Thread of Innocence (Joe Tyler Mystery #4) (14 page)

TWENTY EIGHT

I finished the yard and went in to shower.

I wasn't sure what to make of Mike anymore. Between my conversation with both him and Bazer, I had no clue what had gone on or who was actually on my side and who was covering their own ass. I also wondered if maybe I was just completely off-base and neither of them were involved with Elizabeth's disappearance. Maybe I was drawing connections simply because I wanted to make connections. Maybe Bazer was just an asshole and Mike was my friend.

Maybe.

I dressed when I got out of the shower and heard my phone buzzing out on the table. I saw Lasko's name on the screen.

“
Hey,” I said.

“
I got a name,” he said. “The trafficking.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay. Anyone one we know?”

“No,” he said. “A guy named Mosaic Farvar.”

It was an interesting name, but not one I'd ever heard before.

“I did some cross-referencing,” Lasko explained. “Old cases, unsolved cases, missing persons, that kind of thing. His name popped on a couple of cases involving kids. Possible suspect, person of interest, general asshat that's always in trouble.”

“
Arrests?”

“
Nope,” he answered. “Nothing ever stuck. I made a couple of calls on cases out of San Diego. He was tagged in a case in Yuma and then a couple out in the desert. El Centro, Blythe. People I talked to were certain that he was into it, but they couldn't make anything to stick. General consensus was that he's a very smart piece of shit.”

“
When you say it...”

He hesitated. “The cases he popped on were missing kids. People I talked to were pretty certain he had a hand in the disappearances, but again. They couldn't get anything solid, even after watching for awhile after the initial contact. No one seemed to think he was part of some sophisticated trafficking ring, but they didn't think he was beneath selling kids, either.”

I sat down in the chair at the table. “Do we know where he is?”

“
No, not yet,” he said. “I checked on a couple of last knowns, but didn't hit anything. He was pretty nomadic, but he never seemed to leave the larger area. I'm still working, but I had a minute and wanted to give you a heads up that maybe we had something.”

“
Okay,” I said. “Thanks.”

“
You alright?” he said. “You don't sound great.”

“
I'm...I don't know what I am.”

He didn't say anything. The sign of a good investigator.

“Lorenzo came by here earlier,” I said and explained what happened.

“
Seems plausible,” he said, when I was finished. “I mean, it makes sense.”

“
I know,” I said. “And so does Bazer's story.”

“
So maybe they aren't what you think they are.”

“
Or maybe one's just a great liar.”

“
Or that.”

“
This isn't really getting us anywhere, is it?” I said, chuckling.

“
Not really, but makes for great conversation.”

“
I just have this feeling that it starts with them,” I said. “And actually its not just a feeling. The timeframe works. Bandencoop to the Corzines we know is legit. I just wanna know how she got to Bandencoop and I feel like the rest of the answers will be there.”

“
Probably so,” he said. “That's the way it usually works, isn't it?”

It really was. You just needed one giant piece to see the rest of the puzzle. We were missing the giant piece.

“Let me keep going on Farvar,” he said. “Any luck, I'll have an address soon or at least someone we can talk to about him.”

“
Okay.”

“
And can I offer some advice?”

“
Yeah.”

The line buzzed for a moment. “Until we're sure about either Bazer or Lorenzo, might be a good idea to stay away from both. If one of them is lying to you, the more you ask, the more suspicious they're gonna get. We don't need them snuffing anything out ahead of us.”

“Got it,” I said. “And I agree. I'll keep to myself.”

We hung up.

I stood in the quiet, empty house and wondered if Mosaic Farvar took my daughter.

TWENTY NINE

“I'm sorry I hung up on you,” Lauren said.

I'd spent the rest of the day answering emails, pointing the parents of these missing kids toward people who might be in a position to help them immediately, given that I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I'd grilled brats on the back patio for dinner and I'd just finished cleaning up when she called.

I leaned against the kitchen counter. “That's alright.”

“
No, it really wasn't,” she said. “I didn't need to hang up on you or send you to voicemail when you called back.”

“
It's okay.”

“
I'm just tired and strung out,” she said, and I could hear both in her voice. “I'm not sleeping at all. I'm worrying and I'm just wiped out.”

“
Don't forget pregnant,” I said.

“
That, too.”

I wiped down the counter with the dish rag. “Mornings have been okay?”

“Not really,” she said. “Tolerable, I guess.”

“
Better than awful, I guess.”

“
I'm gonna give her another day or two, Joe,” she said. “Then we're going to come back.”

I turned on the faucet and rinsed out the rag, then wrung it out and draped it over the faucet. “Elizabeth okay with that?”

“I haven't told her,” Lauren said. “But there's...I don't know. There's too much stress here, Joe. At least for me and it's not good. I'm not doing her any favors and I'm sure as hell not doing myself any good. I mean, how long are we supposed to give her for closure”

“
I honestly don't know,” I said. “But if you're ready to come home, then come home. I'm fine with that.”

“
Are you?”

“
Yeah, of course,” I said. I started to grab the dishes I'd washed by hand and stow them back in cupboards and drawers. “I'm not there. You are. I'm not going to judge what you think is best, Lauren. If you think it's time to go, then it's time to go.”

She sighed. “It's like being here is setting us back. I don't know how to explain it exactly. I don't feel like I'm getting any closer to her or repairing our relationship. And I know that's not what coming here was for, but we've been together all the time and we're barely speaking. Things are worse between us than when we left.”

