Winning Texas (31 page)

“
He was the best. I just feel sorry for Marie and their three kids.
”

“
What
’
ll happen to his bakeries?
”
Annie said.

“
He
’
s got a brother and an uncle in the business,
”
he said.
“
I feel sure that they
’
ll step up to keep it going.
”

Ingram joined them, shaking hands and commiserating with Jake. He
’
d apparently finished his first round of interviews, so the four of them sat down at one of the quieter tables.

“
Questions? Comments?
”
Mark looked each of them.

“
What do you and your guys know at this early stage?
”
Annie asked.

“
We think Wurzbach was killed by one good shot from a high-powered rifle. We
’
ve found a place on the hill in back of the restaurant where the killer must have waited, taking time to get the right vantage point.
”

“
Any clues at the scene?
”
Annie asked.

“
A tube of lip balm was found, apparently a brand made in Mexico. It must have fallen out of the killer
’
s pocket,
”
he said.
“
Obviously, it could have belonged to either a man or a woman. A couple of damaged shells were also picked up and sent to the lab.
”

Annie looked at Ingram to see if he had the same thought that immediately occurred to her.

“
Alicia Perez?
”
she said.

“
I
’
m not ruling her out,
”
he said.
“
It
’
s certainly possible that she and Riggins were so concerned about Wurzbach
’
s German Texas campaign that she might have slipped across the border to try to kill him.
”

“
Have you heard anything lately about her and Riggins?
”

“
Yeah, I can
’
t go into specifics, but we have reason to believe they
’
re being protected in their movements around Mexico by a drug cartel,
”
Ingram said.
“
They
’
ve traveled around there and have crossed into West Texas periodically.
”

“
Our sources have told us that Riggins has been seen near the border and he still directs the Nation of Texas group
’
s activities,
”
Annie said.
“
We haven
’
t been able to confirm that, though.
”

Ingram nodded and continued with his analysis.

“
The secessionist movement is still pretty active online, though the groups don
’
t surface in public the way they used to before Riggins and Perez fled,
”
he said.
“
The Nation of Texas hasn
’
t put up any billboards or solicited members in a while.
”

“
I meant to tell you earlier. We ran into Rob Ryland yesterday at a restaurant outside Austin,
”
Annie said.
“
It seems like a thousand years ago.
”

“
Yeah, we
’
ve asked Ryland to come to headquarters in the morning and give a statement,
”
Ingram said.
“
But we
’
ve kept an eye on your former colleague and it looks like he
’
s behaving himself.
”

“
He said he
’
s working at the
Austin Comet
,
”
Annie said.
“
He denied having anything to do with the Nation of Texas, but I wondered. He still seems awfully emotional about the subject.
”

“
He
’
s definitely working as a journalist at the
Comet
,
”
Ingram said.
“
Got stories all over that liberal rag. As long as he
’
s not causing trouble, we don
’
t have any justification to follow him around. Don
’
t have the manpower either.
”

“
What happens next?
”
Annie asked.

“
We do the normal kind of death investigation, looking at Wurzbach
’
s life, his friends and enemies. We also try harder to extradite Riggins and Alicia Perez.
”

Ingram stood up and said goodbye, telling Annie he
’
d be in touch. She was glad he wanted to continue sharing information, which had helped them both in the previous case. She looked at her watch, surprised that it was nearly 5 a.m.

“
Annie, let me take you to breakfast,
”
Jake said, putting a hand on her arm and pointedly leaving out Travis.

“
I
’
m not hungry, I
’
m exhausted. I
’
d like to get a few hours of sleep before Travis and I have to head back to Houston,
”
she said.

“
I
’
ll take you back to your motel,
”
Jake said.
“
That okay with you, Travis?
”

“
Sure,
”
Travis said with a notable lack of enthusiasm.
“
What time should we leave, Annie?
”

“
How about 11 a.m.? I
’
ll set my clock. We
’
ll get a few hours of sleep and still get away before the traffic gets bad,
”
Annie said.
“
Since Brandon
’
s taking the lead on the Wurzbach story for tomorrow, we can get back later.
”

Jake opened the door to his passenger seat and drove quickly to the budget motel, neither of them talking. He took her hand and walked her to the door of her room. He pulled her into his arms, kissed her hungrily and reached for her keys to open the door.

