‘Yeah, so? That doesn’t mean he’s above the law, does it? If he’s somehow involved in this, well, the same punishment applies to him as it does to anyone else.’

‘I’m not saying it doesn’t. I’m just predicting a media hailstorm, not to mention the political fallout from the implication of the possibility of his involvement in a fourteen-year-old girl’s brutal rape and murder.’ She actually heard Cord’s teeth grinding at the words.

She risked a glance at him before turning her attention back to the road. ‘Not just rape and murder, Cord, a possible sex trafficking ring.’ Keeping one hand on the wheel, she handed him her phone. ‘Thanks to him working magic the way only Hal can, I’ve got the guy’s personal number, so why don’t we just call and see what he has to say?’

‘Isn’t he arriving in Albuquerque tomorrow anyway?’

‘Am I the only one who didn’t know this?’

‘I just heard about it today while Sara and I were waiting for the doctor. We’ve been kind of busy with finding out what happened to Rachel, Jersey, and Katelyn, not to mention finding out who killed Meghan. Watching the entertainment news hasn’t exactly been high on our list of priorities.’

That reminded her: she wanted to know what was wrong with Sara, and why he’d chosen to go to the doctor with his wife, who was a registered nurse.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Friday, May 24

As it turned out, they had to wait anyway since repeated attempts at reaching Bartholomew Rosenfelt failed – as had her efforts in reaching anyone within his company who may have been able to tell her who drove the Dodge Viper. Alyssa left several messages expressing the urgency of returning her calls, all to no avail. And that was why, just before eight on Friday morning, Alyssa and Cord found themselves sitting in the tiny restaurant located at Double Eagle II Airport listening to the news blasting from the tiny television mounted high on the wall in the corner while watching the privately owned planes take off and land.

‘Checking your watch every thirty seconds isn’t going to get his plane here any quicker, you do know that, don’t you?’ Cord asked as Alyssa peeked at the time – again.

‘I’m not wearing a watch,’ she retorted, then sighed. ‘I’m just impatient.’

Her partner’s jaw dropped open. ‘No. You? Impatient? Wait, wait, let me work on my shocked face. Oh yeah, there it is. How’s that?’

Alyssa wadded up her napkin and tossed it at Cord’s face, earning her a narrow-eyed glare from the lone woman working the diner who happened to be wiping down the table right next to them. Alyssa didn’t take it personally since the facial tattoos the woman wore apparently weren’t the only permanent things on her; so was the scowl she’d bestowed on every customer in the place. When she stalked away to help a pilot who walked up to the counter, Alyssa whispered, ‘She could almost give Ruby a run for her money, don’t you think?’