by Dan Sears
“Thanks, Chuck,” Laura says, “and please keep us inform of anything happening there. This has been a breaking news story from the scene at the Tucson Medical Center. I am Laura Denton of Channel 14 News.”
The regular program resumes. Mesa looks at the TV and leaves for coffee. Sergeant Burke follows him. Mesa goes to the coffee machine and gets a cup of coffee
“Dan, are you okay?” she asks.
Mesa turns around and says, “No, I am not okay. They were shot because of me. Somehow, he knew they were my friends. He shot them to get at me. But the people responsible are Carlos Meana and Antonio Blackbear. I will catch up with them very soon, and I will end this whole affair. Matilda and Alana had a great life until I walked in. Now, I don’t know what to do.”
“Sergeant, it wasn’t your fault,” Sergeant Burke says. “We can only do so much to protect the ones we love, and that is all we can do. Someone greater than you and I has control, so let him do his job. Dan, I am a good listener if you need someone to talk to. Call anytime.”
Sergeant Burke walks away, leaving Mesa alone to drink his coffee and think. He makes his way back to the emergency room. Everyone is still waiting. It has been six hours since the shooting, and the doctors are still in the operating room.
Everyone is in deep thought when the doors burst open and Dr. Burke enters with a smile on his face.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have stopped the internal bleed in Lieutenant Osborne, and I believe we can save her life. Matilda is getting better every hour. I can’t explain any of this! It is beyond anything I have ever come across. By all accounts, they should be dead, but thanks to God, they are still alive. It has to be a miracle.”
Everyone is smiling but Daniel Mesa. He walks down the hall to the hospital chapel. He walks inside and kneels to give thanks, but he knows that, come tomorrow, he will enter the day with hatred in his heart. He plans to kill at least two men and maybe more. He walks away from the chapel and leaves the hospital without saying a word. He climbs into his vehicle and heads toward Nogales.
In Phoenix, the local TV station is broadcasting the news about the shooting in Tucson. Carlos and Antonio are listening to the news.
Carlos bangs the table, saying, “Can’t anyone kill that man? Now he will be coming after us. There isn’t any place for us to hide, so let’s go after him.”
Unknown to them, they are being watched by an undercover FBI agent using night vision binoculars. The officer observes what appears to be the beginning of preparation for a road trip. The suspects are packing bags and using a checklist, something quite original for such people. He observes them packing several weapons, including some type of explosive.
At a bank in Phoenix, two women are making deposits into their accounts. Jane deposits a thousand dollars, and Marilyn deposits eight hundred fifty dollars. The teller remembers them and smiles as always, and they make small talk as usual about their jobs.
Christmas is just around the corner, only about ten days away. Jane looks at Marilyn and notices that her face is contorted with pain.
“Honey, are you okay?”
“Jane, get me home as quickly as possible.”
Jane presses the accelerator and the Chevy Corvette moves on down the interstate at a fast pace. An Arizona highway patrolman notices the yellow Corvette and goes after it. Jane sees the car and slows down and pulls over to the side.
“Marilyn, are you okay?”
“No, I hurt badly.”
The patrolman walks to the car, and as he looks into the car, he sees the lady in pain.
“Good afternoon, ladies. I noticed you speeding down the highway, and your friend appears to be in pain. What can I do to help?”
Jane cries.
“Officer,” she says, “my friend is extremely ill. She has cancer, and we live in Tucson. I need to get her to the hospital quickly. Will you please escort us to the Tucson Medical Center?”
“Ma’am, pull in behind me and stay on my bumper, and I will get you there pronto. He walks back to his car and says, “Patrol fifteen to headquarters, this is Trooper Crawford, and I have an emergency situation. I will be escorting two citizens to the Tucson Medical Center. I will stay in touch as I go.”
“Headquarters to Patrol fifteen, should we notify the hospital and have them waiting?”
“Yes, we will be arriving at the emergency entrance.”
When they arrive, a team of doctors and nurses are waiting. Dr. Burke is the doctor on duty when they arrive. He is also Marilyn’s personal doctor and is familiar with her illness. Marilyn is wheeled into the emergency room, and Jane waits. They have disguised their appearances so that people would not be completely surprised when they are seen.
Jane waits in the emergency room and calls the girls and Marilyn’s parents. The girls decide it would be safer not to show up. Dr. Burke walks into the waiting room with a grim face.
“Jane, her condition is getting worse. It is progressing faster than I thought. At this rate, the best I can give her is six months, and that is really stretching it. I have known you two for a couple of years, and I know how close you are. If you can, make the next few months the best for her. It is my guess that she will start showing signs of fatigue around the fourth month. She won’t suffer. It will happen all of a sudden, and then it will be over.”
Jane’s heart is breaking, but she maintains her composure.
“Doctor Burke, what can I do for her? How do I make her comfortable?”
“Just make sure she enjoys life as much as possible. Marilyn will not just sit back and die. She will try to enjoy life as much as possible, so let her enjoy it. Now, go on in and be with your friend.”
