It was almost nine a.m. when they turned off East Saunders Street in Laredo into the parking lot of the detention center. The one-story block building was a nondescript buff-colored stucco building with a flat roof. All the windows and doors had bars on them.
“Pretty ugly place,” Lori commented as Justin shut the engine off. They had decided to take her truck because Luke’s rental car wouldn’t have made it on one charge, and Justin was hesitant to use the department’s vehicle for what might be a wild goose chase.
Luke explained, “We’re lucky he’s still here. Since the president decided not to have illegals held or documented, everyone we catch crossing the border just gets let go. Armando’s attorney is going to meet us.”
“He’s lawyered up already?” Justin was surprised.
“This center is like a Job Corps camp for attorneys,” Luke told them. “I’ve even seen them hang out at the border.”
They entered the sparsely decorated lobby and Luke talked with the uniformed guard at the counter. U.S. and Texas flags adorned one corner, and the required portrait of the president was anchored on the wall behind the counter. Justin and Lori stood behind Luke and caught snippets of the conversation. When the lock buzzed, Luke signaled them to follow him through the door that led to the back of the building. The door slammed behind them as they walked down the hall and turned into a small interview room. A Hispanic man dressed in a nicely tailored suit rose and held out his hand.
“I am Miguel Rosario, and you are Mrs. Roberts, I presume.” His manner was professional and confident. Lori took his outstretched hand and seemed surprised when he lifted it to his lips.
Her smile was a little uncomfortable. “Thank you for meeting us today on such short notice, Mr. Rosario.”
He released her hand and pulled out her chair. “It is my pleasure to serve you.” He waited until she was seated before he sat at the head of the table.
Justin and Luke exchanged a look. It was rare that either of them were outmaneuvered. They took seats on each side of Lori. Justin removed a small tape recorder from his pocket, turned it on, and spoke into it, identifying the date and place and listing everyone in the room.
“Thank you for agreeing to let us speak with Armando,” Luke said.
“You are welcome. I hope it will help your cause, señora. At this point in the process, I think Armando will be eager to help you as much as possible.”
Everyone’s eyes focused on the door as they waited for Armando to be escorted into the room.
“Nervous?” Justin whispered to Lori. He could see her hands shaking, and she moved them to her lap under the table.
“I’m just glad he’s still here,” she whispered back. “I can’t wait to hear where he got Mark’s boots.”
The lock clicked loudly and the handle turned. A young Latino, probably in his early to midtwenties, entered the room. Miguel stood up and shook the man’s hand, then indicated the seat across the table from Lori.
Lori leaned down and tried to catch a glimpse of his footwear, but the room was small and the table too close to the door.
Once seated, Miguel started the meeting. “This is Señor Armando Castillo. Armando, this is Señora Roberts, Texas Ranger Justin Archer, and Officer Luke Archer. He works for Homeland Security.”
Armando nodded toward each one of them as the introductions were made, then he waited nervously for the inquisition to begin.
“Please tell him this is being recorded, then ask him if he’s been in the U.S. before,” Justin instructed. He decided to take control of the meeting so the questioning would be done properly.
Miguel relayed the question in Spanish to Armando, who answered in halting English.
“No, sir. I have want to come, but I could not get my papers. This is the first time I cross border, and I am sorry if I broke your laws.”
“Right now, we are not worried about the laws,” Justin assured him, and Miguel translated as he spoke. “We are investigating a crime, and we think you might know something that would help us.”
Armando shook his head vehemently. “I came into your country without my papers, but I did not hurt anyone or steal anything.”
“We’re talking about a murder,” Justin stated, watching Armando’s reaction closely.
The young man’s eyes grew wide with fear, and it was clear that he could understand English better than Miguel was letting on. Miguel went through the motions of translating, probably to give Armando time to think.
“I have never killed anyone. I do not know why you look at me,” Armando said defensively.
“Those are some mighty fine boots you’re wearing.” Justin changed tactics to calm the man’s panic.
