West of Laredo, Tom Armbruster [series like harry potter TXT] 📗
- Author: Tom Armbruster
Book online «West of Laredo, Tom Armbruster [series like harry potter TXT] 📗». Author Tom Armbruster
talk about the night's events. It's fine until she starts to describe Fatima and her love of horses. And then she cries. Usman hesitates. He sits looking at Lee. Then he comes to the couch. Puts his arm around her and doesn't say a word. Lee rests her head on his arm and before longs sleeps. When she wakes up she raises her face to his and kisses him. They make love for the second time, even more passionately than the first time. Lee is quiet throughout.
Usman gets up to leave. He pours water in the flower vase and puts the flowers in. He puts the sandia juice back in the fridge. He takes another look at Lee, grabs his backpack and silently makes his way outside into the sunlight. He picks up the plastic bag next to his bike with Lee's clothes that he will burn at home. He gets on his bike and rides.
*33*
The call comes at her office the next day at noon.
“Lee.” The voice is a whisper, barely audible.
“It’s Dice. Meet me at the bullring.”
He clicks off.
Lee grabs her bag and is out the door. Sinclair sees her and falls in behind her.
“Where to?”
“Bullring.”
“Why?”
“Dice.”
Dice is leaning against a fence. He is holding his ribs and seems unsteady. There is no color to his face.
“Dice?” Lee asks.
Dice says, “Lets get in your car and drive.”
They drive to the old Catholic mission and sit facing the river. The afternoon sun allows a shadow from the wall facing east. They all sit on the desert floor.
“Fa saved me.” Dice finally says.
No one says a word. Knowing the story will come.
“Here’s how it went down.” Dice begins. “Pico and his killers took Luis, Fa, and me to Salvatore’s place. Salvatore Ramos was in Mexico. They started right in with the torture. Especially me. They said, ‘he’s a maricon, a fag, let’s kill him first. Then someone, maybe Pico, said why don’t we just cut his thing off. He doesn’t use it.’ That’s when Fa spoke up. She said, ‘he’s not a “maricon,” he just does that for money in Boys Town, he’s my boyfriend.’ Then Pico made me… he said he’d kill me if I didn’t prove I was a man with Fatima. She understood and we made love. That was her first time.” Dice almost loses control, then chokes back his emotions.
“I’ve loved her since school, and we both thought we were going to die. So, she saved me with her love. Then they all had her and I thought she would die in the house. Finally, the head Zeta came. I don’t know his name. You could tell he disapproved of the torture. He took in the situation and said, “We’ve got two tons of coke ready to move now! Kill those two. Sell that one back to Boy’s Town, he’ll get a good ransom. He’s a moneymaker for Simon in Boys Town. But if you can’t get $10,000 for him kill him too.” Pico and his killers just said “Si, Senor,” and it was over.
Lee and Sinclair sit in silence. Finally Lee says, “You can’t go back to Boy’s Town.”
“No, I can’t. They did pay the $10,000 but they weren’t keeping much of an eye out for me. They didn’t figure I’d want to go anywhere else anyway. They were sleeping it off from last night and figured I was too weak to move.”
Sinclair says, “Why didn’t they kill you because of Marker?”
“Those guys never asked. Maybe they figured Marker was dead and that you had dropped the case. I kept waiting but those questions never came. Pico was really after Luis because the Tecos killed his brother.
Lee says, “Tony, you said you saw Marker, Pickert one time before. Right?”
“Yea, he was with a fat guy. I’d never seen the guy before.”
“Could you recognize him?” Lee asks.
“I think so.”
“Let’ s take a quick trip to the Consulate.”
Although it is Saturday, Lee presses the cipher lock code and gains access to the visa room.
“We should have his photo in the passport database. Was it this guy?”
“No.”
“This one?”
“No, remember he was fat.”
“How about this?”
“No again.”
“This?”
“Yea, that was him.” Dice had failed to identify Farrington or any of the other adjudicators. Only Miguel. El Mecanico.
Sinclair says, “Dice we might just be able to get you over to the other side. Especially if you can testify about Marker. If you can help link him to El Mecanico and help prove he was selling visas, Diplomatic Security might be able to help you.”
“Thank you. I’ll take any help I can get.”
*34*
When I saw this kid coming across the bridge with Penny and Sinclair, I thought ‘how the hell is he going to help us nail Miguel.’ Well, I talked to the kid for a half an hour. He was smart, articulate. Knew everybody and observed everything. If there was ever anybody worth putting in the witness protection program, it was this kid. I mean, everybody wanted to kill him once he disappeared from Boys Town. The FBI showed me a lot of chatter about ‘Dice.’ None of it healthy for him. By this time, I was in Laredo with Ballistrade. Things were coming together, the tapes, Dice, and we were just putting our final move in place.
