December's Soldiers

by Marvin Tyson

  “It seems to me the most likely scenario is this,” Marty continued, “they figured skipping to China was not an option because the Chinese were likely to kill all of them to hide their own part in this. After all, we’re talking about organized criminals, not real government officials, and they have to cover their tracks in China just like crooks do here. So I’m sure it seemed logical to them―Jackson, Mitchell, and the AG, that is―that the only way they could stay here was if they eliminated all the witnesses.

  “I’m sure they looked for Sheila as the first priority, but hoped to catch all of you together. Then, when the three amigos decided to leave town, they decided to follow. Pat and Sheila decided to tag along, so the thugs thought they had the perfect opportunity handed to them on a silver platter. They would take advantage of the remote location and take Raymond, J.P. and you out, along with Pat and Sheila.

  “It would be a cinch to make it look like a drug cartel massacre on a trail often used by illegals and traffickers,” Marty stated. “I’m sure they thought everything was coming up roses for them. They just didn’t figure on three old, gray-haired men fighting like wildcats cornered in a chicken coop. That was their downfall; they underestimated who they were up against. Even though it was long ago, you three faced longer odds against better men and came out on top.”

  “If this young Marine came forth voluntarily, he must have been having second thoughts anyway,” Sam said. “So it’s likely he’ll still be a credible witness in the case, right?”

  “Yes, he will. As a matter of fact, he began to put two and two together through the news reports and quotes from President Jackson that made no sense to him. According to him, he—along with the others—were supposed to meet ‘the rest of the unit’ at the airport yesterday. But he thought better of it and just didn’t show. That’s why he came to the U.S. authorities, and why he is more than willing to testify now. He’s made that abundantly clear. He even asked if he could be a part of bringing them in.” Marty made a final lap across the floor, then flopped down in one of the waiting room chairs. “I’m sure he was interested as much in trying to save his friends as in making Jackson and Mitchell pay, but he is clearly on the right side now. Unfortunately, most of his fellow soldiers have been killed or seriously wounded, and all those that are left will be facing some serious jail time. I’m sure their ignorance of the truth will work in their favor and we’ll offer them some limited immunity in exchange for their testimony against the rest, but that won’t keep the hearts of families and friends from being broken for those lost.”

  “I just can’t understand how a man who has reached the top of his field, president of the United States, could become involved in something so heinous. Was it just the money?” Sam wondered.

  “I don’t think so,” Marty said. “He was broke, but that was because he already had a mountain of emotional baggage to carry. He was addicted to gambling, but that rarely happens in a vacuum. Men often worry more about a legacy when they reach the top and there’s no other prize to reach for. And, when that legacy is threatened, as Jackson certainly thought his was, it’s not unusual to see them lash out at those they see as being responsible. He didn’t see Texas’ leaving the Union as a quest for self-rule, but as a personal assault on his legacy of what he saw as a lifetime of public service. So he wanted to destroy as many of those he thought were responsible for that assault. It was much more that than the money, I believe.”

  “I guess we’ll never know everything that drove him to this. I despised the man, but I find it sad that someone who touched so many lives could end up like this,” Sam murmured.

  Chapter 59

  In the time it took to fly from Big Bend Regional to Seton Medical Center in Austin, the media had gathered in force. A small army of reporters, cameramen, and producers from almost every local media outlet and several national and international news organizations covered the grounds outside the hospital.

  Marty had seen it all before and was well accustomed to dealing with the press. His only fear was that Sam and J.P., being as concerned as they were for Raymond and Pat, might lash out at someone for sticking a microphone or camera in their face.

  He was just opening his mouth to warn them when the doors on the chopper opened and several microphones were thrust in every face as the passengers came off the helicopter. Surprisingly, the two men handled it well. Sam feigned that his well-bandaged shoulder was very painful and J.P. was helping him to the emergency room. It was all Marty could do to keep from laughing, but it got them through the crowd of reporters.

  Marty paused briefly and answered a few questions before begging their pardon and walking on into the hospital. Hospital security, as well as his own, prevented the reporters from following them, but he knew that resourceful reporters would soon find a way to get to him anyway. That was the nature of the beast.

  Pat had come through surgery okay and was in recovery. Raymond was in surgery for more than four hours, but a doctor came out every hour or so to assure them he was doing fine.

  Sheila seemed to be holding up as well as any of them. She was far stronger than she appeared, and she had the support of more friends than she ever had in her life. Her immediate family had been the only people she could count on like she could count on the friends in this room.

  By the time Raymond was out of surgery, his sister and her family, as well as the wives of Sam and J.P., were there, along with a host of friends. Most of them gathered around Sheila to comfort her, but it was especially touching to see Raymond’s sister holding on to Sheila for support. Only a few months before, Sis had looked down on Sheila for her past, but now the two women looked more to each other for comfort than anyone else on the planet. Their mutual love for Raymond had changed them both a great deal, and all for the better.

  * * *

  Marty was on the phone almost constantly while they waited, and they all expected him to leave soon to take care of the affairs of government. His time was not his own now; he belonged to the people of Texas, and they recognized that.

