Chapter 8
Nikki argued that Mr. Williams was as nice as anyone in the town when she came into the hardware store. Especially when she placed an order for the food-safe jugs she used for the water.
“He seemed pretty uncomfortable talking about the fire, Nikki. Like he had some information we didn’t.”
She thought for a moment then sighed. “I don’t like doing this. The people in Lordsburg have been kind to me since I moved back here. I don’t want to think any of them are responsible for the things happening on my ranch.”
He nodded and placed his hand on her knee for a second then returned it to his own. “I’m sorry. But that’s what we need to do to find out the truth.”
She was silent for several minutes, then noticed they were heading toward the road leading away from the ranch. “Where are we going?”
“To the border station. I’d like to talk to Dan.”
She spent the rest of the drive talking about her goats, her chickens, the history of the desert, and the odd ruins they passed. Anything to divert her own thoughts from the reality of the situation. When they passed another ghost town, Dylan commented on the state of the buildings.
“Unless there’s a fire or someone purposefully tears the places down, usually these stone and wood buildings stay upright. When I was a kid I used to get Grandad to bring me out so I could go exploring for treasure.”
“Gold?” Dylan grinned at her.
“No. Old things, like dishes or flyers. I found spoons, keys, that sort of thing. I may still have some of them in an old box at home.” She hadn’t thought of those days in years and the memories of her grandfather’s joy at her finding her treasures warmed her. “Grandad and I used to make up stories about the things we found.”
He smiled. “I remember seeing a lot of the world, famous landmarks. But I don’t have those kinds of memories. I think I’m jealous.”
She smiled at him in return. “Tell me some of the places your family lived.”
For the next several minutes they drove on the rough roads and spoke of their childhoods, so different yet common in the memories they’d crafted with their families.
When the small buildings of the border station came into view, Nikki sighed. “If I’d known we were going to stop here, I’d have put some eggs and cheese in the cooler for the agents.”
“You bribe them often?” Dylan joked and she grinned back. “I just want to get rid of my excess food. There’s only so much you can do with six dozen eggs and quarts of milk every day.”
“Why not get rid of the animals?” He asked as they parked the truck and started walking to the main building.
“They’re family,” she said simply and Dylan grinned at her.
Dan was on duty and greeted his brother-in-law with a smile and handshake, paired with a slap on the shoulder. “You know Merry is upset with you.”
“Why?” Dylan asked as he glanced around the small room, packed with shelves and cabinets, filled with the equipment of agents, binoculars, vests, rifles, and communication devices.
“She’s convinced you took your job too early. You’re okay, right?”
“I’m fine,” Dylan noted Nikki eyeing him closely and quickly changed the subject. “Have you had any unusual activity lately on the border?”
Dan shook his head. “We don’t have a lot of mass crossings. When we patrol, we stick to the unfenced areas and haven’t seen much movement.” Dan glanced at Nikki. “Although, we know there are crossings, we’re spread too thin to catch the odd small party.”
Nikki had been standing in the middle of the room, looking at them as they talked, but now she walked to the window facing south and the border. “It’s going to get hotter soon.”
Dan joined her and looked at the desert in front of them. “Yeah. And unfortunately, there will be more crossing with the change of season. More work, more opportunities.”
Dylan watched as her shoulders slumped and he curbed the urge to put his arm around her and hug her. She tried so hard to help people. Why didn’t she focus on those who were surely in need on this side of the border?
She sighed and then turned to face him. “What happened to you that you need to take care accepting assignments?”
He hid a grimace and tried to make light of his injuries but his brother-in-law made sure she knew of the stabbing and subsequent hospital stay. Afterward, she stared at him in horror. “And you put out the fire with your injury?”
He shook it off. “I helped put out the fire. Remember? You were there and so was Wayne French. Besides, it’s been weeks out. If I hadn’t been in shape for the assignment I wouldn’t have taken it.”
Dan snorted then cleared his throat at Dylan’s frown. “Speaking of Wayne French, he was in this morning. Seems one of his hands found a body on his property, near the border.”
Nikki took in a breath then asked, “Do you know the cause of death?”
“Not sure. Probably exhaustion. It was an older man, probably in his fifties.”
“That’s not that old,” she protested then paused. “If you’re traveling by foot in the desert, I guess it is.”
“Have you been out to investigate?” Dylan asked, all business now.
“No. I’m the only one at the station. I can’t leave my post.” Dan’s obvious frustration sealed Dylan’s decision.
“I’ll go out and see what I can find,” he said and held his hand up at Dan’s protest. “I’m trained in criminal investigation. You know that. I’ll take my gloves and be careful.”
“You know if you go back to the ranch then out there won’t be much left.”
“Why would he go back to the ranch? Does he need specialized equipment?” Nikki was watching Dan as he gathered gloves, evidence bags, and a digital camera and placed them on a table where Dylan was gathering them into a satchel.
“He means to take you back home,” Dylan said as he worked, his eyes on his task.
“I’m going with you,” she said firmly and at his look of surprise, said solemnly, “It’s not my first time seeing a body in the desert.”
He paused in his work and studied her. Her face, delicate and serious, could be that of an angel, ready to help and eager to save lost souls. This soul, he feared, was lost forever.
