He hoisted Bluebonnet up on his shoulder and walked toward the foundation frame of a house and into the center of the dirt square. He dropped her to the ground and before she could scramble to her feet, he tied her ankles together. “Be right back, darlin’. Need to get my shovel.”
He hustled back to his truck, grabbed his shovel from under a tarp in the bed and hurried back to find Bluebonnet had rolled several feet away. He jammed the shovel in the soft earth before dragging her back by her ankles. The tape and gag muffled her screams.
“Where you going, girl? Party is about to start.”
It took him a half hour to dig a sizable hole. He’d have finished faster but a couple of times he had to stop and drag her back.
A fine sheen of sweat covered his forehead when he finished his digging and he grabbed Bluebonnet under the arms and hauled her toward the hole. He pulled her upper body in first followed by her legs. Moonlight reflected off a gold charm around her neck and, unable to resist the trophy, he snatched it free and shoved it in his pocket.
Thrashing against her restraints, desperation oozed from her. He grabbed his shovel and covered her in dirt. Harvey had taught him to cover the face last. The panic in the eyes was to be savored.
That is the best part.
He continued shoveling until all that remained uncovered was Bluebonnet’s nose and eyes. He stared into those eyes for long seconds before dumping dirt on her face. Within a minute she was completely covered.
The earth cracked the tiniest fraction, and he heard her gagged moans.
He smiled.
The day had gone well and Harvey would have been so proud. “I promise, Harvey, there will be many more.”
Hanna held her breath as the dirt plastered against her face, filling her nose. Heart pounding hard in her chest, she moved her head from side to side trying to knock the dirt from her face. But the weight grew heavier and heavier as her heart slammed her ribs and her lungs screamed for air.
Keri had never told her about this. She’d said johns could be tricky. They could hit. Steal. Leave you to walk back to your corner. But Keri had never told her about this.
Thump, thump, thump. Her heart thundered, ready to burst out of her chest.
Unable to hold her breath any longer she snorted a breath but when she inhaled she pulled in dirt, which clogged her nose.
Thump, thump, thump.
Her heart labored now and her head spun. She wanted to scream but couldn’t.
Keri, you never told me about this.
“I love you, Bluebonnet.” His muffled voice reached below the earth.
Keri!
Her heart pounded.
Her head swam.
And then her mind went blank.
Chapter Nine
Monday, April 8, 7:30 P.M.
The support group Jo ran for the at-risk teen girls was held in the basement of the Catholic church, located in east Austin. As Jo headed into the church’s fellowship hall, she checked her messages, expecting to see a note from Brody. Brody had done a fine job of ignoring Jo’s phone messages today. After she’d left the first, she’d assumed it would be a matter of time before he called her back. But when she checked the clock hours later and realized he’d not called, she’d made calls to a friend in the Rangers’ office and gotten his home address. She’d track him down after this meeting.
Avoidance was his specialty when he didn’t want to talk. She understood that. But this was about the case. Not them. And she wanted to interview Smith one more time. So she and Brody were going to talk tonight.
Jo shrugged off her coat and put down her bag of groceries. She had about twenty minutes to set up before the girls arrived.
As she pulled sugar cookies from the bag and plated them, the back door opened to a petite blonde with scraggly hair and eye shadow so thick, it made her look as if she’d been bruised.
Jo had seen her once or twice before in the last six months. She wore leather pants, red high-top tennis shoes, a tank top and a white, furry, bolero jacket that made her thin frame look fragile.
“Sadie,” Jo said.
A half smile tweaked the girl’s thin lips. “You have a good memory, Doc.”
Jo searched her mind for details about the girl. Said she was seventeen but Jo would have guessed younger, closer to fifteen. She’d been on the streets about a year. She didn’t prostitute but made deliveries for the drug dealers and pimps. So far, Sadie had stayed away from using drugs but the streets chewed up young girls like her. The descent into drugs was often a matter of time.
“I’ve brought cookies but haven’t had the chance to put the coffee on yet, Sadie.”
The girl smiled. “I can do that.”
Jo didn’t hide her surprise. “You can work one of those big coffeemakers?”