Armando’s expression changed to pride. “Muchas gracias. They are very beautiful.”
“Could we see them? I’d like to get a pair like them.” Justin kept his tone friendly.
“Sí. They are a little big for me, but I will grow into them.” Armando leaned over and pulled one off and placed it on the table.
Lori stood and pulled one closer. “It’s Mark’s. Look there,” she said and pointed to the bootstrap, which clearly had the name Mark Roberts embroidered in purple on the leather.
Justin tried not to react. Now that all doubt was gone that these were Mark’s missing boots, he wanted to keep Armando calm. Justin took the boot and looked it over, noting the excellent craftsmanship and the rich colors of the plump clusters of grapes and majestic longhorn grazing in a pasture of bluebonnets. They looked like they had been worn a lot, but they were well taken care of. Beneath the dirt picked up on the rugged journey, they had been polished and shined. “There are some excellent boot makers in Mexico, but these look American. I’d like to get a pair like these. Where did you get them?”
“They were a Christmas present from my hermano,” Armando answered.
Miguel had given up any pretense of translating and just sat back, letting the questioning continue. He watched with interest, but it was clear he was not going to interfere.
“Your brother? Does he live here in the States?” Justin glanced at the tape recorder to make sure it was still running.
“Sí. He lives close to Austin. He does not know I was coming.”
“Did he say where he got the boots?”
“No. He sends me and mi madre money all the time. Several years ago, the boots were in a box of clothes that arrived. He did not say where he got the boots, just that I should wear them because they were…” He paused, struggling for the right word, then finished in Spanish, “…muy caro.”
“Very expensive,” Justin translated. He and Lori exchanged a hopeful look. “What is your brother’s name?”
Armando shifted uncomfortably. He knew he was in trouble, but he clearly didn’t want to implicate his brother. “Qué?”
“Please ask him his brother’s name,” Justin said to Miguel, who repeated the question in Spanish.
When Armando still hesitated, Miguel rattled off a couple more sentences in Spanish. Armando answered in the same rapid-fire dialect. Miguel was quick to respond in a harsh tone.
Justin was fluent in Spanish, though it was often advantageous not to let all the parties know that up front. He knew that Miguel had encouraged Armando to tell the truth so that the police would go easy on him, and Armando had responded that he was afraid his brother would be angry. Miguel had then told him that these people were very powerful and they were not going to give up. Justin didn’t bother correcting that exaggeration. Right now, he needed Armando to believe his life depended on it…because Lori’s did.
Armando coughed. Luke got up and filled a paper cup from the watercooler in the corner of the room. He set it in front of the young man, who grabbed it with the urgency of a man who has been crossing the desert. Which, of course, he had been for the last week. He drank the entire cupful, then swallowed hard.
“El nombre de mi hermano es Raúl Castillo.”
Lori gasped. Apparently, she understood Spanish enough to know that Armando’s brother’s name was Raúl. “Raúl is your brother?”
Armando nodded. “Sí, señora.”
“Did you know he had a brother in Mexico?” Justin asked her.
“No,” she whispered and shook her head.
“Do you also have a sister here in Texas?” Lori asked.
“Sí,” Armando answered.
“And her name is…?” Lori leaned forward, waiting anxiously for his answer.
“Raquel.”
Lori collapsed back against her chair, her expression confused. Justin could see that she was having a difficult time processing this new information.
“Would he be willing to let us take these boots back with us?” Justin asked.
Miguel and Armando talked for several minutes in Spanish before Miguel conveyed Armando’s answer. “On two conditions.”
“What?” Justin expected a request for leniency.
Miguel answered, “He would like a brand-new pair of boots to replace these.”
Lori nodded. “Maybe a size smaller?”
Armando smiled. “Sí.”
“And the other condition?” Justin prompted.
“Armando would like to see his brother and sister. He hasn’t seen them for ten years, since he was a small boy.”
Justin looked at Luke, who shrugged. “We’ll see what we can do,” he promised. He turned the tape recorder off and pocketed it. The interview was over. Now all he had to do was put together the evidence and confront Raúl. Apparently, the man knew more than he had let on to Lori or Justin.
