“I went to Cancun once for spring break while I was in college.”
“That’s not Mexico. We ain’t going to Cancun, my friend. I spent some time working in Central and South America when I was with the Feds. It’s a lot like the Wild West down there. You really can’t trust anyone. The drug cartels run the country. The government and cops are all pretty much bought and paid for.
“Kidnapping is still a viable business down there. Ransoms are negotiated like business deals. People disappear every day; most are never seen again. I want you to know what we’re getting into. Americans aren’t usually the targets because the cartels don’t wanna tangle with the US government. They usually won’t snatch or kill an American but there’s no guarantees. We’re gonna meet with one of my old partners from the DEA in Brownsville. He worked in Mexico for most of his career; he’s retired now but he still lives on the border in Brownsville. He’s gonna give us the rundown on the cartel activity in Matamores; that’s the town just on the other side of the Rio Grande. Your father was running his loads out of a distribution warehouse there. I don’t know what we can find out about cargo coming out of there from twenty-five years ago, but it’s a good place to start.”
Joey pushed the Camaro to about ninety on the speedometer and he and Seven settled in for a long, uneventful drive.
“There’s something else that I think I need to tell you. I want you to know that I understand why you’re doing all this. Trust me, I’ve had my own family issues and I’m kind of persona non grata in my own family. Tiffany is the only one who never gave up on me. So, I understand why you wanna get into this, but all that stuff I told you about your dad yesterday. The sexual abuse, the abandonment, the criminal stuff, especially the stuff about killing and mutilating animals. That kind of stuff is a blueprint for a violent, demented personality. I am doing all this stuff for you, Seven, for you and my niece, but I can pretty much tell you where it will end. Gilbert was exactly what they say he was. He was raised in an