“Yes. He has the people who steal the credit card information. He sells the bad gasoline. He has the strip clubs and bars.”

Pike said, “You know where these places are?”

“Some. I mostly know the girls.”

Cole glanced up from his notes.

“You know where he keeps the girls?”

“I don’t know to say the address. I can show you.”

Now Cole glanced over, and this time he stood. Pike followed him to the far side of the room, where Cole lowered his voice. Both Rina and Yanni were watching.

“Did you find anything of her sister’s?”

Pike told him what he found—the laptop, the yearbook, a few other things. All out in the Jeep.

Cole said, “Good. I want to check out her story. Just because she tells us this stuff doesn’t make it real.”

“I’ll put everything in your car when I leave.”

“Also, I want to see what I can find out about this guy, Darko. If she’s giving it to us straight about him, then I probably know someone on LAPD who can help.”

Pike knew someone, too, though not on LAPD, and now Pike wanted to see him.

From the couch, Rina said, “I don’t like all these whispers.”

Pike turned to face her.

“You’re going to take a ride with him. Show him whatever you know about Darko’s businesses, and answer his questions.”

“Where are you going? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to answer his questions, too.”

Pike glanced at Cole.

“You good?”

“Living the dream.”

Pike let himself out.

Chapter 17

17

PIKE PLACED THE LAPTOP and other things he had taken from Ana’s room in Cole’s car, then headed back to his Jeep. As he was crossing the visitors’ parking lot, a brown Nissan Sentra slowed by the entrance. Two Latin men in the front seats tumed to check out the parking lot, and seemed to be looking at Pike’s Jeep. Then the driver saw Pike. There was a slight hesitation, then the driver gestured angrily at his passenger, making as if they were in the middle of an argument and seeing Pike hadn’t meant anything. Then the Sentra sped up and was gone.

Maybe it was something, but maybe not.

Troops in the desert called it spider-sense, after the movies about the Marvel comic book character, Spider-Man, how he senses something bad before it happens.

Pike’s spider-sense tingled, but then the Sentra was gone. He tried to remember if he had seen a brown Sentra with two Latin guys earlier, but nothing came to mind.

Pike was in no hurry to leave. If the Sentra was waiting around the corner to follow him, they might get tired of waiting and come back to see what he was doing. Then Pike would have them.