trailer and sell it at auction.
“What about her personal things?” he asked. “Her clothes, knickknacks, and such? And shouldn’t someone have notified me?”
“We understood the trailer had been cleaned out,” the official he was speaking to answered. “And we have tried to notify you, but the phone number is disconnected.”
“No it isn’t,” Dylan argued. “I’m talking to you on it now.”
“Your mother’s phone number,” came the maddening reply. He’d disconnected his mother’s phone service when she stopped talking. He and Ange had their cell phones, so there was no need to pay for a landline. After more argument, he finally got the official to concede that his mother’s personal effects were his to take, and made an appointment for the following afternoon for an agent to meet him at the trailer to allow him to go in and get them.
He had no use for the furnishings, and intended to leave them for the state to deal with. At least they weren’t going to come after him for the difference, he learned. He regretted that his mother had made the choices she had, but he now understood them better. Hopefully, the state would recover enough money by selling the trailer that he wouldn’t have to feel ashamed anymore.
It made a funny story to tell Alex, though, as he mimicked the stiffness in the voices of the state officials he’d dealt with. It was one less detail to have to bother with when he moved. Sure, a little extra cash would have come in handy, but he could deal. As soon as he’d cleaned out the trailer, given away the clothes and most of the household goods, he’d have his mother’s affairs wrapped up completely.
He knew for a fact that there was no money in her checking account, since her welfare checks also stopped as soon as he reported her card as fraudulent to the Medicaid department. He’d had to deposit some to cover utility bills that had come out automatically until he got them switched to his name. He needed to ask Rick about probate, but his sense was it wouldn’t be necessary.
As he rambled on to Alex, he became aware he’d lost her attention. Couldn’t blame her, really. It was kind of boring, all except the comedy of errors over the trailer. He stopped talking to ask her what she’d been up to since they’d last talked.
“I interviewed Dawn again,” she said. “I’ve got that story pretty much wrapped up, but we’re going to stay in touch, so I may do some human-interest stuff when she gets her prosthesis.”
“You didn’t mention Patriots, did you?” he asked, crossing his fingers.
“No, not enough evidence. Wish I knew their agenda.”
“Babe, stay away from them. They’re bad news. Please, for my peace of mind.”
“I’ll be careful. Hey, I forgot to tell you something.”
Dylan wondered if she was deliberately changing the subject because being careful wasn’t the same as staying away from the Patriots. What she said next made him forget to challenge her on it.
“I saw those bikers you’re interested in, when I was heading for Dodge the other day,” she went on. “Looked like the group got cut off by a tractor-trailer rig. They were in two bunches, a handful of bikes, then the eighteen-wheeler, then another handful of bikes.”
She started to say something else, but Dylan rode over her voice with his question. “Where was this, babe? On 85 or between Casa Grande and Gila Bend?”
“Actually, I was on 238. I’d been to see Dawn at her folks’ house on the rez, and it was sixes, so I cut through to Gila Bend on the back roads.”
“Alex, I think you just solved the case!” he crowed.
“What case?”
“I’ll have to call you back. I need to get hold of Kevin Thurston.” Dylan hung up with Alex still asking what he was talking about. He’d have to make it up to her later. Alex was naive—that truck hadn’t cut the gang in half—they were guarding it.
If it was headed for Highway 10 on the back roads, he had a pretty good idea of what was in it. Either meth, or guns, or both. They were heading for Phoenix in a way that avoided the weigh stations. If he was right about this, he’d be able to write his own ticket to any law enforcement job he wanted, as long as Thurston gave him credit where it was due.
“Kevin? Have I got a tip for you… ”
FOURTEEN
Before she knew it, Alex was finished with her