As Paco Esteban turned from the register, he tried to scan the store casually. He kept his head down so as not to make any eye contact.
But there they were: a pair of impossibly young Latinas who looked somewhat like Rosario.
They cannot be fourteen!
I pray for you…
They sat at the same folding table, absently flipping through old magazines.
And there in the corner was a Hispanic male keeping watch.
Not El Gato.
But I think not the one from last week, either.
Paco Esteban, head down, went quickly to the door and outside.
As he worked the gas pump, removing the hose handle and turning the lever, he tried to calm himself. His heart was beating heavily. His hands were clammy.
Okay, so they are there.
Now what?
I pump my twenty dollars and leave?
Then what?
He scanned the area, trying desperately to decide what to do next.
And Se?or Nesbitt said to do nothing.
Maybe that is what a smart man would do.
Se?or Nesbitt is a smart man.
Maybe if I could show him what is happening here…
Pictures!
If only I could get a picture of the young girls and their guard.
Then I show them to Rosario. If she knows the girls or the guard, then I tell Se?or Nesbitt.
Such a smart man could get the pictures to someone who could help them.
But how do I get pictures?
And how do I go back inside if the man does not try to cheat me?
I would be expected to put in twenty dollars, then leave.
He heard his cell phone ringing. He glanced inside the minivan. The phone was where he’d left it
in the cup holder on the dash.
He let go of the pump handle and opened the driver’s side door. He grabbed the phone, but the call had already gone into voice mail. He looked at the phone, waiting to read who had called.
Then he noticed the tiny glass circle on the phone’s back.