Chapter 2
“You remember Don Alfredo Guiterrez, don’t you, Custis?” Billy Vail had asked several days earlier in his office in the Denver Federal Building.
Longarm leaned back in the chair in front of the chief marshal’s desk and used an iron-hard thumbnail to flick the head of a Lucifer into flaming life. He held the match to the tip of the cheroot in his mouth and puffed until the tobacco was burning evenly. Then he shook out the lucifer, and dropped what was left of it on the floor next to the chair. That drew a frown from Vail. Longarm took the cheroot out of his mouth and shook his head. “Can’t say as I do,” he said.
“Well, you do recall that little dustup down in Arizona Territory last year, don’t you?” Vail asked sarcastically. “In a little place called Inferno?”
Longarm frowned. He remembered Inferno, all right. It was there he had stumbled onto a madman’s plan to kidnap the Vice President of the United States and a Mexican diplomat when those two important gents met in the little town for some secret negotiations concerning the border between their respective countries. Longarm had busted up that scheme and nearly got himself killed in the process, not to mention finding himself on the wrong side of a jail cell’s bars a time or two during the whole mess. But that was long since over and done with.
“What’s this fella Guiterrez got to do with what happened in Inferno?” asked Longarm.
“He was the representative from the Mexican government who was meeting with Vice President Wheeler.”
Longarm shook his head. “Don’t reckon I ever met him, or even heard his name. All I knew was that the Mexican government was sending somebody up there for the talks.”
“Well, those talks are still going on, but now they’re being moved to Del Rio, Texas, so that our government and the Mexicans can clear up any problems that might arise the next time the Rio Grande takes it into its head to change course.” Vail cleared his throat. “This is confidential information, Custis, so don’t go blabbing it all over the Palace Saloon.”
Longarm shifted the cheroot from one corner of his mouth to the other. “Hell, Billy, you ought to know by now that I can keep a secret. I never said nothing to nobody about what happened in Inferno, except what was in my report to you.”
“That’s good, because we wanted to keep it quiet.” Vail gave an exasperated sigh. “We even tried to see to it that the Mexican government didn’t get wind of what almost happened, but they found out about it anyway. Guiterrez was in charge of the Mexican delegation, and he insisted on being told who was responsible for stopping that lunatic Vickery.”
“So he found out my name,” said Longarm with a shrug. “What’s that got to do with me now?”
Vail rubbed a hand over his balding pink scalp. “Like I said, the negotiations have been moved to Del Rio, where they’re scheduled to begin next Monday. Don Alfredo is still in charge of the Mexican delegation.”
“Is the Vice President going down there?” asked Longarm.
Vail shook his head and said, “No, thank goodness. Politics has got him busy in Washington City, so he’s turned everything over to the fella who was his assistant in the Inferno talks, a gent from the State Department named Franklin Barton. Barton will be ramrodding our side this time around.”
“All this politics and diplomacy ain’t ever interested me overmuch, Billy,” commented Longarm. “What’s it got to do with me?”
“Since you pulled everybody’s fat out of the fire down in Arizona, Guiterrez has requested that you be assigned to these negotiations as well, just to see that nothing goes wrong.”
Longarm already had a pretty good idea that was going to be the answer. He suppressed a groan of dismay. “You mean I’ve got to go down to that Texas border country, which is going to be hotter’n the hinges of Hell at this time of year, and ride herd on a bunch of diplomats in swallowtail coats?”
Vail couldn’t hold back a grin. “That seems to be about the size of it, all right, Custis.”
Almost biting the cheroot in half, Longarm uttered a heartfelt “Shit.”
“It won’t be too bad,” Vail assured him. “Everything’s being kept even quieter than the first time, so there shouldn’t be any trouble. I’ve already been in touch with Ranger headquarters in Austin, and Major Jones has promised to send a man down to Del Rio to give you a hand if you need it.”
Longarm frowned. He had worked with the Texas Rangers before, sometimes amicably, sometimes not. The best of the so-called Frontier Battalion—Jim Hatfield, Sam Cody, Reese Bennett, men such as that—were top-notch lawmen, and Longarm could respect them even if they occasionally didn’t have the same goals as he did. But there were other Rangers who were nothing but trouble.
“Nope,” replied Vail, “but I’m sure you’ll get along just fine. There’s not a better law enforcement agency west of the Mississippi than the Rangers. I used to ride with them, you know.”
Longarm didn’t need the reminder. He had heard Vail going on about how wonderful the Rangers were on more occasions than he liked to remember. “You sure there ain’t some other job you need me on more?” he asked.
“I told you,” Vail said sharply, “Don Alfredo asked for you in particular. We’re eager to oblige in any little way we can, because we aim to ask the Diaz government for some concessions regarding the border.”
Longarm held up a hand, palm out. “I don’t need to hear about that part of it. I’ll do my best to keep those old boys safe and sound, but whatever political business they hash out is their affair, not mine.”
“Reckon that’s a pretty good way to look it,” Vail agreed. He glanced at the banjo clock on the wall. “Henry’s got your orders and travel vouchers all waiting for you. Your train leaves in half an hour.”
“That’ll give you plenty of time to get your gear together, and we both know it,” Vail said crisply. “So don’t waste time arguing, Custis. I’ll see you when you get back from Texas.”
Not if I see you first, Longarm thought with ill grace. But he had the sense to keep the comment to himself.
