Comeuppance: Epilogue

Tuesday they visited Italy, and Eduardo dug into the Tuscan salad, then ate himself sick on the pasta trio of manicotti, lasagna, and cannelloni. He did find room for the tiramisu, but complained again that they were feeding him too much.

Wednesday featured Scottish Pie, filled with thin slices of various meats, with rumbledethumps, and shortbread for dessert. Papá approved of the hearty pie, the turnip/ potatoes/ kale/ cheese veges, and even enjoyed English tea with his shortbread.

Thursday's breakfast was traditional Irish scones, some with fruit fillings, some buttermilk. Eduardo took a bunch with him; some for a late morning snack, and some to share with the workers.

Dinner began with pickled herring, and continued with smoked salmon steaks with a dollop of a spicy Norwegian sauce, and peas. The Fattigman cookies, fried pastry covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon, reminded him of Mexican sopapillas, and he ate a half dozen.

By Friday, Papá had come to relish the diverse cuisine, and had come around on their constant enticement to 'try something new' and 'get out of your rut.' Mamá was enjoying the cooking, but watching her daughters work their father was far more amusing. She had figured out where this was going, and the notice, given after their Thursday evening Norwegian feast, that they had invited guests to their Friday evening meal and it was starting an hour early, came as no surprise to her.

Papá was blissfully full, and blissfully unaware; he merely told them he would be home on time, and asked what they would be serving. They told him surprises were good for his cognition, and he should arrive with a big appetite and an open mind. Mamá barely hid her smile, and thought how much trouble the husbands her daughters' chose were going to be in. At her best, she was as good, but certainly no better, at manipulating her hard-headed husband, and she had twenty-five years of practice!

Eduardo arrived precisely at five, as directed, and the smell that greeted him overwhelmed his senses. He tried to look around the kitchen, but was shooed away by his daughters, who told him to be patient - it wasn't ready yet!

When the doorbell rang ten minutes later, he was told to go welcome their guests. He grinned, winked at his wife Eva, plastered on a dour face, and opened the door to find Jack and Carl on the porch. He frowned, but opened the door and gestured for them to enter. They shook hands with him and bowed over his wife's extended hand before greeting the girls with kisses on the cheek. He raised an eyebrow to that display, but winked at his wife when he turned away.

After the standard "Bless us oh Lord and these they gifts..." prayer, the meal began with spinach pomegranate salad served with sour dough bread, and a main course of garlic and herb roasted lamb chops, accompanied by a small bowl filled with a pinwheel of colorful raw squashes and sliced peppers. To top it all off, Chita brought out a hot chocolate lava cake and sat it in the middle; Cilla spooned vanilla ice cream on top, covered it with hot caramel syrup, and proclaimed, "Eat up before it melts!" The sisters then reached over and took large spoonfulls of cake and ice cream.

"Come on; we're all sharing, so get a spoonful before someone eats yours!" Chita urged. Four spoons moved toward the cake, but tentatively so as not to prevent the others from getting their part. Conversation flowed again as it had over dinner, and an easy comradery developed as they shared the enormous cake and ice cream mountain.

The parents were informed that the Cowponies were taking on the rival Warponies at home tonight, and the head coach had invited them to an after-game social at his house, so they shouldn't wait up. The gathered their team windbreakers, said their goodbyes, and headed out the door.

Eduardo sat beside his wife on the sofa, put his arm around her, and said, "I was wondering where this was all heading. Did we just dine with our future sons-in-law?"

"Well, the girls know proud you are of our Castilian bloodlines, but they don't seem too interested in taking the study-abroad opportunity you offered in Spain, hoping they would find a fine Spanish gentleman. The 'tour of Europe by cuisine' was obviously..."

"...intended to introduce me to new ideas and ways of living. Yes, they beat it into me each evening, and every other chance they got! I caught on after Wednesday's lecture on Celtic and Gaelic culture and achievements, but I was enjoying the food and their company, so I continued to play dumb.

"They are intelligent, charming, willful, and manipulative, but I've been married to the master for nearly thirty-five years, so I'm somewhat resistant."

"Are you, my love? I noted a marked difference in your approach to the young men tonight. Are you considering adding a bit of Celtic and Viking to our bloodlines?"

