"Everything arranged?" she asked.
"Yeah, day after tomorrow about two. Lena hated getting up early in the mornings." I smiled.
Cate placed the cups in the drainer and dried her hands. "Well, what do you want to tackle next?" she asked.
"You've done enough. I have to run into town in a little while to pay for the funeral. It'll be getting dark by then, so you should start gathering your stuff up and head on back to Austin."
"Why don't I go with you to the funeral home? We could grab something to eat in town."
I shrugged. "But then you go back to Austin. I don't want you out here after dark."
"I doubt whoever did this would be stupid enough to come back the next day. The police could still be crawling all over the place."
"Or they could be hanging around out there in the trees right this minute and know there's no one here but us."
She looked out the kitchen window, and I thought I saw her shiver slightly. "You're probably right, but I could just stay in Kerrville and come back out tomorrow morning. I know you won't stay in town."
"No one's going to run me out of my home," I frowned. "You should go back home though."
"You think it's not safe in Kerrville either?"
"Look, Cate, I don't know shit, okay. But I don't want to take a chance that someone else will get hurt. You might not believe this, but I don't want to have to worry about your safety."
She looked at me, and a slow smile crossed her lips. "I didn't think you still cared, Jo."
There was that old uncomfortable feeling again. Damn, how did she do that? I cleared my throat and left the kitchen. I had a sudden need for fresh air. I picked up my rifle on the way out the door and walked toward the barn, even though there wasn't anything there anymore. The county animal control people had picked up Jack late the night before. It had broken my heart to see such a beautiful animal slaughtered for no purpose. When I returned to the house, Cate was sitting on the couch looking through a manila folder.
"You about ready to go?" I asked.
"In a minute. What's this?" she asked, pointing at the folder.
I looked over her shoulder. "Just some notes about what Lena found about the meatpacking plant."
"What meatpacking plant?"
"The one over at Mountain View. Sarita told me Kyle's story about illegals was actually about the meatpacking plant hiring illegals to process their meat."
"When did you talk to Sarita?"
"She came out here a couple of days after I left San Antonio. It seems Kyle got the idea for the story from her to begin with. She asked me to continue helping him from the shadows. At first I turned her down, but Lena jumped in my shit about it. That was how she got involved. The locals over there weren't going to talk to some gringa like me, so she got herself a job in Mountain View and talked to anyone she could about the plant. These are mostly just scribbles about what she told me from those conversations. Most of it doesn't make sense, but I haven't had a chance to sit down and go over it."
"Maybe I can help you sort it out."
"Like old times?"
"But they were good times," she said, leaning back on the couch and smiling. "What do you think of Sarita?"
"Seems like a nice enough girl. Straightforward, educated. And she loves Kyle. No doubt about that. If he keeps doing what he's doing, she could be in for more than a little heartache."
Cate laughed. "Now, that sounds more like old times."
"Maybe you should warn her before she makes the same mistake."
"She wouldn't believe it. I didn't. But it wasn't all bad."
"Bad enough. Ready?"
Chapter Fifteen
I FOLLOWED CATE into town, checking the rearview mirror more often than usual. She waited outside while I took care of my business with Sanderson's, and then we drove to a small family restaurant in town. We were seated in a booth where I could see anyone who entered. It wasn't the kind of place where illegals and thugs would hang out, and I was sure I would notice anyone who seemed out of place. I was prepared to follow Cate all the way to Austin if I had to. The sooner she was out of the picture, the better I was going to feel. We placed our order and snacked on breadsticks while we waited.
"Did you bring the folder with you?" she asked.
"Yeah. It's in the car."
"Why don't we look it over while we wait?"
After I brought the folder back inside, she took a couple of papers and glanced at them while I scanned the sheet left on top. Opening her purse, she took her glasses and a pen out to circle a few things, jotting notes to herself in the margins. I could see her mind working as she read.
"What's this?" she asked, pointing at the page.
"I don't know. I can't read upside down."
Rather than hand the paper to me, she got out of the booth and slid in next to me. Placing the paper in front of me, she pointed to three capital letters on the page: ABP.
"That's the name of the processing plant. American Beef and Pork."
"How are they involved, other than the fact that they hired illegals?"
"Everyone hires illegals, but Lena thought the number they hired was suspicious. It's one thing to get three or four, but they apparently had a few more than normal."
"How many more?"
"A couple hundred or so."
"Hmm. That does seem like a lot of people slipping through the cracks."
"Lena told me some of her relatives had worked for ABP, but they were laid off and replaced by illegals. She was still pissed at the company, which was why she was willing to do some investigating."
"But like you said, hiring illegals isn't a big deal in Texas. The company can always claim ignorance, and they don't face much, if any, monetary loss for hiring them."
"According to Sarita, the number of Hispanics in Mountain View has grown about four hundred percent in the last few years."
"How does she know that?"
"Said she used to teach in Mountain View before moving to San Antonio. She suspected most of them were illegals, but they all had papers."
