Chapter 9
JANUARY 27, DAWN
REX SELECTED TWO MEN AND had them brought to his tent. “Each of you has a mission coming up, a mission that requires strict obedience while acting entirely on your own. ‘Acting’ is a good word for this mission, because you will be actors. Pay close attention and I’ll go over it as many times as it takes for you to be comfortable with your role, and I’ll answer any questions you have. You have to get this exactly right. You will be dressed as farmers and will go into Fort Brazos pretending that you are fleeing ahead of us. You will pretend to be a refugee and will tell them that we appear to be heading straight for them. You’ll stay only a couple of hours, asking for food and water. Then you’ll leave, heading west as though continuing your flight. Your missions are secret. You will not say anything to anyone about what you are doing. You know what will happen if you do.”
“You”, he said pointing at the first man, startling him, “You will leave in the morning and get there as fast as you can. You’ll tell them you had a small farm just outside of Woodville, Texas that was burned to the ground. If you happen to run across anyone from that area that questions you, you can say something like, ‘Look, I came here to warn you, and I didn’t have to. I’m out of here, you ungrateful son of a bitch.’ Then leave—remember, heading west. When you are well away from the village, circle around and come back here.”
“And you,” Rex said, pointing to the second man, “You will do the same thing, except you’ll leave in three days and you’re from a small farm near Diboll, Texas. You will add one other piece of information to your story. You will say that while hiding, you overheard two of the raiders mention Fort Brazos. You didn’t hear anything else clearly, you don’t know their mission or why they even mentioned Fort Brazos, you just heard one of them say it to another one.
“Here’s the fascinating thing for both of you: you’ve been selected for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that you have family in Baton Rouge. Fail in your mission, and I send word back to kill your families, and not in a nice way, either. Succeed, and after we take Fort Brazos, you can go home to your family right away if you want to. Now, is that clear enough?”
FEBRUARY 8, MORNING
Rex strode into his tent, impatiently telling the radio operator, “This had better be damn good, or you’ll regret sending for me!”
The operator, shaken, started to speak, then cleared his throat and tried again. “I just heard Roman talking to Adrian on the radio. Roman asked Adrian to come home as fast as possible, that he was needed badly because there’s trouble heading toward Fort Brazos. Adrian said he could be there in about three weeks. Roman didn’t specify what the trouble was, just told him to hurry and not talk to anyone on the way.”
Rex, smiling his big, nerve-wracking smile, asked, “Adrian said he would come? Are you completely sure?”
“Yes sir, he said he would leave today, as soon as he gathered up some gear. There’s no doubt about it, he’s heading home today.”
Rex said, “And you haven’t told anyone? This is still our little secret?”
“No sir, not a soul. I haven’t said anything to anyone, just as you ordered.”
Rex’s smile grew even larger and scarier. “Good work. Step outside a minute—I want to praise you in front of the men.”
When they were outside the tent, Rex called some of the men over. “Men, I want you to witness this.” Rex pulled his knife out and slit the radio operator’s throat so fast that his hand was a blur of motion. He watched as the operator’s blood jetted while his heels drummed the ground, until they slowly stopped. “This is what happens to men who fail in their mission. Remember it. Get this body out of here, and then throw his radio junk out of my tent.”
Rex went back into his tent and sat in his camp chair. He didn’t need the radio or the operator any longer; Adrian was heading for Fort Brazos, and it had been confirmed. He thought briefly of the radio operator. Just that much less junk to haul around, and another opportunity to instill fear in his men while also letting off a little steam. A good day, he thought to himself, a very good day indeed.
After the radio equipment had been removed and Rex was alone, he once again pulled out his “Adrian bag” and began fondling its contents. That night as he lay in bed waiting for sleep, he went through his plan for Adrian step by step. He looked for any weakness, any hole, but found none. He slept a deep, contented sleep.