“It felt the size of a tire.” Hunter took off her thigh-length tee shirt cover to enjoy the feel of the sun and breeze on her skin.
Norma did the same and said, “Where’d you get that bikini? I love the fluorescent orange, makes your tan pop.”
“I got it in Florida the last time I was there.”
“So that’s why there’s not much fabric. Looks like there’s almost enough there for a napkin.” She grinned.
“You get used to it. That’s the way everybody dresses down there.”
Norma steered the boat through the long curve, and within five minutes they saw the white splash of the springs high on the hill in front of them. One pontoon boat had tied up at the shore, and two people milled around on the deck, while four others waved at them from the springs.
Norma put her boat apart from the pontoon boat to give them privacy, but still close enough to be friendly. They visited for several minutes before going their own way. The pontoon group was from Midland, Texas, down to the lake for a week of vacation. A little noisy for Hunter’s taste, with their loud rap music and laughter, but she kept her thoughts to herself, choosing instead to go a slight distance upstream in the Devil’s River to where it shallowed to a point that boats couldn’t follow. She waded, enjoying the feel of cool water up to her knees, and when it grew warmer, she lay in the water, submerging everything but her head.
The spot she chose was near the east bank where the rock bottom was scooped out like a large bathtub, and she sat in it, watching the others by the springs. A spindly bush grew from the bank and formed a leafy parasol to shade her head.
Minnows nibbled at her toes and the river smelled cleanly of river moss and plants, while the flowing water soothed her body, but not her mind.
Norma waded over and eased down in the deeper part beside her. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“You’re psychic now.”
“Because it’s on my mind, too. The kid, Kelly.”
Hunter nodded, “Yeah.” She ran her hand through the clear water like a child would do, “This place is great and all, but I’m ready to go back, if you are.”
“Sure. We’ll go by Don Marcelino’s and get some Mexican food, take it back to the house and talk about things we can do.” Norma rose from the river, making water cascade down her body and thighs, and Hunter did the same. As they waded downstream toward their boat, the flowing stream gurgled and swirled around their legs while minnows and small fish swam just ahead of their steps. Norma said, “I’ll call the S.O. when we get to the house, see if they located that car anywhere.”
One of the Deputy Sheriffs returned Norma’s call later that evening, and Norma put the conversation on speaker, “We found that car, but those women knew what they were doing. They emptied a full canister from a fire extinguisher into the interior, covered every square inch.”
Norma said, “Crap. How about the outside, any prints?”
“Nada.”
“Where’d you find it?”
“Out in Castle Canyon on one of the side roads, the caliche ones. We figure they had a phone and somebody picked them up after they ditched the car.”
Hunter had her bare feet curled up in the oversized chair, eating the last Julio’s chip from her plate as she listened. She said, “Who was the car registered to?”
The Deputy heard her question, “It was stolen from a house in San Felipe. An old man who lived alone there.”
“No criminal background on him? No possible association to the kidnappers?”
“Nope. He’s a retired teacher, did his entire career there in San Felipe. Not even a parking ticket on his record.”
Norma thanked him and hung up. “There goes that lead.”
Hunter said, “Do you remember the road that their car came out of?”
“When they almost hit us? Yeah, I do.”
“How about we go down it and look around, see if there’s a clue somewhere.”
“A clue.” Norma narrowed her eyes at Hunter, “Well, Mr. Holmes, I guess this means the game is afoot.”
Hunter winked, “You never know. Besides, I’m ready to get out of the house for a while.”
They drove out to the caliche road and turned down it. They travelled slowly, with both side windows down so the two Agents could observe better, hoping to find something in the roadbed or bar ditch that might help. Norma said, ‘Too much traffic.”