Jane regains her composure and walks in to where Marilyn is.
“Hey there, girlfriend,” she says, “and how are you?”
“I’m okay. It was just another warning from God, telling me I don’t have long to hang out with you guys. So, for the next few months I want to enjoy my life. Now don’t give me that surprised look. I know I have only about six months left. I plan to make the most of the next three or four months. If my guess is right, I figure that around the fourth or fifth month, I will be too weak to do much.”
“Marilyn, what will I do without you? We are sisters through and through. I know God knows what is best, but I wish he’d reconsider and let you stay with us. You are my best friend, and if I could take your place, I would.”
“Jane, if it was possible, I wouldn’t allow you to take my place. This is my fate, and I must do as God has planned. Now get me out of this meat factory, and let’s find food. I am hungry.”
When they arrive at the apartment, Susan and Sophia meet them, and all laugh and cry together.
Sophia turns to Jane and asks, “What do we do next? Do we need to take down any more banks?”
“No, I think we have enough money if we manage it right. Also, I have this feeling that tells me it is dangerous to try it again. We were lucky; we didn’t have to shoot anyone. Our luck could run out any day.”
Marilyn looks at them and says, “I believe Ranger Mesa will be after us once he clears his current case up. I don’t want Mesa as an enemy. He is trouble, and trouble is something we don’t need right now. Let’s just go back to work and act as if nothing has ever happened. We will disguise ourselves just enough to prevent anyone from associating us with the movie star bandits.”
Sophia stands with a strange smile on her face and says, “I wonder what Ranger Mesa would do if I just sort of brushed into him one day. He is handsome in a western sort of way. He isn’t Robert Redford or Sidney Poitier, but there is something about that man that gets to me.”
The girls all respond at the same time, saying, “Are you crazy or have you bumped your head one time too many? If he discovers who you are, he will arrest you and send you to prison!”
Marilyn smiles.
“Sophia,” she says, “now is not the time. After I am gone, then it will be okay. I know what you are thinking, but trust me. I know what I am talking about. If you do as I say, we will not be caught, but if you fail to do so, we will all go to jail. I don’t want to die in prison.”
Jane cries softly, and they all hug Marilyn. It is a scene that would make even a ranger like Mesa cry.
The news comes on the TV, and the local commentator is talking about the shooting in Tucson.
“Good evening, I am Laura Denton.”
“And I am Chuck Garrison and this is the evening news. Our lead-off story is about the shooting that took place in Tucson yesterday. An assailant viciously shot down Lieutenant Alana Osborne of the Arizona rangers and her mother Matilda Osborne. Mrs. Osborne almost died on the operating table, but due to the work of the attending doctors, she has survived. Her daughter the lieutenant survived but is in critical condition. The assailant was shot and killed by another ranger, Sergeant Daniel Mesa. The assailant was Armanti Sandoval, a notorious assassin wanted by the FBI and INTERPOL. We will continue to keep you posted on this situation.”
Susan walks over and turns off the TV and sits down quietly.
“How is it that one man can be a part of so much violence?” she asks. “That Ranger Mesa seems to be wherever there is violence and shooting. It is as if he is cursed. I would not want to be married to him. I would always be afraid of that knock on the door and someone telling me he had been killed. My dad was an air force pilot during Vietnam, and I will always remember that knock on the door when they told my mother he had been shot down and killed over North Vietnam. They loved each other so much. It took her ten years to let go of him. That was in 1968, and I was a sophomore in high school. In 1978, she finally started dating this nice guy, and they got married in 1980. They are happy, and amazingly, he was a pilot also. But I am not my mom.
Marilyn smiles and says, “If he loved me, I would just love him back and pray for his safety and trust that God would protect him. I would just want to be happy.”
The group smiles and nods in agreement.
Chapter Twelve
Thirty-six hours have passed since the shooting by the time Mesa arrives in Nogales and checks in at ranger headquarters. He knocks on the captain’s door and walks in.
“Captain, I am going after Carlos and Antonio, and I won’t be back until I have them in custody. Please do me a favor and check on Alana and Matilda and keep me posted. This whole affair has gone on too long. It is time to bring it to an end, one way or another.’
“Dan, the colonel just called me, and I have been promoted to major,” Johnson says. “I need another lieutenant in the unit. You have earned the rank of lieutenant, so how about taking the promotion?”
“Sir, I’m grateful to you, and I’d like the rank, but I have to finish this up before I can accept it. Do me a favor and let me finish what I have begun, and then we’ll sit down and talk about it.”
Captain Johnson looks at Mesa and almost chews him out, but he decides against it.
“Sergeant, go and do what you have to do. After this case is over, we will talk, and for once in your life, you will listen while I talk. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes, I understand, and thanks, sir. I know I sometimes push too hard, but this case has hit home in too many ways.”
Mesa turns and leaves the office. He is thinking about his friend Ranger Savalas when suddenly he smells a familiar fragrance. He begins searching and hoping. Then the smell is gone. He feels that familiar tug at his heart.