Eduardo laughed. "Your family may be pure Castilian, but we already have Irish and Scottish in my bloodlines. My fifth great-grandfather was one of the Wild Irish Geese who assisted the King in his war with the British, and my fourth great-grandmother was a bonnie lass from Edinburgh whom my grandfather met while touring the old castle.

"She was, at least, from landed nobility, but don't let the girls know the purity of our Spanish blood has been polluted. I want to see what they come up with this week." She laid her head on his shoulder and her hand on his crouch, "Come upstairs with me, you mongrel of a man; I want you to give me another willful child!"

****

While the Garcia girls softened up their parents, Carl ran the ranch, and Jack spent time analyzing what Alfred and his partners had discovered, scheduling a meeting with his attorney, and looking at angles for acquiring the Old Miller ranch across the river from the government.

On Tuesday, Jack received a round trip airline ticket from SAT to Managua, Nicaragua, and an all-inclusive hotel voucher good for one night. The ticket and voucher were for Monday and Tuesday of the next week. No other information was included in the FedEx package.

He conferred with Alfred, who conferred with his confederates, and they agreed to dig a bit deeper before he climbed on a plane to go meet someone who could be a bounty hunter. Abraham Cross called a few minutes later, they discussed the trip, and he had a few ideas as well.

In his heart, Jack was sure the trip had to do with April and Janice. No bodies had washed up anywhere near Jamaica, but Mule had found suspicious airport footage from after the Sheik's plane supposedly departed with King and the two women on board. Two figures dressed in the uniform, hazard jackets, ear muffs, and caps worn by mechanics at Aeropuerto Internacional de Mexico D.F. exited the hanger from which it had departed pulling a large tool box on wheels.

They made their way to an old pickup truck with a camper on back. They unlocked and opened the back door, pulled out a ramp, and pulled the tool box into the camper. One stayed in the camper, the other opened the cab, a man got out, and the truck drove off. They left via the employee entrance and disappeared in the traffic heading toward the city.

There were no records of two women flying out of Mexico City or nearby airports, and no way to access border checkpoints where they might have crossed into Guatemala, Belize, or Honduras using aliases. Still, Jack's suspicions remained, and he had pretty well converted Sue, Croc, Mule, and Abraham to his way of thinking.

They had remained alert for the possibility the men were also still alive, but when the Jamaicans finally announced the DNA results, the bodies in the back of the plane were those of Daniel King and Ahmad Ali al Nahyan. Their bodies were claimed by their families, but release of the names stirred up old news reports about 'The Ring,' enslavement of women, and all the other atrocities they were said to have committed.

Jack's meeting with his attorney was long and difficult. As his wife, April was on many of his accounts, on deeds, on investments, and as a partner in several businesses, her death in a plane crash into the sea, without a body having been recovered, was a legal nightmare in Texas - in spite of the death certificate issued by Jamaica. After hashing and rehashing the options for having her declared dead, which could talk years or even a decade, they decided the best way to settle the estate and free Jack's properties, would be to divorce her for abandonment.

In Texas, that meant (1) the spouse left with the intention to abandon the marriage, and (2) a year had passed without contact or proof he/ she intends to return to the marriage. It might not be as clean as they'd like, but Donnie was certain the judge would accept the petition, and, in a year, grant the divorce according to Jack's requests. Assuming she didn't reappear, of course...

Donnie and Jack then delved into the peculiarities of Civil Asset Forfeiture, the law by which the sheriff seized the ranch used for illegal activities before, during, and after the 'Battle of Armstrong Ranch.' It seemed strange if not unconstitutional that land could be seized and sold without the owner being found guilty of a crime, but it was fact, and Jack wanted the land for a number of reasons.

First, the previous owners, the Miller's had surface and underground water rights the new owners would acquire, not to mention unexplored mineral rights. Second, there were two Carrizo Sands Aquifer wells on the property to which center-pivot irrigation could be attached. Third, the hayfields along the river would be easy to irrigate using the water rights, if there was sufficient water in the river. Fourth, he could legally clean out the silt that had filled the lake in front of the dam if he owned both sides. He would not be damming the river; rather he would be deepening the riverbed in front of an existing, long-approved dam, and would therefore have more irrigation water available.

