Jonathon Glane

The Coyote Trap

a novel

By
JONATHON GLANE

Royel Company LLC

ROYEL WRITERS
Fort Lauderdale
royelco@hotmail.com
 The Coyote Trap

Copyright © 2009 by Royel Company LLC

All Rights Reserved

Christmas 2009

A Royel Writers Book

All rights reserved, including the right to
reproduce this book or portions thereof
in any form whatsoever.

ISBN13: 9780982475423

Printed in the United States of America

 Jonathon Glane

CONTENTS

1. Sonoran Betrayal..........................................1
2. The Winter Place........................................10
3. Off-Road Explorers.....................................18
4. Pseudo-Coyote...........................................26
5. The Canyon................................................36
6. Credibility....................................................46
7. Zarpa’s Decree...........................................54
8. The Back Door...........................................62
9. The Samaritan............................................76
10. The Coyote Attack....................................94
11. The Savior..............................................105
12. Underground Railroad............................115
13. The Hunt.................................................124
14. Captured.................................................136
15. Vengeance Pursued...............................150
16. Rescuers................................................160
17. Second Chances....................................171
18. The Raid.................................................183
19. Spooks...................................................194
20. Vengeance.............................................201
 The Coyote Trap

21. The Vigil.................................................212

22. Accusations............................................222
23. Exposed.................................................233
24. Copycats................................................246
25. A Mouse Trap.........................................261
26. The Setup...............................................273
27. Wrapping up...........................................286
27. Wrapping up
 The Coyote Trap

1. Sonoran Betrayal

S o many people had witnessed the crime

and their accounts of the incident had
been so widespread and so consistent that
the veracity of the story never came into doubt.
Nevertheless, the information that could have
sent the guilty to prison never reached the ears
of the authorities because the witnesses
themselves were guilty of the unlawful act of
crossing the border between Mexico and the
United States without legal documentation.

Maxmiliano Soto seized the opportunity to

make some easy money when the feds
approached him. They wanted him to monitor
the activities of a group of non-U.S. nationals
being smuggled across the Mexican border and
into the United States. Max knew the smuggling
routine well. Only recently he had ventured
north with a group of Mexicans and
Guatemalans seeking work in America’s
subculture. The illegal immigrants failed to
reach their destination of Phoenix, Arizona

1
 Jonathon Glane

however, because the U.S. Border Patrol

apprehended them on the second night north of
Nogales, Sonora. Threatened with deportation to
Mexico City where he would be far from his
hometown and penniless in a hopeless job
market, Max jumped at the chance to reverse his
fortunes by cooperating with the U.S.
authorities.
The feds assigned Max a simple task. He
was to join a group of immigrants preparing to
cross into the U.S. and mingle enough to gather
some information. Max agreed to provide
details about safe-houses, rendezvous points,
and routes traveled by the illegals in exchange
for 2,000 dollars and a six-month U.S. work
visa. Max wondered what the authorities would
do with the knowledge he provided, but he
knew it was not about the smuggler—also
known as a coyote—because the feds supplied
his name along with the way to contact him. In
order to lend legitimacy to Max’s actions, the
feds held him for a few days in isolation before
repatriating him along with some other Mexican
nationals on the south side of the border at
Nogales, Sonora.
The plan of action was clear. The expense
money Max got would pay the coyote to take
him back across the border where he could start
life anew. He entertained the idea of simply
keeping the money and living comfortably in
Mexico for a while, but he knew any such action
would condemn any future chances to work in

2
 The Coyote Trap

the U.S. He believed the six-month visa

promised in exchange for his spying would open
the path to future visas or even a permanent
green card. Max set out to locate the smuggler
to whom he had been assigned: Juan Carlos
Zarposo.

Hardly anyone knew Zarposo’s given name.

Everyone called him Zarpa. His mop of curly
black hair and drooping moustache atop a burly
body added to a gruff appearance that tended to
accentuate his booming voice as he conveyed
his orders. Everyone listened attentively.
Zarpa’s orders were law. He had a reputation for
brutality, but since he had led many caravans of
illegal immigrants across the border without
detection, his clients were willing to pay a
premium for his services.
It took Max only a short while to locate
Zarpa and submit the money he demanded for
surreptitious transportation to Phoenix, Arizona
—their final destination.
The first day north of the border passed
without incident, although the nighttime trek
was arduous. As the group rested during the
daylight hours, the sinister side of Zarpa began
to show itself. One of the travelers left the
arroyo where they were camped, and climbed
the hillside to get a better view of the area. He
had not thought about his action attracting the

3
 Jonathon Glane

attention of the Border Patrol, but one of the

other travelers did.
Reymundo Sanchez moved close enough to
the wanderer to beckon him back down without
shouting. When the man got near, Sanchez
uncoiled a whip and unmercifully lashed the
man with it. Until this time, Zarpa had only
stood by and watched. Then he quickly moved
to the man’s side and dragged him the rest of the
way down the hill and into the center of the
group. Zarpa admonished the listeners about the
folly of allowing themselves to be seen. He told
them that they would all be arrested and jailed if
the Border Patrol knew of their location. Zarpa
advised them to be aware of the example he was
about to make of the perpetrator, and he
instructed Sanchez to whip the man again.
Sanchez was only too glad to oblige, and he
wielded the whip with such force that it opened
an ugly gash across the man’s back. The action
horrified the others, but no one made a move in
the man’s defense.
With the rest of the group hushed with fear,
Zarpa took Sanchez aside and asked his name.
Sanchez, a stocky individual, identified himself
and told Zarpa that everyone called him “Oso”.
Zarpa congratulated Oso on his good work and
his expertise with the whip. Oso told Zarpa that
he was a gentle soul, but he did not mind using
force when it became necessary. Zarpa
recognized the declaration as a lie because he
had seen the glee in Oso’s eyes as he lashed his

2
 The Coyote Trap

fellow traveler. Oso’s performance had been

brutally effective enough for Zarpa to offer him
a job as an enforcer to accompany him on all
future caravans. In addition, because of Zarpa’s
inside government contacts north of the border,
he would see to it that Oso got a green card so
he could operate freely inside the United States.
None of the other travelers heard the exchange
between Zarpa and Oso. This was to lead to
Max’s demise.
Max carefully documented each place
visited and each route taken as the group made
their way toward Phoenix. Ever wary to remain
unobserved by Zarpa, he jotted his notes during
the daytime rest periods while pretending to be
asleep under his blanket. Max’s ruse worked
well with Zarpa but it failed to evade the sharp
eyes of Oso—Zarpa’s new accomplice. Oso
thought little of Max’s surreptitious activities
until he saw him consult a wristwatch that he
kept concealed in his pocket. Poor Mexican
farmers seeking work in the U.S. hardly ever
owned wristwatches. Likewise, they hardly ever
wrote notes because many lacked literacy. The
circumstances presented a picture that Oso did
not fully understand, so he decided to learn
more about this peculiar fellow traveler.
The very next time the group settled down
to rest, Oso located himself close to Max. He
made his move the instant he discovered that
Max had fallen asleep. Oso removed the small
notepad from Max’s pocket far enough that

2
 Jonathon Glane

some scribbling could be read. The words

described the route most recently taken. Oso
distanced himself from Max as he began to
wonder about the purpose of the notes.
Perhaps Max kept the log in case he
became separated from the group and had to
find his way back alone. Perhaps he was
thinking of assuming the role of a coyote
himself, and the notes could be used to lead his
own group of paying customers. Whatever the
reason, Oso decided to tell Zarpa so he could
see his perception of Max’s behavior.
Zarpa’s response was instantaneous. He did
not care about Max’s reason for keeping notes.
He only cared that if the notes fell into the hands
of the authorities, his secret route past the
checkpoints and past the feds’ sentinel towers
would be compromised. He could not allow this
to happen.
Gently, Zarpa shook Max’s shoulder to
arouse him from his sleep and asked to see his
notes. Max thought to deny their existence but
changed his mind when he saw the threatening
look on the face of the man hovering over him
and the equally frightening glare of the one who
stood behind with a black whip coiled in his
hand. He arose, removed the pad from his
pocket, and reluctantly handed it to Zarpa.
It was all there, the safe-houses where they
stayed, the routes they took, and the places
where they made camp. The look on Zarpa’s
face turned to one of hatred. He had heard of

2
 The Coyote Trap

people employed by the feds to join other

crossers only to lead them into a government
trap. These undercover agents had no need to
take notes. They only needed a method of
communication to betray the whereabouts of
their group. A note-taker could mean only one
thing. Zarpa had uncovered a mole.
Max lost track of the number of times
Zarpa and Oso struck him. At first, it was their
fists crashing into his head and body from all
directions. Then, when his consciousness
weakened and he fell to the ground, it was their
brutal boots thudding against his body time after
time.
It did not matter.
He no longer felt pain from their cruel
blows or the merciless black whip that was now
opening bloody gashes all over his body.
As much as Max craved life and living, he
knew he was about to die and could do nothing
to prevent it. He tried desperately to fight back,
but his muscles failed to react the way they once
would have.
The shadow of a wry smile moved the
corners of his mouth when a blurry thought
invaded his mind. How darkly ironic that he felt
relaxed and pain free while the heavy breathing
of his assailants told him they were exhausting
themselves. Then the half-smile quickly
disappeared as he realized he would not realize
his promise of a better life. Nevertheless, he

2
 Jonathon Glane

prepared to depart this world with the

knowledge that he had tried to do his best.
The shadows of Max’s vision darkened.
Soon he would be free from these coyotes who
pretended to be human beings but acted more
like the vicious animals that they were.

The other illegal travelers recognized that they

were witnessing a murder. Their self-
preservation, however, prevented them from
doing anything to stop Zarpa and his henchman
from whipping this poor man mercilessly—
before leaving him in the desert to die. They
prayed that he would not regain consciousness
before exposure to the elements or the ferocious
hunger of wild animals caused his soul to depart
the earth.
Their stories about Max’s betrayal spread
across the Sonoran Desert like the dust scattered
by whirlwinds. The accounts circulated for
months within the Hispanic subculture on both
sides of the U.S./Mexican border. In spite of
this, the tale failed to be included in any local,
regional, or national news media. Additionally,
those persons of authority who heard the story
dismissed it as unfounded, and it faded into
obscurity along with the numerous other tales of
tragedy that were all too common in the region.
Brad and Lissy were never aware of Max’s
story or any of the other horrific tales emanating

3
 The Coyote Trap

from the deserts of the southwest. If they had

heard these things, they might have thought
twice about becoming ‘snowbirds’. They might
have decided against taking that winter home in
Southern Arizona.

2
 The Coyote Trap

2. The Winter Place

B rad Ganderson shivered in the February

air as he went from his car to his
apartment. He knew once inside, he
would be warmed by the furnace and by the
affection of Lissy Edington, his roommate,
friend, and lover. She would always greet him
with a hug and a kiss before presenting his
preferred cocktail—Johnny Walker, Black
Label, on the rocks.
Brad settled into his favorite chair to relax
and enjoy his drink while the radio played some
low-key jazz number. Lissy made herself
comfortable on the couch near him. They had
grown accustomed to this daily routine. It
provided an environment where they could
discuss one another’s activities and make plans
for the future. When they had caught up on the
day’s events, Brad surprised Lissy with a
suggestion.
“What do you think about getting a second
place to live … say somewhere out in Arizona?
The winter weather is sure to be warmer there,

4
 Jonathon Glane

and I hear the cost of living is much lower than

it is here.”
Lissy did not know what to say, so Brad
went on. “There isn’t anything about my job
that can’t be handled on the phone or the
Internet. Besides, Rena doesn’t need me to help
run the operation anyway.”
Lissy recovered from her shock enough to
say, “What about dad and our crab trapping
business?”
Brad responded, “Most of the things you do
with your dad are bookkeeping. Anyway, that’s
something else that you can do remotely. All
you need is a computer and the Internet to keep
up with your dad’s business activities.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Lissy agreed.
“What made you come up with this snowbird
plan?”
“I’m just tired of being cold,” Brad said
simply. “Besides, we’re going to need a place to
retire someday, and I hear Arizona has no
earthquakes and no hurricanes.”
“It also has no oceans,” Lissy informed
him, “but I’m willing to go providing we can
find someone to take care of Hector.”
“That’s easy,” Brad said. “Hector’s going
with us.”

Brad had adopted his cat, Hector, while he was

still living in Texas. When he moved to New

2
 The Coyote Trap

Jersey, he went to work for a company named

Powervert. He and another employee, Rena,
bought the company after the owner passed
away, and now she handled most of the day-to-
day company affairs.
Brad and Lissy became close after they
met. He was a regular at a local lounge where
she worked. Their ages of forty-four and thirty-
two kept them apart in the beginning. However,
their common interests and business dealings
eventually brought them together.
Lissy’s auburn hair and brown eyes
accentuated a lovely face that radiated cheer and
a touch of devilishness. Her stylish yet casual
clothing adorned a shapely figure that brought
her bar customers back repeatedly.
Brad enjoyed these things too when he
visited Lissy’s workplace, but her attractiveness
only provided a bonus to her wit and
intelligence. Rather handsome in his own right,
Brad stood just over six feet with a large frame
devoid of excess fat. His hair and eyes were
almost the same color as Lissy’s, only slightly
lighter.
When Lissy’s father discovered an
enterprise that could be of benefit to Brad’s
business, the two grew closer as they sought to
expedite the discovery through adventurous
outings. They grew closer businesswise when
they decided to become partners in the crab
trapping business. Lissy’s dad, Captain Ed, was
invited to join them and it was not long before

2
 Jonathon Glane

he was running the business almost

singlehandedly. Brad and Lissy eventually
moved in together and Lissy accepted Hector as
a part of the family.

Lissy was looking forward to her first visit to

the western United States as she and Brad and
Hector motored across the country. It would
take five days to reach their primary destination,
Tucson, Arizona, and Lissy relished every day
of it.
At night, they checked into hotels where
cats were accepted. Lissy thought of each hotel
stopover as an adventure. Some of the nightly
stays were adventures indeed, with lumpy beds,
and showers with handles that operated in
mysterious ways, and occasional spurts of ice-
cold water. Nevertheless, it was all fun and
exciting to see new parts of the country from the
passenger seat of Brad’s Ford F-150 SuperCrew
while Hector snoozed in the back seat.
“I can’t believe all this country with no
people,” Lissy observed one day. “And look
how dry everything is … and look at all those
mountains.”
Most of the hotels where they stayed
provided a business center where Brad and

2
 The Coyote Trap

Lissy could use the Internet to make contact

with the people back home. There they could
search for places to stay the following day. One
helpful hotel clerk suggested they look at a
certain place if they were thinking of
somewhere to retire eventually. He mentioned
Green Valley, Arizona. “It’s just a little south of
Tucson.”
Internet searches revealed several
companies in Green Valley that handled
seasonal rentals and they visited one when they
arrived. Yes, one was available even though it
was late in the season and yes, they could rent it
for two months or longer if they wished.
Brad and Lissy were grateful that the place
came completely furnished with everything
needed to be comfortable including pots, pans,
and silverware. They wasted no time moving in,
establishing a high-speed Internet connection,
and informing others of their new contact
information. Now it was time to play.
The area around Green Valley offered a
multitude of recreational possibilities. The
community had a number of recreation centers
where tennis, swimming, and several other
activities were available. Individuals could opt
to go hiking, take trips around Arizona or
nearby Mexico, or join clubs themed to the
person’s interests. And, of course, hyperactive
people could commit to doing all of these
things. Brad and Lissy, after becoming

2
 Jonathon Glane

acquainted with the regional recreational

possibilities, decided to do none of them.
Both Brad and Lissy recognized the
numerous photographic opportunities available
in Southern Arizona’s diverse environment.
Splashes of color from occasional wildflowers,
shrubs, and trees provided contrast to the brush-
covered monotony of much of the desert
landscape.
Hills studded with saguaro cactus, palo
verde, and teddy-bear cholla that rose above a
gently sloping terrain covered with creosote
bushes, ocotillo, and a variety of grasses offered
incomparable natural vistas awaiting digital
capture.
Nearby mountains with impossible crags,
ravines, and escarpments towered into the
endless blue of the cloudless desert sky while
distant mountain ranges disregarded the
recognized depths of smoky blues, lavenders,
and shimmering violets.
Dozens of bird species—year-round
residents as well as migrant visitors—
challenged the photographer’s skills with their
flighty behavior. Photographing wild terrestrial
animals also presented a challenge—with the
exception of some cottontail rabbits that seemed
to think their frozen motion rendered them
invisible.
Coyotes, bobcats, and javelina also
attempted to hide by standing motionlessly, but
they were unlikely to remain so for long.

2
 The Coyote Trap

However, if a photographer came across one or

more of these animals, a picture-taking
opportunity would have presented itself. Less
likely seen posing for pictures were deer, bears,
mountain lions, or even the rare and solitary
jaguar.
Smaller animals likewise contributed to the
diversification of likely photographic subjects.
Lizards, snakes, spiders, and ground squirrels
were common to abundant and were easily
photographed.
Each day, Brad and Lissy set out on foot to
record as many interesting picturesque
opportunities as possible before the evening
brought an occasional scarlet sunset for their
awe and delight. It was not long, however,
before all the photogenic subjects near their
house had become digitized and stored on a
computer. It was not long before they began to
want to expand their horizons of adventure.
“We need to find some way to move around
more,” Brad began, “Maybe we should get a
Jeep.”
“That sounds good,” Lissy agreed, “That
way we can hit all the dusty trails everyone else
travels.”
“Yeah, maybe not,” Brad said. “We need a
way to go off the beaten path. Maybe we should
get a couple of horses.”
“Oooo that sounds like fun” Lissy mocked.
“We could mount the camera tripod on yours,

3
 Jonathon Glane

and I’ll use mine to herd the jackrabbits within

range.”
“Okay, wise one, I suppose you have a
better idea.”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” boasted Lissy.
“Don’t say ‘helicopter’,” Brad warned.
“I won’t. I think we should get a UTV,”
Lissy suggested proudly.
“Do you mean one of those little side-by-
sides like an ATV?” Brad wondered.
“Exactly,” Lissy said. “We could use it to
take us to places most other people can’t go, and
our chances to get some great pictures would be
a lot better than they are now.”
And with that, the quest for the ‘just-right’
vehicle to take them to new adventures began.

2
 The Coyote Trap

3. Off-Road Explorers

A dventuring around the sparsely traveled

by-ways of the Southern Arizona desert
and mountains on their brand-new UTV
became a greater thrill than Brad and Lissy had
hoped for. It functioned well for its intended
purpose of being a photographer’s platform, and
in addition, it provided a vehicle for sport and
sightseeing.
After some short excursions to get
acquainted with their Polaris Ranger RZR
(razor), and outfitting it with a minimal amount
of camping and maintenance equipment, Brad
and Lissy set out on a journey that would take
them into the nearby Santa Rita Mountains. The
photographing odyssey, meant to include no
more than an overnight trip at the extreme, led
to an unexpected adventure.
“We’re never going to get anywhere at this
rate,” Brad complained. “If we stop to take a
picture of everything we see we won’t get five
miles out of town.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

Lissy understood Brad’s point, and as much

as she wanted to record each landscape, rock
formation, or unusually shaped desert plant, she
reluctantly agreed that their first trip covering a
long distance should be one designed to provide
nothing more than an overview.
“Okay, Captain,” she said, “let’s forge on.
We can always get pictures of these things some
other time.”
Lissy knew she was not being truthful. She
knew that the light, and objects, and the
photographic opportunities would never be the
same again. On the other hand, it would not be
possible to take pictures of everything they saw,
but anyway she tried to make mental notes to
remember the varied natural scenes they passed
as they drove across the hills and valleys.
Spiny fields of cholla cacti or towering
ocotillo interspersed with a number of other
cactus varieties and low growing brushes
dominated the higher ground. While along the
bottoms of the arroyos, tangled groups of
mesquite, ironwood, and palo verde flanked the
sandy, dry washes.
As the RZR passed by one rather broad
wash, Lissy saw something unnatural and
entirely out of place. It was a one gallon plastic
jug filled with water.
“Look, Brad,” she exclaimed. “Some poor
traveler must have lost their water bottle. I hope
they don’t get too thirsty along the way.”

3
 The Coyote Trap

Brad stopped and turned the RZR into the

wash for a better look. Sure enough, a plastic
container filled with water sat noticeably in the
shade of a creosote bush.
“That isn’t something that’s been lost,”
Brad observed. “That jug was put there on
purpose in case a thirsty Mexican coming across
the border needs it for survival.”
“You mean there are illegals around here?”
Lissy found it hard to believe the stories
reported by the news media were true—but if
they were—. “We better get out of here,” she
urged. “They might be dangerous.”
“I think ‘in danger’ might be more
accurate,” Brad said offhandedly.
“What do you mean? Aren’t you afraid?”
“Not really,” Brad answered. “The folks
who come across the border are usually poor
people looking for work in the U.S. They don’t
want to be picked up by the Border Patrol, so
they avoid being seen whenever they can. We
should have nothing to worry about.”
“That may be true,” Lissy contested, “but
what about the ones who sneak into our country
bringing marijuana or drugs?”
“I’m sure they are trying to keep from
being seen also, but they could be dangerous,”
Brad agreed.
Just then, a voice that seemed to come from
nowhere startled Brad and Lissy. “They are
VERY dangerous, amigos,” the voice said.

3
 The Coyote Trap

The couple looked toward the sound of the

voice, but saw no one.
“I’m up here … on the hill,” the voice said.
The bright desert sun deepened the contrast
of the shadow that covered a shallow cave in the
hillside above them. A person who had been
sitting under the rock out-cropping only became
fully visible when he arose and emerged into the
sunlight.
An obviously Hispanic man walked down
the gentle slope of the hill toward where Brad
and Lissy waited in their RZR. Brad thought to
step hard on the vehicle’s throttle and leave the
scene, but decided against it.
Recognizing the apprehension on the pair’s
faces, the stranger attempted to explain his
presence. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I am not one
of the bad guys.”
The revelation did little to ease the tension
Brad and Lissy felt, but they waited patiently to
hear more as the stranger continued his
approach.
“Well, maybe I’m a little bit bad,” he
admitted, “but that all depends on your
perspective. My name is Heriberto”, he offered.
“You can call me Beto. I am a coyote.”
Brad and Lissy looked confused and even
more apprehensive about the stranger who
flashed a broad smile and continued speaking.
“The ones who are the real bad guys smuggle
drugs and contraband. I only smuggle people.
There is a difference. Moving drugs across the

1
 Jonathon Glane

border hurts people; moving people across,

helps them.”
Finally, Brad began to speak. “So, why are
you telling us all these things? What is it you
want from us?”
“Actually, I’m just a friendly guy,” Beto
replied, “but there is something you can do for
me.”
“And that is?”
“You can call the Border Patrol and tell
them about the dead body.”
“A dead body?” Lissy gasped.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Heriberto said. “You
see, this happens sometimes in the business I’m
in. People anxious to get away from being
captured, sometimes are separated from their
group and they wind up getting lost. Being
alone and lost in this desert can be fatal if no
food or water is available. Unfortunately, this
young man found himself trapped this way.”
“Why don’t you call the authorities
yourself?” Brad asked.
“If I tell them about the body, they might
arrest me and put me in jail. Then I would be
unable to help other unfortunate ones find their
way to safety in the States. Besides, my cell
phone will not work this far away from the main
road. I’m sure yours will not work either, but
you can make the call from that rise over there.”
Beto pointed toward some higher ground to the
west. “Just dial 9-1-1 when you get there and
say you saw a body in the wash. Someone will

2
 The Coyote Trap

be sent out to verify it, and you will only be

asked your names and place of residence.”
Brad and Lissy had been involved in
instances in the past where someone who
seemed honest and straightforward had deceived
them. They were not going to call the authorities
out to a place that could be the scene of a
murder and take the risk of facing responsibility
for it.
“Show us where the body is,” Brad
demanded.
“Very well, Señor,” Beto agreed. “Come
this way.”
Beto led the way as he walked up the wash
with Brad and Lissy close behind still encased
in the safety of their RZR. Only a short distance
was covered before they saw the cadaver—or at
least what was left of it—beneath a bush
alongside the wash. Lissy quickly turned her
head away in revulsion.
Brad’s trepidation about calling the
authorities was eased somewhat when he
realized the corpse had been there for a long
time. The likelihood that he and Lissy might
somehow be linked to the tragedy had been
eliminated, so he agreed to report the discovery.
“By the way … uh, Beto,” Brad asked,
“aren’t you in danger yourself being out here all
alone?”
“Oh, no,” Beto replied, “I know this desert
well. I was born near here in a little mining
settlement called Alto. Besides,” he continued,

2
 Jonathon Glane

“I am not alone. My horse is just over there

browsing in an arroyo, and my ranch is only a
few miles away.”
“You’re an American then?” Lissy asked.
“I am, Señorita, when I am not a Mexican.”
Noticing the confusion on the faces of both Brad
and Lissy, Beto added, “I was born in the
United States to Mexican parents. That
circumstance provided me the opportunity to
become a dual citizen and I have both U.S. and
Mexican passports.”
“That would explain your willingness to
help smuggle undocumented Mexicans into the
country, but what about your obligation as a
U.S. citizen to keep them out?” Brad was
surprised at his own directness.
“I understand the meaning of your
question,” Beto replied. “However it is not one
that can be answered in a simple sentence or
two. If you wish, we can arrange to meet
sometime in the future to discuss the matter
fully. In the meantime, we should part for now.
It will be dark soon and I am sure you both want
to get home, as I do, while it is still light.
“By the way,” he continued, “I notice that
you carry equipment made for taking
photographs. I enjoy doing that myself
sometimes. Near where I live, a canyon offers
remarkable scenery just waiting to be
photographed. I will show you the place
sometime if you wish, and we can continue our
discussion about immigration then.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

Brad was not sure how Lissy felt about this

stranger, but he was impressed with this
articulate, yet earthy, person. He wanted to hear
more about the activities of this self-described
coyote. He and Beto agreed to meet “sometime
soon” after exchanging cell phone numbers.
Brad and Lissy watched Beto as he
disappeared into the desert landscape much the
same way he had appeared. Then Brad stepped
out of the RZR and added a photo of the corpse
to the one he had taken of the water container.

2
 The Coyote Trap

4. Pseudo-Coyote

F inding the remains of a human being in

most parts of the country would surely
call for headline coverage in the local
news media and provide the stuff for cross-
fence gossip for weeks to come. Not so, in the
Sonoran desert of Arizona. Over time, the
frequency of the occurrence had hardened the
citizens of the west to the seeming inevitability
of this harsh termination of countless lives.
Each year, thousands of nationals from
other countries would try their luck at crossing
the U.S. portion of the deadly desert on foot. As
long as they remained together and were able to
gain the food and especially the water they
needed, those avoiding arrest and detention by
the U.S. authorities stood a good chance of
making the trip without serious consequences.
For those unfortunate enough to find themselves
separated from their group, continuing the
journey north could be nothing less than a self-
imposed death sentence. No matter how hearty
or physically capable the crosser felt, the

3
 Jonathon Glane

severity of the desert environment would

inevitably be miscalculated, or an incapacitating
injury would befall the traveler, and the specter
of death would arrive at the scene unexpectedly,
and strike unmercifully.

“I can’t believe how nonchalant the Border

Patrol was about the body,” Lissy observed after
she and Brad had shown the authorities the
tragic scene.
“They did seem a little crass,” Brad agreed
as they drove the RZR back toward Green
Valley. “I suppose they get jaded after a while.”
“I suppose,” Lissy acknowledged, “but that
dead man was once a human being and it seems
so sad that he should lose his life all alone in the
desert like that.”
“I don’t disagree,” Brad said, “but he took
his chances when he decided to enter the
country illegally.”
Ignoring Brad’s comment, Lissy
reminisced, “That poor guy must have had a
family somewhere, and he was probably looking
for work in the U.S. so he could provide some
support for them. They not only lost their
support, they lost their son or husband or
brother, too. I can’t believe that money alone
gives people like him enough incentive to take
the chance to cross the border.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“I’m not sure about the reasons either,”

Brad said. “We really don’t know enough about
the situation to make a call one way or another.
But since we live where we do and we‘ve
already been exposed to some aspects of this
porous frontier, I say we find out as much as we
can about it. If we do that, we can make some
informed decisions about the way we think
about the consequences of illegal border
crossings.”

A local newspaper, The Arizona Daily Star,

provided inquisitive readers the opportunity to
learn a great deal about the situation along the
international frontier by researching the paper’s
archives. Brad and Lissy spent many hours
reading the records and augmenting the
information they gathered with Google, Yahoo,
and Bing Internet searches.
They used Wikipedia, too, and their search
for coyote yielded “a colloquial term for a
person who smuggles illegal immigrants across
the border from Mexico to the United States.”
Other definitions revealed the connotation that a
coyote was a rather ruthless person who would
sometimes bring harm upon the very people
who expected only help.
“That guy, Beto, called himself a coyote,”
Lissy recalled, “but he didn’t seem like the kind
of person who would be cruel.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“I didn’t think so, either,” Brad agreed, “but

you can’t tell a book by its cover.”
“Maybe it’s about time we took this guy up
on his offer to show us that picturesque
canyon,” Lissy suggested.
“That’s a good idea now that we know a
little more about the smuggling business,” Brad
concurred.
And a meeting at Beto’s ranch was
arranged.

Arroyos with dry riverbeds and washes along

their bottoms separate the ridges that stretch like
fingers from the mountainsides to the valleys
below. On one of these rather broad ridges, a
Spanish colonial ranch house announced its
existence with a prominent windmill hovering
over a grove of immature apricot trees. The
windmill provided irrigation for a few acres of
alfalfa, and the balance of the ridge was fenced
off with sturdy timber posts made from re-
cycled railroad ties and strung together with
strands of barbed wire. A heavy wooden gate
under a sign that proclaimed RANCHO
ALEGRE allowed entry into the property where
a number of Herford cattle were grazing.
Once inside the gate, Brad parked the RZR
at the wall surrounding the hacienda’s
courtyard. As he and Lissy were getting out, a

1
 Jonathon Glane

smaller gate opened and Beto came out to greet

them warmly.
“Welcome, amigos,” Beto said. “I am glad
you could come, and as every gringo must know
by now, mi casa es su casa. Come inside. Some
refreshments have been prepared for you.”
The visitors found Beto’s home filled with
the rustic charm one might expect from an old-
world hacienda. Wide verandas at both the front
and rear provided entry into the low-ceilinged
but spacious interior rooms. In the rear, a red-
clay tiled area bordered by brightly blooming
bougainvilleas surrounded a large fountain.
From somewhere, the soothing rhythm of a
Spanish guitar strummed South Of The Border.
Comfortable, rawhide covered chairs in the
living room were arranged around a broad,
ceramic tile covered coffee table where bite-
sized snacks of toast with beans and cheese
accompanied fragile-looking coffee cups,
saucers, and a huge pitcher of lemonade beaded
with condensation.
Hovering over the preparations was a
woman who Beto introduced as Doña Yoya.
“She and I live here alone,” he explained. “She
takes care of the house and treats me like
family. I tell everyone she is my cousin
although we are not related. I only say that so
people will not think that I should be paying her
social security benefits.”
Brad flashed a conspiratory smile, but
secretly questioned the veracity of Beto’s

2
 The Coyote Trap

words. The physical stature and facial features

of the woman suggested that she and Beto could
be brother and sister. Brad refrained from
commenting on the resemblance.
Whoever this woman was, her once-lovely
face had been disfigured somehow. A nasty
looking scar began just above her right eyebrow,
ran across her cheek, and down the length of her
neck. The corner of her right eyelid drooped
misshapenly from unprofessional doctoring that
had left the scar jagged and discolored.
With an improvised eye-patch and her hair
covering as much of the disfigurement as
possible, Doña Yoya moved about silently and
gracefully as she cared for the needs of Beto’s
guests.
“So tell me,” Brad began, “what is it that
causes you to sit in the hot desert all alone under
that rock?”
“I thought the answer was obvious,” Beto
replied. “I sit there to wait for thirsty travelers to
find the water.”
“And then?” Brad wondered.
“And then I go to them and tell them the
direction to go to get to their destination safely.”
“I don’t get it,” Lissy said. “First you called
yourself a coyote and now you describe yourself
as only a ‘Good Samaritan’.”
“Acting in humanitarian ways is the
direction I want to go,” Beto clarified.
“Sometimes though, it becomes necessary to do

2
 Jonathon Glane

more than simply give directions. Let me

explain what this means.
“When people set out to make the journey
north of the border, they gather whatever
information is available before crossing. The
guidance they receive can vary from verbal
directions to detailed maps. In almost all cases,
the information contains the location of places
along the way where they can find water and
sometimes food. They share all this information
among the people who agree to travel together
for the sake of safety in numbers. Of course, I’m
talking about independent crossers and not the
ones who hire coyotes to lead them.
“The primary goal of the crossers is to
avoid detection in order to reach their
destinations safely. To elude capture, they
usually walk along the bottoms of washes and
dry riverbeds the same way wild animals do.
These natural pathways are mostly free of
obstructions and they often provide shady and
secure places for resting and camping.
“Of course, there are downsides to moving
across the desert this way. The authorities have
long recognized the washes as desert highways
and they monitor them closely with direct
observation and all sorts of remote sensing
devices.
“Even if the crossers avoid detection, the
washes can only take them in two directions.
One leads to the lower valleys where most of
the local population lives and the other leads to

2
 The Coyote Trap

the mountains. Entering populated areas is sure

to lead to detection and venturing into the
mountains is sure to increase the level of danger
the crossers will encounter.
“And this, my friends, is where I come in.
The authorities rarely watch the wash where I sit
and wait because it leads to mountains that are
impassable going in that direction. If the
crossers continue up the wash, their only
alternatives are to leave the wash where it meets
the mountains or to go back the way they came.
Most often, they will leave the wash and attempt
to cross the foothills where they can easily
become disoriented or injured.
“Instead, I tell them to follow the road …
the one where you drove your Polaris … to the
next big wash where the passage can be made
easier. Sometimes, however, one or more of
them will be too sick, or injured, or tired to
continue the journey unaided. That is when I
become a coyote and lead them forward as best I
can.”
“Now I get it,” Lissy said. “You don’t
smuggle illegals into the country. You only help
them once they’re here.”
“That’s it,” Beto agreed.
“Even so,” Brad countered, “don’t you have
an obligation to inform the authorities about the
illegals?”
“Technically, that may be true,” Beto
replied, “but I do not truly know the citizenship
of these people.” Before anyone could interrupt,

2
 Jonathon Glane

he continued. “Of course, the assumption is that

they are who they appear to be, but I have no
obligation to stereotype someone in order to
have a reason to have them arrested.”
“So you’re a pseudo-coyote,” Lissy offered.
“I suppose so,” Beto concurred.
“Just one other thing,” Brad wondered.
“How do you expect to help a group of people
with only one jug of water under a bush?”
Beto laughed, “Just one, is under the bush
because out there water gets too hot to drink.
More water is kept under the rock outcropping
where it can stay cool along with the packages
of beef jerky and trail mix I have there.”
“Do you often find people in the wash?”
Lissy asked.
“Almost every day,” was Beto’s answer,
“but they are not always in need of help.
Sometimes they are led by a real smuggler
coyote. In those cases, I simply stay in my little
cave under the rock and wait for them to pass. I
have no wish to confront these opportunists who
would quickly abandon their group of followers
if they felt the threat of detection.”
“We’ve heard these ‘real smuggler
coyotes’, as you call them, are a pretty merciless
bunch of folks,” Brad said.
Beto was clearly struggling to find the right
way to respond before he said, “Merciless is
much too nice a word to describe some of these
monsters, even though I must say that many of
them, maybe even most of them are simply

2
 The Coyote Trap

making a living doing what they do. If you have

heard horror stories about the way some of them
treat their flocks, you have probably heard the
truth. Although this is not the right time to
discuss these things, there is much I could tell
you about some of these smugglers and their
evil ways.”
With that, Beto suggested they adjourn to
the study where he could show them his
collection of photographs before enjoying the
evening meal and retiring for the night. In the
morning, he would show them the scenic
canyon.
Doña Yoya moved silently in the
background—her dark eyes shifting almost
imperceptibly from one person to another—
while the Spanish guitar in the background
strummed a version of In a Little Spanish Town.

