Totally Buzzed (A Miller Sisters Mystery)

by Gale Borger

  A thin, wiry man with black hair and a pocked face met Alejandro in the front parking area. He ignored Alejandro's greeting, acting as if he did not even hear him.

  "So much for Midwestern hospitality," Alejandro sighed.

  The little man silently directed Alejandro toward the road running down the east side of the barn. Alejandro drove until he found a gap between the barns where he was halted by another man.

  Several stern-faced cowboys stood waiting. Alejandro raised a hand in greeting and only one responded with a curt nod. There was none of the joking, convivial atmosphere Alejandro was used to seeing when in the company of cowboys. The entire operation here made him nervous.

  He wondered, momentarily, if he should just turn around and leave. He turned off the engine, but before he could exit the truck, they had the trailer doors open and were unloading the mares. No one spoke to him as they led the mares into the second barn. A lanky older cowboy came back out of the barn and told Alejandro he was to collect the papers for the mares.

  "Sure," Alejandro said as he reached into the glove compartment for the sealed envelope he had been given in Mexico.

  Thinking it was weird that no one asked where Dr. Huerta was, Alejandro closed up the empty trailer. He turned to ask one of the cowboys a question and found himself alone. He poked his head inside the back barn and noticed his four mares were still tied in the aisle. All the farm hands were gone. He thought how odd it was that after the long ride in the trailer the horses would be standing in an aisle rather than bedded down in stalls.

  He stood alone next to his truck, hands on hips. He thought about the atypical behavior of the employees. The breeder had not come out to greet him. No one offered to show him around, something that happened on every horse farm no matter where you went. The older cowboy never opened the envelope to check the papers against the proper mare. The horses were still tied in the aisle. Were they staying or going? The peculiar goings-on since he arrived were sparking Alejandro's T.V. detective alter ego's imagination.

  Alejandro drove around to the front parking area and backed the truck and trailer among the several other rigs in front of the barns. He needed to find a bathroom and get directions to White Bass Lake, in that order. He looked around inside the front barn for an office or a restroom. A burly looking fellow in a flannel shirt stepped in front of him and said, "Hey, Mex. You got no business here. Get the hell out."

  Startled again at the harsh treatment, Alejandro stood staring at the man.

  "I was looking for a restroom, sir. I just brought in those four…"

  "They ain't your concern no more, Paco, and I don't give a shit if you piss yourself. Get out before I throw you out!"

  Alejandro backed away from the man. He was about to turn when a commotion toward the back barn made both of them look. Alejandro caught a glimpse of one of his mares fighting against her halter, refusing to be loaded onto another trailer.

  He turned around and headed out the front door before the rude man noticed that Alejandro saw the mare. He looked over his shoulder and saw the man hurry toward the other barn. Alejandro ducked behind the barn door and watched as all four mares were loaded into the trailer. He sagged against the barn door and scratched his head.

  "Where the heck are they going now?" he murmured. "If the mares are here for breeding, why are they leaving?" He headed for his truck, thought about the rude man and froze. "What if they are horse thieves? People still steal horses in Mexico, why not here too?"

  He fumbled for his cell phone while starting the engine of the truck. His decision made, Alejandro the detective pulled out behind the other horse trailer and followed while he dialed Eduardo Martinez's cell phone. He got the voice mail and snapped the phone shut. The other rig turned right and headed north on Route 45. Alejandro waited for a few vehicles to fall in behind the other trailer and then pulled out and followed. Wondering what the heck he was doing, he grabbed a pen and wrote that he turned right so he would remember how to get back.

  He tried to remember landmarks and street signs, but it was dusk and the traffic was heavy. When he saw the 'Welcome to Wisconsin' sign, he started to worry. A couple of miles down the road, the rig in front turned left. Alejandro followed.

  He couldn't believe his eyes when he passed a sign that said 'White Bass Lake–4 miles'. He backed off the rig in front, as the traffic had thinned.

  The darkness was now on his side, but he wanted to be safe. He figured he could double back to White Bass Lake and find somewhere to stay the night if they didn't go too far.

