“I know the prosecutor at the Attorney General’s Office that oversees the sex trafficking division. Once we’re done with Farah, I’ll put in a call. But until then, we may need her, Will, so play nice.”

“Hey, I’m nice to everyone. Better run, think the ex just rolled up.”

Next I called Nikyee and told her when to be at the station, and all she said was “Okay.”

I hung up and stared out the window. I had an urge to go see someone, and I didn’t know why I wanted to see him right now.

Hank Winchester was working on an old truck when I showed up to his house, which was a large trailer in a trailer park not far from the mechanic shop. Nearby, a boy of nine or ten sat on an upside-down crate and played on a phone. He looked like Patty.

“I love these older trucks,” I said, walking up. “Reminds me of something from better times, maybe. More innocent times.”

“Don’t know about that. These models were first used by people in the Depression coming out west to find work. They got a history of moving desperate people from place to place. You seen the new color videos they got of the Depression?”

“I haven’t.”

“You can see it in black and white and think it’s from way back, but when you see them starving faces in color, it hits home. Think that could happen again? Where the country falls apart and people gotta fight for everything?”

“Don’t see why not. Cell phones and self-driving cars don’t change human nature.”

He nodded and looked to his boy. “Corbin, say hi to Mr. Graham.”

He didn’t say anything and didn’t look up. Hank stared down at his boy awhile.

“Come inside. I wanna show you something.”

I followed him in. He didn’t seem surprised that I was there and didn’t ask why I’d come. In the kitchen, he reached in a drawer and pulled out a photo. It was of Patty, him, and Corbin at an amusement park. Patty wore a wide smile and had her arm around her father’s neck.

“That’s the last photo I took of her. She was teasing me because I still like using real cameras instead of phones.” He smiled as he stared at the picture. “Her mother left us when she was eleven. Said she wasn’t happy and just left one morning. Went into the kids’ room and kissed each of them, came to me and kissed me, and then just left with one bag.”

His face went stern, and he put the photo down on the desk. He ran his hand along the stubble on his face. “Helluva thing to think your life is going one way and in just a few minutes it’s all gone. That’s all it was, just a few minutes.”