Luke stayed behind to see if he could get Armando transferred to Austin or at least held longer at this facility. Justin and Lori drove to the closest western-wear store, where Justin picked out an expensive pair of boots in the proper size, covered in fancy tooling, and a package of socks. They returned to the facility and traded the new boots and socks for a signed and notarized affidavit that verified everything Armando had told them.
Armando was delighted with the substitute footwear, which fit him perfectly. He made Justin repeat his promise to try to reunite his family, if only briefly.
Luke, Justin, and Lori stopped for lunch, then headed back home. Mark’s boots were packed in the new boot box along with Armando’s notarized statement. Lori was unusually quiet as Luke and Justin rehashed the details of the case.
“So, do you think Raúl is the killer?” Luke asked.
Lori was quick to jump to his defense. “I can’t believe that. Maybe he just found the boots after the killer threw them away.”
“Or maybe Raúl knows who did it and has been covering for him,” Justin suggested. “Are we sure Armando has never been to the winery?”
“I checked the records, and he’s not on file for being picked up or deported before now.” Luke didn’t look convinced. “However, illegals have been known to lie when they get caught, and it’s complicated to verify identities without any paperwork.”
“The boots aren’t enough,” Justin admitted. “Lori’s right. Raúl could have found them. We’re not even sure that Mark was wearing them the day he died. For all we know, he might not have liked them and gave them to Raúl, who in turn gave them to Armando.”
“They’re evidence, but not necessarily of a crime,” Luke agreed.
“Just in case we need it, why don’t we stop in San Antonio and see if the boot maker can verify that they were Mark’s. Not that I’m doubting you,” Justin quickly added to Lori.
“That’s a good idea,” Lori told him, but he could tell she was a little disappointed. He knew she had been hoping this break in the case would completely remove her from the suspect list.
It was after eight by the time they picked up Mackenzie from Grammy’s. The boot maker, whose name was Tim Green, had positively identified the fancy footwear as belonging to Mark. He kept photographs of all the boots he’d handcrafted in case he had to replicate them. So they had left with another signed affidavit, a copy of the receipt, and the photo.
“Why don’t you stay for dinner?” Lori suggested to Luke after they’d parked next to his little car in front of her house. “We can talk to Raúl and Raquel tonight, once they’ve finished their shifts.”
“Sure. I don’t have any other plans,” Luke agreed. “Italian?”
“It’s our specialty.”
“I already ate dinner at Grammy’s,” Mackenzie announced. “Can I go watch TV?”
Lori gave her daughter a hug. “Did you have a good time at Grammy’s?”
The little girl’s head bobbed up and down. “She’s so nice. She said I can come ride the ponies anytime I want. And she taught me how to play poker.”
Lori’s eyes widened in horror. “Poker?” She glanced first at Justin and then at Luke. Both men just shrugged and smiled.
“That’s where we learned it,” Justin said.
“I guess you two didn’t turn out so badly.” Lori managed a smile and turned back to Mackenzie. “Go ahead. But keep the doors locked.”
There were only a few guests having dinner in the restaurant, a party of two and a larger group of eight. Lori, Justin, and Luke picked a table in the corner, away from them. Raquel rushed out with three glasses of water and two menus.
Lori introduced Luke as Justin’s brother, then asked, “How have things been going around here?”
“We were pretty busy yesterday, but today has been slow.” Raquel smiled at Luke. “Are you ready to order? Chef Bradley was about to shut down the kitchen. But for special guests…”
“The chicken Alfredo looks good,” Luke said.
“Make that two,” Justin spoke up.
“Me too,” Lori added.
Raquel picked up the menus and left. She returned quickly with a bottle of chilled chardonnay and three glasses. With practiced skill, she extracted the cork and poured some in each glass.
A few minutes later she brought their salads, then left to take the large party’s dessert order.
