The next morning over breakfast, Danita and her parents talked about anything except the Sanchezes, but they were the subtext underlying every word. Afterwards, as she helped load the dishwasher, Danita could tell that her mother wanted to ask her to change her mind about visiting them, but she must’ve known it would do no good.
Back in her room, she called Barb, and they went over her plans for the day, discussing how best to approach the Sanchezes.
“They’re proud people,” said Danita. “They won’t accept help easily.”
“It’s your job to convince them. Jackery won’t be satisfied with a single farm. This is merely the first step in a larger scheme.”
They went on to discuss how Danita’s conversation with the Sanchezes was likely to go and what Barb could do to support her. They discussed Ramon’s cancer and the treatment he needed and how Jackery was using it as leverage against them.
“That’s the easiest problem to solve,” said Barb. “Tell them I’ll cover it and leave the rest to me.”
“He won’t want your charity.”
“It’s not charity,” laughed Barb. “It’s strategy. Taking one of Jackery’s moves away from him. Tell this Ramon whatever you need to. I trust you to find a way.”
They talked a little more and hung up.
As Danita walked to her car, Jock and Sunny came out to demand attention. She knelt and loved them up. She appreciated their uncomplicated and enthusiastic affection. Especially as she didn’t know what challenges the day would hold. She’d presented a front of confidence to both Barb and her parents that she didn’t actually feel. The picture her parents had painted of a corrupt Sheriff’s department was terrifying. But the Sanchezes were decent people who desperately needed an ally. She knew very well how that felt. She would follow through with her plans to talk with them.
One last pat for each dog, and she walked to her car. She executed a 180 and headed down the driveway. As she reached the road, she looked for the cruiser that had tailed her before, half expecting it to be waiting for her. But the road was empty. She turned away from town and toward the next farm over, which belonged to the Sanchezes.
It didn’t take her long to reach their driveway and turn in. She wound her way up the gravel lane to their simple farmhouse. It may not have been elaborate, but it was well cared for—freshly painted, windows clean, yard trimmed, flowers blooming in half barrels on the porch. It was clear that this place was loved.
Danita drove up to the porch and parked. As she got out of her car, the front door of the farmhouse opened. A woman stepped out onto the porch. She stood, arms crossed and eyes hooded. Danita barely recognized her as Maria Sanchez. She seemed to have aged ten years in the year since Danita had last been in town. Her face was drawn, and there were gray streaks in her long black hair.
“Hello, Maria,” said Danita, standing at the bottom of the porch. “How are you?”
“What do you want?” said Maria.
“I heard about what’s going on, and I came over to help.”
Maria let loose a bark of mirthless laughter. “Girl, there’s nothing you or anyone can do for us.”
“Can I at least come inside and talk with you?”
“Why would you want to do that? Do you want your family’s house to burn?”
Danita paused. She hadn’t considered that she might be putting her parents at risk. She got out her phone and fired off a quick encrypted text to Barb. The reply came back instantly.
Already on it.
She felt a rush of relief. She looked up at Maria, who stood in the open doorway watching her. Danita put away her phone.
“I haven’t come here on my own,” she said. “I’m representing someone powerful who would like to help you.”
“Who’s that?”
“May I please come inside? I’ll tell you everything.”
Danita could see the struggle play out on Maria’s face: suspicion that this was another trick versus hope that maybe it wasn’t. It took a while for her to decide, but in the end, hope won out, and Maria nodded.
“Come on in.”
It was cool and dark inside the Sanchez house, and all the curtains were closed. It took a moment for Danita’s eyes to adjust. As they did, she became aware of a figure sitting in an armchair facing the door. This had to be Ramon, but Danita didn’t recognize him. He was drawn, haggard, a shell of the robust man she remembered. The only things the same were his eyes. They looked at Danita frankly, with sharp intelligence behind them. He gave her a small nod in greeting. She nodded back.
“How are you doing?” she said.
“I’m dying,” he said. “Other than that, not too bad.”
“Can I get you anything to drink?” said Maria. “I’ve got iced tea or lemonade.”
“Some lemonade would be nice,” said Danita. She wasn’t thirsty, but she knew Maria to be a proud woman. Giving her the opportunity to play the proper hostess was a way of showing respect.
As Danita’s eyes adjusted to the dimness, she saw the room clearly. It was exactly as she remembered it. She took a seat on the sofa, facing Ramon.
“Come to pay your respects?” he said.
“Actually, I’ve come to help.”
He didn’t laugh at her words as his wife had, but Danita could tell he didn’t think much of them. She didn’t blame him after everything they’d been through. But she needed to get him—and Maria—to trust her.
“I’m here representing a powerful person who’s heard about your situation and wants to help.”
“Who’s that?”
“No one you’ve heard of,” she said. “I didn’t know them myself until I was in a helpless situation and they helped me.”
“What kind of helpless situation?” said Maria, walking into the room with a glass of lemonade.
Danita took a calculated risk and told them the story of Dave. By the time she finished her story, Maria had tears in her eyes, and Ramon’s jaw was clenched in anger. She then described how a stranger had appeared out of nowhere and rescued Danita from her personal nightmare.
