Moving Serafina

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120 Jovita studied the road in front of her car. Though the headlights opened up the moonless dark, she hated driving late at night. She never knew what to expect on this lonely stretch of pavement between Presidio and Solitario, even though it was only twenty miles and a quiet Monday night. She wished Locket had decided to drive back to Solitario behind her, but with the information they had discovered that day, she knew he would be very busy in Presidio. She thought about their conversation when they bumped into each other that afternoon in the general store. “Whatta you doing here?” Locket teased. “Shopping for new scarves?” “Yeah,” she said. “I’m out of red.” She moved closer to Locket and spoke low. “What did the sheriff say?” “Said all hell was about to break loose.” “Can he stop it?” “If he wants to,” Locket said. “Thing is, I don’t think he could, even if he wanted to.” “What’s that mean?” “It means my ass is sort of in a bind,” Locket said. “Means he’s got a job to do and thinks maybe I shoulda got on it sooner myself.” C H A P T E R 12 MOVING SERAFINA 121 “Oh. . . .” “Yeah. And he thinks all you people ought’a go back to watching TV shows,” Locket said. He looked at Jovita, who said nothing. Her face hardened and she blinked at him. “He wants to talk with the mother,” Locket went on. “But, hey, I guess the bottom line is we got some time.” “We?” “Yeah, a little anyway,” Locket said and paused. “But don’t sell him short, Jo. You know Gil couldn’t very well say, ‘Just round up your friends and do whatever the hell y’all decide is best.’ He understands what a lot of pressure from the law might do to the chances of getting that baby back—” “Alive?” Locket paused again and then said, “I keep having to say that. I don’t like having to say that. . . .” “I know, Lock. None of us does. But you just have to do what you have to do. And so does Sheriff Gil.” “Yeah. How is she?” “I sent Boone over this morning to check on her. Bea’s hovering like a mother herself. I think the young woman is as well as could be expected.” “Well, I’m going to ask around a little over here today.” “They won’t talk to you, Lock. Not anyone who knows anything.” “I got sources. . . .” “You mean like me?” Locket looked at Jovita, puzzled. “My turn for the question now,” he said and then, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Bob Cherry 122 “It means you might want to make me a deputy afterall.”Jovitasmiled.Shecockedherhead,repositioned the knot in her red scarf. Locket knew this gesture well. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why?” “I found out they have some clothes her size here, see?” She held up several items of female clothing. “Not much, but some.” “And?” He crossed his arms, moved out of the narrow aisle for a customer with a shopping cart and waited. “And I found out they’ve been real busy in here this weekend,” she teased. “Especially with certain items.” “Come on, Jovita, get to it.” “Thingslikethrowawaydiapersandinfantformula and bottles and, well, things.” “Who told you all this?” “Well, it’s not exactly CIA stuff, Lock. Just ask for all those same things yourself and the clerk gets to talking and then it’s easy. One comment leads to another, that’s all. Lots of mothers come in for that stuff, but she said one buyer was, well . . . different.” “Different?” “Yes.” “How? She say who? When?” “I figure that’s your job, deputy.” Jovita said. “After all, I’m not getting paid.” “Yeah, I do get paid.” Locket sighed and looked around the little store. “But it’s a cinch I ain’t getting rich.” He turned back to her. “And you can take that to the bank. Which one is it you talked to?” “The short one. Young. She’s also a mother. . . .” MOVING SERAFINA 123 Jovita looked across the store at the dry goods section. “She’s over there.” “Okay.” “She said something else, Lock.” Locket waited again. “She said it was kind of sad that a parent of a baby on formula and still in diapers would also be buying that many...