“Anytime, honey,” her mom said, and they gave each other a quick hug.
Ally went to her room to get ready for bed. Once she got under the covers, it was impossible to turn off her mind. Luckey didn’t seem like a man who was afraid of anything, but who knew his demons after suffering through a divorce? If she held him off for too long because of her fear that he’d lose interest, would she do damage to their growing relationship? That question haunted her until she finally fell asleep.
* * *
LUCKEY WOKE UP early Monday morning with Ally on his mind. Because they’d made tentative plans for the evening, he was able to channel his energy and get busy. First, he arranged for a team to sit outside the orphanage for the next week and track Shan’s comings and goings. He sent the guys her photograph and the necessary information to identify her.
Next, he made inquiries with the Junior Olympic Committee and was put in touch with an official who’d been on the committee for central China’s most recent Youth Olympic Games in Nanjang. Luckey wanted the names and contact numbers of Olympic coaches for the Chinese contestants from the Beijing region and Hunan Province.
If he could talk to several of them, he might find out where the younger girls trained, in cities such as Yongzhou. Perhaps one of those centers would yield a record on Yu Tan and he could learn more about her and the names of the instructors. It was worth a shot. The official promised to send him information as soon as he could.
An impatient Luckey hung up. The information from Indonesia hadn’t been faxed yet and there had been no word from Mr. Guan. Luckey decided to call the passport office.
“Mr. Jesse? I’m glad I’ve got you on the line. This is Ranger Davis from Company H headquarters in Austin, Texas. I need your help on a new case. It’s a priority for me.”
“Aren’t they all?” the man teased. “Go ahead.”
Luckey explained the nature of the crimes he was investigating. “I need names for the last three years, those who’ve used Texas as a port of entry at any time.”
“Give me an hour and I’ll email you the information.”
“Thank you. I’ll be waiting for it.”
With a little time left on his hands, he grabbed the index cards Ally had made for him and took a ride on Persey while he studied. He needed the disk to hear the proper way to make the sounds, but could memorize the meanings of the tone pairs. His poor horse had to listen to him try to pronounce them.
He patted his palomino’s neck. “Don’t worry. I haven’t lost my mind yet.” After his ride, he put Persey back in the barn. “If all goes well, we’ll go riding tonight with Ally and Silver.”
When he sat back down at his computer, he found a file from Mr. Jesse in his in-box. Yep, he had his work cut out for the better part of the day.
After making a list of the individuals, Luckey ran names through the Integrated Automated Fingerprinted Identification System criminal database that brought up photos, too. He needed to find out how many had aliases and/or warrants out on them. He checked his watch while he waited for the results: 2:40 p.m.
It didn’t take long for the computer to give him the information he’d requested. Of the two hundred fifty names, a hundred and fifty had been arrested on different charges or were dead. Seventy had outstanding warrants on them from virtually every state in the union. Thirty were convicted felons, but had still managed to get a passport by using a different name and fake passport. They were still at large.
At three thirty his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and clicked on. “Ally?”
“Hi! Sorry I’m phoning later than I intended to. Our department is go
ing into an unscheduled meeting because of some new policies. I probably can’t be home before six thirty, so I’m afraid we’re going to have to postpone our ride at your house. But if you want to come over at seven, we can have another lesson. That is if you’re free.”
“I’ll bring dinner. See you at seven.”
Luckey had three hours before he needed to shower and pick up the food. That gave him enough time to start plowing through the list. He didn’t know exactly what he was looking for, but if something jumped out at him, he’d flag it.
One by one he studied the profiles and accompanying mug shots with last known addresses picked out from their original passport photos. They would be of vital importance when he went through the records at various express mail carriers.
Out of the first hundred, he flagged three criminals who’d managed to escape the no fly rule. Jason White, from Indiana, was wanted for the brutal slayings of two upper management executives in a Chicago software company. “He speaks fluent Mandarin and has a master’s degree in international business. He’s an avid golfer, snowboarder, skier, dirt biker and has been a soccer player. White enjoys being the center of attention. He’s been seen at several local Shanghai nightclubs as well as international soccer matches with various girlfriends. His known aliases are: Jacob White, John Jacob, Jaron White, Jim Jacobs, RJ White. He has ties to Illinois and Alaska. He’s probably in possession of a Glock 9 mm and a .45 caliber handgun.”
Then there was Enrique Santoya, an American born Puerto Rican from Florida, a ship’s mechanic for the Meersman Shipping Container Company traveling to various ports in China and Indonesia from Los Angeles. “Speaks passable Mandarin and Indonesian. Served five years of a forty-year sentence in Folsom Prison, California, for kidnapping and murder of three female illegals before his escape. Known to box and work out in gyms. Aliases are: Rico Santos, Eric Santana, Santo Ricardo. Favorite Chinese weapons are a Cold Steel Dragonfly O Tanto knife and a Columbia River Hisshou knife.”
Luckey also flagged Winn Klein from Oregon, a former figure skater and tennis player. “Wanted for murdering his two Chinese wives, both athletes he met in China and brought to Seattle. His mode for killing was suffocation. Could be working in a restaurant in San Francisco’s or Houston’s Chinatown. Had a porn site. Speaks Mandarin. Hangs out in sports bars or may be working in one. His aliases are: Wyn Klene, Kley Winn, Kelly Wyn, Win Klien, Wynn Kleen.”
Any one of the three criminals could be involved in human trafficking here in Austin, where they stayed under the radar. Luckey needed to get through the other fifty names, but this was a start. He glanced at his watch and realized he’d have to hurry to get to Ally’s house on time. After calling ahead for Mexican food, he got ready, grabbed his index cards and raced out of the house.
When he pulled up to the ranch, he met her father walking around the front in his cowboy boots. “Mr. Duncan.” The two men smiled and shook hands. “I want to thank you for the information from the orphanage.”
“You’re welcome, but please call me Larry. To be honest, I would never have thought of looking into the staff’s backgrounds, but it makes perfect sense.”
“I’ve got a surveillance team set up in case any of the workers could be in a bad situation. I’ll know in a few days if we find anything.”