"Did you see him get into a car?" Kerney asked.
"Nope."
"If you see him again when you're outside the house, I want you to go and tell your mother right away," Kerney said as he stood up.
"Will you do that for me?"
"Yeah."
"Is this guy a child molester?" Kerri Crombie asked as she pulled Sherry close.
"I think he could be dangerous."
"Are you going to arrest him?"
Kerney took out a business card and wrote a note on the back.
"I'll let you know if and when I do. In the meantime, be careful when you're out alone at night, and keep a close eye on Sherry. I wrote the make, model, and license number of his vehicle on the back of my card.
Call me, if you see him or his car anywhere outside of work. It doesn't matter where or when.
When he comes into the bar, act natural and don't say anything to raise his suspidons."
Eyes wide with worry, Kerri Crombie took the offered card.
"This is spooky."
"I know. But I'd rather have you spooked than hurt."
The repair work to the ranch road was finished and the washouts, cuts, and ruts had been smoothed out and packed down. At the line camp that served as the Barela ranch headquarters, the bulldozer idled near the cattle guard. Kerney rattled over the rails and coasted to a stop in front of the trailer. Bernardo came outside and met him as he crossed to the trailer.
He lit a dgarette and gave Kerney a flat look.
"My grandfather said you were looking for me."
Kerney smiled pleasantly.
"We haven't been able to identify the human remains that were found on the mesa. I thought you should know."
"You mean it wasn't Luiza, like you thought?"
"I don't think I ever said that I thought it was Luiza."
"I can put two and two together."
"I'm sure you can. We have no idea who the victim was. We can't assume it was Luiza or anyone else at this point."
"That's all you wanted to tell me?"
"Pretty much," Kerney replied.
"We'll keep the case open, but unless we get lucky, it will probably remain unsolved. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"You didn't bother me."
"Well, I leaned on you a bit the other day."
Bernardo smiled.
"You were just doing your job."
"Nobody likes to think they might be a suspect."
"Hey, I told you what I knew."
Kerney nodded in agreement.
"And I appreciate it."
"How come you couldn't identify the victim?"
"We can't find the complete skeleton. It could have been scattered by coyotes."
Bernardo ground out his cigarette under his boot.
"That's too bad."
"Personally, I think the woman was raped before she was murdered. But you never know."
"Sounds like a tough case."
"It isn't an easy one," Kerney said with a shrug as he stepped toward Bernardo and held out his hand.
"No hard feelings?"
Bernardo shook Kerney's hand and smiled.
"Everything's cool."
"Good enough."
Bernardo looked pleased, which was just the way Kerney wanted him to feel. He waved good-bye as he drove away and Bernardo waved back.
Kerney had no doubt Bernardo was a budding rapist and murderer.
Everything he'd learned about him fit the profile. But proving it wasn't going to be easy. If his ploy with Bernardo worked, he might let his guard down and make a mistake.