by Ali Vali
After reading both notes twice, she easily hacked into Sheriff Culver’s system since he’d foolishly sent his e-mail from his office. There seemed to be a thriving drug business coming through Brownsville, but it was mostly a stopping point for northern destinations. The investigation into Tammy’s death had been vigorous, resulting in numerous arrests, only most of the guys serving time were low-level. None of them had been stupid or brave enough to turn on anyone up the food chain.
The bigger minnow Wilbert had targeted was Mitch Surpass, but nothing came of it. On another screen she found a picture of this guy and stared at it. Mitch’s jeans, cowboy boots, and collared shirt made him look different, but she recognized him right off. This was the guy from the casino that fake cop had rushed to talk to after Maria’s death.
“What the hell?”
She looked at Mitch’s surveillance photo and could only imagine the connections that’d led her to Maria’s bathroom, which made her thoughts skitter off to a dark, dangerous place. Despite her promises to Aubrey to keep her safe, that’d be impossible if Maria was involved with a dealer big enough to operate in more than one state. If that was true, she could keep the Tarvers alive only by keeping them locked up in her home. That wouldn’t be feasible long-term.
She placed a battery in a new cell phone and dialed the sheriff’s number.
“Hello.”
His voice was gruff, and there was plenty of background noise. “Sheriff Culver, I just finished reading the note you sent.” Her voice and number were unrecognizable to him, but she didn’t want to linger with him either. “What can I do for you?”
“I can’t talk now. Can I call you back?”
“It’s now or next week, sir.” She searched for pay phones in the area, finding it humorous that it took longer to find them than Mitch’s information in Wilbert’s system.
“Wait,” Wilbert said, and she could hear the grief and desperation in his voice.
“I’ll give you ten minutes to get to…” She gave him the address of the truck stop. “Use that time to gather your thoughts. As an officer of the law you should know the ramifications of sending the note and taking my call.”
“Okay.”
She needed some sleep, but the morning flight would have to suffice. As she timed Wilbert she unlocked the cabinet that held the long-range rifle she’d used for years and detached the scope. It was calibrated to that weapon, but she didn’t want to chance at least that part of her equipment. Without the mount she could explain her love of bird-watching if airport security was worried about it.
“What do I call you?” Wilbert asked when she called one of the phones lined up in front of the truck stop’s restaurant.
“Whatever you like and feel comfortable with. Before we start, you have to know the consequences of where this conversation might lead. If I decide to help you, there’ll be no turning back. So, having said that, what do you need from me?”
“My daughter Tammy was sixteen when she met this guy, and he encouraged her to experiment with drugs.”
“Not to cut you off, sir, but I know the backstory, and I agree with your assessment of the situation. What kind of help do you need?”
“I tried to follow procedure, even though I wanted to kill every one of these sons of bitches, and I didn’t get shit out of it. They killed my little girl and no one’s going to pay for it.”
“Why do you suspect Mitch Surpass?”
“Because all the scum we picked up we suspected worked for this guy, but I’m not stupid enough to think it stops with this bastard Surpass.” He paused, and from the three thumps she heard she guessed he’d punched the side of the phone booth. “I’m not weak. I’d kill him and whoever else to avenge my Tammy, but I got three other kids to worry about. If they send me away they ain’t going to have a soul that gives a crap about them.”
“Mr. Culver, go home to them and erase every trace of our connection.”
“You’re not going to help me. Do you know how hard it was for me to contact you?”
“I didn’t say that.” The top of her head prickled at the possibility this was a trap, but she ran her hand through her hair to try to dispel the suspicion. Some things were worth fighting and sacrificing for, no matter what it cost you. “You wrote me, so there had to be something about me you trusted. Go back to your family and I’ll eventually be in touch.”
“So all this horseshit you’re hiding behind is for nothing. I know why I called you and what I want out of it. There ain’t no tiptoeing on my end.”
“I’m not blowing you off, Mr. Culver. You laid out your problem and that’s all I need from you. I’ll just hope you won’t do anything stupid now that we’ve talked. Bringing in anyone else is only going to complicate things.”
“You swear this guy will pay.”
“I give you my word.” She started a new search on Mitch Surpass and did some other electronic housecleaning as she spoke. “Anything else?”
“I’ll pay you whatever you ask, but it might take time.”
“Promise me you’ll be patient and we’ll work that out. I’ll call you when I have something.”
She made sure everything was locked before she left, glancing briefly at the picture on her desk. In that one second in time, she and Aubrey were younger than Tammy Culver was when she died. They’d had the chance to screw up the possibilities of what could’ve been, but Tammy Culver had only had one chance to mess up and her game was over.
Aubrey’s life had led her to the guy Wilbert blamed for his daughter’s overdose, so if she needed a reminder of what the stakes were, Tammy was it. In any other circumstances she might have brushed this off as coincidence, but she couldn’t. Tammy was only one casualty of Maria’s dealings, and Wiley wanted the cycle to stop there.
