a short film for the next Raindance Festival.

  CHAPTER 15

  Glover stopped at a pancake house in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights, and Lee kept watch. Diane picked up the more sophisticated motion detector and some additional camera gear they’d requested be left for them at the Wal-Mart drop, then went to another close-by fast-food place for breakfast burritos.

  When Diane returned, she parked the pickup behind the pancake place and joined Lee in his SUV, which was in a position to watch the entrance and their quarry’s Jeep.

  While they were eating, they discussed their strategy. “I’ve arranged for Officer Moore to join up with us this afternoon, earlier if necessary, and APD has an unmarked unit on standby at two of their substations. All it’ll take is one call,” Diane said, then she took a sip of coffee from the foam cup.

  Lee glanced over at her as he finished his second green chile breakfast burrito. Diane was smart, tough, and good looking, as well. She’d left the house with her hair still wet, but the way it had dried, kind of wild and stringy, merely reinforced her cover identity as an attractive wildcat who definitely marched to the beat of her own drummer.

  “I’m hoping he’ll want to put his money somewhere safe and maybe lead us to a stash,” Lee said. “Someone with his background and living on the edge like he does, probably has money, weapons, supplies, and whatever hidden in a couple of places.”

  Diane nodded. “In case he has to split in a hurry. You’ve got yours, too, Lee.”

  Lee had told her about one of his caches. There were actually three of them, and a couple of vehicles in two New Mexico locations, and one in Holbrook, Arizona. He would have told her about the rest, too, but she hadn’t wanted to know. As she pointed out, she already knew the ways skilled interrogators could get information, even from sources determined to resist. She just didn’t want to be in possession of information that could cost him his life if he were ever discovered and had to try and disappear.

  Lee trusted Diane completely, of course. He’d never met such a strong-willed person in his life. She already knew the biggest secret he could ever have. But he humored her. People who cared about each other did that.

  Glover had a leisurely breakfast and they were beginning to wonder if he’d somehow slipped out without notice, when he strolled out the entrance, toothpick in his mouth. Diane slipped out of the SUV. “Here we go,” she whispered, then walked briskly toward her pickup, picking her way around vehicles in the parking lot so Glover wouldn’t spot her.

  Lee, with his baseball cap on, dark sunglasses, and sun visor down, knew he was barely discernable, even if Glover decided to look in his direction. When they’d begun this assignment, Lee and Diane had provided themselves with various details—different hats, jackets, and so forth—to subtly alter their identities, and now was the time to confuse Glover, if possible.

  While Glover had been inside the pancake house, Lee had added a quick dealer plate to the front of the vehicle, to try and make the generic silver-gray SUV appear a little different to Glover, and stuck a magnetic business sign for a local building contractor on the door panel. The sign had been well hidden, out of sight beneath the spare tire, and there was no indication that Glover had seen it the other day when he planted the bags of marijuana.

  Diane had also stuck a magnetic license plate for Arizona on her pickup while picking up breakfast, and added a rosary to hang from the rearview mirror. A subtle touch, but still it altered the look. She was also wearing a cap and sunglasses, and had just put her hair into a ponytail.

  Glover looked around casually, and Lee froze, knowing that movement attracted attention. If Glover even noticed that the SUV was occupied from this distance, he showed no reaction. Walking over to a newspaper box, Glover put in some quarters and pulled out today’s edition of the Albuquerque Journal. The man checked his watch, then walked slowly back to his Jeep, reading the paper.

  Lee felt the vibration of his cell phone and opened it up. It was Diane.

  “He’s just killing time, you think? I saw him check his watch from my new position,” she said. “I’m out of your view on the other side of the IHOP.”

  Lee had sneaked a look at his own watch. “It’s almost nine. Maybe he’s waiting for a bank to open.”

  “He wouldn’t put the money into an account. But maybe a safety deposit box?”

  “Perhaps, but not all of it. Banks keep short hours, and require a transaction or sign in,” Lee pointed out. “Then there are all the cameras. Too complicated and public for a guy like Glover.”

  “So we wait.”

