The Traffickers (Badge of Honor 9)

Paco Esteban shook his head. “He is in hospital, Se?or Nesbitt said. He is unable to speak with me for now.”

“Madre de Dios!” Salma Esteban exclaimed, looking at the ceiling.

She looked back at her husband and said, “And now we have your sister’s daughter coming here!”

The look of shock was apparent on Paco Esteban’s face.

“You have forgotten this!” Salma Esteban said.

He did not know what to say.

“Maybe: My love, it has been a bad day”?

Meekly, he nodded. “S?. I am sorry. But it will be okay.”

She began pacing the kitchen. She walked with her arms crossed, her hands nervously rubbing her upper arms.

Paco Esteban tried to stop her and wrap his arms around her. This time she would not allow him to do so. Her tears had started again.

“Paco! You must do something. You have always been able to do something when we’ve had difficulty. We cannot sit and wait like this. Please? You must go and do something… anything!”

Yes, I have always thought that I could do something.

But this is something very bad. Very evil.

What could I possibly do?

He heard wailing coming from the other room.

Then he saw his wife’s face, her eyes darting in the direction of the parlor as she nodded sharply toward it.

She’s saying, “There! See!”

And she’s right. I must go.

There was another wail.

If only because I cannot stand much more of this here.

“My love, you are right. I go now.”

She went to him and hugged him. He felt her sobbing on his chest.

When she finally pushed back, he saw her tears flowing down her cheek. They caused him to tear. He kissed the tears on her left check.

Then he went to the kitchen drawer and removed the keys to the minivan.

As a matter of habit-and because he could not immediately think of any other place to drive-he headed in the general direction of the laundromat.

Along the way, he tried to think what his options were.

Not many.

He said prayers to God. He said prayers to every saint he could think of. Anyone who could help him think of how he could begin to find this evil man.

And still he came up with nothing.

As he drove north on Broad Street and came closer to the laundromat on Susquehanna, the knot in his stomach became bigger and tighter.