CASEY AND JOSe LEANED AGAINST THE HOOD OF THE BATTERED Mercedes watching gardeners disappear with the coming light. Birds showed in inky patterns on lonely mesquite branches. The hills across the river lay like sleeping giants, garbed in purple robes. Pastures and woods stretched as far as they could see.
"Good land," Jose said, stretching his legs out in front of him and folding his arms across his chest. "Too bad it belongs to such a turd."
"Land good enough for corporate farming," Casey said. "Lots of jobs for people like Elijandro to come up here for."
"Nice if they could work some of this land for themselves," Jose said.
Casey kept staring at the horizon. A fountain of burning sunlight sprang up from behind the hills.
"But it's not theirs," Casey said, without taking her eyes off the sunrise. "It's ours, right?"
"What does that mean?" Jose asked placidly.
"A river of mud," Casey said.
"The Rio Grande?"
"You just got to be lucky and get born on the right side," Casey said as the first of the sun's rays glinted at them.
"Nice sentiment. But have you ever been to Detroit?"
"Good point.''
"And a US border town ain't no Veracruz, either,'' Jose said. He nodded and raised a hand to block the burning light. "You go there, you think you're in Europe."
The front door of the hacienda swung open and Macken walked double-time down the path until he stood beside them.
"Okay," he said, his face set and serious. "But we want that recording. We want your phone. And we'd like to speak with Chief Gage."
"Last time I saw him, his mouth was full.''
Macken gave her a puzzled look. Jose smiled.
"We're not responsible for Gage," Casey said. "Forget the deal."
"Wait," Macken said, holding up a hand. "I said we'd like to speak with him. We can proceed without him, but I have to have the phone."
"Everything else is the way I said?" Casey asked.
"Yes."
"Isodora and the baby?" she said. "Just like I laid out?"
"As long as you're willing to go to Mexico to get them, then yes."
Casey took out the phone and held it up in front of her.
"I want Jose cleared, too," she said.
Macken's eyes flickered to the phone. He licked his lips, nodded, and said, "Yes. Of course."
He held out one hand for the phone, extending the other to shake and close the deal.
Casey looked at him, not wanting to touch his hand. But she shook it, then surreptitiously wiped the cold sweat she'd picked up from his palm on her pants leg.
She dropped the phone into his other hand.
He smiled.