by Sylvia Nobel
That earned a skeptical frown. “Whose death are we talking about”
“Javier’s, and possibly mine if Jason comes back and finds out I’m still here.”
“You’re still not making any sense.”
A few of the dancers twirled within inches of us, so I tilted my head towards the doorway. “Come outside with me.” He resisted for a few seconds, but then allowed me to lead him off the floor. “This had better be good,” he grumbled under his breath, nodding and smiling at two elderly ladies eyeing him hopefully, obviously pining for a dance.
I caught sight of Bethany still clutched in Roy’s arms, and if her eyes had been fists, I’d have been pummeled to death. Just to annoy her, I waved and smiled, making sure that she noticed Tally’s hand in mine.
There was a definite nip in the air when we stepped outside. The cool breeze blew my hair around my face and sent goose bumps parading up my arms. Once we were away from noise of the crowd and music, he stopped and turned me to face him. “Fair warning, if you’re going to continue with this nutty idea that the Beaumonts are involved in whatever craziness you were talking about this morning, I don’t want to hear it.”
“Do you think I’m a good reporter”
“Is this a loaded question”
“Just answer it.”
“Of course I do, but I happen to think you’re way off the mark on this one.”
I groaned through gritted teeth. “Just try to listen with an open mind. That’s all I ask.”
“Okay.” He folded his arms and listened with an inscrutable expression on his face as I filled him in on each new aspect of the story. When I finished he shook his head sadly. “Kendall, I can’t believe you’re actually serious about this. Only you would be able to make a connection between a hundred-year old legend about a phantom black horse and the mindless babble of a five-year-old.”
“But don’t you see, Javier must have heard the identical story from his great-grandfather that Cecil just repeated to me. That’s why he was so afraid to cross the border with his mother. He has to be talking about the same place.”
“Fiction,” he proclaimed, sagely staring off into the distance. “You should take up writing fiction.”
Stung, I retorted, “That’s not funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
I prayed for patience. “So, you’re not the least bit disturbed about Jason threatening me in Champ’s study”
A careless shrug. “Can you blame him You really shouldn’t have been going through Champ’s stuff without someone’s permission. He probably just overreacted.”
“Overreacted He practically choked me to death! I’m telling you Tally, he’s dangerous and he thinks I’m some sort of a government spy or working in some capacity for this Lopez woman he’s always snarling about. And what about when he spotted me on the stairs He looked at me like I was a ghost. Don’t you see I was never supposed to escape from the trap he set for me in Morita. I think he and some of his Knights of Right goons are responsible for the fact that I no longer have a car.”
My speech did nothing to diminish the obstinate set of his jaw. “So, you believe Jason is the brains behind some sort of phony alien abduction scheme designed to wipe out the entire Mexican migrant population as they cross the border”
That gave me pause. “Well, I don’t know if he’s smart enough to be the mastermind, but I’ll tell you what, his true sentiments are reflected by his choice of reading material and his violent behavior. Do I think he’s sadistic enough to snuff out people he perceives as parasites You bet I do. I also think he’s afraid I’ll find out what he’s up to and that’s why he wants me out of here tonight.”
“If you’re so sure something is going to happen, why don’t you alert the Border Patrol Let them handle it.”
I glared up at his shadow-streaked face. “I’ve already thought of that. If you don’t believe me, how am I ever going to convince them On top of that, I suspect that one or more agents may be involved in some capacity.”
If possible, his expression grew even more incredulous. “Why would you think that”
“Because of the Bob Shirley case. Think about it. Why was he so paranoid about discussing the migrant he arrested in Morita, remember the one whose story matched Javier’s And then, suddenly, out of the blue, he kills himself two weeks later Again, we’re back to timing. It’s just too perfect.” I could tell by his doubtful grimace that he wasn’t even close to being persuaded. “Look, I know you think I’m being pig-headed….”
“You Pig-headed Never.”
