by Doug Ball
15
Patagonia
Tan’s phone woke him with the sound of a rooster crowing which meant it was from the Governor.
“Yes, sir.”
“Naco just disappeared. Heavy casualties. Get there and tell me what’s needed. This little case of yours is escalating into the worst round of fear this state has known since Geronimo left the reservation for the last time.”
The phone went dead in his hand.
He walked down the porch to another room and beat on the glass door until he heard someone yell, “Shut up. We’re trying to sleep in here.”
“Get dressed and meet me downstairs in ten minutes ready to roll to Naco, or what’s left of it.”
“We be down, pronto.”
Naco
The normally well lighted checkpoints were dark except for the remnants of the all-consuming fire which had burnt down to a few dozen flickering low flames. Re-bar and other metal objects still glowed red, held there by the intense heat from the rubble. Two men in silver suits with self-contained Scott air packs wandered carefully through the fringes of the scene.
Tan showed his ID to a deputy sheriff when he turned south off of highway 92 onto Wilson Road. “Any survivors?”
“Yeah. At least twenty been rolled past here going to hospitals around the area. You can pass, Mr. Brown.”
“The truck behind me belongs to me, also. They really are sweet guys.”
“I believe ya,” the deputy said, looking through the trucks windshield. “You can keep them.”
The two vehicles passed down the road watching for emergency personnel and gawkers as they moved toward the scene. The lights that normally lit up the border crossing and THE FENCE were out. The only lights that could be seen were portable or from emergency equipment. Tan saw units from Bisbee, Douglas, Sierra Vista, Cochise County, and others as he rolled into the seemingly disorganized site. He knew there was an organization. Grabbing his mike, he said, “GSI 1, who is in charge of the Naco site?” over his loud speaker.
No hands went up. No response through the open window. He opened the door and began walking toward the greatest equipment density area only to be met by a very young female officer from Douglas. “You GSI 1?”
“Yes, ma’am. Special Investigator for the Governor, Les Brown.” He flashed his ID. “The two behind me are with me. One black and one white.”
“Yes, sir. If you’ll just follow me I will take you to the Chief and the Sheriff, along with everyone else that wants a piece of the action. FBI won’t be here. I heard they just outright refused.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“Truck driver stuck his head out of the cab, yelled ‘Allah Akbar,’ and the truck blew up. There was a man not twenty feet away sitting with his back against a concrete abutment facing away from the boom that heard it. He is deaf and was burned pretty bad on the head and hands. Heavy jacket saved the rest of his upper body. Or, so I’ve heard between gofer jobs.”
“Thank you.”
An hour later he didn’t know anything more. The FBI changed its collective mind and decided to get involved. They determined that the explosion was caused by an angry truck driver and was not terrorism by any definition of the word and then went home.
Tan reported to the Governor just after the sun threw light on the scene. “Terrorism is the finding by me. FBI is saying border squabble concerning NAFTA and truck drivers was the motivation. Over fifty confirmed dead. Forty-five plus in hospitals, six reported critical. Could have been more, but that’s all there were within range of the blast. Naco border crossing is closed until further notice. Barricades on both sides with armed guards, and I do mean armed. Ashes and rubble are beginning to cool enough for investigators to enter. Mexico is doing about the same thing we are. There isn’t enough of the truck left to tell you what color it was, let alone who owned it. The incident had nothing to do with my case in my opinion.”
“At this point I will accept that opinion with a reservation. That reservation is there may be more to it than meets the eye. Can you leave a man there as part of the team?”
“Maybe as an observer. I’ll try, but that will short me one of my crew.”
“I understand. I’ll find you five experienced lawmen to replace him.”
“You got it, sir.”
He hung up and called Bruce.
His next call was on the other phone.
“Santa Gabriella.”
“San José. Look I need some info fast. Think you got time or someone who can get on it?”
“Is it about Naco?”
“Yes.”
“I will handle that. My brother is there. Two of my close cousins are dead there.”
“My condolences. I want to know all you can get me on the driver of that rig. Who he worked for? How long? Anything you can find.”
“I will get that for you. It is terrorist. He yelled, ‘Allah Akbar.’ No doubt in my mind.”
“I’d like to see the DNA. Mexicans look a lot like Muslims without beards. No offense my friend.”
“No offense. We know that and we stop many at the airports because they talk Mexican funny.”
“Adios.”
“Good bye.”
Tan tried to get closer, but was always stopped with, “You do not have the proper protective gear and you are not authorized.”
“Who does the authorizing and where can if find the gear?”
“I do not know. Now get back.”
He wandered waiting for Bruce.
He sent the twins, Tank and Abdul, to Douglas to begin checking out the word around town. From there they were to go to Bisbee and then Sierra Vista. He called the governor to find out who could get him deeper into the scene further. “Mr. Brown, no one else will get in until the experts are done, so I have been informed. When cleared, I will contact you.”
“Sir, I have a man coming here just for this. Is he to wait until they are ready to allow us in on the conversation?”
“Yes. You can call him after I call you.”
The other phone rang.
“San Jose.”