2
 The Coyote Trap

5. The Canyon

T he early morning chill of the Arizona

desert had Brad and Lissy wishing they
had dressed warmer as they headed
toward the canyon. They knew the sun shining
ever so brightly would soon warm the air to a
more agreeable level, so they braved the cold
the best they could.
Doña Yoya had prepared the only sort of
breakfast where beans and tortillas were
tolerable that early in the morning, and Brad and
Lissy had enjoyed the company of Beto as they
greedily consumed every morsel placed before
them. Then the trio left to make its way uphill
with Beto ahead on his horse while Brad and
Lissy followed slowly in their RZR.
As they ascended, Beto’s description of the
canyon being a photographer’s dream slowly
became a reality. The gorge in which they
travelled seemed to deepen as the canyon walls
began to close in, and the scrub began to appear
greener, larger, and thicker. Then, suddenly, the
canyon walls began to recede and the terrain

3
 Jonathon Glane

became flatter and more open. In this area, oak

trees, conifers, and manzanitas dominated the
landscape, and sounds made by birds, animals,
and rushing water filled the air.
Although Brad, Lissy, and Beto could not
see it from where they dismounted at the
trailhead, an impassable escarpment—its basalt
façade shining with rivulets and miniature
waterfalls—defined the end of the canyon, and
the beginning of things unexpected.
Just as Beto had promised, the area
abounded with natural formations and vistas
permanently posing for photographs. Excited by
the scenery and invigorated by the cool
mountain air, the trio gathered their equipment
in preparation for their artistic experience.
Once ready, their previously made
agreement to split up and go in different
directions sent them enthusiastically on their
individual ways. Beto headed north toward the
escarpment while Brad went west and Lissy
sought opportunity to the east.
“Tread softly,” Beto warned. “Rattlesnakes
are not aggressive, but they won’t hesitate to
strike if they get cornered or feel threatened.”
Concentrating totally on their individual
undertakings, the trio failed to notice the
passage of time, and the sun was sinking rapidly
in the west when they met back at the trailhead.
As anxious as they were to share images and
experiences, they opted to return to Beto’s ranch

2
 The Coyote Trap

before the sun left them to find their way back

in the dark.
“You must stay the night,” Beto insisted
when they reached the hacienda.
“I’m afraid we’ve ignored our
responsibilities too long already,” Brad
objected. “We have to go home, but I want to
tell you how much we enjoyed your hospitality
and the photo opportunity.”
“Yes, thank you so much,” Lissy said. “I’m
sure some of the pictures I took will be my best
ever. Everything I saw was raw nature at its
best. Well, almost everything. There was that
not-so-natural looking cave in the
mountainside.”
“I didn’t see a cave,” Brad noted.
“Yes, there is one there,” Beto confirmed.
“It’s the old Chatterley mine. It’s been
abandoned for years and years. No one goes
near it now because old man Chatterley’s ghost
is said to be haunting it.”
“Did he die in the mine?” Lissy asked.
“Yes. According to the legend, the vein of
gold the old man found had petered out. He was
ready to leave with his treasure when some
bandits robbed him of it. They must have been
afraid he would identify them because they left
him tied-up in the mine and then caused a cave-
in so he couldn’t escape. Now his ghost is
supposed to have its revenge on anyone who
enters the mine, so everyone stays away.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Wow, I’m glad I didn’t go in!” Lissy

gasped.
“That’s quite a story,” Brad remarked.
“Anyway, we have to go now. When we get our
photos sorted out and copied on a disc, I want to
come back and share them with you.”
“I’ll do the same,” Beto concurred. “Then
we can have a picture party!”

The trip back to Green Valley was made in

darkness. Brad and Lissy did not mind. They
had a chance to talk privately as Brad drove the
RZR slowly along the dirt road.
“Brad,” Lissy said, “Beto seems nice
enough, but some things about him seem fishy.”
“Fishy as in slippery or fishy as in smelly?”
Brad joked.
“I’m serious, Brad.” Lissy was agitated.
“First he tells us he’s a coyote, and then he says
he’s a good guy. He tells us the woman who
looks like his sister is his cousin or his
housekeeper. He says the two of them live alone
while someone is playing the guitar in the other
room. And the worst part is the cave.”
“Do you mean the cave he sits in waiting
for illegals?” Brad asked.
“No. I mean the other one … the haunted
one,” Lissy clarified.

1
 The Coyote Trap

“What could an old abandoned mine in the

mountains possibly have to do with Beto’s
fishiness?” Brad wondered.
“You must have heard him say that the
place was haunted and no one ever went near
it,” Lissy said.
“Yes. I heard that,” Brad acknowledged.
“Well, when I was there I saw enough
evidence to convince me that the place is visited
often by lots of people.”
“What sort of evidence?” Brad asked.
“Evidence like a trail worn in the shale and
scrabble leading to the cave, and evidence like
footprints … lots of footprints inside the
entrance.”
“I wonder who would want to go into a
haunted mine,” Brad said.
“I wonder why Beto would tell us the
things he told us,” Lissy rejoined.
“Maybe he said those things to make us
stay away. Maybe he’s trying to hide something
from us. Maybe Chatterley’s ghost conjured up
the things you thought you saw.”
Lissy was more than just a little miffed.
This was not the first time Brad had questioned
her veracity and she resented it deeply. She was
able to maintain her composure however, and
when the pair finally arrived at their place in
Green Valley, Lissy methodically sorted
through the digital images recorded on her
camera until she located the one she wanted.
She was pleased to show Brad indisputable

1
 Jonathon Glane

evidence of footprints in the mouth of the cave.

Lissy had wanted to photograph the trail leading
to the mine entrance, but the hardscrabble on the
mountain slope left no telltale tracks. She told
Brad that even though no tracks could be seen, a
personal observation of the area indicated a
well-worn trail evidenced by the discoloration
of the overturned rocks and gravel.
When Lissy confronted Brad with the
photograph, he acknowledged his error and the
pair talked about a re-visit to the area. Even so,
Brad steadfastly refused to make the trip until
Lissy suggested the special lighting available
only during the early morning hours would
present an unparalleled photographic
opportunity. They decided to wait one day
before leaving for the canyon at a time when
they would arrive just before the next dawn’s
early light.

Lissy had never seen so many stars. Thousands,

maybe millions seemed to emerge from the
darkness as she and Brad drove away from the
city lights. She thought to capture the spectacle
with her camera, but realized it would have little
impact without something in the frame to
provide a sense of magnitude.
The mountains toward which they drove
would provide the perfect contrast to the
twinkling stars, but the moon-less night was too

2
 The Coyote Trap

black and the silhouette of the hills was not

clearly visible. She knew that as the sun began
to light the day behind the mountains, their
shape would become increasingly defined. But
alas, a brightening of the sky would only mean a
diminishing of the stars. Oh well, there would
be other opportunities for other photographic
gems.
As they neared the trailhead in the canyon,
Brad was glad he had added a Benz Silent Rider
to the RZR’s muffler. Even though the system
was not whisper quiet, it allowed their vehicle to
approach the area without violating the
tranquility of the early morning scene. Whatever
animals might be prowling around after they
arrived were doing so silently and the only
sound they heard after the engine was turned off
was the trickling of water cascading
spontaneously down the face of the escarpment.
“Let’s sit right here and get our gear ready,”
Brad suggested, “at least until it gets light
enough to see where we’re going. Remember
what Beto said about rattlesnakes.”
Lissy remembered all right, as she
shuddered with the thought of stepping on one
of the reptiles in the dark. “My camera is
ready,” she responded, “but I’m in no hurry to
go groping around in the dark.”
It seemed like a long time before the sun
finally began to allow the features of the land to
emerge from the darkness. Bundled up against
the early morning chill, Brad and Lissy sat

2
 Jonathon Glane

silently while the silhouette above them that had

blocked out the stars slowly became the oak
forest canopy before it turned into individual
trees, and then branches, and then leaves.
Silently, the pair got out of the RZR and
began to make their way toward the entrance to
the old abandoned mine. Their movement
seemed to cause the creatures of the forest to
begin their daily activities as well because birds
soon began chirping and small animals
occasionally scurried about.
Lissy led the way directly to the place she
had seen evidence of human activity, but when
they reached the cave, the entrance was still too
dark to be able to see the ground clearly, so they
decided to investigate where the trail went first.
As Lissy had observed, the trail down the rocky
terrain was clearly visible. This verified its
frequent use because the footprints of only a few
people would not have left such obvious signs
of human traffic.
They had only moved downhill few
hundred feet when they heard the sound of feet
crunching gravel coming toward them. As
silently as they could, they moved off the trail
and into the shadows. Brad and Lissy froze
motionlessly as they watched a rather large man
on a horse leading a column of ten to fifteen
people walking up the trail. Bringing up the rear
was another heavy-set man riding a burro that
looked too small to support his weight. When
the procession reached the mouth of the cave,

2
 The Coyote Trap

the leader dismounted and led the horse inside.

The others followed.
Brad and Lissy stood in silent shock for a
few moments before Brad whispered, “I get it
now. Illegals travel at night so they won’t be
seen and they hole-up during the day in that
cave.”
“And then what?” Lissy whispered back.
“And then they come back out when it gets
dark again and move on,” Brad speculated.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Lissy
objected. “Why would they come all the way up
a dead-end canyon just to go back down again?
That has to be lots of miles out of their way.”
“Maybe so,” Brad agreed, “but you just saw
the same thing I did. They must think it’s worth
going out of their way or they wouldn’t be
doing it.”
“But,” Lissy objected, “Beto said he re-
directs the people who pass by the place where
we first met him to the next canyon over so they
won’t get stuck in this dead-end place.”
“Maybe Beto just doesn’t know that there’s
another trail leading out of here,” Brad
reasoned. “After all, some of the things he has
told us have been pretty shaky. I didn’t notice
any trails to the west when we were here the
other day. Maybe there is one going off to the
east. What say we go look for it?”
“I’m afraid, Brad. I know the illegals are
probably harmless, but what about that guy on
the horse?”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“We can move along the east side of the

trail until we get to the escarpment. If there is a
way leading eastward, we should come across it
by then.”
“Okay, but let’s move as quietly as we
can.”
It was not long before Brad and Lissy
reached the mountainside. They had not seen
any signs of human movement making trails in
this direction. Perplexed, Brad reiterated that his
conclusion about the illegals only using the cave
as a daytime hideout had been the correct one.
The pair decided they had pursued the
question about the old mine being abandoned
and haunted as much as they needed to. It was
clear that either Beto was deceiving them, or he
simply did not know about the intruders.
As far as the illegals were concerned, Brad
and Lissy did not think it was their
responsibility to assist the Border Patrol to do
their duty. As far as Beto was concerned, he had
been a gracious but less-than-truthful host that
they would simply cross off the ‘friends’ list.

1
 The Coyote Trap

6. Credibility

W riting Beto off as a friend was not as

easy as Brad and Lissy had imagined.
Only a few days had passed since
their adventure at the Chatterley mine when
Brad’s cell phone loudly announced a caller on
the line. Brad wondered what it was that Beto
wanted when he saw his number displayed on
the iPhone’s caller ID. It had previously
occurred to Brad that Beto could be acting
friendly only to be able to take advantage of him
and Lissy in some way, although the reason for
such an action remained unclear. Nevertheless,
Brad responded to the call with a display of as
much friendship as he could muster.
After their greetings, Beto announced that
the photos he took at the canyon had been
compiled and edited, and he was anxious to
share them with Brad and Lissy. He said he had
made a special effort to stock the liquor cabinet
with Johnny Walker Black, and Doña Yoya had
agreed to prepare some special hors d'oeuvres

3
 Jonathon Glane

for their enjoyment while they compared their

photos and sipped their drinks.
In spite of Brad’s consternation, the
invitation sounded so inviting that he accepted it
without hesitation, and promised to bring the
pictures he and Lissy had taken.
The chance to revisit Beto’s ranch delighted
Lissy because it would give her an opportunity
to have her photographic abilities evaluated by a
peer, and besides, she could use the meeting as
an excuse to try to understand the enigma that
Beto seemed to embody.
Whatever concerns Brad and Lissy might
have felt faded away as the SuperCrew rolled
into the driveway at Rancho Alegre. Beto
greeted them with all the hospitality he had
shown before—and then some. As promised,
Doña Yoya had arranged the study with
individual seating that included places for
snacks and drinks while the trio took turns
displaying their individual works of art. A large
screen pulled down from its roll near the ceiling
gave the room a theater-like ambiance.
By mutual consent, Beto screened his
presentation first. It was instantly clear that his
photographic abilities were above average.
Some of the close-ups he had taken at the
escarpment revealed sensitivity toward subtle
shades, colors, and textures. Others provided the
contrast of silvery water rippling against an
obsidian-granite background, or the mist of a

2
 The Coyote Trap

waterfall softening a rock formation with its

ethereal veil.
Both Brad and Lissy felt a little outclassed,
but they took solace in the fact that their photos
dealt with different subjects and therefore were
not directly comparable.
Brad had done his best to capture the
magnitude of the vistas observable toward the
west. Each of his shots was composed of a
foreground object—a dead tree or dense
shrubbery often set off to one side of the frame
—that leant perspective to the panorama
beyond. Brad’s use of the camera’s focus-lock
to accentuate the foreground or the background
provided interest by creating a focal point for
each picture. Supportive comments made by
Beto and Lissy complimented Brad on his work.
Lissy had chosen cactuses, shrubs, and
animals as her subjects. She was dissatisfied
with the way the pictures of animals had come
out, so she decided not to show them. The
cactuses and the flowering shrubs, on the other
hand, were well composed and artistic. One
cactus, seemingly growing out of a pile of solid
rocks was particularly interesting because the
plant itself provided one focal point and the
shadow it cast against the background provided
another. Lissy could not help smiling to herself
when she brought the next picture into focus. It
was artistic in its black and white simplicity
although its subject was nothing more than the
entrance to an old mine.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Do you notice anything odd about the

picture?” Lissy asked no one in particular.
No one spoke for several moments until
Beto said, “The entrance to the cave had lots of
footprints in it.”
“That’s right,” Lissy agreed, “and you can
be sure they are not mine. People looking for a
place to hide would leave evidence like that.”
“Not only that,” Brad added, “the mine
would provide a cool place to rest out of the sun
and out of sight at the same time.”
“And they would have to be tired from all
the walking they do,” Lissy continued before
asking Beto a question meant to entrap him.
“Illegals always walk. Isn’t that what you said,
Beto?”
Beto fell in. “Yes, they all walk and the
desert is hot and forbidding. Like Brad said,
finding that cave would be like finding an
oasis.”
“Didn’t you also tell us, Beto, that the mine
was abandoned?”
“I did, and I thought it was,” Beto replied.
“Obviously, someone has been hanging around
there.”
“Judging from the size and shape of the
footprints,” Brad interjected, “I would say there
are more visitors than just one.” He, like Lissy,
did not intend to tell Beto about the illegals they
had seen entering the mine. He wanted to hear
the man’s explanation of the intrusions Beto had
claimed did not exist.

1
 The Coyote Trap

“I see what you mean,” Beto

acknowledged. “I don’t think ghosts leave
evidence of. ...”
Someone standing in the doorway
interrupted Beto’s statement. Brad and Lissy
also turned to see what had attracted Beto’s
attention. A child—no more than nine or ten
years old—stood in the doorway. His looks, as
well as Beto’s, favored Doña Yoya’s—except
for eyes that stared blankly into near-space as he
stood there with his mouth partially open.
Wordlessly, Beto arose, walked over to the
young man, and said something to him. Brad
and Lissy could not hear the words, but they
must have been kindly and persuasive according
to Beto’s mannerisms and the fact that the
young man turned and left the room without
making eye contact with anyone.
The second contradiction to the things Beto
had said before came so suddenly after the first
that Brad and Lissy only glanced knowingly at
one another—too shocked to say anything. “He
is the son of Manuel, the ranch foreman,” Beto
said to the inquisitive looks on his guests’ faces.
“He sometimes comes here to play my guitar.”
The words were no sooner spoken than the soft
sounds of Amapola, strummed with passion and
obvious talent permeated the room. “It’s
unfortunate,” Beto continued, “that this child is
developmentally challenged, but his musical
ability sometimes borders on genius.”

1
 The Coyote Trap

While Beto enlightened Brad and Lissy

about the boy, it became clear that he was
artistically challenged as well. The melody that
he had played so brilliantly, suddenly turned
into a cacophony of dissonance, as the lad began
jabbing randomly at the guitar strings.
Then, just as suddenly, the noise stopped
and no more musical sounds came forth. Beto
shrugged his shoulders, but offered no
explanation. When Doña Yoya glided silently
into the room and placed a guitar on its pedestal,
it became clear how the noisy discord had
stopped.
The bizarre interruption to the show-and-
tell session ended the picture-party. Fortunately,
it had occurred near the time for the social
activities to end, and as the guests were
gathering their things prior to leaving, Beto
asked of them a special favor. He wondered if
they would call him on his cell phone and tell
him about any sightings of illegal activity.
“Would it be possible, for you to call me if you
see any travelers on foot the next time you roam
the desert on your UTV?”
Brad and Lissy could see no reason to deny
his request. The reporting he asked for would
allow him to act in his role as a Samaritan. They
silently declined, however, to tell him of the
caravan that had entered the haunted cave.
Brad and Lissy thanked their host,
unsuccessfully searched for Doña Yoya to thank
her as well, and departed for Green Valley.

1
 The Coyote Trap

On their way home, the topics of

conversation concerned the credibility of Beto
and any enlightenment gained from their
meeting. Brad expressed his belief that Beto had
been as forthright as he could be. He defended
Beto’s professed lack of knowledge about the
old mine having visitors, and the statement that
he and Doña Yoya lived alone was probably
true if the young man was only an occasional
visitor.
Lissy would have none of it. She claimed
that since the route to the mine passed by Beto’s
ranch, it would not be possible for him to ignore
the illegals that seemed to use it so regularly.
She contended that the physical resemblance
between Beto, Doña Yoya, and the ranch hand’s
son had to be more than coincidental, and her
suspicions did not stop there.
The location of Beto’s ranch left him in an
excellent position to be a real coyote—the bad
kind. The way he hung out by the wash under
that rock outcropping could have been as
altruistic as he claimed it was, but it was more
likely an effort spurred on by profit gained the
coyote way.
Moreover, the lie about all illegals walking
that Lissy had forced Beto to tell was the
decisive factor as far as she was concerned. She
and Brad clearly had seen a man riding a horse
and another man trailing behind on a donkey—
escorting a train of illegals into the old
Chatterley mine. They felt fortunate that the

1
 Jonathon Glane

smugglers had not seen them; especially the

group’s gruff-looking leader.

2
 The Coyote Trap

7. Zarpa’s Decree

D awn only partially illuminated the

entrance tunnel inside the Chatterley
mine. The caravan halted for a moment
to allow the travelers’ eyes to become
accustomed to the dark. Penetrating deeper into
the cavern would only cause the light to
diminish further, so Zarpa instructed the first
person in line to hold onto his horse’s tail and
for all those following to hold hands and stay
close behind one another.
After the group had proceeded this way
for several hundred feet, the passageway
became clearer from light that emanated from
an unseen source. The group trudged up and
over a huge pile of rubble that had resulted from
a major cave-in. At the top of the rubble, the
space opened up to reveal a natural limestone
cavern with stalactites hanging from the top and
a small pool of fresh water fed by a trickling
stream at the bottom. A relatively level and
open space beside the pool provided sufficient
room for the group to spread out and prepare to

3
 Jonathon Glane

camp while the animals fed from a stash of hay

that had been stored there.
Having walked across the Arizona desert all
night long, the travelers were grateful for the
opportunity to rest. If they had cared to look
around and think about the things they saw,
evidence indicating the way the tunnel led into
the cavern was clear.
The mineshaft so laboriously dug out by
prospector Chatterley had not led to the cavern
originally. When bandits robbed him of his
treasure and ensured his everlasting
entombment by causing a cave-in to collapse
over his body, the material that fell into the
mineshaft from above exposed the opening to
the cavern. The rubble the group had scrambled
over to enter the cavern, now covered
Chatterley’s corpse whose ghost purportedly
haunted the cave.
No one told the group of immigrants about
the specter inhabiting the underground space. If
someone had, the people probably would not
have sought refuge inside the cavern. Likewise,
they might have chosen to remain outside the
cave—and take their chances in the desert—if
they had foreseen the dreadful experience that
was about to befall them.
The travelers were to make camp until the
light that illuminated the cavern from
somewhere above began to grow dim. The
indication of approaching nightfall would mean
it was time to continue their journey.

2
 The Coyote Trap

That evening, things would be different.

When Zarpa awakened his charges, he told them

his contacts had told him that the Border Patrol
blocked the route they were to take. And there
was more. The people bribed to look the other
way when the caravan passed by had demanded
more money. The immigrants would have to
give Zarpa everything of value they had in order
to make the payment.
When some of the caravan members
objected, Zarpa warned them that if anyone
withheld so much as a peso, their lifeless body
would provide a treat for desert scavengers to
devour. His burro-borne henchman reinforced
the threats, as he stood straddle-legged with a
black whip coiled in the clench of one of his
fists.
Zarpa and the henchman approached the
travelers one by one and collected everything of
value each person had. The last pair they
reached, a man named Luis and his wife Lupita,
declared that they had already given everything.
Instead of receiving the beating or worse
Luis had expected, Zarpa told him his wife
could settle his debt. Fearing for her husband’s
life in the way he reacted to the demand, Lupita
nodded to him that it would be best to grant

1
 Jonathon Glane

Zarpa’s wishes and she stepped forward offering

herself with shame and reluctance.
Tears welled in Luis’ eyes at the thought of
this immoral debauchery, but he stood
motionlessly as Zarpa led his wife to a secluded
place in the cavern. Soon, animal-like grunts
began emerging from the scene, and Luis would
have crushed Zarpa’s head with a rock if not for
the burly henchman, Oso Sanchez, standing
guard.

Each group that crossed the border was pre-

warned that bad things sometimes happened to
those venturing north.
Those persons who issued warnings of the
dangers one might expect along the way, also
provided advice about the preferred routes and
destinations. This information often came from
someone who had been there and done that.
Some chroniclers’ stories were first-hand and
believable because the storyteller had been
captured, incarcerated, and repatriated by the
border authorities.
Generally, their accounts dealt with the
trials and tribulations of the march across the
desert. The successful journeys—of which there
were thousands each year—were discussed
rarely. This might have been a good thing
because a crosser who thought the trip would be
swift and easy would be clearly disadvantaged.

2
 The Coyote Trap

In spite of the warnings, innumerable

stories that told of the dangers often brought
disregard because the listeners believed those
tragedies only happened to others.
Instinctively, the traveler knew the most
disastrous thing expected would be for someone
to lose their life due to his or her separation
from the group. A lone traveler who lost their
way or suffered an incapacitating injury or
illness would be unlikely to survive. The easy
solution would be to stay with the group, but
unforeseen circumstances happened frequently,
such as crossers scattering to escape agents who
were determined make arrests.
Another frequently occurring danger came
from roving bandits who robbed the travelers of
all their possessions if they came across an
unprotected group. It was common for these
bandits to capture everyone and hold them
hostage until their relatives in the United States
or in Mexico paid a ransom. Perhaps even worse
than being held hostage, it was not uncommon
for these bandits to sell the able-bodied men into
virtual slavery and sell the young women into
prostitution.
These stories and many others—some even
more horrific—were repeatedly told to would-
be crossers. This usually led the crossers to
decide to travel with a group led by someone
who knew the safe routes, and was strong
enough to protect them from marauders. This
choice had a number of pitfalls of its own.

1
 The Coyote Trap

In many cases, the leader of the caravan

demanded more money from his charges
somewhere along the journey. Sometimes the
demand was legitimate. Sometimes it was not.
The leader usually explained the reason was that
an American official demanded a bribe. Often,
the countries from which the travelers came
accepted bribery as a normal way of doing
business, and the crossers would pay the
blackmail without question.
Other pitfalls included many of the same
dangers independent crossers faced, so finding
the right person to act as a guide was clearly the
preferred choice. The only challenging question
that remained was who to choose as the group
leader.
The rumors going around about Zarpa were
not all good, nor were they all bad. It seemed
that in the old days, he was as ruthless as they
get, but age and experience had softened him to
a tolerable level of trust.
The group that traveled with him now had
paid Zarpa a significant sum to guide them
safely to Tucson. Aware of his questionable
reputation, they went with him anyway because
he promised a safe crossing, and he seemed
capable of backing up his word physically or
with the Colt 44 he carried tucked in the
waistband of his jeans.

3
 The Coyote Trap

All the others in the cavern avoided making eye

contact with Zarpa as he emerged from his
perverted diversion—all the others except Luis
who glared at him before shifting his gaze of
scorn to his wife.
As Zarpa approached, Luis revealed
something of value that he had withheld from
the shakedown. A glint of light from Luis’
switchblade was the only warning Zarpa got as
Luis lunged at him with murder on his mind.
His attempt did not get far because Oso grabbed
him from behind and Zarpa disarmed him. A
backhand to the face dropped Luis to his knees
when Oso released him, and a kick squarely in
the chest sent him sprawling in the dirt.
Zarpa turned to the other travelers to make
sure they understood the gravity of the situation.
He saw only shock and fear on their faces and
heard nothing but silence, so he turned back to
Luis who now was being comforted by his wife.
He told both of them that they were no longer
welcome to be a part of the group and that they
would have to find their own way forward to
their destination or back to the Mexican border.
He told Luis that he should consider himself
lucky because those who assaulted Zarpa were
usually found dead in the desert wasteland. He
told Luis to take his whore of a wife with him
because she was a lousy lay anyway, and if she
used her body to pay her way into the States,
she would not get one hundred meters from the
border.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Oso’s raucous laugh was joined by Zarpa’s

as he used the coiled whip in his hand to gesture
the way down the pile of rubble, and the couple
left to make their way through the darkness of
the cave and back into the desert—and their
destiny—without any of their possessions or
even a sip of water.

3
 The Coyote Trap

8. The Back Door

T he terrain on the east side of the Santa

Rita mountains was covered with rolling
hills and valleys that gave way to a high
grassy plain. Sparse forests of a variety of
cactuses covered much of the higher ground and
thickets of mesquite and underbrush dominated
the lower areas. The geography produced a
landscape that was picturesque and quite unlike
the harsh desert seen elsewhere.
A twenty-mile ride in their RZR brought
Brad and Lissy to the area where they enjoyed
photographing the flora, fauna, and mountain
vistas. Numerous UTV trails up, down, and
across the hills and valleys facilitated their trip.
Other outdoor enthusiasts would also find the
enjoyment of traveling those trails, but for the
most part the area remained unused, and the
natural tranquility provided by nature prevailed.
Brad and Lissy’s RZR crested a hill near
the higher mountains where they paused under
the shade of an oak tree to relax. They planned

1
 Jonathon Glane

to enjoy the lunch they had brought along in this

place where the view was so outstanding.
Not long after they settled down, Lissy
made a rush to set up her camera on a tripod so
she could capture a scene before it vanished. Far
away, what appeared to be a prospector leading
a donkey packed with supplies would soon be
out of sight and at this great distance, Lissy
needed the steadiness of a tripod to record the
photograph.
“What’s so interesting?” Brad wondered.
“Look, down in that valley. It looks like an
old-time prospector,” Lissy said excitedly.
Brad focused his Swarovski binoculars on
the figures moving in the distance. Sure enough,
it was a man leading a burro burdened with
large packs held on each side of its body by a
cross-frame. Adding to the burro’s load, a bale
of fresh hay rested on the cross-frame’s center.
To complete the prospector stereotype, the man
wore tattered clothing and a wide-brimmed hat
with the front turned up and pinned against the
crown.
“Looks like he’s headed for the high
mountain,” Brad observed.
“Uh-huh, probably looking for gold,” Lissy
ventured. “I hope it turns out better for him than
it did for old man Chatterley.”
“He must be thinking of a long stay,” Brad
said as he noticed the heavy burden the burro
was carrying. “Look, he’s even packed some
hay for his donkey.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Wow,” Lissy said inattentively as she

focused and captured frame after frame of the
man leading his beast. “Oh, Brad, let’s go down
there where I can get some better shots. They’ll
make a great addition to our archives and I’m
sure the old man won’t mind.”
“Let’s finish our lunch first,” Brad said.
“As slow as the old man is moving, we have
plenty of time to catch up with him before he
gets to that steep mountain.”
When their picnic had concluded, the
adventurers picked up and resumed their trip
along the trail, hoping to intersect with the route
of the prospector. Brad guessed the man to be
less than one-half mile from them when they
first saw him, and they probably would cross his
path in three-quarters of a mile or less.
However, after they had driven more than a
mile, Brad began to wonder if he had not made
a mistake because neither the man nor his trail
became evident. Lissy was not helping.
“I knew we should have started right away,
but as usual, you were listening to your
stomach, and now we’ve lost him.”
“Unless he turned in another direction, he
should have crossed the trail in that gully back
there. Let’s go back again and make sure we
didn’t miss his tracks.” Brad was sure they
would find what they were looking for.
When they reached the gully, no tracks
were to be seen, but then Brad saw some telltale
signs of disturbance running parallel to the gully

2
 Jonathon Glane

and just up the slope of the hill. He realized he

had not noticed the trail before because he had
been concentrating his observation on the sandy
wash at the bottom of the gully.
“Look, Lis, we drove right past his trail. He
can’t be far ahead,” Brad guessed. “Let’s ride up
the wash a ways, and see if we can catch up
with him.”
Lissy prepared for a surprise encounter. Her
camera was at the ready for whenever the
prospector and his burro came into view. Brad
shifted the RZR into four-wheel-drive as they
made their way up the gully observing the tracks
of the prospector as they went. Soon the trail
merged with their path at the bottom of the
wash, and they expected to overtake their
objective any moment. A short distance farther,
the tracks left the gully once again and went up
a steep slope that was too narrow for the RZR to
follow. It was not necessary anyway. The trail
led to the mouth of a large cave in the side of
the mountain.
“So much for your photo shoot,” Brad
expressed with resignation.
Lissy was not ready to give up. “He’s got to
be just inside the shelter where we can’t see
him. Let’s walk up there and ask him if we can
take his picture.”
Brad expressed his agreement by parking
the RZR in a level place, gathering his camera
equipment, and preparing for the hike up the
hill. Lissy was ready to go as soon as Brad was.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Minutes later, the pair found themselves in

the mouth of a huge cave that was much larger
than it appeared from below. Whatever natural
phenomenon had created the cavern had done a
good job because the ceiling was high, the floor
was mostly flat, and a fresh breeze was flowing
from somewhere deep inside.
The man and his burro, however, were
nowhere around. Evidence of traffic, on the
other hand, was visible everywhere.
Innumerable human and animal tracks covered
the dusty surface of the cavern floor. Here and
there, litter and the traces of campfires provided
evidence that the cave was frequently occupied.
After adjusting their eyes to the gloom and
carefully looking around inside, the pair decided
that the man and his burro could not have had
this place as a destination because there was no
way out. They decided that someone other than
the prospector made the trail leading to the
cavern. Moreover, they supposed that the cave
was probably nothing more than a rest stop for
people who entered the country illegally.
Brad and Lissy decided to take advantage
of the hike they had made up the mountain by
looking around the area for any photographic
opportunities. They left the cave and followed a
trail that led northeast alongside the high
mountain. Their choice seemed to be a good one
as distant scenic vistas, craggy rock
outcroppings, and ancient woodland sentinels
seemed to be posing in all their grandeur while

2
 Jonathon Glane

patently waiting for them. Both photographers

eventually became exhausted from their artistic
efforts and the altitude, so they decided to return
to the RZR.
Backtracking on the trail they had used,
Brad and Lissy had almost reached the mouth of
the cave when a noise caused them to halt where
they stood. The unexpected clamor they heard
was nothing more than a rider on a burro. They
stood astonished as they watched the rider exit
the cave and head down the mountain. There
could be no doubt. The rider had the brim of his
hat pinned against the crown. It had to be the
prospector and his now burden-less burro!
They found themselves mystified by the
events. They wanted to know more about where
the prospector went and what he did with his
cargo.
Thankful that the prospector they had
sought out before had not seen them standing so
close by, Brad and Lissy waited for what
seemed like a long time before beginning to
move again. At first, they wondered if the rider
would see the RZR when he got to the wash, but
then they decided he would not as long as he
went back the same way he came. Confident
that their presence remained unknown, the
couple ventured again into the semi-darkness of
the cave.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Just as before, the cave appeared to be nothing

more than a large space in the side of the
mountain. Then Brad remembered the flow of
fresh air they had felt the first time. Taking
Lissy’s hand, he turned his face to the breeze
and walked toward it. Soon they saw what they
had missed previously. Along the back of the
cavern, a ramp in the rock formed a pathway.
The ramp ascended along the curved back of the
cavern, and soon the opening to a passageway
came into view. As they drew nearer the
entrance, the source of the breeze became more
evident as its velocity increased with every step
they took.
The pair hesitated at the entrance to the
passageway—not sure of the advisability of
venturing further without proper preparation.
Curiosity soon won out, however, and they
continued toward the source of the fresh air
while Brad illuminated the darkness with the
backlight from his iPhone.
It was not long before Brad and Lissy
became hopelessly lost!
The passageway had ended abruptly at
another, smaller cavern. Instead of the regular
dome-shaped space the larger cavern had
exhibited, this one had oddly shaped
antechambers and a number of openings that
appeared to go in all directions. The hard
surface underfoot made tracks difficult to see, so
they went straight across the cavern and into the
passage that appeared directly on the opposite

2
 Jonathon Glane

side. When this passageway ended at yet

another cavern, the puzzled pair began to realize
the folly of their ways, and agreed to return the
way they came—except. … They could not find
the way, and any glimmer of hope that
remained, started to fade when Brad noticed the
battery icon on his iPhone was beginning to turn
red!
“What are we going to do, Brad?”
“I don’t know,” he said truthfully. “Let’s
just sit here for a while and methodically try to
remember the way we got here. Then we might
be able to find our way back if my battery holds
out.”
The pair sat cross-legged in the darkness,
each immersed in panicky recollection. In the
minds of each, they thought they could
remember the different passages and turns they
had taken on the way in. However, when they
tried to reverse the course without so much as a
scrap of paper to make notes on, they only
became more confused. When Brad suggested a
certain route they should try, and then admitted
he was only guessing, Lissy objected strongly.
“Be sensible, Brad. We could wander
around in here for days unless we have some
way of knowing where we’re going.”
The profound silence only found in a cave
—in the dark—surrounded them.
Lissy was the first to break the silence.
“Think about the breeze, Brad … the fresh air.

2
 The Coyote Trap

That’s what we followed in here and that’s what

should lead us out!”
The solution that sounded so simple had a
major flaw. Where they were, not a breath of air
stirred.
“Wet your finger,” Brad said.
“Do what?” Lissy asked.
“Stick your finger in your mouth and get it
wet. When you hold it up, the side that gets cold
first will tell you the direction the breeze is
coming from.”
Brad activated his iPhone briefly to watch
Lissy test the air while he did likewise. Each of
their fingers quickly became cooler, but the
temperature felt the same all around.
“I can’t tell,” Lissy said.
“I know. I can’t either,” Brad agreed. “That
tells us something, though. We somehow left
the route where the breeze was blowing and
we’ve got to get back to it if we’re going to get
out of here.”
“Let’s try that way,” Lissy pointed. “I’m
sure that’s the way we came in.”
“I believe that’s right,” Brad agreed. “Let’s
try that way … at least to the next intersection.”
Brad used the light from his cell phone only
intermittently as they made their way through
the tunnel. In spite of this, it was not long before
the light switched off when the dying battery
caused the phone to shut down.
“Use the light from your cell,” Brad
ordered.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“I don’t want to. I want to save my phone

for emergencies,” Lissy said thoughtlessly.
Before Brad could go into a dissertation
about the meaning of the word ‘emergency’,
Lissy offered a better plan. She would use the
Bic lighter she had packed in case they needed
to start a fire. The yellow light from the
flickering Bic was far from the cell’s white-light
standards, and they had to move slowly to keep
it from blowing out, but they were both happy to
be removed from total darkness.
When the pair reached the intersection of
another passageway, the Bic afforded an even
greater utility than simply providing light. The
flame from the lighter began to bend silently,
providing a clue about the preferred direction to
go.
Without comment, Brad and Lissy began
walking the same direction the breeze seemed to
be moving. When the pace of their progress
matched the velocity of the breeze, the flame
would rise vertically, indicating they were going
in the correct direction.
Smiles brightened the faces of both
adventurers when they finally saw a dim light
ahead. As they drew nearer, they could tell the
light was coming from a cavern, and they
expected to find themselves in the same place
their adventurous fiasco had begun. The smiles
quickly disappeared, however, when they
reached the cavern and realized it was only
similar to the other one—but worse. The light

3
 Jonathon Glane

was not coming from an exit to the outside

world. It illuminated the cavern from a
completely inaccessible shaft high above. They
felt more lost than before.
Daylight from the overhead shaft allowed
the pair to examine the interior of the cavern.
The first thing they noticed was a glimmering
pool of water fed by a small stream. At least
they would not die of thirst before finding their
way out. The next thing they noticed was the
pack bundles the prospector’s burro had carried.
And not far away, the bale of hay that had
burdened the burro, laid scattered among the
remnants of many other bales. Evidence of
human as well as animal habitation was
everywhere. It soon became clear that this place
was an underground oasis where the prospector
had unloaded the burros’ burden to await the
next group of visitors.
The thought that this could be a
campground for illegals or marauding bandits
crossed the minds of Brad and Lissy. They both
felt in danger by being where they were, but that
was not the worst part. They were so confused
about their location, they were not sure if they
were going to find their way out. Brad
confessed to thinking they were ‘between a rock
and a hard place’.
Once again, Lissy’s suggestion that they
pause to think about things rationally allowed
them to reach a possible solution. She checked
the time on her wristwatch and realized they had

2
 The Coyote Trap

been lost much longer than they thought. Her

assumption was verified when the light from the
shaft began to diminish and within a few
minutes, they were again left in near total
darkness.
“I think I have the answer,” she said to
Brad.
“I know,” he responded, “with all the
evidence of people around here, we can just
wait until someone shows up and then follow
them out. We have plenty of water and those
packs the prospector left are probably filled with
food.”
“And how many days are you willing to
wait?” Lissy wondered.
“I’m as anxious to leave as you are, but
what choice do we have … more aimless
wandering in this maze of tunnels and caverns?”
“Think about this, Brad. Look at the time. I
think the breeze we followed shifted directions
because the sun moved to the other side of the
mountains. If I’m right, all we have to do is go
the way the flame tells us to go, and I still have
plenty of lighter fluid to light our way. If I’m
wrong, we should be able to find our way back
here easily.”
“Let’s go,” was the only thing Brad said.
Their passage against the direction the
breeze blew was more difficult than it had been
going with it. The pair would have to slow their
pace or stop regularly to keep the flame from
blowing out completely. They did make forward

2
 Jonathon Glane

progress, however, and were soon in the small

cavern they had been in before. Moving in the
direction indicated by the flame, they crossed
the cavern and entered the passageway they
believed to be the correct one.
“I’m sure we can find our way back to the
entrance cavern now,” Lissy said. “How do you
feel about going on?”
“Let’s go,” Brad agreed again.
He was accustomed to leading and not
following, but he trusted Lissy’s judgment and
he believed they were on the right track.
Besides, she held the lighter and the light.
This time, the breeze was stiff enough to
put out the flame even when they moved
forward slowly. Lissy resolved the problem be
pocketing the Bic and lighting the way with the
backlight from her cell phone. She felt so
confident that they were on the right path; she
was willing to sacrifice the battery power she
considered their lifeline to the outside world.
Her confidence renewed when they reached
the next cavern where she activated the Bic once
again to show them the correct way out. Then
once again, the light from her cell phone led
them to a place where the wall seemed to
expand away. A short walk later, they joyously
caught sight—through the yawning mouth of the
cavern—a portion of the Arizona sky
welcoming them with thousands of twinkling
stars.

