Death at the Black Bull (28 page)

T
he burnt smell hung heavy in the air, even five days after the fire. The visual was even worse. All that was left of the two barns were a couple of mainframe beams charred black by the fire. Now they stood as a skeletal reminder of what was. Cesar had strung wire to secure the field that had previously been closed off by the barn walls. Amidst the wreckage were a thousand bales of hay that, along with the labor that had made them, were now wasted.

“Not a pretty picture.” Cesar had joined Virgil as he stood looking over the wreckage. “Insurance man was here a couple of days ago. Says he'll have a check cut by the end of the week. Can't prove what started it, but says you're covered. He said maybe spontaneous combustion. I didn't say anything back. He was a nice young feller, probably thought I'd never heard the term before. I didn't point out that if that was the case the fire would've come from the top down, not the bottom up. No sense confusing the issue.”

Virgil didn't answer.

“I called Rosario,” Cesar went on. “He says he'll have it cleaned up in a couple of days now that the insurance man has been here. The cleanup is covered also.”

Cesar saw Virgil's shoulders sag as he looked over the scene.

“Coulda been worse. Coulda been a lot worse.”

“I know, I know. I see you ran wire to close up the hole.”

“Just temporary. I know you don't like it, but it's quick and does the job.”

“Okay,” Virgil said, touching the pencil-thin scar that ran along his jawbone. He turned and headed toward the house. He was surprised at how tired he was. When he stepped into the kitchen, the stored afternoon heat hit him like a wave. He had told Cesar to stay in the house since he had lost his two rooms in the barn, but the dishes in the sink from his last meal and the blast of hot air told him that no one had been inside since the fire. He opened a couple of windows to let the heat escape, immediately feeling the pull of his skin as he did so. Then he headed upstairs. As soon as he got into the bedroom he hit the AC. By the time he came out of the bathroom, the room had cooled. He stood naked with his back to the air conditioner for a couple of minutes, letting the fan finish the drying process from the shower he'd just taken. A soft towel would feel like sandpaper on his slowly healing skin, while the blow from the AC was like a soothing caress. Then he lay down on the bed with the sheet covering him to his waist. He slept like a dead man for the next six hours.

He was not sure whether he was asleep or in that in-between world where reality and unconscious meet, or if he was just in the grip of an erotic dream. He felt the touch of a hand smoothing the gel. It moved across his shoulders and the back of his neck so lightly, it was almost a whisper. Then, it traced his spine up and down on either side, until his new skin was covered. His eyes were half open, staring into the dark, when he felt her lips brush his ear.

“I let myself in after I spoke to Cesar. I saw the lotion on your nightstand.”

“I'm really glad you did. I didn't really want to ask Cesar to put it on my back. He doesn't quite have your touch. What time is it?”

“A little after nine.”

“How come you're not at the Black Bull?”

“Things were quiet after dinner so I figured I could steal a little time. Besides, I wanted to practice my massage technique. It might come in handy if I ever need a part-time job.”

“If you ever need a reference . . . On the other hand, why don't I just hire you as your only client?”

“Well, you haven't experienced all I have to offer.”

“You say you have some time now. I'm ready for a complete treatment.”

Virgil slid over in the bed and Ruby slipped in next to him.

“Are you sure you're up for this?”

“Good choice of words. One part of me is. We'll just have to chance the rest. I have a feeling the destination is going to be worth the journey, even if a little discomfort is involved.”

Virgil reached out and drew her close.

*   *   *

When he woke the next morning, she was gone. He went downstairs and stood on the porch, trying to visualize what he would do after the mess he was looking at got cleaned up, and what he would replace it with, when he heard the phone. He got it on the third ring.

“Virgil, how are you? I heard . . .”

“I'm fine, Kyle. Really. Just a little tender.”

“I can imagine. Listen, I knew you'd want to hear this. We got that semi back from Juárez. I double-checked the ID numbers you gave me, because it seems like a pretty quick turnaround. It's only about a week since it crossed the river. We pulled it out and are getting ready to check it, but you know, as I told you when we went over it last week, the dogs never got a hit.”