"Wouldn't take a genius to fake papers."
"I talked to a worker from the plant who was laid off recently. He claimed there were a lot of false documents among the workers, but the INS doesn't have the manpower to check them all out. Plus they always seemed to know when the INS was planning a raid and called in sick."
"What's this?" she asked, pointing to the paper in front of her.
The letter C was written three or four times on that page and the next one.
"Some big shot with ABP. His name is in here somewhere," I said looking through the rest of the papers. "Like I said, I haven't had time to organize all this yet."
I finally found the page where I had jotted down a name.
"Here it is," I said. "Camarena. I'm pretty sure he's C. Everyone Lena talked to mentioned him, but I don't know what he does exactly. Lena thought he was some kind of attorney."
"Do you have his first name?"
"Felix."
Cate leaned back in the booth and closed her eyes.
"Tired?" I asked.
"A little." She opened her eyes and looked at me. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She was sitting close to me, and I could feel the warmth of her body through my shirt sleeve.
"Well, our food will be here soon. Then you can go back home and get rested up."
"I guess so. Actually, I told Susan I was taking a couple of days off to check on Kyle."
"Susan seems like a nice woman."
"She's an excellent tax attorney."
"Can't beat a woman who's good at her work, obviously wealthy, and not too bad looking. Spiffy dresser, too. Maybe you should hook up with her."
She smiled. "She's asked me to live with her."
I wasn't really surprised but wasn't sure what to say. "Congratulations."
"I haven't said yes. Things have been a little hectic lately."
"It'll settle down."
"How would
you feel about that, Jo?"
The question surprised me. "Well, it's not really any of my business, now is it."
A waitress approached carrying a large tray. Cate returned to her side of the booth, and we waited while the waitress finished setting food on the table. When she was satisfied that we had everything we needed, she picked up the tray and left.
"Have you told Kyle about you and Susan?"
"He knows I'm fond of Susan, and they get along pretty well. But then, it's none of his business either."
People were fond of their dog, their comfortable old shirts, and their favorite maiden aunt; but it seemed like a strange choice of words about a woman who apparently hoped to be sharing your bed on a permanent basis, I thought with some satisfaction. I wouldn't allow myself to wonder about the extent of Cate's current relationship with Susan Bradley.
We were both hungrier than we thought, and the food disappeared quickly. As we chatted over a cup of coffee and even managed to have a few laughs, I was beginning to feel at peace again and it felt good. I had spent most of my life in dangerous situations. If I had wanted to live dangerously, I could have asked Cate to stay with me. She might have agreed, but I had decided to retire from dangerous living.
She waited while I paid for our meal, and then I walked her to her car.
"Thanks for coming down, Cate. It was a mess, wasn't it?" I smiled.
"You'll get it back in shape. I'm glad there was something I could do. I owed you for trying to help Kyle, even if it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped."
"You never know. I might still be able to help. Lena's death has made me mad. So even if he doesn't want my help, he won't have much choice. The story is his, but the revenge belongs to me."
She reached out and touched my face. "Don't do anything careless, Jo. It's already getting out of hand. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt either."
I took her hand and held it. "It's too late now. Whoever is behind this knows I'm involved, and they know Kyle is, too. They have to be flushed out before any of us can feel safe again."
I glanced down and realized I was holding her hand. I didn't want to let it go but opened my hand to release it anyway.
"You better hit the road before it gets any later. I'll follow you for a while."
"Making sure I go home." She smiled.
"Making sure no one is going with you."
She nodded and got into the car. I heard the door locks click and as soon as she started her car, I went to mine, following her for nearly thirty miles before pulling over and making a U-turn back toward the ranch.
Chapter Sixteen
A LITTLE BEFORE two on Tuesday afternoon I pulled into the drive of Sanderson's Funeral Home. There were a few cars in the adjacent parking area. It was a bright day, and only wisps of clouds marked the blue of the sky. After slipping my jacket on, I briefly checked my appearance in the reflection in the car window.
I took a deep breath and pulled the front door open, removing my sunglasses as I entered. Funny thing about funeral homes. They're always so quiet, as if the slightest noise might awaken their customers. I caught the door to make sure it closed quietly behind me. When I turned around, the funeral director was there, the deep pile carpeting silencing his approach.
"Ms. Carlisle," he said quietly, extending his hand. "My condolences."
"Everything ready, Mr. Sanderson?" I asked.
"Yes. We'll be leaving shortly. The mariachis will meet us near the entrance to the cemetery."
"Fine," I said softly. All I wanted was for the day to end.
"Father Ramon is here. If you have a moment he'd like to speak to you."
I nodded and waited while Sanderson went to get the priest. Father Ramon looked too young to have been a priest very long. He was dark complexioned with thick black hair and intense brown eyes. He was dressed in a black suit and clerical collar.
"Ms. Carlisle," he said with no hint of an accent.
"Father," I nodded as I shook his hand.