They tooktheir time in getting to the body. On their way, Nikki used his sat phone to call Wayne and inform him of their visit. Listening to Nikki’s end of the conversation, Dylan was sure Wayne didn’t want either one of them on his property right now. Because he didn’t want Nikki facing the brutal realities of those crossing the desert or something more? Was Wayne as innocent as Nikki thought?
They followed the coordinates Dan and Wayne supplied and found the tarp-covered remains by the afternoon. As he left the truck, Dylan thought of the countless times he’d surveyed remains, looking for identification, evidence of wrongdoing, and cause of death. The military had trained him in many things, but his early years as a criminal investigation tech had ingrained in him an awareness of the fragility of life.
The body had been exposed to predators but still had information to give. As Nikki looked on, her head bowed at times and her eyes closed, Dylan did the tasks he’d been trained to do, examining the body for insults, both natural and man-made. The compactly built man had been in his late fifties to early sixties, old to chance the trip across the Mexican border. His body showed signs of hard labor, a couple of badly healed broken bones, and scars that were visible even with his clothes on. Dylan took photos of the body, the site, and any other possibilities, then started tucking the tarp around the body in preparation for transporting it. As he did he heard the sound of tires crunching over rock and a truck’s engine rumbling.
Wayne French halted his truck beside Nikki’s then stomped over to where they were, yelling at Nikki as he approached. “What are you doing here? Why’d you bring her, Wright?”
“Because she’s an adult and has her own mind, Wayne.” Nikki’s fists were pushed into her waist and she frowned at her neighbor. “I’ve seen this before, remember?”
“Well, you didn’t need to see it again,” he said, his tone mulish. He stared down at the covered body and then noticed Dylan’s actions. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting ready to put this man in Nikki’s truck and take him to the station.”
“You don’t have the right to do that. I need to look at the body and then contact the border patrol.”
“I thought you’d already done that,” Nikki said, her heart sinking.
“One of my men found him. We called it in to the station but I hadn’t made it out here yet.”
“Who covered him with the tarp?” Dylan asked, his tone mild.
Wayne shrugged, “I guess Jose did. Anyway, you’ve got no right to mess with the body.”
“He does. We were at the station earlier and Dan gave him the tools to examine the body with.” Nikki knew her expression was disapproving but she couldn’t help it. “You left the body here? You didn’t come to see it?”
Wayne had the grace to look uncomfortable for a second before his pride kicked in and he groused. “I had work to do.”
She took a breath in, catching the slight smell of human waste, and then turned away from him and toward the body and Dylan. “And so do we. Let’s get him loaded, shall we?”
Wayne protested then agreed to assist and the three of them loaded the man onto the bed of the truck. Nikki noted Dylan’s care in arranging the stiffened body and covering him with the tarp. She found an extra one in a storage tub at the front of the bed and handed it to him, watching him tuck it securely around the body. She said a prayer for the unknown man’s family and then thanked God for the care Dylan was taking before asking for forgiveness for her resentment. Wayne’s actions rankled more than she cared to admit.
They’d left the rough desert and were on a dirt road before Dylan spoke. “You okay?”
She nodded, her eyes still on the road ahead. “You know criminal investigation techniques? Is that a part of your job training?”
“We get refresher courses, but no. I signed up for military police when I joined the Army. I got tagged for criminal investigation instead after I’d taken the tests. I spent four years doing that then I transferred to tactical and security. I got a degree in security systems while I was in.”
She glanced at him then. “You seem to be pretty good at the investigation thing.”
He shrugged. “I guess. I got tired of it after a while.”
“I can understand that,” she said and then turned silent again. They drove to the station where they transferred the body to Dan’s care, placing the man in the back of a small box truck on the edge of the parking lot. “It’s a refrigeration unit. We keep them on hand in case we need them. I’d fired it up before you guys came by.”
Dylan spoke to him about the evidence he’d found. As he did, he watched Nikki walk along the periphery of the parking lot, her head down and the ever-present desert breeze lifting the dark curls and caressing her face. Was she in prayer? Or regretting coming along on that morbid task?
“She’s something special, you know.” Dan’s quiet voice interrupted Dylan’s thoughts.
“I know. She’s going to get hurt if she continues, Dan.”
“She’s not going to stop giving water to the illegals, Dylan. I’ve talked to her before. If she thought she could do it safely and without a lot of repercussions, she’d set up food stations too, I think.”
“Even if it’s illegal and dangerous?”
“Even then. She says she wants to live her faith and that’s how she
chooses to do it.” Dan shook his head, partly in blame and partly in wonder, Dylan thought. “I’d like her to meet Merry. I think they’d be friends.”
Maybe they’d get the chance, Dylan thought then wondered at the passing fancy. She was pretty, smart, and brave beyond measure in his book. But was she beginning to be something more? Something he didn’t need in his life?
They hosed off the truck bed and then started to get in when Dan called to Dylan one last time. “Have you been on social media lately?”
“No. You know I avoid it if I can.”
“Check it out this evening, if you can get online. Particularly this site,” Dan held out a scrap of paper and Dylan accepted it, frowning at his brother-in-law. As he tucked it in his pocket, he heard Dan mutter as he turned away. “She’s getting talked about.”