“I got a feeling they're going to come up just as empty today,” Virgil said. “I think we might be dealing with something different here, something they're not trained to pick up.”

“What are you saying, Virgil?”

“Listen, Kyle. I hate to ask, but I think you've got to empty that trailer.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Are you serious, Virgil?”

“I am, Kyle.”

“That box is loaded. I mean, we are talking about a big job here. If we come up empty, there will be hell to pay.”

“I get that. I understand, but there is a false wall at the back of that trailer. I told you that. It's got to be concealing something. Something worth killing people over.”

“A few inches,” Kyle said. “You want me to have that whole trailer unloaded for a couple of inches? Virgil, that's crazy. That so-called false wall might just be a structural reinforcement and have nothing to do with contraband. Remember, the dogs got nothing. What could possibly be hidden in that small a space?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but trust me on this. Three people have gotten killed, my barns are in ashes, and it all in some way is connected to that trailer. It might sound crazy, like you said, but I'm sure there's something worth killing people over in back of that wall.”

“Okay, Virgil, you got it. Where will you be later? This is going to take some time.”

“I should be in the office. If I have to leave, Rosie can patch you through.”

*   *   *

“Lately you've been gone more than you're here,” Rosie said.

“Thanks, good to see you, too. I keep hitting these little snags. Dead bodies, barns burning down . . . But I know you're here, so I don't worry.”

“With that vote of confidence, you earned a cup of coffee.”

Virgil walked to his desk, sat down, and gingerly leaned back in his chair.

“Guess you gotta look on the bright side,” she said. “Those burns a little lower, you'd be drinking this coffee standing up.”

“Thanks for the coffee and the perspective,” he said as he took the coffee from Rosie's outstretched hand. Over the course of the next couple of hours, he looked over and signed some purchase orders, went online to catch up with county events, and generally got up to speed.

A little after two, Jimmy showed up with a bruise under his left eye.

“Somebody forgot to duck,” Rosie said to him.

“No. The bull got me.”

“I don't believe it. You actually got on that thing.”

“Rode him on my second try.”

“Great line for your headstone. I'll try to remember it.”

Virgil sat back, happy to see Rosie working on a new target.

“You still sparking that Jessup girl?” she said.

“How do you know about that?”

“Well, if you're trying to keep it a secret I wouldn't be hanging out in the Black Bull. Was she impressed with your riding ability?”

“She said I was nuts. When I tripped getting off and hit that chair, she said she knew that bull would get me one way or the other.”

“That girl's smarter than I thought. I dated her uncle back in the day. He was a caution. A lot of fun, but he didn't have enough sense to turn on a light in the dark.”

“I bet he found you,” Virgil said, unable to resist, “even without the light.”

“Let's not get personal unless you're ready to talk about that lady that runs that place.”

“I told the sheriff,” Jimmy said, “she's putting that place on the map. We even met a couple there that came over from way on the other side of Las Cruces. Yessir, I sure wish old Bob could see it now.”

“Who's old Bob?” Rosie asked.

“He was the feller who started doing the work to bring it back, till that beam knocked the sense out of him. Didn't you know him?”

“Not really,” Rosie said. “I knew someone was trying to reconstruct the place. My granddaddy told me a lot of history was connected with that old building. Used to be a stage stop. Seemed like that guy was working on it forever.”

“That's 'cause he was doing it all himself. Wanted it to be exact. He was doing it, up until the accident. He lived there another two years. My mother used to take care of him till Mr. Talbot put him in the home. I used to help her with him sometimes. Mr. Talbot said it didn't look like he was ever going to get any better, so he put him in the home. They were distantly related and since he didn't have anybody . . . Well, I guess he figured that was best.”

Virgil was still working on the last of his paperwork when Rosie looked over at him.

“What's the matter?” she said. “You look like Dave when he hands me the crossword because he can't go any further.”

