Winning Texas (39 page)

“
Well, that
’
s progress, I guess,
”
Annie said.

“
I feel like my hands are tied,
”
Marr said.
“
But I
’
m getting together with the detective who
’
s been working behind the scenes for me.
”

“
I understand,
”
Annie said.
“
You don
’
t want to lose her for good.
”

“
Betsy knows that if she needs emergency help, you
’
re here,
”
he said.
“
She has your address, phone numbers and knows where you work, of course.
”

“
Tom, you know I
’
ve always loved Betsy. I
’
d be glad to help any way I can.
”

He leaned toward her and kissed her again, lightly this time, but she felt its incipient promise. He reached into his pocket.

“
I
’
ve got a copy of a letter here from Dan Riggins. He attached this note to a package he left on my doorstep. I
’
ll let you read it first.
”

He handed her a copy of a handwritten note. She went through it quickly.

“
Attention Texas Ranger Mark Ingram: I offer this package as possible evidence in an ongoing investigation. It
’
s a rifle I found in Alicia Perez
’
s car. When authorities fingerprint and test it, I expect they will conclude it
’
s the weapon that killed State Senator Sam Wurzbach. Ms. Perez is dead of a brain tumor. She assassinated Wurzbach to protect the interests of the now-defunct Nation of Texas. No one was involved in his death besides the two of us. I have left Texas for good and won
’
t return to the United States. If you check, you
’
ll find that the charges pending against me in Texas have been dropped at the behest of the federal government. I
’
m returning to the work that I did before I retired. I leave this weapon with you in the hope that the senator
’
s family can find closure. Goodbye, Dan Riggins.
”

“
How strange,
”
Annie said. She was quiet for a moment, thinking about Wurzbach, Riggins and Alicia Perez. Marr put his arms around her, but she wanted to talk. There was so much she needed to understand.

“
Can you explain this?
”
Annie said.
“
Has Riggins been in touch with you?
”

“
Yes. I can
’
t lie to you,
”
Marr said.
“
We
’
ve talked over the past couple of months and I knew Alicia was sick. She died two days ago in Mexico and I helped bury her in a secret place. I said goodbye to Dan and I know he won
’
t be back. If I get in trouble for seeing him without turning him in, so be it.
”

“
Why did Alicia kill Sam Wurzbach?
”

“
Here
’
s what Dan told me. Alicia heard him talking about Sam Wurzbach and how Sam
’
s German-Texas campaign could ruin the plans of the Nation of Texas. She got fired up, sneaked away from their home in Ojinaga and crossed the border into West Texas. She drove to Austin, where she stalked Wurzbach and plotted how to kill him. She saw her chance on the evening of the big German-Texas fundraiser. Dan said she was angry and wanted to take action before she died from the brain tumor. I
’
m sure Dan also wanted to harm Wurzbach, but I think she jumped the gun, so to speak, by killing him at the party.
”

“
How terrible,
”
Annie said.
“
Do you believe him?
”

“
In his note, he shares responsibility for Sam
’
s death with Alicia. But he
’
s definitely telling the story he wants the Texas Rangers to believe,
”
Marr said.
“
I don
’
t believe the Nation of Texas is dead. He
’
s probably saying that to protect people active in the organization.
”

“
Where
’
s Riggins?
”

“
It
’
s impossible to know for sure. But I have a pretty good idea. He spent his whole career with the CIA, as you know. After Alicia died, he called high-level folks there and offered to go anywhere if they
’
d make his legal problems disappear. They agreed and I
’
m betting he
’
s on his way to South America.
”

“
I can
’
t believe the government would just forget about the killings he ordered here in Texas,
”
Annie said.
“
How can the CIA wipe the slate clean?
”

“
You know it happens all the time,
”
Marr said.
“
Dan
’
s an unparalleled CIA field agent and they
’
re happy to get him back. With Alicia gone, he has nothing to lose by making a deal. His ex-wife and sons cut off contact with him a long time ago.
”

“
What
’
ll he do?
”
Annie asked.

