The interior of the house was sparse but gloriously cool. Exactly what I needed right now. A single, naked light bulb lit the way down a passage that ran the length of the house. An eerie layout. It reminded me of an old slaughterhouse horror movie house. No pictures. Nothing personal of any kind was displayed. All in clinical white. The floor bare. Grubby and stained wooden planks.

We followed the suit down the passage. All adjoining doors, bar one, were closed.

We followed the man into what felt like a minimalist’s office. By the window stood a simple oak desk with several papers scattered about. No monitor or Laptop, to my surprise. To the right three two-seater sofas stood around an old, worn-out Persian rug. Here too the floor was bare and stained. The sofas were old but in usable condition and surprisingly clean. Above one of the couches, against the wall, hung the source of the heavenly cool blast of air that sent my neck hairs into overdrive as rivers of sweat ran down my back. The fan and head unit of a very powerful split unit air conditioner. And right now, I could stay here indefinitely.

The suit gestured us to sit with a cheesy grin. Jane sat in the couch against the wall. Good call. Best vantage point in the room. I sat in the one to the right so I could see the window, which was grimy and dirty, without curtains.

The suit was about to sit when he bowed and placed his right hand over his heart.

‘I must again apologize for my employees and for not introducing myself. My name is Jose Costas Dos Santos. I am the owner of this establishment.’

The way Jose introduced himself made me want to punch him in the face. The arrogance in his voice. That smile that never reached the eyes which were almost black and staring emotionless from under thick caterpillar eyebrows and jet-black hair gelled to the back and that Walrus type of moustache. Nothing would please me more that to go a few rounds with this scumbag, but Jane had promised to behave so I would have to, too. For now.

Jose sat down.

Jane smiled and nodded. ‘Hi, I am Jane, and this is my partner, Agent Scott.’

Partner? Huh? When did that happen?

‘We are looking for two young girls. One is around sixteen. Her name is Vanessa and her younger sister. I believe her to be around nine. Her name is Lucile. We believe both were abducted from their Village in Mexico and brought to the US against their will. We are just knocking on some doors, which is taking longer out here than I thought, and were wondering if you had heard of any illegal activity relating to people smuggling in the area.’

Hmm, why not ask a Lion if she killed the Springbok as you point at its carcass.

Jose sat forward and clasped his hands. There was that million dollar smile again. Just five minutes. Me, him, and a baseball bat. How did Jane put it, “We quarrelled, and he slipped…repeatedly.” Sorry…not sorry.

‘You must have me confused with somebody else?’ Jose said. A humours tone in his voice. His eyebrows lifted and his forehead creased.

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‘Oh, terribly sorry. Oh my, how awkward.’ Jane’s expression never changed. Still smiling, eyes sparkling and non-moving. ‘I’m sorry, I wasn’t accusing you, I was just wondering since you had a number of employees that maybe you had heard something. I mean, it is an isolated area and people talk. Once again, my apologies. But since we are on the topic, what is it you do out here?’

Smooth like silk. Note to self. Ask Jane for lessons on how to bullshit like that with a straight face. Jose, that bloody smile still plastered on his face, never stumbled.

‘No offense taken.’ His eyes had never smiled but now seemed more intense. Ooh, a stare down. And I have front row seats. ‘I should not have assumed. But since you asked, I’m in the Import Export business.’ Jose said. Continuing to stare unblinking.

Of course, you are… Exporting human cargo and importing money.

‘Ahh, I see, but you did not answer my original question. Have you, or any of your employees seen or know the whereabout of the two children?’

By now I was expecting at least one of them to start shooting lasers out of their eyes. Even the aircon was struggling to keep up with the rising heat.

BUJAA! I shouted in my head. Jose had blinked and looked down. When he raised his head, his eyes burned with anger. I knew his kind. Women to him are a commodity. To serve only at his pleasure. Disposable. Men like him only respect violence and money. And here he was. But Jane had not only bested him, but she had also broken his talent. Like discovering a tell on an opponent in a game of Poker. She had exposed a weakness in him, and he was pissed. I was loving every moment, even if they were to be my last.

‘I’m sorry. I know nothing of any young girls and if any of my men had seen anything, they would have told me.’ Jose stood up abruptly and fastened his jacket. ‘Unfortunately, I am very busy and must ask you to leave now.’ He gestured to the door.

We both got up and Jane extended her hand. After staring at her hand for a little too long, Jose placed his hand into hers. The hatred was still burning in his eyes.

‘Sorry, I never got your full name. Jane?’

‘Just Jane. Like Cher or Madonna. Lovely to have met you, Jose. If you don’t mind, and to save you precious time, we’ll see ourselves out.’

I followed Jane as we walked back down the corridor. The floorboards creaking under our feet.

I hadn’t noticed the absolute silence in the house before now. I could only hear our footsteps and the hum of the aircon. Freaky, considering how many people we had seen from the distance.

As we stepped outside only the cars remained. All lifeforms, at least any smelly two-legged ones had disappeared. Even the distant music had been killed.

***

Back in the car Jane gave me a sour grin.

‘Well, I think we both know what he exports,’ said Jane as she adjusted the air vents. ‘I want to have another look around. Tonight.’

Ke? Did she just say tonight?

‘What do you have in mind?’

‘Well, I was thinking that we could park a little way away and take a stroll. You know, just a little look around.’ Jane’s grin reminded me of the Cheshire cat. Oh boy.

‘Seriously? You know what they’ll do to us if we get caught. Around here nobody hears you scream, and the desert doesn’t care.’ I felt a vexation grow in my gut. ‘Look, I don’t know who or what you are. I know I’m exclusively at your disposal but that doesn’t mean I have a death wish. Why don’t we try something new? How about we discuss things, come to an agreement that we’re both comfortable with and go from there?’ I didn’t care anymore who or what came down on the chief’s head. My nerves were shot and now with the adrenaline wearing off I was feeling mentally exhausted.

‘Fair enough.’ Jane said to my surprise. ‘I tell you what. I’ll buy lunch and we can do some planning.’

There was no need to say anything. My involuntary smile said it all. All is forgiven Jane. But lunch is on you. And I, the designated boy scout, know just the place. Chelly’s Diner.

‘You’re on.’ I said and started the car.