“What did she and Raúl have to say about your arrest?” Luke asked. “It seems a little suspicious that they didn’t come clean about the boots when you were being charged with murder.”
“They don’t know,” Lori answered. “All I told Raquel was that I had to go into town with the officer. I’m sure she thought it was because they had some news about Mark. I was afraid it would hurt the winery’s reputation and frighten the staff.”
Luke finished his glass of wine and held it out for a refill. “You make excellent wine. Do you ship it?”
“Yes. I’ve even started a subscription service where we have auto-ship.”
“Good idea.”
Chef Bradley brought out their entrées. “It’s a pleasure serving your friends, Mrs. Roberts.”
“Thank you, chef.” Lori smiled her approval.
The food was delicious, and all conversation stopped while they devoured it. By the time they were finished, all the guests had gone, and Raquel was cleaning up.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?” she asked.
“Actually, I was wondering if you could get Raúl and come join us for a minute. We have some news about your brother.” Lori’s face was expressionless, but Raquel went white.
“Y-yes. Of course,” she said and scurried away.
Justin looked at Lori and smiled. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
“I was going for the shock factor.”
“I think you achieved that, and more.” Justin pulled the tape recorder out of his pocket and repeated his date, time, place, and attendees speech.
In less than five minutes, Raquel returned with Raúl. They stopped at the table, their faces reflecting their concern and confusion.
“Please sit down,” Lori said.
Luke stood and pulled out a chair for Raquel while Raúl took a chair from another table and sat next to her.
“I’m going to record our conversation,” Justin informed them. “Please state your names.”
“Raquel María Castillo.”
“Raúl Luís Castillo,” Raúl said, leaning toward the recorder. Then he looked at Lori. “Is something wrong, Miss Lori?” His hands were neatly folded together on the table, but his tension was visible in the bulging muscle in his jaw.
“Ranger Archer, his brother, and I went to Laredo today…to the detention center.”
Raquel’s gaze darted to Raúl and his eyes widened.
“We spoke with your brother Armando,” Justin told them. “Very nice man. He said to say hello.”
“Armando? Why was he in Laredo?”
“He was caught with a group of people illegally crossing the border.”
Raquel gasped, but Raúl sat quietly.
“Is he okay? Did they arrest him?” Raquel asked, her voice cracking.
“He’s fine, and they didn’t arrest him. But he is in the process of being deported,” Justin answered.
Raúl frowned. “But how did you know he was our brother? Why did you go all the way to Laredo to talk to him?”
Justin lifted the boot box from under his chair and placed it in the middle of the table. He removed the lid and lifted Mark’s boots to an upright position. “When he got picked up, he was wearing these boots. Recognize them?”
Raúl’s face drained of color and he exchanged panicked looks with his sister. “Las botas de Mark!” he whispered.
Raquel’s eyes filled with tears that flowed unchecked down her beautiful cheeks. She shook her head slowly as she studied her brother’s face. She kept repeating, “No…no…no.”
Justin reached over to the table behind them, pulled a napkin from under a place setting, and handed it to her. “Armando said you sent these boots to him for Christmas about eight years ago.”
Raquel was sobbing now and Raúl took her hand and held it tightly, as if to give her strength. But the tears in his own eyes showed that he too was very upset.
Justin leaned back, his gaze locked on Raúl. “Why did you have the boots, Raúl?” His voice was gentle but stern. He found himself holding his breath, waiting for the young man to answer.
“It was my fault…all my fault, Miss Lori,” Raquel cried. “I am so sorry.”
“Stop, Raquel! Stop!” Raúl leaped to his feet and stalked away from the table.
Raquel ignored her brother. “I was in the toolshed one evening after the restaurant closed and—”
Raúl whirled around and rushed back to Raquel. “Don’t say anything, Raquel. It’s too painful to relive.”
Justin leaned forward and shifted his focus to Raquel. “Did you know that Mrs. Roberts has been arrested and accused of killing Mr. Roberts? If you know something about his death, Lori’s life may depend on it.”
