Chasing the Texas Wind Read online

“Well, I suppose it can’t hurt to find out what she knows,” Grover grunted. “But there’s one American spy I really did not want to have to deal with, and I sincerely hope this girl can at least tell us where he and Maeve have gone. He’s perfectly capable of ruining everything. If he manages to figure out what’s really going on, and connects me with it, and I’m sure he is working hard to do so, there will be trouble you can’t imagine.”

  “This one-legged guy?” Olivera asked. “What he gonna do with no leg?”

  “He’d probably consider that a minor setback,” Grover said. “He’s a very resourceful fellow. He and Maeve Collinswood actually working together – Oh, that could be very, very serious. We have to hurry.” He slowly pulled a knife out of his waistcoat. “So this young lady had better not show any reluctance in talking to us. You’ll explain that to her, won’t you, Olivera, and translate for me?” He brought the knife close to Mia and she shrieked. Olivera grabbed her and held her mouth. Grover shook his head. “She can scream as much as she wants to. This place is very lonely. I just need to know what she knows, fast. Then you’ll get rid of her for me, and we’ll get on to more important things. I have to know where Hamilton Jessup is, and what he’s doing right now. If she can’t tell us, perhaps I know someone who can.”

  Day Seven

  “Part one of the mission is accomplished,” Jude Morrow reported to Ham as a Spanish-speaking messenger left them on the front porch of the Duvall ranch. “We have the ammunition and guns. Chaco’s men are all dead. Most of our men are headed for Monterrey. Matt and John are interrogating Chaco. He does seem to be just as much a chucklehead as you described, Ham. He bought the story with no hesitation.”

  “Still pining over the unforgettable Vienta, “ Ham smiled, twining his fingers in Maeve’s as she sat beside him. “I told Zach the right woman’s the most important thing in all the world. Ma’am, you’re still working for Texas even while you sit here safe on the front porch miles from danger.”

  Maeve blushed. “I’m glad to think some good came of it,” she replied.

  “I’ve got to get moving,” Jude said, rising. “Zach and I are catching up at Rio Linda. Lem’ll be here this evening to wring your hand and say you’re a genius again, but otherwise there won’t be a man on this ranch but you for about the next five days. Everyone wanted to help, and I’ll wager Lem’s right and we’ll need them all to get Ampudia running again. Protect the womenfolk, all right?” He clapped Ham on the shoulder.

  “Yes, sir,” Ham grinned.

  “You’re not sorry to be left behind?” Jude demanded, squatting down and looking into Ham’s eyes. Ham slowly rose, feeling the remarkable response in his new leg, which Obed had finished fitting that morning. He capered briefly around and then sat down beside Maeve again.

  “Me and my dancing leg are just fine with being left behind,” Ham grinned. “Let Santa Ana ride into battle with his timber toes. Mine will stay here on the porch with this glorious sunrise and this glorious lady. Are you sure Zachary should be going?”

  “Mammy says he’s fit, Ham,” Jude shrugged. “I can’t argue with Mammy. He’s only going to handle supply and rescue if necessary. I’ll do my best to keep him out of the actual fighting, and Obed’s going to make him a special charge. Otherwise he’ll really be in trouble with Mammy and Obed doesn’t want any trouble with Mammy, as you know.”

  “Godspeed, Jude,” Ham said, shaking his hand. “Jude, I don’t want to keep you, but I have to say something. Maeve said she made contact with you through your son James, and told me the circumstances. I want you to know how sorry I am. What a terrible tragedy, those animals doing that to him.”

  “James died doing exactly what he believed God gave him his gifts for,” Jude smiled. “His maps and information set up our whole operation for us. We were blind and deaf until James gave us those maps and his observations. No doubt you benefited from his work too, because we turned them over to Army intelligence. They just decided not to act on the information.”

  “We were acting,” Ham protested. “Well, I was. I was trying to. I just didn’t know where to put all the pieces in my puzzle. The wind kept blowing them around. The Vienta, I mean.” He looked sideways at Maeve. Jude nodded, kissed Maeve on the cheek, and disappeared into the stables. Zachary came out on the porch at that moment, and Angelita followed.

  “Going now?” she asked shyly in French.

