Moving Serafina

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278 “How long you think it’ll take him?” Clay said to Gus as they stood in the work yard at Los Arbolitos. Locket had mounted the big mare and put her forward to the south and now had disappeared into the dry wash that led down to Arbolito Creek. “Depends on how long he stays at each place,” Gus said and turned back toward the patio with Clay behind him. “And whether or not they’ll even let him inside and what they’ll volunteer to say.” “Yeah,” Clay said. He paused and looked back in the direction Locket had ridden. “He’s got no warrant or anything, though.” “Most of them are friendly enough,” Gus said. “They wouldn’t want any more trouble than you or I would. They’ll talk to him unless they’re hiding illegals.” He walked across the patio and held the front door of the house for Clay. “Like I’m doing.” “Yeah, right,” Clay said and lowered his eyes. He turned slowly around and faced Gus at the door. “You know, maybe I shouldn’t have turned her over to you, Gus. Maybe I should have just let Locket take her to the BP or something.” “Hey, you got enough on your mind anyway,” Gus said. “And if Locket didn’t handcuff her and load C H A P T E R 29 MOVING SERAFINA 279 her into your pickup by now, I don’t think she needs to worry about that. Neither do you. Come on inside. I’d guess it would take him all day and maybe then some just to stop and knock on doors. We got time for another long visit.” Clay nodded and went through the door into the entryway and Gus followed him back to the kitchen. If Perfidia had spied through the front window at Locket and Clay’s arrival, she had quickly disappeared into the back bedroom. “Where is she?” Clay said. “She’ll want to know what’s happening.” “Sit down,” Gus said. “I’ll check on her in a minute. I imagine she’s getting pretty tired of hiding out back there. You want something hot or cold to drink?” “Both,” Clay said. He sat at the little kitchen table. “If that’s okay. It was a damn madhouse at the hotel all weekend and right up till early this morning. Wasn’t any way Bea was up to fixing any food for a live-in bum like me.” “Yeah, you don’t want to cross Bea, especially if she’s cross herself,” Gus observed. “You said madhouse?” “Yeah,” Clay said. He told Gus about the meeting on Friday night and Jovita’s appointment and about the work sessions all weekend. “Anyway, it was a real crunch to get the water regulations spelled out and the hearing for Saturday posted. I mostly just stayed outta sight.” “Sounds like a good idea,” Gus said. He refilled the coffeepot and put it on the stove. “Sure you wouldn’t rather have a cold beer?” “Oh no, you ain’t getting me into that again.” Clay said. Bob Cherry 280 “That’s good,” Gus said and brought over a pitcher of cool tap water. “I’m out of longnecks anyway. You owe me big time.” He sat across from Clay at the table. “Sounds like you been up to your ears in all that. What about your property and the transfer? What’s happening with all that?” He paused and looked at Clay. “And with Serafina?” “Simik was there, of course,” Clay said. “No way he’d been in the dark about what was happening. But I didn’t talk to him till after the meeting on Friday night.” “What’d he say about all this?” Gus said. “Bet he cussed and groaned.” “Nope,” Clay said. He sipped his glass of cool water. “He was pretty calm . . . well, maybe determined is a better word.” “How so?” “Tried to bribe me, Gus,” Clay said. “I sat with him in his fancy car in the dark right there on the main street of Solitario and he poked a big fat envelope under my nose.” “Cash money?” “Probably,” Clay went on. “I never looked inside it. It pissed me off so bad I just told him since he’d stuffed it so full he knew where he could stuff it now.” “You told him that?” “Well...