the children were anxious to get to bed so they could go riding again in the morning ; but the adults talked far into the night.-it already seemed that they and aunt winnie had always been a part of each others lives.- * -- * -- * -- sheriff lester finkley did not appreciate being chewed out as he had just been chewed.-but there didnt seem to be much he could do about it.-when it had started three years earlier all they had asked of him was that he be somewhere else or look the other way while the drugs were being brought in.-it had seemed relatively harmless then.-now , though , he realized he was in way over his head and there was no way outnot any more.-in a way , he didnt especially want a way out.-the money was too good and he rather enjoyed his political clout and hobnobbing with his political allies.-just last week , he had been invited to the judges house for dinner and only yesterday he had met in austin with governor anderson and senator kirkland.-they were all on a first name basis and he did like that.-he smiled to himself as he continued to follow the winding road that led to his sprawling ranch-style home some eleven miles outside of laredo.-as he pulled the red corvette into the three-car detached garage , he was thinking that nothing much mattered any more anyhow.-since his wife , midge , had died of cancer almost seven years ago , he didnt even come here often at all.-of course , everything would be clean and tidy.-the mexican girl , kelsey , came in twice a week to keep everything shipshape in case he wanted to do some entertaining and occasionally he would have meetings there with some of the men he worked for.-the place was isolated enough for them to have complete privacy.- his phone number was unlisted and only a handful of people had the number so when the phone was ringing when he entered the house , he was pretty sure who would be on the other end.-he was still smarting from his earlier dressing down and not at all anxious to answer the phone.-he figured they would give up eventually but when it continued to ring , he reluctantly answered.-he made his voice sound breathless as though he had rushed to answer it .