“Paco came this way, and called in some armed buddys.”
“Damn! We thought he might have help coming. We hoped our backup would get here first.”
“A black Suburban got him, and it had plenty of firepower.”
“You didn’t try anything, did you?” There was worry in Norma’s voice.
“I’m not crazy, I ran and hid.”
“You get the license plates?”
“Nope. When rifles started coming out of every window, I kept my head down. I saw Paco load up, though. And they went towards town.”
Norma relayed the information to the units approaching from Del Rio, and said to Hunter, “We are gonna stay here near the fire until the fire department gets here. Are you okay where you are?”
“Yeah, I’m back at my truck.”
“Okay. You may have to give a witness statement on this, since he shot at us.”
“Can do.”
“You can do it at home, if you want. Get comfortable while you do it. I’ll be around after my shift ends, and all the paperwork’s finished.”
“Ten-four on that. I’ll have something to eat for you when you get there.”
“And drink?”
“You know it.”
~**~
Paco sat in the far back seat of the Suburban, with two men each in the front two seats. He didn’t recognize any of them. The driver made calls on his phone and did far more listening than talking, finally ending the conversation with, “Bueno.”
He pulled into a large storage yard of boat sheds, drove down to the end of one line of them, then waited until the passenger opened the shed door before pulling inside. The passenger closed the doors behind them and flipped a switch on the wall to turn on a series of lights. Inside the shed was a cement mixer, tools, shovels, a refrigerator, a long table, and sacks of cement and sand against the back wall. A small section of the
floor, seven feet by three, was poured concrete, while the remainder was caliche.
The driver said to Paco, “We wait here until someone comes, then we get a different ride so we can go back across.”
“I understand.”
The men exited the vehicle and stood in a circle to talk.
“Did you dispose of the children?”
“The young one tried.”
The man nodded, silent. “Did he succeed?”
“I do not know, I ran. I didn’t see the end.”
“Ah.”
“They may have died, the fire was gasoline, and hot.”
“If they didn’t, it means you failed.”
“Yes, it would, and I am sorry.” To show his worth to these unsmiling strangers, Paco said, “I have proven myself often in the past.”