2
 The Coyote Trap

9. The Samaritan

L uis was in trouble and he knew it. He and

Lupita had managed to find their way out
of the mine through a series of painful
falls and scrapes. Yet, the worst part of their
journey was just beginning. They knew neither
where they were nor which way to go. However,
they did recollect climbing up the trail and into
the cave, so it seemed reasonable to go down the
trail. Luis knew that this plan would only take
them a short distance before uncertainty would
set in and it would be necessary to make some
life or death decisions. From that point forward,
without water, food, or possessions of any kind
except the clothes on their backs, their future
looked bleak indeed.
Luis, like many of his compatriots, was
fiercely independent and proud. The beating he
had taken from Zarpa and his goon had hurt his
pride, but it had not weakened him. When his
wife was raped, he felt shame and humiliation,
but his attempt at defending her honor as well as
his by attacking Zarpa exonerated him from

1
 Jonathon Glane

guilt. Even so, he felt a little foolish for having

lost the knife, his only survival tool, because of
his action.
Luis prepared for the trip by loading his
pockets with rocks of the best size for throwing,
and he found a stout stick for bludgeoning prey
—or defending himself and his wife. He
considered himself a survivor who could kill a
lizard or a rabbit with a rock and eat its flesh
raw, if necessary. They would not die from
hunger. Their most serious threat was water, or
the lack of it. That time of year, it rained
infrequently, and he figured they might survive
for three or four days at the most without this
life supporting liquid.
They had marched north for three nights
before they reached the spot where they stood.
There they were, lost, tired, and destitute,
somewhere in the Sonoran desert of the United
States. As proud as he was and as much as he
wanted to reach their destination and the
security of a well-paying job north of the
border, Luis decided their best chance for
survival was to find someone—as soon as they
could—who would arrest them for entering the
country illegally.
He reversed all the detection-avoiding
principles he had learned. He would lead his
wife down the center of major washes and
across broad expanses of open space. They
would walk in the daylight and rest at night. As
long as the sun rose to their left and set to their

2
 The Coyote Trap

right, Luis knew they would be going in the

correct direction. He was confident that before
long his plan would lead to their apprehension
and rescue from the ordeal they faced.
The desert was not kind to those
unfortunate enough to have lost their way in its
vastness, nor was it merciful. Their third day of
walking began with a perplexing problem. The
sun refused to show itself through clouds that
hovered above them like the specter of doom.
Luis found a wash they could follow thinking
that it would lead to even larger washes until
someone saw them.
Disaster threatened when the sky suddenly
darkened and ever-increasing bolts of lightning
warned of the danger of a flash flood. The
warning came just in time. As the pair
scrambled up the side of the wash, a wall of
water that would have swept them away came
rushing downhill.
Luis fell to his knees and gently pulled his
wife down beside him as the rain poured over
them and the torrent rushed below them. He
thanked God for the gift of water and prayed for
His continued protective vigilance over their
unworthy souls.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started; the
rain stopped and the rush of water coursing
down the wash began to diminish rapidly. By
the time Luis and Lupita realized what was
happening and had made their way back to the

3
 Jonathon Glane

bottom of the sandy wash, the free-flowing

water had all but disappeared into the ground.
The couple rushed to one of the few
remaining pools when they realized their hope
of salvation was fading away. They were
permitted only a little more than enough water
to wet their mouths before the last pool silently
disappeared beneath the sand. A lifetime of
Christianity was the only thing that prevented
Luis from disavowing his religious beliefs.
All the rest of the day, the couple continued
walking in the bottom of the wash with the sun
hidden behind clouds, and all the rest of the day,
the couple continued walking in the wrong
direction. With no moss to identify the north
side of trees—and only subtle directional
indicators like plants leaning to face the sun and
bending away from prevailing winds—the
limited local knowledge the travelers had to aid
navigation left them hopelessly lost and alone.
Maybe it was best they did not realize how
lost they were. Despair, added to their bleak
chances for survival, might have been more than
they could bear.
Exhausted from the rapid rise and fall of
their hopes, the pair found a place where they
could rest for the night. They settled-in wishing
for a brighter tomorrow.
The following day, the sun rose above the
distant mountains in a display of brilliance. A
diminished but still present spark of hope
spurred the couple in a direction they were

2
 The Coyote Trap

certain to be south. As they trudged along,

walking through the sand—that seemed to be
constantly shifting beneath their feet and
requiring extra energy to traverse—became
increasingly troublesome. They opted for
higher, more solid ground, and continued on
southward.
That was when the geography changed, and
the wash they had been following turned sharply
to the east. They had no way to know the
direction they had walked the previous day, but
they were sure that going east was not the right
way. The alternative was to walk over the ridges
to the west until they came to a road or a wash
that would take them south. They found
transversing the ridges to be even more
exhausting than walking in the sand, but they
desperately continued.
After several hours, they saw a range of low
hills ahead. Luis was sure the direction of the
washes would change for the better before they
reached the hills, and they carried on. When
night began to fall, the distant hills seemed only
marginally closer, and they decided to stop for
the night to conserve what little energy they had
left.
Feelings of desolation rose with the sun the
next day. Neither of them felt like moving
another step, and the wife’s feelings of nausea
dictated that she should not move from her
sleeping place. She murmured her thirst and

2
 Jonathon Glane

discomfort to Luis through parched and

blistered lips.
Luis, remembering that the flesh of barrel
cactuses contained water, left his wife where she
was in search of the life sustaining liquid. When
he located a fat cactus, he did not know what to
do without a knife to cut it open. He kicked the
side of it knocking it down. Using his boots
again, he stomped his heel into its side until the
thorns and outer covering gave way to reveal the
watery flesh inside. Another kick or two
loosened a piece of the pulp and Luis picked up
some of it and put it in his mouth.
The bitter taste of the wet pulp was more
than he had prepared for. The thought flashed
across his mind that it might be better to die
from thirst than to choke down that acrid liquid.
However, it was not his life that was in danger,
at least not yet. He used whatever tools he could
find to separate the cactus flesh from its thorny
skin. The thing he found most serviceable was
the semi-flat buckle from his belt. He gouged
out as much as he thought he could carry in his
hat, and hurried back to his ailing wife.
Gently squeezing morsel after morsel until
its precious liquid dripped into the eager mouth
of his woman, Luis would then pop the
remaining pulp into his own mouth—in spite of
the bitterness. Thankfully, his wife did not seem
to mind the taste, and soon the light that had
diminished in her eyes began to sparkle once
again. Tomorrow would be another day. Today

2
 The Coyote Trap

they would recuperate while his wife rested and

he made trip after trip back to the plundered
cactus.
The next day was only marginally better
than the previous one. Lupita said she was able
to travel, but the going was slow and the stops
were frequent. Luis’ will was fading fast as they
struggled to put one foot in front of the other,
and the distant hills began to grow dimmer and
dimmer as the bright sunlight inflicted its
damaging rays on their vision. Then, the
mirages began.
Luis knew it would happen. He understood
how the heat rising from the surface of the
desert caused people to imagine seeing all sorts
of things that were not there, but he never
expected his mirage to reveal a jug of water in
such vivid detail. He rubbed his eyes in
disbelief, but the second look brought the same
vision into view. He took his wife’s arm and
pointed toward the water jug. She failed to see
it, verifying the cruel hoax nature was playing
on them. Then Luis thought he had completely
lost his mind when he heard a voice.
“Welcome, amigo. The water is there for
you.”
Luis’ insanity was confirmed when he
looked around and saw no one. Then he heard
the voice again. His wife had heard it too,
because she turned toward the sound.
“Go ahead, drink,” the voice said. “There is
more up here in the shade of this cave.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

The cave Luis saw in the side of the hill

was not a mirage. Its reality was verified when
Beto stepped out into the sunlight and said,
“There is food up here too, and a place to rest.”
Luis dropped to his knees and began
caressing the plastic container the way he would
stroke the head of an ailing child. He unscrewed
the lid and started to take a drink when he
noticed his wife kneeling beside him. The first
sip was to be hers.
As the couple knelt in the sandy bottom of
the wash and slaked their thirst, Luis pressed his
palms together over his heart and raised his eyes
to the Heavens. The Samaritan on the hill had
restored his faith. Luis rationalized the murder
of Zarpa he felt in his heart as inconsequential
because he had already ‘turned the other cheek’.
Beto started to wonder about the health of
the two crossers when they remained motionless
for an inordinate amount of time. He made his
way down the hillside and quickly understood
their lack of movement when he saw the tears of
joy streaming down their cheeks. The emotion
of the moment had indeed immobilized them
temporarily.
Wordlessly, Beto raised them to their feet—
one by one, and assisted them up the hill and
into the shade of the overhanging rock. He then
went back down the hill to replace the mostly-
empty water container before going back up to
the cave to hear what Luis and his wife had to
say.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Beto began an interrogation by saying, “If

you were going to Tucson, you were going the
wrong way.”
“We were returning to Mexico,” Luis
clarified.
“That’s odd,” Beto remarked, “most people
who cross the desert travel north … seeking a
better life.”
Luis put his face in his hands in a display of
anguish. The words he mumbled were barely
audible. “We wanted to go north … but we had
… some … trouble along the way. All our
money is gone … all our … things … are gone.
We cannot go on. …”
“I want you to tell me what happened, but
not now,” Beto said. “First, you must eat some
of this beef jerky and these energy bars. When
you are rested, you must come to my house.
There, you can tell me the things you wish me
to know, and if you still want to go to Mexico, I
will show you the fastest and safest way.”
Luis and his wife said, “Thank you” in
unison, and the wife added, “You are very
kind.”
“You would do no less for me,” Beto
assured them. “Now I will go get my horse. Do
both of you feel strong enough to ride?”
The food that had been hungrily put into
their mouths only allowed nods of assent. And
Beto left the retreat to fetch his grazing animal.
Doña Yoya quickly covered the side of her
face with the patch and rushed outside when she

1
 Jonathon Glane

saw Beto’s horse being led into the corral

carrying two passengers. She helped Lupita
dismount and ushered her into the house. Beto
and Luis went into Manuel’s cabin. Beto
instructed Manuel to help Luis get cleaned up
and to provide him with a change of clothing.
Beto knew Doña Yoya was doing the same with
Lupita. There would be no more talk today. The
wanderers would have a chance to rest in the
comfort of the hacienda before Beto would learn
Luis and Lupita’s story.

The smell of bacon aroused Beto from his sleep.

He knew that Doña Yoya was busy preparing a
small but nourishing breakfast for the guests.
She would take care that they ate sparingly.
They had been fed only onion soup and bread
the night before. She knew that too much food
—too soon after being without—could cause
painful stomach cramps and debilitating
sickness. Doña Yoya had helped tired and
hungry people in the past. Beto’s vigil at the
water station in the wash had resulted in regular
occurrences such as this.
Beto knew what they were doing was
illegal. Doña Yoya knew it too. They did not
care. They could feel the distress these travelers
suffered, and they were bound to help them
regardless of the consequences. Besides, Beto
could not understand the rationale behind the

2
 The Coyote Trap

laws. It seemed to be okay to render medical aid

and nutrition to illegal aliens, but it was against
the law to provide them with transportation or to
give them shelter.
In Beto’s mind, both transportation and
shelter were nothing more than extensions of
medical aid and nutrition. After all, he reasoned,
a scenario could be hypothesized where a victim
of exposure and starvation might be transported
out of a wash where a flash flood was imminent,
and sheltered from elements such as hail in
order to receive medical treatment and life
sustaining nutrition. Under the law, the person
rendering aid of this sort would be subject to
arrest and prosecution. Beto recalled a case
where a person from Tucson left a bottle of
water in the desert for thirsty migrants. The
resulting arrest and fine made the national news.
The crime? Littering!
Beto wondered if the people behind the
adoption and enforcement of these laws could
be white supremacists who were more interested
in racial segregation than in humanitarianism. If
these unknown persons were not neo-Nazis,
they certainly seemed to be following their
credo—according to Beto’s way of thinking.
Beto shook his head to clear it of his
nonsensical reverie. He had waited long enough
for the morning meal while allowing his guests
to nourish themselves without the distraction of
his presence. Then, anxious for some
explanations leading to their predicament, he

2
 Jonathon Glane

went into a kitchen that was brimming with

warmth and flooded with homey aromas. He
settled into his place at the head of the table.
“I trust you both rested well,” he said to
Luis and Lupita.
“Very well, thanks to you,” Luis responded.
“That is good to hear, my friends,” Beto
continued. “Perhaps now that you have had a
chance to recover somewhat, you would be
willing to tell us about the circumstances that
brought you to my place of vigilance.”
“Your place of vigilance?” Luis did not
understand what he meant.
“He goes there frequently to watch for
travelers in need,” Doña Yoya interjected. “It
seems the circumstances you found yourself in
are not uncommon.”
“Do enough people lose their way to
warrant frequent vigilance?” Lupita wondered.
“Yes,” Doña Yoya replied, “and the true
numbers may never be known because many of
the lost ones also lose their lives before they can
be found.”
“When one thinks about the number of
people that die in the desert,” Beto added,
“compared with those that make the trip
successfully, it’s easy to understand why it’s
important to find those who are lost before they
meet their fate this tragic way.”
“You will certainly have our everlasting
gratitude for your help,” Luis said with
conviction and Lupita echoed his sentiments by

2
 The Coyote Trap

saying, “Thank you, thank you, Señor. Surely

we can do something for you.”
Beto smiled with a scheming look and
replied, “Yes, there is something you can do for
me.”
“Anything,” Luis said.
“As I said before, you can tell us the
circumstances that took you where you went.”
Beto’s face reflected his profound concern.
“Perhaps, if your story is made known, it will
help others avoid getting in that same situation.”
Beto was able to enjoy his breakfast
leisurely while he listened to Luis and Lupita
relate their story. As the account unfolded, Beto
made mental notes, but he did not interrupt.
Beto recognized that at times when Luis’ eyes
would focus blankly into near space, or be cast
down in shame or embarrassment, some
information was being withheld. Even at these
times, Beto did not interrupt.
When Luis reached the point where he and
his wife discovered the water bottle in the wash,
both of them showed signs of being overcome
with emotion. Luis could barely finish his story
through sobs of relief—as tears streamed down
the cheeks of these simple and honest people.
No one at that breakfast table was
hardhearted enough to break the silence that
ensued. When a sound was finally heard, it was
a Spanish guitar plaintively rendering the music
to Ramona.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Slowly the group recovered from its mass

introspection and as it did, the tempo of the
moment returned to normal. At the same time,
Beto wanted to know more about the things that
had happened in the cavern. “Tell me more
about this coyote you call Zarpa. Tell me what
he looks like.”
“He is a large man,” Luis responded, “with
curly black hair and a curly black moustache
and he bellows instead of speaking.”
“And he is nasty, and he smells bad,”
Lupita added.
Hearing this, Beto glanced at Doña Yoya
whose eyebrows knotted quizzically. Turning
back to Luis, he asked, “Does this man ride a
horse?”
“He does,” answered Luis. “A big bay …
and the lackey with him rides a burro.”
Beto’s glance at Lupita saw her nodding her
agreement. Then another glance, back to Doña
Yoya, verified that the question she had visually
expressed had been answered. There was no
doubt that this was the information Beto and
Doña Yoya had sought for so long.
“Was there anything you could tell us about
the cavern that would help us find it?” Beto
asked.
“It was only a large space that must have
been used a lot because there was sunlight and
fresh air and places to rest,” Luis answered and
Lupita added, “And don’t forget the pool of
water and the hay for the horse and the burro.”

3
 The Coyote Trap

“It sounds like the perfect place for a

coyote to hide out during the day,” Beto
observed. “But did you see anything that would
help us locate it?”
“We saw only the cavern,” Lupita said.
“When we were outside the tunnel, it was
always after dark.”
“There was one thing,” Luis remembered.
“When we left the tunnel, I noticed that we
walked toward the south … according to the
bright stars we could see. And the tunnel was on
the side of a mountain because we walked
downhill a long way after we left.”
“I’m sure there are lots of places like that,”
Beto remarked. “Tell me, Luis, have you
completely given up on your plans to walk to
Tucson?”
Lupita looked anxiously at her husband.
“Yes,” Luis replied. “At least I did once,
but now we are no longer at the mercy of the
elements, I may reconsider.”
“The choice is yours,” Beto offered. “If you
decide to return to Mexico, I will show you the
way. If you decide to continue north, I will help
you safely find your way to Tucson.”
Luis looked at Lupita. Her look of anxiety
had turned into one of expectation as her head
made the slightest nodding motion.
“How soon can we leave for Tucson?” Luis
asked.

3
 The Coyote Trap

Beto provided Luis and Lupita with the

directions and supplies they needed to reach
Tucson safely in two night’s travel. Doña Yoya
presented Lupita with a small package that only
a woman would have use for, and the couple
started out after a tearful farewell.
As Beto and Doña Yoya watched the
couple leaving across a fenced area where some
of Rancho Alegre’s cattle were grazing, Beto
turned to Doña Yoya and said, “Do you think
we have found our man … at long last?”
“I’m not sure,” Doña Yoya answered. “The
name Zarpa is right and the description fits, but
the man we knew was never kind enough to
leave people in the desert who were still
breathing.”
“Still,” Beto said, “I think this person is
worth looking for. Do you think you would still
recognize him if you saw him?”
“Without a doubt,” Doña Yoya shot back.
“Would you forget someone who had done this
to you?” she gestured toward her veiled eye and
the hatred Beto saw on her face was
unmistakable.
“I’ll find him then … as soon as I can,”
Beto vowed.
Beto would have to devise a new plan. The
one he had been following for so long where he
would wait on the side of the hill with the

1
 Jonathon Glane

double intention of helping lost travelers while

waiting to spot the pollero called Zarpa would
have to be revised.
He decided the best way would be to
continue leaving the water jug under the bush by
the wash, and attach a note directing travelers to
the cache under the rock ledge. He would also
include several maps with detailed directions to
and from the border in a real-estate-type plastic
container.
This action would allow him freedom to
roam the desert in search of Zarpa. He was not
foolish enough to think he would accidently
bump into Zarpa and his goon in the vastness of
the desert. The information Luis and Lupita had
given him led him to conclude that any trail he
happened to cross while traversing the
wasteland would indicate the presence of his
quarry if hoof prints could be seen, and
especially so if the last markings of a recently
used trail were the prints of an un-shod burro.
In some ways, the new plan was superior to
the old one. Now instead of sitting in wait for
Zarpa to pass by, he would embark on a hunting
expedition where success would be more likely.
Beto knew that the adrenaline of active
pursuit would help mollify the thirst for revenge
that constantly burned in his heart. He
reaffirmed his vow to find Zarpa someday and
put an end to his cowardly mistreatment of
others less fortunate than him.

2
 The Coyote Trap

10. The Coyote Attack

T eófila Condes de la Torre, along with her

husband, Manny, and her young son,
Manuelito, abandoned their ejido in
Ciudad Obregón to search for a better life north
of the United States border. They journeyed
along the railroad tracks running north through
Empalme, Imuris, and Santa Ana before
reaching their first destination—Nogales,
Sonora, Mexico.
In Nogales, the family easily found
information about the various ways to elude the
Border Patrol and safely cross into the U.S. Like
many other border towns, Nogales had a sister
city with the same name in Arizona. Much of
the population of these cities and towns was of
Hispanic descent, and the predominant language
was Spanish, or as the local residents joked; a
linguistic mixture with English called
‘Spanglish’. Non-American Hispanics who were
able to make it across the border into the U.S.
would be assimilated immediately, and their
capture and detention was highly unlikely. If the

1
 Jonathon Glane

U.S. border town a migrant entered happened to

be their final destination, all would be well. If
on the other hand, an area farther to the north
beckoned, the traveler took a chance of arrest
and detention by the authorities because the
roadways, railroads, and well-known routes of
travel were under constant surveillance.
Some of the knowledgeable Mexican
nationals Teófila and her family consulted in
Nogales suggested a reasonably safe way to get
to Phoenix or Tucson. A route could be taken to
the east or west within Mexico but parallel with
the border far enough from Nogales to some
place where the crossing would be trouble-free.
Once across, they could make their way on foot
until they were well to the north where they
could contact sympathetic Americans to help
them find transportation. Teófila thought this
was a workable plan, but there were some
problems. The group that had formed to attempt
the crossing together lacked leadership.
Moreover, none of those present had crossed
before.
Teófila expected she was probably the best
suited to lead the crossers because she had been
the force in her family since the day she and her
husband were married. Manny was a fine man
and an adequate father, but he was too mild
mannered, even timid, to take charge of such an
undertaking. They needed a leader who
understood the dangers that threatened those
who would cross the Sonoran desert on foot.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Teófila had grown up on the southern edge

of this vast desert wasteland that occupies huge
tracts of land in two countries. Her experience
with scorching heat, freezing cold, and the
sandstorms that plagued these parched lands had
taught her that no one equipped with less than
basic geographic knowledge and adequate
supplies would be likely to have a successful
journey. Teófila, her family, and the others
opted for another choice. They would spend the
amount of money it took to hire a
knowledgeable guide.
Zarpa, the guide, was all smiles and
confidence when he met with the group. “Yes,”
he had made the journey several times before.
“Yes,” he knew the places to travel and those to
avoid. “Of course,” he knew the officials who
accepted bribes in case something went wrong.
And “No, no,” he would only charge as much as
the trip itself would cost plus a small stipend for
his trouble.
From the beginning, it was clear that Zarpa
knew how to smuggle people north. The trip
began when he led his group of fifteen to a
secret tunnel that took them directly into the
basement of a safe-house in Nogales, Arizona.
From there, the group got transportation by
automobile to another safe-house on the
northeastern outskirts of the city. There,
distanced from the heavy population of Nogales,
the group would begin its trip across the desert
hills and valleys on foot.

2
 The Coyote Trap

When dusk began to fall on the day of their

desert crossing, Zarpa told everyone to gather
their things and prepare for four nights of hard
walking and three days of resting while waiting
for nightfall. Hardly anyone heeded his advice
to pack lightly and carry only the bare
necessities. Backpacks bulged with all sorts of
nonessential items.
The moment of departure came when Zarpa
opened the back door of the safe-house and led
the group outside where a helper he called Oso
waited on the back of a burro while holding the
reins of a big bay horse. Zarpa instructed the
group to form a single file and to follow him
and his horse. Oso and the burro would be last
in line.
The first few hours of the trek seemed to be
the hardest. The trail they followed was
arduous, and they often tripped over rocks or
slipped one way or another. The immigrants
envied the leaders and wished for the
convenience of a horse, or at least a burro to
carry their possessions.
It was not long before Zarpa’s admonition
about overloading became harsh reality. The
packs they carried became heavier with each
step taken, and soon the first unneeded item of
clothing fell discarded alongside the trail.
Almost immediately, the young man who had
dropped the clothing came to regret it because
Oso retrieved it.

3
 The Coyote Trap

The caravan stopped in a place wide

enough for them to assemble in a circle. Oso
tossed the discarded item into the center of the
circle and asked whoever had discarded it to
retrieve it. When the young man stepped
forward and bent over to pick it up, the crack of
a whip known as a ‘black snake’ stung him
across his back. The young man screamed in
pain and looked at Oso in disbelief. Oso simply
stood there with his whip in his hand.
Zarpa chastised the group firmly. He told
them the danger of leaving things along the trail.
He said that he had chosen this trail because the
rocky terrain hid most of their tracks. He said
that leaving items along the route would be like
the children in fables dropping crumbs, and the
authorities would be quick to follow the path
and arrest everyone. He assured them that he
was not worried about himself and Oso because
they would simply ride away on their animals to
places where the feds could not follow. All the
others, however, were sure to be imprisoned.
He told them that the lash across the young
man’s back only provided a warning to
everyone of the dangers they faced, but anyone
who failed to follow the rules would be sure to
feel the black snake’s sting.
The young man reluctantly picked up his
belongings while watching Oso out of the
corner of his eye, and the caravan continued on
its way.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Teófila was somewhat concerned about the

lashing the young man got. She wondered if it
would not have been as effective just to give
everyone the lecture. She knew that the message
sent by the black snake had been clearly
understood, but she wondered if it was a little
too harsh.
Wondering about the way Zarpa enforced
the rules only occupied a small part of Teófila’s
time. Most of the time that was not spent caring
for her husband and her son was dedicated to
trying to understand where the trip had taken the
group. She knew it was unlikely for her family
to separate from the other migrants, but she was
aware that if it happened, their very survival
could depend on their ability to find the way
back to the border.
Teófila discovered it was not possible to
pinpoint their location at night. The difficulties
presented by keeping up with the group, staying
in line, and not tripping over objects occupied
all of the travelers’ time.
Things were different when they rested
during the day. Teófila consulted the map she
had brought along and she was able to
triangulate successfully the group’s current
position by comparing the mountain peaks
within her field of view with their
corresponding locations on the map. She was
confident that she could use the same method to
guide them back the way they came if it became
necessary. She also speculated that this method

3
 Jonathon Glane

of triangulating from the mountain peaks might

lead them onward to their final destination.
The events of the second night’s march
caused Teófila to worry that she and her family
might be forced to find their own way after all.
Their route on that night followed flatter terrain
where traveling was much easier. Perhaps it was
too easy. The pace Zarpa had set before
increased significantly. The immigrants were
finding it hard to keep up when one older man
who had been walking near the front of the
column began to fall behind. As the others
passed him, he continued losing his place
progressively until the only one behind him was
Oso on his burro.
Oso cracked his whip in the air as a
reminder to keep up the pace, but the man did
not seem to be able to walk any faster. The next
time the whip cracked, it opened a bloody gash
on one of the man’s arms. Everyone had heard
the whip strike flesh and fear gripped the
column like a vise. The old man did not utter a
sound as he quickened his strides but still failed
to maintain the pace of the others. The whip
cracked again, and again the group heard the
sickening sound of human flesh opening up
under the black snake’s ferocity.
Fear caused the rest of the group to panic
and they walked even faster. It became
increasingly clear that the old man was to fall
even farther behind. No one saw what happened
next. They were too preoccupied with their own

2
 The Coyote Trap

personal avoidance of that monstrous black

snake. Oso rode up beside the old man and
struck him on the head unmercifully. The man
fell to the ground and watched speechlessly
through tear-filled eyes as the caravan receded
into the darkness of the night.

On the second day, fourteen migrants and their

cadre of riders rested in the shade provided by
an arroyo filled with mesquite trees. They had
not seen nor heard the activities of any other
people since they left Nogales.
The travelers were tired and grimy, but no
one uttered a complaint. They fully realized the
fate that had befallen the old man the night
before, and none of them wanted to become the
next victim. Those who thought to lighten their
load did so by using an excursion to relieve
themselves to discard and hide the unwanted
item out of Zarpa and Oso’s sight. The group
had learned quickly not to tempt the
mercilessness of their guides.
Teófila was thankful for the sake of her
family that only two more nights of marching
would end this phase of their journey. Nighttime
was destined to arrive, but with it came
circumstances that Teófila had not anticipated.
The afternoon was fading into dusk when
little Manuelito asked to be excused so he could
relieve himself in the bushes nearby. All of a

3
 Jonathon Glane

sudden, cries of agony penetrated the shadows

and alarmed everyone in the arroyo. Teófila and
Manny rushed in the direction of the sound to
discover the boy sitting on the ground crying
and holding his leg. They watched a large
diamondback rattlesnake slither into the
underbrush nearby. Teófila examined the boy’s
leg and discovered two puncture marks just
above his right ankle. She told him to lie
perfectly still and she tended his wound while
other group members gathered around to see
what was going on.
Zarpa joined them. “Everyone,” he said,
“gather your things. We must move on.”
Teófila glared at him in disbelief. “We
cannot move the boy now,” she said. “It would
only make the snake’s poison flow through his
body faster.”
“Suit yourself,” Zarpa said. “Stay if you
wish, but the rest of us must go on.”
“You cannot just abandon us here,” Teófila
cried.
“We must go now if we are to make our
next rendezvous,” Zarpa said firmly.
“Please, please don’t leave us,” Teófila
pleaded as she arose and clutched Zarpa’s
clothing as though it would stop him.
“Let me go, bitch,” Zarpa demanded and
affirmed his resolve by backhanding Teófila
hard across the mouth. She fell to the ground,
but continued her plea by grasping the legs of
Zarpa’s trousers. “I said, let me go,” Zarpa

2
 The Coyote Trap

repeated as he kicked Teófila full in the stomach

and turned to leave.
Teófila’s mild mannered husband suddenly
lost control and hit Zarpa as hard as he could.
The blow did little more than attract Zarpa’s
attention. He turned toward his attacker and
knocked him to the ground with a fist to his
chin.
Crazed with hatred, Manny jumped up to
attack Zarpa again when powerful arms gripped
him from behind—immobilizing him. Zarpa
strode forward and began pummeling the
unfortunate fellow with crushing blows to both
his head and body. When unconsciousness
closed in, Oso relaxed his grip and the pair’s
latest victim slumped to the ground. Then their
viciousness became abundantly clear when they
began kicking Teófila’s poor husband.
Zarpa was not satisfied. This stupid
Mexican farmer was about to die as an example
to the others of the price of rebellion. When
Teófila saw Zarpa’s switchblade flash in the
fading light, she threw her body over that of her
man just as the knife descended. Zarpa did not
even try to avoid striking her. The blade sliced
across her face and down her neck—narrowly
missing her jugular vein. The sight of her blood
must have awakened latent predatory instincts
inside Zarpa. He decided to kill them both. He
was not concerned about the boy who was
already dying from snakebite.
Fate, however, was to have it another way.

2
 The Coyote Trap

11. The Savior

C ries of alarm sounded throughout the

group. Two Border Patrol agents were
riding their ATVs up the arroyo toward
the campsite. The members of the group
scattered in all directions. Zarpa and Oso made
a dash for their mounts. Their experience told
them that the feds would not try to catch them
because their animals could go places where
wheeled vehicles could not. Also, they knew
from experience that even though the agents
were armed, their pistols would not be fired.
Some of the migrants were rounded up and
made to lie face down on the ground to await
the capture of the others. Some of the illegals
who ran downhill escaped the clutches of the
feds temporarily, but it was only a matter of
time before other agents—summoned by radio
—arrived to track down the missing illegals
with dogs and helicopters.
With federal agents seemingly everywhere,
it appeared the best option for Teófila was not to
run away, but to stay in one place quietly. Not

1
 Jonathon Glane

that she and her family had any choice. With

Manuelito immobilized with snakebite, her
husband unconscious, and her fear of bleeding
to death from her facial wound, she decided to
hunker down and wait to see what would
happen.
A person of less fortitude might have found
it easier to give up, but Teófila was not that kind
of person. She assessed the injuries to her son
and husband, and seeing that they were at least
stable, she began to care for her own wound.
Unbeknownst to her as she shredded strips of
fabric from her clothing and wrapped it tightly
around her head and neck, the Border Patrol and
the captives were progressively moving farther
away as the night grew increasingly darker.
Teófila did not remember drifting off to
sleep, but when she awoke, dawn was graying
the eastern sky. She was angry with herself for
neglecting her duties as a wife and mother, but
when she tried to move, pain wracked her body
with such force that she remained motionless.
From where she lay, however, she could see the
other battered members of her family. Manny
was sitting up with his arms wrapped around his
knees. He was staring blankly into space.
Manuelito was lying motionlessly where she
had left him. She feared he was dead. In spite of
her pain, Teófila moved to Manuelito’s side.
Shallow breathing told her he was alive, but
only barely. He had lapsed into a coma.

2
 The Coyote Trap

When she had made her son as comfortable

as she could in the dirt that had become his bed,
she went to Manny’s side to provide him
comfort as well. He seemed to be all right
although he was not quite himself. Then Teófila
did what her instincts told her to do. She went
back to the place where they had camped and
retrieved the packs that contained their food and
water. Upon returning, she moistened the boy’s
lips with water before preparing food for her
and Manny. Unable to eat with her face
wrapped in bandages, Teófila decided she was
not hungry anyway, and she returned to the
campsite and recovered the rest of their
supplies.
The bread and dried meat she had given
Manny was still uneaten when she returned. He
remained sitting the way he had been, holding
the plate of food. She went to him and told him
that he must eat to retain his strength. He
nodded his assent and listlessly began to
consume his food—morsel by morsel. His
actions told Teófila that the beating he had
received from the guides had removed what
little fight he had left in him. His outside
appearance, only changed slightly by bruises
and scrapes, concealed his inside that was now
nothing more than a hollow shell. Teófila
moved to Manuelito’s side and began building a
shelter from the sun over the motionless body of
her beloved child.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Teófila did not attempt to snap Manny out

of his stupor. All her strength had been drained
away building the shelter over Manuelito,
cleansing him, and feeding her family as best
she could. When she began to recognize that her
strong will was also showing signs of fading
along with their chances for survival, she began
to pray.
First, she prayed for Manuelito’s return to
health. Then she prayed for relief from the
terrible situation that engulfed her family. Her
most forceful supplication came later when she
asked for enough time to allow her family’s
recovery to come naturally and to give her the
strength during this period to endure the trials
and tribulations that were sure to be coming
their way.
The fresh vigor and resolve she awoke with
the following morning provided an answer to
her prayer. She had formulated a way for them
to save themselves. She looked again at
Manuelito—still motionless beneath the shelter
—and thought how she could make it work. She
looked at Manny. He was still asleep on his
bedroll. She could tell he had retained his
physical strength although he was quite relaxed.
She went through the contents of her pack
and withdrew the map. The mountain peaks she
had been tracking during the entire trip were
now allowing her to use their lofty pinnacles as
guideposts. She knew where she was. She

1
 Jonathon Glane

would muster her family so they could continue

their trip north.
With what little aid Manny seemed willing
to provide, Teófila reversed the positions of
Manuelito and his shelter. The fabric that had
been his cover was now his stretcher and the
poles that had supported it now had one end as
handles and the other end as drags—the way the
Indians used to do. Manny’s strength was going
to be tested by his ability to drag his son’s
travois across the vast and undulating expanse
of the desert.
The family no longer traveled at night. The
need to be able to see where they were going
outweighed the risk of someone seeing them
during the day. The going was arduous. Manny
had not returned to normal, and Teófila
practically had to lead him by the hand
everywhere she wanted him to go. Of course,
his hands supported the load he was dragging,
so Teófila had to tug gently at his sleeve to get
him to move at all.
All this, combined with the lack of proper
nourishment, shelter, and rest soon began to
wear on Teófila in a way she had not
experienced. She knew that if she failed to lead
her family to safety, the consequences would be
disastrous. Soon, her will, her resolve, and her
determination—the combined force that enabled
her to move forward—started to become a yoke
around her neck. She began praying again while

2
 The Coyote Trap

she struggled to take each succeeding step. She

knew the end was near.
Then, like some miraculous apparition, on
the crest of a rise just ahead, she saw a figure on
a horse.

