by Ted Clifton
Myers took aim. Suddenly there was a loud explosion and a large part of Myers had disappeared as if he’d been shot with a cannon. There was no doubt Agent Myers was dead—very, very dead—but Ray wasn’t sure how it had happened. Just then Happy came running in and began enthusiastically licking Ray’s face.
“Next time you need help, send a fucking car will you—not the dog. My god, how does Tyee climb up here so fast? Seemed like it took me hours.” Big Jack had just killed a man and yet he was as calm as he could be. He began undoing the knots to release Ray.
“My god, Big Jack. How’d you know to come?”
“Your trusty dog came and got me. Also he’s hurt a little—looks like he was hit on his side. He came to the double-wide and made one hell of a racket until I finally got up and came outside. I thought dogs only did that sort of thing in movies, but it was obvious he wanted me to go with him. Got my trusty pistol and here we are.”
“Big Jack, you’d be surprised at some of the things I’ve seen animals do over the years when their owners were in trouble. Like those stories you see in the paper about a dog dragging someone to safety or a cat howling to wake people up when the house is on fire. Now help me up to the cabin so we can give Happy some attention and make some phone calls.”
As they made their way to the cabin, Ray could see that Big Jack would need some attention too. His face and arms were scratched up pretty bad, with some long gashes in several places. No doubt from following the direct path set by the dog. Plus, he could see Big Jack was close to exhaustion.
Ray helped Big Jack into a chair and got him a glass of water. Ray then looked at Happy. He thought that one leg might be broken, but there was no bleeding. He got Happy his water bowl and the dog laid down and went to sleep.
Ray called Clayton and told him that Myers had been killed at his cabin. Clayton said he was on his way. Then Ray called Crawford. There was no answer. He left a message with the same information. Then he called Sanchez at the number in Albuquerque. Sanchez answered. Ray told him what had happened. Sanchez said he was on his way.
Ray got himself a glass of water and sat down. He’d never been that close to death. He felt a little chilled and faint. He looked over at Big Jack and was shocked to see he had gone to sleep.
Soon people started arriving. Clayton and his men were first, and they taped off the site. Not long after that, the FBI arrived via helicopter. The helicopter landed in a clearing about a quarter mile from Ray’s cabin. Agent Sanchez stepped in and immediately took command, of course. And the New Mexico state patrol showed up—Ray wasn’t sure why. The one and only T or C ambulance arrived.
Ray’s new phone rang. It was Sue wondering what was going on. He told her he was fine and that Big Jack was the hero. He said she should probably stay away for a few hours, but that he definitely wanted to see her later today.
Tyee arrived and went at once to see about Big Jack, who was awake and answering questions from the FBI. Tyee suggested that they pause for a minute and let Big Jack get some medical attention. The FBI guy gave Tyee the evil eye, but that didn’t faze Tyee, who helped Big Jack up and took him into the extra bedroom so he could rest.
“Ray, do you know what was in that case?” Agent Sanchez was looking a little shop worn.
“Yeah, or least I know what he told me. Myers said it was his escape money, about two million dollars. That’s why he was here—he was going to kill me just because I was here, where the money was hidden.”
Ray’s phone rang again, but he decided not to answer. One of Clayton’s deputies did it for him.
“Mr. Pacheco, it’s Agent Crawford, he’d like to talk to you.”
“Hello.”
“Ray, are you alright?”
“I suppose so Agent Crawford. Thanks to my dog and my good friend Big Jack—otherwise, I’d be dead.”
“I never thought he’d come after you Ray. If I had I’d have sent men whether you wanted it or not. I’m sorry.”
“Look, Ben. We have all screwed this one up, probably nobody more than me. He wasn’t after me, he was after his escape money. The outbuilding to this cabin I bought was used by the drug running business he was doing with the sheriff up here. Apparently at some point he buried two million dollars here just in case he needed emergency cash. Finding me here was just a bonus for him. He was a bad guy, Ben, I don’t blame the FBI for anything, so you can stop apologizing.”
