Winning Texas (23 page)

“
Let
’
s find Brandon and get his take on this,
”
she said.
“
I
’
ll buy you both a beer at La Carafe.
”

CHAPTER 23

Annie walked the two blocks from the newspaper office to La Carafe with Brandon and Travis. She knew that this early on a weekday, happy-hour customers wouldn
’
t be there yet. They could find a secluded table before it got crowded. She wanted the three of them to take their time to brainstorm, away from the late-afternoon bustle of the newsroom.

La Carafe was the favored drinking establishment of
Times
reporters and lower-level editors. The higher-ups generally would go to fancier watering holes, like the Petroleum Club, an exclusive members-only place. Located on Congress Street in Houston
’
s oldest commercial building, La Carafe wasn
’
t sufficiently upscale to attract high-salaried bankers or white-collar oil company staff. But its exposed brick walls and seedy air of permanence felt like an anchor in the increasingly fragile newspaper world. Journalists loved its disreputable air and eclectic jukebox.

She found a rickety table and chairs in an upstairs corner and asked Travis to fetch beers from the bar. After her chardonnay-soaked Saturday night and the nightmare aftermath of Nate
’
s death Sunday morning, Annie had vowed not to drink wine again for a while. She could handle beer because she
’
d sip it slowly and be satisfied with one or two. It didn
’
t slip down the throat with the ease of her favorite Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

Travis brought three frosted glasses with Coronas and limes and a bowl of peanuts as she finished briefing Brandon on everything they
’
d learned from Nate
’
s notes.

“
Yep, I
’
ve been hearing a lot of chatter from sources close to the Nation of Texas,
”
Brandon said.
“
Those secessionists think the German Texans could ruin their political scheme to convert the state into a republic under their control. They want all of Texas and they view the German-Texas movement as a dangerous rival for territory.
”

He studied Annie through his square black-framed glasses, stopping to chug his beer with a handful of peanuts. Born in West Texas, Brandon understood the remote parts of the state better than anyone on the staff. His wide network of sources there was unsurpassed. Annie appreciated that he always measured his words carefully, avoiding exaggeration and bombast.

“
Four years ago, your stories came close to destroying the secessionists
’
statewide network,
”
he said.
“
But they
’
ve built it back amazingly fast.
”

“
Are they as strong as they were when Dan Riggins was running it?
”

“
No, but they
’
re getting there, and Riggins is still very much involved. Lately I
’
m hearing there
’
s a mystery person at the helm who
’
s really good at carrying out his orders and keeps a low profile.
”

“
That
’
s intriguing. Any guesses?
”

“
Not yet, but it
’
s obviously somebody Riggins trusts.
”

She shuddered, thinking about Riggins and his deadly mistress.

“
You said you
’
d heard that he and Alicia slipped across the border into West Texas a while back. Have they been seen again?
”
she asked.

“
Not recently. Far as I know, they
’
re hiding out somewhere in Mexico. But Riggins still keeps his foot soldiers spread across Texas
–
hundreds of loyalists working for security companies or, rumor has it, in law enforcement.
”

“
Guess they were shocked to find out about the German-Texas movement,
”
Annie said, sipping her beer.

“
Stunned and furious is the way I
’
d characterize it,
”
Brandon said.
“
If the German Texans end up controlling the Hill Country, that would be a huge political loss for the Nation of Texas. As I said, the secessionists want every bit of Texas under their thumb.
”

“
But the German Texans don
’
t want an independent country, just a cultural enclave, right?
”
Travis said.
“
Are they a real threat to the secessionists?
”

“
The secessionists, rightly or wrongly, view them as deadly competition,
”
Brandon said.
“
They believe that the German Texans want more than a cultural enclave in the Hill Country. They fear that the German Texans are positioning their movement to take over the whole state.
”

“
I guess they
’
re projecting their own ambitions and paranoia on the German Texans,
”
Travis said.
“
Makes sense, in a twisted kind of way. But what can the secessionists do?
”

“
For now, they
’
ll do whatever they can to undermine the German Texans politically,
”
Brandon said.
“
But as Annie knows, violence is always on the table.
”

“
That
’
s certainly evident in their campaign against Sam Wurzbach,
”
Annie said.
“
Sabotaging his bakeries wasn
’
t enough. They had to make it personal by killing his family
’
s dogs.
”

“
Sounds like their tactics,
”
Brandon said.

Annie swallowed the last of her beer. She felt lucky to have skilled reporters like Brandon and Travis to work on this. But their three-person team would be stretched to the bone to unravel these complex threads. She was pleased to see Travis focused and thoughtful, putting aside for the moment his sadness over Nate. She felt much the same. A setback in her personal life usually meant increased intensity to work so that she could feel a sense of control over something.

