Josie pursed her lips and nodded. “Okay. I get that. Then I will talk to the prosecutor, and I will let him know that you cooperated fully in this conversation. That you gave the information freely. That will definitely hold weight with Mr. Holder. Deal?”
He nodded his head. “And my own cell until I get out of here. I don’t want to share a cell with someone anymore.”
“I’ll talk to the sheriff.”
He narrowed his eyes, looking at Josie like he wasn’t sure if he could trust her. “We were going to Albuquerque. In the South Valley. Have you been there?”
“I know the area vaguely.”
“There’s two blocks they call the Maid’s Quarters. It’s where the apartments are for the girls that work in the hotels.”
“You have an address?”
He nodded and Josie slid a pad of paper over to him with a pen on top. He held his hands up with the handcuffs and she shook her head. “You can write with those on. You keep telling the truth and you might get those off one day. But you have some work to do first.”
He picked up the pen with his right hand and rested his left hand on top while he scrawled out the address.
“Write the name of the contact person on there too.”
He looked at her for a moment. “It’s not really a name. They call him Big Ben.”
She motioned toward the paper. “Write it down. Just make sure what you’re giving me is accurate.”
He nodded again. “Totally accurate. I swear.”
“Now the phone number.”
She watched as he wrote down a number.
“So how do I connect with Big Ben?”
“Nobody calls. You send a text message that says the word ready with a question mark. He texts back for the date and time and you send it to him. He says okay. That’s it.”
“Then what?”
“You go to that address. It’s like a crappy apartment building. Go to the office on the first floor and ask for him by that name. You tell him you have a load and he says meet me in back. That’s it.”
“Then what?”
“You drive behind the apartment building and unload the women.”
Like cattle, she thought. “You’ve done this before?”
“I made a few trips.”
Josie nodded and decided to address that issue at a later time.
“It’s not hard. They aren’t really very careful. It’s not like there’s a secret handshake or whatever. You just give him the women and their fake passports and IDs, and he gives you an envelope with a check in it.”
“Who’s the check made out to?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I wasn’t allowed to look.”
“Who’s your boss?”
“I told you. I don’t know. She never said.”
“Will this Big Ben be expecting the delivery at any certain time?”
“Not really. It’s not like we’re the only ones delivering girls to him. And he knows they’re coming from far away. That’s why you text him when you’re ready to deliver.”
“Won’t he question when someone other than you delivers the girls?”
Josh gave her a dismissive sneer. “He doesn’t care who delivers. As long as you send the text that says ready, he’ll know you’re legit.”
“You don’t think he’ll be wary about the women from West Texas being found? It’ll be on the news,” she said.
“Seriously? Big Ben lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. These women in West Texas won’t make headlines out of Arroyo County.”
“Okay,” Josie said. “I think we’re done here.”
She stood and he looked up at her. “I don’t want to go back into that jail cell.”
“You should have thought of that a long time ago.”
“You said you’d get me my own cell! Since I helped you here?” he asked, suddenly sounding desperate.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Josie walked out into the hallway and found Roy standing just outside the door.
“You get what you needed?” he asked.
“I did. I seriously appreciate this.”
Roy waved it off. “Nail that woman and we’re even.”
“Deal.” Josie started off and turned back. “Also. Josh would like a private cell, since he’s been such a good prisoner.”
He rolled his eyes. “That’s my top priority.”
*
Josie was glad to see the parking lot as empty as when she’d arrived. As she pulled out of the lot she called Dell. “What do you think about driving to Albuquerque in the morning? Leave about five o’clock?”
“You bet. You driving that little pickup?”
She smiled. Dell was cheap about everything except his truck. “How about you drive and we take your limo?”
“Deal. I’ll pick you up at five sharp.”
*
Josie stopped in front of Manny’s Motel and saw the light on in the room where her mom was staying. She felt a wave of guilt at the lack of time she’d spent with her since she’d arrived. Josie knocked on the door, and her mom opened it wearing a bathrobe, reading glasses perched halfway down her nose and a paperback book in hand.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in!”
“Are you headed for bed?” Josie asked.
“Already there. But I can still visit. Come on in.”