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“What?”
“I need you to find a guy named Bobby Mata. He operates in Presidio and OJ. He hasn’t answered his phone for a couple of days, and it’s really, really important that I talk to him.”
“Bobby Mata! Hunter, you know who he is? When I worked that detail with the DPS auto-theft unit, they said he was the slickest tractor thief they’d ever seen. He’s involved in big-time felony stuff!”
“I’m learning that, but I still need to talk to him.”
“What about?”
The bailiff waved her and some others toward the courtroom. “I can’t explain now, but it’s urgent, for real. Please, Raymond,” she could hear him rubbing the whisker stubble on his chin.
Raymond said, “All right. I got two days off, so I’ll head down to Presidio and see if I can locate him.”
“Thanks.” The relief in her voice was evident.
“You are gonna owe me sooo Big-Time for this,” Raymond said.
“I’ll bear your children, grovel at your feet, whatever you want.”
Raymond said, “I got too many kids now, and I don’t need any gravel. I was thinking more that you bring over some of those elk steaks you’ve got and we’ll cook ‘em.”
“Thanks, Raymond,” she s
aid it softly, then hung up the phone and hurried to the courtroom.
She was the last person in, with everyone else already seated. Ronald was arranging a row of posterboard exhibits as Judge Pelham gave Hunter a stern look.
Truman leaned over and whispered, “Hey, I’ve got some good news.” He winked.
“What?”
“My guys located your missing hang glider pilot; he’s in an adobe shack about two miles upriver from Candelaria.”
“They arrest him?”
“My guys don’t have arrest authority, they’re uh, a little unorthodox.”
“So, how do we get him?”
Truman smiled, “We’re gonna get Marfa’s legendary Sheriff to arrest him and bring him straight here.”
“What if he won’t talk?”
“Oh, he’s ready to talk. My guys watched him most of the day to get down his patterns, and they said he’s so nervous, if a butterfly landed on his arm, he’d crap down both pant legs.”
“When will you contact Wayne?”
“I already called his office in Marfa. They contacted him a minute ago, caught him as he was driving away from here, and he said they’d take care of it tomorrow morning.”
Hunter leaned back and relaxed a little. “God, finally some good news.”
They watched Ronald finishing the poster-display that moved step-by-step through the shooting, providing an aerial view of the location and color codes for its participants. Truman said, “By the time he gets ready to talk, it’ll be time for the Judge to dismiss us.”
Hunter said, “If the pilot talks and backs up my story, how much longer do you think we’ve got here?”
Truman thought a minute, “I think we’ll finish most of it tomorrow, with a little left for Thursday. It for sure won’t go five days.”
“Good, because I’m ready to go home.”