Heriberto, the man who was to become their

savior, was shocked at the motley pair of
crossers. He had seen many other immigrants in
the past and the nature of the journey caused
each of them to look ragged and dirty. However,
in this case, a heavily bandaged woman walking
unsteadily was urging a man to follow her while
he in turn dragged a travois. It was clear that
their plight had advanced to an extremely
dangerous category and Beto rushed to provide
what aid he could.
“Thank God you have come,” Teófila said
with exertion as she recognized the stranger as a
handsome man and a fellow Hispanic. “Please,
it’s my son. He is gravely ill. Can you help
him?”
Manny remained motionless—staring off
into space listlessly—as Heriberto dismounted
and looked at the boy in the travois.
“How long has he been like this?”
Heriberto asked.
“Days,” was the best response Teófila was
able to utter.
“Come with me,” Heriberto said.

3
 The Coyote Trap

He helped Teófila onto the saddle of his

horse, then lifted the boy and laid him across her
lap. Manny was next to be helped into a position
behind Teófila. Heriberto took the reins and
began the walk to his ranch house.
The place Heriberto called home was
simple. Its main feature was a tall windmill that
stood like a beacon against the blue sky. The
prominent broad ridge on which it stood beside
a two-room shack was unfenced, sparsely
vegetated, and populated by a few scraggly-
looking Herefords. The palace of Montezuma
could not have looked better to Teófila although
Manny did not seem to notice and the boy was
unable to see the place.
Heriberto explained that he had recently
purchased the ranch and even though it would
provide humble lodgings, the family was
welcome to stay as long as it took them to
recover. He went about removing his personal
belongings from one of the rooms, and escorted
Teófila and the family inside where they could
begin reorganizing their lives. The thought that
harboring illegal immigrants could be unlawful
never entered Heriberto’s mind.
Recovery came about slowly for Teófila
although she was the first in her family to show
some semblance of normality. Manny was the
next to begin recovering from the trance in
which he seemed to be. He failed to regain the
spark of lucidity that would mark complete

1
 Jonathon Glane

recovery, but he was able to function in a sub-

normal way.
The boy was the worst casualty. He
recovered from the snake-bite-induced coma,
but his brain functioned in a way that defied
healing. In spite of his condition, he overcame
the mental challenge that faced him enough to
learn to take care of himself and even to master
guitar playing. Even so, he was hardly self-
sufficient enough to survive in the outside world
without help.

Teófila, Manny, and the boy seemed destined to

stay with Heriberto indefinitely. As time went
by, Teófila treated Heriberto more like her
family than her host and she acted more like his
sister than his guest. Manny adapted to the
communal spirit as well. He helped Heriberto
build additions to the house, fence the property,
plant trees, harvest the garden, and tend to the
cattle that were growing in numbers yearly.
Manny’s reclusive mental condition did nothing
to thwart his capabilities as a first-rate ranch
hand.
One of Manny’s responsibilities was to help
with the construction of a separate guesthouse
so his family would have a private place to stay.
When the house had been completed and
christened, Heriberto presented his guests with
an offer.

2
 The Coyote Trap

They all gathered in the guesthouse where

Heriberto said, “We have all been together like
a family for a number of years now. We have all
acted like a family too by not asking anything of
one another, but receiving the help offered to us
graciously. I believe we all have benefitted from
this relationship and I would not want to see it
end.”
Everyone, except perhaps the boy, knew
where Heriberto was going with his speech, and
they all waited patiently with smiles brightening
their faces.
“If, as I suspect, you have given up your
plans to settle somewhere else in the U.S. and if
you agree that you will be content to stay here
and help me, I will adopt you as one, and you
will have a home here as long as you live.”
Young Manuelito must have understood
that, because his tears began to flow along with
those of his parents. Heriberto too, overcome
with emotion, forced himself to continue. “From
now on, Manuel will be the ranch foreman with
the help of Manuelito, and Teófila will become
my cousin; Doña Yoya!”
It was the new Doña Yoya’s turn. “I will
speak for the family,” she said, “by saying that
we would all be proud to become a part of your
family even though we adopted you long ago.”
A round of laughter filled the room. And as
the glasses of iced tea were raised in a toast to
their newly substantiated relationship, Doña
Yoya added, “By the way, since you have seen

1
 Jonathon Glane

to it that all our names have been changed, from

now on we will know you as our cousin Beto.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

12. Underground Railroad

B rad and Lissy poured over the map they

had downloaded from the Internet. They
wanted to make sure it was the right one
before transferring it to the Magellan Triton
1500 where it would guide them through the
maze of ATV trails near the Santa Rita
Mountains. They were in search of a route that
would lead them to new photographic
opportunities.
Pointing out a place on the map, Lissy said,
“Here is where we saw that prospector and his
donkey.”
“That’s right,” Brad agreed, “and this is the
place where you took the pictures of the old
Chatterley mine.”
“Those places don’t look that far apart
when you see them on a map,” Lissy observed.
“I wonder how far apart they really are.”
Brad used the scale on the map to estimate
them to be about one-quarter mile apart.
“Wow, that doesn’t seem very far,” Lissy
noted. “I wonder if they’re connected.”

1
 The Coyote Trap

“They could be,” Brad ventured. “There

were enough side passages where we were.”
“Enough to get lost in,” Lissy laughed.
“I suppose it was funny when you look
back at it,” Brad was not smiling, “but I don’t
like to be reminded about how stupid I was to
explore that tunnel without preparing for it.”
“Forget it Brad,” Lissy admonished. “We
aren’t any the worse for wear, and besides, it
was kind of fun.”
“I suppose I agree,” Brad said, “if your idea
of fun is being scared half to death.”
It was true that Lissy had been frightened.
She had worried when they discovered they
were lost, and she had been apprehensive about
the consequences of accidentally stumbling
upon a bunch of smugglers. Nevertheless, they
had managed all right, and the thought of more
adventure excited something inside her.
“I have an idea,” she said. “Why don’t we
go back to that cave, you know, the one where I
took the pictures?”
Brad was not sure he had understood
correctly. “Did you mean you wanted to go back
there again to get scared, or to take some more
pictures?” he wondered.
“Not to be scared, silly, I only thought it
might be a good idea to visit that place again. If
the cave leads from one side of the mountain to
the other, we might find the cavern where lots of
things like stalactites were hanging, and I was

1
 Jonathon Glane

thinking it might be a good place to take some

photos.”
“I don’t doubt that we could add a new
dimension to our portfolio of pictures,” Brad
remarked, “but as I recall, the evidence of
smuggling we found there could make it a
dangerous place to be.”
“We could check for footprints before we
go into the cavern,” Lissy said. “If we go in the
morning and see no signs, we can be pretty sure
no one is inside, and it’s unlikely smugglers
would arrive during the day.”
“Let me see,” Brad expressed his thoughts
aloud. “If we check the Chatterley entrance
about 10:00 o’clock in the morning and see no
fresh tracks … that could mean that we should
be safe.”
“Yes,” Lissy agreed before adding, “And
we should see some neat things to photograph.”
“Okay,” Brad said. “Here’s what we’ll do.
We’ll make sure the RZR is out of sight so no
one will know we’re in the neighborhood, and
we’ll take a spool of fishing line inside the mine
with us so we’ll be able to find our way out.”
Lissy smiled with anticipation, and rushed
away to get her photography equipment ready
for shooting in the dark.

The early morning light that provided a special

glow for photographs was not to go to waste as

2
 The Coyote Trap

Brad and Lissy left Green Valley and drove

toward the Chatterley mine. They were in no
hurry. They wanted to allow enough time for
any smugglers who were on their way to the
cave to get there—even if the caravan of illegals
was to arrive late.
They drove directly to the escarpment at the
head of the canyon where their previous photo
gathering experience had been successful. They
found a place in a thicket where the RZR would
be out of sight, gathered their equipment, and
began recording digital images of the natural
environment around them.
When the sun reached a point about forty-
five degrees above the horizon, they went to the
entrance to the old mine. They approached
cautiously and examined the entrance carefully
before concluding that no one had entered the
shaft for some time.
Brad prepared for their entry by attaching a
fish line he had brought with him to a stone. The
monofilament un-reeled from a wire clothes
hangar—that Brad had configured to secure the
spool to his belt—as the pair energized their
flashlights and entered the coolness of the mine.
Thoughts of old man Chatterley and the
ghost supposedly haunting the mine passed
across Brad’s mind, as he made his way inside
with Lissy close behind. He thought about all
the work it had taken just to excavate enough
rock to create the tunnel, and the reward of
finding gold for the trouble. He thought about

2
 Jonathon Glane

the inhumanity of criminals who would not only

rob Chatterley of the fruits of his labor, but who
would take his life as well. He believed that
Chatterley would have gladly exchanged the
gold for his life; regardless of the work, but
apparently, the cold-hearted robbers did not give
him a chance.
Soon, the adventurers saw daylight in the
tunnel ahead. The light indicated to them that
the tunnel exited the mountain ahead. They
wondered why they had been worried about
encountering smugglers in such a well-lighted
environment. They speculated that Beto would
be interested to find out that the route—that he
thought terminated at the box canyon—did not
dead-end after all.
Only a short while after they had made all
these assumptions, the tunnel ended at a pile of
rubble that ramped up to an enormous cavern
where a shaft of sunlight illuminated the area.
After climbing over the rubble, the pair stood
awestruck for a few moments before recognition
began to set in.
“Look, Brad, the pool and the alfalfa.”
“I see them,” he said. “It’s the same place,
isn’t it?”
“It’s the same place,” Lissy echoed, “and
we were right about the tunnel leading to the
other side of the mountain. The smugglers rest
here during the day, and slip out the other side
after dark. It’s like an underground railroad.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“It looks like it,” Brad agreed, “and we

seem to have solved two mysteries at once.
Now, as long as we’re here, let’s record this
place for posterity.” Brad slipped the wire
hangar from his belt and got ready to take
photographs.
Even though there was a lot of light
entering the cavern, Lissy was glad they had
brought along their strobe lights to illuminate
some of the cave’s features that otherwise might
have been lost in the shadows. Brad was just as
happy with the contrast provided by the
shadows. They were clicking away industriously
when a new sound penetrated the cavern.
Someone was coming up the Chatterley tunnel!
Gravel crunching underfoot told Brad and
Lissy that whoever was approaching was
drawing nearer. Wordlessly, they gathered their
photographic equipment and slipped into the
opposite passage where they had followed the
prospector. When they thought they had gained
enough separation from whomever was coming
and realized they were not being followed, Brad
whispered to Lissy, “Let’s go back far enough
to see who it is. Maybe it’s not the smugglers.”
“Okay,” Lissy whispered back, “but we
have to be quiet.”
Obscured by the dark shadows of the
passageway, Brad and Lissy found a suitable
place for surreptitious observation. They could
see that indeed it was the smugglers. People
were scattered here and there preparing food

1
 Jonathon Glane

and places for sleeping. A short, heavy-set man

was hobbling a burro near the stack of hay and a
big man was holding the reins of a bay horse as
it drank from the pool of water.
Brad motioned for them to retreat to a place
where they could speak once again. When they
were far enough away Brad whispered, “Bad
luck, it’s the smugglers all right.”
“Let’s get out of here, Brad.” Lissy was
frightened. “All we have to do is follow the air
flow like we did before.”
Instead of answering, Brad started in the
direction of the east entrance. Lissy followed
suit. When they reached the nearest cavern, it
was necessary to ignite a lighter to see which
way the draft was blowing. The correct tunnel
was located and they continued onward with
purpose.
They found the next cavern without
incident. They were in the process of searching
for the correct exit passage, when the noise of
someone approaching reached their ears.
“Brad, someone’s coming,” Lissy
whispered with alarm.
“Quick this way,” Brad directed. He led the
way along the perimeter of the cavern until he
located a shaft where no draft disturbed the
flame of his lighter. The pair slipped inside.
Soon the beam from a flashlight that was
lighting the way for the intruder danced along
the cavern walls. The beam caused so much
contrast with the darkness that the person using

2
 The Coyote Trap

it was only a silhouette, but there was enough

evidence for identification. The silhouette of a
man followed by the silhouette of a burro
followed the flashlight’s beam through the
cavern and into the next passage. The prospector
had returned.
When the noise of his movement faded to
nothing, Brad and Lissy left through the same
passage the prospector had used, and they were
soon out into the blinding sunlight of an Arizona
day.
“It’s good to be out of that place,” Brad
exclaimed as he and Lissy moved away from the
cavern that marked the tunnel’s entrance. “But it
looks like we’re still trapped.”
“How so?” Lissy wondered.
“Remember when we checked the map and
found out it was about a quarter of a mile from
this entrance to the one where the RZR is
parked?”
Lissy remembered.
“Well, we can’t go back the short way …
through the caverns … until the smugglers
leave,” Brad explained. “And if we try to walk
around the mountain and up the canyon, we
probably can’t make it before dark because the
distance that way is probably about five miles or
more.”
“There must be something we can do,”
Lissy expressed hopefully.
“We can wait here until the smugglers leave
after dark,” Brad suggested.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Lissy did not like that idea. “And if they

decide not to leave tonight, we’ll be stuck here
until they do,” she moaned.
“We could slip back into the cave and
spend the night there in a place where we
wouldn’t be found.” Brad’s newest ideas were
not sounding any better to Lissy.
“Do you think we might be able to make it
as far back as Beto’s place before dark?” Lissy
did not want to spend the night in the cave—or
in the desert.
“Maybe not quite by the time it gets dark,”
Brad offered, “but I think we can get to a place
where we know where we are by then.”
“Let’s get started then,” Lissy prompted.
“All this fun we’re having by getting lost is
losing its luster.”

1
 The Coyote Trap

13. The Hunt

T he time it took to get to Beto’s ranch was

shortened by an unexpected surprise.
Brad and Lissy met Beto, riding his
horse, along the way.
“Hey there, good to see you,” Beto
exclaimed. “Don’t tell me you guys are out to
get some spectacular sunset shots.”
Brad and Lissy looked at one another in
disbelief that Beto had failed to see their pain
from the ordeal and the suffering about which
their legs complained.
“I think you’d have a better chance from
that ridge over there,” Beto continued while
pointed toward a distant hill. He still did not get
it.
Brad decided to stop feeling sorry for
himself in spite of the distress he felt. “You
won’t believe how good it is to see you,” he said
without smiling.
The words and the facial expressions worn
by the pair only confused Beto until Lissy
explained, “We were lost, Beto!”

1
 The Coyote Trap

“You’re kidding!” Beto said. “Where’s

your RZR?”
“It’s up in the box canyon,” Brad answered
simply.
Beto was even more confused. “But, how
did you get here?” he asked.
“We were lost,” Lissy reiterated, “and we
thought we could find our way to your place.”
“Sure, sure,” Beto said helpfully, “we can
go there now. But how? …”
Brad cut his question short when he said,
“It’s a long story, Beto. Can we tell it when we
get to your ranch?”
“You bet. Climb aboard. We’re practically
there now.”
Beto, finally noticing the weariness
expressed by the mannerisms of the lost pair,
remained silent during the short distance to his
hacienda. Brad and Lissy likewise refrained
from speaking. When they reached their
destination and dismounted, Beto turned his
horse over to Manuel, and then called out for
Doña Yoya to prepare some refreshments for
their guests.
“Come inside and rest,” Beto offered. “I’m
sure you must be tired.”
Brad and Lissy truly were tired, but they
felt revived after they had the opportunity to
freshen up before relaxing with their drinks in
Beto’s living room.
“You mustn’t even think about leaving here
tonight,” Beto said. “Tomorrow I’ll send

1
 Jonathon Glane

Manuel on his horse to get your RZR. He can

drive back slowly enough that the horse can
follow behind. You must tell him tonight
exactly where the RZR is so he can have an
early start in the morning. As for now, I’m
anxious to hear how you two came about
finding yourselves in this situation.”
“You should accept part of the blame!”
Lissy blurted out.
Beto feigned being offended while he
listened to Lissy’s explanation of her bizarre
accusation. Brad also just sat back and listened.
He wanted to hear how Lissy could justify what
she just said.
Brad’s display of curiosity and Beto’s
attitude of innocence made Lissy realize that she
had put her foot in her mouth, but she forged on
anyway.
“You told us the place was haunted. You
told us that no one ever went there,” she said.
“Yes, but I don’t see how. ...”
Lissy was trying to win the debate by
dominating the conversation. Brad was enjoying
the show.
“We knew the things you told us were not
true. We went there to see for ourselves.” Lissy
continued digging herself in deeper.
“So, because you found footprints where I
said no one went, I got you lost!” Beto
countered.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“No,” Lissy shot back. “We got lost

because they came back while we were still in
the mine.”
Brad wondered why Lissy did not just tell
Beto the whole story, but he did not care. He
was enjoying this version.
“Tell me, Lissy,” Beto asked, “who came
back into the mine while you were inside?”
“The smugglers, that’s who.”
“The smugglers you say?”
“Yes, the smugglers, so we had to leave the
other way,” Lissy was explaining things clearly;
at least they seemed clear to her.
The scenario was getting too confusing for
Brad, so he stepped in. “It might clarify things,
Beto, if you knew that the Chatterley mine isn’t
a dead end tunnel. It connects with a large
cavern where people can rest, and then it
continues through two more caverns before it
comes out on the other side of the mountain. We
didn’t want to confront the smugglers who
entered while we were taking photos inside, so
we went out the other entrance and bumped into
you on our way back around the mountain.”
“That’s incredible,” Beto said. “So the old
mine is a short-cut through the mountain, but
how do you know the people who chased you
out were smugglers?”
“We saw them resting in the cavern and
feeding their horses,” Lissy contributed.
“Horses?”

1
 The Coyote Trap

“Yes, the big guy had a big horse and the

little guy had a small one,” Lissy explained.
Brad corrected, “The small one was a
donkey.”
Beto turned to Doña Yoya, who had been
listening to the conversation as she went about
her routine as the host. She looked at him with
her visible eyebrow arched quizzically.
“Did you get a good look at the two with
horses?” Beto asked Lissy.
“Not very good,” she answered. “We were
anxious to get out of there until we ran into the
prospector.”
“Just when I think I’m beginning to
understand, it gets complicated again,” Beto
remarked.
Once again, Brad tried to clarify things by
relating the story of the way they had seen the
prospector and discovered the eastern entrance
to the complex of tunnels. He thought to tell
Beto about getting lost in the maze, but decided
the story was already too long. Then, as he
summarized the accounting, he saw Beto slowly
nod his head in a gesture of complete
understanding. Doña Yoya was nodding her
understanding as well. And for the first time, the
normally passive woman joined the
conversation.
“So … we have finally located Zarpa and
the baboso.”

1
 The Coyote Trap

Brad and Lissy looked at one another first

and then at Beto. They had no idea what she
was talking about. Beto offered an explanation.
“Doña Yoya is telling you that we know
who the smugglers are that you saw in the
cave.”
“And you say their names are Zarpa and …
baboso?” Lissy asked Doña Yoya.
Doña Yoya and Beto both chuckled lightly.
“That’s right,” she said. “Actually the one is
called, Oso, but the name is derived from the
Spanish slang word ‘baboso’. It means someone
who is mentally challenged.” A look of
introspection passed over Doña Yoya’s face as
she thought of her own son’s condition. “The
poor fool doesn’t even know that he is being
called an idiot every time someone says his
name. He thinks they are calling him ‘bear’.
That’s what ‘oso’ means in Spanish.”
“He’s about as burly as a bear,” Lissy
recalled.
“And he’s twice as nasty.” Beto added.
“But I want to hear more about the smugglers.
Did they have some illegals with them?”
“Yes, yes,” Lissy cried out, “they had ten or
fifteen with them both times.”
They had withheld from Beto the sighting
of the smugglers the first time they saw them at
the cave. Now their reason for the secrecy
seemed unreasonable.
For the third time, Brad attempted to clarify
the situation. “It’s been some time,” he began,

1
 Jonathon Glane

“but we saw this same group once before. They

were on their way to the mine that time, too.
Naturally, we didn’t know then that the mine
went through the mountain.”
“Are you sure it was the same smugglers?”
Beto asked.
“Not one hundred percent sure, no,” Brad
replied, “but it would seem to be too much of a
coincidence to have the leaders of both groups
be big men on big horses and smaller men on
donkeys.”
“They were the same,” Beto concluded.
“And now you should know how Doña Yoya
and I know so much about these men and why
we are so interested in their activities.”
Beto began by telling Brad and Lissy that
he had hunted for these two smugglers for years.
Then he went on to explain the facts about Doña
Yoya and her family in as close to a
chronological order as he could recall.
The distrust Lissy had felt about Beto at
first, faded away fast as the account he was
giving backed up the things he had said
previously. She had guessed wrong about Beto’s
relationship with Doña Yoya’s family, but she
felt vindicated by guessing correctly about
family resemblances indicating her relationship
with Manuel and Manuelito.
Beto continued explaining how Doña
Yoya’s family had become a part of his own
through their hard work and dedication. They
were so close, in fact, that Doña Yoya spent

2
 The Coyote Trap

most of her time staying in Manuelito’s room in

the hacienda and Manuel usually occupied the
guesthouse.
Throughout the time the family relationship
was developing, Beto spent countless days at the
wash under the rock outcropping waiting to help
illegals in distress to be sure, but the primary
reason was to find some sign of Zarpa and Oso.
He wanted to exact a measure of revenge on this
pair of ‘ruthless murderers’, as he called them.
The look of hatred on Beto’s face made
Brad and Lissy wonder if there was a sinister
side to him that they had not seen before. Their
suspicions were mollified somewhat when Beto
explained the action he contemplated to get
revenge.
Beto said he would like to see Zarpa and
Oso arrested by the authorities in the United
States. He was not talking about the Border
Patrol. That organization would only arrest them
before sending them back to Mexico or release
them if they proved to be U.S. citizens. He
meant the local Sheriff who would arrest them
and charge them with kidnapping and maybe
manslaughter for abandoning people to die in
the desert. Beto believed that by capturing and
prosecuting Zarpa and Oso this way, it would
act as a deterrent to others who would think to
follow their example of cruelty.
The story about Luis and Lupita was the
next chapter Beto related. Their mistreatment by
none other than Zarpa and Oso had given Beto’s

2
 Jonathon Glane

quest new impetus. The man and his wife who

were found near death in the desert also had told
Beto about the cavern that had become a desert
oasis, although, to them it had become a living
hell. They did not know a network of tunnels
and passages penetrated the entire mountain,
because they left under force the same way they
entered.
The new resolve Beto felt after meeting
Luis and Lupita manifested itself in the way he
searched for Zarpa and Oso. From that time on,
he tried to pick up their trail by criss-crossing
the desert. He knew finding them would be a
long shot, but it was better to seek them out
actively than to simply sit and wait. It was
during his last outing that he crossed the path of
Brad and Lissy wandering in the desert.
Now the pieces of the puzzle were fitting
together. Beto’s vigilance at the wash had been
a waste of time. Instead of using the routes
taken by most coyotes, Zarpa had found a way
where the authorities seldom looked because it
went by way of an impenetrable mountain. The
irony of it all was that Zarpa’s route passed right
beside Beto’s ranch!
Brad recognized the veracity of Beto’s
accounting and he agreed with the justification
Beto presented for having Zarpa and Oso
arrested. He and Lissy had done enough
research into the heinous ways coyotes
sometimes dealt with their illegal charges that
Beto’s stories were realistic. Brad decided to

2
 The Coyote Trap

help Beto achieve his goals in any way he could,

and he told Beto about it.
“Thank you, my friend,” Beto began. “Your
cooperation in bringing this monster to justice is
more than welcome.”
“Count me in, too,” Lissy volunteered.
“What can we do to help?”
“You can begin by showing me the eastern
entrance to the mine complex,” Beto said.
“That’s easy,” Brad said. “Do you have a
map? Oh, never mind, my map is right here in
my pocket.”
“Let me get mine anyway,” Beto said. “I
want to mark the spot so I won’t forget it.”
After they compared the two maps and Beto
had made his notations, Brad and Lissy wanted
to know what else they could do.
“What we need to do now is make plans for
the next time we expect Zarpa to visit the mine.
They have certainly gone on their way by now.
They probably left as soon as it got dark, so
there’s no chance to catch them this time.
“For the present, I want to follow both the
trail leading to the mine and the one going away
from it in case we decide it might be best to set
our trap outside the mine. Often, coyotes wait
until they have taken their group to a ‘drop-
house’ somewhere before they hold them as
prisoners and demand ransom from their
relatives. If we could catch Zarpa in a situation
like that, he would be sure to be prosecuted for
the criminal he is.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

Lissy questioned the plan. “Would

cornering Zarpa in a drop-house with a bunch of
captives put the illegals in harm’s way?”
“Maybe,” Beto pondered, “we might have
to decide whether they would be better off as
Zarpa’s captives or as Border Patrol detainees.”
Doña Yoya entered the discussion with a
different idea. “I don’t like the idea of turning
innocents over to the authorities against their
will,” she said. “But, maybe some of them
would not mind.”
When the others in the room asked her to
explain what she was alluding to, she went on.
“If we could find a willing illegal or two,
perhaps they would testify against Zarpa in
Court. Naturally, that would mean that they
would be repatriated once the trial was over, but
anyone might do it who wished to protect future
entrants from the likes of bad coyotes like Zarpa
and Oso. Those testifying would certainly be
welcomed back to their home country as
heroes.”
“I like that idea,” Lissy said. “That way, all
we would have to do is see to it that Zarpa and
Oso are captured when they are alone.”
“You can’t just haul off and grab
somebody,” Brad reasoned. “In this country,
folks who do that are kidnappers themselves.
We would have to get them arrested by the
authorities, and the only way I can think of to
make that happen is to arrange to have those
two caught in the act of transporting humans.”

3
 The Coyote Trap

“That means locating Zarpa when he is

leading a caravan and notifying the Border
Patrol,” Beto decided, “and I don’t want that to
happen near here. The authorities keep away
from this area and I want it to stay that way. The
security of my family is at stake.”

1
 The Coyote Trap

14. Captured

L issy was not at all sure about the plan

they had conjured at Beto’s that night. It
seemed like a good idea at the time; but
then, they had been working on it most of the
night and they were all exhausted. When
Manuel returned to Beto’s ranch with their RZR
the next morning as promised, the pair bid their
goodbyes and returned to Green Valley.
The plan they all had agreed on had two
phases. The first part was to locate the trail
Zarpa used by tracking it in reverse toward
Mexico. They were fairly confident that this
would be easy to do near Chatterley’s mine, but
the farther south the trail led them, the more
likely it would be to branch in any number of
directions. Beto wanted the capture to take place
as far south of his ranch as possible.
Phase 2 would incorporate a pincer-like
movement from both the north and south
directions when it was likely that Zarpa would
be leading a caravan. Beto would ride his horse
south on the trail while Brad and Lissy closed in

1
 Jonathon Glane

toward the north. Whoever spotted Zarpa first

would simply call the Border Patrol by cell
phone. If they happened to be in a place without
cell service, Brad and Beto would both carry
walkie-talkies so they could remain in constant
communication and the one with cell phone
contact would make the call.
The plans also contained two unknowns. It
would be difficult to know which way to go if
the trails they followed branched, and they
could only guess which night would be the most
likely to assure success.
Success aside, with the plans finalized,
Brad and Lissy drove to Beto’s ranch after they
received a phone call that he had reconnoitered
some trails and he wanted to share the
information with them on a map.
Beto had followed the trail south from the
Chatterley mine. It ran alongside the wash that
led to the canyon where the trio had taken their
photographs. The trail was neither on the ridge
nor in the wash below. It ran parallel to both—
and across a gravelly terrain that made it
difficult to follow. The route became clearer as
it entered a wash near Beto’s ranch and passed
only a few hundred yards from his house!
Beto followed the tracks in the bottom of
the wash for about one-half mile. Then it
intersected with an even larger wash than the
one he followed. Then the trail left the wash
after a short distance and crossed a ridge. There
the tracks divided with one set continuing along

2
 The Coyote Trap

the top of the ridge and the other crossing it and

going down into yet another wash.
Diligently pursuing his goal, Beto followed
each branch, and as he had feared, each of them
branched again in an almost identical fashion as
the first. One trail would continue down a ridge
it had just gained, and the other would continue
across and into an arroyo or gully below. Beto
realized the plan they had devised was bound to
fail. Brad would have no way to know which
trail to start following even if there were no
more branches.
“It seems pretty clear that we should split
up where the trail going south first branches,”
Brad ventured, “No matter which one of the
other trails Zarpa uses, they are sure to arrive on
one of these two.”
“I have a suggestion, too,” Lissy said.
“Didn’t you say that both branches cross ridges
before they divide again? I think we should each
find separate places some distance away from
where these ridges show up on the skyline. That
way all we have to do is sit and wait for a
caravan to come into view, and besides, that
way we wouldn’t accidentally bump into Zarpa
in the dark. Who knows what would happen if
that happened.”
“That’s a great idea,” Beto concurred.
“Also, by doing it that way, we would probably
see the silhouette of a caravan coming over the
hill no matter how dark the night was. I’ll ride
out and find a place for each of us to wait.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

With the new plan in place, the only

intangible left was to determine when Zarpa
would be likely to be travelling past their
lookouts. Fortunately, Beto had already found a
way. It was a guess to be sure, but an educated
one.
Not long after Beto had begun following
the trail in reverse, he came upon some fresh
tracks that told him a caravan had passed by the
previous night. Thinking back to the time he had
found Brad and Lissy in the desert, he was able
to establish the interval as exactly ten days. This
amount of time between trips rang true the way
Beto saw it because the four days, or nights, it
took to walk each way would allow Zarpa some
time to rest and to gather the next group. Beto
figured the time it took for Zarpa to return to
Mexico might be even less because he and Oso
probably had dual citizenship in the U.S. and
Mexico and could travel freely.
When Beto told Brad and Lissy about the
ten-day interval between trips, they became
excited. And the adrenalin flowed even faster
when Beto said the next time a caravan was
expected was in three days.
Lissy wanted time to get ready. She
planned to use the opportunity to record with
her camera as much of the impending arrest as
she could. It would be necessary to buy infrared
equipment for the night photos and she wanted
some time to practice. Skill, combined with
luck, should result in some photographs that

1
 Jonathon Glane

would be valuable in the commercial market.

Lissy enjoyed the thought of being paid for
something she was doing for a hobby.

Two days had passed since Brad and Lissy met

with Beto to formulate their plans for Zarpa’s
apprehension. Once again, they assembled at
Beto’s ranch. Their vigil was to take place at
their designated locations in the early hours of
the following morning. They would retire early
and get up early to take their stations.
At 2:00 o’clock in the morning, Doña Yoya
summoned them into the kitchen where she had
pancakes, bacon, and coffee ready for their
breakfast. Then the trio went their separate ways
with Beto riding his horse, and Brad and Lissy
in their RZR.
Brad wondered if driving the RZR to the
destination had been a good idea because the
sound of the engine—even with the Benz
silencer—reverberated throughout the still of
the night. Then he decided it was probably okay
because the group they were expecting to see
was not due for at least another hour.
When they parked the RZR and the engine
was quiet, Lissy set up her camera equipment.
She remarked to Brad about the excellence of
the place that Beto selected. The bright stars that
silhouetted the southern horizon would certainly
do the same to whoever came over the ridge

2
 The Coyote Trap

they were watching. Lissy busied herself by

taking some still photos of the surroundings
while Brad sat in the RZR and waited
impatiently.
Brad was drowsy and he was beginning to
nod off when the walkie-talkie he carried
crackled. Beto was calling. Speaking as softly as
he could and still loud enough to be heard Beto
said, “Brad … I see them … coming over the
ridge near me.”
“Is it Zarpa?” Brad asked.
“It’s him all right,” Beto was sure. “He’s in
the lead on a horse with about ten to twelve
people following and a man on a burro bringing
up the rear.”
“I’m calling the Border Patrol,” Brad said.
“They can intercept the caravan where the trail
passes the road near your ranch.”
“That’s it,” Beto agreed. “I’ll follow along
as close as I can to make sure they stay on the
trail.”
“I’ll come up the trail too,” Brad said, “and
stay far enough away that they won’t hear me
coming.”
Beto guided his horse in pursuit of the
group. When he neared his ranch, a patch of
bright lights in the desert ahead indicated the
scene of an arrest. Something about the activity,
however, seemed out of the ordinary. Instead of
the migrants sitting or lying on the ground
awaiting arrest, they were milling about and

2
 Jonathon Glane

intermingling with the federal officers. Beto

approached the group to see what was going on.
Reluctant to interfere with police officers
while they were carrying out their duty, Beto
reigned-in at the perimeter of the illuminated
scene. When one of the officers saw Beto
nearby and motioned him forward, he asked if
he was a member of the detained group. When
Beto told him ‘no’ and identified himself as the
owner of a nearby ranch, the officer told him
what was happening.
It seemed the group of five men including
the one riding a burro had been detained
mistakenly. They were all green card holders or
citizens of the United States who explained they
were out early on a nature walk collecting data
on the javelina in the area.
Beto commended the officer on the good
job he and his fellow officers were doing, and
acknowledged that mistakes were bound to
happen from time to time. Then he excused
himself and rode toward his ranch.
“You can go directly to the ranch,” he told
Brad over the walkie-talkie when he was far
enough away. “I’ll meet you there as soon as I
can.”
“So they rounded them all up?” Brad
wondered.
“That’s close,” Beto replied. “I’ll fill you in
when we get there.” His radio crackled, then
went silent.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“I wonder what he meant by that?” Brad

said to Lissy.
“Who knows?” she answered. “I’m sure
we’ll find out soon.”
They were sure to find out something soon,
but it would only create more questions than
answers.