I scrunched my nose at him. “Okay, I know this is all a bit of a stretch, and it may turn out to be nothing at all, but what do you have to lose by driving me out there”
Following his prolonged sigh of exasperation, he lifted his hat, finger-combed his hair and settled it back into position before asking in a weary tone, “Okay, what’s the plan”
“What do you mean”
“What do you plan to do when we get there Are we going to attempt another one of your daredevil schemes and try to round up this bunch of thugs by ourselves If they are as dangerous as you suspect, I’m surprised you’d want to confront them. I only have my .45 with me and I’m not sure that’s going to be enough firepower.”
“Who said anything about confronting them I’m not that crazy. I think the safest approach is to find a spot to hide, hunker down, and then wait to see what happens. If I’m right, then we contact the authorities, lead them out there and then let them handle it.” His thoughtful expression conveyed that he was thinking it over and I held my breath waiting for his response.
“How are you going to know where to find these people”
“Ah, that’s the beauty of it,” I said, rubbing my hands with enthusiasm. “I already talked to Felix, and he gave me exact directions to the crossing place.”
Even in the dim light, it was hard to miss the sly twinkle in his eyes. “I have to admit that the part where the two of us hunker down under a bush is a pretty tempting offer, but somehow stumbling around out there in the dark doesn’t sound like a good plan to me. And that brings up another point. Short of shining a spotlight on them, how are we going to see anything”
Oh, boy. It was time to tell him. “It might not be as dark as you think.” He reacted to my account of having witnessed a strange hovering craft and being blinded by a bright blue beam of light with a vociferous, “Oh, come on!” He grabbed my shoulders and gave me a little shake. “Kendall, listen to yourself! I can’t believe I almost bought into this crazy theory of yours. Can’t you see that you’re basing this whole conspiracy on two unsubstantiated UFO stories, a couple of fairy tale rhymes and a fever-induced dream You don’t have one shred, one iota, even one teeny little speck of actual physical evidence to prove your point. Give it up.”
Crestfallen by his negative response, I thrust out my chin. “Fine. Don’t believe me. Give me the keys to your truck. I’ll go by myself.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” he thundered.
I clenched my fists. “Tally, I was not dreaming! Listen, I’ll make you a deal. Come with me. If nothing happens, you can spend the rest of my life saying I told you so, but what if I’m right Javier’s life could be at stake while we’re standing here arguing.”
“Or not. Again, you’re making an assumption. What makes you think the kid didn’t just wander off someplace Most likely, he’s somewhere else in the house or on the property and she just hasn’t found him yet.”
Thinking about the mission resurrected the memory of my night in the car and I gasped, “I just remembered something! That night I saw the illegals being herded into the vans, remember I told you three of the vans went north but the fourth one went south and I couldn’t figure out why”
“Yes, so”
“The flashes! The driver signaled with his headlights and there were answering flashes from the southwest.
I didn’t put it together until just this minute, but now that I think about it…” I paused and turned in a circle to get my bearings. “That’s it! I’m sure they came from the direction of Morita! And a Border Patrol jeep followed the van, or maybe I should say escorted it to its final destination.”
“Now you’ve lost me completely.”
“Don’t you see For a while I thought maybe Sister Goldenrod might be in on the smuggling scheme, I mean, I think she is in a secondhand way because she is harboring these illegals, but now I think Jason and his Knights of Right bunch may be siphoning off people from the groups she’s bringing in, and Froggy is the snitch. That silly little rhyme was to alert Jason that they were there for the picking. Once transportation arrived, they simply commandeered one of the vans. There! Is that enough evidence for you”
“Jeeezus!” Tally exclaimed, raising his arms in appeal to the stars overhead. “That is the most disjointed, far-fetched story I’ve ever heard in my entire life. I swear you are the most exasperating woman I have ever known.”
