Jack Gallegos channeled his frustration and worries as he watched workers erect a six-foot steel fence securing his parents’ lot in south Albuquerque. Wrought iron fencing and an electronically operated gate were installed in front of the house, and tall chain-link sections replaced old wooden pickets on the sides and back of the property.
“Hijo, this is expensive. Let us pay for it.” Eloy Gallegos leaned on a cane as workers dug holes for vertical supports in line with survey stakes.
“Let me do this for you.” Jack’s expression was solemn. “I’ll feel better knowing someone can’t just walk up to your front door and bother you. In a way, it’s my fault you’re being targeted. If I’d been a better investigator, Sonny Para would be behind bars.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You didn’t force those gang members into lives of crime. They come after you because you’re a threat to them. Either get rid of you or go to prison. Your mother and I are proud to have a policeman in the family.” Eloy waved at his wife, Lorena, who sat on the porch with their two Chihuahuas.
“Julius called yesterday to tell us he won his match.” Eloy raised a bushy eyebrow at Jack. “Did he call you?”
“He invited us to watch him in Tucson. He’s very good. Quick as a rattlesnake.”
His father chuckled. “For most people, I’m not sure that’s a compliment. I’m happy he invited you. That means you two are getting along better. For a while there I was very worried about him. Your mother had just about given up on Julius, convinced he would wind up in prison or worse.”
Jack started to say something but changed his mind. “I’m glad he’s doing so well. Have you seen any strangers in the neighborhood, noticed anything unusual?”
Eloy shuffled his feet. “Hard to say. Julius said he had people watching the house. Sometimes I saw unfamiliar cars parked a few houses down. I didn’t know who they were. Ever since you were hurt, your mother stopped going on her walks. She worries a lot about you, about all of us.”
Jack buried his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry about all this. Maybe I should have become an accountant or something.”
His father patted him on the back. “Being a cop is a great service to the community. Never doubt your choice. We’re going through a rough patch, but we’ll come out on top.”
“Thank you.” Jack took his father’s elbow. “Let’s join mom.”
Inside, Jack and his parents sat in the living room and drank mugs of spicy Mexican hot chocolate.
“That hit the spot.” Jack set his mug on a coffee table coaster.
“How is Cait doing? Why isn’t she with you?” Lorena Gallegos hadn’t seen her future daughter-in-law since before the blast in Jack’s apartment.
“She stayed in Tucson to take care of some friends of ours.” Jack filled them in on what had happened to Fern and Clark Bush.
“How awful.” Lorena shook her head. “Don’t let all these disasters keep you and Cait from taking that big step in your life.”
Jack avoided her gaze. What did she expect? The bomb in his apartment had upended a lot of things, including wedding plans. He had finally bared his soul to the stubborn reporter he’d been seeing for two years, and told her just how he felt. Now happiness, even simple everyday existence, seemed out of reach.
After the explosion, he and Cait had left Albuquerque as soon as he checked out of the hospital. Both of them seemed to jump at every shadow, scrutinize every passing car. The idea of ordinary life had become a luxury they couldn’t afford to contemplate.
Lorena Gallegos cleared her throat. Jack returned to the present. “Why don’t the police arrest this guy who’s targeting you?” she asked.
“They need proof he’s doing it. And proof of the killings he’s behind.”
His mom shook her head, and his dad turned away from watching the fence builders. “They’re almost finished.”
“Everything should be done by tonight. You’ll need to choose an alarm code for the gate,” Jack said.
“If I forget it then I’m locked out?” Lorena made a disapproving sound. “This has always been a safe neighborhood. I’ve never felt uneasy out walking. Except for Mrs. Vargas’ geese. Don’t turn your back on those damn things.”
“I’m sorry. When all this is over and the criminals are locked up, you won’t have to be so cautious. Until then . . .” Jack could see the workers loading tools in their trucks. “I’ll be right back.”
The couple watched their son in the front yard talking to the contractor. Lorena started pacing. “I miss Albuquerque in the old days. Things were never like this. What are we going to do? I hate having to hide in my own house.”
“Be patient, is all. Jack knows what he’s talking about.” Eloy spoke more sharply than usual.
