Page 43 of Wyatt
They left Coronado and just like U-Jin had said, the traffic in downtown San Diego was insane. Nothing seemed tobe moving. Traveling only three miles took them almost forty-five minutes.
“That was nuts!” said Wyatt. “I’ve been here when there have been conventions before, but that’s really crazy.” They looked at the signs for the convention goers but didn’t recognize the acronym. It really didn’t matter. Finally, arriving at the headquarters, they entered and found Chief Hudson.
“Sir? I’m Ulani, and this is Wyatt.” The other men were already there, waiting for them.
“Please, have a seat,” he said. “My guys are getting some coffee and snacks. Our men like their coffee and snacks.”
“I understand that,” smiled Wyatt. The two men walked in and took a seat, not saying much.
“If you don’t mind, the guys will use their nicknames. That’s Tug and Spark,” he said, pointing to the men.
“We don’t mind,” said Ulani, “but I can guarantee that we’ll keep this between us. As the chief may have told you, this has happened to at least nine other men.”
The two men stared at one another, then at the chief. They just shook their heads.
“Can you tell us how it happened to you?” asked Wyatt. The man named Spark started first.
“I left the station after my twenty-four-hour shift. I had three days off and was looking forward to just spending time on my boat and fishing.”
“Do you live near the marina?” asked Wyatt.
“I liveinthe marina,” he smiled. “I live on my boat. It’s too expensive to rent or buy here. I’m not married, no kids, so it works for me. On my days off, I fish. I catch whatever I can eatand freeze it. If I catch too much, I bring it in on the next shift for the guys.”
“That seems smart,” smirked Wyatt. He nodded, frowning.
“Anyway, I stopped at the grocery store near the marina to pick up a few things. When I came out, there was a young woman sitting on the tailgate of my truck. I asked if she needed something or if she was hurt.”
“What did she say?” asked Ulani.
“She said she was fine, just tired. She’d been walking for days trying to make her way to Arizona. I offered to cook her dinner, and she accepted. I had no plans for anything else. She looked young. Not underage, but too young for my tastes.
“I never even got the fish cooked. I started feeling sick to my stomach and was vomiting. I heard her say ‘shit’ a few times, then I don’t remember anything else. I woke up three days later. I was lying on the tailgate of my truck in a vacant lot near Encinitas.”
“And you remember nothing?” asked Wyatt.
“Not a damn thing.”
“I know this will be uncomfortable, but did you notice if she’d touched your body or had done anything to your body?” asked Ulani.
“It was the first thing I checked. Not for sex, but more about missing organs. A kidney, lung, something. It happens a lot across the border. But it was nothing. No cash missing, nothing from the boat. My truck was fine. Not a damn thing.”
“And you?” asked Wyatt, looking at Tug.
“Pretty damn similar. Left my shift, stopped at the grocery store, and headed home. I live with my father, who hasdementia. A nurse cares for him when I’m not there. She’s pretty cool, so she doesn’t panic if I’m not home when I’m supposed to be.
“I was gone two days before she started making calls to the station. I was approached by a girl in the produce aisle. She asked if I could help her fix a flat. I went out to the parking lot, knelt by her tire, and that was it.”
“Nothing unusual on your body?” asked Ulani.
“Yeah. Yeah, there was. Scratch marks on my, on my ass cheeks.” He shook his head, looking away. “That girl was young. I don’t remember anything.”
“It’s not your fault,” said Ulani. “Let me tell you what we know so far.”
When they left the two firefighters, they said nothing as they struggled through traffic to get back to the house and the others. As they reached the bridge, Ulani looked at Wyatt and shook her head.
“What a fucking mess.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
