Winning Texas (8 page)

“
She says she doesn
’
t, and I believe her.
”

“
How about her friends?
”

“
I talked to two of her best friends. They said they didn
’
t know anything at first, then one confessed that Betsy had fallen for a rock guitarist she met in El Paso after a show.
”

“
El Paso
–
that
’
s awfully far afield for girls their age.
”

“
The three girls spent a weekend there with the cousin of one. Betsy was all excited about it.
”

“
Is there any trouble between you?
”

“
She hated the whole secessionist thing and all the publicity when it blew up,
”
Marr said.
“
Even after the media left us alone, kids teased her. That
’
s one reason I got out for good. I thought things would get back to normal, but Betsy has never seemed the same. She
’
s become rebellious, especially where boys are concerned.
”

“
My boys sowed a few wild oats when they were teenagers,
”
Riggins said.
“
I was gone so much. Karen usually ran interference.
”

“
Yeah, I probably shouldn
’
t have tried to raise Betsy on my own. She was so young when Elizabeth died.
”

“
I
’
m kind of surprised you haven
’
t remarried. Aren
’
t there any attractive women in this neck of the woods?
”

“
Lord, yes,
”
Marr said.
“
Even with my tarnished reputation, people try to fix me up all the time. But I haven
’
t met anyone I really liked since Annie.
”

“
Annie Price? Didn
’
t she do enough damage to last a lifetime?
”

“
Dan, we need to stay away from this subject,
”
Marr said with a firmness that surprised Riggins.
“
I don
’
t blame Annie for anything that happened. Let
’
s talk about something else.
”

“
Okay, sorry.
”

“
Betsy might have gone to Houston,
”
Marr said.
“
Her friend Carly admitted that the band was from Houston.
”

Riggins thought of a horrible possibility and struggled to keep his face impassive. But Marr could read his changing expression. He grabbed Riggins by the shoulder.

“
You know something you
’
re not telling me?
”

“
I read something in the
Houston Times
online today about a body found floating in the Ship Channel,
”
Riggins said.
“
It was an unidentified young woman, but likely it
’
s not Betsy.
”

“
Lord have mercy,
”
Marr said.

“
It
’
s probably a stowaway from one of those big ships,
”
Riggins said, regretting that he
’
d worried Marr about something that was probably farfetched.
“
We
’
ll get to the bottom of it.
”

“
I need to get to Houston. It
’
s my best chance of finding Betsy.
”

“
We
’
ll leave in the morning. I
’
ll get a few of my security guys looking into it tonight. While we
’
re on the road, I
’
ll just stay in the car and wear sunglasses.
”

“
Dan, I don
’
t want to get involved with your secessionists or blow your cover.
”

“
I
’
ll be careful. And I
’
ll deal directly with my guys. They have ways of finding things quickly that you and I don
’
t even know about.
”

“
What about Alicia?
”

“
She may call within a day or two. She hasn
’
t stayed gone for more than a few days at a time,
”
Riggins said with a degree of hope that he didn
’
t altogether feel.

CHAPTER 7

Kyle Krause steered his Porsche into the old strip shopping center off the Gulf Freeway southeast of downtown Houston, parking in the VIP spot at his original Texas Girls Club. The place wasn
’
t much to look at, just an anonymous beige storefront wedged between a Korean nail salon and Vietnamese caf
é
.

“
Ugh, I hate this place,
”
Juliana said, refreshing her coral lipstick in the passenger seat mirror.
“
Let
’
s not stay any longer than we have to.
”

“
As soon as the meeting
’
s over, we
’
re out of here,
”
Krause said.

The club catered to eastside refinery workers who were known to get rowdy, especially on Thursday or Friday nights when they
’
d gotten their fill of cheap beer and a grinding week of repetitive work. It was one of his working-class, no-frills establishments, but since it was the first business he
’
d owned and still made decent money, he felt sentimental about it. He resented Juliana
’
s prissy snobbery. She was far more tolerant of the upscale clubs on Houston
’
s tonier Westside, with their more elaborate furnishings and well-heeled customers, places that Krause felt were pretentious. Despite his custom-made suits, expensive haircuts and showy cars, he didn
’
t feel too far removed from this club. He was far more at home in the cowboy atmosphere of the lower-rent joints. They reminded him of his first few heady months in Houston when he worked 12-hour shifts as a bouncer, flexing his muscle with dirt-bag customers, and banging as many strippers as he wanted.