“Santa Gabriella. The truck seems to be stolen. I know nothing about by who. Report came in not a minute ago.”
“After the explosion?”
“Yes. After the headlines on the television.”
“Big company.”
“I don’t know.”
“Thank you.”
“Out.”
The phone went dead.
He hadn’t gone twenty feet toward his car when his personal phone went off. The number indicated that the call was from Chuck still up in Williams. “He’s probably gonna whine at me taking Bruce away from him.”
He hit ‘answer.’ “Yeah, Chuck. I know. Bruce was the only man you had.”
“Nah. I got things handled up here. We have a minimum of nine men in combat gear hitting this train. Stopped it by using the old ties on the rails trick right out of the old movies. Estimated take was over fifty thousand in cash, a hundred thousand retail in jewelry, and untold credit cards and identities. One passenger dead after trying to be the hero and one employee dead for the same reason. Same report as last time. Not a clue of who, or where they went. The only thing new is that I may be quitting.”
“You can’t quit. Slaves have to be sold, and you ain’t worth much on the current market.” Tan quickly turned it into a joke. “Chuck. I need you, now and after the wedding. You need us. Remember, you are still on the limited duty list and no PD or such wants a new man on the disabled list. I needed Bruce’s mind and experience down here. You want any more men, just ask.”
“I want two.”
“They will be on the way as soon as the boss get’s them transferred to us.”
“Great. When will that be?” Chuck was getting testy.
“Next full moon.” Tan paused, “Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll bug him starting in an hour or so.”
“Alright,” Chuck let loose an audible puff of air. “I needed them
before Bruce left, and now I really need them. Got vehicles and foot prints to track. Need more research done on the train and the company that hired it. The train company is balking at any help in fear of coming litigation. The witnesses, folks on the train, don’t want to talk because they are embarrassed, and the con artist realtor speculator fears for his life. Nice group to work with.”
“Hit the local judge for warrants on all of them if you have to. Offer immunity if it looks like it’s needed. We need a break on all these cases.”
“How’s things in Naco?” Chuck was happy, but serious.
“You can’t even imagine and I cannot really describe it other than lots of rubble and bodies. All of it is black from the fireball and the aftermath fire. Only clue I’ve got is that the truck might have been stolen. When and where from I don’t know.”
“I’ll get back to work, Tan. You got enough on your mind.”
“Catch ya later. Keep in touch.”
Tan backed his car out through the jumble of vehicles until he could turn around and go out with the hood ornament leading. He waved to the deputy on the corner as he turned for the pass and Patagonia.
It was time for the Militia for America. But, first, he called Sara.
“Santa Cruz Sheriff’s office, this is Deputy Gravit. How may I assist you?”
“Governor’s office calling Sheriff Sara.”
“Baloney. No governor’s gonna call for the Sheriff by her first name.”
“This is Les Brown, ask her to pick up the phone please.”
The deputy did not respond until after Tan heard a door open, muffled words exchanged, and then a chair sliding on the floor. “Hey, Tan. What’s up?”
“I need a man, figuratively speaking. A woman will do, but I’d rather not have the distraction.”
“Oh, the big bad investigator can’t work with a woman without being distracted. You did all right with me.”
“Yeah, you threatened me with that largish husband of yours.”
“I got a not too good looking rooky I can let you borrow, but I want her unrumpled when you return her.”
“Unrumpled?”
“You know. I don’t want you scaring her off. I’m sure you’re safe with women. My husband would not have scared you off.”
“Okay, I’ll take her. How long has she been outta school?
“Three weeks. She’s still reading the manuals and needs to qualify again on left handed pistol. Two tries she’s blown. One more and she’s on probation. Two and she’s out.”
“I’ll try to get her some targets.”
“NO! She needs confidence.”
“Okay, I’ll take her. What’s her name? Where can I meet her?”
“You talked to her already, Deputy Gravit, Matarese Gravit. I’ll send her to you with vehicle. Where you want her?”
“The Stage Stop Inn in Patagonia.”
“You are still quick aren’t you? Took me to a motel first, remember?”
“Yeah, and do you remember how that worked out?”
“I told you I knew you were safe with women.”
“I’m in room 218. I’ll get a room for her when she gets there.”
“Where are you?”
“Montezuma Pass.”
“She’ll be there before you.”
“Tell her to wait in the reading room up the stairs right inside the front door.”
“Will do. Take care of her. I need the deputies.”
“You got it, and thanks.”
“Da nada.”
“I’ll owe ya one.”
“No debts in this business.” She hung up and called Deputy Gravit in.
Tan drove down the west side of the pass watching out for all kinds of critters, 4 legged, two legged, or no legged.
Williams
Chuck got off the phone with Tan and grabbed the disheveled pile of paper he called, ‘notes.’ Once again he went through them highlighting this spot and that one with a thin pink hi-lighter. When he finished the pile he went back and wrote the marked passages on a clean piece of paper. ‘These are the significant pieces of evidence that matter, right here, right now,’ he throught.
His phone buzzed and the window showed ‘RACHEL.’ “Hey, babe. How’s the training going?”