“I wish I had a dollar for all the pots of coffee I made when I was a kid.” She shrugged off her jacket and laid it on a chair before vanishing into the kitchen and reappearing with the big steel coffeepot.
Sadie had been cautious about opening up. In fact, this detail about her making coffee was the first Jo really had on the girl. As tempted as Jo was to probe the girl’s past, she didn’t. She’d made it a rule not to pry but to let the girls open up when they were ready. This was a safe place for the girls where she listened and answered questions without offering unsolicited opinions.
As Jo arranged the chairs in a circle, Sadie made quick work of the coffeepot, filling the cylinder with water, setting the basket of grounds inside and flipping the switch. Within seconds it gurgled and popped.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Jo said.
Sadie picked up a cookie and nibbled on it. “Been working.”
It broke Jo’s heart to think about the “work” the kid did. “I know it’s hard to get away.”
“Lots of deliveries to make normally but tonight turned out to be slow.”
“I’m glad you could make it. Have a seat. You’ve got to be tired.”
Sadie shrugged and sat. “I’m okay.”
“I love tennis shoes but my mother loves high heels. So does my sister. But I’m not so good in them. I’ve my favorite pumps, but I’m not sure on my feet in any other heel.”
“Your mom wears heels?”
Jo arched a brow. “Yeah. Mom’s always put a lot of care into her appearance.”
The kid cocked her head as she studied Jo. “I’d think you’d have the practical sort of mom. You know, one that bakes cookies and shit.”
Jo laughed. “Mom dusts off her stove every few months and knows the number of a dozen takeout places by heart. She hasn’t cooked in years.”
“What does she do?”
“Works in a beauty salon. She’s one of the best colorists in the state from what I hear.”
Sadie stared at her, interest popping from her gaze. “She color your hair?”
Jo sat in a seat across from Sadie and crossed her legs. “No. Mom wanted to color it more times than I can count, but I never let her. In the beauty department, I’m a big disappointment to her.”
Sadie shrugged. “You’re cute enough. I know a dude named Daddy who could find you clients.”
Jo laughed. “Thanks, I think.”
“Your bones and cheek
s are pretty. Just need to glam it up a bit.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jo watched the girl nibble the cookie and decided to break one of her rules. “Where did you learn to make coffee?”
For a moment Sadie hesitated before saying, “At my dad’s church. He was a preacher, and Mama and I were always setting up for some social.”
She’d mentioned her father at the last meeting. They’d had a terrible fight, which was why she’d left home. “Have you talked to your dad lately?”
“Not since Mom died. It got hard to live around him.”
“How long’s it been since he’s seen you?”
“A year.”
“Think he’s worried?” She didn’t assume her father missed her. A lot of the girls that came in here had families who’d tossed them aside like yesterday’s garbage.
“I don’t know.” Sadie shifted, as if uncomfortable. “You close to your dad?”
“My dad?” Her thoughts went first to Cody Granger, then to Smith and back to Granger. “My dad died five years ago. But when he was alive, we didn’t have a lot in common.”
Sadie’s eyes widened. “Why?”
“I liked my books. He was a man who didn’t care to read. He was an electrician and made his living with his hands.”
Sadie studied her, her gaze keen. “Yeah, but he loved you, right?”
Jo remembered a time when her dad had taken her to a bookstore and told her she could spend twenty dollars. He’d waited outside, uncomfortable in his muddy boots, as she’d run inside. “Yeah, in his way he did. He didn’t understand.”
“I hear you.”
The recreation room door opened and two gals dressed much like Sadie sauntered into the room. “Hey, Doc,” one of the girls shouted. “What’s shaking?”
“Not much, Deidra. How about you?”
Deidra was five months pregnant and had been ready to drop out of school when her school counselor had referred her to Jo’s group. She wasn’t making A’s but Jo was grateful at this point for the C minuses. “Can’t complain. No, scratch that,” she said. “Complaining is the reason I come here.”
Immediately, Sadie stiffened and the easy openness in her gaze vanished. She rose and put on her coat. “Doc, I better get going. I’ve been here longer than I should. Folks is gonna be looking for me.”