The treatment (80)

“May just have to let them go.”
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t think you’re going to find out their business. And they’re going to want to know mine. And that means they find out Kaylee was in the cab with me. And that could harm Kaylee, if they are working for Van Buren.”
“That’s not my concern, Leland.”
“I know, Ro; but if you’re going to dig into this, make it worth your while, because it could definitely cause big trouble for us.”
“Leland.”
“I know you’re the duly elected dude. I’ll leave it in your hands, and I’ll vote for you either way. Ok? So relax.”
“Yessir.”

The treatment (79)

“Who were they?”
“We got their names; Jack’s holding them. They said they were private eyes and bondsmen, looking for a witness out here. May have made a mistake, they said. They do have licenses and they have a lawyer flying in from Dallas. Other than that, they’re not talking.”
“Cutty know any of this?”
“Yeah, he saw it. He’s willing get them for trespassing, but that’s not much.”
“No.”

The treatment(78)


“Here’s Rojo and Torres now.”
“The grub’s on me, Noemi.”
“Make it to go; we got to get back. Put a double in for Jack. He’s got the keys to their cells.”

The treatment (77)

“Kaylee, go back to the back and tell your gals to lay low until we find out who these boys were.”
“What happened, Nunk?”
“We had us a little detour through the draw down at Cutty’s.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it was a wild one.”

The treatment (76)

“I’m going to go up the draw for about a quarter of a mile; it’s low and they probably won’t see me. Then I’ll shoot for the road and a cattleguard he doesn't see and meet Rojo on his way in. How close are they?”
“They’ve slowed a little; they’re back about 150 yards.”
“It should work; they can’t see me in these turns.”
“Ok, don’t see them.”
“Now up this rise into the clear and to the highway.”
“They’re lost. They’re back 300 now.”
“Ok, get me Rojo again.”
“We’re on the road coming to you, man.”
“You’re in my sights. Jack and Torres are on the way. I see both trucks, we’ll stop them, and you get on.”
“Muy bien. Noemi will front you a free breakfast when this is over.”
“Si.”

The treatment (75)

“Now there is a red truck coming up behind me, and I don’t know it.”
“Oh, oh. And there is the other truck way up there, waiting at the road for us.”
“Ok, it’s going to get rough here, but these tires will take this ground all right. We’ll ride in toward Cutty’s cattle; he won’t mind.”
“Shouldn’t we..”
“Get the phone menu and call the Sheriff; then hand me the phone.”
“Ok.”
“This Rojo?”
“Yes.”
“This is Leland. I need some help out toward Cutty’s near the fork.”
“Where are you?”
“In his damn pasture, and two trucks are coming toward me. I’m going to try to make it to the main road and hope they blow out first.”
“I can be there in about five.”
“Ok.”

The treatment (74)

“Look at that truck over there.”
“What about it?”
“Duck your head a little, while I get a look…keep it down; don’t know these guys. Crawl back easy into the back seat. Don’t want anyone who might be one of Van’s guys to put us together.”
“So now what?”
“Stay down. I’m going up this ranch road which will lead back around to the highway.”
“Are they following?”
“No. You can sit up now, but stay in back.”
“Ok.”

The treatment (73)

“This is where I taught when I came back with my M.A.”
“You?”
“Yep. It was ok, but I needed to get back to minding the ranch.”

The treatment (72)

“I’ve got the school’s order. You want to run it down there?”
“Kaylee and I’ll take it.”
“Ok.”
“Lupe, Stet will be up in a little while.”
“Ok, Nunk.”

The treatment (71)

“I’m not made for this.”
“Sit down for a minute, I’ll take the next one, anyway.”
“It’s Leland. He’s coming in.”
“Hi gals. You’re up with the chickens, I see, Kaylee.”
“She even got tipped.”
“Damn. You missed your calling.”
“And it was Carson.”
“Carson, huh. Working on a new man already?”
“I’m not made for this.”
“Could do worse.”

The treatment (70)

“That big man liked me.”
“He gave you a tip?”
“Yes. What do I do with it?”
“Smile, wave goodbye, and put it in your pocket.”
“But I don’t need it.”
“Then put it in the jar, and we’ll give it to Father John.”
“He comes?”
“Everybody comes.”

The treatment (69)

“Where do they come from?”
“All around.”
"And..."
“Maria and Lupe will have the food together. I’ll take the orders. I usually walk them out.”
“But I can.”
“Si. I’ll point to the trucks.”

The treatment (68)

“What time is it?”
“It’s 5:45.”
“You’re already up?”
“Since 4:00.”
“Everyday you do this?”
“Except Sunday.”
“By yourself?”
“No. Lupe and Maria help.”
“Can I help?”
“Sure, you can walk out the take-outs. I’ll show you what to do.”

