Double Identity

She seemed to relax a little. “That sounds innocuous enough.”

“I swear on my Boy Scout honor that you will be safe with me.”

He led her into a couple of turns, which she followed like a pro.

“You dance very well,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks. My mom would be proud to hear you say that. I wasn’t one of her best pupils, but I manage to get by.”

She tilted her head slightly and asked, “Are you a musician, by any chance? You have a natural rhythm, like most musicians.”

He laughed. “’Fraid not. The only instrument I play is the radio.”

She groaned. “And yet you support the arts,” she pointed out.

“I’m not a priest, and yet I support the church.”

She laughed, a glissando of musical sound he found delightful. “Good point.”

The music stopped and the orchestra took a break. Jude took the opportunity to say, “Why don’t you give me your phone number? I’ll call you later in the week.”

She reached into the minuscule purse that hung from the tie at her waist. “Here’s my card. That has my home phone and cell phone, as well. I spend my Saturdays with my parents, so you’ll need to pick me up at their place.”

“I can do that.” As he helped her into her seat, he leaned near her ear and said, “I’m looking forward to seeing you again.” He straightened and spoke to Chris and Connie. “I’m very pleased to have met each of you. I hope to see you again.”

They responded in a friendly manner and he walked away.

By the time the evening ended, Jude was more than ready to go home.

He spoke to several people on his way to his sports car. Once he negotiated San Antonio’s downtown streets, he reached the highway and headed north. The house the agency had rented was located in the hills north of the city, and had a scenic view of the Hill Country.

He could reach the family ranch in a couple of hours, although he hadn’t been to see them very often. They knew he was working an undercover assignment and gave him the space he needed. He missed them, though. He’d have to get up there soon.

Jude turned off the highway and followed the snakelike road up through the hills until he reached the summit. The house was surrounded by a thick, stucco six-foot wall. Once there, Jude keyed in the security numbers for the day and waited until the gate opened, then followed the curving driveway up to the house and parked in the three-car garage. He noted the other cars were there. The agents were probably asleep by now. He knew he was more than ready to hit the sack.

Once inside, he went to the den where a large screen projected the various scenes shown by hidden cameras located throughout the property. Their team had several computers at work in the room…one collecting data, another running probabilities and another waiting instructions.

Jude picked up the phone and tapped in a series of numbers. His call was answered on the first ring. Without waiting for a voice, Jude said, “I made contact tonight. Looks like we’re in.”

Three

Jude opened the file containing information on the Patterson family. The files were so detailed that he probably knew more about them than they knew about each other.

He knew that forty-two-year-old Alfredo de la Cruz Patterson kept a mistress in Houston and paid for her penthouse condominium.

He knew that Benito spent much of his time out of the country, ostensibly selling and buying merchandise. Jude needed to find out exactly what he was buying and from whom.

He hoped the brothers were the only ones involved in the smuggling activities and that the rest of the family wasn’t aware of what they were doing. It would be a shame to arrest Christopher Patterson for aiding and abetting as well as obstructing justice.

Jude stood and stretched. He turned off the light and went upstairs to bed, feeling good about what he’d accomplished so far. He’d finally made contact and Carina had accepted his invitation to go out with him.

The following Thursday morning Carina met her sister-in-law Marisa for coffee at one of their favorite bakeries.

“Thanks for calling me to meet you this morning,” Marisa said. “I need someone I trust that I can talk to.”

“Trouble with Al?” Carina asked, sipping her coffee.

“It seems that’s all we have anymore. I’m thinking about divorcing him.”

Carina reached out and placed her hand over Marisa’s hand. “It’s gotten that bad, has it?”

“He’s been ignoring me for the last several months, which is upsetting enough, but now he’s ignoring the children, as well. It breaks my heart to see them wanting his attention while he brushes them off.”

Six-year-old Chris was the first grandchild and had been named for his grandfather. His sister, Tina Maria, was a precocious four-year-old. Carina loved them, as she loved Ben and Sara’s daughter, Beth. She knew they were each a handful and needed both parents.

“I think there’s another woman,” Marisa said in a low voice.

“Oh, surely not,” Carina replied. “What makes you think such a thing?”

“He’s been going on what he insists are ‘buying trips,’ which is something he’s always left to Benito before. Sara says that as far as she knows, Bennie does most of the buying for the company. I’ve been thinking about hiring an investigator.”

“Be careful,” Carina said. “Alfredo has a temper. I wouldn’t want him to hurt you in any way.”

“I told him last night that I wanted a divorce and he just laughed and asked if I was trying to get a higher allowance for household expenses. He refuses to take me seriously.”

“But what would you do if you found out there was someone else?”

Marisa sighed. “Accept that I really don’t have much of a marriage and that the kids and I need to go somewhere else. My mother keeps wanting me to go visit her in Dallas for a while and I’m thinking seriously of doing just that.”

“I want to see you and the kids happy, Marisa. I feel bad that I’m the one who introduced you to him.”

Marisa smiled, her first smile since they’d met that morning. “Hey, you didn’t force me to marry him, you know. I made that decision all on my own.” She took a bite out of her pastry. “I’m sorry to dump all this on you just because you’re my friend. You’re also Alfredo’s sister. I don’t want you caught in the middle here.”

“Don’t be silly. You and I have been friends since high school. Nothing’s going to change that, not even a divorce.”

“Don’t say anything to the folks until I make a decision. I think getting away is just what I need to give myself some time to think about things. I’m glad school’s out for the summer. It may be that I’ll start Chris in school in Dallas for next year.”

“You do what you need to do, Marisa. Just remember, I’m here for you.” Carina looked away for a moment before she said, “Neither of us did too well in the men department, did we?”

“At least you knew Dan loved you.”

“Of course he did. That’s why he had a woman with him the night he was killed. I was such a fool to think he was in love with me and not the Patterson name. Al wouldn’t have hired him if I hadn’t been engaged to Dan and you know it.”

“I guess you’re right. All men are slimeballs and we’re both better off without them,” Marisa said politely with no expression on her face.

Carina laughed and Marisa joined in. After they polished off their pastries and got more coffee, Carina said, “This probably isn’t a great time to mention it, but I have a date with Jude Crenshaw Saturday evening.”

Marisa stared at her, her cup of coffee halfway to her mouth. She set the mug back on the table.