The Body of Martin Aguilera

Chapter Six

Maggie and Laura met Lewis at the front door. Maggie waved a quarter in his face, said, “What is this? Have you ever seen one of these?”

“What are you raving about?” Lewis asked.

“This is a quarter, Lewis.”

Lewis sat down on the sofa, kicked off his shoes.

“You drop one of these into a pay phone and dial and you can tell the people who are sick with worry that you’re okay and not dead in some ditch.”

“I’m sorry.”

Laura sat beside him.

“I just got off the phone with the sheriff.”

Lewis looked at her.

“I was calling to tell him you were overdue, but he told us you’d been there.”

“So, what’s the fuss.”

Maggie cleared her throat. “I’ll make tea.”

When the woman was out of the room, Laura said, “Maggie’s mad.”

“Yeah, well, she has a right to be. I’m sorry I worried you.” He looked at the kitchen door. “Maggie?”

“What?”

“Did Mondragon say anything to you about Martin?”

“No.”

Lewis got up and walked to the phone on the wall just inside the kitchen. He asked the operator to dial the sheriff. “May I speak to Sheriff Mondragon, please? Yes, it’s important. Manny?”

“Yeah?” said Mondragon.

“It’s me, Lewis Mason. Want to tell me what’s going on?”

“I told you everything, professor. Aguilera died in the river while fishing.”

“And that’s all you have to say to me?”

“That’s what my report says.”

Lewis let the receiver down in its cradle. He looked up to find Maggie and Laura staring at him from the kitchen table.

“Martin drowned in the river.”

Maggie frowned. “But you said—”

“I know what I said. Don’t ask me to explain anything. The sheriff is writing in his report that Martin Aguilera drowned while fishing in the rapid water of the Rio Grande. I don’t think my name appears.”

“Relax,” Maggie said.

“Something really strange is going on. Martin’s grandson showed up.”

“Already?”

Lewis sat down at the table. “Claims he got a letter from the old man saying something was wrong. Taylor’s his name. Says his mother married a white man and got Martin mad. If he’s got Mexican blood, I do.”

“Why is the sheriff acting funny?” Maggie asked.

Lewis shrugged. “I thought he didn’t want to say anything in front of Taylor. But now I don’t know. Maybe he’s scared of something. “He picked up his mug and sipped the hot tea. “Have you met the new vet?”

Maggie shook her head.

“Cyril Peabody. A nice guy.”

“Where’d you run into him?”

Lewis decided not to mention the squirrel. “In town.” He looked out the window at the afternoon. “So, how did you two get along today?”

“Great,” said Maggie.

“No fighting or anything like that?”

Laura laughed. “No,” she said. “We played cards and went for a walk. We saw a tanager.”

“Hey, that’s terrific. That’s one of my favorite birds.” He looked at his mug.

“I think I’ll stay here tonight,” Maggie said. “Keep an eye on you two.”

“You know you’re welcome.”

Laura was pleased.

“We’ll make cookies,” Maggie told the child.

“We’ll walk up the mountain a ways. How’s that sound?” Lewis asked.

“Good,” said Laura.

“Remember when we hiked over on Garapata Ridge?” he asked Maggie.

Maggie nodded.

“There’s a trail that leads down to Plata Creek, isn’t there?”

“I’m not sure. I think so. Why?”

“Nothing.” Lewis smiled at Laura. Plata Creek ran through Plata Canyon, Martin’s canyon. Lewis knew the canyon wasn’t boxed, so he could probably ride into it from the back side.

“Papa?” Laura said. “Are you all right?”

“Sure, honey.” He looked at his mug. “Is this herbal tea?”

Laura smiled. “Yes.”

“You guys are really funny.”

The late afternoon showed no promise of rain. Lewis looked at the sky. “Man, it’s dry.” He stopped as they stepped over a ditch of moving water. “Maggie, you think you and Laura could walk the ditch for me tomorrow? We ought to have better flow than this.”

Maggie said they would.

Lewis’ water came from a creek which fed a ditch which ran a mile around and down the mountain and filled a cistern and was processed. He’d yet to have a serious problem, but he could easily foresee being without water one of these dry summers.

They turned to look down. From up here they could see clear down to the town.

“You’ve got to get out of that place, Maggie,” Lewis said.

“It’s okay.”

Laura walked higher, looking for puff-ball mushrooms.

“That stuff is contagious. I don’t care what anybody says.”

“What stuff?”

“The art-farts. It’ll start as an insidious rumbling in your gut and you’ll think you’re just hungry and the food at home won’t fill you. You’ll have to eat snacks from a buffet at an art opening.”

Maggie laughed.

“I used to come up here every night to watch the sunset.”

“What happened? You get old?”

“I suppose.”

“Remember the first time we met?”

“At the market?”

“Think hard.”

“Come on. I can’t remember.”

“At Justin’s Gallery.”

Lewis frowned.

“Yes, and it was an opening. You were very charming. I said to the friend with me that you were the most handsome man there. And you don’t even remember.”

“A gallery? I have no idea how I ended up there.” Lewis looked up the hill to see Laura scouting under a bush.

“How’s she doing?” Maggie asked.

“How’re you doing?” Lewis called to Laura.

“Nothing yet.”

Lewis let his head roll back, then forward.

“I’ll give you a rub later,” Maggie said.

“I’ll remember you said that.”

Maggie nodded, looked up the slope to see Laura starting down. “She’s a wonderful child.”

“She sure is.”

“Look, a car,” Laura said.

Lewis looked down at the house to see the blue Camaro.