“As soon as I get back we have a date, Mr. Surpass.” The dragon screen saver ate his image away. Now that she had Mitch’s name, fake cop wouldn’t be difficult to find. “Your boss might be better camouflaged, though.”
By helping Wilbert she might solve Aubrey’s problems. It sounded like an easy fix, but those came along like easy shots. She’d never had one of those in all the ones she’d taken.
*
Roth Pombo’s attorney, Antonio Hernandez, sat as Muñoz and Ernesto Masurdo made a few calls. The brothers were set to inherit Pombo’s business, but they were still indebted to him enough to do his bidding. Of all the guys on Pombo’s payroll, the Masurdo brothers were as loyal as sharks, but they wanted Pombo’s endorsement. One word from him and it’d be easier to take over once he was gone.
“Did you find him?” Antonio asked Muñoz. When Roth had moved up a few rungs, he’d immediately courted the Masurdo family. Rosa Masurdo had given birth to three boys who’d all grown to over six feet tall, and she’d raised them to fight their way to the top. It was the only way she saw to escape the poverty that’d plagued her family for generations. The loss of her husband and oldest son hadn’t changed her mind. The promises Roth had made cemented not only the brothers’ loyalty but Rosa’s as well. With Rosa’s blessing, her sons killed and served Roth with gusto, while she sat in her new house on the beach praying for their souls and safety.
“He left town for Almoloya de Juárez. You can tell Roth we’ve been watching this asshole from the day he got snatched,” Ernesto said. He spoke softly and put this hand gently on Antonio’s knee. For years he’d had to endure their violent ways, but they’d keep him alive in the coming shit storm. “You know Roth won’t get out of this crack he’s in, don’t you?”
“I know as well as Roth that he’s been betrayed, but he’s my friend.”
“He’s our friend too,” Muñoz said, sitting on the other side of him. “We’ll do what we have to, but we hope you realize your friendship is as important to us.”
With Roth in jail the water had been chummed and every predator for miles was swimming in for a share. If he hoped to survive with his bank account and his life, he needed someone else to stand behind. Since
it was a necessity, he needed to go with the ones who wanted him.
“Do you think you can take care of our problem?”
“The first part of our plan is already in place,” Muñoz said.
“Thank you.” He gripped the strap of his briefcase. “It’d be my honor to stand with you at the next meeting. We could use the opportunity to share with the other bosses what Roth’s wishes for his share of the business are.”
“Then we’re agreed,” Ernesto said. “After all this is over, our family will enjoy having you as our advisor.”
“It’ll be my pleasure.”
*
Levi stepped out of the bathroom at the gas station they’d stopped at to kill some time and took a deep breath of fresh air. The only flight arriving from the U.S. was due at fifteen minutes after twelve, but he’d gotten Kevin out of bed at six after another terse call from Walter.
“You want something?” he asked Kevin, who was waiting to use the toilet that hadn’t been cleaned since the sixties. “I’m grabbing a Coke.”
“I’ll take one.”
The day was already getting hot, and Levi was glad he’d worn shorts and a lightweight shirt. He’d be cooler and they’d fit in better than some of the law enforcement who worked the area. He was still trying to figure out what a cleaner was doing here, and what Walter’s angle in all this was.
He glanced around as he walked through the front door, making the bell tied there ring. This place looked like a movie set, with the fan with streamers tied to the grill and the antique cash register, but they had Twinkies. He got two packs and two sodas from the pan loaded with ice.
When he put his loot on the counter he stepped back and tried to quickly get to his gun, which he’d tucked in the back of his waistband. Of all the things he’d noticed on the way in, the one he missed was the guy behind the counter. As the sound of bullets came from the side of the building, he recognized the man pulling the trigger across from him. The shot would take him out, and one of Roth’s men would take credit for the kill. He’d stayed in the game too long. Sloppiness and laziness had killed him.
“Call Ernesto and tell him we’re done here,” the shooter told his partner in Spanish. “The other guy’s dead?” he asked the group that joined them. One of the men who’d come from outside ripped open the package of Twinkies and shoved one in his mouth.
“He died in that shit hole,” the guy said around the sponge cake, making everyone laugh.
“Load them both up. We have time for a drive before we have to meet Antonio.” He took five hundred dollars U.S. from his shirt pocket and handed it to the woman hiding under the counter. “I don’t have to come back, right?”
“You are welcome to return whenever you like, but not because I’ll tell anybody about today.”
He smiled briefly and handed over an extra hundred. Both Ernesto and Muñoz had wanted this done, but with no headlines. The two men they had killed would rot together in the hole they’d dug already, at least most of them.
“Wait at the airport, but don’t look for trouble,” Ernesto said. “If you see an American arrive, follow but don’t get too close. Let me know where they’re staying.” The guy who’d been on the phone with Ernesto took both of the wallets his men had taken from the dead men.
The Florida and Texas driver’s licenses didn’t appear out of order, but etched into the back was a phone number—the same number on both. That wasn’t normal and was worth another call to Ernesto.
“Is there a problem?” Ernesto said, obviously having recognized his number. The shooter explained what he’d found and read out the number. “Good job, hold on a minute.”