  Nearly fifteen minutes went by, then Glover drove out of the parking lot and headed west down Central. At Louisiana, he turned north. Traffic was heavy, but moving well, and Lee had no problem keeping the Jeep in sight. Diane was somewhere behind him, following Lee. If she lost track of him, or Lee needed her to take the lead, a quick cell phone call was all they’d need. Lee had placed his headset on so he could keep both hands on the wheel for any quick maneuvers, and knew Diane had probably done the same. She’d been the one who’d gotten him used to the practice, actually.

  When Glover turned left, stopping in front of a gate leading into a long storage unit complex, Lee knew what the man had in mind. “Diane. Glover’s pulled into a storage place on the west side of the street. Go to the right just before the facility and stop where you can watch the entrance gate. I’ll move in for a closer look, and if this is a decoy or evasive maneuver, we won’t both be out of position and unable to follow.”

  “Clear.”

  Lee continued to the next street down from the storage units, turned left, and parked at the curb beside a mini-mall containing small business offices and a cleaners. He left the SUV quickly and walked south down the sidewalk. Glover, who’d halted to sign in with the security guard at the gate, was just driving in.

  Lee stopped. If he kept walking toward the gate, the security guard would see him and perhaps approach. The problem was he couldn’t get into the storage area without being seen, not in broad daylight, because it would take a careful climb up a very high fence, and a scramble over three strands of barbed wire that extended outward at an angle.

  Glover was now out of sight, but his target wouldn’t be able to leave without his vehicle and alerting the security guard, who also had to sign people out of the storage areas. Lee decided to circle the block on foot, finally, just to make certain the storage facility only had one way in and out.

  Five minutes later, out of options, Lee waited for Glover. Whatever the man was leaving behind or picking up from the storage unit would remain a mystery at least for the moment. Later, when Glover was gone, he’d find the means to check the storage unit, if necessary.

  Lee strolled by the gate quickly, walking north on the sidewalk, and glanced casually down the road that divided the facility into two long rows of large garagelike units facing inward. Glover’s vehicle was parked beside the open door of a unit. Wondering if Glover had a backup vehicle inside, he noticed in passing that the Jeep was blocking the open space. He couldn’t bring out a second vehicle, not with the Jeep there, so Glover was probably not switching vehicles.

  While walking around the block, Lee noted where Diane had parked and now called her on his cell. “He’s still inside. The front’s the only way in and out without cutting a hole in the fence or leaping the thing. And that would be a trick, even after climbing onto the roof.”

  “I can see the left fender of the Jeep from my position. You think I should walk across the street for a better angle?”

  “Naw. Anything sneaky is going to take place out of sight of the security guy and the video cameras they have aiming down the rows. Glover is going to be careful. Remember how he searches his vehicle every morning for bugs?”

  “Okay. We’ll just wait. Again.”

  A full fifteen minutes went by before Diane called Lee. “The Jeep is turning around. Looks like he’s about to leave.” Several seconds went by, then Diane added, “He’s signing out now, and he’s got on a pair of sunglasses and a hat. Different shirt, as well, and a leather jacket.”

  “Taking on a disguise, huh? Good eyes.”

  “Thank the ten-power binoculars.” There was a brief pause, then Diane spoke again. “He’s heading south down Louisiana.”

  “Good. That’ll make it easier for me to get out in traffic,” Lee said. “Stay on the line, and get ready to slip in behind me.”

  Glover returned to Central Avenue, then turned right, west, and continued down the wide street, formerly part of Route 66. Lee recalled all the hotels and motels that had formerly lined this street, and how, over time, most had become unprofitable, run-down, and eventually the hangouts of drug dealers, prostitutes, and other lowlives. A lot of violence had taken place along this road, and more and more of the hotels were being taken over by the city and condemned. The aging structures eventually ended up at the landfills.

  Prostitution was alive and well in this area, especially at night around the numerous bars, so Lee began to suspect that might have been what had drawn Glover here. “Naw,” Lee said out loud. It was just too early, not even 10:00 in the morning.

  “You say something?”

  “Sorry. Forgot I was still on the line. I was thinking that Glover might already be looking for this woman—the hooker. Then it struck me how early it still was.”

  “Central was always a hot spot for just about every vice you can imagine. Most of that is farther downtown these days, but I think we’re still in the right location,” Diane said.

  “Maybe we should check with an APD cop, someone who’s worked vice and is relatively current on the subject.”