“Well, I’m very glad you’re okay. Tell Sanchez that I’m flying into Albuquerque this evening and I’ll see him tonight or tomorrow morning. Glad that asshole didn’t kill you, Ray.”
“Me too. Thanks Ben.”
A coroner’s vehicle had arrived from Las Cruces and removed the body, and they had a crew with them whose job was to clean up after shootings and other messy crimes. After a few hours of heavy activity, everyone began to drift away. Sanchez and his team left in their helicopter. The ambulance people wanted to take Big Jack to the clinic and have him checked, but he declined so they left. Clayton had stationed one deputy at the end of the road to discourage anyone from showing up just to gawk.
“I’m going to take Happy down to the vet. I’ve already called one and he’s waiting. He seems okay, but I think his front leg is injured. You guys can stay here until I get back.”
Tyee helped Ray move Happy to the Jeep. No question he wasn’t eager to put weight on one of his front legs. Once in, they headed to town. Ray believed there was only one human doctor in town, but there were four vets. The population of animals in the area far exceeded that of humans.
Once there, the vet helped Ray get Happy inside. After a short examination, the vet said he didn’t believe the leg was broken, but that Happy had suffered the equivalent of a human having a shoulder separation. He said it was amazing that he’d continued to walk on that leg—it had to be terribly painful. The vet gave Happy a shot to relieve the pain and put his leg back in place. He also created a sling apparatus that would help Happy get around more easily, but it would be several weeks before he was completely healed. The vet gave Ray some pills that would ease the swelling and another set for pain. He gave Ray all the instructions and told him to bring Happy back in about a week for a follow up.
No doubt due to the pain shot, Happy hopped into the front seat of the Jeep when they were ready to leave. The vet told Ray to keep him off the leg as much as possible. Ray lifted Happy into the back of the Jeep and headed home. He waved at the deputy as he turned into his yard. Ray lifted Happy out and placed him on the porch. That wasn’t what Happy wanted, though, and he managed to hop down the stairs, then went a little ways away and took care of his needs. Ray had no idea how he was supposed to keep Happy off of the injured leg. Tyee came out and helped Ray get Happy into the cabin. Happy had some food and water, then curled up and went into a very deep sleep.
“How’s Big Jack?”
“He seems okay. He’s still asleep. I think what got to him was the climb. I’m sure the adrenaline rush added to the exhaustion, but it’s not an easy climb up here even for me. For Jack, at his size, it could have been deadly.”
“Yeah, I know. That dog on three legs and in great pain, Big Jack risking his life getting here, and once he got here, saving my life. Big Jack is an amazing person and Happy is an equally amazing dog.”
Ray decided it was time for a beer. As soon as he opened one, Big Jack appeared at the bedroom door.
“Just because I’m asleep is no reason not to offer me a beer.”
Big Jack sat at the table and sipped his beer. He seemed much better.
The phone rang. Ray rolled his eyes—he was definitely tired of the phone already.
“Hello.”
Ray listened for some time.
“Thanks. That will help a lot.” Ray hung up.
Ray sat back down and took a sip of beer. Tyee and Big Jack were waiting to hear what the call had been about, but Ray just smiled.
“Okay, Ray. Are we going to have to ask?”
“That was
Sanchez. He just talked to Crawford. There are establishing a ten percent reward on the money recovered today. That’s two hundred thousand dollars to us. How about that—we now have the money to do those improvements for the business. What do you say? Especially you, Big Jack—by all rights that money is yours. What do you want to do with it?”
“I say we put it all into the business as an equal contribution from all of us, and we get on with making this a viable business. On one condition.”
“What’s the condition?”
“Sue has to agree.”
Maybe Big Jack’s life and death experience had showed him that he needed some help, or maybe that was just Big Jack taking care of Sue and Ray. Who could say?
Tyee took Ray’s Jeep and gave Big Jack a ride back to his store, and said he would sleep in the store just in case Big Jack needed anything.
Soon after they left, Sue arrived and paid special attention to Happy. Even so, Happy wasn’t very peppy and it began to dawn on Sue what a huge sacrifice it had been for Happy to do what he’d done. He had almost killed himself to help Ray. For reasons that would have been difficult to explain, Sue started to cry and found it hard to stop. Ray helped her into the bedroom, and they both took a nap. He knew this was where she belonged.