Before Virgil could reply, the phones on both their desks started ringing.

“You going to take that?”

Virgil said nothing.

“Virgil?”

Still nothing.

“Virgil!” She started to reach for her phone when Virgil finally put down his paperwork and picked up his phone.

“How did you know, Virgil?”

“I didn't for sure, Kyle. I had to have you prove me right or wrong.”

“Do you know what we found?”

“I got an idea it's something that had to be kept on ice.”

“You got that right, but it's a first for us. I'm guessing you want to move on this right away.”

“Does that work for you?”

“Absolutely. My next call is to bring the people in Juárez up to speed so we can coordinate our moves. I'll see you in a couple of hours. Other federal agencies will be involved.”

“I figured as much. See you later.”

“Virgil, this was good police work.”

“Well, we've still got a ways to go.”

“What's up, Sheriff?”

Virgil had gotten to his feet as he finished his conversation with Kyle Harrison.

“Rosie, get ahold of Dave and Alex and get both of them up here from Redbud. This is going to be a busy day. Jimmy, you're coming with me out to Hayward Ranch.”

Virgil was heading for the door as he spoke. Ten minutes later, he and Jimmy were flying down the road in the direction of the ranch.

“Jimmy, there's a good chance I'll be leaving you there, and I'll tell Dave. There's at least two felons there. I want you to bring them in, but I want you to wait for the backup from Redbud. Don't take any chances. These guys are hard cases. You make a mistake, you are not going to get a second chance. And if you have to use your sidearm, don't hesitate, because they won't. I'll make sure Micah Hayward is there to identify your targets for you.”

Virgil could see the concern on Jimmy's face.

“Jimmy, I know you're ready for this. That's why you're here and why I'm leaving you in charge.”

“Where are you going, Sheriff?”

“I'm going to see a man about an ice cream truck.”

J
immy was anxious. There was no denying it. But more than that he was aware of a sea change in Virgil. He had seen him in all kinds of confrontations, from breaking up barroom brawls, stepping in the middle of outrageous domestic situations, and getting loaded guns away from felons who wouldn't hesitate to use them. Yet there was a difference here. There was a darkness that had come into Virgil's eyes that he had not seen before.

“Why are we both going to Hayward Ranch, Sheriff? I could have taken my car and waited there for Dave and his partner. I mean, if you have to be somewhere else . . .”

Jimmy felt a little uncomfortable questioning Virgil. Virgil looked back at him in a way that did little to relieve his discomfort.

“I need to ask Micah Hayward something,” Virgil said.

Then he stopped talking. They rode the rest of the way in silence. When they turned into the driveway that led to the house, before they passed the second row of pecan trees, Virgil veered to the left so they were riding on the ground, between two of the rows.

“Gets a little rough,” Virgil said, “but it will get us to the house unseen.”

Jimmy saw that the trees were heavy with pecans, but he knew it would be another few weeks before they would begin the harvest. At the end of the long row, Virgil turned right onto a slightly wider tractor road which started a vertical climb toward the house. A few minutes later, they came out of the orchard on the side of the house. He stopped the car and turned off the engine.

“Real quiet now. We're going around back.”

They closed the doors quietly. Then Virgil made his way around the side of the house to the back patio, with Jimmy following. The patio ran the entire length of the rear of the house and offered an astounding view, an endless vision of pecan trees covering the rolling hills. The patio was divided into two sections, with the far end enclosed by screens while the open half nearest them surrounded a large free-form inground swimming pool with a waterfall in a far corner. The perimeter of the entire area was a border of vivid, lush flowering trees and bushes.

“Wow!” Jimmy said, unable to help himself.

“Can I help you?”

The girl rose from a chaise facing away from them. She was wearing a two-piece dark blue bathing suit, randomly covered with small white flowers. Her rust-red hair fell to her shoulders as she stood.

“Yes,” Virgil said. “I need to speak to Micah.”

“I'll see if he's inside. Do you want to come with me?”

“No, we'll wait here. Just tell him the sheriff wants to see him.”