He smiled, congratulating himself for being observant. When the guy next to him fumbled for his phone, having to put the old fat guy down, he pressed his phone closer so he wouldn’t miss Ernesto when he came back on the line. When he turned his back on the crew, the noise and the pain were instant.
“Add him to the pile and get rid of all of them. Bring me the wallets, but keep the cash. If you decide to be nosy, I’ll be happy to hand the job over to one of your friends,” Ernesto said to the guy who’d just shot the would-be detective who’d killed Levi.
“I’ll have it all there by this afternoon. I won’t let you down.”
“Good, you’re promoted.”
*
“Are you here on business, Ms. Kelley?” the immigration agent asked Wiley when she presented the passport her father had given her.
“No. I’m with my dad for a long-overdue vacation.” The guy stared at her, then Buckston one lane over, before he stamped the document. “Thanks,” she said, shouldering her bag and following Buckston out of the building toward a car-rental lot full of vehicles that looked like they’d been used in a crash derby the night before.
“I’ve already reserved one, but don’t worry. It has air-conditioning.”
“Are you low on cash?” she asked, joking.
“Get in, wiseass.”
The streets of Mexico City were as crowded as the last time she’d been here, so she closed her eyes as her dad navigated the traffic. She hadn’t had a chance to check on any of the searches she had running, and the lack of information had left her a bit anxious. Information from reliable sources had kept her alive.
“When you see the Posada Cantina, pull in,” she said when she felt her dad shift into fourth and pick up speed. “Where we’re headed is about a two-hour drive if you go the speed limit, so the cantina should be an hour and fifteen minutes from here.”
“Do you want to go the speed limit?”
“I do, so try your best. We want to get in and out of here with as little contact as possible, since I don’t trust Walter one iota.”
“Are you going to share what you have on Roth Pombo, or do you want to surprise me?” Buckston rested an elbow on the door ledge and drove with the other hand.
“Walter showed us what he had but wasn’t willing to leave anything hard copy. If I had a short-term-memory problem I might shoot the wrong guy.”
“Walter didn’t pick you out of the phone book, so he knows what he’s getting. No paper trail, though, means he’ll disavow you quicker than your bullets if anything goes wrong.”
“I’m not taking any chances, so don’t start chewing your nails. You’d never know it, but I thought my life would get less complicated when I retired.”
Buckston laughed and turned the air conditioner up a notch. “What exactly is your plan?”
Her father knew who she’d been to the military, but she hadn’t shared her new community-service work with him or anyone. She didn’t think he’d feel differently about her or turn her in. She wanted to do this to atone for everyone she’d ever killed. Not that she needed God’s forgiveness by killing more people, but for herself. Ridding the world of people like Jerry was better than volunteering at the local food bank.
“If I can’t figure something out, I might send them home with you and Mom.” He laughed again. “You think I’m kidding?”
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something before that happens.” His silence made her open her eyes and turn her head toward him. “You’ve talked to Aubrey, right? She doesn’t know anything that’ll get them out of this faster?”
“You think she’s holding back so she can hang around? I’ve already thought about that.”
“And?”
“This isn’t about getting back at me for walking out. I believed her when she told me she didn’t have any idea what Maria was up to until it was too late. The Aubrey I knew wouldn’t have fallen for someone like that.”
Buckston clasped her hand. “We agree on something, then. I still remember Aubrey as the idealistic young girl who was always in our house. I loved her because she loved my kid.”
“That was a long time ago, and it’s taken me a lot of years to not think of her that way, but I didn’t have a plan B when it came to what happened.” She closed her eyes again, and when the car stopped she didn’t remember falling asle
ep. “I’ll be right back.”
Juliana’s agent was a woman who led her to her car out back. The bag in her trunk held enough firepower to start a small war. After the quick stop, they were in their hotel room forty minutes later.
“I want to be out of here in three days tops, so let’s split up,” she said, putting her sunglasses around her neck. “I think we shouldn’t go back more than four blocks.”
“Meet you here at six.”
“That might give me time to see how well-calibrated this thing is.” She put the sniper rifle between the mattress and its platform and gave her father a pistol and three extra clips. All the guns Juliana had gotten were clean and well-oiled, which alone was worth the steep price.
“See you then, but call if you run into any problems.”
She opened the door to three men standing outside it. “You said something about a problem, Dad.”
*
“I’d like to invite you to have a drink with me,” the older man said. “I realize you’re probably tired from your flight and travel, but it’s important we talk.”
He spoke with a Spanish accent, but Wiley guessed he’d polished his cultured English while being educated in the States. The two apes behind him seemed out of place, but judging from the guns they had holstered under their jackets, the old guy’s invitation would be hard to turn down.
“My parents taught me to never accept candy or invitations from strangers.” She was naked without a gun or cover, but damn if she was going to show fear. Maybe this was Walter’s man and he had a flair for the dramatic.
“My apologies.” The man bowed slightly from the waist before offering his hand. “I am Antonio Hernandez.”