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Molly was motioning again. “Ask if he called the cops,” she mouthed.
“Did you, um, call the police?”
A very, very long silence. Then Xavier exhaled again. “No. I don’t want to tell you why until I see that it’s really you and not another faker.”
Gabe nodded, wondering how deep the cops were burrowed into this disaster. “Understandable. Where are you?”
“East Texas, about four and a half hours from you.”
Molly mouthed, “Ask if they need protection.”
“Do you need protection?”
“Yes!” the best friend exclaimed. “Tell him yes!”
“Mom? I think Carlos is right. We should say yes.”
“Then say yes,” Cicely said with not a small amount of exasperation.
“What are you driving?” Gabe asked.
“Gray minivan,” another woman called out. Probably the mom’s friend. “Honda Odyssey, 2015, gray. Has a Save the Whales bumper sticker. It was there when I bought it used,” she added, sounding a little embarrassed.
Gabe nearly smiled. Xavier’s entourage was quite the motley crew. “I’ll call you back at this number, but we’re headed your way. We can meet you at a midpoint and follow you.”
“Don’t be obvious about it.” This came from the gruff voice, maybe Carlos’s brother? “If this guy thinks we’re onto him, he could start shooting. He said he was ‘prepared.’ I assume that means he’s carrying.”
“Sounds like a good assumption,” Gabe said, because it did.
“Wait,” Xavier said. “Who is ‘we’? You said ‘we’re headed your way.’ Who’s with you?”
Gabe looked at Molly, who shrugged. “My name is Molly Sutton,” she told him. “I’m a private investigator. And I’ll tell you why I’m with Gabe when I see that it’s really you and not some faker.”
“Rude, man,” the gruff voice said.
“Very rude,” the mother’s best friend echoed. “You should have said who was with you.”
“Perhaps,” Gabe allowed. “But you called me. I need to be sure who I’m dealing with as well.”
“It’s fair,” Xavier said grudgingly. “What are you driving?”
“Big-ass truck,” Molly said. “Toyota Tundra. Fire-engine red. Bumper sticker says sad face plus horse equals happy face. And it wasn’t there when I bought it.”
Xavier snorted softly. “I guess we’ll see you in a few hours. Where are you now?”
Gabe glanced at Molly. “Tell him if you want to,” she mouthed.
“Just leaving New Orleans,” he said. “We were on our way to see you.”
“Oh. Okay.” Xavier sounded as overwhelmed as Gabe felt. “Call us when you get close to Lafayette. That’s about halfway between us. We can coordinate a meeting place.”
“That sounds good,” Gabe said. “See you soon, Xavier.”
“Gabe, wait. I’m sorry about your father. He was a really, really good man.”
“You’ll tell me how you knew him when we meet?”
“Yes, sir. It’ll all make sense then. I hope.”
