WHEN LAWSON AND PEREZ RETURNED TO LAREDO, VILLARREAL CALLED them into his office and asked for an update on the interviews in Plano. Lawson told him about their breakthrough with Poncho Cuellar and his cell from Piedras Negras. They’d made that crucial link between the drug money in Mexico and José and Tremor Enterprises. The men could testify at trial about their direct involvement in the conspiracy.
“Are they willing to testify?” Villarreal asked.
“I think so, as long as they can stay in the United States,” Perez said.
Villarreal nodded. He was well acquainted with the delicate negotiations over cooperation in exchange for protection. In Laredo, they often had a difficult time getting anyone to testify against the Zetas in court. But if the trial were in Austin, they would have an easier time convincing them.
“I’ve got good news,” Villarreal said.
Lawson and Perez sat up a little straighter in their chairs. It wasn’t very often they heard those words come from Villarreal’s lips.
“I’m putting you both on the case full-time.”
“Hey, that’s great,” Lawson said, glancing at Perez, who smiled.
“The way I look at it we’ve got ourselves a Big Mac,” Villarreal said, sitting back in his chair and relishing the moment. He was famous around the office for comparing their cases to fast food orders from McDonald’s. “In Laredo we do a lot of shakes and fries, but we don’t get enough Big Macs. I want you two focused entirely on this case from now on.”
“You got it, Boss,” Lawson said, grinning. It was funny, he thought. Villarreal had never officially given his endorsement to Perez signing on as co-agent. They’d just kept on working the case together as they had done for months. He figured this was their boss’s way of finally sanctioning the partnership, and not only that, he was allowing them to focus solely on this one investigation, which didn’t happen often in a small border office inundated with work. They left Villarreal’s office with a renewed sense of purpose. Perez called it their “Big Mac blessing.”
Almost two years had passed since he’d met Tyler Graham and started working the investigation. Now for the first time it felt like everything was coming together—Pennington and his team were making progress on the financial end, and Lawson and Perez had a wealth of evidence from sources and the surveillance they’d been conducting over the past two years on José, Victor Lopez, Carlos Nayen, and the others. They were feeling hopeful. They should have known it wouldn’t last.