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I stopped the Jeep. Dust flew up around the open-air vehicle. “Trisha, this doesn’t make sense. Even with him calling you that, you don’t trust that he’s in Mexico?”

“I don’t.”

“Why?”

“Look, I know people don’t like Joey, and everyone tells me that I’d be better off without him. I hear everyone’s comments. I know.”

“Okay?”

“Joey made me put a location thing on my phone, so he could know where I am all the time.”

“And you agreed?”

She looked at me. “I’ve got enough balls to tell him that he had to put one on too so I could track him.”

“That’s great, Trisha. You’ve known where he was this whole time? And it’s not Mexico?”

She shook her head. “His phone was off for most of the time, so I didn’t know anything, but when I got the text, I hurried to see where he was. It said he was at his trailer.”

“So, he was lying to you?”

“No, Hazel, that can’t be it. He knows I’m not a fool. He knows I would see where he was or wasn’t.”

I nodded. “Where does it say he is now?”

“The phone is off again.”

I considered her powers of deduction and thought she might be on to something being wonky. I just didn’t know why I was involved. “Did you tell the police?”

“Yep. That new police chief said I need to give him more time. He and his officer, what was her name—what an asshole—talked to me like I was five, telling me that ‘sometimes boyfriends wander.’ ”

“Talking down to you wasn’t professional, but they aren’t wrong.”

“They’re wrong about Joey.” She looked at me. “You have a gun. I don’t. You work with the law, and you don’t talk to me like I’m a fool. Please, Hazel, let’s just check.”

I frowned at her.

“Joey’s allergic,” she said.

“Um. What does that have to do with anything?”

“He’s allergic to scorpion venom. He’s been stung a few times, but the first time he almost died. Jerry got him into town quick that day, and the doctor happened to be there, so he stuck him with one of those EpiPens. It was almost too late. He’s supposed to carry the shot with him all the time now.”

“Supposed to?”

Trisha nodded, and a tear fell down her cheek. “He forgets sometimes. I hope he has one, but what if he doesn’t and he got stung?”

Then he’s probably dead, I thought. My heart went out to her, and I put the Jeep back into gear.

As we approached the trailer, my eyes scanned for something different from my last visit. The door had been open last time I’d been there. I’d closed it, and that was how it currently was. It might be nearly impossible to notice if the piles of bones had been disturbed, but they didn’t appear any different to me.

I parked the Jeep and put my hand out to stop Trisha from moving too quickly.

“Jerry? Joey? Anyone here?” I called.

The silence that followed left me feeling mostly confident that there was no one around.

“Hang on one second, Trisha. Let me check the place first.”