“I know who you are,” she said, looking directly at Virgil.

“Wow!” Jimmy said again, as Virginia walked away. “This place is out of sight. And that girl . . .”

“You've been here before.”

“Only from the front of the house. On the driveway.”

Virgil thought back to his first time. Here in this house, with a different girl. Long before the pool and the patio were put in, sitting with Rusty at the end of a long trail ride in this very same spot. The horses breathing a little harder while they watched the slanting light creeping over the hills.

“Virgil.” Micah's voice brought him back.

He introduced Jimmy to Micah and told him of his plan, emphasizing that nothing would happen until Dave and Alex got there from Redbud.

“This thing has more than a few moving parts. Some federal officers will be in the area shortly. If everything happens in sync, it will all be over tonight. Are they on the ranch now?”

“Yes. I saw two of them earlier, but a third one has recently joined them. I'm sure the third one is around. I'll point them out to your deputies and any agents with them.”

“Good. Then I want you to get out of the way. I'm hoping they can be taken by surprise, but I don't want any innocents in the line of fire. Keep Virginia in the house.”

“Should we leave?”

“No, because if you do, they might also. I want to get these guys. If there's going to be any kind of confrontation, I'd rather it be here than in a populated area. Get in touch with the rest of the ranch crew. Send them off to areas on the ranch, ostensibly for work-related jobs so there are as few people around as possible.”

“I'll call down to the foreman as soon as I can to take care of that. You're not going to be here, Virgil?”

“No. Like I said, this thing has other moving parts. I'll probably get back here later. In any event, I'll be in constant contact with my guys or the other agents. Do these guys leave the ranch often?”

“Not often. I'm pretty sure I'm their priority, especially since Buddy Hinton. The only place I've seen them off the ranch, before they started focusing on me, was at the Black Bull.”

“That brings me to another question. That night that you met Wade, did he refuse your offer to pay back the money?”

“No. It wasn't his money. He was only a go-between. He had to check with the people who put up the money.”

“How did he do that? I mean, how long did that take? To get an answer?”

“I don't think I understand. What do you mean?”

“It was the night Buddy went missing. You met Wade at the Black Bull. You told him you could pay everything back, pay off the loan because business had gotten so much better than you expected . . . Right? Well, when did you find out you couldn't get out of your deal with the devil?”

“That night. A short time later.”

“Did Wade call someone? How did he find out? Think, Micah. How exactly did that play out?”

“I don't know. I mean he left us, me and Buddy. I was standing out there on the road. He stopped by the truck, said something to Buddy, who stayed in the truck, then he went inside, into the Black Bull. He was in there awhile, maybe twenty, twenty-five minutes, then he came back out. He told me it wasn't over. I remember his exact words. ‘They'll tell you when you're done.'”

“Okay,” Virgil said.

Jimmy saw Virgil's jaw tighten. He saw that same darkness come into the man's eyes.

*   *   *

Wade was seated at his desk, visible through the large glass window that looked out on the showroom. Virgil didn't knock. He blew right past the salespeople in the showroom like they were made of stone.

“You sleeping good these nights, are you, Wade?”

Wade looked up from the papers on his desk.

“Why shouldn't I?”

“Well, I was thinking . . . Since you pretty much built this place on the dead body of your so-called best friend, that maybe that'd gnaw at you. Just a little. I mean, what does that feel like?”

Wade rose to his feet, his face flushed, his knuckles whitening as they gripped the arms of the chair he'd been sitting in.

“You son of a bitch half-breed. Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I'm the son of a bitch half-breed who's going to take you out of here in handcuffs. And enjoy every minute of it.”

“Fuck you, Virgil.”