The RZR carrying Brad and Lissy rolled up to

Rancho Alegre. They had no sooner gotten out
of the vehicle than they heard the sound of
someone sobbing. Filled with concern, they
rushed into the house to find Doña Yoya
slumped over in a chair with Manuel at her side
doing his best to comfort her. Lissy rushed to
Doña Yoya and knelt down beside to her.
“What is it?” Lissy asked softly as she took
the woman’s hands.
“My son, they have taken my son.” Doña
Yoya’s words were barely audible as she
mumbled between sobs.
“Manuelito, someone took Manuelito?”
Lissy could not believe what she was hearing.
Then Doña Yoya began crying even louder.
“Please,” Lissy said, “try to be calm and tell
us what happened. Who took your son?”
Before Doña Yoya answered, Beto came in
through the back door. One quick glance around
the room told him something serious had

1
 Jonathon Glane

happened and he dreaded to hear the details of

the nightmare about to unfold.
Doña Yoya did not seem to recognize
Beto’s presence as she regained enough
composure to explain between sobs that Zarpa
had invaded the house and had taken Manuelito
hostage. The revelation infuriated Beto and it
only confused Brad and Lissy. Seeing the looks
of bewilderment and concern on their faces,
Beto told them about the arrest attempt by the
Border Patrol.
Somehow, Beto surmised, Zarpa had gotten
wind of the impending arrest and had separated
his caravan into two groups. One group of four
supposed illegals, led by Oso, continued ahead
into the trap. When he got to the scene of the
detention, Beto realized that something was
wrong. Zarpa and most of the others were
missing, and now, it was clear why. They had
detoured to kidnap Manuelito.
Doña Yoya substantiated the conclusion
when she said that Zarpa had told her that she
was not to call the police and that Heriberto was
to leave him alone if she wanted to see her son
alive again.
The actions that had taken place were clear.
What was unclear was how Zarpa had been able
to find out so much about Beto’s plans to have
him arrested, and how he had managed to turn
the tables with his criminal kidnapping.
Waves of guilt passed across Brad’s
conscience as the thought of the consequences

2
 The Coyote Trap

of the action they had taken against some people

judged to be illegal immigrants just because
they were crossing the desert. Clearly, it was
impossible to determine a person’s nationality
by simply looking at them.
Beto had told Brad that the man they were
pursuing was the person who had inflicted so
much grief on Doña Yoya and her family, but he
could have been mistaken. Brad vowed to
refrain from snap judgments in the future, but
for now, he would try to work with Beto to
resolve the situation the best way they could.
With Lissy caring for Doña Yoya and
Manuel sitting in a chair nearby staring at his
hands, Brad tapped Beto lightly on the shoulder
and motioned him into the kitchen. “We’ve got
to get to the bottom of this,” Brad said after they
had settled at the kitchen table. “Manuelito’s life
may very well depend on the things we do and
the way we do them.”
“I only wanted Zarpa arrested before …
now I want to kill him,” Beto vowed through
pursed lips while his narrowed eyes confirmed
his conviction.
Brad was amazed at the amount of hatred
Beto seemed to exude through his pores, but he
understood the way a person must feel when a
family member is taken away by force.
“You might not have to resort to murder,”
Brad responded. “We failed to catch him red-
handed smuggling aliens, but now we don’t
need to. He’s kidnapped your son and the

2
 Jonathon Glane

penalty for that is death by execution. What we

need to do now is to decide whether to inform
the police. Then we need to decide what to do if
we try to handle things ourselves.”
“I would like to tell the cops,” Beto said,
“but we don’t know how Zarpa found out about
us. Until we know, he could use the same source
to find out about us informing the police, and
Manuelito’s fate would be sealed.”
“You’re right,” Brad agreed. “That means
the first order of business is to try to identify
Zarpa’s source of information. Then we should
devise a plan to find out where Manuelito is and
to have him returned home safely.”
Just then, Lissy came into the kitchen. “I
left Doña Yoya in the guest house with Manuel.
She needs to rest. Before I left, I asked Manuel
if he had seen or heard anything when they took
Manuelito. He said he was in the guest house at
the time and didn’t know anything was going on
until he heard Doña Yoya screaming after the
kidnappers had left.”
“He wouldn’t have knowingly had anything
to do with it,” Beto said confidently.
“I agree,” Brad said before continuing. “I’m
glad you’re here, Lis, We’ve been talking about
things and we decided there are a lot more
answers needed before we make any decisions
about taking action. Specifically, we want to
know how Zarpa knew beforehand that we were
attempting to trap him. Then we need to
understand the exact situation we’re in. When

2
 The Coyote Trap

we’ve found out as much as possible, we can

formulate a plan of action.”
“We probably gave ourselves away,” Lissy
suggested.
“What makes you say that?” Brad
wondered.
“Think about it,” Lissy went on. “We were
near Zarpa three or four times when we were
snooping on him. If one of his people had seen
us, they could have followed us and we would
have led them right here.”
“That sounds plausible,” Beto said. “Also,
someone could have followed me here when I
was searching for their trail.”
“You both could be right,” Brad agreed,
“but we’re not trying to find out who to blame.
We only want to understand the situation so we
can take measures to prevent it from continuing.
If one of us had been followed here and Zarpa
found out about it, he could have had us
watched and our activities could have given our
plans away.”
“That’s it!” Lissy said.
“I agree,” Beto joined in.
Brad wanted to move on to the next topic
for discussion. He thought it was reasonable to
assume that once Zarpa had known their plans,
he had decided that his smuggling operation
would be vulnerable as long as they remained a
threat, so he decided to take the young man
hostage. Manuelito’s mental condition would
make him easy to manipulate, and it would

2
 Jonathon Glane

probably never occur to him to escape on his

own.
The thought crossed Brad’s mind that he
and Lissy could simply distance themselves
from Beto the way they had tried to before. Was
it not true that they had become involved in
things that were none of their business just to
escape the boredom that comes with having
nothing to do? Now that they had failed in the
attempt to take the law into their own hands,
was there any reason they should continue doing
things that did not concern them—things that
could lead to the death of an innocent boy?
As though he was reading Brad’s thoughts,
Beto said, “It’s clear that this whole thing is out
of control. I think we are over our heads in
trying to deal with it, and I wouldn’t blame you
two if you decided to wash your hands of it.”
Brad and Lissy looked at one another for a
moment before she spoke for them both by
saying, “There is a way … and we intend to find
it … to rescue Manuelito from Zarpa the
monster.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

15. Vengeance Pursued

M anuel had lied to Lissy. He had heard

Zarpa and his henchmen approaching,
and he had overheard everything they
said to Doña Yoya before they led Manuelito
away. He had recognized Zarpa immediately.
He had remained out of sight trembling as Zarpa
threatened to take the boy’s life if Doña Yoya
sent someone to his rescue or notified the
authorities. He had watched as the group of
kidnappers left with Manuelito following along
obediently. He had waited until Doña Yoya
began screaming her anguish before he emerged
from the shadows to be at her side. The
criminals had not seen him.
Manuel had not lied to himself about the
humiliating weakness that had invaded his body
ever since that encounter with Zarpa so many
years ago. He knew that the man he appeared to
be was only a charade, but he seemed to be
powerless over the fear he felt each time a threat
presented itself. Manuel knew that he had come
to be the person he was from the beating he took

1
 Jonathon Glane

from Zarpa, and he reasoned that he should be

able to overcome this feeling of intimidation
that the experience had inflicted upon him.
None of the understanding of his problem
helped—as he wept silently in his room each
night.
After Lissy left Manuel and Doña Yoya
alone, and the agony his wife was feeling began
to subside, Manuel felt a stirring he could not
identify. Something inside him that had been
dormant for a long time began to awaken. For a
while, he remained quietly beside Doña Yoya
and then he knew what he was going to do.
The urge to kill Zarpa with his bare hands
gave way to the more realistic plan to shoot him
dead—before bringing their son home. He
looked at the 30-30 lever-action rifle hanging on
the wall and it seemed to be calling—‘Take me,
embrace me, I am all the strength you will ever
need.’
Manuel settled closer to his beautiful wife.
He would wait by her side until dawn provided
enough light to follow Zarpa’s tracks. There was
no need to rush. Manuel had waited all this time
and could wait even longer to seek retribution.
Manuel relished the thought that Zarpa’s death
was drawing near.
In the chill of the early morning light, an
animal-like cunning surfaced from inside
Manuel as he mounted his horse and began his
search for Zarpa’s tracks. He knew instinctively
that someone directly following the outlaws

2
 The Coyote Trap

could easily draw attention to himself. He opted

to follow his quarry’s path using an ‘S’ pattern
—back and forth across their trail—once he
established their direction of travel. Searching
that way would take much longer, but if
someone happened to see him, he would never
be going directly toward his target. Besides, he
smiled to himself in anticipation; he was in no
hurry. ...
The first part of the pursuit came easily.
The outlaw’s tracks clearly headed east from the
ranch and then turned abruptly toward the north.
At the turn, Manuel continued east for several
hundred yards before turning his horse north for
several hundred more yards, and then west until
he crossed Zarpa’s tracks again. This indirect
way of following someone might have been
difficult under other circumstances because
there was more than one indication of a caravan
passing through. However, Zarpa made the task
simpler for Manuel because he was the only
traveler who rode a horse that had been shod.
Manuel continued his quest until early
afternoon when he realized the tracks led into
the box canyon that terminated at the entrance to
the old Chatterley mine. He had observed no
tracks heading south out of the mine, so Manuel
was confident that Zarpa, still inside, would
remain there until after dark when transporting
illegals became less risky.
Thankful for the fresh water and browse the
nearby box canyon provided, Manuel decided to

2
 Jonathon Glane

leave his horse there and make his way to the

mine on foot when the sun started going down.
He planned to find a place to wait where the
mine entrance was clearly visible. When Zarpa
emerged at the head of the column of illegals, he
would wait until Oso came into view and then
drop Zarpa with one shot to the chest. His next
shot would send Oso to meet his ancestors. The
explosion of the rifle shots would surely cause
the others to panic and when they did, Manuel
would rush in, grab his son, and disappear into
the night.
Two hours after dark, Manuel realized he
had been foolish to think Zarpa’s death would
come that easily. He located his horse and rode
back to a worried Doña Yoya and an angry Beto
at Rancho Alegre.
Beto’s concern to know where Manuel had
been was alleviated somewhat when Manuel
explained that he was out herding stray cattle.
When some of them broke away, it had taken a
long time to locate them in the darkness and
bring them back onto ranch property.
Beto looked at Doña Yoya’s husband
coldly as she fed him leftovers from dinner.
They both recognized that something about the
things Manuel said did not ring true. His eyes
had a glint that Doña Yoya did not remember—
one that Beto had never seen.
Just to make sure that everyone understood
things as clearly as possibly, Beto ordered
Manuel to refrain from any attempt to locate his

3
 The Coyote Trap

son. The matter was to be handled by Beto, the

government authorities—, and no one else.
Manuel acknowledged the instructions with
a nod while slowly chewing his food.
Beto did not know what Doña Yoya was
thinking. He could not catch her eye, and she
said nothing.
Behind her veil, Doña Yoya was secretly
smiling. She recognized that her man was on his
way to being his old self again, and she would
empower him in any way she could.
Manuel was secretly smiling too—behind
his sullen expression. He was glad to be back
and he would use his newly acquired strength to
locate his son and exact his revenge on Zarpa
and his stupid henchman, Baboso.
The following morning when Manuel went
out ‘herding cattle’ once again, Doña Yoya
made sure he had an adequate supply of food
and water before he kissed her goodbye and
rode away. He took with him a powerful
flashlight and extra batteries in case he had to
go inside the mine. He was more determined
than ever to follow Zarpa wherever he went—
no matter how long it took.
When he reached the Chatterley mine,
Manuel searched around the entrance for some
sign that the group he was following had
bypassed the mine and gone in another
direction. All the visible evidence indicated they
had indeed gone inside the mine and had not
exited. Manuel hobbled his horse near a spring

2
 Jonathon Glane

in the box canyon, activated the lever on his 30-

30 to make sure a cartridge was in the chamber,
and returned to the mine entrance. With his
flashlight dimmed as low as it would go,
Manuel quietly entered the mine.
As a man-tracker, Manuel was out of his
element and he knew it. He was a wide-open
spaces kind of person and the claustrophobic
atmosphere inside the mineshaft gave him the
creeps. Besides, everyone knew the ghost of old
man Chatterley haunted the mine. Manuel did
not believe in ghosts, but then. ... He shuddered
with the thought as he made his way deeper and
deeper into the unknown.
At first, Manuel thought the murmur he
heard was the sound of Chatterley’s ghost in the
act of awakening. It was all he could do to
refrain from bolting out of the mine in terror.
Nevertheless, he stood his ground firmly until
the fear subsided before advancing once again.
As he drew nearer the murmur and realized
it was the sound of running water, he relaxed
somewhat. Then the sound changed. He heard
running water all right, but the sound of
conversation accompanied it. Manuel sensed
that he had located his target as his movements
became even stealthier.
Manuel’s progress was slow as he
approached what had now become an
illuminated end to the tunnel. He realized he
could go no farther when his flashlight revealed
the tunnel floor to be loose rock debris that

2
 The Coyote Trap

ramped up to a large, well-lighted cavern. The

voices, however, were now clear, and he
recognized one that was loud and booming. It
could be no one other than Zarpa!
Manuel seethed with rage at the thought
that his enemy was so near, yet unapproachable.
Zarpa was sure to hear the first step that
disturbed the repose of the loose rock, and
Manuel would not stand a chance of escaping
with his life. He would have to find another way
to get his revenge on Zarpa.
With no way to go but back, Manuel was in
the process of retreating when he heard Zarpa
say something that caught his attention.
“… gets dark, we’ll unload these pollitos.
Don’t worry about the kid. He’ll be okay here.
He wouldn’t have brains enough to escape even
if he knew how. Besides, he seems to have
adopted us as his family, and you know how
much I’d hate to break up a family.”
Sinister laughter permeated the cavern and
invaded the mineshaft—assaulting Manuel’s
objecting ears. He used the cover of the evil
sounds to withdraw into the darkness of the
tunnel. As he moved along the yellowish path
provided by his flashlight, he began to wonder if
his manhood had indeed returned. He was not
sure if he was leaving because it was the
prudent thing to do, or if he was running away
with fear in his heart. One thing was sure, he
would not attempt to rescue Manuelito or
eliminate Zarpa without more help.

2
 The Coyote Trap

It seemed the only course for Manuel to

follow was to confront Beto and confess his
disobedience. Beto was sure to be angry, but
Manuel thought the information he had gained
from listening to Zarpa’s conversation might
assuage Beto’s ire somewhat.
Manuel prepared for the worst when he
walked into the ranch house where Beto was
busy at his desk. Doña Yoya had heard him
enter and she joined him as he approached Beto.
“I just visited the old Chatterley mine,” Manuel
said matter-of-factly to Beto’s back.
Beto paused in mid-motion for a moment as
though he was trying to comprehend what he
just heard. “You went looking for Manuelito,
didn’t you?” Beto accused.
“Yes.”
Beto whirled around in his chair expecting
to find Manual with his hat in his hand and a
guilty look on his face. Instead, he saw Manuel
standing erect with a look in his eyes that might
have been one of defiance, but careful scrutiny
found it to be simple honesty.
Beto knew instinctively that this time he
was looking at one of his peers rather than a
malleable employee or an accommodating
family member. The anger that had arisen at
Manuel’s first words simply vanished. Beto was
relieved to see he had a man of strength at his
side. Doña Yoya beamed with pride at her
man’s heretofore-impossible confrontation.

1
 The Coyote Trap

“Well, don’t just stand there, man,” Beto

was smiling broadly. “Tell us what you did.”
Manuel, as happy as any of them were, told
Beto and Doña Yoya about how he had
followed Zarpa’s trail and the way he had done
it. He told them about going into that spooky
mine and listening to Zarpa outline some of his
plans. He admitted that he would have shot
Zarpa to death if he could have found a way to
get past the rock-fall where his every step would
have announced his presence. And, he had
saved the best for last when he revealed that
Manuelito was staying in that cavern in
Chatterley’s mine.
Doña Yoya was ecstatic. Her son had been
located. She wanted to drop everything else and
rush to his side. Then she remembered that he
was a hostage. His life would be at stake in a
rescue attempt. “How can we get our son back?”
she supplicated as tears began to well up in her
eyes.
Beto was not sure which way would be best
to rescue Manuelito, but he was confident that
the aid of Brad and Lissy would help their
chances of success. After all, they had been all
through that mine more than once and they
should be well acquainted with the inside
passages and caverns. In addition to Brad and
Lissy’s ability to help with the planning, Beto
believed the stronger the force they could
muster against Zarpa and Oso, the better off
they would be.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Beto reminded Manuel and Doña Yoya that

secrecy was an aspect of the situation that could
not be underplayed. With no direct
understanding of the method Zarpa used to gain
knowledge of their activities, every way
possible to keep their plans from leaking out had
to be utilized.
Beto set an example of the secrecy process
by texting Brad’s cell. ‘meet me at the wash.
urgent. text me a time.’

1
 The Coyote Trap

16. Rescuers

B rad and Lissy rolled into the wash on

their RZR at the appointed time. Beto
was nowhere around, but soon he came
over a hill on his horse. After dismounting and
greeting his friends, Beto tied the horse’s reins
to the rear brush-guard of the RZR and carefully
sat on the back platform—avoiding his legs
touching the hot exhaust pipe.
“Let’s just drive someplace else,” he said.
“I’m suspicious of all the places where I usually
hang out.”
A short trip along the wash took them to a
place where a stand of mature mesquite trees
provided shady privacy. Brad and Lissy
understood Beto’s desire for confidentiality but
questioned his cautionary measures. He
explained that as long as Zarpa’s source of
information remained unknown, it was not
possible to be too careful.
After Beto had gotten positive responses
when he reaffirmed their willingness to help
rescue Manuelito, he told them the things he had

1
 Jonathon Glane

learned from Manuel, including the information

about Manuel and Doña Yoya’s son being held
captive in the Chatterley cavern. Beto
recognized, however, that knowing the boy’s
general location meant little unless they had
more specific information such as how many
others were with him and whether they were
armed or simply illegals waiting to be
transferred.
Beto’s suggestion that Brad and Lissy
might go into the mine to obtain some answers
resulted in the objection that the very fact that
the pair had been in the mine before could have
been the action that led Zarpa to uncover their
plans to have him arrested.
Lissy was having a problem making sense
of the things she was hearing. “I don’t get it,”
she began. “Manuel says the boy is being held
in the mine, and I thought that place was only
used as an overnight stop.”
“She’s right,” Brad agreed. “No one was
staying there when we went inside to take
pictures, so if Manuelito is being held there,
some special arrangements would have had to
be made.”
“And that could mean some guards were
left in the cavern to watch the boy,” Beto
concluded.
And Brad added, “It also means that we
have a good chance to rescue him if we plan it
just right.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Whatever we decide to do,” Lissy

contributed, “I suggest that we include Manuel.”
After a pause she continued, “I know a family
member might get too emotional to function
correctly, but he has proven that he can
constrain himself by the way he entered and left
the mine before.”
Concluding that returning to the mine
would be their only way of discovering if
Manuelito truly remained there, the trio
formulated their plan. They would start at the
eastern entrance to the mine the following day.
Brad would lead the way to the branch passage
where he and Lissy had become lost. They
would use this location as their rendezvous
point. Because it was out of the way, it would be
unlikely that anyone would look for them there.
If they were able to rescue the boy, they would
take him there until the way was clear to leave
the mine entirely.
Their objectives were to enter the mine
unobserved, to find out if Manuelito was there,
and to exit the mine safely after rescuing him.

Cautioning Lissy, Beto, and Manuel to refrain

from speaking and to move as quietly as
possible, Brad led the others into the eastern
entrance cavern and onward into the interior
passage. Frequent foot and hoofed traffic
through the tunnels had worn the floors smooth

2
 Jonathon Glane

enough that no illumination was needed other

than the small flashlight carried by Brad. And
the thin layer of dust underfoot helped muffle
the noise their striding feet might have
otherwise made.
Brad chuckled to himself at the thought of
being lost in these very passages as he expertly
guided the others to the place they would use as
their center of operations. There, Brad told the
others to remain in place while he ventured
deeper along the main trail listening for any
sounds that might indicate activity. When he
heard none, he returned to the group and told
them it would be all right to speak softly and
briefly.
Brad told everyone to make themselves as
comfortable as possible because they would
remain where they were until just before
sundown. They had to begin before darkness
settled in the main cavern to be able to see what
confronted them. Then they would make their
move with the idea in mind that any contact
they might have with Zarpa’s people would be
in the dark. If they found Manuelito, it would be
Manuel’s job to bring him to where the others
were. While Manuel was getting his son, it
would be the responsibility of everyone else,
Brad included, to create as much of a diversion
as possible to direct Zarpa’s attention away
from what was actually happening.
At the designated time, Brad and his group
left the center of operations and went toward the

2
 The Coyote Trap

main cavern. They grew near with sufficient

daylight to allow them to see all the activity
once they had taken their positions of
observation. The view inside the cavern below
surprised them.
Zarpa was there! Oso was there too, along
with Zarpa’s big bay horse and Oso’s burro.
They were not alone. More than two dozen
individuals who appeared to be immigrants were
in the process of preparing their meals before
the fading light would make the task more
difficult. No one seemed to be getting ready to
continue the trip north under the cover of
darkness.
Manuelito was nowhere in sight.
Brad had to think fast. He pointed at each
of the others then used his hand to indicate the
need to talk by rapidly moving his fingers
against his thumb and then pointing back the
direction they had come.
Following Brad’s lead, the group moved
quietly back into the tunnel. Before they reached
a place where they would be out of earshot, they
all stopped in their tracks when they heard the
sound of a guitar playing a rendition of the old
song, Amapola. Manuelito was somewhere in
the cavern that was now almost completely
dark.
Enlivened with the prospect that their goal
was nearby, Brad’s gang continued retreating,
nevertheless, until they reached their rendezvous
point. When the excitement of their new

2
 Jonathon Glane

discovery subsided, Brad said the original plan

to send Manuel to the rescue had not taken into
consideration that Zarpa, his henchman, and so
many others would be present. They needed a
new plan.
Beto believed their original plan was still
workable. In fact, he claimed, it might be better
with more people involved to create greater
confusion. Lissy agreed and suggested that
Manuel should enter the cavern alone and
mingle with the illegals while he located his
son. There was sure to be enough light from the
campfires to see, but not enough to identify
Manuel as an outsider.
After agreeing the plan might work, Brad
suggested that Manuel should be given enough
time to search around for Manuelito. If the boy
continued playing the guitar, the search would
be easy, but Brad cautioned Manuel not to
interrupt his sons playing because a sudden stop
would be sure to attract attention.
Brad told Manuel that the rest of them
would follow in four or five minutes. If they
failed to meet Manuel returning, they would
continue to the cavern and cause a commotion
by hurling stones in the direction of the
Chatterley mine entrance. Hopefully, this would
send Zarpa and his men in that direction and
Manuel could leave the other way with his son.
Manuel was ready. He left for the cavern.
Brad, Lissy, and Beto waited a few minutes then
began to follow. They did not get far. The sound

2
 The Coyote Trap

of hooves striking the tunnel floor stopped them

where they were. They barely were able to
retreat into the side tunnel before a man leading
a burro passed close enough to be touched. The
man’s gait slightly altered as he passed. The
burro snorted.
For the first time, Brad began to doubt the
reasoning behind their decision to rescue
Manuelito on their own. The imprudence of
bypassing the authorities in a reckless bid for
glory had led them to cause Manuel to be
trapped between the new arrival and Zarpa and
his outlaws.
With the hope that Manuel would make it
into the cavern and begin mingling before the
man and his burro caught up with him, Brad led
his posse into the passage intent on carrying out
the plan at whatever cost.
When Brad, Lissy, and Beto returned to the
cavern and took up their previous positions of
observation, their faith that the plan would work
was somewhat restored. They could see and
hear the man with the burro talking with Oso,
and the soft guitar sounds were still echoing
throughout the cavern. Manuel was obviously
waiting for his son to stop playing before
leading him to safety.
Suddenly, something went wrong. The
newly arrived burro man and Oso were
beginning to show too much animation. Their
gesture to Zarpa brought him quickly to their
side and the conversation became more intense.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Brad and Lissy could not understand a word

of the rapid-fire Spanish, but Beto’s face was
showing increasing concern as he listened
intently.
Five other men joined Zarpa’s group and
soon all eight men were making a frenzied
search of the cavern with dancing flashlights.
Apparently, they found nothing amiss after
a short search. Then they left three members at
the far corner of the cavern and the rest headed
directly for Brad’s position. The posse could do
nothing but hunker down and await their fate.
Surprisingly, the henchmen passed right by—
their flashlights brightening their way—without
noticing Brad’s posse, and went into the
passageway leading to the eastern entrance.
“Quick, let’s go now,” Beto urged when the
pursuers were out of sight.
Brad and Lissy followed him as he made
his way into the heart of the cavern with its now
meager candle and campfire light helping to
conceal their presence.
As they made their way across the cavern,
they became aware that Manuel had joined them
and the four invaders left for the Chatterley
entrance crunching the rock debris beneath their
feet as quietly as possible.

Doña Yoya prepared hot tea and hot chocolate

for the scruffy bunch that sat around her kitchen

1
 Jonathon Glane

table. She was slightly amused at the appearance

of her family along with Brad and Lissy as they
sipped the drinks and munched on her specialty:
Two slices of crisp bacon with a flour tortilla
rolled around them. Consumption began after
stuffing a forkful of refried beans into the
business end.
Beto praised Doña Yoya for her culinary
inventiveness, and told her how they walked all
the way back from the Chatterley mine after
Zarpa blocked their escape route. Doña Yoya
was delighted to hear that Manuelito had been
located and seemed to be in good health and
spirits. She understood why Manuel was not
able to rescue him with three henchmen
standing guard.
Manuel was not happy about having to
abandon the rescue plans. He had been prepared
to lead his son away as soon as he stopped
playing the guitar, but then some commotion
amongst Zarpa’s gang caused them to search the
area. When Manuel saw the three thugs coming
to guard the boy, he moved close to the group of
illegals nearest him and pretended to be asleep
until the bad people passed by. He had stayed
there until he saw Zarpa and the others leave
toward the east entrance and Beto, Brad, and
Lissy start to move in the opposite direction. He
managed to slip away from his position and join
his own group just as they made their way past
the immigrants and out of the mine.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Brad and Lissy listened intently as Beto

translated the words spoken in Spanish that they
had not been able to understand. He explained
what caused Zarpa and his men to take action so
suddenly. Beto overheard the newly arrived man
with the burro tell Oso that he was sure there
were gringos in the cave. He told Oso that as he
passed the middle cavern he smelled perfume—
the expensive kind that gringo women wear.
When Oso heard that, he called Zarpa over and
the man continued his accusations by saying
that the smell of toothpaste was also in the air.
The man declared that his burro must have
smelled those things too because it had sneezed
to get the foreign odor out of its nose!
It was Zarpa’s turn to make a revelation
when he agreed that invaders were indeed in the
cave. He knew that they had been here before
when he found the fishing line the gringos had
left behind. This clue had led them to Heriberto
and his plot to halt their business operations.
Beto’s account helped Brad and Lissy
understand the folly of their amateurish ways.
They looked at one another with a feeling of
shame in their hearts. The blame for
Manuelito’s capture lay squarely on their
shoulders. The anguish that contorted the
features of their faces caused Beto to empathize
with their feelings of guilt.
“Don’t be too hard on yourselves,” Beto
admonished. “All the things that were done
were done to right a wrong that happened long

3
 Jonathon Glane

ago. You came to our aid even though it was not

your obligation to do so, and you helped in
every way you could. If anyone is to blame for
the things that have not gone our way, it is I. I
should not have asked you to abandon your life
of leisure to help me and my family.”
Before Brad and Lissy could raise their
objections, Beto continued, “Besides, I know I
share the responsibility for our failed mission
because it was my toothpaste that stupid donkey
sneezed at!”

2
 The Coyote Trap

17. Second Chances

M anuel knew the drill from experience.

He would walk to the place near the
east cavern entrance where the rescue
posse had left the RZR and the horses. First, he
would verify that he was unobserved, and then
he would tie the horses behind the RZR and
return to the ranch house.
Brad, Lissy, and Beto had their drill as well.
They would learn from their mistakes and make
another effort to rescue Manuelito. First,
however, they had to generate a new appraisal
the situation before formulating the next plan of
action.
“I simply do not understand why Zarpa was
still in the cavern when we went there.” Lissy
was perplexed. “When Manuel first went to the
cave he heard Zarpa speaking so he knew he
was there then. But why was he still there when
we all went in? Why didn’t he continue on with
his bunch of illegals?”
“I think I can answer that,” Doña Yoya
said. “One of the top news stories going around

1
 Jonathon Glane

is about the Border Patrol and the FBI shutting

down a number of drop-houses in Tucson and
making a lot of arrests.”
Brad and Beto both wondered what shutting
down drop-houses had to do with Zarpa and his
caravan remaining in the cavern. They thought
that the illegals would travel with Zarpa to
Tucson, and then he would leave them to fend
for themselves.
“I guess it’s hard to understand because of
the terminology,” Doña Yoya explained. “Drop-
houses used to be called safe-houses—a place
where it was safe to stay. Sometimes those same
houses become drop-houses that are nothing
more than warehouses or dungeons where
coyotes stash their contraband or hold illegals
for ransom. The immigrants who wind up in
those places find themselves in a position where
their relatives must send ransom money to free
them, or they are turned over to the authorities
and sent back to their own country. With Zarpa
finding no place to hold his group for ransom,
he is probably using the cavern as a drop-
house.”
“And in his case,” Beto contributed, “some
of his hostages will be sold into slavery or
prostitution, and anyone objecting will be turned
back into the desert with no food or water where
death is a certainty.”
“We studied the subject so much that Brad
and I know these things happen,” Lissy said,

2
 The Coyote Trap

“although it’s disconcerting to know that they

are happening so close to us.”
“The way this monster treats regular people
who trusted him to provide safe passage gives
us all the more reason to hunt him down and put
a stop to his murderous ways.” Brad was livid.
“But, we all should have learned by now that
taking the law into our own hands can backfire.
We got away with it this time, but we would be
putting innocent lives at risk if we tried again
and failed.
“I say we should notify the Border Patrol
and let them go to Manuelito’s rescue.
Capturing Zarpa would be the best justice we
could ask for because he would be caught red-
handed with a group of kidnapped hostages.”
“Your plan is sensible without doubt,” Beto
said. “The only problem I see is that it would
expose Doña Yoya, Manuel, and Manuelito to
deportation as illegal immigrants and I’m not
sure I can deal with seeing them in that
position.”
“Were they never investigated before?”
Lissy wondered.
“Oh sure, in a way,” Beto replied. “But I
just told the jalapeños, the immigration people,
the same thing I told you … that Doña Yoya’s
my cousin, and they never asked any more
questions. Thankfully, they didn’t ask me to
prove it.”
Further brainstorming led the planners to
reach a number of conclusions. They all agreed

2
 Jonathon Glane

that the best scenario would be to rescue

Manuelito before notifying the authorities. That
way, the family would not be exposed to
possible deportation. Even though the boy was
not being held there as a hostage for ransom,
holding him or anyone else against their will
would constitute the crime of unlawful restraint
in the eyes of the law. A raid on the cavern by
the Border Patrol would be sure to send some
crossers back to their native countries, but that
would be a better fate that being sold into virtual
slavery or worse.
Unexpectedly, Doña Yoya came up with a
plan that suited them all. She suggested that the
rescue of Manuelito and the raid by the Border
Patrol be timed in such a way that the
authorities would arrive at the cave soon after
the attempt to get Manuelito. That way, if the
rescue attempt failed, the Border Patrol would
be there to back up the family operation.
Naturally, if that happened, Doña Yoya’s family
would have to face the consequences of being in
the United States without proper documentation.
The only remaining question was a tough
one. How does one go about seeing to it that a
bureaucratic organization like the Border Patrol
arrives at a particular raid at a particular time?
Lissy had a suggestion that they all believed
could work. She said the Border Patrol had a
special unit called ‘Borstar’—their special
search, trauma, and rescue team. Borstar was
formed to respond to 9-1-1 calls made by

2
 The Coyote Trap

crossers, or their families, when someone was in

danger of losing their life to the mercilessness of
the desert. Lissy recalled reading in the
newspaper about hundreds of calls for aid in the
last ten months that were responded to by
Borstar agents. If one of the posse members
pretended to be a relative and made a 9-1-1 call,
the Border Patrol would be sure to respond
quickly.
Brad noted that the plan would probably
work, but it came with some pitfalls. The first,
of course, was that anyone calling in a false
emergency was guilty of a serious crime.
Beto objected that the call would probably
not be false because the people held by Zarpa
were all in mortal danger.
“Be that as it may,” Brad countered,
“Border Patrol officers going blindly into a
cavern could be in mortal danger themselves;
especially if Zarpa decided to put up a fight.”
“The call to 9-1-1 could include a warning
that the people in danger of dying were being
held captive,” Lissy suggested.
“And that would not be a false report,”
Brad ascertained.
“That’s it then,” Beto said. “If we’re all in
agreement, I suggest we move quickly to bring
Manuelito back to his family.”
Before Beto’s posse could saddle up and
ride to the rescue, Lissy posed a question that
caused them to rethink their plan. She wondered
how the 9-1-1 call could be made without

2
 Jonathon Glane

revealing the caller’s identity to the authorities.

Surely, the call would be traced to the owner of
the phone, and the Border Patrol would
probably look unkindly on anyone who tried to
use its authority and work force for personal
gains.
From that new perspective, it seemed the
only way to bring Manuelito back safely would
be to either notify the authorities and let them
handle the entire operation, or to go it alone and
take the chance of failing again.
Brad liked their chances of rescuing the boy
without outside help.
Lissy thought it would be smarter to call in
the Border Patrol because its chances of success
were almost one hundred percent.
Beto agreed that Lissy’s position was the
more prudent one.
Manuel agreed with Brad.
Doña Yoya broke the tie with tear-filled
eyes when she said the best way to guarantee
success would be to call in the authorities even
if it meant exposing her family to deportation.
“It’s possible for us to pull this off without
bringing attention to your family’s legal status,”
Brad suggested. “If the report to the Border
Patrol is made by Lissy and me, no one here
would need to be included and no investigation
would be made.”
Beto objected. “By excluding us, you are
also eliminating Doña Yoya and Manuel’s
access to their son.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“That’s true,” Brad said. “But with their

son’s mental condition, the authorities would
not deport him, and we would keep track of him
through the system until a way could be found
to bring him home.”
Doña Yoya wondered if the boy would be
locked in a cell or institutionalized.
Lissy thought that would be unlikely. “Of
course the boy will be restrained, but he won’t
be locked up like a criminal and besides, he’ll
get proper nutrition and medical care.”
Doña Yoya still was not convinced.
However, her desire to have Zarpa arrested and
put behind bars caused her to agree with the
plan. Brad and Manuel conceded to the majority
and Brad accepted the responsibility of
informing the authorities.

Captain Thurgood Flist, the commanding officer

of the Border Patrol’s Green Valley substation
welcomed Brad and Lissy into his office. He did
not attempt to hide his surprise at seeing such
relatively young people in that retirement
community.
“You folks seem a little out of your
jurisdiction here in Green Valley,” Flist
remarked. “What can I do for you?”
“I suppose you’re right,” Brad said. “We
had to rent a place in Sahuarita to beat the 55
years old age restriction, but we still call Green

1
 Jonathon Glane

Valley our second home. We’re here because

we observed something we thought of as
criminal activity.”
“Wouldn’t that be a matter for the police?”
Flist asked.
“Maybe,” Brad answered, “but we came
here because these people seem to be illegal
immigrants.”
“Perhaps you should tell me all about it …
from the beginning,” Flist suggested.
Brad explained that as amateur
photographers, he and Lissy often ventured far
into the Sonoran desert in search of subjects to
record. In the course of their travels, they
sometimes came across a trail made by a
number of people on foot. Naturally, they
suspected these signs to be those made by
crossers because it would be unlikely that so
many people would be that far out in the desert
for any reason other than entering the country
illegally.
“Maybe you should get to the point,” Flist
interrupted gently.
It was Lissy’s turn. “He’s trying to tell you
that one time we saw the people who were
making the tracks,” she clarified.
“Go on,” Flist urged.
“They went into the mountains and then
into a cave. We found out later that the cave is
really an old mine,” Lissy explained.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“The old Chatterley mine,” Brad added and

further clarified the information by producing a
map and pointing out the location.
Flist surprised both Brad and Lissy by
telling them he knew the place. They each
wondered about how much Flist knew about the
Chatterley mine, but they were more concerned
with the task before them.
“Well,” Lissy went on, “one time we went
into the mine just to look around and we found
it led to a cavern where there was a pond and
running water.”
“And that’s not all,” Brad jumped in, “we
also saw hay there for horses and places where
people had built fires and camped.”
“And where is all this taking us?” Flist
asked.
“I’ll tell you where it took us when we were
there.” Lissy was beginning to get exasperated
with Flist’s impatience. “It took us on through
another series of tunnels and out the other side
of the mountain!”
Brad verified Lissy’s account by pointing
out the other entrance on his map before he
added, “And that isn’t all.”
Flist’s quizzical look urged Brad to
continue.
“We went back into the mine another time
to take some pictures of the stalactites we saw
hanging there, but we didn’t get far because that
time the cavern was filled with people.”

1
 The Coyote Trap

Flist was looking at Brad and Lissy

carefully.
Brad continued. “We were able to see what
was going on without being seen and that’s why
we’re here.”
Lissy spoke up. “The people were being
held captive, that’s what. And the man with the
horse was whipping them with a big black whip!
And that’s not all. We heard stories about brutes
like the man with the whip holding people for
ransom and selling them into slavery and all
sorts of bad stuff.”
“You said you saw these things without
being seen?” Flist confirmed.
“We don’t think we were seen,” Brad said
flatly.
“In that case you are probably not in as
much trouble as you could be,” Flist decided.
“Trouble?” The disbelief flew from Brad
and Lissy simultaneously.
“You could have found yourselves
interfering with the law,” Flist told them. “I’ll
explain it all to you, but first I want your
assurance that you will not discuss what you are
about to hear … with anyone.”
When he had heard their assurances, Flist
told them that the Chatterley mine and the
cavern had been under Border Patrol
surveillance for some time.
“It isn’t what you think,” he said.
Then he went on to say that besides being a
daytime hideout for coyotes, the passageway

1
 Jonathon Glane

through the mountain provided a way to

smuggle marijuana and other drugs into the
country. It was the smuggling operation the
authorities wanted to put a stop to, and they
were waiting for the right time to make a raid
after the contacts on both ends of the pipeline
were identified. Of course, they wanted to stop
the illegal human traffic also, but that was
secondary to stopping the flow of drugs into the
country.
“I hope this information helps you to
understand that it is best for civilians to stay
away from those things that might be considered
criminal activity. We don’t think any harm
would come to you through contact with illegal
immigrants, but there is no telling how serious a
confrontation with drug smugglers might be.
Now, please leave a copy of your driver’s
licenses and your local address with the clerk
out front. I have much work to catch up on.”
With that, Flist arose from behind his desk
providing a clue for Brad and Lissy to follow
suit as he bid them goodbye.
Brad and Lissy were sorely disappointed
that they had been unable to accomplish their
mission. They were certain that Beto, Manuel,
and especially Dona Yoya would be let down as
well.

