Page 19 of Mouse Trapped

“I know,” I reassure him quickly. “Last thing she’d want. Something’s off. If anyone’s committing a fraud, it’s this Todd Jenkins.”Who might be persuaded to tell the truth if my brothers and I paid him a visit.But in the meantime, “I’ll place that call now.”

“Want some privacy?”

“Nah, stay put. Might need some info.”

Dart, now the VP for San Diego, answers the phone in a sleepy voice. “Mouse?”

“Yeah. How you doing? How’s Tyler?”

“Fine and fine. But you don’t fuckin’ ring at god-awful o’clock to shoot the shit. Whaddya want, Brother?”

“To talk to Alex.” His wife’s our new club lawyer. He’ll not bother asking me why I want to speak with her. It’s obvious, and not unusual for her to get a call early in the day.

There’s a mumbling at the other end of the line, then Alex’s voice. “What can I do for you, Mouse?”

After telling her all that I know, there’s a moment of quiet. “You think this was a set up?”

I do. “Yes.”

“By this Todd fella, or the cops?”

I hadn’t thought of the latter. “Either is possible.” We’re in Arizona after all.

“Having DACA status, she’s only safe if she doesn’t get arrested for a felony.”

“Is fraud a felony?”

There’s a slight pause, the type which suggests what I’m going to hear next isn’t good. “Could be,” she says, quietly.

Fuck, that doesn’t help.

“Look, I’ll be honest, Mouse, I don’t know much about immigration law. Just that it’s a minefield. You need someone who knows their stuff. I can try to find a reputable person in Tucson, but it will cost.”

I live at the club. Don’t spend my money on much except my bike and computer. I don’t even hesitate, don’t have any second thoughts about my life savings going to help a stranger. “I’m good for that.”

“Okay. Give me a chance to make some enquiries, alright?”

That’s as much as I can ask. I thank her, and end the call.

Having an idea, I reach for the laptop again, checking where it said the incident took place. I sigh, it was never going to be easy. There are no red-light cameras left in Tucson, they’ve all been removed due to a vote by residents a few years ago. Now it seems I’ll have to check any shops or businesses which could have CCTV cameras.

Drew’s staring at me as if I can wave a magic wand and get answers. I wish that I could. All I can do is my best, and keep him busy. “Got our work cut out for us, kid.”

Chapter 9

Mariana

They come to collect me again. This time, they put handcuffs on me. As I hold them out, my hands are shaking. I’m downright terrified. I don’t know whether I’m going to be deported straight away or taken to an immigration centre. It’s not anything that’s happened to me before. I can’t understand why I’m being treated like a criminal.I’ve done nothing wrong.How the hell did I, obediently stopped at a red light, break the law?

The police woman, a different one from the one who escorted me to the doctor, throws some words at me in Spanish. I just look at her, puzzled. Okay, I still understand a few words, but not when it’s spoken so fast.This is what it would be like in Colombia.I feel tears start dropping from my eyes, unable to easily wipe them away as my hands are literally tied.

“I don’t speak Spanish,” I manage to say in little more than a whisper.

“Sure, you don’t,” she huffs, looking at me disbelievingly.

I’m taken to a room like the ones you see on TV. A table, some kind of recording device on it, two chairs either side. I’m pushed toward one of the chairs with its back to the wall and facing the door. The police woman folds her arms and stands against the wall. After a moment two men in plain clothes come in. They take a moment settling themselves, seeming to finish off a conversation they were having outside, and pulling papers together.

At last they sit down, look at me, and introduce themselves.