*35*
Lee is convinced that only complicated cases arrive on Fridays. This Friday is no exception. An American couple are rumored to be “selling their baby.” Lee goes downtown, sure it is a mix up. She interviews shop keepers who confirm the initial story. The Americans were looking to sell a two year old girl. Lee finally discovers that the Americans are already in detention, picked up by the Mexican police after an anonymous tip, so she heads to the detention center.
The Americans are drifters, alcoholics and drug abusers and one of the last remnants of the hippies. The duty officer at the police station says that they are blessed with a beautiful blonde haired child. So beautiful they were told that she could be sold in Mexico. So they tried their luck. Someone made a complaint and the couple was picked up and the baby delivered to the children’s shelter. Lee interviews them in prison and has to fight down her alarm for the baby. The parents denials of any wrongdoing do not ring true and they are both clearly still under the influence of something.
Lee goes to the children's shelter and sure enough the girl has beautiful blonde locks. Lee meets with the Director, who seems to also be blaming Lee for the whole affair. “Los American no tienen verguenza!” Those Americans have no shame!
Lee is not about to argue the point when her cell goes off. “Ms. Penny, Lt. Gonzalez. We are going to have to release this couple. We got no witnesses, we got no evidence, we got nothing. Just two parents who are high, but should be with their kid. Amanda. I’m letting them go when I get done the paperwork. Come back here in one hour and take them across. They got no money.”
One hour. Lee calls the Texas Child Welfare Department and asks what they would do with an American baby if an American couple was in jail in Mexico. Texas Child Welfare said if the child were in the US, they would take the child into custody and seek temporary foster parents until the parents were released and proved competent by a Judge. Lee knows that the parents will get the girl by two p.m. when they are released. And how can she stop them? But if she can get the girl to Texas before they are released, then the girl would go into the U.S. shelter and everyone would be operating according to the rules. American baby, American shelter 20 minutes away, it might work.
Within 45 minutes Lee has bought a child seat and is driving with Amanda across the border. The DHS Agent says, “Pretty kid. Where you going?”
“Her name’s Amanda. I’m the Vice Consul in Nuevo Laredo, here’s my ID. This girl’s parents are in jail, so I’m taking her to Child Welfare. Here’s her papers.”
“No birth certificate?”
“No, this is all I have from the Mexican Children’s Shelter.”
“Wait a minute.”
“Look,” Lee says crisply, “I don’t know when the last time this kid was fed, or changed. I got Pampers in the back. I’ll bet you’re a Dad, you change Amanda, and I’ll call the Consulate and put the CG in touch with your boss. How about that?”
The DHS Agent wavers. “You mean like change the diaper?”
“Yea, exactly, or just let me go to Child Welfare, if you think your boss needs to know about this case and he wants to find me, great. Here’s my card.”
“That sounds like a good deal.”
Five minutes later Lee gets the call that the American couple have been released. Lee talks to the father. “Yes, Mr. Jones,
Usman gets up to leave. He pours water in the flower vase and puts the flowers in. He puts the sandia juice back in the fridge. He takes another look at Lee, grabs his backpack and silently makes his way outside into the sunlight. He picks up the plastic bag next to his bike with Lee's clothes that he will burn at home. He gets on his bike and rides.
*33*
The call comes at her office the next day at noon.
“Lee.” The voice is a whisper, barely audible.
“It’s Dice. Meet me at the bullring.”
He clicks off.
Lee grabs her bag and is out the door. Sinclair sees her and falls in behind her.
“Where to?”
“Bullring.”
“Why?”
“Dice.”
Dice is leaning against a fence. He is holding his ribs and seems unsteady. There is no color to his face.
“Dice?” Lee asks.
Dice says, “Lets get in your car and drive.”
They drive to the old Catholic mission and sit facing the river. The afternoon sun allows a shadow from the wall facing east. They all sit on the desert floor.
“Fa saved me.” Dice finally says.
No one says a word. Knowing the story will come.
“Here’s how it went down.” Dice begins. “Pico and his killers took Luis, Fa, and me to Salvatore’s place. Salvatore Ramos was in Mexico. They started right in with the torture. Especially me. They said, ‘he’s a maricon, a fag, let’s kill him first. Then someone, maybe Pico, said why don’t we just cut his thing off. He doesn’t use it.’ That’s when Fa spoke up. She said, ‘he’s not a “maricon,” he just does that for money in Boys Town, he’s my boyfriend.’ Then Pico made me… he said he’d kill me if I didn’t prove I was a man with Fatima. She understood and we made love. That was her first time.” Dice almost loses control, then chokes back his emotions.
“I’ve loved her since school, and we both thought we were going to die. So, she saved me with her love. Then they all had her and I thought she would die in the house. Finally, the head Zeta came. I don’t know his name. You could tell he disapproved of the torture. He took in the situation and said, “We’ve got two tons of coke ready to move now! Kill those two. Sell that one back to Boy’s Town, he’ll get a good ransom. He’s a moneymaker for Simon in Boys Town. But if you can’t get $10,000 for him kill him too.” Pico and his killers just said “Si, Senor,” and it was over.
