Free Body Heat by Brenda Novak Page B

again, they’ll prosecute him.”
    He nodded emphatically. “ Sí. These are his runners.”
    She pulled out a small pad of paper and a pen she’d shoved into her back pocket. “And who are you?”
    â€œEnrique.”
    â€œEnrique what?”
    â€œCastillo.”
    She wrote that down. “And your friends?”
    â€œJuan and Miguel Martinez.”
    As soon as she’d recorded this, she eyed Enrique’s friends. “Can you tell me who these people are?”
    They looked confused until Enrique jumped in. “ Juan y Miguel no hablan inglés, señorita. I translate. But first, we talk price. One hundred U.S.” He tapped Juan’s shoulder, then Miguel’s and then his own chest to make sure she understood that they each expected one hundred American dollars.
    Sitting back, she folded her arms. “That’s more than I offered.”
    A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. “We have to live, to eat. And we have to pay the police, no?”
    Juan and Miguel seemed to understand that Enrique was arguing for higher pay. They made noises of agreement.
    She arched her eyebrows. “You expect me to cover your bribes?”
    â€œThey have to be paid or we no work.”
    Some coyotes made several thousand dollars a week even after they shelled out the standard ten percent to the Mexican military and police. Many camped along the border, sometimes for days at a time, tracking border agent activity, searching for any vulnerability. Among other things, the bribes helped insure that the Mexican police wouldn’t interfere with their reconnaissance. But if Enrique went to the extra effort of scouting the guards, Sophia had a feeling he wasn’t too successful. “There are no snitches here to tell anyone about our deal,” she pointed out. “Why get greedy?”
    His pitiable expression changed to grave. “They will find out. Soplónes …snitches…they are everywhere.”
    An additional hundred wasn’t enough to argue about, not when it was getting so late. Sophia calculated the amount of money she had in her pocket. “I have two hundred and fifty-three dollars. That’s all. Take it or leave it. And I’ll pay you only after you’ve given me what I want.” If they could give her what she wanted. She had no delusions; these men would cheat her if they could.
    They conferred and quickly agreed, as she’d expected them to. Everything in Mexico was negotiable. “Gracias, señorita.”
    â€œWhat can you tell me?” she asked.
    â€œNombres.” Enrique nudged Juan, who pointed at the two pictures.
    â€œJosé y Benita.”
    Sophia’s heart began to race. She hadn’t mentioned thatshe knew the man’s first name. Enrique wasn’t trying to con her. He’d found the people she needed to talk to.
    â€œCan you give me a last name?”
    Her words made no sense to Juan, but Enrique explained.
    â€œSanchez” came the response.
    â€œJosé and Benita Sanchez,” she repeated. “He’s sure?”
    â€œSí.” All three men nodded in agreement and apparent satisfaction.
    â€œDoes he also remember where they’re from?”
    Again, Enrique addressed his companions before responding. “Nayarit.”
    Sophia didn’t recognize the location. Despite growing up so close to the border, she’d spent very little time in Mexico and hadn’t studied it except as it related to basic American history. “That’s a city?”
    â€œA state.”
    â€œWhere? Is it far?”
    â€œSí,” Enrique answered soberly. “It is south, near the ocean.”
    The two men at the front table leaned toward each other, talking. They paused every now and then, their eyes shooting imaginary daggers at Sophia. They weren’t happy that she’d found the help she needed. But she ignored them. She’d decide what to do about