“
Whatever the CIA wants him to do,
”
Marr said.
“
I expect he
’
ll be stirring the pot in South America or Central America. That was his area of expertise.
”

“
Do you think we can get any kind of confirmation from the CIA?
”

Marr laughed.
“
C
’
mon, Annie. You know better than that.
”

“
What about the Nation of Texas? Do you think he
’
ll lead it from afar?
”

“
I seriously doubt it,
”
Marr said.
“
The CIA will probably keep him on a tight leash. But I suspect that he
’
ll stay involved with whatever that organization becomes.
”

“
Did you come all the way to Houston to tell me about this?
”

“
No, I have to see the detective,
”
he said.
“
But I also needed to see you.
”

“
I
’
m glad you did,
”
she said.
“’
But I
’
ve got to ask you. Are you entirely free of the Nation of Texas? Can you put it all behind you?
”

“
I know I
’
ve got a lot to prove to you,
”
he said.
“
But yes, now that Dan
’
s gone, I won
’
t have further contact with any secessionist.
”

She lowered her eyes and thought for a moment.
“
I
’
d like to believe you, Tom, but it
’
s hard, given everything that you just told me.
”

“
I know you
’
re disappointed that I was in contact with Dan again, but I
’
ve come clean. Can we move on?
”

“
Let me think about it, Tom,
”
she said.
“
You know what
’
s happening at the paper right now. I
’
m slammed.
”

She stood up and he followed her to the door, put his arms around her and kissed her lightly.

“
I hope that within a couple of weeks, Betsy will be back and you can come to the ranch to visit us,
”
he said.
“
I want to court you properly.
”

“
No promises, but I like the sound of that.
”

CHAPTER 43

STATE SENATOR
’
S SLAYING AT RESTAURANT MAY BE SOLVED, TEXAS RANGER SAYS

By Travis Dunbar

Houston Times Reporter

Texas Ranger Mark Ingram said Tuesday the state
’
s law-enforcement unit has recovered the weapon used to kill State Senator Sam Wurzbach, who died earlier this month after a sniper attack at a restaurant near San Antonio.

Ingram said the department received a package containing a rifle
“
almost certainly
”
used to kill the state senator as he prepared to speak at a party held at the Grey Moss Inn in Grey Forest. Wurzbach, 41, was a native of Fredericksburg and represented his district in the legislature.

Authorities are still examining the rifle, but Ingram said Wurzbach
’
s likely killer was Alicia Perez, a fugitive in a four-year-old federal case federal case involving two murders and a drug conspiracy. He said Perez died recently at a Mexican hospital from a brain tumor. She was 54.

Wurzbach, the leader of a fledgling movement to create a German-Texas enclave in the Hill Country, had received several threats from the underground Nation of Texas, according to Ingram. The state senator had spoken against the secessionists
’
plans for winning Texas and converting it into a republic. Wurzbach wanted to carve out a place where German Texans could celebrate their culture.

Ingram declined to discuss the whereabouts of Dan Riggins, the de facto leader of the Nation of Texas organization and Perez
’
s partner. Riggins, a former CIA field agent, has also been a fugitive, but Ingram said federal charges against him have been dropped.

He said he couldn
’
t answer questions about why there is no longer an indictment against Riggins and Perez.

“
It
’
s a matter of national security,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m prohibited from saying anything more.
”

CHAPTER 44

Betsy sat with her head in her hands at a table in the dressing room at the Texas Girls Club. She was scheduled to dance during the afternoon shift, but she was so tired she
’
d rest until the hateful old lady, Mrs. Jimenez, started lining them up.

She was almost asleep when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She sat up, startled until she realized Leka and her two Albanian friends were hovering over her with concern.

“
Betsy, are you okay?
”

She was so glad to hear Leka
’
s sweet voice that her lips trembled and she started crying. She sobbed for a few minutes while the three young women sat down beside her and Leka held her hand. It was only Betsy
’
s fifth shift at the club, but she and Leka had become fast friends, talking as much as they could between their times on stage. She
’
d learned a lot about the three Albanians, including their increasing worry about the six girls who
’
d been sent to the ranch in the Hill Country. Leka couldn
’
t get in touch with her cousin because her cell phone had been taken. She thought they might be prisoners, though that seemed kind of crazy to Betsy.

“
Are you sick?
”

“
No,
”
Betsy said, reaching into her duffle bag to find a tissue.
“
Patrick and I had a bad fight last night. I didn
’
t sleep much.
”

“
Poor girl,
”
Leka said soothingly. She translated to the other girls and they nodded vigorously in empathy. They
’
d learned a lot about men behaving badly during their short lives. It didn
’
t matter where you lived or what language you spoke. Men made life difficult for women all over the world.