“You do it again and I will,” Sharp said.
Her face paled even as she squared her shoulders and tried to look tough. “How will you know?”
Riley smiled, but knew it conveyed no warmth. “You really want to test him on this?”
The girl looked away. “No.”
“Smart. Do you know where they park the motor home?”
“I know they move around a lot, but where, I don’t know. Where’s Jax?”
“He’s in the hospital. He’s under arrest for assault.”
“Shit. Did he kill Vicky?”
“No. But he beat up another girl so badly she’s in the hospital.”
“Did Darla kill Vicky?”
“I don’t know who killed Vicky.”
A breeze blew the hair back from Rebecca’s face, accentuating a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She looked too damn young.
“Ever see another guy hanging out with Jax?” Sharp asked.
“There was a guy once. Dark hair and tanned skin. He sat next to Vicky in the backseat. Jax said he was a friend.”
Guys like Jax lured girls like Vicky into prostitution slowly at first. They’d ask them to be nice to a friend. Being nice usually translated into sex. After the first friend, there’d be more until finally sex with strangers was a job. “Was there anyone else she hung out with?” Riley softened her voice, knowing Sharp made the girl nervous.
“After Jax, no. He was it for her.”
“When’s the last time you had contact with Vicky?”
“She texted me on Friday. Said she’d see me soon.”
“Did she say where she was going?” Riley asked.
“A big party.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. She didn’t say anything else.”
Riley handed a card to Rebecca. “If you think of anything else, will you call me?”
“Yeah, sure.” She flicked the edge of the card with her finger. “What was Jax doing with Vicky all this time?”
“He was pimping her out,” Sharp said.
“Like a hooker?”
“Exactly like that,” he said.
“Damn.”
“Don’t skip school,” Sharp cautioned. “The monsters love the girls that color outside the lines.”
Rebecca looked at Riley. “He’s intense.”
“He’s also right,” she said.
Riley and Sharp left a shocked Rebecca by the tennis courts and strode back to the car.
“Should we go to the mall?” Sharp asked.
“It’s after school so the mall will be full of kids. I’d bet money Darla won’t be there. Her kind comes in the middle of the day to troll for the girls who’ve skipped school. Those girls, more often than not, have some kind of issue and are easy prey.”
“So we have a BOLO and social media.”
“It’s a start.”
People stuck to what they knew and criminals were no different. The motor home had been seen at the truck stop shortly before Carter assaulted Jo-Jo. Maybe Darla would double back, and if not, maybe someone knew something about her.
“If you get any leads, Tatum, call me.”
“Sure. What about ViCAP?”
“I sent in a report.”
“Good. Thanks.”
After Riley and Sharp left Rebecca, she dropped him off at the office and drove to the busy truck stop north of the city. She settled back in her seat and watched as a couple of girls milled around the front door of the truck stop’s diner. Both wore short skirts and plunging tops. Standing next to them was a tall guy wearing a sleeveless T-shirt. His arms were covered in thick bands of tattoos, and his dark hair was tied back in a slick ponytail. Bringing a cigarette to his lips, he drew in a lungful of smoke and blew it out.
The trio wasn’t breaking any laws, but they had the look of street workers. Out of her SUV, she cut across the lot to them. She’d promised Sharp she’d only call if she had something.
The man hesitated and took a step back from the girls. A gap-toothed grin spread across his face. He held up his hands. “Po-Po, what’re you doing here? We ain’t doing nothing wrong.”
She glanced at the girls, who moved closer to him. “You have identification?”
“Why you want to know our names?” he countered.
“You can show me your ID now, or I can call for a patrol car.”
“We ain’t done nothing wrong,” he said.
Testing. They were always testing. “You can explain that to the judge at your bail hearing. Not a big deal but a night of lost wages.”
“That’s bullshit,” the man said.
“Yeah, ain’t it?” She reached for her phone.
He held up his hands. “Fine. I got a driver’s license.” He dug a worn wallet out of his back pocket and plucked out an ID.
She glanced at the name. “Tony Rivers. Mr. Rivers. Ladies,” she said, looking at the two girls. “Do you have identification, please?”
Both looked at Tony, clearly waiting for his permission. When he nodded, the shorter of the two said, “I’m Sandy Jones.” She dug a driver’s license from a small purse and handed it to Riley.
According to the license, she was eighteen and came from Texas.
The other girl shifted her stance, brushed a lock of blond hair from her eyes, and did the same. “I’m Cassie Lawson.”
Cassie. “You know a gal named Jo-Jo?”
The girl shoved her hands in her pockets. “I don’t know anybody named Jo-Jo.”
“Really? I heard you two were friends.”
Cassie stole a look at Tony. “I don’t know anything.”
Riley looked at the ID, knowing with Tony around, the girls would not talk. According to the ID she was eighteen and from out of state. “What are you two ladies doing here?”
Sandy glanced at Tony. “Just standing around. There a law against that?”
“Yes, it’s called loitering.” She handed Cassie back her license.
She had little reason to detain them, and they had no reason to answer her questions. Trying to make nice, she softened her tone. “I’m looking for a guy. His name is Jax Carter. You know him? I’m guessing he’s one of your competitors.”
“Ain’t never heard of him,” Tony said.
“Really? From what I’ve seen, you two have a lot in common. He had a few girls hanging out with him as well.”
“Lucky man,” he said.
She smiled, doing her best to look friendly. “You strike me as the kind of guy who’s smart. Who knows his competition.”
“I know what’s going on around me.”
“I’m not here to bust you, Tony, or cause trouble. I want Jax and Darla. Tell me about them. You seen them around lately?”
His jaw tightened. “Ain’t good for business to talk to the po-po.”
Testing again. Her hand shifted to her phone. “I was hoping for a little help, but it looks like I’ll now have marked cars following your every move. You won’t be able to sneeze without one of my guys seeing it happen. You want that?”
Tony rubbed his chin as he seemed to choose between the lesser of two evils. “I ain’t the man’s babysitter.”