month later. John Lourdes had received word he would be given a letter of commendation for 'his dedication in uncovering the illegal shipment of arms to a foreign country.' On that day, at that hour, the commendation and all it said and did not say was, to John Lourdes, mere dust in the wind.
They drove in Burr's Cadillac from his home to Concordia Cemetery. Burr had taken it upon himself to have Rawbone brought back to Texas and buried beside John Lourdes's mother. The headstone was simple. It had his name and a bookmark of dates. The cemetery was on a flat plain, rough and with a few trees. The sky was crisp blue that day but the cemetery seemed so much more spare than John Lourdes even remembered.
He stood there thinking, long and hard, on the deeply flawed and tragic history that was his father. A sweep of feelings went through him. Feelings he would have sworn unimaginable this lifetime. Loss above all, loss unfathomably raw, that reached to the very roots of his blood.
'There was more of him in me,' admitted John Lourdes, 'than I ever imagined. Or would have ever believed.'
Burr nodded, then after a brief consideration, said, 'It appears there was much more of you in him, than he might ever have imagined.'
With that, they started from the gravesite. Upon reaching the car, John Lourdes took a moment and glanced back at the grave, then toward the Rio Grande and the red cut mountains beyond.
EPILOGUE
N 1913 THE U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Henry Lane Wilson, was involved in plotting the coup d'etat that overthrew the Madero government and installed Victoriano Huerta and a government more favorable to business. He did this, it was claimed by President Wilson, without the authority or compliance of the U.S. government or any of its surrogates.
IN 1914 WOODROW WILSON invaded Veracruz. It was over the fact that a handful of American sailors had been taken from a U.S. ship, but, in fact, it was his desire to overthrow Huerta, destabilize his regime and encourage the rebels.
DURING THIS PERIOD, the price of oil per barrel doubled.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
WISH TO THANK the publisher, Charlie Winton, for the literary opportunity. I also wish to thank Tracy Falco of Universal, for the filmic opportunity.
On a personal note: To Deirdre Stephanie and the late, great Brutarian . . . to G.G. and L.S. . . . to Charlie Cacique at the Agua Caliente Race Track, for the tip that led to Lazaro and so birthed this book ... and finally, to my steadfast friend and ally, and a master at navigating the madness, Donald V. Allen.
