Larry nodded.
“Right.” Hix looked to Bets. “Want you to see if you can track down that phone. If it’s got GPS, wanna know where it is. Also want you on the line with Dansboro Police and the sheriff departments in Grant, Hooker, Cherry and Sheridan counties. Give ’em info on Nat Calloway’s truck and a general description of the man. Tell ’em it’s not an official missing person’s case but we got cause for concern so if they can keep their eyes peeled for that truck, we’d appreciate it. Then I want you on the line with all the hospitals in all those counties, see if they got Nat or a John Doe of his description in a bed. The county coroners too. And then I want you to call all the hotels and motels in McCook and those other counties, Bets. Find out if Calloway is registered or his truck is registered. If not, ask ’em if they’ll do you a favor and do a walkthrough of their lots to look for it.”
“Isn’t that a lot of effort for a guy who’s probably pissed his woman let herself go and is likely off with someone who does it for him?” Hal asked.
Everyone looked to Hal, including Hix. “What makes you say she let herself go?”
“Saw her when I got back from Babycakes. She’s fat,” Hal answered.
Christ.
“You’re a tool,” Bets muttered.
She was right.
Hix decided he wasn’t going to bother responding to Hal’s remark.
“Larry, you and me are gonna go down, talk to Grady and see if he’ll let us talk to his hands.”
“Right, Hix,” Larry replied.
He looked between Donna and Hal. “Bets is staying here, want you two in cruisers, eyes peeled for that truck. Parking lots. Camp grounds. Wherever you can think to look.”
“On it, boss,” Donna murmured.
Hal said nothing.
“Okay, everyone, let’s move,” Hix ordered, pushing up from his desk.
They were all moving, Larry in step behind Hix.
They walked through the department, and except for Bets who hit her desk, they all went out the front door and made their way to the side lot.
The county had money, and not much to spend it on, but they felt law enforcement was a priority even if not much happened.
That meant each deputy and Hix had their own cruisers, if you could call them that. They were big, double cab Rams painted white with gold and brown stripes down the sides on which it said Sheriff with a star in front of the word, and under which it said McCook County. The Sheriff was across the tailgate and the hood too.
He and Larry went to Hix’s cruiser and angled in, but the minute Larry’s ass was in his seat, Hix said, “I gotta make one stop. It’s only gonna take a couple of minutes. Then we’ll get on our way.”
“Okay, Hix.”
With that, Hix drove the two blocks to Lou’s House of Beauty and parked in front of it.
He didn’t look at Larry as he folded out of the truck. He looked through the window where he saw Greta’s back to him as she worked on someone in her chair.
He also felt attention from the women in the salon and from Larry in the truck.
He ignored it, opened the door and shoved only his torso through.
Greta turned to him and her eyes got big.
She was beautiful. Funny. Sexy.
And now he saw she could be cute.
“Lou,” he said to a Lou who was smiling so huge, it looked like it hurt. “Ladies,” he said generally. His eyes hit on Greta. “Greta, don’t mean to interrupt but need a minute if you can spare it.”
She looked to him at his place half in, half out the door. She looked out the window at his truck with Larry in it.
Then she looked down at the woman in her chair. “You okay here? I won’t be long.”
The elderly woman, who Hix had seen around but didn’t know, nodded enthusiastically. “I’m okay. I can wait all day. You take all the time you need, darlin’.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Hix said to her and lifted his eyes. “Greta?”
Greta moved on pale-pink, high-heeled pumps his way.
Today, she was wearing a white, slouchy top with a low vee neck, jeans that hugged her legs to her ankles, where they were rolled up, and some kimono-like thing over her top that was black with big gray, white, green and pink flowers on it.
She looked like a movie star out for a casual stroll, the sole reason behind it being having great photos snapped of her by the paparazzi.
He got out of the door but held it open for her. She glanced at him as she walked out, also shooting her gaze toward Larry in the truck before he took her elbow and stopped her just outside one of Lou’s windows, in full view of the salon.
“Don’t have a lot of time, Greta,” he told her when she looked up at him.
“Okay, Hix.”
She wasn’t hiding she was guarded, but also curious.
“I didn’t get your number, was gonna call down to the salon yesterday, wanted to have lunch with you. Somethin’ came up. Was gonna call down this morning. Something else came up and me and Larry gotta drive down to Grant County.”
He fished in his jeans, got his wallet out, flipped it open and pulled out a card.
He shoved the wallet back as he handed it to her.
She took it.
“Hopefully,” he continued, “what we’re lookin’ into will sort itself out today. So maybe we can have lunch tomorrow, you can fit that in your schedule. Don’t have time to program you in my phone right now. You text me, I’ll program you in when I got a second and then I can call you direct.”
She was staring up at him, lips parted.
“Now I gotta go,” he said.
“Right,” she whispered.
“Lunch tomorrow if we can, yeah?”
She stared some more, seemed to pull herself out of it and a small smile hit her face.
“Yeah, Hixon. Definitely.”
He nodded to her, wanting to smile back, pleased as hell she was clearly into that idea, but he had other shit on his mind. Shit he had to focus on, not doing it thinking Greta may be wondering, after what had gone down between them, why she hadn’t heard from him or seen him.
He was not that guy who got off and took off.
He also wasn’t that guy who played games, liked you, but felt the need to play it cool and waited days to connect so you wouldn’t know he did.
“Later, sweetheart,” he murmured.
Her smile got bigger and nearly blinded him.
He’d take that and keep it as the next hours unfolded because he had a feeling deep in his gut he’d need it.
“Later, Hix.”
He shot her a small grin, turned and walked to the truck.
He was starting it up, looking out the windshield at Greta walking back into the salon, doing it half-turned, arm up, waving his way, looking over her shoulder, still smiling that smile.
He lifted up his chin to her, and as the door closed, his eyes moved to the rearview mirror and he started backing out into Main Street.
“Don’t get pissed at me when I point out that woman is fine,” Larry remarked.
“Mm,” Hix replied.
There was silence as Hix put her in drive and started them on their way.
Three blocks in, Larry said quietly, “Good for you, man. Good for you.”