open doorway and looked around. She counted seven agents—all men—only one of whom she recognized. Chris Simmons. He glanced up from the coffee machine where he was filling a cup and saw her standing there. He smiled with an obvious look of surprise. He filled a second cup, then walked over to where she stood, greeting her with a big grin.
“Well, hello, stranger. Welcome to our little part of the world,” he said, offering her one of the cups he held.
So he remembered her strong dependency on coffee to get her day started. Today of all days, his offer was greatly appreciated. She’d skipped her second cup of coffee this morning for fear she’d be late.
She returned his smile. “Thanks, Chris,” she said. The aromatic brew was just what she needed to settle her jumping nerves. She inhaled the lovely fragrance and took a hasty sip.
He nodded. “You’re quite welcome. It’s good to see you. It’s been a while. Come on in and find a place to sit.”
She followed him into the room and looked around. It looked like every other government conference room she’d been in, with its large oblong table in the middle, surrounded by unpadded wooden chairs.
“So what brings you to our neck of the woods?” Chris asked. “I thought they liked to keep you and the other brains away from the rest of us poor working slobs.”
Since Chris had aced all his tests at the academy, she wasn’t buying into his “dumb me” act.
“I have no idea,” she replied with a shrug. “I was told to show up this morning, so here I am.” She glanced around the room. The other agents were either in the process of getting coffee or already sipping from their cups. They milled around the table until they each claimed a chair and laid out their pads and pens. With a hint of hesitancy she added, “I just found out last night that I was to be here.”
Chris motioned for her to sit, then took the chair next to her.
They had been friends since they’d graduated from the academy together. They’d dated for several months back then before recognizing that they enjoyed each other’s company but weren’t interested in pursuing a more intimate relationship, which might come between them and their careers. Elena had never been sorry about that decision.
She enjoyed Chris’s blond good looks and the fact that, although he took his profession seriously, he never took himself seriously. He had been one of the few men in their class who had actively supported her efforts during their training.
He leaned back in his chair. “You know, seeing you again reminds me that we haven’t gotten together in months. How about catching a movie tonight?”
She nodded. “I’d like that, unless this meeting has to do with an assignment and you’ll be sent out of town right away.” Since Chris spent most of his time away from headquarters, she knew the odds were good that he wouldn’t be here for long.
Before Chris had an opportunity to respond, Douglas Wilder walked into the room carrying a thick file. He sat down at the head of the table. The two agents still standing quickly found seats.
Doug Wilder was in his midfifties, tall, unabashedly gray-haired and all business. He glanced around the table, and when he spotted Elena, he said, “Thank you for coming this morning, Ms. Maldonado. I know you were given short notice.” He quickly made introductions around the table.
She nodded to each of the agents before returning her attention to Wilder.
“Okay, here’s what we’re dealing with, people,” Wilder began. “The Immigration and Naturalization Service has asked for our help to resolve a delicate situation going on along the Texas-Mexico border.”
As one, the male agents burst into laughter. One of them asked if today was April Fool’s Day. In truth, it was the middle of May.
Elena knew that the fierce rivalry between various government agencies made the idea of asking for help appear ludicrous. The last thing any agency wanted to admit was that they couldn’t handle a situation without outside help.
Wilder’s furrowed brow eased somewhat, and Elena could almost imagine she saw the hint of a smile on his narrowed lips.
“Glad I can provide so much entertainment for you this early in the morning.” He flipped open the file and began to pass around stapled pages to each of them. “Just for that, you’re going to get a brief history lesson so that you’ll understand what the government is up against in that region.”
The agents settled back into their chairs. Elena knew enough of Wilder’s reputation to know that he wasn’t one to waste his breath. Whenever he chose to talk, everyone around him stopped to listen. Today was no exception.
“There has been an upsurge of traffic these past few years from Mexico into the United States along our shared borders from Texas to California. Despite the beefed-up patrol of the border, too many illegal drugs and aliens are moving into the United States.
“We understand the problems in their country—the devaluation of the peso, the continued drought that has affected Mexico, as well as our Southwestern states. However, we cannot ignore the problem in hopes it will go away.”
As Doug continued to review the present situation, Elena reviewed what he was saying. She knew all too well what he was talking about. Santiago had originally been a farming community. When she was small, the migrant workers moved there early in the growing season and continued northward as the season progressed. The last time she’d gone home to visit her mother, Sara had mentioned the problems the area was having with illegal drugs and aliens being brought across the border. What she was hearing wasn’t new to Elena.
Wilder continued. “The high incidence of drugs and aliens successfully crossing the Texas-Mexico border in the past eight months or so has become a black eye for the Border Patrol, the local arm of the INS and the Drug Enforcement Agency working that particular area.”
From the back of the room Sam Walters asked, “And they think we can do their job better?”
Wilder looked at Sam from beneath his bushy brows. “We’ve been asked to join a task force to find out why those two agencies are not making more arrests. The word is that some of the agents may be taking money to look the other way. I received word late yesterday that we need new faces to work the area, people who are unknown to either of the two agencies. None of us likes to think about an agent who has turned, but it happens. I have handpicked each of you to work on this. We’re going to find out if any INS or DEA agents are on the take, and if they are, we’re going to remove them.”
He looked around the room to make certain everyone understood. Then he nodded at the papers lying in front of each one of them. “What I’ve handed out here is general background material on what has been done by the two agencies up until now. Here’s the plan. I requested a list of possible suspects who may be involved in the smuggling operations—people who were arrested and let go for lack of evidence, people whose behavior is suspicious, people who need to be watched by agents who can be trusted.”
For the first time since he had introduced her to the group, Wilder looked at Elena. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’ve been chosen for this team.”
She tensed, recognizing that the knot in the pit of her stomach had been forming as she slowly realized that she wasn’t there to interpret information. Douglas Wilder intended to use her on this assignment. She smiled, hoping to cover her nervousness. “Yes, sir.