The treatment (67)

“I have a check here for the orphanage, by the way.”
“Father John will be so happy. You must meet him.”
“I’d like that very much.”
“The others have gone to sleep, we need to soon.”
“Yes.”
“You can sleep in Franco’s room; the sheets are fresh; I keep up everything for my children.”
“All these trophies.”
“Franco is a 4th degree blackbelt. Someday he may start his own school.”
“Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“Si. Buenos noches.”
”Buenos noches.”

The treatment (66)

“So what happened to your father?”
“Well, my grandparents had given most of their oil to found the hospital. They had been quite successful with our oil fields. So we had a 16th to keep the ranch running, if we needed it. And it was plenty. “
“So your father?”
“He left when I was young, to look for minerals in Africa; thought he could do better there and not in oil. He loved rocks. He was a hard-rock geologist, didn’t like oil much. He would return for a month at a time, and then go back to running his concessions. I was told he had found, among other things, diamonds.”
“What happened to him?”
“Just disappeared. Never have found him. His plane was found on the savannah, undamaged, but he was gone.”
“Just like that.”
“Yes. After that, we never saw a dime from the concessions, either.”
“Your mother…”
“She lasted about fifteen years, smokin’ like a chimney, looking out the window all day and night for him. We sold out the cattle; she couldn’t keep up with them without Dad. Could not concentrate. Ran the help off, mostly. She was a wreck.”
“Who took of care of you?”
“Mae showed up and took care of both of us. Mom liked her. Mae could calm her. Then mother died of a bad lung cancer, and she took care of me and watched me go through my marriages, biting her tongue, mostly.”
“Oh my.”

The treatment (65)

“Who are these Van Burens?”
“Well, they are neighbors.”
“But not good neighbors. Why not?”
“Jealousy, I think. If I heard my mother and grandmother right. And as our men died, and as my dad did not stay, we got weak.”
“So here you are, looking for strength in Leland.”
”He is strong.”
“Yes, and very patient, and very generous and fair.”
“You love him just a bit, a don’t you.”
“Si, in my way. I’ve been blessed with two good men.”

The treatment (64)

“How long have you lived here?”
“All my life.”
“Why do you stay? You have enough to go anywhere.”
“I’ll guess I’ll always be here, just to keep the others from running over us.”
“The others?”
“The Van Burens. And various other neighbors.”
“You need to find a good man to have some babies with. They’ll make your life better.”
“I tried, but they all wanted my money, and I did not want any kids by them.”
“Who were they?”
”One was a PBR bull rider. We lasted a several years but he got to like one-night stands with eighteen year olds. He took me for quite a ride.”
“Oh no.”
“The next was a preacher’s son. I guess he thought I’d bankroll his TV evangelism venture. That did not last long, about eighteen months.”
“Que lastima.”
“The last one. He was an SMU lawyer who wanted my family’s connections in town. He got them. But we could not get along. He always had a plan for a venture with “our” money. He bought the big car I usually drive.”
“I have not seen it.”
“That’s right; you were not at the bank when we drove out the first time. I left it there when we came to lunch. Leland said it would run off your business.”
“Lalo.”

The treatment (63)

“How long have you lived here?”
“Thirty years.”
“By this road, in this house?”
“Yes. My husband’s father left it to us.”
“We took over, and then my husband died some time ago.”
“What was his name?”
“Hector; he died suddenly, and I have run the store since. We had expanded it and have a bank note which I am just about to pay down.”
“Who’s going to run things when you retire?”
“Don’t know. My boy Franco may come back and run it when he tires of the Gulf.”
“Gulf?”
“He works oil.”

The treatment (62)

“I just called Lalo.”
“Leland?”
“Si.”
“What time are you getting up?”
“About 4 o’clock.”
“We’re beat; we can all go to sleep a little early; it’s been a big day.”
“You got that right.”
“Here’s a little herbal tea, a recipe from my grandmother. It makes the cool nights so nice.”
“Thank you.”
“Where’d you get those green eyes?”
“My grandmother had them and so did my mother. It’s not supposed to be. That’s what they tell me.”
“We have a sweater for you; it’s got some of that green in it.”
“It’s very beautiful; thank you so much. Leland will love it.”
“Does he see those things?”
“Si, but he does not know he does.”