He and Juliana walked in, past the well-lighted stage where a skinny woman was warming up to Robin Thicke
’
s
“
Blurred Lines
”
and a few early patrons were drinking longneck beers. Krause unlocked the door to a cold interior office featuring a desk, a dark green leatherette sofa and a few chairs. This was the unwelcoming place where he often held tough conversations with employees and contractors. The chairs were hard and uncomfortable, and the mismatched look, plus the bare-bulb ceiling light, gave the space the atmosphere of an interrogation room.

He punched in the number of the front desk and the manager on duty answered quickly.

“
Yes, Mr. Krause?
”

“
You know Behar Zogu, the scrawny guy with a moustache and greasy hair? The one who delivers stuff sometimes? Send him to my office when he gets here.
”

“
Sure. Can we get you any drinks or food?
”

“
We
’
ll take two diet Cokes, with ice cubes and twists of lime.
”

“
Right away, Mr. Krause.
”

Soon he and Juliana were sipping their drinks and a few minutes later, the manager knocked. Krause tried not to grimace when he saw Zogu, who looked rattier every time they met. Thin and scruffy, he was dressed in a worn black leather jacket, threadbare jeans and scuffed, industrial-looking boots. He also had a hangdog look that Krause, who prided himself on his proud posture and commanding attitude, held against him. But Zogu had performed some valuable services for the business and didn
’
t ask pesky questions, so Krause tried to overlook his shoddy appearance.

“
Hello Ms. Juliana and Mr. Kyle,
”
Zogu said. He extended a hand, but Krause didn
’
t shake it, just waved him into a chair across his desk. Zogu sat beside Juliana, who glanced at him and looked away.

“
The girls they are here, all nine,
”
Zogu said.

“
You told us you
’
d arranged for ten,
”
Krause said.

“
No, only nine,
”
Zogu said. He smiled nervously and avoided Krause
’
s eyes.
“
They are resting at the motel, waiting for you and Ms. Juliana to bring them to the clubs.
”

Juliana looked at Zogu and spoke in a disgusted tone.
“
Didn
’
t you understand what I said yesterday? Those girls look like hookers.
”

“
No, Miss. They are the most beautiful flowers of Albania,
”
Zogu tried to smile.
“
My brother Bujar personally picked them out from the finest families of Tirana.
”

“
More likely he got them off the streets,
”
Juliana said.
“
They don
’
t look like the girls we hire, even at this location.
”

“
They hide on a ship many, many days. They need, how do you say, the beauty sleep.
”

“
You promised us tall, beautiful blondes like the Ukrainian or Russian women you see at Rick
’
s clubs,
”
Krause said.
“
We said we
’
d give you one try.
”

“
Mr. Kyle, I do good work for you for five years, always pleasing you. You will like these girls when you meet them. They love Texas already.
”

“
Juliana wasn
’
t impressed,
”
Krause said.
“
I do rely on her judgment.
”

“
The girls, they need better clothes and a few good meals,
”
Zogu said.
“
They
’
ll look so beautiful and dance so sexy, they
’
ll shine like stars when they come to your clubs. The men will be, how you say, busting the doors down.
”

Krause and Juliana looked at each other silently. She still had her nose in the air about the whole deal, and he didn
’
t want to give in just to please her. He made up his mind.

“
We
’
ll give them two weeks to rest up and a little money to get them fixed up. The three rooms at the motel are paid for, but you have to feed them.
”

“
Thank you,
”
Zogu said, smiling at Juliana. She stared back stonily and he looked away. Krause thought he
’
d have hell to pay the rest of the day and she probably would give him the cold shoulder tonight. It was tough being with a hard-ass woman like Juliana sometimes, but she, like Zogu, was entrenched in his businesses. Not that he
’
d ever seriously considered getting rid of her.

“
You must keep them out of sight,
”
Krause said.
“
They mustn
’
t be seen or connected with our clubs until this unpleasantness dies down.
”

“
Zogu will make sure it works out,
”
he said.
“
You
’
ll see.
”

He made a slight bow and left quickly. Neither Krause nor Juliana bothered to get up to say goodbye.