“And you say this person wants to help us now?” said Maria.
“Exactly,” said Danita.
“Do you have any idea what we’re up against?” said Ramon.
“I think so, but why don’t you give me the details, so I can report back the full truth?”
“It started about two months ago,” said Maria. “This lawyer called up out of the blue and offered us an insulting amount for our property. When we said no, he told us we’d regret it. He also seemed to know about Ramon’s cancer and said we should take the money to pay for his treatment.”
“He said that since we don’t have any children, we had no reason to hold on to our farm,” said Ramon.
Danita’s eyes went to the mantel and the pictures of Ramon, Junior, the son who’d made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. She knew the pain of that memory, and she felt outraged on their behalf.
“We still said no,” continued Ramon. “The next thing we knew, county agents were crawling over the farm, issuing citations for the most ridiculous things, like some old pesticides they found in the shed. I’d been storing them until I could safely dispose of them. They also cited us for animal cruelty because some of our cattle had infected hooves, which we were already having treated.”
“We tried to reason with them,” said Maria. “But they showed up with trailers and drove away with all our livestock. Then they presented us with a bill for the transport and care of our own animals.”
“The next thing we knew, the bank locked our accounts,” said Ramon. “They said we were suspected of money laundering.”
“That call came on the very day we were planning to leave for Stanford to start Ramon’s treatment,” said Maria. “That night we got a call from the lawyer offering us half of what he’d offered before. We still said no.”
“We said hell no,” said Ramon. “Now, they tell us the sheriff will be auctioning off our farm.”
“I’m only glad Ramon Junior didn’t live to see how shameful they’re treating us,” said Maria.
“And it’s not just us,” said Ramon. “They’ve gone after any and everyone who’s reached out to help.”
“We’re completely alone.”
“Not anymore,” said Danita. “My friend is ready and able to help you. The first way will be to cover the cost of your treatment.”
Ramon and Maria looked at each other.
“Do you have any idea how much money we’re talking about?” said Maria.
“Believe me, Barb can cover it,” said Danita, regretting the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. She knew how much the woman valued her anonymity, and here she’d gone and blurted out her name.
Fortunately, neither of the Sanchezes seemed to notice.
Ramon shook his head. “I’ve never taken charity in my life, and I’m not about to start now.”
“It’s not a gift,” said Danita. “It’s a loan. When you get your money back, you can repay it.”
“I still can’t take it,” said Ramon. He turned to Maria. “Not if it means leaving you here to fight this battle without me.”
Maria looked at Danita and then at Ramon. She seemed to be weighing something in her mind. At last, her mouth set as if she’d made a decision.
“I love you, Ramon,” she said. “But you’re no use to me like this. You need to go get that treatment while it can still help you.”
“But, Maria—”
“No, Ramon. My mind is made up.” Maria turned to Donita. “How soon can we get him to Stanford?”
Danita held up a finger. She cocked her head, listening for something. There it was, faint but clear. She smiled. Soon, Ramon and Maria heard it too. A chuff-chuff getting louder and louder. Maria went to the window. She opened the curtains just as a helicopter set down on the grass in front of the house.
“Your ride’s here,” said Danita.
#
Danita helped Ramon to his feet and out to the helicopter while Maria packed a small bag of his things. The pilot got Ramon seated and belted in, handing him a set of earphones. Ramon looked to Danita.
“I don’t feel right leaving Maria alone like this.”
“She won’t be alone. I promise you. The best thing you can do for her right now is focus on getting well.”
Maria came bustling out of the house, carry-on bag in hand. She hurried to the waiting copter where the pilot helped her stow the bag in the cargo area behind the seats. Danita stepped away to give the Sanchezes a moment of privacy to say their goodbyes. As she did, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and found a text from Barb, which she quickly read. She turned to the pilot.
“You need to take off now.”
He nodded. He stepped over to Maria and tapped her gently on the shoulder. She gave her husband one last kiss and stepped back as the pilot climbed aboard. The blades began to turn again. Maria stood beside Danita, looking into Ramon’s eyes. He matched her gaze. A shiver went through Danita at the depth of emotion she felt traveling between them.
Just before the helicopter lifted off, the sound of sirens came from the direction of the road. Sheriff’s cruisers came roaring up the driveway, lights flashing. By the time they reached the house, the chopper was in the air and leveling off for its trip to Stanford.
The door of the first cruiser swung open, and a uniformed deputy jumped out. He looked skyward, frowning. The other cars stopped, and their drivers jumped out as well. All stood impotently as the helicopter got smaller in the sky.
“Hello, Hank,” said Maria to the first deputy. “If you’ve come looking for Ramon, you’re too late.”
“I’ve got a warrant for his arrest,” said the deputy.
“Unless you can fly, he’s out of your jurisdiction,” said Danita.
“And who are you?” said the deputy.
“Danita Walker.”
“I’ve got a warrant for your arrest, too.”
“Of course you do.”