Hunter picked up Raymond and pulled away from the hotel. Neither of them spoke. Raymond went to sleep twenty miles out of Presidio. Hunter was numb with fatigue but drove all the way, letting him rest. After reaching Marfa, she dropped Raymond off and went home. Hunter climbed the stairs, taking off clothes as she went. She was naked when she reached the bed, and made a small whimpering noise as she slid in and pulled the sheets to her neck, then over her head. She dropped into an exhausted sleep and didn’t move for the next four hours.
***
The phone woke her, and at first she didn’t remember where she was. The clock said 8:05PM. When she located the cordless - it was behind a stack of books on the nightstand - she answered and heard Truman’s voice.
“You gonna be here tomorrow for the trial?”
Hunter rubbed her eyes and said, “I’ll be there. How are you doing?”
“Be a while before I’m ready for the marathon, but I’m okay for the trial. You get all that emergency stuff taken care
of?”
“Enough. I’ve got a few things left, but I won’t abandon you again.”
“Hey, we all do what we have to do. But I wanted to tell you, the photo of El Lobo with the pistol…well, somebody broke into my house and took it.
“When?”
“I figure the same day they ran over me. I sent one of my guys over to pick up my briefcase, he found the door open, and the security alarm bypassed. They made it look like a burglary, took the television and stereo, and some silverware. Then they sawed off the latches on my briefcase and took the photo. Left papers scattered all over the place.”
“Christ, what next?”
“We go ahead. The picture was like the cherry on top of a sundae, a nice touch, but not everything. We still have a solid case.”
“Yeah, but that would have clinched…”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“This is wearing me out, Truman.”
“I know, but tomorrow’s gonna be it. Ronnie and I’ll finish up early. If the jury reaches a decision fast, we’ll be through by noon.”
“I’m ready for it to be over.”
“Yeah, hey, did I tell you Ronnie came by to see me?”
“What’d he do, try to pump you for information?”
“Nahh, he’s basically an okay guy. He wanted to know if I needed anything, and to tell you to call your mother.”
Hunter rubbed her head, “Yeah, I need to.”
“Well, I gotta go. One of the nurses is coming in to give me a sponge bath, and I want to tell her not to use cold water ‘cause it makes me shrink up and-”
“Truman, do not go there.”
“Okay, okay. Just wanted to make you smile. See you at the courthouse tomorrow, eight sharp.”
“I’ll be there.”
Hunter went to the dresser and took out a tee shirt and a pair of loose shorts from the bottom drawer, put them on and walked downstairs. The drugged feeling would not go away, so she sat in the living room and turned on the television. Nothing was on, so Hunter set it on the Weather Channel and muted the sound. There was something almost peaceful about the rolling patterns of weather moving across the map of the United States.
There was some ham in the refrigerator, so she made a sandwich, found a Fresca and some baby carrots, and took them to the couch. Things nagged Hunter that she couldn’t pinpoint, and she tried to focus on them as she ate. Godoy acted as if he and Rockman knew each other. There was something in the way they conversed that made her think they weren’t strangers. Then Wayne coming armed to the teeth, and with the hideout .45 automatic. He didn’t just come expecting trouble, he came to do something. Then there’s the note Pepper described. Who called Rockman with the information? And what about Mora, and the dollar signs, what did that mean? And the other word, what was it? Stealing, Pepper said. Stealing what? Money? It could be anything. Hunter knew she’d have to talk to Wayne again. That made her nervous.
Hunter’s thoughts drifted to Anda. Hunter felt sure Mingo and his friends would keep her safe, but she was going to return to Mexico and see Anda as soon as she could. There had to be something that could be done, something that would make Anda’s future better. The thought gave her some ease, and Hunter finished the sandwich and Fresca, climbed the stairs, brushed her teeth, and crawled into bed. She set the alarm for 4:00AM and slowly relaxed until sleep came.
***