  Marty waited until the surgeon came out to talk to the family and friends after Raymond was out of surgery. She assured them that everything went well and that Raymond would make a full recovery.

  Finally Marty felt like he could return to his office. He asked if anyone needed transportation before he left. No one did, so he told Sheila he would return in a few hours and that she should call him if she needed anything.

  When he got back to his office, the media were crawling all over the place, and Norma was almost in tears from trying to deal with them on her own. Marty scheduled a press conference to start in one hour.

  Chapter 60

  President Barker had already held a press conference in Washington, and it lasted almost an hour with questions still being hurled at him as he walked out of the room. That was understandable, considering that an ex-president had been killed, a sitting senator was seriously injured, and the attorney general of the United States was in critical condition from burns, not expected to live.

  “I want to make one thing perfectly clear,” President Barker announced. “Those three men were the ones on the wrong side of this, and the Texans involved were one hundred percent right. I don’t want this situation to be used as any kind of wedge between our own government and the new Republic of Texas. I believe the new state on our southern border is the best friend the United States could hope to have. I want every citizen of the United States to feel that way, too.”

  To accomplish this, he had to make things public that were deeply hurtful to his daughter and the entire extended family. “I can’t give you all the details of my son-in-law’s affair, or the child that resulted from it,” he went on, “but that affair provided an opportunity for the Chinese thugs to blackmail him into participating in their plot.”

  He was emphatic that the Chinese government was not involved, but that criminal elements in China had persuaded a few Chinese officials to take part in an illegal scheme to try t
o corner the market on the world’s crude oil.

  “All the U.S. citizens in that scheme are either in custody, hospitalized, or dead,” the president said, “and I’m leaving it up to the Chinese authorities to deal with their own citizens. I have no doubt the Chinese secret police will find them all and deal with them appropriately.”

  Within only a few days, ten employees at the Chinese Embassy in Washington were rotated home, and U.S. authorities were quietly assured that these were the only Chinese citizens in the U.S. who were involved in the plot. The Chinese government also confirmed that Chinese citizens involved who had remained in China were either in custody or on the run.

  CIA Operative Joel Garcia was promoted to head of his section as a reward for his part in wrapping up the investigation. And, in a press conference called to announce his promotion, he was careful to thank everyone involved, “especially the agents of the Texas government who worked tirelessly and professionally” to bring these people to justice.

  Chapter 61

  Raymond remained in the hospital for two weeks after his surgery to be sure that his lungs and other internal organs were healing as they should, and that there was no fluid buildup or infection.

  Sheila stood next to Raymond’s bed, holding his hand tightly. He’d scared the heck out of her, and she vowed that wasn’t going to happen again anytime soon. She glanced over at Sis, who was sitting in the big hospital chair next to the bed.

  “Does he look to you like he’s up for a Texas barbecue?” she asked Sis.

  Sis gave Raymond a thorough once-over, then said, “I pronounce him well enough, as long as he just sits in a lounge chair and lets us two women, bowing and scraping, care for his every need or want. Would you agree to that, Raymond?”

  He smiled up at the two women happily, and it was easy to imagine that he was among the most contented men in the world at that point.

  Sheila and Sis planned a barbecue at the ranch for the day Raymond came home and invited all his friends and family, especially his friends at the capitol.

  “I’d like to bring a special guest,” Marty told them.

  Sheila and Sis put their heads together, as if to seriously consider the president’s request. “It’s our decision, Mr. President,” Sheila said, “that you may bring as many special guests as you wish.”

  Almost everyone was there ahead of Marty, and they were busy guessing who this special guest could be. Some guessed it might even be President Barker, but Raymond said he had heard President Barker would be addressing Congress later that day, so it couldn’t be him.

  As they watched the road for Marty’s presidential limousine, they were surprised to see a beautiful, blue Shelby GT 500 Mustang turn onto the long drive to Raymond’s house. The Mustang pulled up and parked in front of the house, then the door opened and a young U.S. Marine captain stepped out on the driver’s side. A few seconds later, Marty got out on the passenger side.

  Sammy, De, and Pat recognized the young officer immediately and reached out to him with outstretched hands.

  “Hello, Captain,” Pat said, her voice soft as she took his hands in hers.

  “Mrs. Thomas,” he replied, smiling.

  “Welcome, sir,” Sammy and De said, clapping the Marine on the back.

  The rest of the crowd gathered was completely in the dark as to the identity of the young man, but Marty made sure they found out quickly.

  “Everyone, please welcome Captain Jeremy Travis. I thought he deserved to be here for all the help he gave my team in recent months, and for another reason I’ll reveal shortly. I hope you’ll make him comfortable.” He stepped back and began clapping, and the rest of the group joined in with enthusiasm.

  Pat and her little team knew only that he had been a huge help to them in Washington, and they suspected that it was he, dressed in Middle Eastern garb, who saved their lives in that warehouse.

  “This young Marine,” Marty said, “was invaluable to me and my team in ending the plot by some high-ranking American politicians and members of the Chinese underworld to corner the world’s crude oil market. Jeremy, I’ll let you fill everyone in on the rest of the story.”

