Nick returned to the Homeland Security office around ten and was surprised to find Decker standing behind his desk pointing a pen at the map on the wall, while Matt and Stevie stood next to him.
“What’s going on?” Nick asked.
“Roger was just showing us the soft spots along our border,” Stevie said.
“Is that so?” Nick said, opening the lid to an empty pizza box on the desk. He looked around the room. “Where’s Tommy?”
“Getting coffee,” Matt said.
Nick sat down on the couch and gestured to the map. “So where is our weakest position?”
“Well,” Decker said, “if I were searching for a crossing point for something important, I’d look over here, away from the high traffic areas.” Decker’s finger pointed to a section of eastern Arizona.
“What about Denton?” Nick asked, leaning back on the couch and crossing his legs.
That stopped Decker. He turned his head and said, “What made you say that?”
Nick shrugged. “Just a hunch.”
“A hunch?” Decker said. “It doesn’t even show up on this map.” Decker dropped his pen on the desk and faced Nick head on. “You still think I’m on Garza’s payroll?”
“I don’t know,” Nick said, truthfully. “Let’s go on the premise you’re not and see how far that gets us.”
Decker sat in his desk chair and folded his arms. “We’d seen surveillance shots of Sonny Chizek and Antonio Garza shaking hands at a local taco shop near Garza’s compound. The image was fuzzy, but we had our suspicions.”
“So what did you do?”
“First of all, you don’t go down there without some form of protection.”
“Okay,” Nick said, waiting for it.
“Three months ago we had a squad of Marines escort a crew of our agents into town. We spent forty-eight hours interviewing people and scouring the buildings for anything suspicious. Know what we found?”
“Nothing.”
“Exactly.”
“Did you examine the mine?”
“With a fine-tooth comb.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
Nick nodded. “Did you bring mining experts with you to determine if there was any unusual equipment on site?”
Decker tilted his head. “No, we didn’t. But we brought a team of drug-sniffing dogs and they didn’t as much as whimper.”
“You speak with Chizek?”
Decker let out a small laugh. “He doesn’t exactly show his face.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he works and lives a few hundred feet from the border and he’s concerned about cartel thugs coming to kidnap him for a shitload of ransom. The guy is worth millions.”
“How often do your men patrol Denton?”
Decker glared at Nick, the questions seeming to get to him. “Never.”
Nick raised his eyebrows.
“I have too much respect for my men,” Decker said. “You try to go there and you’ll find snipers hiding in the buttes along the way. They know every delivery vehicle that comes and goes. No one sneaks in and no one sneaks out.”
Nick exchanged glances with Matt. The two of them already knowing their next move.
Decker seemed to notice Nick’s demeanor change. “You don’t understand, it’s not a place to be messing with. I’ve lost too many men who tried to probe activity in the area.”
“What do you mean, lost men?”
“I mean anytime someone goes near Denton, they never seem to return. We investigate and come up empty every time.”
“How come no one ever hears about this?” Nick asked.
“You’re kidding, right?” Decker said. “This is the Mexican border. There were three hundred murders in the border town of Nogales alone last year. No one pays attention to cartel violence anymore. It’s simply a fact of life along the border.”
Decker looked back and forth between Nick and Matt. “You’re not considering going down there, are you?”
“No,” Nick lied. “Of course not.”
Garza woke up before the sun and had already downed two cups of coffee before
Victor came into the kitchen, yawning and scratching his head.
“Why are you up so early, Jefe?” Victor asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Garza pointed to his head. “Too much on my mind.”
Victor took his steaming mug and sat across the kitchen table from Garza. It was still dawn and the sun had yet to create shadows on the desert landscape.
“Is it the package today?”
Garza shrugged. “This is part of it.”
“Something else?” Victor asked.
“This spy,” Garza said, with a scowl. “Someone is a double agent and it is troubling to know this fact so close to our delivery.” He glanced up at Victor to measure his reaction. His first lieutenant seemed to consider the dilemma.
“Our contacts cannot offer any names?” Victor asked. “Don’t they have suspicions?”
It was the reasonable question to ask. “No,” Garza admitted. “They do not have any idea who might be posing as a drug smuggler. However, I do have my own ideas.”
“Tell me,” Victor said, putting the hot coffee mug to the tip of his lips.
“I keep thinking about Sadeem. I have this feeling all along, this man is not who he pretends to be.”
Victor was nodding, something in his eyes gaining momentum. “Yes, Jefe. This is a logical conclusion.” Victor glanced up at the clock on the wall. “We have several hours before our meeting with him. Let me make some calls and find out what I can.”
Garza liked this thought. “Yes. We need to know who this man is. I had little concern until he requested to join us. Now, he becomes a liability. And maybe even a threat.”
“Who is a threat, Papa?” Julio said from the entryway to the kitchen.
Garza turned to see his son rubbing his eyes in his flannel pajamas.
“Julio,” Garza said. “What are you doing up?”
“I heard noises.”
Garza gathered his son into his arms. Julio fell into his father’s embrace.
“Mijo, you need to go back to bed,” Garza said.
“Can I have a glass of milk first?”
“Of course.”
Victor poured a glass of milk and handed it to Julio.
The boy finished the drink, wiped his mouth with his shirt sleeve and placed the empty glass on the kitchen table.
“Who is the threat, Papa?” Julio asked again.
Garza searched for the proper words, finally looking at Victor for help.
“There is a coyote attacking some of the desert animals,” Victor said. “And your Papa is going to chase him away.”
Julio’s eyes seemed to brighten. “Really? Can I come with you?”
“Yes,” Garza said. “But first you need to sleep.”
“Okay, Papa.”
“Good boy.” Garza gave him a kiss on his cheek, then patted him on the butt as he went off to bed.
Garza went over to get another cup of coffee, then returned to the table. “He is getting too old and he is understanding too much.”
Victor nodded. “Of course, he is your son. It is only natural that he have your instincts.”
“Yes, but he must learn to avoid certain people and certain places.”
“You are thinking too much, Jefe.”
“Maybe,” Garza said. “But when Rodriguez wins the election, the Zutons will own the northern territory and there will be a bloodbath. I think it would be wise to leave Mexico for a while.”
The house was completely still while the two men were quiet with their thoughts. Finally, in an assuring voice, Victor said, “I can watch after him.”
Garza considered the comment. There was a tiny sense of relief which came with the notion. An insurance policy for his only child.
“Yes,” Garza said. “That would be good.” Then another thought occurred to him and Victor seemed to notice his expression change.
“Something else?” Victor asked.
“This package we are taking. It will be dangerous. I do not want this thing to linger. Tell Chizek to be prepared to accept this delivery by tonight. I want this out of my hands quickly.”
“What about the FBI?” Victor asked. “Are they getting close?”
“Maybe,” Garza said. “But they are already too late. Chizek will be ready for them.”
A ray of sunshine peeked through the kitchen window onto Garza’s face and the warmth brightened his mood. That and the image of the briefcase full of cash hidden in his basement.