Fatal Divide Read Online Free PDF Page B

about my brother. When the US started insisting on a passport to cross from Mexico to the north, it was the end of any hope of putting our tribe back together. Many of us who were born on the reservation did not have our births registered with authorities. We did not anticipate the need to prove we were US citizens to get a passport. We cannot cross into Mexico and then return legally.”
    Wanda noted Dylan’s reaction. He hadn’t known that, she’d wager anything she owned on it. A wave of sadness overtook her as she thought of close relatives she would never see again because they could not come to her, and if she went to them, she could never get home again. It was a hidden part of the ‘illegal’ issue, one that few outside her people knew. As far as she could see, no one outside her tribe cared. But, she was tired and her story needed its ending, so that Dylan could find a way to help.
    “I can see that you’ve already put it together. Yes, many of the younger members are angry. They see the sadness in their parents, and can’t see a way to help. They need jobs, and none are to be found. So, they are easily recruited by the cartels. In this way, they can pass back and forth, carrying news between their elders and providing for them with the money they earn. But, there are risks. You know the cartels are at war, yes?”
    “I know some of it.”
    “Gila, the cartel that controls Lukeville, Sonyita, the reservation lands, and the park is small. Los Reyes del Desierto , the Kings of the Desert, want to absorb or destroy Gila, and our people are caught in the middle.
    “This is what I know. I visited my grandfather only two weeks ago. I saw someone I was not supposed to see, and later, as I left, he followed me to beg me not to mention he was there. He was hiding from the cartel, he said, but he didn’t say which one. I know in my heart that my grandfather was killed because he was hiding my brother.
    “I need you to help find my brother. And then we need to get him far away from the reservation, before others are killed. Will you do this for me, nephew? I will help all I can.”
     
     
     
     
    EIGHT
     
    9:35 a.m.
     
    Dylan was stunned. He needed time to process what Wanda was telling him; everything she’d told him. All he could think of at the moment was she seemed to be condoning illegal border crossings, the very thing she’d always campaigned against. And, if the information about her brother - more likely a younger cousin in Dylan’s own generation - was relevant, she could be obstructing the investigation by not coming forward with the information. He didn’t even know where to begin to think about the implications of having heard it from her, from his own legal standpoint.
    The only person who could advise him on the last point was Rick Englebright, who was even now waiting for him at the cop shop, since he was already five minutes late. He wouldn’t be able to talk to him about it until after he talked to Thurston, and who knew whether Thurston would immediately take him into custody. What a mess.
    “Tia Wanda, I need to sort this out, and I’m late for my appointment. May I come back to see you when I’m done?”
    “I’ll be at home, nephew. I’m going to take a leave of absence to appease the city council. That will give me time to help you look for Jimmy.”
    Dylan jerked, surprised that he hadn’t even asked the name of the ‘brother’ Wanda wanted to find. “Jimmy who?”
    “I’ll tell you later, you’re already late for your appointment. Go on now, and I’ll see you in an hour or so.”
    Dylan kissed Wanda’s cheek and took his leave, his head spinning. It was still spinning three minutes later when he walked into the reception area of the Dodge branch office of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
    “Sorry I’m late,” Dylan said.
    “Don’t worry about it. You were the one in a hurry. What’s wrong?” Rick asked, noticing Dylan’s drawn expression.
    “Can’t