I opened my mouth to tell him he was the most exasperating man I’d ever met, but was interrupted by Twyla’s frantic, “Tally! Tally, where are you” We turned to see her silhouetted in the open doorway.
“I’m talking with Kendall,” he called back, unable to conceal the agitation in his tone. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Shrugging into a coat, she hurried towards us, the tension on her face visible as she moved in and out of the dappled light. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, placing a hand on her heaving chest, “but I need your help.”
“What’s the problem”
“I really hate to ask after all you’ve done for us today, but, could you go to Arivaca and bring Jason home”
“Excuse me,” Tally drawled, edging me a condescending glance, “did you say Jason is in Arivaca”
I felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on me as my carefully constructed theory fizzled before my eyes like a defective sparkler. Impossible! How could I have miscalculated so badly
“I begged him not to go out tonight,” she sniffled. “Apparently, he’s been drinking and mouthing off to some of the other patrons. My lawyer says things could go very badly for him if he gets into trouble again.”
Relying solely on my reporter’s instincts, I cut in, “How do you know for sure that he’s at La Gitana”
She pinned me with a look of blank confusion. “The bartender called. Why”
Unwilling to admit defeat, I pressed, “Did you talk to him personally”
“No, Lin Su took the message,” she replied, pulling the coat tighter in the quickening breeze.
“So, how do you know it was really the bartender”
“What are you getting at” she asked, her tone snippy.
“Kendall, lighten up,” Tally warned, lightly squeezing my arm. “Twyla, isn’t there someone else you can ask I’m sort of tied up here.”
“I’d go myself, but I can’t leave Bethany alone to handle everything. Most of the boys are getting the horses and wagons ready for the hayrides and I can’t find either Rob or Sloan,” her voice broke and she buried her face in her hands, bawling, “Oh, God, this has been such an awful day. Please, Tally, if you could just do this one more thing for me I’d be so grateful.”
Tally, reacting like most men do to tearful situations, shifted his stance uncomfortably. “Simmer down. I’ll do what I can.”
“Oh, thank you. You’re such a dear boy.” She dabbed her eyes. “And, Kendall, thank you for being so understanding about all of this. I really don’t know what I would have done without Tally’s help today.”
I nodded wordlessly. What could I say While I sympathized with her plight, nonetheless it annoyed me to play second fiddle to the mighty Beaumonts. Ironically, I was probably getting a taste of my own medicine. After she disappeared back inside the barn, it took me a few seconds to work up the courage to make eye contact with Tally. Bracing for his inevitable lecture, I cringed inside. “Okay,” I sighed, “apparently you’re right and I’m totally off base on this one.” But his steady gaze, brimming with warm compassion, surprised me. Stepping closer, he pushed the cloud of wind-blown hair away from my face, then let one finger slide down my cheek and trace the outline of my lips. His gentle touch quickened my pulse.
“Listen, pretty lady, one of the things I admire most about you is your eagerness for doing the right thing, for fighting injustice, even down to the simple act of rescuing an injured kitten,” he added with a hint of a smile. “Come on, you did your best to try and help out a friend and who can fault you for that But let’s face facts. You’ve been a pretty sick little filly here for a couple of days and I think you’ve had a little too much time to lie around and let your imagination run wild. You also had your heart set on unearthing another mind-blowing, adrenalin-popping, front page scoop, but it’s time to back away gracefully and admit that you’re wrong this time.”
His soft-gloved indictment was ego-shattering and heartening at the same instant. Escape from this sticky situation was at hand, and it would have been so easy to succumb, but I could not shake off the gnawing sense of unrest. “I know you’re going to brand me as certifiable, but I still believe something is going to happen tonight, and if we don’t get out there soon, it will be too late.”
Ignoring my plea, he hooked his hand through my elbow and led me towards his truck. “Look, I have to do this. It shouldn’t take more than an hour and a half round trip. Why don’t you come with me”
“I have no desire to confront Jason Beaumont in a drunken rage, thank you very much.”
