Boone had gone off to do whatever it is Boone did, and a short time later, Felix and Uly knocked on our door. Boone had told them to take us out and let us explore some of downtown San Antonio. At first Angela said she wanted to stay in the room.
“Boone says we’re to get you out, for fresh air and education,” Uly said.
We had sort of gotten used to Felix, who was scary in his own right. Uly was a near mirror image of Felix and just as imposing. Angela and I both decided we would enjoy a walk. Outside. For fresh air. And education. And because Uly said so.
The walk actually was kind of refreshing. Uly and Felix kept their distance, unless we stopped to look in a store window or read a historical plaque. If someone paused next to us or wanted to read the same plaque we did, the two men stepped up right behind us, invading the other person’s space and nearly blocking the sunlight. Usually the person took one look at the two of them and scrammed.
The space right in front of the Alamo looks kind of like a park, with lots of trees and walkways. It was abuzz with activity as equipment was being loaded onto the temporary stage in preparation for the concert. We watched for a few minutes as the roadies moved amplifiers and lights and all the other things you needed to successfully stage a concert. I’d seen it all before, but it was still interesting to watch.
The stage was right in front of the Alamo. All of the modern equipment was a stark contrast to the weathered walls of the mission.
While Angela and I watched, Uly disappeared into the Alamo Visitors Center. Felix stood behind us but didn’t say anything. A few minutes later Uly came back and he was holding four plastic badges on lanyards.
“The Alamo is closed to tours because of the concert, but Boone arranged for us to get passes.”
“How did he do that?” Angela asked.
Felix shrugged as he placed the lanyard around his neck. “Boone knows people.”
We went to the gate, where a guard looked at our passes and waved us through. We walked inside one of the most famous places in America and were completely alone. The feeling was … haunting.
I guess I didn’t know what to expect about the Alamo. It’s something you’ve always heard about but you don’t really have a sense of what it’s like until you actually see it for yourself.
Angela was looking at the brochure. “‘There were more than 180 men who died here trying to defend it against thousands of Mexican soldiers. The Mexican Army laid siege to the Alamo for several days before they finally attacked on the morning of March 6, 1836,’” she read aloud.
“‘At the beginning, the defenders turned back two attacks, but the third time they were overwhelmed and it was over in a few minutes. The most famous men who died there were Colonel William Barret Travis, Jim Bowie, and David Crockett,’” she continued to read.
I couldn’t say what it was, but there was something about the place that really hits you when you walk through it. For one thing, it’s a lot smaller than I expected. In my mind, I thought it was like this big fort.
“A lot of people think it was this huge place. But it’s essentially a building just like many others that Spanish monks built throughout Mexico and the southwestern United States. They were places for Spain to convert Native Americans and organize and control their settlements. During the Texas Revolution, the Texians—as they called themselves then—fortified the Misión San Antonio de Valero to try to slow down General Santa Anna’s march through Texas. They were trying to buy time so the Texian Army could gather enough volunteers to stand against his vastly superior numbers and win their independence,” Angela said.
“I thought it would be bigger,” I said. “Being surrounded by all the huge modern buildings in downtown San Antonio makes it look even smaller.”
It was weird because as we walked through the place, read the signs on the displays, and touched the walls, all of us, even Uly and Felix, were silent. It’s almost like talking was disrespectful somehow. I’d never been in a place quite like it in my life.
In the sacristy, a small room inside the mission walls, there’s a little sign that tells how the women and children who were there during the battle hid in that little room. General Santa Anna spared their lives and told them to spread the word to the rest of the rebellious Texians about what happened there to those who attempted to oppose him. Only it backfired.
“The survivors did tell what happened,” Angela said. “And hundreds of the Texians were enraged and rushed to fight under General Sam Houston. They crushed General Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto a few weeks later and won their freedom from Mexico. Barret, Bowie, and Crockett went down in history as martyrs to the cause of freedom.”
Later, as we headed back to our hotel, Uly and Felix gave us our space and Angela and I were quiet as we strolled along. The Alamo is a place that stays with you for a while after you visit it.
