The Reinvention Of Rudd Carter. A Western Action Adventure Novel (3 page)

The waiter came to take the drink orders and leave the menus.

After Rudd’s hosts ordered whiskeys and water, they sat silently perusing their menus.

Ben glanced at Rudd. “You seem to be quite taken by our lovely violinist.” Showing a sly smile, he said, “I can’t say that I blame you. I’d be happy to introduce you to her later on in the evening.”

Rudd snapped his gaze away from the stage and turned toward Ben with a self-conscious laugh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was being so obvious. I thought I was hiding it pretty well. Please excuse me.”

Ben and the other two men laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Every man in the place is captivated by her. That’s why I hired this little orchestra. I felt she would be a terrific draw, and I was right. Business is up fifteen percent in only two weeks.”

“I’m going to take you up on the offer to meet her,” Rudd said, glancing back at the stage. “I’m also very interested in continuing the conversation we were having this afternoon.” Aware that he had the full attention of all three men, he continued. “I thought over the things we discussed, and you gentlemen definitely have sparked my interest.” He grinned. “What else are you offering besides an introduction to a beautiful woman?” Glancing from man to man, he said, “Although, an introduction to the violinist just might be enough to get me to sign on.”

They all laughed heartily for a few moments and then became silent in anticipation of what the coming conversation would bring.

“Rudd, here’s what we’re proposing,” Crawford started, leaning forward on his elbows. “On or about July twentieth of next year, we want you and your fifty best men to ambush a troop train carrying several hundred Federale soldiers to Mexicali, fifty miles out in the desert.”

“What do you mean by several hundred, Bill?” Rudd’s voice lifted. “Three, four, five hundred? I’d like to know just what several hundred is to you, because remember, I’m only going to have fifty men.”

“Well, probably more like five hundred,” Crawford answered defensively.

Rudd was silent for a moment and then looked around the table with a narrowed gaze. “You gentlemen do realize that’s a ratio of ten-to-one, right?”

“But don’t forget,” Ben said, leaning forward in his chair, “You will have fifty of the best equipped and experienced bloodthirsty killers in the world. We will provide any weapons and equipment you deem necessary to make this operation a success.”

Taking a moment to search each man’s face, he said, “If I give you a list of modern weapons that I think will make this plan work, it could get very expensive, gentlemen.”

“There is no limit to the military budget of this plan. If we get you what you need, can you make it work?” asked Crawford.

“If you get me what I need, you’ll have your desert revolt,” Rudd answered. “Whether it works or not is another story.”

“The whole idea,” Crawford continued, “is not to kill everyone. We want you to inflict enough casualties to make them turn tail, get back on their train, go home and report an overwhelming defeat to their superiors. Then our friends in the Mexican military can exaggerate and blow out of proportion all that happens that day, to the extent that everyone in Mexico will think a real revolution has taken place in Mexicali. The next day we will declare Baja Del Norte an independent state and introduce the new Presidente.” Glancing at Hoff, he said, “Don, please tell our new friend, Rudd, what we are offering him besides an introduction to a beautiful violinist.” The mention of the violinist again brought a laugh.

“For the one-day battle in the desert, we will pay you one hundred thousand American dollars,” said Hoff. “Deposited in the bank of your choice, thirty days before the battle.”

Sitting for a moment in silence, Rudd said, “You will pay me one hundred thousand dollars to contract a military force of fifty men to ambush a train carrying five hundred Mexican soldiers fifty miles east of Mexicali out in the middle of the desert?” Slowly his mouth broke into a grin. “I have no counter. I accept, on the condition that you will take care of all operational expenses including weapons, ammunition, billeting, food, and women. That includes twenty-five dollars a day, per man, starting ninety days before the battle.”

Ben took a large drag on his cigar and exhaled. “Of course, but we’ll have to agree on how many women for how many men and for how long a time,” he said, repressing a laugh. “We want them to have enough strength to fight our battle for us. Heh-heh,” he cackled. “I’m sure everything can be worked out so that we can have both a successful operation and happy soldiers. Heh-heh.” Looking around the table, he said, “Now, I think we should order dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening—and that includes the music, don’t you think, Rudd?”

