by Gale Borger
Stuffed to the gills, we gravitated to the family room. I gave a dirty look to the partially blank whiteboard, which laughed at me whenever I passed it. The dogs joined us for coffee. Wesley sat on my feet and Hill crawled into J.J.'s lap.
We went over the facts as we knew them. Ian added what he had learned from the molecular boys. "The seeds from Carole's pocket were definitely Mammilaria lutheyi, and they did not match with the samples we took from the cultivars from the green house.
"In all probability this means it was a new strain from Mexico, which would coincide with the propagation-from-seed theory. The problem is that it still doesn't connect Carole to the drugs or murder. The laws in Mexico forbid the exportation of the plants, but are unclear on the subject of seeds. So as far as we know, there was no crime committed which would have gotten her murdered."
Ian twitched with excitement. "Where the plot becomes interesting, however, is when we learn that leuthyi is only found in the Mexican State of Coahuila–where Martinez calls home. While this will not convict, it is another circumstantial tie to the drug trail."
He shuffled more papers. "Jeff's boys also found the paper towel the seeds were wrapped in carried traces of pollen from the opium poppies, and that matches up to drugs confiscated off the southern wave of trafficking we already have a handle on."
I shook my head in awe. "Then the autopsy from the dead horse at Mom and Dad's will explain why the drugs show up in the south and up here, with none in the Heartland, because they were using horses to transport it straight here, and then on to Chicago, Rockford, Minneapolis and points beyond."
Ian referred to his notes. "You win the kewpie doll, Buzz. As far as Jeff Fuller could find, they are trying to use this Mexican Poppy to cut cocaine and heroin. The Mexican Poppy is considered a weed in southern Texas and in Mexico, so it can be grown and harvested for next to nothing."
He patted Mag's knee and rubbed a hand up and down her thigh. "What our Maggie grabbed in the lab seems to be a new designer drug the lab boys are calling Totaled.
"In small amounts, the toxin found in the Mexican Poppy, when combined with cocaine, reacts in the human body like a hot rush that will blow the top of your head off, thus, you're totaled. This feeling is followed by it doing just that. Blood vessels burst in the brain and the results are stroke, coma, and death."
He taped the lab results to the whiteboard and went on. "Our friendly neighborhood drug manufacturers are mixing small quantities of the poison into a cocaine cocktail, which we assume is supposed to stop the chain reaction short of the stroke part. However, Totaled is highly volatile, and not much is known about the chemical reaction when mixed with alcohol or other drugs. Flying on supposition tells us that the results would be devastating if this drug hits the rave crowd. Some recent unexplained deaths are being tested at this moment to see if they can detect the toxin."
Ian blew out a breath. "That about wraps it up, boys and girls." He handed the rest of his report to Mag, who hung it with the rest of the lab results. He folded his arms, stood staring at the whiteboard, and said, almost to himself, "There is still something missing."
I piped up. "I still think that Carole must have seen something she shouldn't have, or she unknowingly became involved in something and tried to get out."
Mag inhaled, opened her mouth, and slapped a hand over her lips.
"What?"
Mag looked at each of us. "I'm not a cop like the rest of you, but I agree with Buzz. What if Carole accidentally saw something she shouldn't have? Like the horse behind Dad's barn die, or witnessed that guy under the horse being murdered? It could have happened a day or so before we broke into Graff's, and the timing would have worked out perfectly."
I grabbed her theory and ran with it. "What if Alejandro's boss never went to Fort Worth and was up here the whole time?"
The idea clicked with Mag. "Yeah, if Carole happened across either incident and ran, she might have headed toward Mom and Dad's. Martinez could have ordered the murders, which would make more sense than the bad guys just offing each other."
"Oh, my God!" All eyes turned to Alejandro, who was holding his head in both hands. "I must have blanked it out. Of course Martinez was there! I couldn't believe my eyes at first, but he was there, in the shadows! He was there. I know it!"
He turned teary eyes toward me. "How could I forget that, Buzz? How could I forget my boss was there in the shadows? That means he knew. He knew the whole time." His eyes grew bigger. "Then it was him who almost had me killed! Jose…poor Jose knew nothing." He rocked in his chair and moaned.