And, finally, safety: that was the best direction from which to attack the house, and the two attacks had been staged and launched from there. If he controlled it, enemies would have more trouble using the land for nefarious purposes.

Under Texas law, an asset forfeiture proceeding is civil, and the property, not the owner, is charged with involvement in a crime. Once the sheriff seized the property and filed a lawsuit with the district court, the onus was on the property owners to prove the property was not connected to criminal activity, and the only way to recover the property is to successfully defend their right to the property in the county or jurisdiction in which the property was seized.

That was clearly not going to happen in this case, given the stakes and the likelihood of imprisonment for the owners, so the land would be sold by the sheriff, in much the same way property seized for delinquent taxes is sold - on the courthouse steps. Jack would be there with access to a bank account full of King's money, and it was unlikely any locals would be bidding against him. Out of town representatives of rich men and corporations wanting a hunting/ recreation ranch, maybe, but the sheriff smiled and said there were ways to discourage them, including restrictions on land use.

The sale was scheduled for November, inconveniently early on a Monday morning. Until then, there was nothing more to do.

Another FedEx package arrived Friday afternoon while Jack and Carl were getting ready for their meal with the Garcia family. It was a cryptic message; Jack read it and then took it to Alfred, who, without comment, called off their search for April and Janice in Central America.

"The Nahyan Family is following your efforts. Please stop until we talk Monday."

****

They walked away from the Garcia home hand in hand, and sat in the SUV as couples. It was a small step, perhaps, but it was a step, and an important symbolic step, for the four. Sooner than they expected, Jack and Carl would be visiting and speaking with the parents. Or at least Carl would; Jack wasn't sure of his relationship with the younger daughter.

They blatantly entered the football stadium hand in hand, sat as couples in the bleachers, and interacted with others as couples. It created a buzz, with many wondering what Mr. Garcia would say, and an equal number wondering if Jack's period of bereavement ended too early.

They ignored it all and enjoyed the game, which the Cowponies won over the Warponies. That win clinched one of the four playoff spots for the district of six, so it might not mean all that much, but on a night of symbolic wins, it felt good!

No makeout session, no late return; the girls were delivered to their home immediately after the after-game coaches party, at which they were treated like royalty. They were kissed properly at the door, and finalized a nine am pickup for their day trip to the Turkey Creek Arts and Crafts Festival at the Franklin Ranch.

Carl and Jack got a hero's welcome from the Franklins, and the girls were fawned over like royals. It was a beautiful, cool, sunny day on the big creek, the offerings were impressive, and the grilled hamburgers the bought for lunch were delicious, if not up to the standards the girls has set Friday night. They walked up the creek, spread blankets on its banks, ate, and the girls were chaffing at the bit with a story to tell.

Mamá had gotten a call before they left, Chita told them, and they had listened from behind a door. Cilla recounted the conversation. "Yes, Esmerelda, we're aware. The Armstrong boys dined with us Friday afternoon before the game, and the girls are going with them to an Arts and Crafts fair today. Eduardo and I like the boys. They are well raised by good families, they are intelligent, respectful, and just tough enough to control the little wildcats we raised and spoiled.

"Yes, thank you for letting me know, but don't worry your pretty head - we know and approve."

"So, what do you think of that?" Chita asked gleefully.

"Well, other than strongly doubting I'm tough enough to control the spoiled Chita wildcat, it all sounds good! You two apparently did a great job of selling dad, and mom, it seems."

With mock indignance, Chita slapped at Jack with both hands while asking, "Did you say 'spoiled Chita wildcat'? I'll have you know I'm a very low-maintenance girl who is anything but SPOILED!"

Cilla, Carl, and Jack, while fending off her slapping hands, all laughed at her. "Oh, yes, Sis - you are definitely high maintenance and spoiled ROTTEN. Daddy's little princess, who has two closets full of clothes, shoes, and jewelry, and who is getting a new JEEP WAGONEER for graduation, but, oh no, you aren't spoiled! Don't try to pretend, Wildcat; own up who you are!"