“All right then, I have a second proposal.” He stopped, pulled me into his arms and pinned me with a penetrating look. I tensed, feeling positive that his choice of words meant the big moment had finally arrived. I wanted to shout out, ‘yes, the answer is yes!’, but instead of the expected marriage proposal he laid on his exaggerated western drawl. “Well now little lady, hows about when I get this business out of the way, you and me mosey on upstairs to your cozy little loft and start enjoying our vacation.” Without waiting for my response, he whipped off his hat and fastened his mouth firmly against mine. After so many days of mental anguish, fearing that I’d lost him, my body blazed with pent-up desire. Remembering Ginger’s words of advice, I wrapped both arms around his neck and returned his kiss with a heated fervor designed to leave no doubt in his mind as to how much I wanted him, how much he meant to me. When we finally pulled apart, my emotions were in such turmoil, I could hardly stand up or think straight. Judging by his uneven breathing and the intense glow of passion in his eyes, I’m pretty sure he felt the same way.
“Ninety minutes,” he intoned huskily, jamming on his hat and fishing his keys from his jacket. “Keep that fire burning.” With a rakish grin, he jerked the truck door open, jumped in, started the engine, and with a final wave roared off into the darkness.
Freed from his scorching embrace, the night air chilled my skin. I watched trancelike until his taillights vanished around the bend, then strolled towards the kitchen door. It wasn’t exactly the proposal I’d expected, but it was a good start I thought, congratulating myself for keeping my mouth shut for once. Still flushed with happiness, I entered the deserted kitchen and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl. With all the activity still centered in the barn, the house seemed eerily quiet. For several minutes I munched on the apple and wandered aimlessly from room to room, basking in my newfound tranquility while desperately trying to ignore the powerful conviction still haunting me. Why couldn’t I just forget the whole thing I tried to banish all thoughts of going to Wolf’s Head, but I could not prevent the unanswered questions from circling endlessly in my mind. Nervously pacing the corridor for the second time, my steps halted when the startling answer jumped out at me like a Jack-in- the-box. Just because Jason was missing from the equation didn’t mean the entire hypothesis was wrong. What if… I ran to th
e living room, grabbed up the phone and dialed Information. Dry-mouthed, I waited impatiently through the computerized voice message then punched the appropriate numbers. Three rings later a female voice shouted over clanking glass and raucous laughter, “La Gitana.”
I told her who I was, where I was calling from and asked if she could give Tally a message when he arrived. “He’s a real tall good-looking guy in a black hat. He’ll be looking for Jason Beaumont and…”
“I’m sorry, who’d you say”
I raised my voice. “I said, he’ll be looking for Jason Beaumont.”
More noise, clanking, banging, and then, “He’s not here.”
My pulse jumped. “What time did he leave”
“He hasn’t been in tonight at all.”
I slammed the phone down and rushed around the room like a mad woman trapped in a maze. I was right! I was right! Uncertain what to do next, I dashed back to the phone, grabbed the receiver and just stood there paralyzed. Who was I going to call No one. And time was running out. Suddenly, it was as if my brain had been switched onto automatic pilot. I ran from the room, sprinted upstairs to retrieve my jacket and raced back down again. When I reached the hook in the hallway where Twyla had hung Champ’s keys, I grabbed them and ran for the door.
26
I declared myself officially over the edge. Tearing along the rough dirt road towards Wolf’s Head, my rambunctious heartbeat clattering in my ears, I was so wired my adrenalin levels must have been off the charts. Oh, boy. In addition to all my other transgressions these past five days, I was now officially a car thief. “O’Dell, you’re in deep guano now,” I murmured, acutely aware that I really didn’t have the slightest idea what I was going to do when I finally got there. I glanced at the clock. Seven-thirty-five. The intelligent, less risky decision would have been to wait for Tally’s return. But that might be too late. As it stood, the trafficking operation might already be underway. Or had I missed it