J.J. added, "And what about Doctor Little? Martinez probably had his clinic destroyed in case there was evidence there. He must have stolen the mare so the drugs couldn't be found."
Alejandro began to sob. "Poor Princesa, so beautiful, so full of life!"
He looked up again, with tear-drenched eyes. We all sat and watched as his expression changed from grief to rage. He moved to stand. J.J. and Ian each put a hand on his shoulders.
J.J. spoke first. "Anger is good, my friend, but we do not run off blindly to seek vengeance. We plan, we organize, and we plan some more. I will let you be in, but you must follow orders exactly to the letter, is that clear?"
Alejandro nodded. "Yes, sir. I will follow orders, but I want justice for those two mares. And for Missus Graff."
"We all do, my friend, and we will get it. Come on. We'll go over what we have so far. I have a couple of calls to make to get the ball rolling. Please excuse me, everyone."
J.J. left the room.
My house phone rang and I jumped up to get it. It was Moe. "Buzz? Darryl…uh, I mean Moe. I'm sorry to bother you…uh, I mean, is…uh, J.J. there? I don't mean, uh, shit. Buzz, I need to find J.J. I found something important and he needs to know about it. I can leave a message with you if he's busy or not there, but I gotta find him."
"Whoa ,Moe! Slow down a minute! Where are you? J.J. is here–why don't you come on over?"
"I uh, I'm actually in the neighborhood. But I don't want to interrupt ,uh, anything…"
"Don't be an idiot, Darryl. Mag, Ian, and a whole group of us just finished supper. Get over here and get something into your stomach, and you can tell J.J. in person, okay?"
"You're on, Buzz, and thanks!" About three minutes went by before Moe arrived. Wes looked at the door a split second before we heard Moe knock. He was ready to spring when Ian grabbed the doorknob.
Mag and I tackled Wes at the same time the door opened. We all went down in a heap. The rest of the guests laughed and applauded. When Moe entered to the roar of the crowd, he not only got a double whammy beam shot of two Miller sister butts, he was witness to howling laughter, and general chaos.
The poor man probably thought he'd entered into a major orgy.
Moe stopped, frozen on the threshold when Mag, Wes and I rolled to a stop at his feet, all breathing hard. J.J. came in from the kitchen in time to see Moe throw him a helpless look. J.J. laughed, as he took in the scene of me flat on my back with a hand on Wes' collar, Mag sprawled on her belly across Wes' belly, and Wes panting, waving his black flag and grinning widely in doggy joy.
"I see you've met King Wesley, Moe. Welcome to the family. Come on in and join our nut house."
"Phil." Moe cautiously tiptoed around us and kept glancing over his shoulder as he followed J.J. into the kitchen. We collected ourselves and tried to put a semblance of order back into the room.
We picked up the fallen chair, righted the lamp, moved the footstool back across the room and picked up the pillows.
Hilary stood in the middle of all the activity, excited to be a part of it. She must have been really excited, because when Mag playfully poked her in the butt, Hill jumped and cracked off a doggy fart to end all doggy farts.
It fizzed long and hard. All movement stopped as everyone stared at Hilary. She was so proud of herself, she trotted toward me for a reward.
The stench, unfortunately followed her as well, and I found myself
backing away from her. "Hill, go to Mag. Go on! Go to Maggie!"
Covering my nose, I passed Alejandro. When he got a whiff, he jumped up and followed me. We backed past Ian, who joined us as we passed Mag. When J.J. and Moe came out of the kitchen, they saw the whole bunch of us headed for the front door, followed by a smelly Bulldog and a smiling Newfie.
Poor Hilary stopped and looked dolefully at J.J. He bent to rub her ears and said, "Yes, Hill, it's your fault this time, but we love you anyway." He poked his head out the front door. "Hey, you pansies get in here and quit messing around!"
We all filed back in and jockeyed for the best seats while Moe and J.J. spoke. J.J. hefted a large brown briefcase and directed his question to Alejandro.
"Montoya, does this belong to you?"
