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"I'd guessed the idols were in his dirty hands."
"They were positively identified as the missing Montolo effigies from a collectors data sheet we found with them," explained Starger.
"This will make the Montolos very happy."
Starger looked at him with a crooked smile. "I think we can trust you to deliver them."
Pitt chuckled and tilted his head toward the Travelodge. "They're not nearly as valuable as all the gold inside the trailer."
Starger threw Pitt a you-can't-fool-me look. "Very funny. All the golden artifacts are accounted for."
"I promise to drop the idols of in the Montolo village on our way to the border."
"Dave Gaskill and I never nourished a doubt."
"How are the Zolars?" Pitt asked.
"In jail with every charge from theft and illegal smuggling to murder hanging over their heads. You'll be happy to learn the judge denied them bail, dead certain they would flee the country.
"You people do nice work."
"Thanks to your help, Mr. Pitt. If the Customs Service can ever do you a favor, short of smuggling illegal goods into the country, of course, don't hesitate to give us a call."
"I'll remember that, thank you."
Billy Yuma was unsaddling his horse after making the daily rounds of his small herd. He paused to look over the rugged landscape of cactus, mesquite, and tamarisk scattered through the rock outcroppings making up his part of the Sonoran Desert. He saw a dust cloud approaching that slowly materialized into what looked to him to be a very old automobile pulling a trailer, both vehicles painted in the same shade of dark, almost black, blue.
His curiosity rose even higher when the car and trailer stopped in front of his house. He walked from the corral as the passenger door opened and Pitt stepped out.
"A warm sun to you, my friend," Yuma greeted him.
"And clear skies to you," Pitt replied.
Yuma shook Pitt's right hand vigorously. "I'm real glad to see you. They told me you died in the darkness."
"Almost, but not quite," said Pitt, nodding at the arm held by the sling. "I wanted to thank you for entering the mountain and saving the lives of my friends."
"Evil men are meant to die," said Yuma philosophically. "I'm happy I came in time."
Pitt handed Yuma the blanket-wrapped idols. "I've brought something for you and your tribe."
Yuma pulled back the top half of the blanket tenderly, as if peeking at a baby. He stared mutely for several moments into the faces of the four deities. Then tears brimmed in his eyes. "You have returned the soul of my people, our dreams, our religion. Now our children can be initiated and become men and women."
"I was told those who stole them experienced strange sounds like children wailing."
"They were crying to come home."
"I thought Indians never cried."
Yuma smiled as the joyous impact of what he held in his hands washed over him. "Don't you believe it.
We just don't like to let anyone see us."
Pitt introduced Loren to Billy's wife, Polly, who insisted they stay for dinner, and would not take no for an answer. Loren let it slip that Pitt had a taste for huevos rancheros, so Polly made him enough to feed five ranch hands.
During the meal, Yuma's friends and family came to the house and reverently looked upon the cottonwood idols. The men shook Pitt's hand while the women presented small handcrafted gifts to Loren. It was a very moving scene and Loren wept unashamedly.
Pitt and Yuma saw in each other two men who were basically very much alike. Neither had any illusions left. Pitt smiled at him. "It is an honor to have you as a friend, Billy."