Raúl dropped back down on his chair. He looked at Lori in shock. “Is this true, Miss Lori? They think you killed him?”
Lori nodded. “It’s true. Last week when Raquel came over to take care of Kenzie, they arrested me. We’ve been trying to find the killer before I go to trial.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t know what will happen to her if they send me to prison.”
Raquel turned to Raúl. “We have to tell them. Miss Lori can’t go to jail.”
Raúl, his lips pressed tightly together, nodded stiffly.
Raquel looked at Lori. “That night over eight years ago, I was trying to find something to repair a table here in the restaurant. I went to the toolshed and…” She paused and swallowed hard. The memory was obviously very painful. Haltingly, she continued, “…he came in.”
“Who?” Lori asked.
“Your husband…el jefe.”
“What did he want?”
Raquel tried to speak, but after several starts where no words actually made it out, Raúl put his arm around her shoulders. When he lifted his gaze to Lori, anger turned his brown eyes almost black. “Your husband wanted Raquel. He raped her!”
“Good God!” Justin exclaimed, shifting his gaze from Raúl to Raquel to Lori, then back again.
“It was not the first time he was forward with her,” Raúl answered.
“I was always able to put him off…” Raquel’s small voice trailed off.
“But not this time?” Lori asked.
Raquel shook her head and lowered her eyes in shame. “He came up behind me. Before I could run, he had me on my back on the stone floor. I screamed, and he stuffed his shirt into my mouth. I could hardly breathe.” Her chest heaved up and down as if she were reliving the attack. “He tore off my clothes. I fought him, but he hit me so hard. I don’t remember what happened next, but when I woke up, he was naked and he was…inside me.”
Lori got up and hugged the young girl. “I’m so sorry, Raquel. I never knew!”
Raquel sobbed, “I couldn’t tell you….I was ashamed.”
“Ashamed? You had nothing to be ashamed of,” Lori assured her. “Mark was the monster. But you’ve always trusted me, haven’t you? Why didn’t you come to me? Either of you?”
“Your husband was a powerful man. He said he would call ICE and have us deported,” Raquel answered, her emotions almost under control.
“We have seen many men come and go because of him,” Raúl said.
Justin knew he had to get them back on point. “Raúl, did you walk in on them?”
“I waited for her to come back with the piece of wood. I had taken the table apart and needed the part so I could finish it. When she didn’t return after several minutes, I went to look for her and found him…on top of her.” Raúl wiped the sweat off his forehead. “When I saw her struggling to push him off and his dirty hands all over her, I was enraged. I threatened him, but he told me to get lost…that this was none of my business.” He lowered his face into his hands. “I had to stop him.”
“Yes, you did.” Lori touched his arm.
He looked directly at Lori, but his eyes were focused on the past. “I grabbed his arm and pulled him off of her. He swore at me and told me to get out. Raquel tried to get away, and he hit her again. My God, Miss Lori, she’s my sister.” He rubbed his eyes in an effort to erase the memory. “I jumped between them and tried to protect her.”
“And then?” Lori prompted him.
“He told me to pack light because he was going to have me sent back to Mexico, but he was going to keep Raquel…for fun, he said. Then he tackled me. He was much bigger, but he was drunk and I was able to push him away. I tried to drag Raquel out, but he charged me. I pushed him back, and he fell down…and didn’t get up.”
“What happened?” Justin asked.
“You know that small anvil we have for fixing things out in the vineyard?” Raúl asked Lori. “His head hit that.”
“There was so much blood,” Raquel murmured, as if in a trance.
“We felt for a pulse but he was dead.”
“What did you do then?”
“We waited until the middle of the night, then loaded his body on a cart and took him out behind the fence,” Raúl admitted.
“And his clothes?”
“I wasn’t going to put them back on him, so I just buried them next to him. Except for his boots. They were too excellent, so I sent them to my brother. I didn’t think he would ever come here, so no one would know.”
“How about the diamond ring?”
Raúl and Raquel exchanged quizzical looks.
Raúl fidgeted nervously. “We don’t know anything about a ring. We didn’t take it.”