“It’s done. All we’re doing now is memorizing the legal code. ARS this and ARS that is very, very boring. I did make my final firearms quals today. I am told that I would make a great female crook with my devious mind and ability to fire a Thompson submachine gun with some accuracy.”
“Ah, for the life of crime. You are still graduating next Saturday, right?”
“I had better be. I am so tired of this place, not seeing you, and working with the team.” He could hear the tears in her voice.
“Wish I could come down and cheer you up a bit, but we are strung out all over the state. Things are falling apart, Tan won’t let me tell you, and we need you. Bruce was working with me and they just called him to Naco. I’m in Williams. Tank and Abdul are chasing rainbows looking for clues in the south. Leon has a store staked out from his wheelchair. Last but not least, Lenny is back to chasing information in the middle of the state. We could use you. I could use you, or at least I would love to get a hug and a kiss.”
“All you think of is hugs and kisses. I miss you, too, big boy. When that wedding is over, we’ll get the huggin’ and kissin’ goin’ for the rest of our lives, with a short interruption of a few years to raise a family.”
“Won’t we hug and kiss after the kids hit the ground?”
“Yeah, silly, but we’ll have to share.”
“Sounds good to me.” He glanced at the paper he’d been writing on. “Hey, babe, gotta go. Just thought of something I gotta chase down. Love ya and miss ya. Can’t wait till you and I are back together.”
“For how long with that workload? Love you, too.” She smooched over the phone and hung up. She still had lots of homework to do.
Patagonia
“Lenny, what are you up to?”
“Not much, boss. Been running all over Tucson and the vicinity trying to get a clue and I ain’t got a clue where to go next.” His tone said, ‘give me something to do.’
“How’d you like to be liaison to the militia?”
“Long as I don’t have to do any PT or marching, I’m game.”
“I’ll get right back to you. Where are you right now?”
“Sitting in a Denny’s eating dinner. Yum yum.”
“The one on Oracle Road?”
“Yeah.”
“Stay there.”
Tan cut that call and punched in the number for the Militia Captain.
“Frank, I need your boys. Head over to the Denny’s on Oracle and talk with my man. You can’t miss Lenny, he’s the one with the most wrinkles and the sourest look. Oh, yeah, he wears a ratty old LBJ special.”
“On my way.”
Tan called Lenny back and discussed the situation and his recommendations for deployment of the troops. “You might want to get some camos or at least jeans for the rough terrain and all. Your suit ain’t gonna survive the desert.”
“I did that this morning. Ripped a pant leg on my best suit. Wearing jeans and a canvas shirt. Got my Winchester in the trunk and my .45 on my hip. People look at me kinda different now.”
“You can’t miss Frank Carter, W A M, brown, silver, short, and bustin’ with energy. He’ll come bustin’ through the door like a SWAT team after the bad guys.”
“Gotcha.”
The car rounded the corner letting Tan see a Santa Cruz County vehicle backing into a parking spot across the street from the Inn, in front of the City Hall. ‘I beat her here, she must be a slow driver,’ he thought as he pulled in next to it, driver’s window to driver’s window. The electric window rolled down smoothly as he held the button down. The young lady in the county unit saw and did the same thing.
Tan said, “You must be Deputy Gravit.”
“Yes, sir. Are you Les Brown from the Govern
or’s office?”
“That would be me. Let’s go up to my room and talk.”
She shook her head, “That won’t happen. I do not enter men’s motel rooms, sir.”
16
Tan turned bright red, hung his head, and said, “That isn’t in my plan. There’s a reading room upstairs from the desk. It’s open on the sides and is a high traffic area for folks staying here.” He looked up, his face still red, “We’ll get you a room of your own after we talk. You may not want to get into this.”
By the time he was finished talking she had exploded in laughter.
“What are you laughing at?” Tan was not a happy man.
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Sheriff said you and she had a similar introduction. After telling me about it she said, ‘Play it for what it’s worth.’ So I did. You blush a beautiful shade of red and your ears, hummmm, how can I describe your ears when you blush, maybe fireball red, maybe crimson?”
“This is not a good start, Deputy Gravit. I do demand a certain amount of respect and this is not cutting it. Get your note pad and let’s get up to the library where we can talk and not look like a couple of State Troopers in a crossover.”
“Your room’s fine, Tan. I know you are harmless, Sara told me so.”
With a sheepish smile, he said, “Shut up and get moving.” He grabbed his pads of paper, his radio, and hat before opening the door and stomping across the street, up the stairs, and into his room. The key gave him fits in the lock until he figured out it was his house key he was trying to use. “Damn.” He used the hotel key and it opened smoothly.
The lights were dim, but the room was warmer than the February night outside.
She took notes for twenty minutes before she asked a single question, “What’s my job?”
“Whatever I tell you it is at the moment.”
“That’s being versatile.”
“That’s what we do in this outfit, ma’am. I have five or six workers. One is in the Academy. One is in a wheel chair on stake out. One is investigating a train robbery. One is liaison with the Cochise County people after the Naco bombing. Two are somewhere trying to find something they know nothing about. I am here. And, now I have seven and that seventh one is you. I am blessed.”