Uly and Felix dropped us off at our rooms and we tried to kill time. The longer we waited for Boone to show up, the more restless Angela became. She started pacing. Like she was trying to break the world record for stalking back and forth in a hotel room. I was sitting on the bed shuffling my cards. I couldn’t think of anything to jolly Angela up. I was about to ask her if she wanted to see a card trick, just to see the response, when we were interrupted by a knock at the door.
Angela opened the door. Croc scurried in ahead of Boone and hopped up on the bed right beside me.
“I just got back from my … errands,” Boone said.
I slid a little farther back on the bed to get away from Croc, who smelled like he’d been working overtime in the Disgusting Odors factory.
“Is my mom okay?” Angela asked.
“Your mom is fine. She met with Number Three, a woman who goes by the name of Ruby Spencer and owns a big ranch south of here. Malak has been sent on to Chicago to a safe house. Eben and Ziv are on a flight to Chicago and they’ll pick up surveillance. Apparently the cell has plans there but we don’t know what yet.”
“Who is going to watch her? She always has Ziv and Dirk and …” I could tell she was trying hard to keep the worry out of her voice but she was only partly successful.
Boone held up his hand. “X-Ray is tracking her jet. Right now Agent Callaghan is in the backseat of an F-14 Tomcat and almost to Chicago. He’s going to pick up her trail and watch her until Eben and Ziv arrive. After that he’s going to run countersurveillance on them and the safe house. Pat is good. Almost as good as your mom. It’s covered.”
Angela relaxed a little.
“With an assist from Croc, who played rabid dog at the ranch, I got inside Ruby’s house and placed one of X-Ray’s tracking gizmos in her cigarette case. If we need to, we can find her—as long as she takes her smokes with her. I just checked in with J.R., so everyone is up to speed.”
“Boone, we’ve got all kinds of questions …” Angela started to say.
“I know you do. And I’ve told you what I can. When this is all over, I promise you I’ll tell you everything. But it’s a big story and we really don’t have time to deal with it right now,” he said.
Something was different in Boone. Or maybe it wasn’t and all along it was just something I’d been too busy to notice. It was a little over a week earlier that Boone had “found” us in the middle of Nevada. One morning I had just stepped out of the coach. There I found Boone camped out with a sleeping bag, a little stove, a big heavy pack, and his stack of James Bond paperbacks. But since then, I didn’t remember seeing him sleep. I’m sure he must have, but I just don’t recall it. And right at that moment, he looked tired. No one else would probably notice with his thick beard and weathered skin. But I wanted to be a magician and to do that you had to be super observant. Tyrone Boone looked like someone who could use a nap.
“But Boone, you’ve got to see it from our—” Angela was interrupted by the beep of Boone’s phone.
He held up a finger. “Hold on, it’s X-Ray,” he said, then spoke into the phone. “All right. What? Where are Uly and Felix? Did you get any hits? Okay. Download those photos to everyone’s phones. I’ll be there in a minute. Get those cameras back up, X.” He snapped his phone shut.
“Four new guys just showed up at the warehouse and got into the SUV. We’ve got photos of each of them. When this new crew pulled out in the Tahoe all the traffic cameras in the surrounding area went down. We need a special satellite because of the cloud cover, and J.R. will order one to be repositioned to help us. But it takes time to move them into place. X-Ray is trying to get the cameras back up now. You two stay here. I’m leaving Croc with you.”
He started toward the door.
“Wait,” Angela said, “we can help.”
“No. Not until I know it’s safe. I promised your mother nothing would happen to you. You both stay in this room. Don’t leave and don’t try anything fancy with your phones. You know you can’t take the batteries out, right?” He was serious.
“Boone,” Angela tried whining. “Can we at least go to the restaurant to eat? We’ve done a lot today and we’re hungry.”
“No restaurant. Order something from room service if you want. I mean it, Angela. No tricks. You too, Q.”
“I’m good,” I said.
Boone opened the door and for a second I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Because I was pretty sure that before the door closed all the way, Boone had disappeared.
I was still staring at it and heard Croc whine a little. I looked at him and found him staring back at me with his blue eye. The brown eye was shut.
Getting off the bed, I hustled to the door and opened it, peering up and down the hallway. Boone was gone.
“Poof!” I said.