"No, J.J. It is a briefcase I found under the truck seat when I was in Mundelein. I never opened it. I told you, I saw Dr. Huerta in the show barn in Fort Worth carrying a brown briefcase, but it must have been a different one."
He furrowed his brow. "At the time I thought it was strange, because all the important papers for the horses were in there, but then I thought maybe he grabbed the wrong case. I forgot about it when I spoke to you, but it should have been in the truck under the passenger seat where I left it."
Moe nodded. "That's where I found it."
J.J. looked at the ceiling and closed his eyes. He rocked on his heels. "Alejandro, do you know what is inside this case?"
"No, Sheriff Green. I never opened it."
J.J. blew out a breath. "I hope for your sake you're telling me the truth, Montoya. With Huerta dead and this case hidden in your truck, the evidence would be pretty incriminating if this case contained something worth murdering for, don't you think?"
Alejandro looked thoughtful. "Yes sir, I suppose you are right."
I jumped up. "Now, wait a damn minute J.J. Before you start jumping on the Dead Butts bandwagon–"
"Whoa, Buzz, I'm not jumping anywhere…yet. In fact, because the case's lock has not been tampered with, I figure Montoya is either telling the truth or he already knows the combination." He turned to Alejandro. "So which is it, amigo?"
Alejandro drew himself up and tugged on his shirt, taking offense at the accusation. "I do not tell lies, Sheriff Green. I understand this does not look good for me, but I tell the truth. I do not know what is in that case. I found it under Dr. Huerta's seat."
J.J. straightened and let out the breath he had been holding. "That's good enough for me." He took off for the kitchen, and spoke over his shoulder. "Buzz? Find me a toolbox, would you, dear?"
I stood stunned for a moment while everyone in the room stared at me. I figured the offense was a good defense and I yelled, "How come you're always nice to me when you want my toolbox, Green? I'll 'dear' your ass, buster!"
I heard a collective chuckle when I left the room. I found my tools in the basement. By that time, everyone had followed me downstairs and we were crammed in my small work area. J.J. hoisted the heavy case onto the workbench. The men squeezed in beside him. Mag and I were left staring at three sets of Levis and one Wrangler butt.
Leaving the men to their manly pursuits, Mag and I walked over to my reading area, which consisted of a fireplace, two big overstuffed leather recliners, three fish tanks, and bookshelves to the ceiling. We flopped in the chairs and stared at the fish. In one tank, Golden Angels floated on gossamer fins past the Green Leopard super veils.
Green Laser Cory catfish swished the gravel, and a swarm of Cardinal Tetras played in the water column. Three brown, long fin bristle-nose plecostomus chewed rhythmically on the driftwood in the center of the tank. In the second tank, three Marlboro and three Blue Cobalt Discus gently nosed the glass. They were all about five inches in diameter, and stunning in their almost fluorescent colors. They recognized me and were performing for a snack. The Brocus splendens eyed me from behind the wood in the tank, waiting for bits of food to float down to their level.
The third tank contained all the rare specie of Corys, which were my sister Fred's South American passion.
Included in the tank were endangered Endler Live Bearers and other South and Central American cichlids. Each time Fred acquired a newly discovered species, she shared her treasures with me. The three huge tanks gave me variety to fit my mood. Wes and Hill loved to watch the fish, too.
We were startled out of our reverie by excited exclamations coming from the work area. The boys had succeeded in opening the case and were in the process of dumping the contents onto the workbench. We strained to look over shoulders and under armpits.
Suddenly, three men surged backward and pinned us to the opposite wall. J.J. yelled, "Back! Everyone back!"
A mad scramble away from the bench had us stumbling over Ian, Moe and Alejandro. Hands grabbed my arm, and I saw Ian had hold of me. I shook loose and started back toward the workbench.
J.J. held up a hand and I stopped. "Ian, I need you here," he commanded. Ian responded with a leap over the dogs. He pushed past me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
I held my tongue, but strained to see what they were doing. I about crapped when I saw J.J. hold up an incendiary device. The anger drained out of me as quickly as Ian sucked in a breath.