2
 The Coyote Trap

18. The Raid

B rad and Lissy did not tell Beto right

away about their failure to get help from
the Border Patrol. They needed time to
decide how they would explain what happened
without divulging the confidential information
Captain Flist had sworn them to. After some
consideration, they settled on the fabrication
that they were refused help because the Border
Patrol was seriously short of officers. They
would tell Beto that they received information
that the only way special projects like theirs
were doable would be for Congress to allocate
more Homeland Security funding.
All Brad and Lissy’s scheming proved to be
unnecessary the way it turned out. The very day
they planned to meet with Beto and the others, a
featured story in the Arizona Daily Star caught
their attention and saved them from lying.
BP OFFICERS NAB
SMUGGLER
A Homeland
Security raid of a safe-house
on the outskirts of Tucson

1
 Jonathon Glane

resulted in the capture of

twenty-five illegal
immigrants and a person
thought to be their smuggler.
Border Patrol officers at the
scene described the operation
as “flawless”.
Acting on a tip from
a person who had been with
the group during their travel
north, the BP unit from
Green Valley, led by Captain
Thurgood Flist, took the
suspects into custody along
with a burro that was
carrying two hundred pounds
of marijuana with a street
value of more than $100,000.
“The tipster escaped his
captors two days ago before
turning himself in,” stated
Flist. “He said he and some
of the others were being held
for ransom, and his dreams
of a new life in the U.S.
turned into a nightmare.”
The nightmare
might be for Oso ‘Bear’
Sanchez, the suspected
smuggler of both humans
and drugs. If convicted, he
could receive as much as
fifteen years behind bars. If
convicted of holding the
crossers for ransom, Sanchez
could receive a sentence of
life in prison for kidnapping.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Some of the
suspected illegal immigrants
might be held as material
witnesses,” Flist disclosed.
“The others will be detained
and processed for return to
their native countries.”
As pleased as Brad and Lissy were about
the information in the article, they realized that
it also raised a number of questions about the
things it did not say.
“It has to be the bunch that’s holding
Manuelito,” Brad said, “even though the article
didn’t mention Zarpa.”
Lissy replied that in some cases, the leader
of the gang hides out by pretending to be one of
the captives and they often get away with it
because the others are too afraid to say
anything. She guessed that when the detainees
were separated and interviewed, it was likely
that one of them would point out Zarpa to the
authorities. “The problem we have now,” she
said, “is how do we go about finding
Manuelito?”
Brad’s first thoughts were that they might
never find him, but he said, “I’m sure we’ll find
a way.” He imagined a scenario where
Manuelito was sent to a care facility or a foster
home where he could spend the rest of his life
and no one would ever know his full name.
Lissy’s thoughts were going in another
direction. “I suppose Beto will think that we

1
 Jonathon Glane

arranged to have the Border Patrol make the

raid.”
“I suppose,” Brad agreed. “But the whole
idea was to get the boy back safely. Now we
don’t have any way of knowing where he is; let
alone if he’s okay.”
“Well then,” Lissy said, “let’s go to the jail
or the place where they keep juveniles and look
for him.”
“And who will you say is calling?” Brad
wondered.
“Well I … I’m not sure,” Lissy confessed.
“No … wait a minute. I have an idea. We can
say that you’re an author doing a story on the
treatment of juveniles who are illegals and I will
be your photographer.”
“And what publication would we be
working for?”
Lissy hesitated only a moment before
deciding, “You can be a freelancer working for
yourself.”
It was Brad’s turn to hesitate while he
thought about it. “Okay, I think it’s workable.
Let’s get at it before Beto starts pressing us for
answers.”
Brad and Lissy thought their best bet to get
the information they needed would be to be
upfront about their newly generated activities
and talk with Captain Flist.
After they met with him and congratulated
him on his recent arrests, they told him that all
the things they knew about the case had excited

2
 The Coyote Trap

an interest in them to tell the story in detail.

They told Flist that they would be appreciative
if he could provide them with as much
information as he could about the way suspected
illegals are captured, processed, and repatriated.
And, by the way, it sure would be nice if they
could interview some of the detainees to add
perspective to the story.
Much to their surprise, Flist was more than
cooperative. He told them the places the
detainees were held, he advised them of ways to
be able to get interviews at each of the facilities,
and—best of all—he gave them a list of all the
persons who had been arrested. Zarpa’s name
was not on the list. Thinking it could be no more
than a nickname, Brad asked Flist if Oso had
been the only smuggler they captured. Flist
assured them that he was.
Brad and Lissy could hardly wait to get
outside and go over the rest of the names. Their
excitement was short lived, however, when they
discovered that of the three Manuels on the list,
each had a Hispanic surname and none of them
was Condes de la Torre. Nevertheless, Brad and
Lissy continued their search with the thought
that Manuelito might have given the authorities
another name; if in fact, he even knew how to
pass that information on to someone else.
Captain Flist had told them that the
detainees were being held in three different
locations, so the pretend-to-be authors diligently
visited each one. Under the guise of wanting to

2
 Jonathon Glane

gather information about juveniles only, the pair

questioned those in charge of each facility about
the ages of the prisoners they held. Of the
several possibilities they uncovered, all were
with one or more of their parents. The
assumption was clear. Manuelito had not been
among any group of detainees. He and Zarpa
had dropped out of sight.
When they returned to Green Valley, Brad
and Lissy were at a loss as to what had become
of the boy. Their conclusion that the illegals
arrested were the same ones they had seen in the
cavern seemed reasonable because the size of
the group was right and besides, the chronology
fit. They reasoned that the only other thing that
could have happened was that a similarly sized
second group bypassed the first and they were
arrested instead. But if that had happened, how
did Oso join and get captured with the second
group? Surely, there was no more than one Oso,
the baboso bear.
Brad had no wish to return to the Chatterley
mine, but he thought that doing so might be the
only chance they would have to verify the fate
of Manuelito and perhaps Zarpa. Lissy, with
similar trepidation, accepted the responsibility
of proving the truth, even though it meant
making that distasteful and perhaps dangerous
trip. She tried to psych herself into becoming
enthusiastic about going, by telling Brad that
they had never completed their photographic

2
 The Coyote Trap

odyssey inside the cavern and besides, the place

was sure to be uninhabited by now.

After carefully preparing themselves to be as

clean, yet giveaway-odor free as possible, the
pair returned to face the ghost of old Chatterley.
At the entrance to the mine, recent rain had
left a random pattern of little indentations in the
soil that obliterated any footprints there might
have been. Brad and Lissy both recognized that
if they went inside, anyone following would be
aware of their presence by the tracks they would
leave on the rain-speckled surface. Wanting to
avoid entrapment that way, they backed away
from the entrance and opted to venture inside
through the eastern cavern. It was a long way
around the mountain but they got there rather
quickly in their RZR.
The eastern entrance appeared to be the
right choice. The cavern that marked the
beginning of the passages sheltered the entrance
from any rain that might have washed its floor
clear of footprints. Nevertheless, after securing
the RZR out of sight, they approached the cave
cautiously, leaving as few signs of their
presence as possible.
Lissy was disappointed about having to
carry the photo equipment the greater distance
back to the main cavern and she expressed her
wish that they could simply drive the RZR into

3
 Jonathon Glane

the cave and through the tunnels. Brad thought

that would be a good idea after looking the area
over and deciding the RZR could make the trip
easily due to its four-foot width and the fact that
it had four-wheel drive. It was not to be
however, he warned. The noise from the engine
would alert anyone—anywhere in the complex
of tunnels and caverns—that someone was
driving in. This time, they would move as
cautiously and as soundlessly as they could
along the route that they knew almost by heart.
Brad and Lissy’s stealth was rewarded
when the neared the main cavern and heard
muffled sounds of activity. The cavern was
occupied. Taking care to move in a way that
they would not be detected, they took the same
positions where they previously had observed
the activities with Beto.
The scene below was one of tranquility. A
family consisting of a mother, a father, and a
child were going about their daily tasks in a
routine way. Two other men were likewise in
the act of daily living. Nearby, a big bay horse
nibbled at a pile of hay. Neither Manuelito nor
Zarpa were in sight, but the horse provided a
clue as to Zarpa’s presence.
Brad and Lissy knew that a small cavern
existed within the large one. It was located
where Manuel had found his son on the previous
trip and they felt certain the boy was still there.
From the scene they were viewing, Brad and
Lissy deduced that an immigrant family had

2
 The Coyote Trap

been recruited to stay and care for Manuelito,

and the other men were probably Zarpa’s goons
who would act as the boy’s guards. Their
assumption was somewhat verified when they
noticed a third man stirring in a sleeping bag.
He was probably the night-shift guard.
As the pair waited in their hiding place for
something to happen that would verify
Manuelito’s presence, new thoughts began
stirring in Brad’s mind. A way to rescue the boy
was emerging ever so slowly.
Suddenly, Brad’s thoughts were interrupted
when the soft musical sounds of Maria Elena
echoed throughout the cavern walls.
Manuelito’s guitar-playing style was instantly
recognizable. Brad and Lissy looked at one
another with smiles of satisfaction brightening
their faces.
Facial expressions of concern returned
quickly, however, when they saw Zarpa saunter
into view. He seemed completely out of
character the way he addressed the people
around him as though they were a part of his
family. It was hard for Brad and Lissy to accept
that this monster had a softer side. But there he
was, acting like a normal human being. It was
clear that something about the situation—
probably the boy’s poignant and sensitive
musical presence—brought out the best in
Zarpa.
How Manuelito could have gotten a guitar
in the first place bothered Brad and Lissy. It was

2
 Jonathon Glane

certain that he had not taken it with him when

he was kidnapped. The consideration that
seemed to lead to a logical conclusion was that
Zarpa had simply taken a liking to Manuelito
and was treating him in a special way. And that
treatment could have caused Manuelito to think
of Zarpa in a different way as well.
It reminded Brad of the Patty Hearst case
where the victim of a kidnapping converted her
philosophy to the extent that she aided her
captors in the commission of a crime. If
Manuelito had become loyal to his captor,
rescuing him could prove to be difficult—if not
impossible.
Whatever psychological and emotional
state Manuelito was in concerned Brad less than
the fact that he was a kidnap victim taken to
prevent his captor’s identification. Brad felt he
had done his best to handle the situation legally
but the arrest attempt by the Border Patrol had
failed because the illegals Manuelito had been
with left the cavern without him. In Brad’s eyes,
the only alternative remaining was to take
charge of the situation and rescue Manuelito the
best way he could. With luck, an opportunity
could come their way to have Zarpa arrested at
the same time.

2
 The Coyote Trap

19. Spooks

I t came to Brad as a fledgling concept when

he and Lissy watched Zarpa’s activities
while listening to Manuelito’s haunting
melodies. Then a plan began forming and the
details became more clearly defined. Brad based
his ideas on the virtually universal fact that most
people believe in ghosts. What better place
could there be to capitalize on that belief than
old man Chatterley’s haunted mine?
When Brad outlined the concept to Lissy,
she eagerly joined in and together they disclosed
the details to Beto and the others at Rancho
Alegre. They would invoke the ghost of
Chatterley to frighten Zarpa and his followers
into a state of confusion. While Manuelito’s
captors ran for their lives, Brad’s posse would
move in and spirit Manuelito away. Of course,
the only way the plan would work was if
Zarpa’s bunch were truly afraid of ghosts. Brad
and his friends would have to prove it somehow.
They decided to set up an experiment where
they would make otherworldly noises in the

1
 Jonathon Glane

cavern while one of them observed the reaction

of Zarpa and his men. Beto was designated the
job of observing because he understood
Spanish, and the group set off to enact their
plan.
Once again, they entered the underground
complex from the east. Brad, Lissy, and Manuel
set up in the side tunnel they had previously
used as a rendezvous point while Beto went
ahead to the observation place stringing out a
monofilament fishing line behind him. When
their wristwatches reached a predetermined
time, Brad began to murmur “Ooooough,
oooooooough.”
Beto, noticing the time, waited a few
moments before he tugged on the fish line
sending the message that he had heard nothing.
The tug-sent message prompted Brad to moan
even louder and a double-tug told him he had
been heard. Brad continued alternating his
moans with those of Manuel until a triple-tug on
the line told them it was time to stop.
“I wanted to join in the fun and moan too,”
Lissy announced. “That way they would think
there’s more than one ghost in this place.”
“It’s okay with me,” Brad said, “but let’s
wait until Beto gets back to hear what he has to
say.”
The three moaners waited a long time in the
darkness for Beto to return. They were
beginning to wonder if something had happened

2
 The Coyote Trap

to him when they were suddenly startled by a

noise practically in their ears.
“BOO,” Beto said as he illuminated his
flashlight revealing three very scared people.
“See, it works.” Beto was chuckling at his
cleverness.
Brad was less than impressed. “No fair,” he
complained. “Does it work on the bad guys?”
“Well, yes and no,” Beto answered. “When
the hooligans heard the moans they all started
acting scared, but Zarpa calmed them down by
telling them it was only the wind outside
howling through the vent. I think we need some
other kinds of sounds. Maybe Lissy should join
you two.” The comment elicited a poke in the
ribs from Lissy to Brad. “And maybe some
other noises too, like the ones a prospector’s
tools would make,” Beto continued. “That way,
they’ll be sure it’s Chatterley’s ghost.”
With plans in place for a second attempt at
frightening Zarpa’s men, the foursome headed
back to Beto’s ranch to gather the things they
would need.
The second haunting foray yielded results
that were more meaningful. As Beto once again
monitored the effectiveness of their efforts,
Brad and Lissy contributed groaning noises
while Manuel hacked at the sides of the tunnel
with a pick and banged on an old pot. The effect
was instant and outstanding. After only a few
seconds, Beto was triple-tugging the fish line to
halt the haunting sounds.

2
 The Coyote Trap

The noise-making trio waiting for Beto’s

return did so with enough light to prevent him
sneaking up and scaring them again. Beto’s
report was very encouraging. The people in the
cavern had huddled together while looking
around wildly as though expecting the Devil
himself to descend upon them. Zarpa was apart
from the group, but his body language indicated
he felt a level of fear also. Beto was happy to
report that no one had seemed inclined to
investigate the origin of the sounds. Naturally,
this meant that they believed the noises to be
otherworldly.
Encouraged with the knowledge that Brad’s
plan was working, the haunters agreed to
continue the haunting at irregular intervals while
increasing the volume to convince the
kidnappers that the ghost of old man Chatterley
was coming ever nearer. They agreed that they
needed to take care; however, to be assured that
the whole group would not simply alleviate the
problem by abandoning the cave before the final
act took place.
On the afternoon of the day the attempt to
rescue Manuelito was to begin, the posse
assembled at Beto’s ranch to prepare. Doña
Yoya had made a meaningful contribution by
designing costumes for each of the others except
Manuel. He was to wear black clothing and
blackface. The fact that the white sheets she had
skillfully sewn together made the others look
more like Ku Klux Klan members than ghosts

3
 Jonathon Glane

was of little consequence. The barely visible

blue light they would use to illuminate
themselves in the darkness of the cave would be
sure to cast them in a ghostly aura. The final
preparatory step saw the RZR decorated in a
special costume for its special role.
When the clock indicated the sun would be
going down in less than thirty minutes, the four
intruders entered the cavern from the east taking
the RZR with them as they went. Brad and Beto
were pulling it with ropes attached to its front
frame while Lissy and Manuel pushed from
behind.
Moving progressively through the complex
of passageways and caverns, the group prepared
for action when they were about one hundred
yards from the Chatterley cavern. Brad and
Lissy got in the RZR and adjusted blue lights
mounted on its dashboard to highlight their
hooded faces. Beto held his blue light directed
toward him as he proceeded forward with
Manuel moving almost invisibly by his side.
The sun had set by the time Beto and
Manuel reached the observation position in the
main cavern. There, Beto remained out of sight
while he began moaning low the eeriest sounds
he could manage. As Manual moved away
toward the interior of the cavern, Beto’s wailing
grew louder and louder as he first threw pebbles
—then rocks against the cavern walls.
With the natural light inside the cavern
diminished to near nothing, all the eyes of the

4
 The Coyote Trap

huddled mass of criminals seemed to be looking

toward the heavens for some anxiously awaited
intervention. Manuel slipped unnoticed into the
area where his son was also cowering with fear.
It became increasingly clear to the
kidnappers that their day of reckoning was near
when Beto’s screams mingled with the guttural
rumble of an awakening monster. Eyes once
filled with supplication shut tightly in the vain
attempt to see no evil as the monstrous roar
reverberated against the cavern walls becoming
almost unbearable.
Any eyes that remained open would have
seen a red-eyed banshee clad in flowing white
come flying into the cavern. It looked as though
a two-headed devil was commanding the beast
as it bore down on the unfortunates.
Screams of fear joined the ghostly sounds
as the monster grew near; then hesitated. Only
one of the children awaiting their fate felt the
clutches of Chatterley’s ghost and his screams
of agony drowned out the rest.
Knowing that his son would not join them
willingly, Manuel grabbed him and forcefully
carried him to the arms of Lissy who waited in
the RZR. Once Manuelito was securely in her
grasp, Brad pressed on the accelerator once
again. The RZR flew down the scrabble pile that
marked the western entrance and out into the
starlight that covered the Sonoran desert.
Once again, silence descended upon the
kidnappers cavern as Beto and Manuel slipped

2
 Jonathon Glane

out through the passageways the same way they

had come. The souls who remained in the main
cavern were expressing heavenly gratitude for
their salvation from the same fate that befell
Manuelito.
Not all of them were grateful. Zarpa stood
apart from the rest as lighted candles began
casting their flickering glow. The dawn of
realization distorted Zarpa’s facial features as he
became aware of the fool Heriberto had made of
him. The hatred he felt inside grew even more
intense when he realized that his horse was
gone. It was true. The bay, crazed with fear, had
broken loose and dashed out of the mine with
the RZR leading the way.
For the first time in his life, Zarpa had been
treated with disrespect. No one had ever gone
up against him in the past and lived to tell about
it. He vowed that this was not to be the first
time.

2
 The Coyote Trap

20. Vengeance

D oña Yoya could not have been happier.

Her beautiful son, now calm, rolled
right inside the hacienda’s main house
aboard Brad’s RZR. Beto and Manuel were not
far behind. However, they politely left their
horses outside.
A mother’s smile brought instant
recognition to Manuelito’s face, although his
eyes still revealed a little confusion. Doña Yoya
noticed that the boy looked clean and healthy. It
was clear that he had received special care.
“Where’s Zappa?” Manuelito asked as a
look of bewilderment crossed his features.
Doña Yoya could not believe her ears. Her
son had not said two words since that horrible
encounter with the rattlesnake so long ago.
Also, she could not believe it was possible that
the very person who had caused the family so
much trauma in the past was being asked about.
It was clear that Zarpa had taken a liking to the
boy and Manuelito had responded in kind.

1
 The Coyote Trap

“Zarpa isn’t here,” Doña Yoya replied, “but

I am your mother and I am here and your father
Manuel is here too.”
“I know,” was Manuelito’s surprising
response.
“We have brought you back home,” Doña
Yoya continued, “and you will stay here in your
own room forever.”
“I know,” Manuelito repeated as though
nothing of interest had happened.
“Well then,” Doña Yoya said, “why don’t
we go to your room now where you can take a
shower and then go to bed?”
When Manuelito said, “I’m hungry,” Doña
Yoya recognized his vocabulary had grown
dramatically in a very short time. She secretly
thanked Zarpa—in spite of her loathing—for
having brought back her son from his silent
world.
“Very well,” the dutiful mother said
proudly, “I’ll fix you something to eat and then
you can go to bed.”
“Okay,” was the only response Manuelito
gave.
When Doña Yoya and Manuelito went into
the kitchen, smiles of satisfaction passed among
those who remained in the room. They all knew
it would be their turn to eat later, but for the
time being, they were anxious to talk about each
other’s exploits and the marvelous way things
had ended.

1
 The Coyote Trap

“Those poor people in the cavern will never

know that they weren’t visited by Satan
incarnate,” Beto said. “When that RZR roared
into the room, it’s a wonder some of them didn’t
die from heart failure!”
“It was brilliant,” Manuel added, “the way
you guys decorated that SUV to look like a
monster … red eyes and all.”
Brad and Lissy looked at one another. “It
was all Brad’s idea,” Lissy said.
Brad beamed his acknowledgement as he
patted the hood of the RZR that was still dressed
in its shroud of white with red filament over the
headlights. “The bottom line is,” he said
proudly, “we got the kid out of there safely.”
“We owe you and Lissy a lot,” Beto
declared.
“You don’t owe us anything,” Brad
responded, “but if you feel obligated, a drink
now and dinner later would be nice.”
Smiles again lighted up the room as the
group settled down to rehash the juicier events
of the successful rescue. After a while, the
conversation took on a more serious tone.
Everyone agreed that the haunting designed to
scare the illegals out of their wits had done so.
However, the question remained about the
extent the haunting had effected Zarpa. Beto
was too far away to be sure and Manuel was too
busy getting his son. That left Brad and Lissy in
the best position to observe Zarpa’s reactions.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Brad declared that he had been too

preoccupied, driving the RZR and watching for
Manuel, to notice much. Therefore, the role of
observer became Lissy’s responsibility. She had
not paid too much attention to Zarpa at the time,
but in retrospect, she recalled he did have a
certain look on his face. His expression was not
one of fear. It was one of confusion.
“Whether it was confusion or fear doesn’t
matter,” Beto decided. “The point is that
Manuelito was rescued and the rest is of no
consequence.”
“You could be wrong about that,” Brad
countered. “Our bringing Manuelito back could
have angered Zarpa to the point where he might
try to do something about it.”
The silence that fell over the group
ascertained that Brad’s point had merit.
“Could he have recognized who we were?”
Lissy asked.
“He probably didn’t at the time,” Brad
answered, “but after it was all over, it wouldn’t
have taken a rocket scientist to figure it out. No
one else would have a reason to do what we
did.”
“Do you think he might do something about
it?” Lissy questioning continued.
“What do you think?” Brad answered back.
Beto cast a frightening light on the
situation. “Zarpa is as mean as a junkyard dog,”
he understated. “With the members of his
smuggling operation in the hands of the law and

1
 Jonathon Glane

his last victim for collecting ransom being

snatched away, he might lash out against us just
for the nastiness of it. He could even try to
recapture Manuelito.”
“And he knows where we live,” Manuel
added.
“If he’s smart,” Brad said, “he would admit
defeat and find another way to make a living, or
at least find another route to smuggle his
victims.”
“If he’s dumb,” Lissy said, “he could come
here to murder us all so he could continue his
business as usual.” She shuddered visibly at the
thought. The others looked bewildered.
“We could be suffering mass paranoia,”
Brad said, “but this seems to be a case where
it’s smart to prepare for the worst and hope for
the best.”
Just then, Doña Yoya walked through the
room with Manuelito in tow. She noticed the
seriousness of the group that should be
celebrating, but she said nothing. When she put
her son to bed and assured him that anything he
needed would be at his call, Doña Yoya
returned to the main room.
Manuel checked the chamber of his 30-30
to make sure it was loaded and the others were
likewise arming themselves. Beto explained to
Doña Yoya that they had decided to post
Manuel as a guard in case Zarpa tried to
retaliate. They thought it would be wise to
continue guarding the place twenty-four hours a

2
 The Coyote Trap

day for the next few days. If Zarpa was seen,

they would call the police and have him arrested
for kidnapping. Moreover, they were preparing
to defend themselves in case he slipped by the
guard somehow.
Zarpa would not come alone. He had at
least three henchmen with him in the cave, and
they were likely to be motivated to take revenge
for being made to look like fools.
Manuel had found a place for observation
from where most of the ranch was visible. He
climbed to the platform just below the spinning
blades of the windmill, and settled in for a long
stay. From where he sat, he could see to the
north—the direction from which Zarpa was sure
to come—and he could see the guesthouse. The
windmill’s structure obscured the rest of the
hacienda.
He had only been in place a short time
when he thought he saw some movement far out
in the desert. Cursing himself for not bringing
his binoculars or a walkie-talkie, Manuel
strained to see the intruder in the darkness. He
was at a loss as to what action to take. He
suspected that he was only being jumpy because
he was not positive he had seen anything at all.
Nevertheless, he maintained his vigil for some
time before deciding that it could have been an
animal of some kind, or even an illegal
immigrant in transit.
The people inside the ranch house had
drawn all the drapes and barred all the doors

2
 Jonathon Glane

while they waited for Doña Yoya to prepare the

evening meal. The perceived seriousness of the
situation had taken all the fun out of the
evening, and the ranch house occupants sat
around looking somber and saying little.
Just as their food arrived and they began to
eat, a shot rang out—disturbing the stillness of
the night.
“That sounded like a 30-30,” Beto said.
“It’s time to defend ourselves. Turn out all the
lights!”
In the darkened room, each person took a
station where they could see anyone
approaching. Brad watched out back. Lissy
guarded the front. Doña Yoya took a place by
the window in Manuelito’s room. Beto moved
to where he could see the windmill. He was not
able to see Manuel, but it did not worry him
because he knew the ladder and service platform
were on the opposite side. All of them expected
Manuel to leave his lookout and make his way
into the house at any moment.
Silence.
Each person in the house wanted to
communicate with the next one, but each feared
leaving his or her station in case Zarpa was
approaching. With no knowledge about what
was going on outside and no plan of action
inside, the group became increasingly frustrated.
Finally, after some time had passed and
they heard no more sounds, Beto declared he
was going to venture outside. He reasoned that

2
 The Coyote Trap

it was time for Manuel to be relieved anyway—

unless something else had happened to him.
Brad cautioned that Zarpa could have set it up
this way so he could pick off his enemies one by
one. Beto assured him that he knew his property
well enough to be able to get around unseen and
danger free. Brad hoped he was right, but he
secretly expected another shot to ring out.
Once again, silence gripped the household
while the minutes that passed by seemed to
drag. Then a figure approached through the
shadows. Brad prepared to shoot the rifle Beto
had handed to him if it became necessary, but
the action was unnecessary. The man
approaching was Beto!
Brad quickly unlatched the door, and after
Beto came inside, he closed it and set the latch
once again.
Beto said somewhat breathlessly, “I left
him out there.”
“You left Manuel out there? Is he all
right?” Brad was anxious to know.
“Yeah, he’s all right,” Beto assured him.
“It’s just that he aggravated me.” Realizing
more information was expected, Beto continued.
“I got upset when he told me his rifle had fired
accidentally.”
“Why didn’t he come in and tell us about
it?” Brad questioned.
“I asked him the same thing and he said he
didn’t think hearing the shot would bother us!

2
 Jonathon Glane

He also said he thought he saw someone out in

the desert, but he wasn’t sure.”
“Well, that’s something to hear,” Brad said.
“What is he trying to do, scare us as much as we
scared the illegals?”
“I don’t know,” Beto admitted, “but he’s
doing a good job whether he’s trying or not. I
told him to stay out there; to teach him a lesson
about false alarms and worrying folks.”
When at last the dawn began to grey the
sky, the watchers opened all the drapes but left
the doors locked. By the light of day, they
would be able to see anyone approaching and
they would call the police immediately if they
felt threatened.
Brad blamed exhaustion for the way he
jumped at the sight of a figure coming toward
the house. He felt a threat, but it was only
Manuel returning from his all-night shift.
“We all have to talk,” Brad said to the
group after Manuel had entered. “We set out to
do something heroic and got it done. That part
was fine. But we seem to have made the same
mistake some of our military strategists made
when they planned all those military objectives
but didn’t think about what they would do after
the victory was won. We’ve got to put our heads
together and come up with a way to put this
whole Zarpa thing to rest once and for all.”
They were all tired. Only Manuelito, spared
the exhaustion of care, slept peacefully in his
bed. In spite of their need for rest, the two

2
 The Coyote Trap

women and three men sipped cups of black

coffee while they attempted to bring peace back
into their lives by solving the Zarpa dilemma.
The obvious solution was to have him
picked up by the authorities. That idea,
however, seemed a little farfetched since Zarpa
had spent most of his adult life avoiding arrest.
The next suggestion was a plan to wait until
Zarpa attacked them before calling the police.
No one seemed to want to spend the next who-
knows-how-long looking over his or her
shoulder while waiting for a bullet or a machete
to strike.
Brad and Lissy entertained the idea of
returning to Green Valley and divorcing
themselves from the problem. However, they
could not think about living with themselves if
something they could have helped to prevent
happened to this family. Besides, they both felt
a level of responsibility for having left the spool
of fish line in the cavern—a mistake that had led
Zarpa to Beto and the others in the first place.
Doña Yoya suggested they could perhaps
find a way to induce the Border Patrol to make a
sweep of the Chatterley mine complex. The
others doubted that Zarpa would be there even if
Captain Flist’s men went.
The final alternative was one over which
they had no control. They all wished that Zarpa
would decide on something other than seeking
them out for retribution. They reasoned that any
logically thinking person would probably reach

2
 Jonathon Glane

a similar conclusion, but then; they were dealing

with one of the worst of the bad characters.
It seemed their best course of action was to
remain vigilant and be prepared to defend
themselves, or if necessary, call the law for
reinforcements. The dreadful thoughts of
standing guard twenty-four hours a day were
somewhat alleviated when Brad volunteered to
go to Tucson to buy several motion detectors.
By placing these devices in strategic locations
around the property, the guarding effort would
be limited to listening for the sound of an alarm.
He assured the others that the sensitivity of the
devices allowed adjustment so they would not
sound an alarm at the presence of lizard or other
small animal. Otherwise, he assured them, they
would be up all night given the number of
clandestine four-legged visitors that prowl the
desert.
The defenders agreed on the plan and
prepared to get some well-deserved rest—after
one of Doña Yoya’s marvelous breakfasts, of
course.

2
 The Coyote Trap

21. The Vigil

F or ten consecutive days, the vigil at

Rancho Alegre continued. The routine
established from day one found Brad and
Lissy returning to Green Valley during the day
and spending the nights at the ranch. Manuel
tended the cattle each day as before, but Beto
rode along beside him during each outing. And
Manuelito was seldom seen without the
company of Doña Yoya.
The motion detectors Brad obtained in
Tucson were connected to flood lights that
illuminated for forty-five seconds each time
they registered some form of movement. In
addition, the detection of any motion triggered a
small beeping alarm to alert the person on
watch. The perceived security brought about by
the system allowed the ranch’s occupants a
certain level of confidence that they were
protected from a surprise assault by Zarpa and
his goons.
Nevertheless, the nights dragged by slowly.
The only excitement came when an occasional
bobcat or other large animal activated the

1
 Jonathon Glane

system. Soon the watchers began to think that

Zarpa had done the smart thing by finding
somewhere new to conduct his business, and a
degree of complacency settled in.
On the morning of the eleventh day, Beto
called them all together and told them to
abandon their defensive posture. The detectors
and the lights were to remain in place, but he
was confident that they would continue to detect
nothing more than an occasional coyote or
bobcat.
Lissy was glad the time had come for two
reasons. She felt relieved from the constant
uncertainty about their well-being, and the
camera she had rigged to the most active
detection system would continue to take its
automatic photos of the desert’s variety of
nocturnal animals.
The others were glad, too. Each one had her
or his personal reason that ending the vigil
would be superior to continuing it. Brad
associated the ending with the conclusion to a
chapter in his and Lissy’s lives—a chapter filled
with excitement to be sure, but one that needed
to be relegated to the past.

Brad and Lissy adopted a new, self-assigned

vigil. When they first discussed it, it seemed
pre-ordained. They would continue roaming the
Sonoran desert looking for photo-ops, just as
before. But this time they would be gathering
content for the book they intended to write

2
 The Coyote Trap

about illegal immigration and its political and

humanitarian impacts and consequences.
Unintentionally, they had ignited a spark of
inspiration when they pretended to be journalists
seeking information at Pima County’s detention
facilities. When they realized that they had
already done a great deal of research into the
subject and had numerous photos relating to the
trials and travails of crossing the desert, they
believed the premise had always been in the
back of their minds. Otherwise, they wondered,
what was the purpose of them spending so much
time and money collecting pictures and
documenting information?
Enthusiastic about their newly found
directive, Brad and Lissy began to pursue their
objectives with him being designated the author
and her being the photographer. Later they
would modify responsibilities to where Brad
would create an outline for the story they would
then co-write, and Lissy would be the chief
photographer with Brad as her helper.
It was only a beginning, but they had no
journalistic deadlines. Brad would need to spend
many hours at the computer creating a logical
story outline. Lissy would need his help as her
chauffeur, porter, and protector to gather as
many photos as they could of subjects such as
human beings in the act of crossing the desert.
These photos might include some of the
evidences crossers leave behind like discarded
excess baggage and empty water containers. To
add to the portfolio, Lissy’s remote camera

2
 Jonathon Glane

setup at Beto’s was continuing to record photos

of animals, and there was a chance that it might
find a surprised crosser digitized on its flash
drive too.
The evenings that followed their decision to
write a book usually found Brad and Lissy
staked out somewhere in the desert. Since there
was little likelihood of seeing crossers during
the day, they utilized Lissy’s infrared camera to
record anything of interest after dark. When
they had traversed the desert in the past, they
had noticed several well-used trails and it was in
those places they maintained their nightly vigil.
One night after another passed
unproductively. Brad was beginning to compare
their watches with those they had conducted at
Beto’s ranch, and he found the frustration
comparable as well. Lissy solved the problem
by suggesting they rig her IR camera with a
motion detector, and leave it somewhere where
it would remain undiscovered. That way, any
movement along the selected trail would trigger
the camera’s mechanism to record whatever had
moved. And it would be done soundlessly and
without lights of any kind. That way, the photo
they were hoping for—capturing a column of
illegal immigrants—could now happen without
their constant vigilance.
During one of their daytime forays to
record various desert scenes and to check on the
IR camera, they stopped at Beto’s ranch to see if
the camera there had recorded anything of
interest. It had. Brad and Lissy rushed to Beto’s

2
 The Coyote Trap

ranch house to view the digital image they had

captured on a larger screen. Beto and Doña
Yoya joined them to see the photos as Lissy
scrolled though the various shots the camera had
taken. Most were of nocturnal animals, but the
one of interest was of a man—alone but clearly
doing something. What was he doing?
“It looks like he’s trying to avoid a snake,”
Beto observed.
It was true. The man looked like he was
sidestepping or jumping aside for some reason.
“I think he’s jumping because the light
frightened him,” Lissy guessed. “Anyway, I
have my first picture of an illegal alien.”
“You might want to think about that,” Beto
suggested.
“What do you mean?” Lissy wanted to
know.
“It’s just that a legal question might come
up if you publish the picture without the
person’s authorization,” Beto explained. “His
face is clearly visible and you could wind up in
a lot of trouble. And there’s one other thing.”
“And that is?” Lissy pressed.
“That is that you have no way of knowing
whether this guy is a U.S. citizen, a
Panamanian, or what.”
“He looks like an illegal to me,” Lissy
pouted.
“You’re probably right,” Brad chimed in,
“but it wouldn’t be worth it to take a chance.”
Disappointed about their failure to
document the passage of illegal immigrants,

2
 Jonathon Glane

Brad and Lissy went back to Green Valley

hoping for better results in the future. “We need
to take a picture of a column of illegals walking
away so their faces could not be seen,” Brad
decided.
“Or we could go to some nearby farm
where there are some braceros working and pay
them to pose for us,” Lissy suggested.
“Would you feel good about faking your
pictures in order to portray your story?”
“I guess not,” Lissy admitted. “But I don’t
see anything wrong with blurring that guy’s face
and using that picture. Videos seen on TV do
that all the time; as long as the person is only
identified as a suspect.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Brad
condescended. “I’m not sure of the value of that
photo though, unless we say it’s a picture of an
illegal playing hide-and-seek.” Brad smiled at
his perceived cleverness.
Lissy was not impressed. “I know it sounds
funny, but that could be exactly what our illegal
was doing,” she speculated.
Thoughts along these lines had never
occurred to Brad. An alien crossing into a
foreign land had always been considered serious
business. Hide-and-seek was a game for
children, or was it? Brad envisioned an
adventurous young Mexican with just enough
moxie and bravado to try to cross into the U.S.
for no reason other than the fun of it. After all,
the risks were small and the chances of success
were great. Even if the authorities apprehended

2
 The Coyote Trap

the daredevil, the consequences would be no

more serious than deportation. And that would
only result in free room and board before getting
a free bus ride or even an airplane ride to
wherever he told the authorities he came from.
For an adventurous young man facing a bleak
future who wanted to scout out new horizons,
that would be an exciting way to go.
Then Brad entertained another thought. The
presumed alien in the photo could have been in
that pose because he was jumping, sidestepping,
or whatever. He might have been purposely
creating movement to activate the motion
detector. But why would anyone want to do that
just to have their picture taken?
Brad urgently summoned Lissy from her
household chores and told her about his newly
acquired suspicions.
She immediately recognized one mistake
they had made. The person was not interested in
being the subject of a photograph. He would
have no way of knowing the camera was even
there. If Brad was right and the person was
activating the motion detector on purpose, the
only reason Lissy could think of was that he did
it to verify the location of the intruder detection
system.
“And that means,” Brad began as his
agitation became more and more evident, “that
he wants to find a way to neutralize the system
so. ...”
“Zarpa can move in on Beto,” Lissy
concluded the thought.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Convinced that Beto and his family could

be in danger, Brad grabbed his cell phone and
jabbed the ‘Contacts’ buttons until he located
Beto’s number and selected it. The phone rang
several times until an automated voice
announced that the person was out of the area or
otherwise unavailable. Brad’s heart sank when
he dialed Beto’s landline and got no response.
“Grab your stuff, Lissy,” he ordered as he
collected his things and headed for the door.

