She pulled off her sunglasses, “Are you kidding me?”
Danny felt his scalp prickle as she stepped closer. “There’s nothing wrong with going through proper channels, Agent Kincaid.”
“I thought I was going through proper channels, at least that’s what you told all of us when you took over, remember? ‘Feel free to talk to me any time’, that’s what you said.”
He felt it again. Another woman boxing him in a corner, just like his stepmother and the female Captain on the Dallas PD. Danny decided to pretend like he was in charge of the conversation, “Fine, Agent Kincaid. What is it? Make it fast, I’ve got someplace to be.”
“I received information about a possible crime to be committed tomorrow at noon.”
“Possible.”
“Yes, as in, It-hasn’t-happened-yet.”
“I can barely contain myself. Tell me.”
“It’s going down in El Paso.” She reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “I wrote the particulars and the address for you.”
Danny took it, “You realize I don’t work El Paso, right? Presidio County, that’s my country.”
“Yes, but I thought you might be interested in it and could coordinate with El Paso.”
Danny read the note, “Where did you get this?”
“I’m not at liberty to say. But it’s reliable.”
“Give me your source. I have to check it out before I forward some gossip you overheard in a local bar. I’m not going to look inept.”
Hunter’s jaw tightened, but she held her temper, “I won’t tell you where I got this. You do what you want with it. But at least run the name,” Hunter indicated the note, “Guereca. That may spark your interest.”
Danny folded the paper and put it in his shirt pocket. “If I get time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go into the store.” Hunter stepped aside and Danny walked by her, feeling a
s if he just won a confrontation.
Hunter put on the Ray Bans and walked to her pickup. She said, “Heck with it, I’ll go.” She drove to the Border Patrol station and talked to her supervisor, asking for one day’s annual leave for tomorrow. Raymond was on tomorrow, so RATS still had someone working. He approved the leave and Hunter drove home.
There was no reason to make the El Paso trip an empty run, so she took out her phone and typed in items as she looked through her pantry, making a list of food and supplies to buy in El Paso. When she finished with the list, she called Raymond to tell him she wouldn’t be in to work tomorrow. He picked up on the first ring.
“Hey Hunter.”
“Hey, Raymond. I took tomorrow as AL to go to El Paso.”
“You going to see your mother and brother?”
She fibbed, “Yeah, but mostly I just wanted to get out of town for the day, and buy some groceries and the stuff we can’t get here. Thought I’d see if you need for me to pick up anything for you while I’m in the big city.”
“Nah, we’re okay. Unless the brisket looks good. If they do, pick me up a couple.”
“Okay.”
Raymond said, “You’re getting too skinny, I need to feed you.”
“Hah! You’re just using that as an excuse to throw a party. I know you. And so does Connie.”
“You got me. I surrender.”
“Don’t surrender too fast, you have a brisket coming that’ll need your talents.”
“Deal. Are you going up today or in the morning?”