"I was wondering if there was anything you could tell me about Ms. Rubio? I'm afraid I didn't know her."
I had to smile. "And I'm afraid she probably never visited your church, Father. But I know she was Catholic. She was a good woman who gave her life helping a friend. She lived a hard life and did the best she could."
He looked at me and smiled warmly. "Then I shall do the best I can for her."
He turned and followed Sanderson while I slipped my sunglasses back on and left to get in my car. As I turned down the sidewalk, I was surprised to see Cate standing next to my Blazer. She was wearing aviator-style sunglasses and a black suit. A moment later I saw that she wasn't alone. Kyle and Sarita were standing on the driver's side of the car. I took keys from my pocket as I approached them, hoping that an already unpleasant day wasn't going to get worse.
"I'm very sorry about your friend, Ms. Carlisle," Sarita said sincerely as she hugged me briefly.
"Thank you, Sarita."
Kyle didn't speak, but his sullen look told me that he was there under protest.
"I'm surprised to see you here," I said in a low voice as I looked across the Blazer at Cate.
"I thought we should be. It seemed the least we could do."
"The service is going to be at the cemetery."
Cate nodded and looked at Kyle. "You and Sarita take my car. I'll ride with Jo," she said, tossing him her keys. Then she turned back to me. "If that's all right."
"Fine," I answered as I walked around the car and unlocked the passenger door.
I opened the door and waited for Cate to get in. Kyle took Sarita's hand and went to Cate's Seville. By the time I got in the car, the hearse was pulling around the corner of the building, and I started the engine and turned on my headlights. Cate unbuttoned the jacket to her suit as she adjusted her seatbelt. There was a faint white pinstripe in the suit that I hadn't noticed in the sunlight. Beneath the jacket, she wore a white, sleeveless, V-neck top that looked like a suit vest.
"A little cool today," I said, looking through the rearview mirror at Kyle and Sarita in the car behind me.
"It's early. It might still warm up," Cate said.
The hearse stopped three blocks from the cemetery where six mariachis were waiting. Six men I didn't know waited as Sanderson opened the rear of the hearse. Father Ramon wore an embroidered white and purple robe over his suit and said a quiet prayer as the coffin was taken from the vehicle. The coffin rolled quietly from the hearse and the six strangers hoisted it onto their shoulders. As the men carrying the coffin reached the front of the hearse, the mariachis began playing. I helped Cate out of the car, and we began a short procession toward the cemetery, walking silently toward a canopied site. The whole service didn't last more than twenty or thirty minutes, and Father Ramon did a surprisingly good job of eulogizing Lena Rubio, a total stranger. Secretly, I hoped he never found out anything else about her life. Whatever religious beliefs she may have held in the past had left this world long before her soul had. When the final prayers were said, I thanked Father Ramon and gave him a donation for his church.
"I appreciate you coming, Cate," I said as we walked back toward our cars.
"Would it be all right if we followed you back to the house?"
"It's not exactly ready for company."
"I might have some information for you that will be helpful."
"What did you have to do to get him here?" I asked, glancing back at Kyle.
"If it wasn't for Sarita, he probably wouldn't be."
"Maybe we should put this reunion off for another time."
"It's already been too long, and it won't get easier as more time passes."
"Do you want to ride with me and let them follow?"
She nodded. I started my car while she went to speak to Kyle. Through the rearview mirror they appeared to be exchanging heated words. I was tempted to get out of the car, but before my thoughts got any further, I saw Cate coming back toward the Blazer.
"You were righ
t," I said as she got in and buckled her seatbelt. "Looks like it's warming up."
Neither of us spoke again until I drove out of the city limits.
"Have you had any trouble since Saturday?"
"No. It's been pretty quiet. Cal sends a unit by a couple of times a day. Actually had a good night's sleep last night."
"Maybe whoever was responsible believes Lena's death will convince you to drop the story."
"Then whoever 'they' are don't know me very well. I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, Cate, but why the hell did you drag Kyle here?"
"I thought he needed to see that sometimes a story can have serious consequences. And maybe I'm hoping he'll accept your help."
"I'll give him whatever I have, but I'm not doing it for the damn story. This is personal, and I don't want him in my way."
"Then you're going to continue investigating the story?"
"To wherever and whomever it leads."
As I got out of the Blazer in front of my home, I noticed that Kyle was leaning against the door of the Seville looking around the ranch. It had been a long time since he had been here, but it hadn't changed much over the years. Cate walked back to her car and took a small bag from the backseat as I took off my jacket and waited on the porch.
"What's with the bag?" I asked as I opened the front door.
"I thought I'd change out of this suit."
She entered the house and went upstairs to the second floor. I threw my jacket over a chair in the living room and went into the kitchen for something to drink. I was pouring a glass of tea when Sarita came into the room.
"Tea?" I asked.
"I could use something to drink. Thank you." She smiled.
I took a second glass from the cabinet and poured tea into it. "There's sugar in the canister if you want it. And I think there's some lemon in the refrigerator."
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