Monday
Sue had stayed over. Happy seemed better, but still was moving very slowly. Ray had never felt better. Maybe almost being killed was all it took to make him recognize the joy in the world. He was on the porch drinking coffee and humming. Sue walked out.
“Well, someone sure is in a good mood after almost being killed yesterday.”
“Actually, that’s why I’m in a good mood. I wasn’t killed. Today is a wonderful day.”
Sue laughed in a way that made Ray want to hug her—so he did. Sue started to cry again.
“What’s the matter, Sue? Did I do something wrong?”
“No. Of course not. I don’t know. I’m just having some trouble dealing with you almost being killed. Then I start to think, you’re going to be doing this all of the time—what happens next time?”
“First, Sue, let’s just hope there never is a next time. I was in law enforcement for almost thirty years and yesterday was the first time I thought I was going to die. It was just a fluke. How crazy is it that I lived in the same place where the bad guy hid his money? Really, how often would that happen? I understand being scared and thinking this is some kind of western shoot-out, but it’s not. Most of what we’ll be doing is gathering information. We aren’t hiring on as a SWAT team. I’m sorry this has worried you, but I won’t risk the rest of my life for a few bucks—if it was always this dangerous, I’d just continue to fish.”
Sue gave him a hug.
The ringing phone interrupted their moment. Ray was still annoyed by the phone, but at least today he wasn’t cursing every time it rang. He answered it and listened.
“Okay, I’ll be there on Wednesday.”
“What was that?”
“The Attorney General wants to see me in person in Santa Fe. No doubt to chew on my ass. When I arrested Martinez, I told the sheriff’s staff that I had the authority to do that because of the AG. I just made that up so I could get Martinez off of the streets. Apparently, he’s heard about it and wants to dress me down in person.”
“Is it serious?”
“No, I don’t think so. I know the guy, Tony Garcia. We used to work together in Las Cruces. I didn’t commit a crime. He probably just wants to make sure I don’t use his good name again.”
Ray told Sue about what Big Jack said regarding the reward money.
“You asked me where the money was coming from—now we know. Have you thought about what you want to do?”
“Yes. I might as well just say this and get it over with. Ray, I love you.”
Ray stood there knowing he should say something. He was ready to talk about Sue being in the business and how they could work things out—but this was unexpected. Sort of.
“Sue, I love you.”
There, take that. He was no coward. They both just stood there looking at each other. Finally they embraced.
“All the rest of it’s fine, although I don’t believe I heard what the pay was.”
Ray told her what he was thinking and how to handle the different pay from Big Jack’s and the PI business. She said it seemed very reasonable and they hugged again. Ray was enjoying this kind of negotiation.
“Ray, I just want to be important to you. I still don’t want to be your wife—I just want to know that I matter.”
“You do.” Ray got another hug. Maybe he was being trained for something.
Sue said she was already hours late for work—it was a good thing she was going to quit before they fired her. She needed to go anyway, though, or the other girls wouldn’t be able to handle the rush. She gathered her stuff and gave Ray a kiss on her way out.
Ray went back into the cabin and called a couple of contractors he knew. He was looking for bids on the upgrades to the new office building. One said they could be there that afternoon, the other tomorrow morning. Ray also called the phone company and ordered two more lines to be run to the new office. He thought about pulling the cabin line out, but decided he would adjust.
With a little time on his hands, Ray decided to go check on how Big Jack was doing. Then he remembered that Tyee had the Jeep. At that moment, Tyee pulled into the yard.
“Thought you might need your wheels.”
“I was just thinking about heading down to see how you and Big Jack were doing—remembered you had the Jeep. How is he?”
“He took a tumble and it looks like he sprained his ankle. I took him to the clinic. They put a wrap on his ankle and said it would be sore for a few days. He’s on crutches, so not moving very fast. Other than that he seems to be in good spirits. While we were at the clinic, several people asked if he was going to run for Mayor. I think he’s thinking about it.”
