Short Straw

Vittorio followed him, still troubled. Then, as he watched, two Mexican police cars pulled into reserved parking spots about thirty yards in front of him, between his car and the border.

BARBARA SAT AS close as she could to Jimmy in the car and let her hand wander inside his thigh. "Jimmy," she said in a low voice. "I don't have much in the way of clothes, since I left Eagle, so I need to do some shopping. Do you think you could arrange a credit card for me?"

"Sure, babe," Jimmy replied. "I'll make the call in the morning; you'll have it the day after."

"And please remember to put my new name, Woodfield, on it, will you?" she said, giving his crotch a little squeeze.

"Sure thing."

He reached over and ran a hand up her skirt, and she opened her legs to give him access.

"We'll be back at La Reserve in less than an hour," she said, "and when we get there I'm going to make you forget last night."

"That's going to take some doing," he replied.

"But it will be done," she said.

They were approaching the border crossing now.

Barbara felt a stab of fear, as she spotted the two police cars parked near the crossing. Jimmy pulled the car into line at one of the drive-throughs and stopped, rolling down his window.

Then Barbara saw Vittorio and Ed Eagle getting out of a Jaguar and walking toward her. She began looking for somewhere to run.

EAGLE SPOTTED THE BLACK CAR as it got in line at a border patrol station; he got out of the Jaguar and began walking slowly toward the BMW. Vittorio got out and followed him with Cupie right behind.

Vittorio left Eagle and walked toward the police cars; as he did, the captain got out of one of them and met him. He did not offer his hand. "Good evening, capitan," Vittorio said.

"Where is she?" the captain demanded. "I know she is here, if you are here."

"Look around. Do you see her?"

"Where is the woman you were following?"

"In the BMW, there," Vittorio said, nodding toward the car. "As you can see, it is a different woman."

"Then why did you tell me it was she?"

"I was misinformed. Believe me, I did not like making this trip for nothing."

BARBARA SAW VITTORIO and the captain talking, looking her way. She turned away from them and froze, looking frantically about. The line of traffic was moving, and they were now at a crossing station.

"Good evening, folks," the border patrolman said.

"Good evening, officer," Jimmy replied.

"Are you folks American citizens?"

"Yes, we are," Jimmy said.

"May I see your passports or a government-issued picture I.D.?"

"Of course," Jimmy said, handing him his driver's license.

Barbara handed over her passport.

"How long have you been in Mexico, folks?"

"Only a few hours," Jimmy said. "We just came over for di

"Have you purchased anything during your stay in Mexico?"

"Only di

"Do you own this car, sir?" The patrolman asked.

"Yes, I do. Would you like to see the registration?"

"Yes, please."

Jimmy dug into the glove compartment and handed over the California document.

"All appears to be in order, sir," the patrolman said, handing back their documents. "Welcome home." He waved them on.

Jimmy pulled the car up to a barrier and waited for it to open.

"AND WHO IS THE tall Indian gentleman who is staring at the car?" the captain asked.

"He is my client," Vittorio replied. "He is disappointed, too, as he had hoped to take his wife back to El Norte tonight."

The captain watched as the BMW moved up to the barrier.

EAGLE STOPPED A FEW FEET behind the BMW and motioned Cupie to stop, too. "Let's just wait right here," he said. Vittorio joined them. As they watched, two men in suits and half a dozen uniformed policemen approached the BMW from the U.S. side of the border.

BARBARA WAS SURPRISED, when someone opened her car door, not to be confronted by the Mexican capitan. "Barbara Woodfield?" A man in a suit asked.

"Yes?" she said uncertainly. What was going on here?

"I'm Lieutenant Charles Vickers of the Los Angeles Police Department." He handed her a folded sheet of paper. "This is an arrest warrant with your name on it; the charge is first-degree murder, two counts."

"I believe you've made a mistake," she said, reaching for her handbag, but Vickers got there first. He reached out and snapped a cuff closed on her wrist. An officer on the driver's side of the car began cuffing Jimmy.

"You're making a terrible mistake," Barbara said.

"Yes," Jimmy joined in. "We've just come back from di

"Well, sir," Vickers said, "we're going to have a long talk about that just as soon as we get back to L.A."

The police removed both of them from the BMW, and a police officer got behind the wheel and moved it. A moment later, Barbara and Jimmy were in the rear seats of separate police cars.

"SHE LOOKS DIFFERENT," Eagle said.

"She's had some work done," Vittorio replied. "We saw her in the Bel-Air bar last night, remember."

"I do now."

"All this was very nicely done," Vittorio said.

"Now you know why I didn't want her harmed," Eagle replied. "You'll probably be called to testify."

"I doubt if I'll be needed," Vittorio said. "The gun she used is in her handbag. If she's smart, she'll plea-bargain for her life."

"Oh, she's smart," Ed Eagle said. "She's very smart, but I'm glad I'm not defending her." He clapped Vittorio on the shoulder. "Now you can drive me to the airport."