Martha dropped to one knee, scooped up a handful of moist dirt, and sniffed it.
"It smells like blood to me.
Lots of it. The ground is saturated."
"What kind of blood?" Garduno asked.
"I can't tell you that," Owens answered.
"But something got slaughtered here recently."
Kerney felt the presence of someone at his side and looked over.
"Sweet Jesus, Mother Mary," Gabe said, his voice cracking.
"Don't jump to conclusions, Gabe," he said.
Gabe looked at Kerney like he was a complete stranger.
"I want Bernardo in custody now."
"We'll do this my way. Lieutenant."
"What way is that, Kerney?"
"Cool it, Gabe," Garduno said.
"Fuck you. Cap. I want to know what happened to my son."
Garduno's call sign came over the radio. He hurried to his unit.
"Go, dispatch."
"The phone company reports a call made from the first number you gave me to the Gonzales residence at oh-six-fifty hours, last date."
Ten-four."
"Let's go get the son of a bitch," Gabe said.
Kerney grabbed Gabe's arm to hold him back.
"Not yet. We need a plan."
"You need a fucking plan. I don't."
Kerney tightened his grip.
"Give me your weapon and your shield." For a moment he thought Gabe was going to swing at him.
"You'd do that?"
"Unless you work with me, I will."
Gabe glared at Kerney.
"What's your plan?"
Kerney swung his attention to Garduno.
"Check with Pullerton. Find out if he slaughtered an animal here this morning. He may have had to put down an injured calf or a yearling."
"Pullerton is on his way back to his ranch house."
"Contact him ASAP." Kerney turned to Gabe.
"You're going back with me to the office. We're going to see what the surveillance team has on Bernardo, and get people out backtracking on Orlando. I'll ride with you."
"To watch me?"
"You bet. Send the chopper home and keep working the search.
Captain."
"waldo."
"Let's go. Lieutenant."
Garduno called dispatch and snapped off an order to make contact with FuUerton.
"Patch me through when you reach him. I'll stand by."
"Ten-four."
Still clutching the microphone in his hand, Garduno watched Gabe and Kerney drive away. He threw it on the front seat of his unit in disgust, put his hands to his face, and rubbed his eyes. What a shitty, shitty day it had turned out to be.
At the district office, Kerney kept Gabe Gonzales at his side during the time it took to implement a sweep to gather information about Orlando's whereabouts during the last twenty-four hours. Bernardo Barela would remain under full surveillance while officers backtracked at the bank, the university, and the burger joint where Orlando worked, questioning employees, classmates, professors, and anyone else who might have seen Orlando, or knew where he could be.
Kerney pulled Ben Morfin back on duty to do follow ups on the people who'd been interviewed in the Luiza San Miguel slaying. He couldn't discount the possibility that it might tie in to Orlando's disappearance.
Garduno called in to report that Fullerton hadn't put down any of his livestock at the river, and the look on Gabe's face told Kerney that Gonzales was about to explode.
"Tell Fullerton we're coming out to talk to him," Kerney said.
They left the district office for the Box Z Ranch in Gabe's unit, running a silent code three. Gabe kept the unit floored until the drop-off into the canyon forced him to slow down. On the ranch road, he pushed the unit to its limit, blowing out the shocks, struts, and alignment, fighting to keep control as they pitched, bounced, and veered through rough water crossings and over jagged rock outcroppings.
Kerney didn't say a word.