Midnight Crossing (18 page)

“When we’re done here, I need you to write down the women’s names, as much of their addresses as you can remember, and a description of each woman who was on the trip. Hair color, size, and any distinguishing marks. Everything you can think of.”

He nodded.

“You need to do this right,” Josie said. “You need to cooperate, in part to counter the mounting case we have against you. But you also owe these women something in return for the hell you helped put them through.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll write down everything I can remember.”

“Who’s running the transportation ring?” Otto asked.

“I don’t know. While we were on the trip Josh always made it sound like he was the boss. Like he was the mastermind, hooking women up with jobs all over the U.S. I was like,
Seriously, dude, I’ve seen the crappy apartment you live in. I know you’re not rich enough or smart enough to do half of what you’re saying
.”

Josie put a hand up so she could ask a follow-up question. “Hang on. You said, ‘while we were on the trip.’ Does that mean at other times he made it sound like someone else was his boss?”

“Not him. Macey did. She’s smarter than him, but she gets all coked up and her mouth runs constantly. I can’t stand her.”

“Did she mention someone else?”

“Sort of. She was always talking about somebody being pissed off at them. She never really mentioned anyone in front of me, but she was always freaking out like they were doing something wrong, and someone was going to be pissed. Josh was always trying to talk her down.”

“Talk her down?” she asked.

“Yeah, like, calm her down.”

Josie glanced at Otto and Marta, then at her watch. They were losing critical minutes.

“Here’s the deal. You give me everything you can think of that might help me figure out where Josh and Macey are taking Isabella and those women?” Josie paused and stared at him for a moment. “And I’ll cut you loose.”

He swallowed hard and sat up straighter in the chair. “I’ll do it.”

“I think you finally figured out lying isn’t going to help you. It’ll cause you more trouble. You’ll be intentionally hampering a murder investigation. And you don’t want to go there.”

“I understand.”

She looked at her watch again and then turned to Otto. “It’s almost eleven o’clock. Marta left Isabella at the motel a little before eight. She showered and dressed, even lay down on the bed for at least a short while, because the covers were slightly messed up. I’m guessing she was picked up from the motel at approximately eight-thirty, because when I got there at nine she was gone.”

Josie pointed a finger at Ryan. “Every minute that ticks by means that Josh and Macey are farther down the road with those women. I’m going to give you five minutes to tell me everything you know about where Josh is taking them. If you hold back, I’ll make your life hell.”

“That’s fine. I get it.”

“Let’s start with where they’re headed,” she said.

Otto unfolded the map in front of Ryan. It was a Texas road map the dispatcher had in her files for transporting prisoners.

“I can tell you. I don’t need a map. He said we were going to take the interstate the whole way. He made a big deal about driving the speed limit so we wouldn’t get pulled over. Driving that junked-out van you couldn’t go seventy anyway.”

“What kind of van?”

“One of the big white ones. It had benches in the back. It holds twelve people.”

“An Econoline van?”

“That’s it,” he said, nodding.

“How fast will it go?”

“Sixty max.”

Josie had pulled up a map application on her phone and said, “From here to El Paso takes about four hours. It’s another four hours from El Paso to Albuquerque. You think Josh would drive all night?”

Ryan nodded. “If he went and picked up Isabella, and he had those other women with him, he’d want to get rid of them. He’s freaked out right now. And Macey has to be driving him insane.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked.

“When anything happens that’s not according to plan, she just can’t handle it. When she found out Renata was killed, I bet Macey’s brain about exploded. She has to know you guys think Josh did it. And now they’re driving that crappy van with all those women in it.”

Josie looked at Otto. “Josh was driving his Camaro when he picked up Isabella.”

“After what he did to her, I’m sure he knew she wouldn’t get into that van with him again,” said Ryan. “I can’t believe he got her to go with him at all.”

“Macey’s probably the one who approached her at the motel. She probably gave her some reason why she had to leave. Once she was in the car, they had her,” Otto said.

“Where’s the van parked?” Josie asked.