  About a mile out of town the rig in front signaled and turned. When Alejandro caught up, he realized they had pulled into a driveway. He looked up at the sign illuminated in his headlights and his heart froze in his chest. Could 'Graff's Garden Center' be a coincidence with the 'Carole Graff' addressed envelope? He did not think so. He drove couple hundred yards further down and pulled off the side of the road onto the wide shoulder.

  He killed the engine and let out a deep breath. Was he up for this? He thought about Princesa and the detective in him said, "Absolutely!"

  Alejandro exited the truck quietly and hiked back to the entrance to the garden center. He made his way down the side of the driveway, careful to keep off to the side so his feet did not crunch in the gravel. Nearing the main building, he saw the trailer enter through a gate to the right. They left the gate open and Alejandro slipped through. He hid among the plant displays and watched the truck pull around the end of the last building.

  A thrill of anticipation shimmied up his spine. I knew I would make a good T.V. detective.

  He crept stealthily around the opposite side of the building, hesitating when he heard the noise of the horses being unloaded. Crawling on hands and knees to the end of the building, he watched two cowboys finish unloading his mares. He took a couple of steps back and looked through a window. Crouching down, he thought, "Now what?" He heard one of the cowboys speak.

  "That's it, Jack. Now we wait."

  Wait for whom or what, Alejandro wondered. Not wanting to give himself away, he sat with his back against the building and settled in. The long hours in the truck finally began taking their toll, and he felt himself drifting off. His last conscious thought was, "Television detectives are right about one thing, stakeouts really suck."

  * * *

  Jarred awake by the sound of an approaching vehicle, Alejandro quickly lay flat just before the headlights swept over his hiding place. Oh God. More people. What if they saw my rig? The vehicle parked at the back of the building along side the others. He heard doors slam and the crunch of gravel as several people walked to the barn. He stood, and again peeked through the window. What he saw made his blood turn cold.

  "Huerta and Martinez," he breathed. He could not believe it. Huerta was not dead–hell, he wasn't even missing! Alejandro pulled back from the window and ran a hand through his hair. He rubbed the sleep from his face and peered through the window again. His head was whirling with a thousand questions. He waited until he heard more conversation and risked another look. Sure enough, Huerta was there, opening up one of those doctor bags. Eduardo Martinez looked on as Huerta pulled out what appeared to be a plastic bag. Alejandro realized it was a birthing glove, like the one he found in the medical bag. Huerta slid the glove over his arm and up to his armpit. The elastic at the top held it in place.

  The rude man in the flannel shirt from the Gamble farm led one of the mares out to the cross ties. She stumbled and Alejandro noticed her lower lip hung down and her eyes were almost closed. Sedated. Why is she doped up?

  Flannel Shirt hooked her in the cross ties and Huerta moved around to her rear end. Flannel Shirt lifted her tail and Huerta reached into her vagina. Alejandro looked on in horror. The mare moaned as Huerta's arm disappeared inside.

  Alejandro's revulsion increased as Huerta's arm slowly emerged holding what appeared to be a large brick. He handed the brick off to another man and repeated the process. Alejandro could stand no more an
d took off at a run toward the next barn. He threw up in the grass next to the building, and slumped to the ground, tears forming in his eyes.

  He heard the rattle of wood and metal as someone opened the door to the horse barn. Alejandro ran around the end of the building and yanked on the door handle. It gave and Alejandro slipped in, leaving the door cracked open. The tiny beam of light was enough to make out shapes in the darkness. Alejandro wove his way around tables and came to a plastic wall.

  The acrid smell of the place burned his nostrils. He was about to feel his way around it when he heard noises outside the building. He quickly hit the floor and felt his way under a table. The lights flickered on. Alejandro held his breath.

  "See, Carl? I told you no one was out here. Geez, you're paranoid."

  "I swear I heard something, Jack, and you saw for yourself that the door was open."

  "Anybody coulda left that door cracked. Ain't nobody here, Carl. Come on, we gotta go get the load and check it."

