Chapter 7Shortly before Perry reached the Esperanza town site, he found a faint track leading off from the main road. He pulled into it and followed the dim mark around behind a clump of bushes and scrubby juniper trees. There, he parked. It was a warm day for December, so he rolled the windows down about a quarter of the way. Badger would not try to get out if they were halfway down or more, but he wasn’t sure about Ike’s dog. He didn’t want either of them running loose while he did some reconnaissance.
Creeping along with all the stealth he could command, he left the car, crossing to the other side of the main road while no traffic was in sight. Then he worked his way along, drawing closer to the row of occupied houses. He did his best to remain unseen. Near the edge of the open area th