  “Oui, but I will be back, God willing,” Zachary said softly, and he kissed the top of her head. “Listen to Colonel Jessup, Angelique. He’s going to be the preacher.”

  “ I will,” Angelita replied. Zachary shook hands with Ham, nodded to Maeve, and vanished. A few moments later they heard the sound of a wagon driving away. Angelita sobbed and fled into the house.

  “Oh, Ham, so many good, brave men,” Maeve whispered. “How many will come back?”

  “The Lord knows,” Ham sighed. “We pray, He works. That’s how it’ll be till we hear something. I have no idea how long that will be. I can’t imagine we’ll get daily reports.”

  “I’m beginning to think he doesn’t know anything,” John Duvall said to Matt. “And I’m getting tired of all that cussing.”

  “It’s the crying I can’t take,” Matt grunted. They had moved away from the tree where Chaco was tied and squatted by the fire.

  “Feeling sorry for him already?” John asked.

  “No, of course not,” snapped Matt. “It’s just annoying. And we could be on our way to Monterrey now, instead of babysitting him.”

  “We’d better turn up the heat,” John murmured, picking a red-hot iron out of the fire and turning back toward the tree. Chaco saw them coming and screamed.

  “Jesse, that’s a really nice rug and you’re wearing a hole in it,” Ham chided as he tinkled idly on the piano in the family room. Jesse stopped before the fireplace and ran her fingers into her piled-up black curls.

  “It’s always like this,” she moaned. “They go off, and we sit and wait. I thought maybe when you listened to me and invited us to the meeting it would be different. But you can’t change the Duvalls.”

  Zachary Daniel, on the floor at her feet, patted the head of the bearskin rug and cooed. Jesse flopped down and took him in her arms. He squealed in delight. Ham swiveled around on the piano seat and got the baby to grab his finger.

  “He likes you,” Jesse smiled. “Dan and I had such an argument about names. He wanted his middle name to be Hamilton. I was trying to forget you existed. No offense.”

  “None taken. I was very forgettable back then,” Ham replied. “Jesse, I don’t know if it makes it any easier, but maybe you should know the real reason I showed up drunk at your wedding.”

  “Don’t, Ham,” Jesse murmured. “I saw you when you came here with Maeve. And I thought, ‘look at him. Even in those silly Mexican clothes he looks even more handsome than he did at the wedding.’ And I knew you were sober, and a believer, and I had just learned for certain that Dan was gone, and then – And then I saw how you looked at Maeve, and I knew --”

  “Jess, I’m sorry,” Ham said softly. “God has other plans for you. I hope a new daddy for this little man’s high on the list, and someone to make some happiness for you.”

  “I had so much happiness with Dan,” Jesse said. “After I stopped fighting him and God. Oh, he was so alive, so smart, so funny, so earnest. He loved God and he loved me. Could such a thing ever happen to me twice?”

  “After the troops get back, we’ll line ‘em all up and you can pick one out,” Ham suggested.

  “It’s so hard,” Jesse said. “They’re all like my family. They want a simple, stay-at-home wife and I’ll never be that.”

  “Be what God wants you to be,” Ham said. “That’s all anyone can do. And He knows it isn’t good for us to be alone, men or women.”

  A knock at the front door sent Ham darting off to admit Lemuel McElroy. Jesse approached with Zachary Daniel and Lem chucked him under the chin. Jesse kissed Lem on the cheek and le
ft the room. Lem looked Ham up and down, then twirled his finger around in a circle, and Ham obediently did a quick pirouette.

  “Obed does nice work,” he nodded.

  “It is magnificent,” Ham agreed. “We have a few minutes before dinner, Mr. McElroy.” He led Lem to a seat in the family room and McElroy lit a pipe.

  “Please call me Lem, Colonel,” the older man said as he puffed.

  “Then you have to call me Ham,” Ham countered.

  “I still can’t believe it was so easy to capture that Chaco fellow,” Lem said, shaking his head. “Do you think they’ll learn anything from him?”

  “Anybody who believes in torture is susceptible to it,” Ham responded. “Chaco evidently believed in it very much. And though I don’t know from personal experience, I’ll bet Matt and John know what they’re doing. I feel as if we’re missing something. If we’re going to get any more prepared to meet Ampudia, it will only be by learning something from Chaco. I really wish I could be there. I always do better thinking of things in the middle of a storm than in a sea of calm like this place.”