They chuckled again, and when the drinks arrived, Crawford tapped a spoon on his glass and announced, “Gentlemen, I would like to propose a code name for our plan: Operation Desert Revolt. All agreed, say ‘aye’.”

The four men said “aye” simultaneously, and Crawford declared, “Operation Desert Revolt, it is then. Shall we toast to it?”

They raised their glasses to cement their agreement. For the next hour, the men ate, drank, and exchanged light conversation until the orchestra took an intermission. Ben reached over and tapped Rudd on the elbow. “I think this is what you’ve been waiting for.”

Rudd looked up and saw the violinist standing in front of him. She looked even lovelier up close.

“Good evening, gentlemen. I see that we have an out-of-town guest with us tonight.” Turning to Rudd, she smiled politely. “I came over to welcome you to the Viennese Dining Room.”

Her warm, friendly voice and gleaming eyes won him over instantly.

There was an awkward moment while the four men unabashedly stared at her. Then they jumped to their feet, three of them in obvious envy of Rudd.

“I’m delighted to introduce you,” Ben said. “Miss Kathryn Farrar, Mr. Rudd Carter, who is visiting us from the San Francisco area.”

Clasping her hand, Rudd felt thrilled by her touch. He held on longer than was necessary and looked deeply into her eyes.

“Rudd, I hope you enjoy your stay with us at El Coyote,” Kathryn said, as she gently pulled her hand from his.

“I’m sure I will, Kathryn,” he answered.

Ben smiled. “Kathryn, the orchestra sounds wonderful tonight. Is there anything I can get for you before you start your next set?”

“Everything is fine,” she said, glancing at Rudd. “Everything is just fine, thank you.” Speaking to Rudd, she said, “I hope we’ll be seeing more of you during your stay.”

“You can count on it, Kathryn.”

She smiled politely, excused herself, and started for the stage.

The men stood and stared in awe of her swaying hips as she walked away. Ben shook his head. “Well, gentlemen, after that, I think it’s safe to say that the business discussion is concluded for the evening. Len will be around in the morning to inform you as to the time and place of our next meeting. So far, I’m very pleased with the progress we’ve made. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The four men shook hands, walked into the cantina together and then separated. Rudd looked back through the doorway toward the stage and decided to go back in, listen to the music, and ponder what he was about to get himself into.

Sunday, August 6

Early the next morning, a sharp rap on the door accompanied by a voice, awakened Rudd.

“Mr. Carter, my father would like to meet with you in the dining room at one o’clock today. Are you all right with that?”

Rudd took a moment to clear his head. “Is that you, Len?”

“Yes, sir. Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning, Len. Please tell Mr. Mosier I’ll be there at one. Thank you.”

Having gotten eight hours of good sleep, he felt rested and ready to hear more about Desert Revolt. He arose, shaved, dressed, and prepared for his meeting. As he shaved, he pondered the evening before and all the enticements that had been presented to him in an attempt to persuade him to sign on with Ben Mosier and company. The offer was generous, the accommodations were comfortable, the food was bearable, and the entertainment was more than lovely. He planned to learn everything he could about this plan of theirs.

He entered the dining room at noon and was surprised to see Ben sitting at a table with a Mexican man, not the two business partners from the day before. Joining them, Ben introduced him to the Chief of Police of Mexicali, Ernesto Fuentes. He sat down and motioned for the waiter to come over.

Ben wasted no time in getting the meeting started. “I wanted you to meet Ernie today because I’ve thought of another way to sweeten the deal for you. When we control Northern Baja and have people crossing the border to take advantage of our facilities, we are going to need a sizable police force to keep law and order. I would like you to recruit as many of your men as possible to be constables in our New Mexicali, the capital of Baja Del Norte. You would be working with Chief of Police Ernie, here, to provide the muscle he might need at any given time.”

“I must admit, Ben, you’re making it very difficult for me to turn my back on you,” Rudd said. “Of course, the main consideration is going to be how much money anyone could expect to make as a policeman or constable.” He paused and laughed. “Constable. That has a nice English ring to it. Mexico is not known for its high-paid police.”