Lee and Sinclair sit in silence. Finally Lee says, “You can’t go back to Boy’s Town.”
“No, I can’t. They did pay the $10,000 but they weren’t keeping much of an eye out for me. They didn’t figure I’d want to go anywhere else anyway. They were sleeping it off from last night and figured I was too weak to move.”
Sinclair says, “Why didn’t they kill you because of Marker?”
“Those guys never asked. Maybe they figured Marker was dead and that you had dropped the case. I kept waiting but those questions never came. Pico was really after Luis because the Tecos killed his brother.
Lee says, “Tony, you said you saw Marker, Pickert one time before. Right?”
“Yea, he was with a fat guy. I’d never seen the guy before.”
“Could you recognize him?” Lee asks.
“I think so.”
“Let’ s take a quick trip to the Consulate.”
Although it is Saturday, Lee presses the cipher lock code and gains access to the visa room.
“We should have his photo in the passport database. Was it this guy?”
“No.”
“This one?”
“No, remember he was fat.”
“How about this?”
“No again.”
“This?”
“Yea, that was him.” Dice had failed to identify Farrington or any of the other adjudicators. Only Miguel. El Mecanico.
Sinclair says, “Dice we might just be able to get you over to the other side. Especially if you can testify about Marker. If you can help link him to El Mecanico and help prove he was selling visas, Diplomatic Security might be able to help you.”
“Thank you. I’ll take any help I can get.”
*34*
When I saw this kid coming across the bridge with Penny and Sinclair, I thought ‘how the hell is he going to help us nail Miguel.’ Well, I talked to the kid for a half an hour. He was smart, articulate. Knew everybody and observed everything. If there was ever anybody worth putting in the witness protection program, it was this kid. I mean, everybody wanted to kill him once he disappeared from Boys Town. The FBI showed me a lot of chatter about ‘Dice.’ None of it healthy for him. By this time, I was in Laredo with Ballistrade. Things were coming together, the tapes, Dice, and we were just putting our final move in place.
*35*
Lee is convinced that only complicated cases arrive on Fridays. This Friday is no exception. An American couple are rumored to be “selling their baby.” Lee goes downtown, sure it is a mix up. She interviews shop keepers who confirm the initial story. The Americans were looking to sell a two year old girl. Lee finally discovers that the Americans are already in detention, picked up by the Mexican police after an anonymous tip, so she heads to the detention center.
The Americans are drifters, alcoholics and drug abusers and one of the last remnants of the hippies. The duty officer at the police station says that they are blessed with a beautiful blonde haired child. So beautiful they were told that she could be sold in Mexico. So they tried their luck. Someone made a complaint and the couple was picked up and the baby delivered to the children’s shelter. Lee interviews them in prison and has to fight down her alarm for the baby. The parents denials of any wrongdoing do not ring true and they are both clearly still under the influence of something.
Lee goes to the children's shelter and sure enough the girl has beautiful blonde locks. Lee meets with the Director, who seems to also be blaming Lee for the whole affair. “Los American no tienen verguenza!” Those Americans have no shame!
Lee is not about to argue the point when her cell goes off. “Ms. Penny, Lt. Gonzalez. We are going to have to release this couple. We got no witnesses, we got no evidence, we got nothing. Just two parents who are high, but should be with their kid. Amanda. I’m letting them go when I get done the paperwork. Come back here in one hour and take them across. They got no money.”
One hour. Lee calls the Texas Child Welfare Department and asks what they would do with an American baby if an American couple was in jail in Mexico. Texas Child Welfare said if the child were in the US, they would take the child into custody and seek temporary foster parents until the parents were released and proved competent by a Judge. Lee knows that the parents will get the girl by two p.m. when they are released. And how can she stop them? But if she can get the girl to Texas before they are released, then the girl would go into the U.S. shelter and everyone would be operating according to the rules. American baby, American shelter 20 minutes away, it might work.
Within 45 minutes Lee has bought a child seat and is driving with Amanda across the border. The DHS Agent says, “Pretty kid. Where you going?”
“Her name’s Amanda. I’m the Vice Consul in Nuevo Laredo, here’s my ID. This girl’s parents are in jail, so I’m taking her to Child Welfare. Here’s her papers.”
“No birth certificate?”
“No, this is all I have from the Mexican Children’s Shelter.”
“Wait a minute.”
“Look,” Lee says crisply, “I don’t know when the last time this kid was fed, or changed. I got Pampers in the back. I’ll bet you’re a Dad, you change Amanda, and I’ll call the Consulate and put the CG in touch with your boss. How about that?”
The DHS Agent wavers. “You mean like change the diaper?”
“Yea, exactly, or just let me go to Child Welfare, if you think your boss needs to know about this case and he wants to find me, great. Here’s my card.”
“That sounds like a good deal.”
Five minutes later Lee gets the call that the American couple have been released. Lee talks to the father. “Yes, Mr. Jones,
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