The worst scenario imaginable unfolded as the

RZR carried Brad and Lissy toward Beto’s
ranch. An orange glow in the sky told them that
their guesswork had come too late. Towering
flames had engulfed all the structures by the
time they reached Rancho Alegre. Unable to get
close, they drove around the perimeter of the
inferno searching for Beto and the others. They
saw no one.
Brad punched 9-1-1 on his cell phone and
reported the fire. As they waited for the fire
department, they sat helplessly at a distance—
and watched as the walls crumbled one by one
in a display of sparks and fresh ignitions until
the once beautiful buildings at Beto’s ranch had
burned to the ground.
Brad and Lissy wondered why it took so
long for the fire trucks to respond. That was
when they recognized one of the drawbacks of
living so far away from populated areas. The
chances were that no one had seen the fire and
even if they had, responding to an alarm in time

1
 Jonathon Glane

to save anything would have been extremely

difficult. Even so, lookouts for forest fires and
wildfires should have noticed the bright blaze in
the night. Perhaps, the pair agreed, someone
spotted the fire but failed to respond—
recognizing the futility of doing so.
Even if the authorities could do little about
a fire in a remote location or even if they did not
care, there was still the possibility of people
being burned alive in a blaze of such magnitude.
Brad and Lissy were anxious to find out if their
friends had met their fate this way.
When the fire trucks arrived at last to
extinguish the last of the flames, Brad identified
himself as the one who reported the fire and told
the fire crew about his concerns for his friends.
The firefighters assured him that they
investigated all fires as to their cause, and
whatever damages there were would be
compiled and published. If any humans were
killed or injured as a result of the fire, the police
would be notified and they would make a
thorough investigation. They told Brad there
was nothing further he could do and they
advised him and Lissy to leave the scene.
“Do you think we should have told them
about Zarpa?” Lissy asked on the way back to
Green Valley.
“We handled it the right way,” Brad
assured her. “Those guys had their hands full
doing their job. We should tell someone about
our suspicions, though, and I think Captain Flist
is the right one.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

Lissy thought about Beto and Doña Yoya’s

family. She wondered if the fire crew would
make any grisly discoveries amongst the ashes,
and she shuddered with the thought. “Do you
think Beto and the others got out okay?” she
asked although she was fearful of hearing the
answer.
Brad’s hesitation to respond was chilling.
“I’m not sure,” he said as gently as he could, “if
they did, I wonder why we didn’t see them?”
Lissy dreaded the thought of reading about the
fate of their friends in the obituaries.

1
 The Coyote Trap

22. Accusations

A thorough examination of the daily

newspapers revealed no incidences of
fire-related deaths. Brad and Lissy
discussed their anxiousness to hear macabre
news before they settled on the excuse that they
only wanted to be able to put the incident aside
and move forward. The days after the fire at
Rancho Alegre also left them frustrated with
their inability to reach Captain Flist and to
enlighten him about their suspicions that Zarpa
had committed the arson. After three failed
attempts, they managed to make an appointment
with the Border Patrol captain. He was busy
shuffling papers on his desk when they entered
his office.
After cursory greetings, Brad got right
down to business. “We have read nothing about
the fire at Rancho Alegre except the fact that it
happened,” he began. “You may not know it,
but we’re the ones who reported the fire and we
did it because we had some suspicions.”

1
 The Coyote Trap

Captain Flist put down his pen and looked

at them carefully. “Go ahead,” he urged, “let’s
hear about it.”
Brad told Flist about the way Beto and
Zarpa had become enemies and how Beto had
tried to bring him to justice and failed. He
explained the way they had guarded the ranch
from an attack by Zarpa, but had relaxed their
guard when no intrusion was made. Then Lissy
explained about the camera she had set up and
the picture of the jumping person that gave them
the clue that an assault was imminent.
“Our assumptions were right on,” Brad
continued. “The buildings were all on fire when
we got there.”
When the pair finished their story, Flist had
something to say. “This may sound trite,” he
began, “but we went through this once before.”
Brad and Lissy exchanged questioning
glances but said nothing.
“The last time you two were here, I had to
tell you some confidential things to keep you
from interfering with official business,” Flist
said accusingly. “It appears you need to hear
more to be reminded to mind your own
business.”
Brad and Lissy were shocked. They
considered the goings on to be their business if
it was anyone’s. Besides, they could not
understand how reporting a fire could be
construed as interfering. Brad was about to

1
 Jonathon Glane

explode with anger when Flist’s words

interrupted him.
“I know you mean well,” he condoned.
“Forgive me if I was abrupt. I guess I’ve been
working too hard lately.”
The pair relaxed visibly although Brad was
still seething inside.
Flist began to explain his position. “It’s true
the fire could have been started by Zarpa. We’re
certain it was started by someone. There were
signs of flammable agents all over the place.”
Brad and Lissy looked at one another
knowingly until Flist’s next words caused a
change of expression.
“The fire also could have been started by
Beto.”
“How could he?” Lissy blurted. “We
thought he. ...”
“Perished in the fire?” Flist anticipated her
thought. “Hardly,” he clarified.
“How could he have gotten away?” Brad
asked before adding, “We were there, and he
was nowhere around.”
“It seems like he left after you and the
firefighters did,” Flist said simply.
Lissy did not understand why people would
burn down their own house.
Flist explained that the things he was saying
were off the record because they were his own
opinions and not those of a Border Patrol
official. He said that sometimes fires are set
intentionally so the homeowner can collect the

2
 The Coyote Trap

insurance. He said he was only hypothesizing,

but the circumstances gave Beto an excellent
opportunity to collect insurance because he
could blame the fire on someone else. In this
case, Zarpa was the most likely candidate to be
held responsible.
Brad thought the whole idea was
preposterous. At no time had Beto given the
indication that he needed money. Besides, he
had spent years building the hacienda with his
own hands. Brad regarded Beto’s guilt as highly
unlikely, although a small degree of doubt
lingered due to Beto’s failure to contact Brad
and Lissy after the fire. Brad reasoned he should
have at least called them to tell them he was
safe.
“Has Beto been accused of insurance
fraud?” Brad asked.
“No one has been accused of anything,”
Flist informed him. “The case is still under
investigation.”
“Where is he now?” Lissy wondered.
At first, Flist was reluctant to reveal that
information. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell
you,” he decided, “providing you give me the
same assurance as before that you won’t
interfere.”
“We won’t interfere,” Brad said.
“It seems he has some relatives in a little
settlement called Alto,” Flist said. “He went
there and has been staying with them.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Did he give you his version of the fire

situation?” Brad pressed.
“I suppose it won’t hurt to tell you that
either. Yes he did. He said he woke up with the
fire surrounding the house and no way to get
out. Fortunately, there’s a fruit cellar below the
kitchen, and he went there waiting for the fire to
go out. He said he was overcome by smoke and
didn’t recover until everyone had gone, Then he
went out and managed to find one of his horses,
and rode to Alto and his relatives.”
Lissy asked, “Was Beto alone in the
house?”
“As far as we know,” Flist said. “There was
some evidence of the guest house being
occupied, but no bodies were found after it
burned down.” Flist thought to question Brad
and Lissy about the way they were looking at
one another in bewilderment, but he changed his
mind and let it go.
“The story Beto told you sounds perfectly
legitimate to me,” Brad commented.
“Me too,” Lissy agreed.
“It also sounds like an excellent way for an
arsonist to avoid guilt,” Flist pointed out.

On their way back home, Brad and Lissy

expressed frustration about being unable to
convince Captain Flist to help the world get rid
of the menace they called Zarpa. Moreover,

1
 Jonathon Glane

Flist always tried to prevent them from doing

something about it themselves. They supposed
he was right according to the letter of the law,
but where was the justice in allowing a
despicable character like Zarpa to have his way
with innocent immigrants?
One aspect of Flist’s revelations had led
them to understand that Beto was still protecting
his adopted family by not mentioning them to
anyone. They supposed that Flist would be the
last one to hear about the people who were
themselves illegal aliens.
Brad and Lissy concluded that they pretty
much understood all the aspects of the fire and
Beto’s disappearance—except for the one thing
that kept nagging at them. They could not
understand why Beto had not at least had the
courtesy to contact them. They made it their
mission to find out.
A time was set aside to top the RZR’s tank
with gas and make the trip to Alto. They
expected to have no trouble finding Beto due to
the size of the settlement. In fact, Brad and
Lissy expected that Beto might reveal his
presence to them when he heard the RZR’s
engine as they drove into town. They had
guessed correctly. No sooner had they come into
view of the few scattered dwellings than Beto
appeared in the doorway of one of them.
In spite of the fact that Beto had made it a
point to avoid them, he acted as if he was happy
that they had found him. They were happy to

2
 The Coyote Trap

see him too. He looked well and rested. He

invited Brad and Lissy to join him on the porch
and they settled down to catch one another up
on the current happenings.
“Tell us about Doña Yoya and Manuel and
Manuelito,” Lissy said. “Are they safe and
well?”
“As a matter of fact, they are,” Beto
responded. “Doña Yoya is inside right now
helping to prepare the midday meal, and Manuel
and his son are out on the range taking care of
our cattle.”
“Manuelito is with his dad?” Lissy
questioned.
“Yeah, he’s getting to be quite the ranch
hand. Whatever happened to him when he was
with Zarpa, happened for the better because the
boy is about as close to normal now as anyone
can be.”
“Tell us about the fire,” Brad urged.
“The way I figure it,” Beto began, “Zarpa
found a way to get around our perimeter defense
because when I woke up the house was
completely ablaze. I’m sure he intended to kill
us all because there was no way out. I ran into
the bedroom where Doña Yoya and Manuelito
were sleeping and was able to take them into the
kitchen and on down into the cellar. We waited
there hoping the fire wouldn’t get to us, and
thankfully it didn’t.
“When water began to flood into the cellar,
we knew the fire department was there, but we

2
 Jonathon Glane

waited until everyone left before we came out. I

could see no reason to subject Doña Yoya and
her son to deportation after we had just cheated
death.”
“You didn’t mention Manuel,” Lissy
reminded.
“Sorry, it seems that Manuel was not in his
house when Zarpa’s men got there. He was just
outside getting some air when he realized the
men were all over the place dousing the
buildings with gasoline. He was able to slip into
some shrubbery out of sight, and when the
crooks set the buildings ablaze and ran away, he
ran away with them. I guess in their haste to get
out of there, they didn’t notice the stranger
among them. Then, as soon as he saw a chance,
he changed course and continued running until
he felt safe.”
“How did you locate him?” Brad asked.
“Actually, he located us. He told us he
came back expecting to find our burned bodies
just as we came out of the cellar. I don’t have to
tell you that was some kind of reunion.”
“So afterward, you were able to find your
horses and the four of you rode them here,”
Lissy surmised—with a little help from Flist’s
accounting.
“That’s it,” Beto confirmed.
Both Brad and Lissy told Beto that they
thought his story was credible and they
congratulated him on his heroism for rescuing
Doña Yoya and Manuelito. Then Brad, carefully

2
 The Coyote Trap

selecting the right words to use, asked Beto if

the ranch was insured. Beto verified that he had
taken out an insurance policy the year before
and the amount of coverage was significant.
“It’s no more than the actual value of the
property, but it amounts to a lot of money that
the insurance company isn’t happy about
paying,” Beto said candidly. “They’re trying
every way they can to get out of it.”
“How so,” Brad wondered.
“Well, the method they’re working on right
now is denying the claim because the fire was
caused by arson.”
“How can that be a reason to deny a
claim?” Brad wanted to know.
“When the adjuster came out here to talk to
me, he said that when arson is suspected in a
fire, the insurance company normally releases
the payment only after the arsonist is known.”
“Is that their sneaky way of accusing you of
setting your own place on fire to collect the
insurance money?” Brad asked bluntly.
“No doubt about it, but it puts me in an
awkward position,” Beto explained. “Even
though Manuel saw the arsonists in action, and
there can be no mistake that it was Zarpa who
ordered it done. As one of my employees,
Manuel’s testimony would be in doubt even if
we took the chance of exposing him to
deportation by calling him as a witness.”
“The way it looks,” Lissy said, “Zarpa is
able to get away with smuggling, kidnapping,

2
 Jonathon Glane

and murder, and now he’s added arson to his list

of criminal accomplishments. … He needs to be
stopped and put out of business,” she added
vehemently.
Nods all around acknowledged agreement
with Lissy’s declaration, but none of them knew
what it would take to make it happen.
Brad decided to be forthright with Beto
about their visit to the Border Patrol office. He
told Beto that when he told Captain Flist about
Zarpa’s possible involvement in the fire, Flist
accused him and Lissy of meddling in official
business. Flist told them that Beto had also
accused Zarpa of the misdeed, but he was a
suspect himself because his insurance company
had so much as accused him of arson.
It was Lissy, however, who leveled the
most hurtful accusation of all. She wondered if
Beto had violated their friendship by failing to
tell them his household was alive and safe.
Beto explained that he had been reluctant to
involve them further because he believed Zarpa
would relentlessly seek revenge on all the
people involved.
Somewhat mollified but hardly convinced,
Brad and Lissy agreed with Beto’s suggestion to
back off and let the matter die. They knew they
were powerless to put a stop to all the evil in the
world even though getting rid of this one
element would be more than gratifying.

2
 The Coyote Trap

23. Exposed

Z arpa’s attempt to end the lives of Beto

and his family sent a message not to be
ignored. The knowledge that this
monster probably would not continue to fail if
he made other attempts, caused Beto to refrain
from seeking Zarpa out and to get revenge. Beto
had no personal fear of Zarpa. He was very
protective of his adopted family, however.
Brad and Lissy had no such reluctance.
They agreed to quit bothering about Zarpa, but
it was only because they felt that their efforts
would be futile, besides being against Beto’s
and Captain Flist’s wishes. From now on, they
would concentrate their energies on the
completion of their book about illegal
immigration.
Brad had finished the outline, restructured it
twice, and settled on the structure of a final draft
before declaring that it was to be a temporary
tool to use only as a guide until they decided to
modify it. Then they would have a new

1
 Jonathon Glane

temporary guide to use as a tool until—so much

for the fun of writing, Brad thought.
Directed by their semi-permanent story
outline, they collaborated on writing the
manuscript. That is when the business of
authoring really got complex. It was not that
they could think of nothing to write about. On
the contrary, their subject contained so many
aspects that it was difficult to choose the
direction and the perspective their narrative
would assume. In addition, once the pair set off
down a literary path, the thoughts deemed
worthy of documenting flooded in at a rate
much too fast to write down. Drawing the
conclusion that nothing of value comes easy,
Brad and Lissy slogged away at their self-
appointed task day after day.
One day they decided to take a break from
writing and venture out into the desert for some
new photos and to check on their remote IR
camera. The camera had been set up with its
motion detection device one hundred yards in
front of the lens. That way, any column of
travelers would trigger the device after the
group had passed, and the camera would capture
its image from the rear.
The setup had worked to perfection. The
digital images found on the camera produced
some results even better than expected.
One of the photographs recorded a column
of people moving up a gentle slope that curved
to the right in a way that made it look like the

2
 The Coyote Trap

upper part of a stylistic ‘S’. At the head of the

column, a rather large man was riding a big bay
horse! There was no doubt that Zarpa was
leading a new group of illegals north.
Brad made up his mind in an instant. This
man had crossed their path too many times. He
had brought them too much grief. He had
exploited innocent immigrants too many times
in too many horrendous ways. Brad vowed to
put an end to his unfettered behavior.
It was not an easy decision for Brad to
make in spite of its spontaneity. Neither was it
an objective he cared to undertake alone. His
soulmate, Lissy, would have to approve this
new quest for retribution that had been so
ineffective in the past. He thought to intimidate
her by saying the results of an action against
Zarpa would provide super content for their
book, but he decided simply to be direct. At
least, that way he would have her input from an
objective viewpoint.
As expected, Lissy agreed that the time had
finally come to rid themselves and the world of
Zarpa. Quite unexpectedly, however, she
insisted that their participation should be limited
to providing the authorities with the evidence
their photos would provide. She explained that
the frustration caused by their attempts up until
now were bad enough, but when to this was
added the mortal danger threatened by a
confrontation with this lunatic, personal pursuit
was simply not smart.

2
 The Coyote Trap

In spite of Brad’s zeal to make a run at

Zarpa purposely, he agreed with Lissy, and they
prepared to interest Captain Flist in the project
once again.

The Green Valley office of the Border Patrol

was as busy as usual, and as usual, Captain Flist
was out. Brad and Lissy were assured, however,
that he would be back soon if they would be
patient for a while.
As promised, Captain Thurgood Flist
walked through the door after only a few
minutes had passed, and he invited them into his
office.
“Don’t tell me you two have been trying to
be vigilantes again,” he warned.
Brad and Lissy were shocked. They had
never thought of themselves as the type of
people who would take the law into their own
hands, and finding themselves grouped with the
ones who call themselves ‘Minutemen’ was
offensive.
“We’re only researching subjects for our
book,” Brad deluded while he struggled to
maintain self-control.
“And what can the Border Patrol do for
you?” Flist asked.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Lissy fielded the question thinking that

Brad might lose his temper if he spoke. “Our
research turned up something interesting,” she
said. “One of the photos our remote IR camera
took one night showed a group that looked like
illegals crossing the desert.”
“I’m not surprised,” Flist said. “It happens
all the time.”
“We thought you might like to know the
location of their trail so they can be captured the
next time they cross.” Lissy sensed that she was
going in the wrong direction, but she waited for
Flist to respond while Brad sat next to her
quietly fuming.
“You shouldn’t be surprised to know that
our officers know almost all the trails the
crossers use and we apprehend one group or
more every night.” Flist seemed to be making an
effort to be polite.
Lissy interjected a thought that had
occurred to her only that moment. “Oh, we
know that,” she said. “The only reason we
mentioned the crossers in the first place is that
we thought of a way to add credibility to our
book if we accompanied your men on one of
their nightly forays.”
Brad appeared to be impressed with her
inventiveness. Her masterful gear switching
caused him to forget his anger and join her
pursuit. “That’s right,” he said. “Naturally, we
wouldn’t interfere with your people in any way.

1
 Jonathon Glane

We would only stay in the background and take

pictures.”
Lissy crowded in right after him with, “The
documentation of your efforts might help the
community understand how much difficulty you
guys go through to keep us all safe.”
Captain Flist glanced back and forth
between them for a moment before he spoke.
“We’ve taken civilians with us before.
Normally, it’s members of the press corps, but
at times, regular people like you have gone as
well. Most of the time, our officers don’t much
like it because they worry about their efforts
being belittled or cast in a negative light.
However, there is one way I might be able to
help. You would be required to drive your own
vehicle and maintain a distance from the action,
but under those conditions, I could call you in
advance and tell you the coordinates of a
roaming patrol expecting to make contact with a
caravan of illegals.”
“That would be terrific,” Lissy gushed.
“It’s settled then,” Flist finalized. “Be
prepared to go at any time. I’ll call you some
time before next week is out.”
When Brad and Lissy bid goodbyes to
Captain Flist and were on their way, Brad had
some words of praise to say to his partner. “That
was quite a job of maneuvering you did back
there,” he said. “Poor Flist was eating right out
of your hand.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

Lissy smiled a little smugly and said, “I

thought so, too.”
“There’s only one connection I failed to
make,” Brad went on. “I know how pictures of
illegals will help with our book, but I don’t
know how a random nighttime trip with the
Border Patrol will lead to the capture of Zarpa.”
Lissy was a little taken aback. She had been
so enthusiastically pursuing getting her way
with Flist that she forgot about their reason for
visiting him in the first place. However, her
resourcefulness was not exhausted. “I thought of
that,” she lied. “And I decided we could act as
anonymous tipsters and call the Border Patrol
every time we know where Zarpa is.” Once
again, smugness dominated her countenance.
“Nice going,” Brad said in a way that Lissy
did not know if he was congratulating her on her
plan, or on her spontaneous deviousness. “I
suppose you have a plan for tracking Zarpa
down.”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Lissy said
proudly. “We can set up all those motion
detectors we used at Beto’s ranch. All we have
to do is place each one along the trail where the
camera spotted Zarpa, and rig each one in a way
that will cause a silent alarm to go off.”
“Nice going,” Brad repeated in that certain
way. “Are we supposed to call the Border Patrol
each time a herd of javalinas wakes us up in the
middle of the night?”

1
 The Coyote Trap

“Okay, smarty pants, you come up with a

better idea.” Lissy feigned being offended.
Brad did not have a better idea. He thought
of several ways to modify Lissy’s plan, but none
of them seemed any more likely to yield the
desired results. He and Lissy brainstormed for
answers the next several times the subject came
up. The suggestions included adjusting the
motion detector’s sensitivity to react to large
targets only. They rejected the plan because it
would be hard to fine-tune the adjustment for a
column of travelers. Besides, Flist was unlikely
to have his men stop what they were doing to
answer the call.
Other suggestions that included using the
motion detectors were rejected out of hand
because the Border Patrol already had their own
sensors and other sophisticated sensing
equipment. Why would they allow a couple of
civilians to interfere? Could private individuals
do a better job?
The final idea that Brad and Lissy discussed
at length was to ride along with the Border
Patrol on its rounds whenever they could and
take the chance that one of these outings would
find Zarpa doing his thing. This was exactly the
method that Flist had agreed to help them with.
They were back at square one.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Then, the time they had to calculate their

strategies ended. Captain Flist called to tell them
a patrol would be leaving coordinates
51˚39ʹ02ʺN and 110˚54ʹ57ʺW at 10:00 o’clock
that evening. They were welcome to follow
along if they wished. At the appropriate time,
the intrepid pair gathered their equipment and
set out for their rendezvous.
Brad and Lissy rolled up to a line of Border
Patrol vehicles on their RZR.
“Hi, I understand you’re the news folks
who are going with us tonight,” one of the
officers said. “Hey, nice outfit,” he added—
looking over their UTV. “You won’t have any
trouble keeping up.”
The officer, who introduced himself as
Eddie, briefed the newcomers on the plan for
the night. He elicited their assurance that they
were unarmed, and then he gave them
bulletproof vests to wear.
As they prepared to leave, Eddie warned
them to stay as far away as they could once they
encountered a group of suspects. “And above
all,” he said, “stay in your vehicle. If any of the
illegals got their hands on it, we’d be hard-
pressed to catch them.”
Officer Eddie watched with Brad and Lissy
as the Border Patrol vehicles left the rendezvous
point one by one. The SUVs equipped with
four-wheel drive took roads in different
directions while the ATVs went directly into the
desert. Eddie, in the command vehicle, would

1
 Jonathon Glane

remain where he was until the others reached

their assigned locations and prepared for the
detentions.
Eddie explained to Brad and Lissy the way
the operation was designed to work. His unit
had been notified that a column of suspected
illegal immigrants had started their trek north
earlier in the evening. Their presence was
detected by a long-range IR camera system
mounted on a tower. The route the group was
taking was well known. That information,
combined with the normal walking pace of a
group that size, told the Border Patrol officers
that at approximately 2:00 AM they would be
near a road where they would be exposed and
vulnerable.
Some of Eddie’s men went ahead to the
contact point where they would lie in wait while
other agents blocked all possible avenues of
escape.
Subsequent information from the tracking
crew verified that the group was on the
predicted trail and on the estimated schedule. At
1:45 AM, Eddie would leave for the contact
point and Brad and Lissy were to follow closely
behind him. If all went as planned, there would
be many opportunities for photography.
Brad did not quite understand how the
officers prepared for arrest could be sure their
quarry would walk right into their trap. “After
all,” he expressed to Eddie, “there is any

2
 The Coyote Trap

number of trails they could follow, or they could

simply walk across the desert.”
Eddie chuckled at Brad’s naiveté. “It’s no
secret that we simply herd the crossers into our
trap,” he said—smiling at the way Brad and
Lissy were still not getting it. Then he
continued. “The way we do that is to make our
targets think that we’re looking for them, but
haven’t found them yet.”
“This is getting more confusing all the
time,” Brad said with profound frustration.
“I’m sorry,” Eddie apologized. “This will
help you understand. We send up a helicopter
equipped with three searchlights whenever our
target group gets near our trap. Two of the
searchlights are regular bright-white spotlights
that can be clearly seen and the third one is
equipped with infrared only. The IR searchlight
follows the target group by sensing their body
heat wherever they go, but its wavelength is
invisible and they don’t know they’re being
watched.
“On the other hand, what the target group
does know … because it can see … is that the
countryside on each side of them is being
illuminated with the regular spotlights.
Naturally, they move in a direction away from
the white lights to keep from being seen, and
that way they move in the direction we want
them to go.”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Couldn’t they just stop and stay in one

place instead of falling into your trap?” Brad
wondered.
“Sure, they could,” Eddie answered, “but if
they did, we would maneuver our white
spotlights in a way that would take them closer
and closer to the group. We’ve done that in the
past, and when the group thinks we are coming
too close for comfort, they move on … exactly
the way we want them to. If they feel safe
staying in one place and hiding from the
spotlights, we simply move our officers to that
location and make the arrests anyway.
“Oh, oh,” he said suddenly, “it’s time to
go!”
As Brad and Lissy followed Eddie toward
their destination, they wondered how it was
possible for anyone to cross the Arizona desert
undetected. Surely, all the sophisticated
equipment available to the Homeland Security
personnel would indicate the presence of any
clandestine intruder. Then the pair decided that
they were probably right, but if the number of
crossers was greater than the number of officers
seeking them, some were bound to complete the
journey successfully even though their presence
had been detected. Besides, it was highly
probable that the Border Patrol had been
directed to detain only as many suspected
illegals as the processing and repatriation
system could accommodate at one time.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Brad and Lissy followed Eddie with the

RZR’s headlights illuminated because Eddie
was driving the same way. Brad was just
beginning to wonder why Eddie did not mind
making his presence known when the two
vehicles came over a rise where they could see
the detention process under way.
Parachute flares brought near-daylight to an
area where all the vehicles used in the trap had
encircled a group of crossers who sat on the
ground. The migrants were clearly blinded by
the headlights surrounding them. One by one,
the officers were in the process of patting each
suspect down and handcuffing them with nylon
cable ties. Brad and Lissy had hoped for some
pictures that showed a little more action, but
they settled for the ones they could get.
Soon, a large van came rolling into the area
and the detainees were loaded aboard and
transported away. It was all over in a matter of
minutes, and the Border Patrol officers got into
their vehicles and drove away.
“Hope you got what you wanted,” Eddie
said as he followed the others—leaving Brad
and Lissy alone in the vast darkness of the
Sonoran desert.

3
 The Coyote Trap

24. Copycats

B rad and Lissy had spent enough time

traversing the roads and trails of the area
that they were able to find their way
back to Green Valley easily. They drove along
expressing disappointment about the significant
amount of time and energy they had expended
for such a limited number of photos. Worse still
was the fact that they had examined each one of
the suspected illegals in the roundup and Zarpa
was not among them.
They rationalized that the law of averages
eventually would lead to Zarpa’s apprehension,
but their gut feeling contradicted the thought.
Brad suggested that Zarpa had someone on his
payroll that had a connection with the Border
Patrol. After all, he had avoided capture for a
number of years, and it was unlikely that it was
all luck.
“What do you think, Brad?” Lissy said as
the RZR rolled through the desert night. “Are
we wasting our time worrying about some
despicable smuggler?”

1
 The Coyote Trap

“It sure seems that way, so far,” Brad

answered. “And maybe we’re wrong about
trying to do Homeland Security’s work for
them. But forgetting about Zarpa is something I
just can’t do. I never thought of myself as being
judgmental, but I think this scum is someone the
world would be better off without.”
“Stopping Zarpa won’t stop smuggling or
any of the other criminal activities,” Lissy
reasoned.
“You’re right,” Brad agreed, “but not
stopping him would be like aiding criminals
when we have the power to aid folks seeking
justice instead.”
“Do we really have the power to stop him?”
“I think so,” Brad said tentatively. “All we
need to do is come up with a workable method.”
“That might be easier said than done,” was
Lissy’s final remark before they both lapsed into
silence.
The RZR had just rolled into their garage in
Green Valley and they were preparing to use the
small amount of nighttime left for some much
needed rest when Lissy announced, “I might
know how to do it.”
“You might know how to do what?” Brad
asked sleepily.
“You said we needed a way to capture
Zarpa and I think I have one.”
“Tell me,” Brad said without enthusiasm.

3
 The Coyote Trap

“We should do the same thing Eddie did …

set a trap for the coyote,” Lissy stated with
conviction.
“And how do you propose to do that?” Brad
wondered.
“I don’t know,” Lissy admitted.
“Well, a plan isn’t a plan until it’s a plan,”
Brad said. “Let’s go to bed.”
Much of the miniscule window available
for the adventurers to sleep that night was
disturbed with Brad’s thoughts racing back and
forth about illegals and heroics. He tried to tell
himself he was not trying to be a hero by
catching Zarpa and bringing him to justice. He
wondered if having foreigners enter the country
without documentation was really such a bad
thing if they only took jobs no one else wanted.
He thought about traps.
Eddie had set a fixed trap for a known
group of suspects. Of course, he had the
wherewithal at his disposal to do that. And the
primary contributing factor was that he knew
where his target was and where it was going.
Brad supposed that it would not be difficult for
him to do the same under the same set of
circumstances. Except—he had no backup
officers and equipment or any specific
knowledge of the whereabouts of any illegals—
let alone Zarpa’s. Yet, he sensed the seedling of
a scheme beginning to sprout in the back of his
mind.

3
 The Coyote Trap

The plan that began to emerge told Brad

that he could overcome his personnel and
equipment shortages by modifying Eddie’s plan.
Instead of herding his targeted prize into a
waiting ambush, he could arrange for Zarpa to
walk into it on his own. All Brad would have to
do is bait the trap with something Zarpa would
not be able to resist.
Brad had no recollection of his wee-hours
scheming when Lissy awoke him to tell him it
was noon and they would have to get moving if
they wanted to salvage what was left of the day.
Brad’s head told him to forget the salvage, but
his stomach told him to heed the call of the
breakfast preparation he smelled.
The cobwebs of sleep began to lift as he
and Lissy sipped their black coffee and chatted
about the previous night’s events. With his
recovery to complete wakefulness, Brad
remembered his ideas about trapping Zarpa and
shared them with Lissy.
“What do you think about the idea?” he
asked.
“I think it’s terrific. Of course it was my
idea to begin with,” Lissy claimed.
“Okay,” Brad said, “I’ll give you credit for
that if you’ll credit me with suggesting the only
way to give the plan a chance of working.” His
lopsided smile won Lissy over the same way it
always had. It was good to solve arguments by
compromise.

3
 The Coyote Trap

“Now that we’ve agreed my idea is

workable,” Lissy smiled, “all we need to do is
decide what to use for bait.”
“I might help with that if you’ll admit the
idea came to you because you copied Eddie’s
idea.”
“Well,” Lissy said, “I guess if I can share
my idea with you, I can share it with Eddie, too.
Now, what about the bait?”
They went over a list of things that a
smuggler might find attractive. Money was
identified as the top contender with routes that
could be traveled inconspicuously and safe-
houses secure from detection following in order.
Unable to see how a certain route could be
promised, Brad thought a safe-house would be
best because the thing promised could also serve
as the trap. Lissy thought some way to offer a
reward of money was superior because a
smuggler with enough money could buy all the
safe-houses he needed. Before beginning to
finalize a plan for either form of bait, however,
they realized the picture was still missing one of
the puzzle pieces. Zarpa would have to be
located before any form of trap could be set.
“We have no idea where the coyote is,”
Brad understated. “Although we do know where
he was. What do you say we get out the map
and check out the area where he was last seen?”
A check of the map revealed a number of
routes Zarpa could have taken on his way to
Tucson. Brad and Lissy agreed the most

1
 Jonathon Glane

prominent one was an unlikely choice because

the authorities probably watched it closely.
They agreed the other obvious travelling lanes
were likely to be monitored as well. But there
was one route—not so prominent—that Brad
and Lissy knew had been used before. It led
directly to the old Chatterley mine.
“Do you think Zarpa would go back there
again,” Lissy asked in a doubting tone.
“Let’s think about it,” Brad said.
“Sometimes the most obvious place to hide is
overlooked because everyone thinks it’s too
obvious to be used. And another thing, Zarpa is
probably pretty confident that Beto won’t be
looking for him after having his house burned
down. Yeah, I would say there’s a good chance
that Zarpa would go back there again, laughing
at the Border Patrol all the while.”
The look of determination Lissy saw on
Brad’s face alarmed her. “I know what you’re
thinking, Brad. And no, I don’t ever want to go
back there again. I have a funny feeling about
that old mine and it scares me. Maybe it really is
haunted after all.”
“I don’t think so unless we put on our ghost
costumes again. But I have an idea that could
allow us to find out if Zarpa is still hanging
around there without us having to go into the
mine.”
“Somehow, I don’t like the sound of this,”
Lissy warned.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Just hear me out,” Brad asked. “Zarpa and

his caravan always hole up in the main cavern.
That place gets flooded with natural light, and
that means a vent has to be allowing the light in.
If we can locate the vent, we can lower a
microphone down to listen for sounds. If anyone
is in there, we would be sure to hear them.”
“I guess that’s not so bad,” Lissy admitted.
“But how do we find the vent without hiking the
mountain?”
“We search for the vent on Google Earth …
and then we hike the mountain.”
The pair accessed the computer program
and began their search. Finding the approximate
place where the vent might be was not difficult
because they knew the coordinates of the
Chatterley entrance and the east entrance. Also,
their trips through the network of tunnels
provided them with information as to the
location of the main cavern.
A careful search of the area convinced them
that the resolution provided by the Google Earth
satellite photographs would not allow them to
locate something as small as the vent would be.
Besides, they could not be sure when a
possibility was located because the dark image
of an opening could not be differentiated from
the image of a shadow. However, the search
aided them in determining a route to take to the
coordinates where they calculated the vent to be.

1
 The Coyote Trap

Dressed in hiking gear that included sturdy

boots, long sleeved shirts and pants, and wide
brimmed hats, Brad and Lissy loaded their
equipment and supplies on the RZR and drove
to the canyon near the Chatterley mine. Once
they parked and secured the vehicle, they
slipped into their backpacks and started their
hike.
They were immediately confronted with the
cliff face shining with the trickling water that
covered much of it. However, the information
gleaned from Google Earth indicated a crevice
curving around it that could provide a walk-able
path. It led the pair in the wrong direction, but
they knew that it curved back around the top of
the cliff and toward their destination once they
gained enough elevation.
The strain of the steep ascent left both
hikers panting for breath once they reached the
area above the cliff face. The hiking would now
be much easier because the slope of the
mountainside had flattened somewhat. The lay
of the land was such that it was hard to
determine the best way to go. Enormous rock
outcroppings of granite and gneiss boulders
provided a picturesque but maze-like number of
pathways.
Brad noticed one direction that looked
promising because it led to the crest of an

1
 Jonathon Glane

incline one hundred yards or more away. He

thought he would be able to get a better view
from there so he asked Lissy to wait where she
was while he checked it out. He gained the rise
and spent some time looking around before
deciding the route looked to be the best one. He
started to walk back to tell Lissy to follow him
and he was surprised to see her running toward
him!
Lissy did not say anything, but she had a
wild look in her eyes, and then Brad saw the
reason why. A mountain lion was chasing her!
Before he could say or do anything, the big
cat sprang and knocked Lissy to the ground.
Brad ran toward his mate who was now lying
face down with her arms wrapped around her
head while the mountain lion clawed and bit at
her back.
Brad did not know what to do. One thing
was sure; he was not going to allow that animal
to harm Lissy. He ran directly to where they
were and kicked the mountain lion in the ribs as
hard as he could. The mountain lion stopped
biting Lissy and snarled at Brad as though Brad
was another animal attempting to steal its kill.
The snarling animal made Brad jump back
for a moment before he lunged at it again. This
time, he hit the cat in the head with his fist and
then he kicked it again. That was enough. The
mountain lion yielded to the competitor who
was larger and clearly more aggressive in

2
 The Coyote Trap

nature. It backed away from Lissy snarling

viciously, then turned and ran from sight.
Brad knelt beside his prone friend. “Are
you all right?”
Lissy slowly turned her head toward him. “I
don’t know. Am I bleeding anywhere?”
“There’s a little on the back of your head.
Are you feeling any pain?”
“No, I’m not hurting anywhere.”
“You’re probably still in shock,” Brad told
her. “You might feel some pain when it wears
off. Stay where you are for a moment while I
clean off the back of your hair.” Brad took some
water from his canteen and gently rinsed away
the blood that was beginning to congeal. He
silently thanked his stars that she had not been
injured more seriously. Lissy’s ripped and
tattered backpack told him that wearing it
probably saved her life.

