“Well, that sounds promising at least,” I said.
I looked at Doc again and said, “Normal, yeah, right.”
We all had a good laugh and finished our drive in silence.
Getting to our hotel and unpacking was a relief of sorts. We didn’t have a lot of dirty laundry, thanks to the Citadel’s bathhouse, and the shower felt a little antiquated without the additional zap of the blue energy, but it was refreshing nonetheless.
We met downstairs and headed to Diego’s for food and drink. When we arrived, there was a lot of hubbub going on, and all the televisions had news reports about the incredible crash and the subsequent discovery of the drugs in a shipment of Mendez wine. They also were showing the raid on his hacienda and him being led away in handcuffs. There was a video of Gallego’s men opening the trap door and the stash of drugs they found in the basement.
“It looks like Mendez is officially out of business,” Dimitri said with a chuckle.
“I do believe you’re right, and probably for a long time,” I said.
“Well, that’s certainly something to drink to,” Reggie said as the waitress approached our table.
“I had no idea what Uncle Harold had planned for his interdiction, but it certainly worked. A dump truck no less, not subtle, but effective,” I said.
Doug and Theresa weren’t around, but Paco stopped by our table and welcomed us back and informed us they would be in soon. Our two pitchers of margaritas arrived as we were talking, and I jovially added, “No worries, we’re going to be here for a while. He laughed and went back behind the bar. The place was pretty full, so everyone was busy. It looked like our covert infusion of cash was helping. While still having the feeling of local color, Doug had added a bit of class to the place.
We were just finishing our meal when the two owners arrived to handshakes and hugs all around. Doug and Theresa sat down at the table and wanted an update on our recent visit to the mountains. We told them we had found new ruins, but, unfortunately, they did not contain the library. Which was true; Jeannie had shown us where the ruins were located not too far from the Citadel; we just abbreviated the whole truth.
Doug asked, “So, what’s next?”
We explained our need to get back to the States to take care of our business there, and that would keep us away for a while, maybe a long while. But we were not ready to give up the search and the possibility of finding the library in the future.
He said he understood; many have left empty-handed but returned to continue their search at a later date. We kept straight faces as he said that because we were certainly not leaving empty-handed. We also told him that Eduardo had decided to stay in Tamara’s village but would be back to see everyone soon. He asked if Sean knew, and we told him no, we would stop by there tomorrow on our way out of town and tell him.
The discussion then turned to what was on the news and the Mendez arrest. We feigned disbelief but then acknowledged that you could never tell about some people. O’Reilly asked if they had heard anything about Tex, his helicopter crew chief. Doug said they had interviewed Tex and found him not to be involved in any way, so he was free to go.
I asked if he knew what would happen to the Mendez estate, and Doug said his assets had been seized, and if he were found guilty, all would be auctioned off at a later date. I thought about that for a few minutes, then leaned back in my chair, smiling.
Doc said, “Okay, Colt, I’ve seen that look before. What’s running through that devious mind of yours?”
“Devious,” I said, “how could you say that?”
“Because I know you too well; that’s how.”
I laughed and said, “Remember when we went there for dinner, and you complimented his wine?”
“Yes, I do; it was some of the best I’ve had.”
“So, he obviously has a legit wine operation with a quality product and people that know how to tend to the vineyards and produce the wine, right?”
“Yeaahh…” Doc drawled. “I think I know where this is heading.”
“If it’s sold to the wrong person, all those families that we saw there, all those people may be out of work.”
“True,” Doc said, now smiling himself.
“So, what if we put up the money to purchase it and keep it going as a winery? Lawrence could oversee operations as a remote CEO or something and work on setting up a distribution system to the States for the wine exports. But we would need to have someone on the ground here to oversee the day-to-day operations. Someone who knows something about running a business down here,” I said as I looked at Doug and Theresa.
I saw their eyes go wide when it dawned on them what I was thinking.
“Are you kidding?” Doug asked excitedly.
“Nope, not at all. What better way to keep those people employed, support the community, and build a new business? You would have to live in the hacienda and maybe turn it into a bed and breakfast. It’s plenty large enough, and there looks to be plenty of help there already.”
“What about this place?” Doug asked worriedly.
“Hey, there are two of you, and now you have Paco and his crew, so you could always build on that. I think Paco would make a great bar manager. Theresa is the new jefe and keeps an eye on things here. You take care of the wine with a good foreman and the right leadership—this could be a win-win for everyone. Plus, you could contract with Sean and his students to maintain your trucks, vehicles, and mechanical equipment.”
“And we could get free