  Almost hysterical, Alejandro tried to slow his breathing and think. He looked for somewhere to hide. He saw a shelf under a table behind a huge barn fan, and crawled, combat style, across the floor to get there. Once he crammed his body into the tiny space, he remembered he never did find a bathroom.

  "Don't think about it," he told himself, so of course it was all he could think about. Just about the time he was near to bursting, the door creaked open.

  The two villains came back in, carrying two bricks a piece. They dropped them on a table opposite to where Alejandro lay hidden.

  Just my luck. On television the crooks never have their backs to the detective. He heard tearing and saw movement of the two cowboys. He spotted a hand shaking back and forth, and the truth hit him like a two-by-four across the head.

  Drugs! I know it is drugs, because I saw something like this on CSI! The reality staggered him. They were smuggling drugs inside the mares from Mexico to the Midwest! He felt the bile rising in his throat. Oh God, he had to get out of here. Now. He was going to choke. If they caught him he was dead. He might be dead anyway if they saw his truck. Breathe! In and out. Slow down, in and out. Don't panic. And don't pee. For God's sake, don't pee!

  He jerked his attention back to the drug men. One of the two men chose that moment to hurry out the door. The man called Jack went to the door. Alejandro heard, "Carl! Carl, you forgot the other brick…Carl!"

  Hoping Jack followed Carl out the door Alejandro rolled off the shelf and crawled toward a plastic curtain. As quietly as he could, he lifted it so he could slither underneath. Breathing hard, he scrambled against the wall, clutching his knees.

  Alejandro, shaking and sweating, crawled on all fours toward the end of the aisle.

  He made it to the door and checked over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear. He reached for the handle and pulled. The clank of the metal latch echoed through the building. Alejandro automatically froze. He heard talking from the other end of the building and took the opportunity to slip through the door under cover of the noise. He quietly closed it and scrambled around the corner of the building. He stood and inched his way back to the corner. Wiping the sweat out of his eyes, he checked left and right looking for danger. Seeing none, he ran, hunched over, darting from display to display until he was near the front gate.

  Shit! He spotted a man leaning on a gate post.

  He crouched down, trying to think of a way out. He was stuck. He scooted back and hid among the pots of bushes near the main building. Alejandro waited. Nothing happened.

  The man at the gate chain-smoked and occasionally spoke into a walkie-talkie. He stubbed out a cigarette and suddenly headed in Alejandro's direction.

  Alejandro panicked and began hyperventilating. He was about to bolt, but calmed himself in time. He made himself as small as possible and listened for the man's footsteps. The sound of the man's feet came nearer. Alejandro began to pray. The man walked within a couple of feet of where Alejandro lay in a ball. Alejandro watched the man stop next to the building and begin to urinate.

  "This might be your only chance, Montoya," he muttered. He took a deep breath, half stood, and picked his way out of the bushes, his eyes never leaving the guy by the building. He took a deep breath and held it. He tip-toed past the gate post, took off at a dead run toward the main road. His legs pistoned beneath him as he flew toward his truck. He thought he heard someone yell "Hey you!" in the distance, but it could have been his imagination.

  "Don't look back, just run for the truck," he chanted over and over, speeding down the drive. He tore around the corner post and sprinted toward the truck. He could barely breathe by the time he got to it.

  He jumped in the truck turned the key in frantic haste, and the engine roared to life. He slammed the truck into drive. Sod flew out from behind the dual wheels as he tromped on the accelerator. He had no idea where he was going, nor did he care.

  His only thought was to get far, far away. He stopped only to relieve himself (finally!) as he zigzagged cross country. He came across a sign that said Interstate 43–Milwaukee/Beloit. He chose to go north.

  "Milwaukee it is. I could use a beer anyway," he said to the truck. Nearing the city, he saw signs for the airport and had another idea. He took 894 East and found Mitchell Field. He pulled into long term parking and disconnected the horse trailer. He drove back out the exit and got back on the expressway south. He picked up a map at a gas station and found White Bass Lake. Sitting in the truck, munching on a breakfast burrito, he mapped out the best way back.