  “Mrs. Thomas, Pat here,” he gazed at Pat, and it was apparent they had developed a special bond, “is probably the only one here who knows where I was when then-President Jackson started doing everything in his power to cause trouble for Texas and prevent separation by any means at his disposal.

  “I was on a special assignment implemented on the orders of President Jackson himself and classified at the highest levels of secrecy. We were sent to join Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq and Syria to train them to fight against ISIS. Since no U.S. military personnel were approved to be there openly, this was a clandestine operation. I volunteered for the assignment because my new wife, who was born and raised there, had gone back to fight beside her people when I left Annapolis on my first assignment. I jumped at the chance later to go there to join her.” Tears filled his blue eyes and trickled down his face. Pat handed him a tissue.

  “Unfortunately,” he continued, “she was killed before I caught up with her unit. My last time to see her was the day I boarded the plane bound for Guam, where I was to be stationed.

  “About the time my wife was killed, the second most important person in my life, my grandmother, became gravely ill. Since I had no communication with anyone in the U.S., I had no idea how seriously ill my grandmother was, but President Jackson had been informed by the Red Cross, which some of my family was going through to try to reach me. My grandmother and President Jackson had known each other for decades, and had been on opposite ends of the political spectrum for a long time. My grandmother had been very public and vocal in her support of Jackson’s opponent in several races. He made the connection between me and my grandmother and turned it into a personal vendetta to make sure I didn’t find out about her illness until it was too late for me to ever see her again. I stayed in that assignment for another year and was told when I got home that President Jackson himself had requested that I stay. At that point, I was told my grandmother had passed away six months before.”

  Jeremy stunned many in the crowd when he said, “Many of you gathered here today knew my grandmother; her name was Sylvia Travis, but to me she was Grandma.”

  Almost every eye teared up at the mention of Mrs. Travis and some wept openly. J.P. and Sam sat down, tears streaming down their faces. Raymond, who was already sitting, found it hard to breathe. De and Sammy hugged each other and sobbed out loud, while Marty tried to maintain his composure. Still, tears ran down his cheeks, and Victoria put a comforting arm around him.

  None of them, not even Pat, with all of her background in investigation and intelligence, had made the connection between the young captain and their beloved Mrs. Travis. Now everyone wanted to know more about this young Marine.

  “Jeremy,” Marty said, “please fill us in on as much as you can, or care to. We’re all interested.”

  “Thank you, sir, I will. As you all know, no one on earth loved Texas more strongly or more deeply than Sylvia Travis. Even though my parents and I moved constantly because of my father’s career, I spent parts of each summer growing up with my grandma. I couldn’t wait to get back here to Austin to hear more of her stories about the greatness of Texas and the men and women who built her.

  “I learned from her about the heroism of Jane Long, the Mother of Texas, and how she single-handedly drove off an entire tribe of Karankawa who were bent on killing her and her child.

  “She taught me about the bravery of Patrick Jack and a young man named W.B. Travis at the little community of Anahuac on Trinity Bay long before the Revolution started.

  “The massacre at Goliad, or Coledo Creek, the taking of Bexar and San Jacinto, where General Houston and his men avenged the early defeats by Santa Anna and won Texas’ independence, were described to me in great detail.

  “She taught me to honor the seventy thousand Texans who fought with the Texas Brigade in Ab
e Lincoln’s War, especially the Galveston Regiment led by our kinsman, Captain John Creed Moore, who later became the first colonel of the 2nd Infantry Regiment.

  “She taught me to honor the native Texans who were here before any Mexican or Anglo, and to respect their heritage and history, not just the parts of it passed on by those who subjugated them, but the whole of it.

  “And she emphasized the part that noble Texans of Hispanic heritage played in bringing liberty to all Texans. From Governor Martín Alarcón, who established the first civil government in Texas at Bexar, Francisco Ruiz and José Antonio Navarro who signed Texas’ Declaration of Independence, and Juan Seguin, who kept his vow to return to the Alamo and bury the honored dead of that battle, she filled my mind and heart with the love of all things Texan.

  “I came to love Texas just like she did, and I always considered Texas my home, no matter where on earth I was.

  “In fact, I was with Grandma the day that Shelby Mustang was delivered, and I thought it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. That was the last day I saw her and the last time until today that I saw that car. When Marty… President Kert told me that we would be bringing the same car out here today, I was floored. I honestly had no idea what had become of that car.”

  Marty cut in. “Mrs. Travis told me she wanted her grandson to have that car and, even though I had no idea who he was at that time, I promised her I would see he got it. So I put it in storage, starting it only occasionally, until today.” He tossed the keys to Jeremy.

  Everyone stood quietly for a moment while the young man grasped what just happened and mumbled through tears, “Thank you.”

  Then he said, “Because my grandmother was gone by the time I got home, and because of her love for flowers, especially yellow roses, I decided to place them on her grave in honor of her birthday and Texas Independence Day each year. I will continue to do that as long as I’m able. But I don’t want anyone here to go away believing I have done what I’ve done out of hatred for President Jackson. I did it out of love for my grandmother and for Texas, and because it was right.”