“
Could I join you for a while?
”
He moved to come inside, but she paused.

“
Think I
’
d like to just curl up by myself,
”
she said, trying to let him down gently.
“
It
’
s been a horrible night. I need to be alone and you probably do, too.
”

He looked hurt.

“
Okay, Annie. It sure would be nice to cuddle up for a little while.
”

“
We both know what would happen,
”
Annie said.
“
I
’
m not sure I want to go there yet.
”

“
I can tell you still love me,
”
Jake said.
“
Saw it in your eyes on the dance floor. I
’
m finally a free man. Don
’
t you want to see me?
”

“
You
’
re right, Jake. I care about you,
”
she said, measuring her words.
“
But we
’
ve got a lot to figure out before we jump into bed. When things quiet down, we need to talk.
”

He shrugged.
“
Have it your way, babe. Why don
’
t you call me tomorrow?
”

“
I
’
ll call you soon,
”
she said.
“
We should get back to our lives first and think about what we want from each other.
”

“
I still love you, Annie. I want to give things another shot.
”
He looked at her for a long moment, kissed her cheek, and retreated to his car.

She shut the door and collapsed on the bed. She knew that if she
’
d let him stay, by now he
’
d be stripping off her skirt and panties and pushing her up against the wall. He
’
d make love to her quickly, the way he
’
d always done when they
’
d been apart. Then they
’
d probably make love again, more slowly in the creaky double bed. She
’
d be swept up in a frenzy of lust. But did she really want to go there again?

She thought about Rhett Butler in
Gone with the Wind
, one of her favorite old movies. Her girlfriends joked that she used the movie as a guide for life. She thought about the fictional Rhett, carrying the torch for the stubborn Scarlett O
’
Hara, hoping that she
’
d finally get over her crush on Ashley Wilkes. In the movie
’
s climactic scene, Scarlett finally realizes that she loves Rhett. But he tells her that it
’
s too late, that even the most passionate love can wither and die. Today she felt kind of like Rhett. In the three years since she and Jake had split up, she
’
d pined over him, refusing to look at the relationship in a realistic light. But being with Jake for the tumultuous day and night had revived her doubts. She saw a handsome, basically decent man, but one who
’
d gotten spoiled by the limelight and constant attention from women. Would she have to compete with other women and get her heart broken again? She wasn
’
t ready to admit she was done with him. She only knew she was relieved to be by herself in the quiet room, stretched out alone in the bed while life whirled by outside on the freeway. She pulled up the thin white sheets and closed her eyes for a few delicious hours of sleep.

CHAPTER 33

STATE SENATOR FROM FREDERICKSBURG KILLED;

CHAMPION OF THE GERMAN TEXAS MOVEMENT

By Brandon McGill and Travis Dunbar

Houston Times Reporters

AUSTIN
–
Samuel Barker Wurzbach, owner of a prominent Hill Country bakery and a state senator from Fredericksburg who championed the nascent German-Texas movement, died early Wednesday after a sniper attack outside the Grey Moss Inn near San Antonio.

Wurzbach, 41, a Democrat, twice elected to the Texas Legislature, had served for four years and was vice-chairman of the key appropriations committee. He was fatally shot while hosting a party to raise money for a controversial campaign to get a ten-county Hill Country area designated as German Texas.

Authorities, still combing the scene of the shooting, said on Sunday they have no suspects. They vowed an intensive statewide investigation.

“
Sam Wurzbach put his energy into making Texas a better place and honoring the contributions of tens of thousands of Texans who came here from Germany,
”
State Senator Jake Satterfield, a Democrat from Kerrville and a close legislative ally, said today.
“
He will be missed terribly.
”

“
There was no better citizen of Texas than Sam,
”
Fredericksburg Mayor Joe Schuler said.
“
He was the author and chief advocate of a far-sighted plan that would greatly increase jobs and visitors to Fredericksburg and the entire Hill Country.
”

Wurzbach had located his German Bakery stores throughout the Hill Country and had expanded the chain considerably in recent years. The business currently employs about 900 across the state. He started the enterprise in Fredericksburg ten years ago using his German-born ancestors
’
recipes for strudel and other traditional desserts.

“
With his considerable energy and drive, he created a strong new business in an area that needed it badly,
”
Schuler said.
“
With family members continuing at the helm of the business, his legacy will survive.
”