“Do the right thing, Janey. Break the cycle. Make something of your life.”

“The Parrot’s Nest. She hangs out there before going to work.”

“Will you show us where it is?”

“What, right now?”

“Yes. Right now.”

Henning was visibly surprised at seeing Nathan emerge from the apartment with Janey in tow. She had changed into more respectable attire, wearing a formal, white-buttoned shirt with pressed jeans. Her fuzzy pink slippers had been replaced with tan walking shoes.

“Janey’s had a change of heart,” Nathan said. “She’s going to show us where her mother is.”

* * *

From the look of things, the Parrot’s Nest wasn’t in the best part of town. Most cities the size of Fresno and bigger had a skid row district and this area of downtown definitely qualified. Part of an abandoned five-story building made of brick, the Parrot’s Nest should’ve been called the Rat’s Nest. The small parking lot was lousy with trash, broken glass, dented pickups, run-down hogs, and various other beaters that looked like they may or may not start when their owners finally staggered out to them, assuming they could even find their keys.

“Is that your mother’s car?” Nathan asked. “The red Sentra?”

“Yes.”

Henning frowned.

Reading his mind, Nathan said, “It was in her NCIC file.”

Andrews parked on the curb in a red zone.

“Maybe I should go in with you,” Henning offered. “It looks like a rough joint.”

“They’ll make you right away. Just cover the rear door. Andrews, you stay with Janey.”

Andrews looked at Henning, then back to Nathan. His expression neutral, he nodded.

Nathan climbed out and walked toward the main entrance while Henning traversed the parking lot, heading for the rear of the building. The cracked sidewalk was peppered with hundreds of flattened, black gum wads. A staccato thump of bass emanated from within. Although it was the middle of the afternoon, the street was void of traffic. Most of the coin-hungry parking meters had been vandalized, their half-moon windows broken.

At the door, Nathan took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Chapter 16

Chapter  16

Nathan’s entrance ended up as clichéd as any cheesy B movie. Every head turned and the pool game stopped. He strolled over to bar and avoided touching the grimy brass rails.

The bartender scowled and pointedly ignored him. Okay, fine. We’ll do this the hard way. Nathan used the time to study the place in the mirror behind the bar and spotted his mark right away, a tall, stringy blonde sitting at a table with three guys in sweatshirts, jeans, and stained ball caps. Scattered around the room, twenty or so other patrons stared in ape-faced silence. Aside from the bartender, who looked formidable, Nathan didn’t see any threats. Half a minute later, the bartender had made it plainly obvious he had no intention of serving someone who’d come in to case the joint.