I frowned. I knew that had to be hard. Lauren was less patient than I was and she wanted things to be fine overnight. She knew that wasn't possible, but that didn't mean she didn't want it to happen. She'd probably assumed that spending so much time together would bring her and Elizabeth closer together. Instead, she felt like the gap was growing wider.

“
And maybe she needs more time. I don't know,” Lauren said. “I'm still not on board with letting her maintain a relationship with them, but I don't feel like I can make that decision with a clear head here. There's just too much going on.”

“
Have you told her you're ready to go?”

“
No. Not yet.”

“
What has she said about the Corzines?”

Another sigh. “Not much. We honestly haven't talked that much. She doesn't have much to say to me. We went back over there today and it was a little tense. She was boxing some things up to ship back to San Diego. But she honestly hasn't said much to me about anything.”

“They have anything to say?”

“
No, not really. After yesterday, I think everyone decided to keep their distance.”

I wondered how that was affecting Elizabeth, seeing Lauren at odds with them. I wondered if she was choosing a side or if she even felt like there was a side to choose. It sounded like she was stuck firmly in the middle.

“She's in the shower again,” Lauren said. “Sorry. I always call when she's in there because I feel like that's the only time I can really talk.”

“
It's fine.”

“
I can have her call you when she gets out, if you want.”

“
If she wants to, that's fine. If not, it's okay, too.”

“
I have no idea what she'll want,” Lauren said.

“
So what are you thinking then? Tomorrow?”

“
I don't know,” she said. “She still has some stuff over there and I know she wants to pack it up. So maybe day after tomorrow.”

“
Okay. Just let me know then, I guess.”

“
I will.” She paused. “I'm sorry.”

“
For what?”

“
For not doing a better job at this,” she said. “I feel like it's just getting worse and I'm not doing anything to help.”

“
There's no rulebook, Lauren,” I said, frowning. “And there's no report card. No one's grading how this goes. It's just one day at a time.”

“
I feel like she's grading me,” she said. “I'll tell her you'd like her to call when she gets out.”

We hung up. I poured a glass of water, turned off the kitchen light and made my way to the living room. I sat down on the couch and picked up a magazine. But my eyes glazed over as I stared at the pages. I glanced at my phone every so often, checking to see if Elizabeth was calling.

Nothing.

It stung. I knew Lauren wouldn't forget to ask her about calling me. So I imagined Elizabeth acting disinterested, bothered by the task of having to call me or just flat-out not wanting to. I knew that some of that might be residual stubbornness from not getting along with Lauren, but there was probably some genuine disconnect at play, as well. She didn't really see me as her father yet or someone she missed.

I paged through the magazine, trying to focus, knowing it was pointless. Frustrated, I tossed it on the sofa cushion next to me and stood up. There was nothing for me to do but turn off the lights and head for bed. The house was quiet, empty, and I felt like a stranger in the house. I missed Lauren and I missed Elizabeth. I missed knowing that they were tucked away in their bedrooms.

I stripped off my clothes and didn't even bother turning the TV on for company. I grabbed the phone again.

Nothing.

I hesitated for a moment, then scrolled through the contacts. I found Elizabeth's name and the number for the phone we'd purchased for her earlier in the week. We figured it was the one thing we could give her that might make her feel like a semi-normal teenager. She'd been grateful for it and it had been one of those moments where it felt like everything might fall into place.

I clicked on her name and opened the field to send her a text, then tapped the screen.

I miss you. I love you. Can't wait for you to come home.

Fifteen minutes later, I laid the phone on the pillow next to me and turned out the light, deciding that trying to find sleep was far less painful than waiting for her to respond.

THIRTY

“I have an address,” Paul Lasko said.

I'd barely slept, wrestling with the covers, eventually turning the TV on and staring at it for hours until I'd finally drifted off. But I woke as soon as the sun came up, took off for my early run and heard the doorbell ring just as I stepped out of the shower. I'd pulled on my clothes and found Lasko at the front door.

We were sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of each of us, and he slid a piece of paper across the table to me. I reached for it and flipped it over.

“
Brawley,” he said. “Took me awhile to go through all of the desert cities here and in Arizona, but I finally found one.”

I nodded, looking at the address. Brawley was a desert outpost, just south of the Salton Sea, about two hours away.

“I doubt it's Brawley proper,” he said. “Probably outskirts. I didn't have time to map it. I came over as soon as I had it.”

I picked up the mug in front of me and took a sip. “Brawley's small, anyway,” I said. “Shouldn't have a hard time finding it.”

“You wanna go this morning?”

“
Yeah,” I said. “You got the time?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I'm good.” He hesitated, rolled his shoulders a little, like they were kinked up. “One thing, though.”

“What's that?”

“
Word's definitely out that I'm poking around,” Lasko said, scratching at his temple. “My sergeant checked on me yesterday. Wanted to know what case I was working extra on. Told him it wasn't anything in our department. He didn't much care for that, asked if I was moonlighting or whatever. I told him I was helping a friend.” He shrugged. “My point is that if he found out, someone told him. So people know I'm working on something and chances are they've either listened or looked and have an idea of what I'm doing.”

“
My offer still stands,” I said.

He waved a hand in the air. “I'm fine. I've told you that. But I just figured you needed to know that other cops are probably aware. So if you're right about your guys and word gets back to them...they could blow the whole thing up.”

I nodded. He was right. If word filtered out, tracks that I hadn't found could be covered and destroyed and I might never be able to figure out what happened. I also knew there might be retribution.

“
I'm fine,” I said. “I just want answers.”

He stood from the table. “Then I guess we're going to Brawley.”