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The front doors opened. Gi
“Tell me she didn’t just-” Sal started, but then audio returned. He breathed a sigh of relief, but Kimberly didn’t think they were out of the woods yet.
A man had appeared behind Gi
The man headed down the street, Gi
Sal and Kimberly exchanged another glance.
“What the hell is Gi
“I don’t know.”
“We’re FUBAR.”
“Wa
“Nah,” Sal said nervously. “Not yet.”
They went back to their headsets, listening for Gi
From the left, the sound of a car door opening, slamming shut. Gi
From the right, Sparks’s clipped tones. “Subject and Miss Jones have entered a black Toyota FourRu
“We can have him picked up on a minor infraction,” Sal whispered.
“Shhhh.” Kimberly held a finger to her lips.
“So what’s it go
“Talk, you little bitch. I didn’t come all the way down here to get played by some hooker. Asking me to pay for a goddamn blood test. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“It wasn’t my idea,” Gi
Long pause.
“Gi
“They’re asking about me.”
“Who?”
“Special agents. From the GBI. They claim that working girls are disappearing. They wa
“What’d you tell ’em?”
“Nothin’! I mean, girls head to Texas all the time, right? I said maybe they should try there.”
“Other names they mentioned?” the man pressed.
“Du
He slapped her. The sharp crack of the blow caught Kimberly off guard, made her flinch.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I didn’t-”
Another thwack of skin co
“DON’T LIE TO ME!”
“I don’t remember! I’m sorry, they were talking, there were so many names and I was trying to be quiet, not call attention. No, don’t hit me, I’m not lying, I swear, I swear, I swear, I swear.”
Another blow. More screaming.
“Abort,” Kimberly said, looking at Sal, the lines etching his face. “She’s done. We gotta get her out.”
But Sal shook his head. “No, he’s just messing with her. He’s not serious yet. That’s what’s so crappy about it. He doesn’t even mean it yet.”
And maybe Sal was right, because the other end of the headphones finally grew quiet.
“You got thirty seconds, girl. What the hell do you really want?”
The silence again, long and taut. Then Gi
“What?”
“Holy mother of God,” Sal intoned.
“She’s going for it,” Kimberly agreed, and found herself on the edge of her seat. Gi
“I remember the tape,” Gi
“You implying I did something wrong, Gi
“I’m just saying…”
“You, the high-school dropout, ran away from home to sell your ass for twenty-five bucks a pop, four months knocked up?”
“Stop it…”
“I mean, if I were a cop, I’d say you look pretty good for it. Small-town girl nobody ever liked. Killed your mom to get away, killed your rivals in order to compete. Do we got lethal injection in Georgia? I don’t remember, but seems to me it wouldn’t be that hard for a jury to send white trash like you off to where you belong-inside stone walls, baby taken away, strapped to a gurney, needle entering the vein…”
“I hate you,” Gi
“Why are you such a loser, Gi
“You’re a monster.”
“Nah, I’m the man in charge. And you’d better start remembering that. Now get the fuck out, and don’t bother me again. It’s the cops’ job to ask questions. It’s your job to shut the fuck up. Got it?”
“I want to see her.”
“Girl, weren’t you just listening-”
“She was my mom! And now I’m go
“What are you, fuckin’ crazy?”
“She’s somewhere, right? I mean, you buried her or dumped her or burned her or did whatever it is you do to the bodies. But she’s somewhere. A grave. If you could just tell me where, so I could go to her…I won’t touch anything. I just wa
“Jackie…” Sal whispered nervously.
“Are you wearing a wire?” Dinchara’s voice suddenly boomed.
“Wh-wh-what? Don’t be crazy-”
“Are you setting me up? Are you setting me up?”
A hastily indrawn breath, Gi
“Jackie!” Sal, over the radio, demanding now.
Kimberly, rising out of her seat, trying to figure out what to do.
“Where the hell is it! Tell me! NOW!”
“Stop it! Stop it! You’re hurting me! Let go of my arm. I just wa
“Where is it, where is it, where is it? Fuck, fuck, fuck…”
“Stop, stop, stop! It hurts. Oh God, let go-”
Kimberly leapt for the door of the van, hand on the door, preparing to slide it open. Just as Gi
“Hey.” Special Agent Sparks’s giddy voice broadcast through the madness. “Sounds like a party. Can anyone join in?” Another high-pitched giggle, the crack of chewing gum. “Hey, mister, nice wheels. You like to go four-wheelin’? How about takin’ me for a ride?”
“Holy mother of God.” Sal looked like he was having a heart attack. He was doubled over in his seat, both hands on his head.
Kimberly wavered next to the door, equally transfixed.
Sparks babbled away: “I mean check this out. I haven’t seen mud like this since I rode my daddy’s John Deere across the chicken farm.”