Chapter 7
A while later Trivette joined him. He looked through the
window and then looked around. "Has he been here all
afternoon?" he asked.
"We came directly here," Cordell answered, "after
we left the museum. Why?"
Trivette explained about the bikers.
"So?" Cordell asked.
"Well, just before we made the turn into the construction I
could've sworn I saw Walker standing by the curb, signaling. I'm
sure Arrows saw him, too, because he told me to follow his
directions. He was wearing trail gear and had a mustache, but it
was Walker!"
Cordell shook his head. "Couldn't have been!" he
assured. "I haven't been out of sight of him for more than
ten minutes the whole day. There's no way he could've gotten
across town and back!"
Trivette stared one more time. "Got anything?" he
asked.
"Only that the buyer's headed for Dallas, and that he may
arrive either dressed straight, or, in his female persona. But
his two security guards always dress as women. We need to
circulate these pictures."
Trivette took the pictures and stared at them. "THESE are
MEN?" he snapped.
Cordell nodded his head. Trivette stared a few moments more, then
headed off to distribute the pictures. A few minutes later
Marshall Walker emerged from the interrogation room. "We're
not going to get any more from him!" he snapped, "The
brothers dumped him, obviously knew he was getting too hot. He
knows they're working out of a warehouse on the north side. But
that doesn't help us much. Our only hope is they hit one of the
targets we THINK they'll hit, or, we spot their buyer, track him.
Both would be nice. If we could tag the buyer and keep track of
him and know where the items are, too, when the two come together
that's where The O'Shaughanesseys will be.
I'm getting too old for this, damned too old! You ever worry
about slowing down, Cordell?"
"Sometimes," the ranger answered. "But then I
wonder who'd take my place. Trivette's coming along, but he isn't
quite there yet, neither are any of these other youngsters."
"I'm a little bit better off," the marshall answered.
"If anything happened to me Arrows could take over and do a
damned good job. But I'm not ready to retire yet, or, take a
desk. Well, let's go find the ladies. Arrows mentioned you were
taking us to dinner. I don't know about you, I'm gettin'
hungry!"
Trivette smiled. They gathered their partners, checked out the
safe house and found it operating, grabbed their wives, and
headed for CD's.
When they came in the place was bustling. Ranger Walker motioned
his old friend over. "C.D. Parker, I'd like you to
meet..."
The old ranger raised his hand. "We've met!" he cut in,
"Many years ago. You were, what, ten or twelve then? I was a
young ranger on my second assignment., and fouling everything up!
Your daddy straightened me out, helped me make the arrest, made
me look damned good. He was one of the best county sheriffs that
ever lived! Those Klansmen that killed him were the scum of the
earth!"
"It took eight of them," the marshall answered,
"and they didn't get to the colored family my father was
protecting, and they all died trying. So no white jury let 'em
walk away. Yes. I remember!"
He took the old ranger's hand in both of his and held it
strongly.
No one noticed a customer that followed their conversation
closely then joined six other men, telling them what he'd heard.
The other men looked angry as he repeated his story.
"Well, you come on and sit down," C.D. insisted.
"I'll get everybody heaping bowls of my chili!"
"Whoa!" Marshall Walker put in, "I'd love it, but
no chili, nothing spicy."
"I heard you make a great chicken sandwich," the
marshall's wife put in, "my husband would love that!"
Gage and Cooke arrived. As they were sitting down Cooke leaned
over to the marshall's wife. "You said you based all your
stories on your husband's adventures...surely not the movie
introduction to the series! That wasn't truth, was it?" The
marshall's wife nodded. "Oh!" Cooke moaned.
"What's this about?" Cordell asked.
It was Trivette that answered. "In the first episode of "Morgan:
U.S. Marshall," Morgan arrests the leader of a
Satanic cult and he's sentenced to death by lethal injection. A
dozen cult members break into the marshall's house, severely
wound him, and leave him for dead. They then ritually sacrificed
his wife and children. One of the marshall's aides drives by
unexpectedly and rescues the marshall from the burning house.When
he recovers he goes after the Satanists and brings them all in,
or, kills them, mostly kills them, but all in the line of duty.
They put up a fight!"
"How many children?" Cordell asked.
"Two daughters and a son," the marshall answered,
"seven, five, and two. Now I've got just the reverse...two
sons and a daughter. But there's not a day that goes by that I
don't think of the other ones...not a god damned day!"
His wife took his hand and everybody around the table fell
silent. The food was brought and everybody started eating,
talking about pleasant things. Arrows' beeper buzzed. He got up
and went to the phone. As he was coming back a big man rose from
another table and deliberately ran into him.
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