Valley of Bones

by Dusty Richards

  “I sent a wire last night for Liz to tell all the wives we were fine, that Miguel and Fred were bringing home the horses from Socorro, and we still had all the prisoners in the hoosegow.”

  “What about the buyers we have information on?”

  “I sent letters and the information to those state offices of the U.S. Marshal services to investigate. There is no mail on any arrests so far.”

  “Can they arrest them?” Jesus asked.

  “If they can prove they bought a girl.”

  “They are as guilty as this bunch.”

  “You would have to find one sold and get her to testify.”

  “That would be hard.”

  “There is a buyer down at Nogales I’d like to arrest. Diego Obregon.”

  “What do we have to do to get him?” Spencer asked.

  “Testimony that he bought one or more.”

  “How can we get that?”

  “Someone comes forward and says they know he bought girls.”

  “That would be tough to find.” Jesus shook his head.

  Chet agreed. “If we could find one of those sold girls, and we could get her to testify, that would be great.”

  “We could protect them?”

  “Yes, we would protect them.”

  “Let Fred and I go to the border and learn about this guy. He goes back and forth across the border. Living there he has no idea we want him. Somewhere there is a puta who will testify she was sold by him.”

  “Be damn careful. He would cut your throat in a minute if he knew what you were up to.”

  Jesus nodded.

  “First trial is in two weeks. I have no idea who is first, but Murray warned me it would be long and drug out. Either of you two need to go home?”

  “I went home already and spent a day with my wife. Send Spencer.”

  “Thanks. I would like to go.” Spencer said.

  “Get on the first stage north. Be back in a week.”

  “Thanks, guys. I am gone,” Spencer said while already on the move. “See you in a week.”

  When he went out the door, Jesus said, “I bet Liz will think you should have gone with him.”

  “She understands my responsibility,” Chet said.

  Jesus shook his head. “She is still is a wife and woman.”

  “I know. But she understands these things.”

  He wired Liz that Spencer was coming home for a visit while they waited for the trial.

  Back at the prosecutor’s office he heard the two lawyers’ ideas on prosecution. When they had their case scripted, they asked for his input.

  “The last time I had several men that wanted to turn state evidence. That made it a damn sight easier to convict them. Here we have stonewalling on all their parts. I believe ten years is better than twenty and someone will break and testify.”

  “Who?” asked Richard Murray.

  “I want to try something on Fulbright. Can we get someone to pose as a New Mexico officer to come and interrogate Fulbright about the murder charges against him over there?”

  “I know a man in the territorial police and if he has time he would do it,” Richard said.

  “Wire him. Tell him who we have and we need to move him into pleading guilty. And to come as quickly as he can.”

  Three days later, Herrera Angeles, a New Mexico territorial policeman, arrived.

  Chet and Richard Murray met him at the stage office and they went to Murray’s house. The conversation went quickly. The man listened and agreed with them that they needed Fulbright to testify. New Mexico really was not pressing to try him. Witnesses were gone or deceased. Fulbright didn’t know that. Beside the ones they hung and shot were rustlers anyway.

  “I can get it closed if he goes along with testifying against the others in this case. How’s that?”

  “Good. Can we also get the judge to give him a much lesser sentence?” Chet asked the two prosecutors.

  “I’d say damn right, but I want to ask him first.” Carl put on his coat and rushed off.

  Murray’s lovely Hispanic wife served them sweet rolls and coffee while they waited.

  “I am sorry you never met my wife, Liz, while she was here.”

  “Oh, you two will be back down here again, and I am sure I will meet her then. I have heard so much about the both of you.”

  “We’ve been so busy. It was not an oversight. I promise you.”

  “Your courting her is almost folklore around here. She came looking to buy a famous horse you have at your camp below Tubac and you two fell in love?”

  “She can tell it to you. It was a whirlwind day we spent together, and she wrote me asking if she could come back to the border and meet me again. I never let her go back.”

  “I have seen her, she is a lovely lady.”

  “Close up she is much more than that.”

  “I imagine so. My husband told me she found most of the evidence you got from Thrasher’s house. You know I heard his wife went back to Texas with their children, they say to file divorce papers.”

  “He will pay for his crimes.”

  * * *

  Later that day, Chet and Murray met up with Angeles and Jesus. They took Fulbright into a secure place, uncuffed him, and told him to sit down at the small table.

  “We have a plan you may like.”

  “I doubt it, but I will listen.” If his dark eyes could have cut them down, Chet figured they’d all four be dead by the hard looks he sent Angeles, Jesus, Murray, and Chet.

  Chet introduced Herrera Angeles as the head of the New Mexico Territorial Police. A little lie would not hurt. They were not testifying in court.

  “Captain Angeles is here to help you if you will help us.”

  “How’s that?”

  “He knows how important your testimony against the others would be if you gave it in court.”

  “I am not a stool pigeon.”

  “Listen,” Chet said. “Captain Angeles says he will drop the charges against you over in New Mexico in trade for your testimony here.”

  “If I don’t?”

  “Then, when you are released in twenty years, he or one of his policemen will be at the gate to arrest you and bring you back to New Mexico to stand trial for a double murder there.”