  "What the hell," I'm certainly not going back to Mexico. I guess my questions about Martinez knowing about it are answered. That was why he would not return my calls." Speaking of cell phones, he pulled his out and made a call to Donny Ray. He left a message.

  "Donny Ray? Alejandro Montoya. Check for drugs. Illegal drugs." He flipped his phone closed and plugged it into the cigarette lighter to charge.

  He crumpled the wrappers from his breakfast and stuffed them into the bag. Throwing the map on the passenger's seat, he pulled back onto the Interstate before he could change his mind.

  "What was the name of the sheriff down there? J.R.? R.J.? J.J? That's right, J.J." The last name? Weasel? No, that's what the copper in Illinois called him. Copper…his name was a color! He went through the entire rainbow and still could not remember the last name.

  He saw the exit for White Bass Lake and had a moment of weakness. He almost drove past, but came to his senses at the last second. He heard someone lay on the horn when he cut them off trying to make the ramp. Gravel flew when he hit the shoulder and then righted the truck. He skidded to a stop and dropped his head on the wheel. He took a deep breath. Confirming his resolve, he turned right and headed toward White Bass Lake.

  17

  Alejandro drove into the pretty little town of White Bass Lake a little after six in the morning. He was sweaty and dusty from the previous evening's nightmare, and couldn't find a motel closer than the Interstate. He checked into a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town. Fresh from the shower, he went back out the door.

  He set out looking for the police department, and after going a couple of blocks, came to what was obviously the local hangout. There were more cars in the parking lot of the local diner than there were on the streets, so Alejandro pulled in and parked. He hoped the people in the diner were friendlier than the Midwesterners he had met thus far.

  The bell on the door tinkled as he stepped into the diner. The talk around him stopped: Here I go again. He looked at the floor as he walked to the counter and sat. The crowd noise resumed.

  A hand slapped his shoulder. Alejandro jumped out of his skin and yelped.

  "¡Hola amigo," Sal shouted in his ear. "Welcome to White Bass Lake! You look like a Bear fan. You don't like those Packers, do you?"

  About a third of the crowd yelled "Go Bears!" and the rest booed.

  Swallowing his heart, Alejandro looked up A small Latino man looked him in the eye, even though Alejandr
o was sitting and the man was standing. The man grabbed his hand and pumped it, grinning like they were long lost brothers. He continued to shake Alejandro's hand, waited for him to respond.

  "Uh, I'm Alejandro Montoya. It's very nice to meet a friendly face."

  "Sal Garcia." He nodded toward the crowded diner now hotly debating football, and chuckled. "I like to get them going in the morning. Hey, just a warning: watch out for her."

  He winked and pointed to the waitress closing in on Alejandro. "I fired her this morning, but she won't go away." He smiled as he turned back toward the grill, whistling.

  Donna stopped by Alejandro's right shoulder and slammed down a coffee cup in front of him. She poured him a cup even though he hadn't asked for one. Of average height, she was big busted and showed off her 'Sal's Diner' tee shirt to its best advantage. Hair in a pony tail, she had a work-worn face, but her lovely brown eyes danced with merriment.

  "He fired me twice last week, too. Don't believe nothing that guy tells you. He lies, especially about who really runs this place. We tried to sell him on eBay, but no one would make a bid!" Laughing heartily at her own joke, she patted Alejandro on the shoulder and moved on.

  Alejandro was bowled over by the warm welcome and the hum of friendly conversation from the people around him. He listened to Donna teasing and joking her way through construction workers and families, seniors and vacationers. He smiled, relaxing for the first time in days. Now this is more of what I expected when I came up here.

  Amy came up to him from behind the counter and asked what he wanted to eat. Guessing most people didn't use a menu, Alejandro ordered bacon and scrambled eggs. He watched in fascination as Sal's hands flew across the grill. Donna refilled his coffee and gestured to Sal. "Showoff," she said out of the corner of her mouth.

  Sal was still grinning when he turned from the grill and slid the steaming plate in front of Alejandro. "So what brings you to White Bass Lake, my friend. The fishing? I could tell you where the best places to fish are. I once caught a 14-inch walleye right off my pier over there." He gestured in the general vicinity of the lake.