The Rio Grande Runs Red
"As I walked out on the streets of Laredo,
As I walked out in Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy wrapped up in white linen,
Wrapped up in white linen and cold as the clay."
The Streets of Laredo, author unknown
CHAPTER 1
"Hey CJ, can you step outside?" Matt Houston hung up the cell phone smiling as he made his way up to the house riding Jasper, the stallion that he had rescued a few months previously. The buckskin – who had been starved and abused – had never had any training before the cowboy brought him to the ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains. He could see his wife as she stepped out of the kitchen door carrying their daughter Catey Rose who was now almost a year old.
Smiling, she called out to Sheila Wentworth, the Houstons' nanny. "You're gonna want to see this, too." Both women stood smiling as Matt rode the horse up to the patio and stopped just a few feet away. Catey was laughing and clapping. "Congratulations – to both of you." CJ approached the stallion and reached up to scratch his jaw. Even that hadn't been possible when the horse first arrived at the ranch. Nickering, Jasper nuzzled Catey.
"You know - they were going to put him down." Matt looked down at his wife and shook his head. "All he needed was someone to take care of him and some training. We're not done yet, but there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be just as good as Cricket."
"That's amazing." Sheila was smiling and petting on the horse. "Good boy, Jasper."
All three adults looked up when the sound of a car coming up the driveway got their attention. "It's Michael." Matt turned the horse and headed him toward the car, the horse showing absolutely no fear.
"I'll be damned." LAPD Lt. Michael Hoyt stepped out of the car smiling. "You two did it. Congratulations!"
"Thanks. How's it going, Oakley?" Matt looked at Homeland Security Agent Chris Oakley. The pair had worked together a little over a year earlier when there was a terrorist threat on the Twenty Nine Palms Marine Training Center.
"Good. New horse?" Oakley had never been to the ranch before and didn't know about the cowboy's work with Jasper.
"You could say that." He watched as Michael walked over and began petting on the horse. "Feel like being part of an experiment?" Cocking his head, Houston looked at the agent.
"I guess so. What do I need to do?"
"Exactly what Michael is doing - just walk up really slow and hold out your hand so he can sniff it first." Matt held onto the horse's reins. This would be the first stranger that Jasper had dealt with since arriving at the ranch other than Michael, whom he had immediately taken a liking to. He calmly sniffed Oakley's hand. "Okay, now scratch his jaw." Matt was smiling from ear to ear as the agent did just that and Jasper didn't react in a scared manner. "Good boy, Jasper." The cowboy patted on his neck.
"What's the deal?" Oakley looked up at the PI and was amazed as Matt told him the story. "That's - wow. Great job."
"He's still got some learning to do, but it shouldn't take too much longer. He's a smart one." Matt continued to pat the horse. "But I've got a feeling that's not why you're here, is it?"
"Unfortunately, no. Have you got a minute?"
"Sure. Want to come down to the barn while I get him put up?" The agent agreed and the three men went that way.
"This is quite a place you've got here. Hoyt tells me you've got another ranch in Texas."
"Yep, it's a good bit bigger. We've got it back up and running cattle again." All three were quiet for a minute. "So what's going on?" Matt swung down from the horse and led Jasper just inside the barn where he began removing the saddle.
"I don't know if you pay attention to the news much but there have been a couple of Border Patrol officers gunned down while on patrol along the Rio Grande around Laredo."
"I heard about that. That's some rough territory." Matt carried the saddle and blanket back to the tack room and came back up the hallway. "One was on a boat and the other was on the river bank, right?"
Oakley nodded. "We've tried to keep too many details from coming out but one of them was killed with what appears to be a long distance shot."
"A sniper."
"Yeah…I was hoping maybe you could help us out. We've had people on it since the first shot was fired but there just doesn't seem to be anywhere to go on it – not to mention the fact that we are stretched so thin…" He shook his head.
"Uh huh." Matt took off the bridle and put a bright red halter on the stallion. "Would you two step back over there for a minute? I'm going to try something." Both did as he asked. "Jasper - ready to go see your lady?" The cowboy walked out of the barn and the horse followed right behind him causing Hoyt to chuckle.
"Jasper's lady – Cricket – does the same thing – follows him around like a dog. Speaking of which…" Hoyt looked as Chantilly, the half Blue Heeler – half Husky that was now a resident of the ranch loped down the driveway, her eyes locked on Oakley. "You've got to be introduced to Chantilly – just stand still." As she approached, the dog began growling at the stranger.