“I understand your concern.” Ben nodded agreeably. “Your men will be the highest paid policemen in the world today, paid enough to give them the incentive to spend a lot of it at the tables, restaurants, and hotels.” He sat back, reached for his humidor, extracted a cigar, bit off an end, and struck a match under the table to light it.

Chief of Police Fuentes, a stocky, well-built man somewhere in his forties, leaned forward. “I welcome the opportunity to discuss having you and your men as a military backup to my police force,” he told Rudd with barely a trace of a Mexican accent. “At your leisure, I would be happy to show you our city and share with you some of our plans.”

“I’d like to stop by your office in the morning and take you up on your offer, Chief Fuentes… you know, your American is better than mine. Where were you educated?”

“I was born in East Los Angeles, and my parents insisted I attend college. They both worked very hard to help me get my education. After I graduated, I worked for a while as a police officer in L.A. before I met and married a Mexican girl. I applied for a position in Mexicali and worked my way up to chief. I have dual citizenship.” Fuentes stopped long enough to take a long look at Rudd. “Is that an English accent I detect? Are you from England?”

“I left England thirty years ago and have never been back. I worked out of Hong Kong until the Mexican Revolution, and most recently I’ve been living in the San Francisco Bay area. Most people think I’m Australian, and that’s all right with me. I’ve worked hard to get rid of my stuffy upper-class British accent.”

The waiter took their orders, and they spent the rest of lunch in small talk. Rudd liked Fuentes and felt they could become good friends.

That evening, anxious to see Kathryn again, Rudd went to the dining room for dinner. He found a table close to the stage, seated himself, and waited for her arrival. When she came into the dining room, she spotted Rudd and approached his table. “I was afraid you weren’t coming in again,” she said, showing a bright smile. “I’m glad you’re here.”

He smiled and stood. “I’m glad you’re here as well. Will you join me for a moment?” He pulled out a chair. “All I thought of all day was coming in to see you tonight and I like what I see very much. You look lovely tonight.”

The corners of her mouth turned up. “You don’t waste any time getting to the point, do you?”

Kathryn’s blunt remark stopped him in his tracks.

Her lips pulled back into a full grin. “Don’t be offended by what I said. I like that quality in a man, especially if he acts and looks like you.”

His gaze roamed over her figure. “I’m not offended at all. I just said what I felt.”

She beamed. “I would like to get to know you better. Can you stay for a while?”

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me out of here this evening,” he said in a casual, jesting way.

She laughed and patted his arm. “Good.” She shot a look at the stage. “I have to go and get ready to play. Please excuse me. I’ll see you in a little while.”

As Kathryn left the table, three men came into the dining room. One was dressed in a flashy suit and had a dark complexion, but didn’t look Mexican to Rudd. The two men accompanying him were large Mexicans in shirtsleeves, without neckties; they looked like bodyguards. They glanced at Rudd on their way to the front tables, but seemed to be more interested in Kathryn, who was one step in front of them.

The well dressed man called, “Miss.”

She stopped and turned to face him.

“Miss, I’d like you to have a drink with me.”

Kathryn smiled politely. “I’m very flattered, thank you, but I’m not allowed to mingle with the guests.” Turning, she stepped onto the stage, sat down, and removed her violin from it’s case. The three men found a table in front of the stage and seated themselves. Rudd was amused. Impressed with her himself, he didn’t blame the man for trying.

The orchestra began to play softly and the waiter came around to take his order. At the end of each musical piece, the man in the necktie applauded loudly, disturbing the tranquility of the moment. This continued until the orchestra took a break, at which time Kathryn left the stage to join Rudd. When she sat down, she laid her hand on his forearm. “Though annoying, the loud applause coming from the little dark man in the necktie is better than being booed, I suppose.” She giggled. He thrilled as she slid her hand into his and gazed into his eyes.

He returned her gaze and realized he was falling for her. He folded her hand into his and hoped she could sense what he was feeling.

“I could feel last night when we shook hands that something was going to happen between us. Did you feel it too?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. “The moment our hands touched, I felt a spark between us.”