Jesse asked Grim when the room was quiet. Grim looked at him. "I think they want the truth," he said. "If you tell it, it'll still hurt. But at least it'll be something they can work with."
The telephone rang shortly before nine. This time the voice belonged to a woman in her late sixties named Patricia Guerrero, who lived several properties away from Clay's trailer and had lived there for eleven years. Grim knew her name only by reputation. She kept to herself, maintained a garden that should not have survived in that climate, and had more cameras around her property than most of the ranchers nearby. She spoke as if she had been waiting a decade for someone willing to listen.
"Are you Victor Hayes?" she asked. "I am." "I heard you helped Sarah Cole." Grim paused.
"Who told you that?" "People talk. More importantly, I saw a woman leave that property last night, and I saw Clay's truck leave this morning. I've got a recording of the truck at the gate, and I heard where he said he was going."
Grim stood up. "Where?" "Laughlin," Patricia answered.
"He said he'd find her before the morning was over. I had my little video camera running because Clay's people keep parking near my fence. It picked up his truck and his voice from the open gate." Her tone sharpened. "I've tried reporting what happens out here. Do you know how many times somebody told me I was confused?"
"I can guess," Grim said. "No," Patricia replied.
"You can't. Three complaints in one year and the same deputy came every time. He wanted to know why I was paying attention to my neighbors instead of minding my own business. I'll tell you what. If Sarah got away last night, I don't intend to be quiet today."
He gave her the number the federal agents had left for evidence and asked her to keep the original recording intact. Patricia agreed, then asked the question that cut past everything else. "Does this finally stop?"
Grim thought of Keene's warning and resisted the certainty he wanted to offer. "We're working on it with people who can make charges stick," he said. "I don't know what happens next, but you did the right thing calling. And I need you to be safe while this is sorted out."
When he hung up, Danny had already risen. Grim called Marco in Laughlin and waited through three rings that seemed far longer than they could possibly be. "Everyone still inside?" he demanded. "Yes," Marco answered.
"What's wrong?" "Clay left his property this morning and was heard saying Laughlin. He may know Linda's house, or he may only know the town. Either way, we don't leave them at the address everybody associated with Millie would guess."