The Territory A Novel - By Tricia Fields Page 0,90
other man to turn the lights and sirens off, Josie had a clear shot to the man’s head. Luckily, Dell had been slumped forward, weak from what the medic said was almost certainly a heart attack. It had been the most terrifying shot she had ever taken, but it hit her target. She then shot and killed the second man, too, as he exited her car. Otto and Marta were able to take another man into custody and wounded a second, but two others fled on foot.
Three of the National Guard units had made quick time down Arroyo Pass and caught up with Marta and Otto to help them stabilize their prisoners, then arrived at Josie’s car as Josie fired her first shot. At the end of the pass, Presidio Police met Escobedo and the transport van and followed him to the interstate, where they escorted him to Houston. Four Border Patrol units arrived and made their way down the pass to where the lead car was located. They found six men hiding just outside the cars, who gave up without a fight. The Mexicans were clearly outnumbered at that point. A total of ten men were in custody, two were dead, one was injured, and it was suspected three additional men were at large on foot.
It was dawn before the wind died down enough for the Border Patrol helicopter to safely fly the area in search of the men who ran. After an hour in the air, the helicopter was called off for another emergency in El Paso. Josie sent Otto and Marta home at 4 A.M. and stayed until almost six, working out the messy details of an investigation among multiple agencies, determining with DPS, Border Patrol, and the Presidio Sheriff’s Department who was responsible for the myriad details that could make or break a case against the men at trial.
* * *
Josie left the crime scene and drove straight to the Trauma Center. Vie Blessings was the ER nurse on duty and pulled Josie in for a hug. She whispered in Josie’s ear, “Sweetheart, you deserve a big old bonus check after the week you’ve had.”
Josie smiled and asked about Dell.
Vie took Josie’s hand and led her down the hall. “It’s best if I show you.”
Josie followed Vie into one of the two overnight rooms and found Dell propped up in bed, scowling at a TV set hung on the wall across from his bed.
“You wonder why young people can’t think anymore? Flip through this trash. Biggest bunch of drivel. It’s a wonder people even got the common sense to get out of bed in the morning, watching this all day long.”
Josie, wondering how nurses put up with old men like him, smiled as she approached his bed. “How you doing?” she asked.
“Are you serious? That old biddy Blessings thinks she can keep me in bed by locking up my pants and underwear, but she don’t know me too well, does she?”
Josie winked. “I think you have a crush on Nurse Blessings.”
“Don’t give me any smart mouth.”
“What did the doctor tell you?” she asked, bumping his feet over on the bed with her hip so she could sit at the end.
“You look like hell, girl. You need to go home and go to bed. I’m fine. Heart attack. No big surprise. They want to ship me to Houston for tests, but I put an end to that. No one’s going to plug me into a machine to keep my ticker charged. If it runs out of juice, so be it.”
She didn’t even attempt getting into that pointless argument. “How long do they want to keep you?”
“I didn’t listen. Go talk to that old prune. See if you can’t work me a deal. I need to feed the horses.”
* * *
At ten o’clock in the morning, Josie slumped on the couch and stared at Chester, who lay sleeping at her feet. She sipped at a tumbler of warm bourbon, her solace for a night that would keep her from sleeping for months to come. She had taken a shower and dressed in a nightshirt, but she knew sleep was a distant hope as she stared at the blank TV screen. She leaned her head back and felt the steady numbing of her body, her brain, the slowing of her senses, the heaviness of her eyelids, and she prayed for the deep uninterrupted sleep of the guiltless. She wanted to sleep like those uninitiated few who still believed in