Michael McGarrity - Tularosa

"Drop the tire iron," Meehan ordered. Kerney did as he was told.

Meehan's eyes found Eddie; another unexpected factor in the equation. He glanced at the bandages on Tapia's hands.

"It seems you've hurt yourself, Corporal."

"I'm just fine. Captain," Eddie replied, trying not to look stunned.

Meehan scanned the room for any more surprises. "Where's Benton?" he demanded. Eddie and Kerney said nothing.

"Dead," Carlos finally replied. The information stung Meehan. The complications never seemed to end. He'd have to adjust again, but he could do it. "Who killed him?" he asked.

"I did," Kerney answered, before Eddie could reply.

"I'm impressed. Benton was very proficient."

"Where is Sara?" Kerney demanded, changing the subject.

"Safely tucked away," Meehan answered. "You have something of mine."

"I can't help you."

Meehan cocked his weapon. "Don't tempt me. You've caused me enough problems. The coins and letters. Where are they?"

"I'll trade for them."

"Is Sara worth that much to you?"

"Whatever it takes."

"It's possible," Meehan allowed.

"Let me think about it. Stand up, Carlos." He watched him struggle to his feet.

"Why are you here?"

"Senor De Leon sent me," Carlos replied, trying to buy time and think things through. The patron would not want him to say too much.

"Meaning?" Carlos hesitated.

"We found a key on Benton's body. I came to take a look." Meehan chuckled.

"Such a den of thieves." Sara's creative ploy had almost worked. One more score to settle with the bitch. "I'll sort that out with Enrique later. Remove his handcuffs," he told Kerney. Hands free, Carlos rubbed his wrists.

"Walk to me," Meehan ordered. Carlos approached.

"I need your help."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to keep Kerney company." Carlos nodded. "Good," Meehan said.

"You've got your deal, Kerney. I'll exchange Sara for the coins and letters. Carlos will go with you."

"Agreed," Kerney replied.

"What about Eddie?" Carlos asked.

"He stays here."

He Leon wants him," Carlos said. "Alive."

"That can be arranged."

"Where do I meet you?" Carlos asked. De Leon hacienda. Be there in three hours," Meehan ordered. It would give him time to dispose of Sara. Then he would kill Kerney, if Carlos was too stupid not to do it himself, and turn Eddie over to De Leon. Everything would be tidied up and there would be nothing left to investigate.

"I'll be there," Carlos said. *** "You can't drive worth a shit," Carlos said. He sat next to Kerney, a handgun stuck in the gringo's rib cage, watching him trying to work the brake pedal with his right foot. The truck lurched to a stop at a red light.

Ramming Eddie's car had damaged the radiator of his vehicle, which forced Carlos to ride with the gringo in the truck. Carlos was not in a good mood. His neck and head hurt, Kerney's piss-poor driving made him nervous, and he wasn't sure if he had done the right thing in agreeing to help Meehan. The only happy thought was that he would kill the gringo as soon as he turned over the coins and letters. The traffic light turned green, and Kerney deliberately stalled the truck. The street was completely empty. He restarted the engine and let it idle.

"Think about it, Carlos. De Leon doesn't need Meehan anymore. You can give him the whole package, free and clear."

"And all you want is the woman?"

"That's all I want."

"She must be some piece of ass," Carlos suggested.

"Call De Leon," Kerney replied, nodding at the pay phone next to a bus stop shelter. He coasted to the curb and stopped.

"Let him decide."

"Keep driving," Carlos said.

"Don't be bullheaded. Meehan is just using you."

"I don't know," Carlos said, unsure.

"Let De Leon decide," Kerney repeated. He should call Don Enrique and get further orders, Carlos thought, looking at the pay phone. Things were getting confusing. Probably the patron will want all of them killed, he speculated. That was okay with Carlos. "Get out of the truck." Kerney opened his door.

"My side," Carlos told him, his pistol pointed at Kerney's right ear.

Kerney gave him an apologetic smile.

"I can't. My leg. Sorry." Carlos hesitated.

"Benton fucked you up a little, no? Okay. I'll follow you out. Keep your hands where I can see them."

"No problem." He turned toward the door, hands above the steering wheel, and watched Carlos's reflection in the windshield. As Carlos jockeyed around the gearshift, he shifted his concentration for an instant. Kerney spun back and slammed his elbow into Carlos's nose. Carlos's head bounced off the back of the seat, and Kerney hit him again with his elbow, this time in the mouth. As his head rebounded a second time, Kerney pounded his face into the dashboard. Carlos's false teeth flew out of his mouth and landed on the floorboard. Kerney took the pistol from Carlos's hand, pushed him back against the seat, and raised an eyelid. Carlos was out cold, with a smashed nose and his bottom front teeth embedded in his lip.

He removed the ignition key and went to the pay phone. The military police dispatcher at Fort Bliss didn't want to believe a cockeyed story about lost treasure and a wounded Army corporal, so Kerney demanded the man talk to Major Curry while he stayed on the line. Within two minutes the dispatcher was back, asking for instructions. Kerney gave him directions, told him to send troops, medics, and an ambulance for Eddie on the double, and hung up.

Carlos was still unconscious. Kerney needed a way to make him spill his guts quickly. There was no time for a drawn-out interrogation. *** Sara shook her head furiously to dislodge the scorpion that fell into her hair. It crawled down her cheek and stung her before she could grind her face against the wall and mash it. The sting was painful. The flame of the kerosene lamp flickered as the fuel burned low, making it hard to see the insects. She had stopped counting how many she had killed. She could feel the remains of the squashed bug on her face. The blood in her mouth from Meehan's blow felt like dried paste.

Cold, she couldn't stop shivering as she continued to lose body heat. She hovered over the lamp and crunched another scorpion into oblivion. Staying alert was the key to survival. She started pacing the length of the cell. It was an old wine cellar that had been used as a jail cell many years ago. There were Spanish names, dates, and inscriptions scratched into the walls.

She kept searching for something to use as a weapon. She wanted Meehan to come back, but not until she could find a way to kill him. *** At the end of the Southern Pacific railroad yard where lines of old boxcars sat on spurs, Kerney rolled Carlos out of the truck and got busy. Down the line was an old brick engine barn built like a horseshoe with a series of huge bay doorways that yawned at the night. Carlos, stripped naked, hog-tied, and lying facedown on the railroad ties, looked ridiculous. A rope ran from around Carlos's chest to the rear truck bumper. Kerney had a clear run of several hundred feet before the spur dead-ended. He bent over Carlos and listened to his curses. The broken nose and missing false teeth made Carlos sound like Bullwinkle with a Mexican accent.

"You son of a whore," Carlos said. "Your mother eats sheep shit." Carlos couldn't breathe very well, so he stopped for air.

"Finished?" Kerney asked.

"You better kill me, gringo."

"I'm going to do that, Carlos. But you won't have any nuts left before you die. That I promise you." He gave Carlos a friendly pat on the head and walked toward the truck.

"Wait a minute," Carlos said, suddenly worried.

"No time," Kerney said.

"Wait," Carlos said, starting to feel panicked. Kerney got in the truck and slammed the door. He cranked the engine and drove fifty feet down the tracks. Even at a snail's pace, the undercarriage pitched and rolled over the railroad ties. Through the rearview mirror he could see Carlos bouncing along. He stopped before any serious amount of skin could be stripped off and went to check the damage. Carlos had his head pulled up to keep his face from smashing into the ties.