  “I understand your feelings,” Lem sighed. “Give me a crowded courtroom and a hot debate over a sedate session in chambers anytime.”

  Gregory Stevens locked the door to the empty office and shrugged into his coat as he walked down the bare hallway. He was glad Tad had gone home early. Sometimes he was just annoying, served no useful purpose, and since Ham had sent a note saying he would be gone a few days Tad had been impossible, speculating on why Ham was gone, refusing to accomplish any work or let anyone else accomplish any. Greg wondered why Ham was gone too, but he could function to some extent without him. Greg slipped the folder he carried inside his coat and stepped out of the building. He knew Ham would skin him alive for taking it, but Greg couldn’t help feeling that somebody needed to be working on this project, and Ham had set it aside for other things. Well, Greg intended to have a go at it, with or without Ham’s permission, because he was sure it was important, possibly urgent, even more than Ham could appreciate.

  Ever since that day when Ham had picked his brains about Parmenos and Jude Morrow, Greg had begun to dig around on his own to find out why these subjects were so important. He wished he could talk to Ham about something he had learned without Tad being around, but now Ham wasn’t around. Mentally, it didn’t seem like Ham was ever around anymore.

  “Stevens!” Nathaniel Grover exclaimed. “Imagine meeting you here!”

  “Yes, imagine meeting me coming out of my office building at the end of my workday,” Greg said dryly. “What do you want, Grover?”

  “Don’t tell me Ham Jessup’s poisoned your mind against me, too,” Grover said smoothly. “You know we both work for the same boss, Stevens, whatever Jessup may think.”

  “Ham Jessup’s not the only person who wonders about you, trust me, Grover,” Greg said. “I form my own opinions, and I listen to lots of smart men with good advice besides him.”

  “Yes, I know, and that’s exactly what I’m interested in talking to you about,” Grover nodded. “I need you to tell me where to find Jude Morrow.”

  “Jude Morrow?” Greg echoed. “My guess would be either in Kentucky or in Washington. You’re not much of an intelligence guy if you don’t know he doesn’t even live in Texas.”

  A man came up behind Greg and seized his arms suddenly from behind, clapping a hand over his mouth and shoving him into a carriage that stood around the corner in the alley. Grover climbed in beside him.

  “Now Greg,” Grover said, as the carriage jolted off at a rapid pace. He pulled out a knife. “Where is Jude Morrow when he is visiting in Texas?”

  “Mr. McElroy!” Maeve exclaimed. “How nice to see you. Dinner is on the table.”

  “My lady.” Ham rose and presented his arm to Maeve. Lem followed them to the dining room. Jesse and Angelita entered from the other direction and they all sat down.

  “Please ask the blessing, Mr. McElroy,” Jesse said. Lem prayed, asking fervently for God’s protection on the warriors in His service and the service of Texas.

  Just as Beulah brought out a tray from the kitchen they heard a pounding through the swinging door. Esther the cook opened the back door and a breathless Mexican boy burst in, gasping in Spanish.

  “It’s Rico,” Jesse cried. “He was supposed to stay with Matt and John, to carry any message about what they learned from Chaco.” She darted out into the kitchen. Ham followed, grabbed the boy as he staggered and got him to a chair. Jesse took the gourd Esther had filled with water and gave him a drink. He choked, wiped his face, and spoke rapidly in Spanish.

  “What’s up?” Ham asked.

  “Chaco escaped,” Jesse said. “They thought he was unconscious but he somehow got loose in the one second they weren’t looking at him. Matt was wounded badly. He can’t even walk. John needs someone to come get Matt and bring him back here. John had to leave him alone to go look for Chaco.”

  “There’s nobody to do that!” Lem came to the kitchen door. “You don’t even have a cart or a horse on the place.”

  “I’ll have to go,” Ham said. “If you’ll let me drive your buggy, Lem. It’ll look funny, but we have no choice.”

  “Of course, but --” Lem began.

  “Jesse, get some food into the boy and get him on the trail back as fast as he can,” Ham ordered. “I’m sure he knows a shortcut off the road. Matt needs to know I’m coming, and somebody needs to be with him.” Esther had already fixed a plate and set it before the boy.