  “What else are you giving me?”

  “A four- to five-year sentence instead of twenty.”

  “Two years.”

  “No. That is my best offer. Take it or leave it.”

  “I have to testify all I know at each trial?”

  “That is the deal.”

  “I need time to think about it. You’d have to protect me.”

  “I can guarantee we can do that.”

  “Son of a bitch. This is bad. Twenty years or five and no prosecution in New Mexico?”

  “I am asking you first. I’ll ask Benfield next.”

  “That cowardly bastard would scream to tell it in a minute. All right, what comes next?”

  “We will have a court clerk take down all your testimony. We need the story from the beginning, all you know, and then you will sign it. Two of us will be in here to guide you and if we think you did not tell us all of it or you are lying, we will challenge.”

  “What if I forgot something? Can I add it later?”

  “Yes.” Everyone in the room but Fulbright looked relieved. Head down, he shook his head like he could not believe he had agreed to do that.

  They took a break. Chet went to find the men’s toilet, then stuck his head into Sheriff Ben Reyes’s office.

  “You’re smiling.”

  “Yes. He’s going to testify against them.”

  “That is the best news I ever heard.”

  “Amen. We must make sure he is adequately protected.”

  “No worries. We will get that done right now.”

  “Thanks. And I need to send my wife a wire.”

  Chapter 8

  The day turned out long as Fulbright was telling a very complete story, from the beginn
ing, about the white slave trade with Thrasher and Benfield. He listed two more Tucson businessmen who had big parts in the sales.

  Spencer and Jesus were there listening to every word that spilled out of their witness’s mouth.

  Two clerks took turns writing down his exact words. The room was very hot, but they knew of no more secret place to do this and be as secure.

  Jesus came out and talked to Chet. “He started at the beginning. I am impressed. He has a very sharp memory. We have only had to correct him twice about a relationship he had that we didn’t agree with. He even apologized for his mistakes. His testimony should put them all in prison.”

  “That is what we needed.”

  Sheriff Ben Reyes sent deputies to arrest Aaron Coulter and Talman Brooks who arrived two hours later, along with their screaming lawyers standing to the side while their clients were put in prison clothes and cells.

  Murray and his partner were busy filing papers for their hearing before the judge. The two and Chet also had a private session with the judge, telling him about the cooperation of Fulbright and that they were having his testimony written down and when done, Fulbright was going to sign it.

  “You three know we have to share that confession with his defense lawyers?”

  “Yes sir. From that we found two more men to charge tomorrow. We already have them in cells waiting for their arraignment,” Murray said.

  The judge nodded.

  Ben came down the hall. “I don’t have as secure walls as I thought. Perhaps they figured out, since we arrested Coulter and Brooks, that someone is testifying, but the lawyers are downstairs screaming, wanting to know what is going on in here.”

  “Murray can handle it. Have him send them home. They can read the testimony when we get finished and have it signed.”

  “Is he still giving testimony?”

  “Yes, and we will be taking down more tomorrow.”

  Ben shook his head. “You picked a winner. I paid Angeles’s expenses out of my treasury. He went back and I thanked him for all he did for us.”

  “The Marshals will reimburse you.”

  “Thanks. I am so proud we are rounding up so many of these criminals.”

  “You bet.”

  At six p.m., they fed Fulbright supper and told him they’d be back at eight in the morning to continue. Chet took both clerks and his crew to a fancy supper. Both young men were impressed with the day, and the meal, and promised to be there in the morning on time to start back up.

  Chet and his men took a taxi back to the hotel. Fred was seated on the bench in front and jumped up.

  “You had supper?” Chet asked him.

  “In the hotel restaurant. I figured I would starve if I waited for you. How did it go?”

  “Fulbright caved. We are taking down the story about the entire operation. Ben arrested two more men, from town, who were involved, and they will be charged in court in the morning.”

  “Wow, we are winning, huh?”

  “Damn right we are. Breakfast at seven. Jail at eight. Get some rest.”

  “Oh, I checked on the horses at the livery. They are doing great since we got back,” Fred said.

  “I need to go meet Slaughter and thank him.”

  Jesus agreed. “We will have some time now that we have this deal nearly sewed up.”

  They all went off to bed.

  What will happen next? Chet looked at the light, reflected on his ceiling from below, for a long time.

  * * *

  In the morning over breakfast they talked about the day ahead. Chet assigned Spencer and Jesus to continue to make sure Fulbright was on track in his confession. Then he told Fred he could join them but let them handle it while he just listened.

  Fred agreed, excited to be included.

  Liz sent him a wire telling him that Miguel was there, that Lisa said thanks, and she wanted to know when it was his turn.

  He sent one back telling her the trial started in ten days and told her to come back with Miguel when he came.

  He checked into the secret room. Jesus was reading the statement back to Fulbright.

  Fulbright was nodding

  “When will it be finished?” he quietly asked Spencer.

  “An hour.”

  “Good.”

  “He even testified that the guy, Diego, in Nogales was involved and that they had made several sales down there.”

  “We need him on this side of the border and brought here. Anyone else?”

  “Someone in Juárez they use also.”