Lissy insisted they finish what they had started

to do. She said she felt fine and preferred to go
on rather than have to climb the mountain again
in the near future. Brad reluctantly agreed and
they moved toward their destination.
After more than an hour of searching, the
pair discovered the vent they sought. It was not
because they saw it. It was because they knew
its approximate location according to the
research they had done. It did not reveal itself

2
 Jonathon Glane

easily. Brad reckoned it had to be in a place that

looked like a huge boulder that had been split
apart. He and Lissy had a little trouble mounting
the smooth granite surface, but soon found what
they had been seeking.
Instead of dropping straight down into the
cavern, the opening first slanted downward for
some distance at about a forty-five degree angle.
Brad slipped back down the rock face and
secured a rope he had brought around a tree.
Then he and Lissy played-out the rope carefully
as they made their way inside the shaft.
They recognized that their presence could
affect the amount of sunlight reaching the
cavern floor and provide a clue of their
intrusion, but they decided that the sun passing
behind some clouds could also cause a minor
light modulation and they probably would
remain undetected if they were quiet.
Inside the shaft, they saw the place where it
changed direction and began its drop straight
down. They found a small area where it was flat
enough to provide them with a level of security,
and they began to listen for any sounds coming
from below. They heard clearly the trickle of
running water, but there were no other sounds.
Brad laid the balance of the coil of rope on
the rock. Then he removed his backpack and
retrieved a microphone and a spool of electrical
wire. He connected the wire to the microphone
and lowered it into the opening as far as he
dared. Then he tied the wire around the coil of

2
 The Coyote Trap

rope in a way that left the spool available to play

out more wire if needed. Motioning Lissy to
move ahead, the pair used the rope to help pull
them up and out of the shaft and Brad un-
spooled the wire as they went.
They felt much more at ease after they had
slid down the rock and settled in a place where
they would be able to talk more freely. Brad
connected the wire to a small amplifying
headset and the waiting began.
Lissy magically converted their resting
place into a picnic area complete with
sandwiches and sodas. There, in the shade of a
small juniper, they relaxed as though they were
on an outing.
“I wish these headphones were connected
to my iPhone,” Brad quipped, “some music
would go well with the lunch.”
No sooner had he spoken than he heard a
sound he could not identify. Thinking that it
could be an animal that had found its way into
the cavern, Brad sat up and began listening
more intently. He wondered if mountain lions
could purr like domestic cats because that is
what the sound was like. No … wait … it
suddenly dawned on him. It was someone
snoring!
When he told Lissy, she said it made all
kinds of sense for whoever was in the cavern to
be resting while they waited for the sun to go
down so they could continue their clandestine
trip.

2
 The Coyote Trap

As time passed slowly by, the sounds from

the cavern became more frequent and soon they
heard the sound of voices. The people in the
cavern were getting ready to move on. Then
Brad heard what he had been hoping for. A loud
and gravelly voice began barking out orders. It
could be none other than Zarpa himself!
Their trip had been fruitful. They had
proven that Zarpa was still using the tunnels
through the mountains to smuggle illegals
northward. Brad removed the headset and
placed it in a plastic bag. He would leave the
listening equipment in place so he could use it
again if needed. For the time being, they would
go back down the mountain and get Lissy some
medical attention for her wounds.

It was late in the evening by the time they got

back to their place in Green Valley. They had
stopped to get a take-out pizza for dinner. As
they munched on the pizza, they attempted to
formulate the second part of their plan; how to
offer a reward to Zarpa for bait. A suggestion
came from their experiences with people. They
knew Zarpa to be a violent person who was used
to getting his way. He also had a reputation for
being greedy. Playing against these personality
traits, they concocted a plan that had a good
chance of succeeding.

1
 The Coyote Trap

They would make up a story about Beto

and his family making a vow to get Zarpa. They
would add to the story that Beto and his family
were staying with relatives in Alto and the
relatives were rich with a stash of gold they had
accumulated over the years. Brad and Lissy
were confident that the desire to strike at Beto
once again—coupled with his greed to steal
someone’s gold—would be powerful incentives
to send Zarpa looking for Beto and walking into
a trap.
What they needed was a method of
delivering the fairytale to Zarpa. Who would be
better than Manuel would? He would fit in with
a group of illegals perfectly, and he wanted to
get back at Zarpa for the way his family had
been terrorized.
The last element to make it all work was the
inclusion of the Border Patrol. Brad and Lissy
were not sure how they could make them
become involved unless they simply agreed to.
Lissy suggested that in lieu of a commitment
from Captain Flist, they would make a citizen’s
arrest when they trapped Zarpa, and then call
the authorities to come get him.
Brad was convinced that they had enough
elements in place to start the process. First
though, they would have to talk things over with
Beto and the others. Without their participation
and cooperation, none of these things would be
possible.

1
 The Coyote Trap

25. A Mouse Trap

T he day was sunny but slightly cooler than

usual when Brad and Lissy made the trip
to Alto. The meeting they had pre-
arranged called for the attendance of Beto and
all the other members of his adopted family.
They planned to sit on the porch at the Alto
house and brainstorm over refreshments until
they reached an agreement. Brad and Lissy were
expecting things to go well. They believed they
had spent enough time trying to work out the
bugs, but it was clear some things still needed
clarification.
Beto agreed to their plan with enthusiasm
and wanted to get started immediately. Manuel
was confident he could play his part. He had
been down that road before. Doña Yoya was the
one who offered resistance. She was reluctant to
put her family at risk by using them as bait in
what she called an elaborate mousetrap. She had
a point.
The others thought the dangers would be
minimal because they would all know what was

1
 Jonathon Glane

coming and when it was coming. They only had

to protect themselves.
Doña Yoya countered with the fact that the
best-laid plans can go awry, and she was right.
The group was beginning to think they
would have to come up with a better plan when
Lissy suggested that Doña Yoya could stay at
the place in Green Valley during the action.
Doña Yoya was not entirely convinced, but she
reluctantly agreed to allow Manuel to make his
contribution.
The group, who once again referred to
themselves as ‘the posse’, went over the entire
operation in minute detail just to make sure all
the players were on the same page.
It would begin when Manuel made his way
to Nogales, Arizona then slipped across the
border into Mexico. Once there, he would make
discreet inquiry as to the whereabouts of Zarpa
and the time of his next incursion across the
border. Armed with this information, Manuel
would pay to join Zarpa’s caravan and journey
north with the other members of the group.
Every person Manuel identified as a fellow
traveler was to be told, as discreetly as possible,
that a fellow in the U.S. named Heriberto was
on the lookout for someone named Zarpa, and
once he found him he was going to cut his
throat. He was to pass the word that he did not
know where Heriberto lived except; wherever it
was must be a mining town because the man
had been known to offer ten thousand dollars in

2
 The Coyote Trap

gold to anyone who would bring him Zarpa’s

ears.
Manuel beamed with zeal. He would enjoy
being the one to cut Zarpa’s ears off one at a
time just to watch him suffer. The others
cautioned him that he would be better off to
keep his distance from Zarpa if he could. Any
hint that Manuel was the same person that he
had left for dead so long ago would be sure to
seal Manuel’s fate.
Manuelito wanted to go with his dad. He
said he would be helpful and he promised to
stay out of the way, but Doña Yoya quickly
squashed this idea.
While Manuel was doing his best to
encourage Zarpa to make a side trip to Alto, he
would have to listen to any plans Zarpa was
making to do so. Of course, if he found out
Zarpa was planning an attack; he would notify
Beto and the others via cell phone. Until that
time came, Manuel was to leave his cell in the
‘OFF’ position so a wrong number ringing his
phone would not allow others to know he had a
means of remote communication.
All the while Manuel was to be away, Doña
Yoya was to take Manuelito to a neighbor who
had graciously allowed them to stay in their
house rather than at Lissy’s place. The other
posse members; Brad, Lissy, and Beto would
make preparations to receive their ‘guest’.
The motion detectors used at Rancho
Alegre were used to cover all the approaches to

2
 Jonathon Glane

the Alto house. The three sentinels would take

turns in four-hour shifts to monitor the alarms
twenty-four hours a day. They realized that
before the motion detectors would come into
play, Zarpa would have to be encouraged to
come within their range.
Brad and Lissy told Beto about the way
Captain Flist had ‘herded’ the group of
suspected illegals with spotlights while
observing their every move with an IR camera.
They wanted Zarpa to come to them using the
bait of revenge and money, but they also wanted
to ‘herd’ him if they could think of a way.
They decided their best chance would be to
utilize the RZR in the same way they had at the
Chatterley mine. Naturally, this time it would
not be necessary to rig it with some scary
costume. The action was sure to take place at
night and only the RZR’s headlights would be
needed.
Putting the plan into action would require a
coordinated effort between Brad, Beto, and
Manuel. Manuel would call Beto to relay
information about Zarpa’s location. Beto would
pass this on to Brad who would navigate the
RZR into to a position of interception. To get
Zarpa to move in the direction they wanted,
Brad would only have to make sure that Zarpa
could see his headlights. Since the Border Patrol
used ATVs to roam the desert searching for
illegals, Zarpa would reasonably assume the

2
 The Coyote Trap

lights were from one of these vehicles, and he

would move to avoid contact.
The posse wanted to document all the
action in case anything they did needed
clarification at some time in the future. Besides
that, Lissy wanted more photos for the book she
and Brad were writing, so she was designated
the posse’s official photographer.
Lissy’s intentions were to set up her remote
IR camera at the motion detector location where
it was most likely Zarpa would approach. And,
when the word came that Zarpa was drawing
near, she would station herself in a position
where the action could be captured with her
Sony Handycam camcorder.
Confident that the plan was workable and
all the elements were in place, the posse agreed
to set the plan into action. Some concern was
raised about the Border Patrol’s participation,
but the apprehension was dispatched with the
understanding that an effort to include them
would be initiated when the right time came
although there were no guarantees that they
would come at all.
The meeting ended when Beto agreed to
ride with Manuel to the outskirts of Nogales and
once there, he would lead Manuel’s horse back
to their place at Alto.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Manuel’s intention simply to walk across the

International Border and into Mexico came to
an abrupt halt when he saw U.S. Immigration
officers screening other pedestrians attempting
to walk across. He was unaware of the recent
effort to halt the flow of guns, ammunition, and
laundered money into Mexico from the U.S.
Only a short time before, anyone wanting to
cross the border in a southerly direction could
do so freely whether walking or driving a
vehicle. A rise in gang-related crime south of
the border—thought to be fueled by guns
illegally transported from the north—prompted
the U.S. to take preventive action.
In spite of his reluctance even to come near
an immigration officer, Manuel walked boldly
toward the border. Much to his surprise, the
officers only looked at him briefly before
allowing him to pass. He supposed he looked
enough like a Mexican citizen returning home
that he got free passage.
So far, so good. The next step was to find a
place to stay where people intent on covertly
crossing the border assembled. He located a
place that amounted to nothing more than a
‘flop house’ with a number of cots for sleeping
strewn about the area inside a large room. When
Manuel complained about the crowded
conditions to the attendant on duty, he was told
that private rooms without toilet facilities were
available for three dollars a night as opposed to
the one dollar charged for the dormitory-style

3
 Jonathon Glane

room. Manuel paid in advance for the week he

planned to spend there.
In the privacy of his room, Manuel could
use his cell phone to make contact with Beto,
and he could arrange his belongings—including
his stash of cash—unobserved. Doña Yoya had
sewn a false bottom onto each one of his socks,
and into each, he had placed one thousand
dollars. He did not mind the bulk. The fifty
twenty-dollar bills under each foot actually
cushioned each step he took. Doña Yoya had
fashioned another hiding place as well. She had
sewn two pair of underwear together in a way
that created a pouch at the back just below the
waistband. In this pouch, Manuel had concealed
another thousand dollars.
Although Manuel took advantage of the
privacy if his room from time to time, he stayed
there as infrequently as he could manage. The
only way for him to gather the information he
needed was to mingle with others waiting to
cross. This turned out to be his favorite part of
the job so far. He discovered that a place
selected by travelers as a rendezvous point was
a sleazy cantina in a run-down section of town.
Here, Manuel could do his job and enjoy a
cerveza or two at the same time.
Information revealed in the cantina was as
free flowing as the tequila. However, something
was wrong. Manuel could not put his finger on
it at first, and then he began to recognize the
problem. The people he had talked to thought he

2
 The Coyote Trap

was a mole. Apparently, he did not know the

things the others did; authorities in the U.S.
would sometimes send an informant to Mexico
to join a group of crossers in hopes that it would
lead to the arrest of a coyote or a drug trafficker.
Manuel had been in the States for so long that
the locals saw him as a pseudo Mexican. He had
to make an adjustment.
He would barter with the local merchants
for authentic Mexican clothing, except for the
socks and underwear, of course. And he would
try his best to speak Spanish without an
American accent. Fortunately, he was able to
remember enough about his years in Ciudad
Obregon to convince others that he had recently
arrived from that city. The changes Manuel
made brought about remarkably different
results.
He soon learned that a group was forming
to leave for the U.S. His questions about the
leader of the group were unanswered, so he
arranged to join. He waited with some others to
pay for the trip and when the group leader came
to collect, Manuel immediately realized it was
not Zarpa. Excusing himself to go gather the
money for his passage, Manuel left and simply
failed to return.
He was to go through this drill twice more
before learning about a group forming that was
being assembled by a big man with a booming
voice. He crossed his fingers that he had been

2
 Jonathon Glane

successful in finding his target when he called

Beto that evening to give him the news.
This time, when he arranged to meet with
the coyote, Manuel was pleased to discover that
it was indeed his old nemesis Zarpa. Unlike
other occasions when Manuel and Zarpa came
face to face, Manuel did not feel intimidated by
the presence of this much larger man. In fact, he
harbored a feeling of superiority. It might have
been different if Zarpa had recognized Manuel,
but he did not.
When Manuel presented Zarpa with the two
thousand dollars required to join the group of
crossers, the big man looked him over carefully.
The hesitation caused Manuel some alarm but
he was sure he was not be recognized after such
a long time, especially with the changes time
had made to his appearance. In addition, Manuel
had allowed the hair on both his head and face
to grow to an unkempt level. He wanted to look
scruffy and he did.

With the agreement finalized, the newly formed

group arranged to meet the following evening
for the initial crossing into Nogales, Arizona.
From then on, Manuel would use extreme care
when contacting Beto to avoid being overheard.
He was acutely aware that in this situation any
clue to his identity was sure to result in his
death. A certain level of exposure would be

2
 The Coyote Trap

necessary, however, due to his obligation to fill

Zarpa’s ears with false information. Manuel
wasted no time.
Each time an opportunity presented itself,
Manuel told whoever would listen about the
gold to be had and about the person who had it
that hated Zarpa so much. When questioned
about the way he came to know all this, Manuel
replied that one of the other crossers had told
him—one who had refused to join Zarpa’s
group for fear of getting caught in the crossfire.
It was not long before the fabrication was
common knowledge amongst the travelers. And
soon, none of them could identify the person
from whom they first heard the story. Each of
them had probably heard the tale from every one
of the others.
Zarpa had heard the story too. He could be
seen discreetly asking this person or that the
source of their information. That was a decisive
moment for Manuel. If Zarpa traced the story
back to him, latent shadows in Zarpa’s memory
could become enlightened with recollections.
Manuel practically held his breath with
anticipation when he saw Zarpa whispering
something to the person Manuel had told the
story to originally. The person looked at
everyone in the group one by one. He raised his
hand—ready to point—in Manuel’s direction.
Then with one quick motion, his forefinger
identified someone else.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Fortunately, Manuel was clever enough to

avoid having Zarpa see that he was watching
him. He did not want to appear any different
from any of the others who probably had no
idea what Zarpa and the traveler were talking
about. Manuel did not know if he was
completely out of danger, however, because
Zarpa only looked briefly at the unfortunate
being accused. Clearly, Zarpa was not going to
allow his thoughts out in the open until he had
investigated the information further.
In the future, Manuel would not bring up
the story to others, but he would prod them for
their version and question them about what they
thought Zarpa would do. Up to that point, Zarpa
had not indicated that he would do anything at
all.

When it was time to embark on their journey,

Manuel was pleased to find out that Zarpa was
still using the same route and routine he had
used in the past. That enabled Manuel to
anticipate each move before it was made in case
that information became desirable. He could not
know the final route they actually would take
because there were just too many variables.
Secretly he hoped the route would be identical
to the one taken previously. That trail would
lead Zarpa directly toward Alto and provide him
a better opportunity to fall into the trap.

3
 The Coyote Trap

After the group passed through the tunnel

under the international border to a safe-house,
they scattered out individually to meet in
another safe-house on the outskirts of Nogales.
There, their trek across the desert began and
Manuel’s wish began to come true. Their route
headed north by north-east—directly toward
Alto and the posse so patiently lying in wait.

3
 The Coyote Trap

26. The Setup

B rad, Lissy, and Beto were grateful for

the level of care they received from
Doña Yoya. The continuing vigilance of
four-hour shifts and eight-hour rest periods soon
became exhausting. Thankfully, some relief
came from this dutiful lady who seemed to find
time to be with each one of the others while they
were on duty. The snacks and camaraderie she
brought provided a welcome break from the
routine.
During one of Lissy’s watches, Beto’s cell
phone rang as she sat and chatted with Doña
Yoya. Manuel’s number appeared on the screen.
Lissy activated the cell and whispered, “Hello,
it’s Lissy.”
Manuel whispered back, “Lissy, it’s
Manuel. Is Beto or my wife near? I want to
speak Spanish in case someone can hear my
voice.”
“Doña Yoya is here, wait.” Lissy handed
the phone to her.

1
 The Coyote Trap

The two talked for what seemed like a long

time before Doña Yoya asked Lissy to fetch
Beto and Brad. Then she resumed her
conversation—mostly listening—with her
husband.
Brad and Beto came in just as Doña Yoya
ended her conversation.
“Is Manuel all right?” Beto asked.
“Yes, I think so,” Doña Yoya whispered.
“He just had to hang up because he said
someone was coming toward him.”
“Why are you whispering?” Beto
wondered.
Doña Yoya, self-consciously realizing she
did not need the confidential voice, sheepishly
raised her volume to normal. “He told me they
are at Road 143 and the road to Alto.”
“What else did he tell you?” Brad asked.
“He said they are camped there until
nightfall. He said if Zarpa takes the Alto road
when they start again, or if he leaves the group
and rides off alone, Manuel will assume he is
headed toward us, and he will slip away from
the others and join us when he can.”
“Does it seem like he’s in danger?” Lissy
wanted to know.
“I don’t think so,” Doña Yoya said. “He
said he moved away from the encampment to
relieve himself and call us. The other person
was probably headed for the bushes also when
he came near Manuel.”

3
 The Coyote Trap

“We need to go on high alert right now,”

Brad warned. “Zarpa could move in our
direction at any time, and from where they’re
camped, that big bay of his would bring him
here in minutes. I’ll call Captain Flist and tell
him we have been threatened by some illegals.
Hopefully, he’ll send some officers over here …
if any of them are roaming the area.”
“He’s right,” Beto agreed. “Doña Yoya,
take Manuelito and go to the neighbor’s house
… now!”
“This could be a long day and evening,”
Brad observed as he prepared to drive his RZR
to an observation point some distance away and
Doña Yoya gathered Manuelito’s things.
Lissy was gathering her things also. She
wanted to be away from the action far enough to
be able to photograph the entire scope of the
scene. Something inside her hoped Zarpa would
make his move during the day. That would
make her job so much easier.
Left alone to monitor the motion detectors,
Beto wondered how smart they had been setting
up their trap. All their assumptions and
calculations were based on Zarpa’s appearance
at night. No contingencies for a daytime attack
had been considered. Yet—the possibility
existed that Zarpa might be bold enough to try
to get his revenge in broad daylight. He could be
on his way at that very moment.
Beto’s expectations worsened when his cell
phone rang and Manuel told him Zarpa had left

3
 Jonathon Glane

alone on his horse and Manuel was moving

away from the others to travel to Alto on his
own.
Beto conference-called Brad and Lissy to
tell them the latest news, and make them aware
of his concerns. The fact that Zarpa rode his
horse meant that he could approach Beto’s place
from any direction. He would not have to use
the roads or the trails.

Zarpa turned Beto’s speculation into reality

when he skirted the low hills around Alto and
approached the settlement from the northeast.
He knew the area well. Just before the first
dwelling came into view, he dismounted and
tied his horse to a scrub mesquite. The rest of
his trip would be on foot.
Beto jumped at the sound of the motion
detector. Then he decided it was only an animal
passing by because the one that sounded the
alarm was in a location opposite the place where
Zarpa was last reported seen.
“Good morning,” the booming voice said to
Lissy’s back. She was sure her heart would stop
with the surprise and shock. She turned around
and there stood Zarpa looking more sinister than
ever. It was all she could do to respond to his
greeting.
Visibly shaken, Lissy managed to mutter,
“Good morning.” She was aware that her

2
 The Coyote Trap

frightened behavior was being noticed by this

man who seemed to be hovering over her due to
his size and proximity.
“I’m sorry I startled you,” he said—
astonishing Lissy even more. “I’m looking for a
man called Heriberto. Do you know where he
is?”
Lissy’s mind was whirling with confusion,
but she managed to tell him that she was a
stranger to the town and that she was only there
to take pictures of some of the old mines.
Zarpa thanked her for her trouble and began
walking toward the corral behind the house
where Beto was.
Lissy did not know what to do. Zarpa was
sure to hear her if she called Beto to warn him.
Then a thought occurred to her that she just
might be able to pull off. She called Brad’s cell.
“Oh, hello there,” she said into her cell
without trying to lower her voice. It was clear
that Zarpa heard her because he turned to look
back at her. Lissy continued speaking. “Yes,”
she said with enthusiasm, “I’m getting the
subjects I have been looking for. Isn’t that
great?”
Brad did not get it. What on earth could she
be talking about? “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. These mines are a photographer’s
dream,” Lissy went on.
“What’s going on, Lissy, can’t you talk?”
“Yes, you’re right,” she said.
“Is it Zarpa? Is he near?”

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Yes and yes,” Lissy answered. “Please call

him and give him my regards.”
The cryptic language was not wasted on
Brad. “I will, and I’m on my way. You move
away, too, if you can.” With that, he started the
RZR and headed back toward town. On the way,
he made the call to Beto to warn him. Just as
Beto answered the phone, he heard Brad’s
warning being verified. The horses out back
whinnied the presence of someone or
something.
Lissy was still trembling as she gathered
her camera equipment and walked toward the
house where Doña Yoya and Manuelito were
staying. She believed she would be safe once
she got there. Lissy walked to the opposite side
of the house and knocked on the door. A
surprised Doña Yoya answered the knock and
beckoned Lissy inside. It took Lissy only a few
minutes to apprise Doña Yoya of the situation,
and together they went to the window to observe
the action about to unfold.
Zarpa knew where Beto lived and he
guessed he was at home because there were
horses in the corral. He slipped into the shed
where the tack was stored to see if he could
observe Beto moving around in the house. He
un-holstered his 44 revolver and checked it for
ammunition and function.
His reconnaissance did not last long. Soon a
window opened and a breeze blew the curtain
around as a voice yelled out “I know you’re out

1
 Jonathon Glane

there, Zarpa! Come out with your hands up!

You’re under arrest!”
Zarpa was surprised that Beto knew he was
there, but he was not ready to surrender. He
aimed his revolver at a point slightly to the left
of the open window and about chest high to
anyone standing inside. The explosion of his
shot echoed throughout the valley. The bullet
penetrated the wall and struck Beto just below
his rib cage. He fell to the wooden floor with a
noticeable thud.
Everyone in the area, including Brad, heard
the shot. He stepped even harder on the RZR’s
accelerator as he sped toward the house. He was
certain that Zarpa had fired the shot. Beto had a
gun too, but it was highly unlikely that he would
fire the first shot, and the fact that there had
been no second shot told Brad that the cards
were falling in Zarpa’s favor.
Like everyone, Lissy heard the shot but she
saw no one and heard nothing else.
Nevertheless, her Handycam was at the ready
and suddenly some action was available for
videoing. She saw Zarpa run from the tack shed
directly toward the house. His revolver was in
his hand. He ran full speed at the back door and
lowered his shoulder as he approached. The
door flew open with a crash under his weight.
The Handycam missed nothing.
Just as Zarpa disappeared inside the house,
Brad came screeching to a halt outside. Zarpa
noticed that Brad did not see him. He would

2
 The Coyote Trap

deal with him later. First, he wanted to make

sure Beto was finished off. Beto, however, was
nowhere in sight. Zarpa was certain his bullet
had hit its mark. He had heard the body fall to
the floor. A glance at the spot told him that he
was right. Blood was splattered around a pool of
the crimson fluid, and the red stains leading
through the closed door to the next room
pointed the way to his victim.
Zarpa kicked the door open and quickly
stepped back. It was the right thing to do
because the sound of a shotgun blast
reverberated violently against his eardrums and
several dozen pellets whizzed past his head. The
mechanical sound of a fresh shell being inserted
into a chamber told Zarpa that Beto had a pump
shotgun and that he would not be overcome
easily.
Zarpa tried to draw Beto’s fire and
succeeded. He tossed his hat into the empty
doorway only to see it fly away in shreds.
As Zarpa thought about his next move, he
heard the sound of something dragging across
the floor and then the click of a door closing.
His quarry was on the run. To make sure, Zarpa
jumped past the doorway and to the other side.
His glance inside the room told him it was
empty. Clearly, Beto had fled out the other door.
At least that is what Zarpa thought before
he stepped inside the room and saw Beto sitting
on the floor in the corner away from the door.

2
 Jonathon Glane

Beto held a twelve-gauge shotgun aimed

squarely at Zarpa’s chest.
“Drop the gun!” demanded Beto. Zarpa had
no choice. He let the 44 slip from his grip and
fall to the floor.
“Over there,” Beto motioned toward the
opposite wall with the barrel of his shotgun.
Zarpa moved obediently.
“Beto, Beto, are you all right?” Brad was
yelling from outside.
“Come inside, Brad,” he responded. “Come
inside, I’ve got him.” Brad came cautiously
through the front door. “I’m in here,” Beto
directed. Brad opened the second door even
more cautiously and peered inside.
“Get his gun, Brad,” Beto told him.
Brad, looking at Beto sitting on the floor
with blood all over the front of his clothing,
hesitated. “Are you all right?” he asked again.
“I’ll be fine. Just tell Doña Yoya to come
over as soon as you get Zarpa’s gun.”
Brad did not need to go looking for Doña
Yoya. She came rushing in the room
accompanied by Lissy. They had seen Brad go
into the house and they took the chance that
everything was under control.
Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, a bullhorn
blasted a message not to be ignored.
“INSIDE THE HOUSE. COME OUT
WITH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEADS!”

2
 The Coyote Trap

After a pause, the message was repeated in

Spanish. The posse members smiled. They
would be glad to surrender to the authorities.
Brad used Zarpa’s pistol to motion him in
the direction of the front door. “Better put your
hands on your head like the man said,” he
suggested. When Zarpa was through the
doorway and out onto the porch in plain sight of
the Border Patrol, Brad dropped the pistol and
followed him out. Lissy was right behind him.
Doña Yoya remained inside with Beto.
“A man is wounded inside,” Brad told the
officers. “A woman is with him, but he needs
help to get out.”
“Brad!” one of the officers said. “What are
you doing here?”
“Getting a little too close to the action
shots, Eddie,” Brad quipped. “I’m glad you
came,” he understated. “Can you call for an
ambulance? Beto’s inside with a nasty bullet
wound.”
“I’ll do better than that,” Eddie assured
him. “I’ll have our helicopter here right away.”
It was clear to the other Border Patrol
officers that Eddie knew two of the people being
rounded up, but they had no way to know the
criminals from the good citizens. Therefore,
they did not attempt to arrest anyone. They
expected Eddie would have it all sorted out
soon.

2
 The Coyote Trap

Zarpa saw an opportunity and seized it.

“They tried to kill me!” he cried. “You need to
arrest them all and put them in jail!”
“No one is getting arrested until this whole
thing is understood,” Eddie assured him. “Now,
everyone come forward and move over there
against the porch rail. You too, Brad and Lissy.
Sorry, but like I said we need to sort things out.”
The detainees moved off the porch and over
to the rail. Zarpa made sure he was the closest to
the porch steps. He had heard his pistol hit the
floor when Brad dropped it. He thought to make
a run for it, grab the pistol, and get away out the
back door. Then something he saw caused him
to change his mind.
Everyone else looked in amazement also.
Manuel came walking up the road with a trail of
crossers strung out behind him. But there was
more. Behind the column, following along in
low gear was a Border Patrol vehicle with none
other than Captain Flist behind the wheel.
As the two groups merged, the crossers—
including Manuel—were ordered to sit on the
ground in the middle of the street to await the
process of detention.
When he approached the other officers,
Captain Flist told Eddie that he would be happy
to take credit for the illegals’ capture, but the
truth was that he had only caught up with them
as they marched toward Alto.
Eddie explained the situation the best he
could to Captain Flist who had not yet seen the

1
 Jonathon Glane

suspects standing against the porch railing. The

conversation was interrupted by the popping
noise made by a helicopter’s blades breaking the
sound barrier. The aircraft settled to the ground
nearby—in a cloud of dust.
The two medical personnel who got out
carrying a stretcher went directly into the house
and they soon emerged transporting Beto who
was strapped on the gurney. Doña Yoya
followed.
Captain Flist told the medics to pause for a
moment while he asked Beto a few questions. It
became clear what the two men were discussing
when Flist looked toward the porch rail,
recognized Brad and Lissy, and beckoned them
to him.
This left Zarpa standing alone at the rail,
but he was not alone for long. From out of
nowhere, Manuelito came running to his side.
“Zappa!” Manuelito cried happily.
The others stood in a state of shock as
Manuelito embraced this giant of a man who
had once been his captor. The posse was
witnessing first-hand the effect of Stockholm
syndrome brainwashing.
Zarpa wasted no time taking advantage of
the situation. He returned Manuelito’s embrace,
but his was with one of his massive arms around
the boy’s neck.
“No one moves or his neck will snap like a
twig,” Zarpa bellowed.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Do yourself a favor, Zarpa. Let the boy

go,” Flist demanded.
“I will as soon as I’m out of here,” Zarpa
said as he dragged Manuelito up the steps,
through the doorway, and into the house. Once
inside, Zarpa quickly retrieved his revolver and
flashed it to let those outside know he had it.
Then he hurried out the back door and ran to the
corral. There he tossed the boy onto the back of
Beto’s horse while he tied a length of rope
around the horse’s neck and looped it over the
animal’s muzzle. After opening the gate, he
pulled the horse near the fence where he stepped
on a rail and then mounted.
No one had made a move to stop him as he
galloped away as fast as he could make the
horse go. A few officers brave enough to look
around the house saw Zarpa reach the crest of a
rise where he dropped the boy to the ground and
galloped away.
“Up there,” the officers directed Brad as he
sped in that direction aboard his RZR.
When he reached the place, Brad buckled
the boy in a seat belt and drove slowly back to
where all the others were waiting.

1
 The Coyote Trap

27. Wrapping up

M anuelito’s tears matched those in the

eyes of his mother when Brad
returned with him to the group
waiting anxiously. The child did not understand
how a person who loved him and he loved back
could be so cruel.
“Zappa hurt me,” he said to his mother.
“I know,” she responded tenderly.
“He pushed me off the horse and told me I
was a curse!” Manuelito was sobbing.
Doña Yoya wanted to tell her son what a
bad person Zarpa really was, but she was afraid
saying so might break her son’s heart even
more.
“Let’s go in the house,” she said. “I’ll make
you some punch.”
Doña Yoya vacillated between taking care
of her son and rushing to the side of her husband
who sat helplessly on the ground with the others
waiting to be handcuffed. She reasoned,
however, that if she went to Manuel’s side, she
could be taken into custody also. No one made a

1
 Jonathon Glane

move to stop her as she escorted Manuelito into

the house.
Manuel would not be getting away as easily
as his wife. He could have told the officers who
were handcuffing people together that he lived
in the house with the others. He decided to say
no such thing. After all, there would be no point
in dragging the others into his mess. Beto made
the move instead.
“That man over there works for me,” Beto
told Captain Flist while the stretcher-bearers
waited patiently. Beto knew that his words
could subject him to a large fine if convicted of
knowingly hiring an illegal alien. “Besides,”
Beto added, “he’s the one who brought you all
these suspects.”
Captain Flist looked at the group of crossers
being herded like cattle into a waiting van. “He
captured all those suspects?” he asked.
“He caused them to be captured by bringing
them to you,” Beto corrected.
“Eddie,” Flist ordered, “bring that man over
here.”
When Eddie brought Manuel to Flist’s side,
the Captain started to interrogate him as though
he was guilty and had to prove his innocence.
“I can save you a lot of trouble,” Beto
interrupted.
“Wha …?” Flist was not used to
interruptions.
“Show him your cell phone,” Beto said to
Manuel. Manuel pulled the phone from his

2
 The Coyote Trap

pocket. “Show him the last number you dialed.”

Manuel punched the appropriate button and a
number appeared on the screen. “Call the
number,” Beto said. Manuel called the number
and in a few seconds, Beto’s cell phone began to
ring.
“Manuel and I have been in communication
all along,” Beto told Flist. “This is the way I
knew he was with the crossers, and the way he
knew where I was.”
That was good enough for Flist. He ordered
Eddie to free Manuel so he could take his place
with the other members of his family.
“You better go get that wound tended to,”
Flist said to Beto and nodded to the medics to
continue. Manuel walked beside the stretcher on
the way to the helicopter.
“Tell me, Manuel,” Beto asked, “how is it
you brought all the others in? The last I heard,
you were leaving them to come here alone.”
“I did leave alone,” Manuel explained. “But
when I thought about the others’ chances of
survival without a leader, I just couldn’t leave
them there to die, so I went back.”
The two men looked at one another for a
long time. Then Beto extended his hand. “Take
care of our family,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”
Dust from the whirling helicopter blades
obscured the scene where Brad and Lissy stood
with Flist and Eddie. Then another dust cloud
engulfed them as the van carrying the suspected
illegal aliens roared past.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“Doesn’t it ever rain around here?” Eddie

choked-out.
The others chuckled as they chorused
“Nooooo.”
“If it’s water you want,” Lissy said, “I’ll bet
Doña Yoya has some in the refrigerator that’s
cold.”
They agreed to sit on the porch out of the
sun. All of them eschewed the ice water when
Doña Yoya offered a fresh pitcher of iced tea.
“The Calvary to the rescue,” Brad began.
“You guys were like the Calvary to the rescue,”
he clarified. “I could almost hear the bugles
blaring ‘CHARGE!’ .”
Captain Flist and Eddie smiled at one
another. “In all fairness,” Flist said, “we only
did the mopping up. Beto had Zarpa captured,
and Manuel brought us the suspected aliens.”
“You still deserve credit for taking them off
our hands,” Lissy said.
“Well, we took some of them,” Flist
corrected. “Zarpa took himself away.”
“Speaking of Zarpa,” Brad said to Flist, “I
heard you call him by name. How did you know
who he was?”
“Oh, we’ve known Zarpa for years,” Flist
disclosed. Brad and Lissy were flabbergasted.
Here they had spent so much time and effort
looking for him just to lure him into a trap, and
the Border Patrol knew about him all the time.
Captain Flist went on to explain, “Our
surveillance equipment has spotted him a

1
 Jonathon Glane

number of times. So many times, in fact, that

we’ve come to know his habits fairly well. He
was never taken into custody because we were
always busy with something else. Besides, we
never suspected him of anything other than
being a coyote, and in a way, that job can be
commended because he escorts people safely
across the desert that otherwise might die.”
“How did your … uh … surveillance
equipment know it was the same person every
time?” Brad wanted to know. “Aren’t there lots
of caravans crossing all the time?”
“That was easy,” Flist answered. “Zarpa
always rode a horse and when our IR satellite or
one of our IR towers picked up the images of a
caravan; the one Zarpa was leading always
showed a large green bleep followed by a bunch
of small ones.”
“You guys should have arrested him,” Lissy
said accusingly. “We heard first-hand stories
about some of the atrocities he committed.”
“We heard some of those stories too,” Flist
acknowledged. “But we never had any proof to
back them up.”
“You’ve got proof now,” Brad pointed out.
“We all witnessed him kidnapping a child.”
“You’re right,” Flist agreed, “and the next
time we find him, he’ll be put behind bars. By
the way,” he added, “we also know about Beto’s
extended family.” Doña Yoya, who was
refreshing their drinks, froze in her tracks.
“Don’t worry,” he said to no one in particular,

2
 The Coyote Trap

“folks who have been in this country for five

years or more were granted immunity from
prosecution some time ago. All they have to do
is petition the government to be granted a
permanent resident’s visa.”
Captain Flist smiled at Doña Yoya
knowingly as he thanked her for the
refreshments and bid everyone goodbye. Brad
and Lissy watched the two officers go, and then
said their own farewells.

Brad drove the RZR slowly away from Alto and

across the foothills of the Arizona desert.
As the pair moved toward the setting sun, a
panorama emerged of distant clouds blushing
with pale crimson rays.
“What a beautiful picture,” Lissy said.
“It is, isn’t it?” Brad confirmed, and then
added, “By the way, did you get some good
pictures of the bust?”
Lissy swallowed hard. She had videoed
Zarpa attacking the house, but so many things
happened so fast after that, she forgot her duties
as the designated camera person.
“I got a few,” she said averting any blame.
“But I was so worried about you and Beto
getting killed, I didn’t get as many as I should
have.”
“Did you video the suspects being rounded
up and taken away,” Brad pressed on.

2
 The Coyote Trap

“No,” Lissy admitted.

“What about the helicopter and the
medics?”
“I’m sorry, Brad, I guess I missed some of
the best chances. Are you mad at me?”
“How can anyone be mad,” Brad smiled,
“with a beautiful woman and a beautiful sunset
in a beautiful part of the world? We can always
set another coyote trap for Zarpa,” he joked.
“Not on your life,” Lissy said seriously. By
the way, she continued, “Do you think they’ll
ever catch Zarpa?”
“I don’t see how they can miss,” Brad
responded. “All they have to do is check their
IR cameras for one big green bleep and a bunch
of smaller ones.”