Wade pulled out the drawer of his desk. Virgil saw the shine of metal come into his hand as he leaped across. A roar exploded in his ears. He felt blood streaming down his left cheek. Everything on the desk flew in all directions. They both crashed into the wall behind Wade's desk. Framed pictures fell to the floor, their glass shattering. They fought for the gun. Virgil broke two of Wade's fingers and the gun fell from his grasp, sliding out of reach. Virgil bashed Wade's head against the wall, then started to pull himself to his feet by gripping the edge of his desk. Wade tried to rise with him, but Virgil punched him in the mouth with such force that his knuckles were ripped open from the contact with Wade's teeth.

Virgil stood up. He saw the audience of salespeople looking through the gaping hole in the huge window which had exploded as Wade's bullet went through. Beyond them, he could see Kyle Harrison and a couple of agents running into the dealership.

“You could have waited, Virgil.”

Virgil sucked in a couple of long-overdue breaths as he wiped the blood dripping down his cheek with his sleeve. He looked at the swirl of debris, then at Wade being picked up and handcuffed by two other agents. Then at Kyle.

“I know,” Virgil said, “but I didn't want it to be clean. I owed Buddy and those two kids that much, at least.”

Virgil followed Wade as he was led out of the building. While he stood outside, Kyle came over with a first aid kit.

“You're damned lucky. An inch to the left and you would have lost half your face. As it is, you'll probably end up with a crease to match the one on the other cheek. By the way, I just checked with your deputy. Sounds like a good guy. They got those three thugs, so we're just about done.”

Virgil winced as an astringent was lightly dabbed over his wound.

“This will tighten the skin and slow the bleeding. Before you head home tonight, stop at the ER in Hayward.”

Virgil nodded. Then he left.

*   *   *

It was a little after six when he pulled into the parking lot of the Black Bull. The gravel in the lot sounded loud as it crunched beneath his feet. The soreness in his body, the ache in his head, they were all displaced by something else crowding his mind. He was only dimly aware of anything else now. The thud of his feet on the steps leading up to the porch, the noises that engulfed him as he went through the door. The people lined up at the bar, those dining at the tables in the restaurant areas, the servers bustling back and forth . . . It was all a tableau, but he was not part of it. He was detached. Invisible.

“Hello, Sheriff,” a waitress said. “Can I help you?”

He saw her reaction when she looked at his face. That's all the answer the woman needed, as she nodded in the direction of the stairs. “She's in the office.”

He climbed the stairs, feeling a burden that grew heavier and heavier, until at last he reached the landing and stood before the office door. She was sitting at her desk. Even in the midst of her work, she was desirable. Without a word, he sat heavily into the chair opposite her. She looked up at that exact moment.

“You look like you've had a really rough day.”

“Yeah, and I don't think it's going to get any easier.”

He laid his hat on the corner of her desk. She drew in a deep breath as she saw the left side of his face.

“What happened to you?”

“Wade Travis tried to shoot most of it off, but I spoiled his aim. The ER people at Hayward Memorial put it back together with a bunch of staples. They said it won't be as noticeable when it heals as this other scar from the barbed wire fence.”

“I always wondered about that, but never asked.”

“You could have. A pissed-off bull threw me headfirst into some barb I'd just strung when I was about fourteen. I've hated wire ever since. But then, I guess we never spent a lot of time talking about our past. If it even matters . . .”

Ruby pushed back a little from the desk. “What do you mean, if it even matters?”

Virgil crossed his leg, took his Stetson off the desk, and laid it on his knee.

“The other night when you came by,” he said, “I had just a moment when I wondered if what was happening was real or part of a dream. Then on the way here I remembered something Micah Hayward said to me, about life never turning out like you expected. I realized he was right. It wasn't real, was it . . . this thing between you and me.”

“What are you talking about, Virgil?”

“You don't have to say anything else. I think I pretty much got it figured out.”

“Where . . . When . . .” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“When? Is that what you're asking? Guess I'm not the brightest bulb in the pack, but all along there was a constant itch in the back of my mind. So now let's start with Wade Travis, who I figured as the front man for some kind of south-of-the-border drug cartel. Until I came to find out it wasn't drugs at all. It took a while for me to wrap my head around that notion, until everything finally came together. But still, that was all I had. Wade Travis.”