I backed away and joined Moe, Mag, and Alejandro. I looked at my beloved dogs and said, "Mag, help me get the dogs out of here."
We grabbed their collars and led them upstairs and out the back door. The kennel sat well away from the house. I figured they'd be safer out there.
I flopped on the swing and Mag joined me. "What the heck was that, Buzz?"
"That is a device meant to blow someone up and start a major fire," I replied. "It didn't look home made, either. If Alejandro knew what was in that case, no way would he sit by and watch us open it. He would have slid out the door and been to Hell and gone by now."
"Yeah," she said. "If he's in on this, I'd suck a pig's ass."
"Yo bitch, you are way too disgusting! Let's go back in and see what's going on."
Mag and I hopped off the swing and went back to the house. We jogged down the basement stairs.
Mag said, "Jeez, talk about pennies from Heaven!"
Alejandro and Moe were seated at the coffee table, with stacks of banded money in the middle. Ian and J.J. were at the workbench. J.J. held a piece of paper with my eyebrow tweezers and Ian held open a Ziploc sandwich bag.
Since Alejandro was not in cuffs, I figured J.J. had found something in the case to exonerate him.
I was about to make comment when J.J. looked up and said, "Over here, Buzz."
I figured it had to be something really important if it was better than a mountain of money on the table. "What's up, James?"
Ian held out the bag. "Look at this."
I took the bag and my blood froze in my veins. It was a hand-written note: 'Take care of Montoya–he is not to leave Fort Worth alive. Deliver the money to Escobar. I will meet you up north. M'.
I looked over where Alejandro was happily chatting with Moe and Mag, counting money and oblivious to how close death had come. I didn't realize I had swayed until I bumped into J.J. behind me.
I never failed to feel sick that someone would be so callous as to dispose of another human being like yesterday's garbage. Another reason I retired.
J.J. cleared his throat, and spoke quietly, "I'm not telling him at this point, and I hope you two will agree with this decision."
Ian and I nodded. "Ian called his office and they are on their way to pick up the device. Ian, I take it you have a gun safe, or something like it, in that black girlie car of yours?" Ian nodded again. "Then for now I'll put this in the trunk of your car."
J.J. took off up the stairs with the bagged firebomb and Ian's keys. I breathed a little easier when he came back in one piece. He had a determined look in his eye "We have to move on this before someone else is killed." J.J. slapped Ian on the shoulder. "Time to call in the Calvary."
Ian winked. "I'm way ahead of you. When I called the
bomb squad, I also sent notice to my superiors that we required a response team. They are mobilizing and will wait at the Motel 8 by the expressway for our call. Bob O'Brien will be our contact. He's coming down now and will pose as your cousin, J.J. You'll understand why when you see him."
"Okay, if you say so. Right now I have to put a bug in the right ears to get this party started. Edie swept my office and found listening devices there and one at the front counter. I'm going to place a call and she'll put the phone on speaker."
I piped up, "If I could interrupt for just a moment, what am I doing now?"
J.J. jerked his head toward Mag, Alejandro, and Moe. "If you would go over tonight's itinerary with them one more time, I'd appreciate it."
He ruffled my hair and I poked him in the belly. "Knock it off or I'm going to tell your mother." He and Ian both laughed.
I turned to the trio across the room. "Hey, you Rockefellers, dump that into a box or something and let's go over tonight's plan."
We looked around for a container and Mag came up with the big cooler we used to put our fresh-caught fish in.
Alejandro laughed, "Now we know something is fishy here!"
We all joined in with fish jokes on the way back upstairs. J.J. was on the phone. "Hello, Edie? J.J. here. Do we still have that Luminal in the evidence storage area? Good. Pull it out for me, would you? Buzz and I are going to make another trip out to Graff's. I think that horse might have died out there in the barn. I'll stop by and pick it up. Yeah, about six o'clock."
He waited while Edie spoke. "My cousin Bob is coming for the weekend and I wanted to wait for him to get here so I could send him over to my mother's house until we finish out at Graff's. Yeah, about five or so. No, no, you go on home at 4:30 as usual. You can leave the stuff in my office. I'll pick it up on the way out. Thanks Edie–bye, now."