hundred and fifty miles, Melissa and Huntley arrived in Amarillo. Well, the outskirts. They hadnât left the suburbs of Dallas as early as they had planned. They were making this a vacation of sorts.
âSo Martin approved the job and is paying expenses?â Huntley asked Melissa as they looked for the perfect hotel that would be their home base.
âYep. Said if we couldnât just have fun on our leave and had to look for this Jackson character, heâd take us off leave. But he added to have fun while weâre at it.â
âHeâs a great boss,â Huntley said, carrying his bags into the hotel. Then he checked his weapon. Loaded and ready, just in case.
âYeah, he is. When I started working for him four years ago, I didnât quite get his humor. I would have thought he was joking about this. But not him.â
âNo, not him.â
âSo none of our men have tracked Jackson down, Martin said.â Melissa checked her own weapon. âBecause of the trouble he was in, he might have had a time getting out of Costa Rica.â
Huntley shook his head. âThe bad guys can slip across borders without any trouble. Itâs the good guys who have more trouble. He knows his way around. Are you ready to take a drive out to the parentsâ place?â
âWhoâs going to call them? You? Whatâs the cover story?â
âIâll be his military buddy. More of a likelihood.â
As soon as they found the one-story yellow, boxy house, Huntley parked. Vehicles were sitting along the curb, dogs roamed the street, and no one was out and about. School-age kids were in school, so it was quiet.
Huntley called Jacksonâs parentsâ number and got the poacherâs mother.
âHello, Mrs. Jackson? I was in the 1st Cavalry Division with Tim Jackson, and he said to look him up, if he happened to be staying with you. I was just passing through Amarillo on my way to see my folks in Florida. I wondered if he was in and maybe we could get together, if he has time.â
âHeâs not here right now,â the older woman said.
Huntley couldnât tell if she was glad or sad about it. âOh? I could have sworn he said heâd be visiting you about this time of year. My mistake.â
âMaybe heâs at his sisterâs place. He hasnât been in touch with us for a couple of years.â
He listened for signs of whether she was telling him the truth or covering for her son. No telling with family. âOkay. Well, thanks, maâam.â
âYouâre welcome. And if you see him, well, tell himâ¦â
Huntley waited, hating this part of the business. It was too easy to see the black and white of a situation. But no matter how low a person went, usually someone still cared about the lowlife and would be devastated to lose him. It did sound like Jacksonâs mother hadnât seen him in a while, though.
âForget it,â she finally said. âTake care, young man. We appreciate you men who serve in the military.â
âYes, maâam. Good-bye.â
He turned to see Melissa studying him. âHe hasnât returned to see his mother in a couple of years. But she said he might have dropped by his sisterâs place. I think sheâs telling the truth about not being in touch with him.â
âSounds like theyâve all had a falling-out. Okay, weâve still got the sister in Canyon. Youâre doing well with the old army-buddy ploy. Might as well use it on the sister, donât you think?â
âI agree.â
Still, they stayed near the parentsâ house for a few more minutes to ensure that Jackson didnât suddenly leave the place. When they didnât see any action at the house, they drove to Canyon, fourteen miles south of Amarillo.
âYou said you went to West Texas A&M. Did you ever run as a jaguar out here? There are only scrub trees, no real place to