Walking back into the barn, Houston spoke to her. "Tilly, sit." The dog immediately obeyed, but kept her eyes on the man and continued to growl. "Oakley…" Matt stepped closer. "Meet Chantilly. Say hello, Tilly." The dog held up her right paw and the agent looked between her and Houston. "You're supposed to shake." The cowboy was grinning as Oakley shook with the dog.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Chantilly."
"Agent Oakley is okay. Be nice, ya hear?" The dog immediately began wagging her tail and then went to Michael for some attention.
"Did you train her, too?" The agent looked up at Houston.
"Nope - she trained herself." Matt grinned at the disbelief on Oakley's face. "Let's go get a drink." The three walked up toward the house. "So how did I end up in the equation?"
"You have a reputation. The Webb County Sheriff called the director of the Laredo field office after the second shooting. It seems that he's friends with the sheriff in Houston; they had been discussing the situation and she recommended you."
"And since you were here – the director asked you to come talk to me, huh?" Matt couldn't help but grin, thinking back to their first meeting that had ended with the two arguing.
"They knew that you had worked with us on the Twenty Nine Palms case." Oakley grinned. "I'm glad we're not arguing this time."
Matt chuckled as they reached the patio where CJ, Catey, and Sheila were sipping lemonade. "Alright. Have you met my wife CJ?"
"Actually I have. How are you?" The agent shook the lawyer's hand.
"Good – and yourself?"
"Good. I've come to ask your husband for some help again." He took the offered chair as CJ poured three more glasses of lemonade and handed them to the men. "I've got to say – this time around has been much more peaceful." Everyone laughed.
"I'm glad to hear that. What exactly is going on?"
Oakley explained the situation and CJ's expression turned serious. "That's a dangerous job in an extremely dangerous place."
"Yes ma'am." He looked over at Catey who was quietly listening to the conversation. "So this is the bundle of joy that you were expecting the last time I saw you."
"She sure is. Catey, can you tell Agent Oakley hello?"
"Hi." The sweet little voice was accompanied by a big smile.
"Hello. You are just about cute enough to eat up, you know that?" He smiled at her.
Matt reached back for his wallet and removed the picture from CJ's ultrasound. "And these are the two that she's expecting now." His smile was from ear to ear.
"Wow! Twins…that's going to be interesting."
"Especially since Matt says they're boys." CJ laughed.
"Congratulations." The agent handed the picture back. "I hate to ask you, Mr. Houston…especially seeing your family, but we really need some help."
Matt and CJ exchanged a look. Although she worried about his safety, she knew that her husband would do everything possible to stay safe. She nodded at him. "Well, the boss says it's okay, so I guess I can give it a try. What's the plan?"
"There isn't one." Oakley took a sip of the drink. "I've been paying attention to your work, Mr. Houston. You've helped out the FBI, DEA – I don't know who all; but from what I've heard from Alex Bateaux you can probably figure out a plan better than I can." He grinned. "Goodness knows you did the last time we worked together." They all laughed including Catey.
"Alright." Matt looked at his watch: it was almost 6:00PM. "Will it be okay if I head down that way tomorrow?"
"That would be great." The agent looked at Hoyt. "So you work with this guy all the time, huh?"
"Quite a bit – it's definitely better to work with him than against him. It took me a while to figure that out."
"CJ…" Matt reached over and took his wife's hand. "Do you think you girls can stay out of trouble while I'm gone?"
"I'm going, too."
Matt immediately shook his head. "No."
"Excuse me?" CJ's eyes flashed.
"No. I don't want you down there." Sheila and Michael exchanged a worried look.
"The last time I checked I was an adult and quite capable of making my own decisions, Matt."
"Look, it's way too…"
"I'll do what I want." The two stared at each other and no one spoke for a minute.
"How about a compromise?" Matt rubbed her hand between both of his. "How about you go to the ranch? That way you'll be fairly close and can help me out but you won't be in harm's way." He looked up into her eyes, his own filled with worry.
CJ studied him for a few seconds before looking down at her ever-growing baby bump. "I guess you're right, hon. I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about. There's just more folks involved than the two of us – and three of them don't get a say-so." Matt leaned over and kissed her.
"Okay." She looked over at Hoyt who appeared to have been holding his breath. "You can breathe now, Michael." Everyone cracked up again.
"As a matter of fact…" Matt drank down the last of his lemonade as he thought. "I think I might just drive from Houston to Laredo. That way I'll have the truck. I might need it."