“Josh said he parked it behind the rock quarry.”

Josie faced Marta who was still observing from the back of the room. She had already picked up on Josie’s intent.

“I’ll go now. The quarry’s a good thirty-minute drive from here. I’ll call you as soon as I check it out.”

“Thanks, Marta.” As she left, Josie turned her attention to Otto. “Let’s assume Josh and Macey got Isabella at eight-thirty and drove her out to the quarry. It’s a thirty-minute drive. They’d have been there by nine.”

Otto broke in. “There’s an old contractor’s shack out there that hasn’t been used in twenty years. I bet that’s where the other women were being held.”

Josie nodded, feeling like they were finally hitting their stride. “The earliest they could have left the quarry was nine oh-five. It’s southwest of town, so that adds another thirty minutes to their trip to El Paso.”

Otto picked it up. “They left Artemis at nine thirty-five. They’ve been on the road a little over an hour. There’s only one decent route to the interstate. So they’ve already made it through Marfa. They have to be on their way to Van Horn to catch Interstate 10 to El Paso before I-25 to Albuquerque.”

Ryan started nodding his head. “That’s what he said. Interstate 10 to 25.”

Josie left Otto and Ryan in the room and went to talk to the dispatcher for the sheriff’s department.

Juan Smith was standing at the copy machine when Josie entered the dispatch room. He was in his late twenties, married to a local schoolteacher, and was a loyal, dependable employee. She was glad he was on duty. Josie quickly brought him up to speed.

“Can you get with DPS to get state troopers, Border Patrol, local cops, anyone who will respond, set up around the Van Horn entrance ramp?”

“I’m on it.”

Juan sat down at the dispatch console and took down Josie’s information about the van and the driver and passengers they were looking for. A few minutes later she was back in the interrogation room.

“Let’s talk about your situation,” she said, sitting down again across from Ryan.

Josie always hoped at this point some good might come out of this kind of tragedy. Maybe Ryan would get his life turned around before jail terms became a way of life.

“I’ll do anything you want,” he said.

“That’s a good answer.”

An attorney would point out that Ryan didn’t actually cross the border with the women, but Ryan didn’t know that technicality was in his favor. And he was currently so thankful not to be sitting in a jail cell with a sexual predator sign hanging over his head that Josie was sure he would continue to cooperate.

“I’d like to cut you free. I won’t file charges tonight if you can promise me a few things.”

“Anything you want. I swear.”

“First. No contact with Josh or Macey Mooney.”

“Okay.”

“However, we may ask you to contact him if things don’t go well tonight. Will you do that?”

“Yes.”

“But if he calls you tonight, don’t answer the phone. If we find you tipped him off about what’s happening? I promise you jail time.”

“I get it.”

She pushed her business card across the table. “Other than that, if you think of anything, no matter how small it might seem to you, call or text me. Promise?”

“I promise.”

Josie stood and put her hand out. “We’re done here.”

Ryan shook her hand, but awkwardly stayed standing behind the table.

“Was there something else?” she asked.

“I just want to say thanks. I’m going to get my act together.”

Josie patted him on the back and led him down the hallway.

*   *   *

After Ryan left, Josie and Otto walked back to the dispatch station for an update.

“Border Patrol has two vehicles en route. Both are northbound on Interstate 10. Two state troopers are posted just before the Van Horn entrance ramp to the I-10.”

“That’s awesome. Quick work, Juan.”

He grinned. “If he’s on the interstate, we’ll get him.”

Thirty-five minutes later, they listened as dispatch near Van Horn fired up. Border Patrol stopped a white twelve-passenger Econoline van with Texas plates. Josie and Otto listened to the dispatch traffic as Josh and Macey Mooney were arrested for transporting four female passengers with no documentation. Twenty minutes into the episode, Josie called one of the officers and received confirmation that Isabella Dagati and the other three women in the van appeared to be unharmed.