His wife flushed with emotion. “Ay. Filth like Sonny Para doesn’t deserve to live. If I ever run into him I’ll rip off his tattoos.”
***
The hiker was just below them, huffing and puffing, boots clomping up the rocky incline.
Cait and Estrella huddled behind a gnarled mesquite tree ten feet from the trail. A man crested the top of the switchback, rifle strapped to a large backpack.
Estrella twitched like she’d been stung by a wasp. Cait squeezed her friend’s arm, worried the hiker would sense their stares.
He was the man who had brandished a gun at Jack and her at the Javelina Rocks Overlook parking lot. As he trudged past, he flipped a cigarette butt off the trail. Heavy footsteps faded as he continued up the ridge.
Estrella had a stricken look. “That’s Curt Wester, my neighbor. He’s out hunting. Why else would he have a rifle?”
Cait took out her cell phone, but the blank battery icon meant there would be no calling for help.
She rose slowly, scanning the hillside above them. “He’s gone. Let’s get out of here.”
They half-walked, half-jogged down the remainder of the trail, slowing only when the going became treacherous with ankle-breaking loose rock.
The last rays of the sun infused the desert with rose and gold when they reached the parking lot. The rain had moved on, although a new front clogged the western horizon. Cait’s Jeep was the only vehicle there. Rifle Man must have parked elsewhere.
Estrella shivered as she waited for Cait to unlock the passenger door. “I can’t do a blessed thing to keep that guy from the jaguar.”
Cait leaned over to open Estrella’s door. “Hurry. Chris has a landline phone in his place.”
Minutes later, they reached her brother’s casita. Once inside, Cait got hold of Chris, who was picking up groceries before heading home.
He was dumbstruck by what he heard. “A jaguar up by Juniper Basin? I had no idea you went hiking. Juniper Basin’s a good distance and it looked like it rained up there.”
Cait turned on the heater and hung up their wet jackets to dry. She made coffee and offered a protein bar to Estrella, who curled up on the couch under a blanket.
“Eeee, my knees are talking after that little jaunt. I’m going back up there in the morning to look for that cat again. Now I’m really worried.” The older woman undid a wet ponytail of long silver hair. “Want to come?”
“Let’s see what Chris thinks.” Cait heard a vehicle stop. She hurried to the front door.
Her brother carried in shopping bags and pushed the door shut with his foot. He greeted Estrella and set the groceries on the table. “We meet at last. Could you stay for dinner? I’m dying to hear about what you saw.”
“I’d like that, I’m feeling a little weak.” Estrella smiled at Chris.
The three dug into an extra-large mushroom and cheese pizza while the hikers recounted the jaguar sighting and the armed backpacker on the Tanque Verde Ridge trail. “Same guy who pointed a gun at Jack and me,” Cait said.
“Weapons and hunting are verboten in the park. I’ll call it in now, though I don’t think they’re going to send anyone up there tonight. I talked to Jon Angel, that biologist I told you about, and he’s fired up about a new jaguar. Once he hears about your adventure today, he’ll want to set out trail cams to see if this critter is the cat from the Santa Ritas or a new one. That rifle guy’s probably after deer or black bear. Maybe mountain lion. But if he runs into a jaguar . . . ?”
Cait pushed away her plate. “There are already cameras up there, near where we saw the jaguar. Past Juniper Basin campground, along the trail and facing a gulch where there’s water.”
“Really? John didn’t mention it. Maybe U of A researchers or some wildlife group set them up. Too bad we can’t go back up tonight. Your hiker will be impossible to find in the dark, hunkered down somewhere off the trail. I’m sure the Park Service will send someone out to look for him, and also talk to Jer Wester. If his brother Curt is your armed Gila monster trapper, he’s out poaching something.”
Estrella covered up a yawn. Cait turned to her. “You must be exhausted. Let me drive you home.”
“Nice to meet you.” The older woman nodded at Chris, gathered up her coat and backpack and walked slowly to the door.
After dropping off Estrella, Cait cruised down Freeman Road past the Wester residence. The gate was closed and the exterior of the house was dark, but she could make out a large pickup parked by the garage. A faint glow shown from behind curtains.
She curled her lip. One of the Wester brothers was home. The other miscreant sibling was up to no good in the Rincons.