The treatment (61)

“Not sure what yet to do here, Sonny.”
“I can’t tell how serious this has gotten, either.”
“Kaylee, I’ll run you up to Noemi’s, or Sonny can stay here and you stay in his trailer. Or I can open the backwing of the house; it will be a tad dusty.”
“Let me ask the girls.”
“Ok.”
“We’ll go to Noemi’s.”
“No offense; y’all go dig for some dirt on me.”
“No need for you to lead, Mae knows the way.”
“I’ll call her; if I don’t hear from her in twenty minutes, I’m on the way.”

The treatment (60)

“You all may have blown the lid off the place, Kaylee.”
“We may have, Leland.”
“Whew.”
“Yeah. I guess I pushed a little too hard.”
“I wouldn’t fret too much over it. You had to make some kind of move.”
“Yeah.”
“So somebody’s got to sit your house, huh…?”
“Let’s sort that out in the morning. I think I can get my neighbor to the east.”
“Roundstaff?”
“Yeah, his daughter’s done it before. Boyfriend’s a deputy who’ll check in on her.”

The treatment (59)

“How was it your ex happened to call, Mae?”
“He’s a revenuer.”
“Good Lord. Both of y’all are tough people.”
“Yessir.”
“So what was the deal?”
“Well, he’s high up in Revenue at the state and saw the Macon name turn up in some investigation.”
“Of what?”
“Some bad property deals down in Philadelphia, with some Texas connections.”
“Whoa. Is it in the press?”
“They are on a list that is public now, Leland; isn’t that right, Mae?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“But how did the Macon name get into it?”
“Don’t know; he just felt I’d be interested.”
“So you all are on good terms.”
“Oh, yessir; by now we need to be; don’t talk all that much, though.”

The treatment (58)

“Yes, Sonny, we can go north to the yard; can be there in fifteen minutes or so.”
“Ask for Gene. He’ll put up your Maybach and get you a good ride.”
“Will do, Sonny.”
“Ok, we’ll look for you in a couple of hours.”
“Tell Leland we may have to stay somewhere up by you.”
“We got a spot or two.”

The treatment (57)

“Let’s move, Mae.”
“Ok.”
“Fast.”
“Where to?”
“Toward the ranch.”
“Ok.“
“But then we double back.”
“To where?”
“Leland’s; we may have to stay the night there. Got a bad feeling. ‘Fraid to go back our way. Make sure we’re not being followed.”
“Let’s call him, Melissa.”
“Whose going to feed the dogs and horses?”
“I’ll get the vet’s boy to go feed ‘em. They won’t bother him.”
“The vet, first, Melissa, it’s getting late in the day.”
“Done.”

The treatment (56)

“Walt, I have to unwind that deal. The committee will start digging into it if it is not unwound. ”
“Can’t Van; the oil has been pledged. It’s with the investment bankers now. It’s all in the document.”
“Then I’ve got to cover the trade with additional assets for the trust.”
“We can pledge them back to you off the balance sheet and have the equivalent of all the royalty payments come direct to you until this blows over.”
“How?”
“You just pledge me back the stock.”
“Off balance sheet?”
“Yes. The audit’s done and there won’t be another for a several months.”
“But the offering.”
“It’s touch and go, but it will turn around in a quarter or two. They’ll be off your back and you’ll be fine.”
“Ok. So you’ll write me a letter I can privately show my board.”
“Privately. But’ll I want some collateral from you, like your end of the metals concession. You’ll have to pledge some net smelter interests to me, so I have the money to send to the trust. We’re all a little short here.”
“I can put up 25% of my end privately.”
“50%, privately.”
“Ok.”

The treatment (55)

“Walt, how does she know about that?”
“Don’t have any idea.”
“That’s totally inside info.”
“Did not say where she read it?”
“No.”
“Damn.”
“I know it.”
“The counterparties are in Philadephia. How would she know?”

The treatment (54)

“All of you will be held accountable, if this hospital fails.”
“You’re about to be served, Kaylee.”
“Serve me and sue me with my own money, Van. The paper will love that one.”
“Best quiet down.”
“What is it that I read about Walt and Sam Breaker; that there is some trouble with some subprime stuff of theirs? I may be richer than you, Van, and I started with a mere sixteenth.”
“That’s not for here, Kaylee.”
“That’s right, Jim, you heard it here, first.”
“What?”
“The trust production is now part of Breaker Brothers. They fail and your 100k is gone.”
“What about this?”
“It’s not a done deal yet, Jim. I was going to bring it by the committee next week.”
“Then why did you ask me to do it with my production months ago?”
“That’s a lie, Kaylee.”
“Well, your lawyer asked me, Van.”
“That’s a lie.”
“With your blessing.”
“That’s a lie.”
“A lot of lying going on here.”
“This meeting is adjourned.”
“Jim, you adjourning?”
“Yeah, I guess.”