ELEVEN

At ten the next morning Josie and Otto arrived at the Arroyo County Jail, where Texas state troopers had transported Josh and Macey Mooney after capturing them just outside of Van Horn, Texas. The four women were now patients at the trauma center undergoing thorough medical examination, three of them getting treatment for dehydration.

The jailer already had Josh Mooney sitting in the interrogation room next to his court-appointed attorney. The attorney had met with Josh at eight that morning to discuss the case against him. Josie was surprised that meeting had been pulled together so quickly, but a looming murder charge usually speeds the process.

The attorney was Oliver Greene, a public defender from Presidio. Greene was an expat with a dignified bearing and a soft British accent. He managed every client as if their case were the most important of his career, but he never resorted to unnecessary drama. He was one of Josie’s favorite attorneys to work with.

Josie and Otto sat down across from them. After the preliminaries were finished, Greene gave his standard verbal warning to Josh.

“I expect you to consult with me about anything that might be considered incriminating. That may not always be clear. If you aren’t sure, don’t answer the question until you’ve checked with me first. Do you understand?”

Josh nodded his head vigorously and Josie glanced at Greene, who looked weary. She wondered how he tolerated most of the people he dealt with. At least when Josie arrested someone she could stick him in a jail cell and move on. Greene had to have extended conversations with lowlifes like Josh Mooney.

Josie began the interview with a list of charges brought against him, which included rape, the federal charge of kidnapping across a national border, and the threat of a potential murder charge. The prosecutor wasn’t yet sure how the rape charges would be handled, since the rapes occurred in a foreign country, but he had assured Josie he would pursue the steepest penalty under the law, including extradition if appropriate.

At the word
murder
Josh slapped both hands down on the interview table and tipped his chair forward like a little kid. “Okay. I might have done some things wrong, but I
never
killed anyone. You have got the wrong man.”

“You were looking for her. You spent several nights outside my home searching for her. When you couldn’t catch her, you shot her in the back.”

“Someone else was looking for her too,” he said.

“Who?”

“I don’t know her name.”

“
Her
name?” Josie asked.

“Yeah, the lady I work for.”

“What’s her name?”

“She won’t tell me.”

“Does she live in Artemis?”

He hesitated a moment and shifted in his seat. “Maybe.”

“Do you think your boss killed Renata?”

“I don’t know. I swear I don’t know what happened to her.”

Josie paused and looked at Josh for a long moment before continuing. “I’m going to ask you something that I already know the answer to. If you answer truthfully, then I’ll be more inclined to think I can trust you. If you lie to me, your credibility drops to zero.”

Had the subject matter not been so serious, Josh’s wide-eyed stare would have been comical.

“I have two different witnesses who gave me your name, and one who identified you in a photograph, as being responsible for repeatedly raping both Isabella and Renata on the trip from Guatemala to the U.S. Do you admit to that?”

Greene cut Josh off before he could speak, as Josie assumed he would. “I would suggest you not answer that question until we’ve had a chance to talk.”

Josh looked at Greene, and then back at Josie. He shrugged, as if to say,
What can I do? He won’t let me answer
.

“How many times did you drive out to the pasture where Renata’s body was found?”

Josh looked at his attorney, who nodded for him to answer.

“A couple times.”

“I need exact dates.”

“Okay, sure.” He held a hand up, staring at his fingers as he ticked the days off, mumbling to himself. He finally said, “It was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”

“What time did you go out each night?”

“It was about two in the morning. Something like that. So I guess it would be Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at about two in the morning.”

“Who went with you?”

He hesitated and Josie sensed a lie formulating in his brain.

“Don’t do it, Josh. Don’t start telling me lies. I want the truth.”

Greene said, “If you aren’t sure about an answer, we can stop the interview. We’ll chat for a moment, and then reconvene with Chief Gray again when you feel more confident.”

Josh looked confused. “Sure.”

“Who went with you each of those nights?” Josie asked.

“The first night, Ryan came with me.”

“That would have been Saturday night, into early Sunday morning?” she asked.

“Yeah. Then I went by myself.”

“Why didn’t Ryan go back with you?”