“We know you didn’t,” Justin said to calm their fears. “We found it with the body. Perhaps it was in his pocket.”
“We didn’t check his pockets except to take out his wallet.”
“What about his wallet?” Justin asked.
“We hid it behind a rock in the wall in the toolshed. We didn’t want to bury it because there might be something important in it,” Raquel explained.
“So Mark wasn’t carrying a large amount of money?” Justin asked.
Both Raquel and Raúl shook their heads. “I think there was some money in his wallet, but we didn’t look inside,” Raúl explained. “We didn’t want to steal anything. We never meant for any of this to happen.”
“We’ll look for the wallet tomorrow morning, and I’ll turn it in for evidence.” Justin turned to Lori. “You’ll get it back as soon as we sort all this out.”
Lori shook her head, still in shock. “I don’t know what to say. An apology for Mark’s actions could never be enough. You’ve had to live with this hanging over your heads all this time.”
“It was not your fault, Miss Lori,” Raquel said. “You have been like a mother to us, sponsoring us, paying for our educations, giving us jobs and a place to live, and taking care of our doctor bills. No one could have done more.”
“So now what?” Raúl asked nervously.
Lori looked at Justin and Luke.
Justin exhaled a long breath. “First we need to set up a meeting with Lori’s attorney, the DA, and both of you. This is clearly a case of rape and self-defense, but you need to tell the DA exactly what you told us.”
“I’ll pay for my attorney to defend you both,” Lori assured them. “And I’ll stand behind you all the way.”
Raúl finally asked, “What will happen to us?”
Justin was calm. “You’ll have to make an official statement. Your worst crime is that you hid the body and never came forth with the information, even after we found it.”
“We were afraid. We’re citizens now, but they could still send us back to Mexico,” Raúl explained.
“I’m sure you’ll get a stern lecture, but considering the circumstances and the amount of time that has passed, you’ll likely just get probation.” Justin laid the boots down in the box and put the lid back on. “Luke and I will vouch for you and recommend leniency.”
Luke nodded his agreement.
“I’ll call tomorrow and set up the meeting,” Justin said. “Don’t do anything stupid like running away.”
Both Raúl and Raquel were quick to say, “No. This is our home now. We don’t want to leave.”
“Yes, it is your home for as long as you want.” Lori had been standing next to Raquel. She gave Raúl a hug. “You’re good people. And so is Armando.”
“What will happen to him?” Raúl asked. “Will we be able to see him before he is sent back?”
“We’re trying to set something up,” Luke said. “But no promises. Transferring detainees can be tricky.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted,” Lori said. “We’ll let you know tomorrow what’s going to happen next.”
Raúl and Raquel still looked worried, but there was also relief on their faces. Justin couldn’t imagine what a nightmare it had been to not only cope with the trauma of the rape but to believe they had to keep it a secret all these years.
“Well, I didn’t see that coming,” Luke said. “Good job, Justin.”
“As many cases as I’ve solved, I shouldn’t be surprised, but this one is for the books,” Justin admitted. “They were at the bottom of my suspect list.”
“Raquel was only sixteen and Raúl just seventeen when it happened. She had been living with us for a little over two years at the time.” Lori still seemed to be in shock. “They must have been terrified.”
“We’ll fix this,” Justin promised. “Why don’t I lock up for you?”
Lori nodded and waited in the restaurant until he returned, then they all headed toward her house.
“I’m heading out,” Luke said. “Let me know the plans.”
Justin held his hand out and they did a fist bump. “Hey, thanks. You gave us the break we needed.”
“It was fun. I like happy endings.” Luke waved goodbye and got into his little rental car. It started right up, and with a low hum he backed it around and headed out.
Justin put his arm around Lori and she snuggled against him. “We’re going to get through this,” he murmured into her hair. “You’re going to be out of the woods soon, and you can put all this behind you.”
She raised her face and kissed him. “You’ve been wonderful. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
His heart ached. He didn’t know what he was going to do without her.