“Just something to be ready for. Timing’ll be everything on that one. But hey, that’s not all your intrepid lawyer has done, no-sir-ee.”
Hunter waited, but Truman didn’t speak. “Truman!”
“Hah! I just wanted to build the suspense.”
“You build any more suspense and I’m liable to have a heart attack. What else?”
“The Boys Clubs have no record of any donations by Mr. Julian Garcia. Nor do any of the churches in Presidio, Ojinaga, Marfa, Alpine, Chihuahua City, or any place else in the northern hemisphere. They have no records or recollections of Mr. Garcia setting foot in their buildings. For that matter, they don’t know his wife, either. There was one priest, though, that remembered him.”
“What’d he say?”
“Not much, because he has some damage to the nerves in his vocal cords. Seems Mr. Garcia robbed him about three years ago in Parral. The priest said Garcia attacked him with a tire iron, beating him to the ground and demanding money. The priest gave him all he had, forty pesos, and Julian got so infuriated that he tore off the priest’s collar, rolled the white plastic tab up and jammed it down the priest’s throat. The priest said he almost bled to death before some people found him and took him to the doctor.”
“Is he coming to testify?”
“He’ll be available if we need him. Thing is, Julian was never caught and tried for it, so technically he can’t be proven guilty.”
“Anything else?”
“I’ve got some good people digging around. Non-Department people, if you know what I mean. They’re looking for the hang-glider pilot and a few other associates of the Garcia family. Keep your fingers crossed.”
“You know it. This thing still going to kick off Monday at nine?”
“Yeah, but you need to meet me here at the office at eight, so we can go over any last minute things.”
“I’ll be there.” Hunter could hear some odd noises, like clothes sliding on wood, “Truman, where are you?”
“Just lying here on my desk, looking at the ceiling. These old buildings have some interesting patterns up there.”
“I’ll see you Monday.” Hunter hung up, shaking her head.
She still wasn’t sleepy, so she called Raymond to talk about the Sheriff’s information. They discussed which people should be in on it, and Raymond had said, The Patrol Agents In Charge, here and Presidio or we won’t be able to do it. Hunter agreed. What about Agents, she asked. Raymond said J.D. and Ben in Presidio, Fred and Wayne from Marfa, maybe Joe and Gary, too, if they can switch shifts. Hunter liked that lineup. They decided to meet tomorrow with the PAIC in Marfa and lay things out, then get ready for that night and the load to cross at the mouth of Madrid Canyon, across the deep water.
Hunter hung up, but was still nervous and antsy. She cleaned the kitchen and living room, checked and re-checked her closet for the right dresses to wear to the trial, then cubed some chuck steak and vegetables and added them with beef broth and water to the Crockpot. Now she would be able to eat for a couple of days without thinking about what to fix.
At three-fifteen in the afternoon, Hunter felt sleepy enough to lie down. She climbed the stairs to the master bedroom, taking her clothes off as she went. Naked, she crawled under the covers, and pulled a book by George Wier off the nightstand. She made it to the fifth page before falling asleep with the book on her chest.
***
The Barbosas arrived at Godoy’s house an hour before sunrise. They knocked, but no one answered. Jesse checked for the Colonel’s vehicle and saw it. He looked in several windows, bending over to peer through the bottom panes. He walked to the rear of the house and could see a light down the main hallway. He rejoined Johnny at the front door, where Johnny craned his head at an awkward angle to look through the peephole.
Jesse asked, “You see anything?”
“Nuh-uh. Everything looks tiny through here, like looking through the wrong end of a microscope.”
“When did you ever look through a microscope, right end or wrong end?”
Johnny was tired and his eyebrow was throbbing, so he let it pass. “You see anything through the windows?”
“Yeah, light on in the back part of the house.”
Johnny tried the doorknob, and it turned. He looked at Jesse, “I guess this means we can go in.”
They walked in the house calling Godoy’s name. Jesse said, “Man, I’m gettin’ nervous. I don’t want that bastard to shoot us thinkin
g we were breaking and entering.”
“No shit.” Johnny thought a moment, scratching at the edge of the bandage. “How about we turn on lights as we go so he can see us?”