The mock indignation faded into a grin, and she admitted, "Maybe just a little bit, but that was mostly when I was younger and jealous of you! Now that we have a business and I'm starting to pay my own way, I see how much unnecessary things cost.

"The Wagoneer is my reward for graduating Magna in three years; Daddy said it cost a lot less than another year of college! It was his idea; he says it's safer and roomier, so who am I to argue?"

They teased her a little more, but she refused to respond and just changed the subject, so Jack rescued her. They took up a conversation about her latest topic, the jeweler from Cowtown whose display included everything from leather pistol holsters with silver conchos to custom necklaces and bracelets, to custom engagement and wedding ring sets.

Jack thought, 'We aren't close to that, but that rose-gold plated, sterling silver necklace, earrings, and bracelet set with diamond chips set in little roses would look nice with her mane of dark hair and her light skin. Wonder when her birthday is?'

"So, we know Cilla is twenty-three and Chita is 'almost' twenty-two, but when are your birthdays?"

"You're gonna laugh, but we're almost Irish twins! She turns 22 a month before I turn 24, in January," Cilla said with a chuckle.

"Any more of you?" Jack asked. "Two in a row and that's it?"

Cilla's answer was strangely subdued. "We have an older brother, but he and dad fought all the time, and then he married an uppity, rich chick from Chicago, and they live up there. Mom and Dad didn't like her from the start; we were little kids, but we thought she was pretty and cool. We've talked about going up to see them, but we need to not be living at home when we do."

"So, back to birthdays; Carl and I are also Irish twins - he was born a month to the day before me. My birthday is April 21. How about you two?"

"December 16 for Chita, January 19 for me!" Cilla bubbled. "And don't forget our birthdays - I'm a spoiled rotten brat too!"

There was a brief bit of kissy-face before Jack suggested they cross on the log downstream and go look at the abandoned mansion, still filled with period antiques of great value. Craig was acting as guide, explaining why the beautiful old place was deserted now, and their hopes for restoring it. The small crowd was told they could go on the expansive porch and look in, but not go inside.

The furnishings, woodwork, and wainscoting all drew ohs and ahs, and discussion about how hard it is to find craftsmen today. Someone blamed it on the schools not teaching vocational ed anymore, and someone else explained the legislature required everyone to take so many core courses there weren't many takers for vocational agriculture, building trades, and mechanics, all of which offered great employment opportunities.

The two young couples listened to the discussion and explanations with interest; each hoped to be a parent someday, even if not with each other, and they had not considered such concerns.

The crowd was breaking up and Craig was thanking them for coming and for their generous donations to the restoration of the old house. He reminded them to tell their friends about the website, and then caught Jack's eye and quietly said, "Hang back so we can talk." Jack led his little group to the ruins of an old well next to a rocked-off garden plot that was full of weeds, and then the heard Craig call them back.

"Come on; I'll show you around inside. We've had too much theft to allow the general public in, but I want to show all three floors to you."

As nice as the visible rooms were from outside, it was far more impressive inside and close up. All three floor were construction masterpieces, with hand carved railings and bannisters, hand cut and polished mantles above each vertically aligned fireplace located on all three floors, and granite bath fixtures! It was impressive, and Craig's enthusiasm was catching.

When they got enough money to shore it up where needed, and modernize the plumbing and electrical without destroying the beautiful floors and walls, Craig and his family intended to move here. Jack asked how much it would cost, and he replied about a quarter million more than they had saved up.

Back at the festival, the girls were again talking to the custom jeweler who had been their high school art teacher. They were praising his works, picking up and looking at every new work he had put on the table since their morning visit, and telling him again what a great teacher he was, while he beamed.

Jack picked up a card from 'Wayne the Custom Jeweler,' and suggested with a wink that he pull that rose-gold set out, unless he had more than one to sell. He got a smile and nod in return, and Wayne quietly said, "I had her in my high school jewelry-making class - she was a great girl then, and I'm certain she's a great young woman now."

"I don't know her that well, yet, but from what I've seen, you're right. Keep that set for me; I'll give you a call next week and pay for it. Her birthday isn't until December, but she couldn't stop talking about how beautiful that set is so I want to get it for her."