“
Guys, one more?
”
she said.
“
I
’
m buying.
”

“
What
’
s next?
”
Travis asked.

“
I suspect we
’
ll spend the rest of the week getting our ducks in a row. Brandon should take over the investigation into Nate
’
s death while you and I head to the Hill Country next week,
”
she said.

She
’
d enjoy her second beer and their companionship. Then she
’
d go home, clean her house and wash her clothes, things she hadn
’
t done in a week. It would be good for her and Travis to get out of town for a few days. She felt comforted just thinking about being on the road and working as a reporter-editor instead of sitting in the newsroom waiting for something to happen and feeling bad about Nate.

CHAPTER 24

Dan Riggins heard his nephew
’
s pickup banging down the rutted path that passed for a road outside Ojinaga, Mexico. The summer had been especially dry and hot and when the rare vehicle lumbered by, it was usually covered in dust by the time it passed his rented place. He could see the maroon truck coming now, navigating the curvy road with nothing on either side except for scrawny plants, sun-baked grasses and a few small houses in the distance. He mopped his face like a cowboy with the red bandanna he stuffed in his jeans pocket.

The pickup skittered to a stop outside his pink stucco house and Rob Ryland got out and hugged his uncle. Riggins hadn
’
t talked to Rob for a few days, but he and his nephew were frequently in touch now. When Riggins and Alicia fled Texas, they
’
d left the Nation of Texas in shambles. Riggins had been reluctant to share power, and his deputies in the movement had scattered, fearful of being arrested after the shootout on the Interstate 10 freeway. They mostly went back to their day jobs and waited to see what would happen.

After his impulsive, failed attempt to kidnap
Times
reporter Annie Price, Rob Ryland had landed in jail. Riggins regretted abandoning his nephew to the vagaries of the court system and secretly funneled money for his defense. Luckily, because of his youth and a lenient judge, Rob got off with probation and an order to stay away from the secessionist movement. Riggins had waited to see how Rob would handle his freedom before contacting him. He
’
d been impressed that his nephew had found a job with an Austin alternative paper and quickly put his fractured life back together. Last year, Riggins had contacted Rob to see if he was still interested in the Nation of Texas. Rob came to Mexico to meet with him and they talked for a long time. Riggins, acting on a combination of instinct and desperation, had given Rob a key role in rallying the secessionist leaders. But because of the court order, it had to be top-secret. Rob continued to work at the Austin newspaper and Riggins remained the group
’
s leader. All directives that went through the underground network were issued in his name, but his nephew was helping him with steps to resuscitate the group. The recent rise of the German-Texas movement had caught Riggins off guard. He
’
d ordered some quick and dirty action while he mulled a more substantive plan.

However, Riggins was increasingly distracted with worry about Alicia
’
s condition. His recent trip to Houston with Tom Marr had been fruitless. They hadn
’
t found either Alicia or Marr
’
s runaway daughter Betsy. But a few days after Riggins returned to Mexico, Alicia had come back to Ojinaga, exhausted, sick and rambling.

Riggins had asked Rob to come to the Ojinaga house for some planning because he hesitated to cross the border again so soon. He took chances, but they were always calculated risks, and his intuition told him not to try to sneak back into Texas right now. He
’
d also grown closer to Rob and welcomed the only family member with whom he was still in contact. He needed a sounding board for his latest round of troubles.

“
Thanks for coming, son,
”
he said.
“
Alicia wants to see you.
”

Rob walked through the living room of the small house. Riggins and Alicia had rented it for two years, but he
’
d never visited and Riggins could tell he was curious about it. His nephew looked approvingly at the cozy living room with Saltillo tile floors, decent furniture and a large TV. Its satellite dish lent a focal point to the barren back yard. Riggins needed to keep up with news across the border and was addicted to CNN International. A room air conditioner in the living area blasted cold air, a welcome respite from the 101-degree temperatures they routinely suffered in the Mexican scrub country.

Rob looked impressed.
“
Really nice for Mexico,
”
he said.
“
Did you have trouble finding something decent? The town looks kind of awful.
”

“
Our cartel sources have been pretty helpful to me and Alicia,
”
Riggins said.
“
As you know, they
’
re very interested in Texas secession and will support us all the way. They
’
d certainly like more access to large markets on the other side of the border.
”

“
You haven
’
t told me much about that,
”
Rob said.
“
Which cartels?
”

“
Don
’
t worry about that right now. The less you know, the safer you
’
ll be. I
’
ll brief you fully when you need to know. Want to see Alicia?
”