“Sprained ankle. Will he be able to run the store?”
“I don’t think so. When I asked him about it, he said I should butt out. He just can’t move enough to deal with the dock customers. I called my cousin who lives up toward Ruidoso and asked if he needed a part-time job. He said he could use some money—common situation for both poor white people and poor Indians. I convinced Jack to hire him on a trial basis. I know we were talking about Sue doing that, but it might be best to see if this works out. My cousin, his name is Chester Chino—don’t even ask how he got the name Chester—knows a lot about fishing—equipment, baits, lures, plus he’s absolutely honest. I’m the black sheep of my family, Chester’s the saint. Anyway he’s supposed to be here this afternoon. I’m going back now to watch the store until Chester arrives.”
“I’ll go with you. Help me get Happy into the back of the Jeep and we’ll hang out at the store. I’d like to meet Chester.”
Ray lifted Happy into the back and let Tyee drive them to the store. Once he lowered Happy to the ground, the dog seemed fine to hop into the store. Ray let him in, and naturally he found a good warm spot to sleep. Big Jack was at the register, holding his crutches.
“Good Morning, Mr. Mayor.”
“First I save your damn life and now you’re trying to make mine miserable as payback—how does that make any sense?”
“You’re right, it doesn’t. Good Morning, Big Jack. Thank you for saving my life. How’s your ankle.”
“Hurts like shit. I’m just too fat. Can’t even see my feet when I walk. Stepped in a hole or something. Got me thinking about a diet. But then I got depressed so I decided to have a beer.” Big Jack held up his bottle to make the point.
“Hear you have some help coming.”
“Yeah. Tyee’s cousin Chester. What kind of fuckin’ Indian’s named Chester?”
Ray wasn’t real sure how to answer that, so he decided to take it as rhetorical. Tyee missed this exchange since he was on the dock helping a customer fuel his boat, and Ray decided to go out and see if he needed any assista
nce.
With Ray and Tyee taking care of the business, Big Jack decided to have another beer, and settled into his rocking chair on the dock.
“You know Ray, this sprained ankle thing might actually be okay.” Big Jack really should be mayor. He was perfectly happy sitting back and letting everyone else do the work, then taking credit for their efforts—the man was a born politician.
Later in the day, Chester showed up. He seemed like a very nice young man. Ray wasn’t quite sure he was really related to Tyee—he was too nice. He and Big Jack hit it off immediately. It was clear very quickly that Chester knew a lot about fishing in general and fishing equipment in particular. He looked like he’d worked there for months after only a few hours.
Ray left to meet the contractor and felt like everything was moving in the right direction. Over the course of a couple of days he got bids from several contractors and decided on the two he thought were the best. Once he had a chance to meet with Tyee and Big Jack to discuss the bids, he was ready to get started.
Wednesday
Ray took Happy to the vet Tuesday for his checkup and decided to board him that night. He needed to leave for Santa Fe very early on Wednesday so he could meet with the Attorney General. The vet said that Happy still had some swelling and it would be good to keep him off of the leg for a while. Ray knew the dog wouldn’t want to ride in the car for seven or more hours, so it made sense to let him stay at the vet’s for the night.
Early Wednesday morning Ray was on the road headed to Santa Fe. He liked Santa Fe, though he knew some people thought it was pretentious. Ray just thought it was very expensive. It was beyond anything Ray could imagine to spend a hundred dollars on dinner—without even much to drink. Ray liked food, but to dress it up in small servings with fussy presentation and then charge that kind of money made the whole experience feel like robbery. So Ray was never going to be a food critic—he could live with that.
Finding the downtown state offices for the Attorney General, Ray pulled into the parking garage. It was cool in Santa Fe. The elevation was much higher than T or C, but something most people didn’t know was that it was also much higher than Denver. This meant that most days started off very cool. Ray entered the building, found the office he needed, and took the elevator to the fifth floor. Unlike most government offices, this one had the feel of an upscale attorney’s office—probably meant that few citizens actually saw the AG personally. Ray gave his name to the receptionist and took a seat. Just a few minutes later Tony Garcia emerged.
