The toll road from Ojinaga to Ciudad Chihuahua cuts straight through a rolling plain between the Matasaguas Mountain Range and the La Mula Mountain Range. In the afternoon, particularly in the summer, it heads into a setting sun that falls and rises with the countless short hills it traverses. It is a lonely road. Of the few roads leading away from it into the sierras, only the turnoff to Highway 67 heading to Camargo is paved. That and the gravel road leading to the Mennonite Farm are the only ones that show signs of frequent traffic. Besides a mesmerizing sun, drivers have to pay close attention to the undulations in the road. One moment the highway drops slightly and opens up for a long stretch, and the next instant it bottoms out and rises and reduces the stretch of road that is visible. Except for the inspection station at Potreros del Llano, traditionally known as La Mula, and the toll booth half way between Aldama and Ojinaga, there are no settlements or other fixed impediments that would cause a driver to stop on the highway.
"I still can't get out of my mind the audacity of that güey with the pots," said Ervey, "he just assumed he could steal from his boss and make the two fools he had just met go along with him. Wow!"
Ervey waited for Lilo to respond, but nothing came. After several seconds, he probed again.
"How does that happen? You know, that a kid like that begins to think he's can do that," said Ervey, "bad upbringing, bad education, poverty? What? You sounded like you knew him somehow. How do you explain it?"
Lilo took a long time to answer. Before he did, he tipped his head forward to indicate to Ervey that La Mula had now come over the horizon. Ervey looked up and nodded in acknowledgement, but turned back to Lilo to make clear he wanted an answer.
"I know his people. Just from how he looked and acted I could tell his family's always been from town. The miserable ones who prey on the people from the surrounding rancherias. They always think they're better, quicker-witted, and more worldly because they live in town instead of the countryside. And that the country folk are there to follow their orders or to be easy duped. One of their usual tricks, if they can't convince you that they're a big shit themselves, is to invoke the name of some big shit or another," said Lilo, almost snarling.
A long pause followed. Then he spoke again.
"And now with the narcos fighting with each other and with the military, these little shits sneak in and take over the shadows and empty spaces created by the chaos and fear. They act like narcos as much as they can without drawing the attention of the actual narcos or the military. Sometimes they serve as snitches or lookouts for either side, holding the narcos' and officers' balls until they're not needed anymore. Of course, all this gives them the wherewithal to swagger around. In their minds, the country folk should know who they are and fear them. But for people like me who grew up with guys who became gunslingers for the narcos, well, we know a wannabe when we see one, and the Omars know when we see through them. They're not worth three peanuts," he said.
"So a lot of the crime that rages in the narco wars is from güeyes like him?" asked Ervey.
"Sí, more fish get by in a muddy river," said Lilo, "and the narcos hate it as much as the innocents because to them these little shits profit off of someone else's name brand for free and heat things up for everybody."
"But it must be hard to figure out which one is which, no?" said Ervey.
"One can tell," said Lilo, "just like I can tell what road in life you're on and how you were raised. Like I said, some people I can tell where they're from just by how they walk."
Ervey sat back in his seat, an incredulous look on his face. Lilo looked over at him briefly and turned back to the road and smiled.
"Bueno, here's the inspection station. Let's see what they say about the Tarahumas," said Lilo, "Don Carlos or that shit Omar didn't give us any receipts, right?"
"Nothing," said Ervey.
"Just tell them we're taking them back to the Sierra Tarahumara because the gringos aren't buying them," said Lilo.
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