He climbs into his truck and heads toward home. He thinks about all the people he has been acquainted with who have died. He thinks of Jose, Sonia, and Savalas, and he remembers what has happened to Alana and Matilda. He thinks of the men he has killed and finds that he regrets killing them; but if he had it to do over, he would do the same thing.
He arrives home and calls for the dog, but he remembers that the dog is dead.
“I need to get another dog. I guess I’ll get me a hound dog. They make great pets and great watchdogs.”
Mesa goes to the stables and feed the horses and reminds himself he needs to start riding them more. He gives each one grain and some hay and checks the water. The barn is new and has a concrete floor with built-in drains and feed bins. He takes down the brush and comb and brushes the coats of the horses, taking his time and talking to them as if they were human. When the chore is finished, he goes into the house.
He starts to prepare food, and then suddenly the smell of Chanel No. 5 is strong. He turns, and she is standing there. He smiles.
“I was hoping I would see you again,” he says. “I miss you so much.”
“Dan, I will always be with you, and nothing will stop that. One day, I won’t be around as much I am now, but when you need me, I will be there. I am your guardian angel, and believe me, you need one. You must take better care of yourself. Don’t worry so much. Enjoy life.”
Mesa looks at his watch, and it is four a.m. It was only eleven p.m. when she appeared. He wonders if he dreamed the whole thing. Then suddenly the fragrance is strong again, and he knows that he wasn’t dreaming. He gets up, takes a bath, and dresses in gray slacks with a green shirt and a gray western tie. He straps on that familiar peace of gear, the .357 magnum, and climbs into his truck with the destination of Tucson. Mesa puts in a call to the Arizona state police and finds that Carlos is in the foot hills of Mount Lemon. He calls the telephone company and gets a number for the location.
Carlos is eating breakfast when the phone rings. “Hello, Hello. Who is this?”
“Carlos, this is your worst enemy, Daniel Mesa, and I am coming for you. You should change from those ridiculous pajamas into running clothing, because you have only a few hours left in this world. Pray that I don’t catch you. Now run, damn you.”
Antonio has been watching Carlos and asks, “Boss, who was that?”
“Antonio, that was Dan Mesa, and he is coming after us. He knew that I was wearing these pajamas! How in the hell does he know that? Let’s pack and get out of here. Get every gun we have and all of the ammunition. We are heading for Mexico. Let’s see if he can find us in Mexico.”
“Carlos, how will we cross the border? You know they have pictures of us at every exit point.”
“My friend, we will cross where there aren’t any patrols. Do you remember that old abandoned silver mine out there by the golf course in Nogales? Well, that is where we will cross the border, but first I must make a phone call.”
He places a call to a number in Chicago. A voice answers, “Hello?”
“Rudy, this is Carlos, and I need your help.”
“Carlos, you are trouble. The kind of trouble we don’t need right now. We are watched too.”
“Rudy, I need someone who is discreet and who can take care of a package for me. I am transferring two hundred fifty thousand dollars to your account now and another when the job is done. The package must be mailed, whether I am around or not.”
“Carlos, after this, I don’t ever want to hear from again. Our association is over. You have angered many people. Your actions have caused us much discomfort.”
The line dies, and Carlos and Antonio drive away with the conviction that their troubles will soon be over.
As they drive away, a dark truck follows at a comfortable distance. The driver places a call to ranger headquarters.
“This is Ranger Mesa,” the driver says.
“Go ahead, Sergeant Mesa.”
“I am following Carlos Meana and Antonio Blackbear on I-19, and they are headed toward the border. I suspect they will detour and head toward Patagonia and try to cross the border in that
area around the old silver mine. I will need assistance. Please notify the local police and the state boys to be on the watch for them. They are traveling in Carlos’s Dodge truck, and they are heavily armed.”
“Dan, this is Major Johnson, you be careful. Don’t take any foolish chances. We don’t need any more dead rangers.”
“I understand, sir, and I promise to be careful.”
Major Johnson alerts the local police and the state police. He turns to the desk sergeant and says, “Log me out, and I will be on the radio. This is not going to be nice.”
The major takes an M16 and one hundred rounds of 9-mm ammo. He knows it will be a tough take-down.
On I-19 headed south to Nogales, Carlos and Antonio are speeding along at the posted speed limit, not wanting to attract attention. Suddenly they notice a dark Ford truck on their tail and closing in.
“Carlos, we have trouble behind us, and it looks like that darn ranger,” Antonio says. “What should I do?”
“Take him out if you can. I will try to outrun him.”
Antonio begins firing at Mesa’s truck, but he is unable to score a hit. Carlos takes the Nogales exit and speeds toward Patagonia. He misses the golf course turn-in and continues toward Patagonia. Carlos suddenly takes a side road, and Mesa follows. Carlos ditches the truck, and they begin running. Mesa stops his truck and is aware that other police cars have arrived. They begin following Carlos and Antonio.