The Territory A Novel - By Tricia Fields Page 0,61

from her living room’s back window.

She opened the coffee table drawer and pulled out the Smith & Wesson and the fully loaded magazine lying beside it. Keeping her eyes on the men, she slid the magazine in the gun and forced a bullet into the chamber. She practiced extending her arms, raising the gun, and slipping her finger down onto the trigger, aiming at the door, where she had hung a red piece of paper at exactly five feet from the ground, the approximate height a man’s chest would be if he came through her front door. She had listened to the cop and had begun locking her door at all hours, although a swift kick would gain a man entrance.

Within a few minutes, the man banging on Red’s sliding glass door quit and the convoy left without stopping at her trailer. Pegasus wondered where her brother was. She had not seen him since her last gun lesson and wasn’t sure if he was even still in town. Maybe this was what he was preparing her for.

* * *

Josie fed and watered Chester and let him outside to run while she caught a few hours of sleep in her own bed. She logged on for duty at noon to work a second shift with Otto. They drove a half mile past the watchtower and parked. Under a steamy noonday sun, they walked a path covered in scrub grass and salt cedar, scouting out vehicle access to the river. About a quarter mile from Josie’s jeep, they spotted fresh tire tracks coming straight out of the river, near where Josie had seen the boat.

Thirty minutes later, Jimmy Dare, a twenty-year veteran with the Marfa Border Patrol, responded to Josie’s call. Josie and Otto met him by the edge of the road, where he parked his white and green SUV.

“How the hell are you, darling?” Jimmy smiled wide and came at Josie with an arm thrown out for a handshake. He was a fit, five feet ten inches with a military haircut and precise movements. He wore the customary olive green cargo pants and shirt with a yellow name patch declaring him as part of Border Patrol. A .40-caliber pistol hung from a clip at his side, and he looked like a man who could use it if the situation demanded it. Josie had once watched him commandeer a van full of eight illegal aliens attempting entry, three of whom were armed. She had used him as a reliable source on border issues since she had taken the job as chief.

After they caught up on old acquaintances, Jimmy grew serious. “What are you guys doing down here to fire up the Mexicans so bad? Word is, the Bishop wants your head on a shiny platter, Chief Gray.”

Josie gave Otto a grim look. She had expected that information, but hearing it spoken from another law enforcement agent was sobering.

“You do not want to make light of this. That man is scary mean, and when he levels a threat, it’s usually carried out.”

“Actually, the Bishop’s why I called you. I have a hunch Medrano has targeted Artemis for easy access. Marfa Sector patrols what, five hundred miles of riverfront on the Rio?”

“You got it,” Jimmy said.

“Your focus has never been this area. It’s remote. No big cities to get lost in. Correct?”

Jimmy nodded.

“I was on the watchtower last night, looking for action, and saw four cars drive right down to the river, Mexican side.” She pointed behind her to the crossing and the tire tracks in the dirt. “They launched a boat, moved the cargo, and returned the boat all within thirty minutes.”

He shook his head. “We could have ten times the number of agents we have now, and they’d still find a way. What were they transporting?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I called you. We need help. I’ve got three officers, including myself. Sheriff’s department is no better. We’ve got Gutiérrez in the county jail, on top of the La Bestia member that I fatally shot. I’m very concerned either Medrano or La Bestia are going to rip us up one night soon.”

“You know who the American link is?” Jimmy asked.

“We had a local gun fanatic murdered a few nights ago. Several hundred guns were stolen from his house as well. Red Goff?”

Jimmy nodded acknowledgment. “I know him.”

“I think Red was running guns with the Mexicans. Probably Medrano. I don’t know if drugs were involved. I haven’t made that connection. This is strictly