  “What about those private sales that show in Thrasher’s books?”

  “When we get through on this read-back we can ask him.”

  Chet nodded.

  The reading finished, Chet asked him, “Some of these girls bring big prices?”

  Fulbright shrugged. “The real pretty ones do. One of those girls they brought in the other night might have brought eight thousand dollars. The other one twenty-five hundred, maybe three.”

  “Before the war broke out slaves were sold that way, weren’t they?” Chet asked, trying to recall what he could remember of the slave market.

  Fulbright nodded. “I saw big, powerful slaves, when I was a teen, bring ten thousand dollars at auction in Texas. Yellow women, good-looking, seven-eight thousand dollars. Thrasher had a book with a list of contacts who buy the high-priced ones.”

  “Any idea where he kept that book? They could be traced down and watched.”

  “It is a small black book. I bet he had it on him when you arrested us.”

  “Spencer, go ask Ben if he has that in the possessions they confiscated.”

  Spencer was gone and came back shortly, waving a small, leather-covered book.

  Chet thanked Fulbright and sat down to look at the pages of addresses. They were from all over and they had notes. Like “likes freckled one” or “goes for blue eyes.”

  “What does it say?” Jesus asked.

  “There’s a helluva lot of buyers around this country, Mexico, and Canada. Some from overseas, too.”

  “We have the tip of an iceberg in this book. We thought, when we trapped those guys in Tombstone back a few months ago and had them sent up, that was the end of this deal. It damn sure is more widespread than anyone imagined.”

  “I am going to have a list made of each of these names and addresses and the list sent to D.C. The national office needs to check on this.”

  Fulbright signed the testimony and they witnessed it.

  “We have to make printed copies now for the prosecution and the defense,” the head clerk said. “That will take two days.”

  “On Friday we can meet with the defense attorneys, and they will have a week to figure out a new defense before the first trial starts. Now, this Diego guy in Nogales? What are you going to do about him?” Burton asked.

  Chet looked at Jesus.

  “Miguel will be back soon?” Jesus asked.

  “I imagine my wife has him packed already.”

  They laughed.

  “I think Fred and I should get on the stage, go down there, and see if we can arrest this guy and bring him back,” Jesus said.

  “You can get on the stage but no wild deals. If you can make it work, then fine. Make the arrest but no big shoot-out. We can get him short of that.”

  “I want to get him rounded up with the rest.”

  “I do, too, Jesus. Just don’t get too furious.”

  Jesus smiled. “We won’t, will we, Fred?”

  “Hell no.”

  “Go.”

  Chet shook his head. “Diego Obregon—we will make sure there is room for him in that crowded jail.”

  Jesus and Fred were taking the four p.m. stage to Nogales. Chet and Spencer had their heads together with Murray and Burton going over all Fulbright had said in his confession.

  “He’s pretty complete about Thrasher’s and Benfield’s involvement, but some of the ranch hands were simply onlookers,” Murray said.

  “They don’t
know we know that,” Chet said. “We could offer them amnesty before they find out and get their testimony. Anything we get will be more evidence against the main ones.”

  “Chet, you don’t miss a thing, do you?”

  “Try not to, Carl. Really try not to.”

  “You ready to go through this all over again?”

  Chet nodded. “One by one and separate them.”

  That afternoon one by one they interrogated the individuals.

  The ranch hands were tired of jailhouse food and the quarters. Some admitted they knew about the business but saw none of the profit and kept their mouths shut to keep a precious ranch job. Their testimony didn’t look worth the time to write up for the prosecutors or Chet.

  After speaking to the judge and explaining the situation, with his approval, Chet told the hands that they had a week to get out of Arizona and not come back. Looking powerfully relieved, they agreed to leave after dark and be gone. He gave each man twenty dollars and said the wounded men could go, too, since both were near healed. Come dark, all were gone.

  Now they had five defendants. Six counting Jason Fulbright.

  The big lawyer asked where the ranch hands were.

  When Chet told him they were released and gone for good, the lawyers raised hell about everyone there being prejudiced toward their clients. Their complaints fell on deaf ears. By this time Chet realized that they would raise hell about anything so as to get attention and perhaps have someone slip up on something and give them something they could use for their clients. Who knew?

  Day two since Jesus and Fred left for Nogales. Then Chet got a wire.

  D. O. IS ARRESTED WE WILL ARRIVE AT 2 PM TODAY. F AND J

  He handed it to Spencer, who laughed. “Guess after lunch we can help escort the prisoner to jail.”

  The newspaper had the headline ARRESTED ONE SQUEALS ON THE REST.

  The federal court today informed the defendants that one of the defendants, Jason Fulbright, the accused ranch foreman, will testify against all those arrested in the white slavery case that goes to trial next week. It was just confirmed to the defense attorneys that he would be the prosecution’s star witness. A copy of Fulbright’s confession, which is very long and extensive, will be printed in tomorrow’s paper in its entirety. It looks like there are severe accusations against several local businessmen now being held without bond in the Pima County Jail. A number of what the prosecution calls simple ranch hands have been released and were told not to be in Arizona after seven days. That they were personas non grata.