Chapter 12

It was early February when I went to the south ranch to select a site for the hunting lodge. Albert was looking forward to being the guide and lodge manager. It was late afternoon when I pulled into the driveway at the house and sensed something was wrong.

There was a note taped to the back door that read:

Jake,

Got the report of an illegal hanging around your house. Found her messing around in your smokehouse.

Rick

“Her,” I said out loud. I ran into the house. “Rosalia,” I called out. Nothing. I ran to the bedroom. “Rosalia,” I called again. Still nothing. I check all the bedrooms and could not find her anywhere. I went into the den, sat on the sofa and cried.

After an hour, I had to get out of there. I had to do something. I headed to the barn thinking I would take Blaze out for a ride. This would give me time to think.

When I pulled up to the barn I saw Slim and Todd were doing the evening feed. I started to leave knowing I couldn’t take Todd’s wise ass comments at the time but decided to ignore him as much as possible.

“Hey boss,” Slim said as I walked up.

“Hey guys,” I said, not really wanting to talk.

I believe Slim knew something was wrong.

“What’s wrong, boss? You look like you lost your best friend,” Todd said with that sickening laugh, tobacco juice running down the corner of his mouth.

I tried to ignore him and went to Blaze’s stall.

“Did Rick find anything,” he asked, laughing again.

“When did Rick come by,” Slim asked Todd.

I looked at Todd. He knew. He had called Rick about Rosalia. I felt my stomach tighten and I thought I was going to throw up.

“That’s okay, boss,” Todd said, slapping me on the back. “You can go with me across the border and get you some of the fine mexi-pussy. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even find the little whore that’s been hang’in around your house.” He gave another of those laughs.

“Todd,” I said, glaring at him. “You’re fired.”

“You can’t fire me,” he yelled.

I walked up to him and looked down into his yellow eyes. “I can and I just did. Now pack your shit and get out.”

I started to walk to my truck when Slim yelled, “Boss, look out.”

Something slammed into my left shoulder knocking me to the ground. As I went down I rolled to my back drawing my Colt. Todd was standing over me with a shovel in his hands, drawing back to strike me again.

The Colt jumped and the bullet struck the head of the shovel causing vibrations to go down through the handle like electricity. Todd dropped the shovel instantly. He stepped closer and I kicked up, my foot impacting his groin and lifting him off the ground. He fell to the ground clutching his testicles while yelling in pain.

I immediately jumped up and put my knee in his chest, the Colt pointed at the spot where his eyebrows met in the center.

“I’ve put up with your laziness and smart ass comments since I’ve been here. That stops today. Get your shit and get the fuck off my ranch. Do you understand,” I said? Keeping my eyes on Todd I added, “Slim, that truck he drives belongs to the ranch. You follow him inside and make sure he doesn’t try to tear anything up while he’s packing. Take him to the bus station, the train station, hell, take him across the border and drop his ass out, I don’t care. I want him gone.”

“Yes sir,” Slim said nervously.

I stood up and holstered the Colt. Reaching for my wallet I pulled out five one hundred dollar bills and dropped them in his face.

“That should more than cover your wages since you were last paid,” I said. “If I ever see you on my property again, I’ve got a lot of land out there to hide your body.”

I got into my truck and drove to Angel and Bill’s. When Angel opened the door, she knew something was wrong.

“Jake,” she asked.

“She’s gone,” was all I could get out before breaking down into sobs.

Angel threw her arms around me and held me while I cried. After a minute she said, “Jake, you’re bleeding.” By this time Bill and the kids were standing there watching.

So much adrenaline had been pumping through my body that I didn’t know I was injured. She pulled me inside and removed my shirt. I sat in a chair and explained what had happened while she tended to the wound.

When I had finished the story she said, “You’re going to need stitches,”

By this time, I couldn’t lift my arm to put on my shirt. Angel helped me slip the good arm into the shirt and draped the other side over my bandaged shoulder.

We all piled into Angel’s Tahoe and she drove us to the hospital in Marfa. It wasn’t long before I was taken to the back where they did x-rays and then sewed the wound. Angel stayed with me, fussing over me like she was my mother. The doctor said I had a fractured scapula and would need to wear a sling for several weeks.

Angel insisted she stay with me that first night. After that, Will or April, or both, stayed with me for the next two weeks.

I called Rick to ask what had happened after he picked up Rosalia. I had to explain that she was the person he found at my house.

He told me Todd had called saying he saw a Mexican hanging around my house and I might want to check it out. Todd had also told him I was down at the south ranch and no one should be around the house. When he got there he found the girl just coming out of the smokehouse. He said she was taken to El Paso and then turned over to Mexican authorities.

I asked what the Mexican authorities did with them after they had been turned over and he didn’t know.

I searched the internet and found a private detective in El Paso. When I told him that I was trying to locate a Mexican girl who was picked up by border patrol officers and turned over to the Mexican authorities, he asked me for some basic information.

I couldn’t give him a last name. I couldn’t tell him where she lived. I couldn’t provide him with anything that would be helpful.

“Mr. McAlister, I would be happy to take your money and go to Mexico to search for a five-foot pretty girl with the name of Rosalia, but that’s all it would be. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many girls there go by the name, Rosalia.”

“I understand,” I said, feeling dejected. “Thanks anyway.”

After my shoulder had healed enough to remove the stitches I decided to take a trip into Mexico myself. I told the officers at the border I was taking a vacation and they let me through without a problem. I concentrated on cities and towns that bordered Texas, even driving little paths to check houses in remote places. No one knew anyone by the name of Rosalia who looked like the girl in the picture Angel had taken at Christmas. After three weeks with no luck, I returned to the ranch and buried myself in my work.