“Wilson’s a good guy,” Agent Andrew’s explained to Megan during the hike. “He’ll be able to help us until we can meet up with the Border Patrol.”
“’Cause y’all are doing such a great job of protecting me so far,” Megan complained.
“Ma’am, it was you that ran into our vehicle,” Agent Carter reminded her. “We’d have driven you to aid quite easily had that not happened.”
“Excuse me for not driving as safe as I could have but I was a little shell-shocked from seeing all my friends ripped apart by an ass-load of deranged monkeys,” Megan shot back.
Agent Andrews and Agent Carter looked to one another in disbelief then back to Megan and said in unison, “Chainsaws.”
Megan stopped in her tracks, sighed in disbelief, and declared, “Those chainsaws were covered in fur and had tails.”
Agent Andrews and Agent Carter looked to Megan in bewilderment and each silently surmised that she had received severe head trauma during her collision, as her description of fur-covered chainsaws made no sense whatsoever.
The three travelers reached the house of Robert Wilson and rang the door. A short, rotund Hispanic woman in a cleaning uniform answered the door.
“Buenos dias,” the lady smiled.
“Buenos dias,” Agent Andrews replied. “We are seeking the assistance of Robert Wilson.”
The lady nodded and waved Agent Andrews, Agent Carter, and Megan into the home and to follow her. The cleaning lady led the three down a heavily appointed hallway to a large trophy room overflowing with taxidermied animals from the world over. Robert Wilson stood from a worn leather couch, placed his lit cigar in an ashtray, and crossed the room to greet his guest.
“Andrews. Carter. Good to see you,” Robert exclaimed, holding out his hand to each. He turned his attention to Megan and her worn look. “My dear, what’s happened to you? Wait. You’re one of the… You’re from that paleontology group, aren’t you?”
“There’s been an accident,” Agent Andrews began.
Robert turned to the cleaning woman. “Juana, some water please.”
Juana nodded and left the room.
Megan’s eyes followed the woman sent to get her a beverage then paused at a mount that sat upon a table-height wooden stand. She pointed at the creature in surprise and fear. She tried to speak but was unable.
Robert saw this and said, “You’ve picked out the one animal in here I didn’t take.”
Megan dropped her hand and wrestled with the emotions overtaking her.
“Is that a… baboon?” Agent Andrews asked.
“How old is that mount?” Agent Carter continued. “It’s all cracked.”
Robert walked to the display to admire the mount. Its fur was dried and yellow from age, the skin worn and cracked, and its eyes looked more like cheap marbles then a representation of actual life. Still, it was one of his favorites.
“My great grandfather shot that here on the ranch back in the 1800s,” Robert proudly explained. “Mexicans called it a mono nocturno. Night ape. Said they live in caves under the river and come out at night to feed.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Agent Andrews admitted.
“I’ve heard tell my great grandfather was quite the jokester,” Robert recalled. “I’ve always suspected this old mount was fabricated to help perpetuate some joke of his. I’ve never had it looked at by professionals or by anybody that could give me a better explanation. I don’t wanna get actual proof that this thing’s not real and that it’s just an old hoax or something.”
“They’re real,” Megan declared. “And there’s more of them.”
62.
Taylor and Hunter didn’t spend time wondering about the construction camp or what the black cloud of buzzards circling above them found so appealing in the trees behind where they stood. They ignored and shielded Dejah’s eyes from the blood-soaked earth they encountered and instead made their way to an old crew cab 4 x 4 truck, smashed the window, and hot-wired it to life
Hunter drove them through ranch scrubland, along paths worn through the vegetation by errant cattle, and along the muddy shores of the Rio Grande until they found an area where the river was shallow and narrow enough to cross. They skirted into Mexico through properties run with goats and pigs and cut their way through barbwire fences until they hit the highway and then to the goat ranch that served as the Acuña Cartel’s base of operations for the construction of the tunnel.
They hit the bunkhouse first where Taylor and Hunter replenished their ammo and downed two beers apiece in record time. They showed Dejah the shower, gave her a change of clothes they took from Ruck’s footlocker, and told the girl to make them work until they could procure others for her.
Taylor and Hunter locked Dejah in the building and made their way to the barn where they found the remains of what was once Miguel and Arturo and the hole one of them had apparently bashed through the wall. They entered this and cautiously searched the barn to find only the dead remains of baboons and men eaten to the bone by such. They searched each room to find nothing but death until they came to the door to Eduardo’s office.
Taylor tried the knob and finding it locked banged the door and called inside. When no one answered after the second attempt, Hunter kicked the door open to find it barricaded somehow on the inside. Taylor and Hunter pushed their way in to discover a weak and weary Eduardo hiding in the corner next to a safe. Eduardo stood and rushed to Hunter sobbing, “Thank God! Thank God!”
Hunter pushed Eduardo down to his office chair and explained the situation.
“My team’s dead. All of them.”
Eduardo sobbed into his hands.
“And as for here,” Hunter continued, “you’re it. The only one left.”
“I tried to help,” Eduardo tried to convince himself through the hands at his face. “I mean… I wanted to help… I—”
“You’re going to help us right now if you want to live,” Hunter instructed.
Eduardo’s hands dropped and his head jutted upward.
“Anything,” Eduardo promised. “Anything. Just get me out of here and away from all of this.”
Hunter let his rifle drop to his side and drew his Glock.
“The Cartel’s gonna pay for our pain and suffering. Put two million in each of our accounts,” Hunter insisted. “Now.”
“What?” Eduardo said, seriously taken aback.
Hunter pushed his pistol to Eduardo’s temple. “I’m not a man used to having to explain myself. Two million in each of our accounts. Now.”
“Yes… yes… yes, sir. I’ll do it. No problems,” Eduardo promised. “I’ll… I can even… I’ll even make it to where… where…”
“Where what?” Hunter prompted.
“I’ll make it look like… department payments for an assignment. Materials. Payroll, etc.”
“Now you’re thinking,” Hunter chided. “Crazy how inspiring a pistol to the head can be.”
Taylor cracked a small smile at the comment.
Eduardo stammered through explanation after explanation of how and from where he was transferring the money. After several minutes of work, he had Hunter and Taylor check their respective accounts to see that each was two million dollars richer.
“How much cash we have on the premises?” Hunter continued.
“Which currency?” Eduardo asked.
“Don’t get technical on me,” Hunter barked.
“One hundred thousand U.S. Maybe 10,000 pesos.”