  “How can you --” Lem tried again. He broke off again.

  “I’ll have to manage somehow,” Ham grunted. “I’ll go change.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Jesse said.

  “You will not,” Ham retorted.

  “Somebody has to,” Jesse cried. “You can’t manage Matt alone, not even with Rico’s help. Mr. McElroy is too frail. I’m a head taller and twice as strong as anyone else here. Every other woman here besides Maeve and Angelita is over fifty years old.”

  “Jesse, you have a baby to take care of,” Ham argued.

  “Ham, we have no choice!” Jesse cried.

  “I’m afraid she’s right, Ham,” Maeve said, joining the crowd in the kitchen. “There really isn’t any choice. And there’s no time. Ham, I’ll help you get ready.” She spoke hurriedly to Angelita in Spanish. “Jesse, Angelita’s going to help you. Everybody, hurry.”

  “I hope Matt will be all right,” Jesse fretted as they rode in the gathering darkness. Ham and Jesse both wore nondescript Tejano men’s clothing. Jesse’s hair was chopped off short and her blue eyes concealed beneath the low brim of a flat straw hat.

  “Amen to that, but I also hope John gets Chaco quickly,” Ham growled. “I don’t think I would have left him ambulatory.”

  “There’ll be plenty of time for regrets later,” Jesse said. “How much farther?”

  “A mile, maybe less,” Ham replied. “We’re looking for an outcropping shaped like a dog.”

  “There! I see it!” Jesse cried. “And there’s Rico!” The boy stood up and waved his hands over his head, then crouched down again. Ham pulled the buggy off the road and they got down and followed Rico into a hollow where Matt lay in a huddle.

  “Matt,” Jesse whispered. ‘We’re taking you home, little brother.”

  “Jesse,” Matt said hoarsely. “Your hair ... Feel ... such a fool.”

  “Shhh,” Jesse put a finger on his lips. She found the gash in his leg and the crude dressing already soaked with blood. Ham helped her apply a clean bandage and bind the wound more carefully. Then he brought the buggy as close as he could. The three of them struggled to get Matt into the back, sweating and panting and finally succeeding.

  “I go meet Señor John,” Rico said. “Tell him Señor Matt safe, help him find el Diablo.”

  “God bless you, boy,” Ham breathed as Rico disappeared into the darkness. “Jesse, help me back up onto the seat. My dancing leg is a little roughed up thanks to yo
ur dainty and delicate brother. Obed’s going to have to modify it for heavy hauling before the next rescue.” Jesse gave him a hand up. Ham swung the buggy around and back onto the road. The going was slow. The lightly-built buggy was not designed for the weight it presently carried.

  “Ham,” Matt hissed.

  “Hey, you’re supposed to be resting,” Ham chided. “Talking is a lot of work.”

  “Ham,” Matt said again. “Listen ... Been thinkin’ ... after John left. Chaco ... I think ... we missed something. He acted so smug ... Was he maybe ... supposed to make ... some kind of signal to ... sentries ... A code .. An all clear ... and if he doesn’t ... will our guys be ambushed?”

  “Matt, they’re not even taking the guns the same way Chaco planned to go,” Ham said. “Ampudia’s men will never see them.”

  “They have to go partway on the same trail,” Jesse said. “Remember? Oh, you were getting your leg fitted when the messenger told Jude early this morning. The road they wanted to take was washed out. Ham, Ampudia will probably have lookouts posted and there’s sure to be some kind of password or signal. That’s what Matt means. We knew the general password between regiments, aguila, but there is likely to be some special one for this mission of Chaco’s.”

  “Oh,” Ham breathed. “Back to plan A.”

  “What do you mean?” Jesse asked.

  “Is Matt stable? Can we wait awhile to get him home?”

  “The bleeding’s stopped.” Jesse said. “But it’s so dark I can’t be sure. Ham, where are you going?” Ham turned the buggy around.

  “We’re headed for that signal spot we picked out when we were going to blow up the guns,” Ham replied. “I hope we can get the buggy up there. I’m going to light a fire and warn our fellows. If we don’t stop them they’ll be sitting ducks. If we do they’ll be stranded there, helping nobody. We have got to get that password. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.”

  “But if the only one who knows it is Chaco -- ?” Jesse protested.