Border War by Lou Dobbs & James O. Born

Author:Lou Dobbs & James O. Born
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A Tom Doherty Associates Book

TWENTY-THREE

Tom Eriksen had never been on the set of a TV news show before, or any kind of show, for that matter. Glass partitions had been put up in the front courtyard of the Bank of America office building to enclose a set built up on a platform facing an audience area with simple wooden benches. More people could crowd in behind the benches if they didn’t mind standing. Ted Dempsey had explained that the set was going to be stored in El Paso so he could do a number of shows from the city in the coming months.

A small army of technicians and workers had moved everything into place in just a couple of hours. High-intensity lights flooded the area, and security guards kept people from wandering behind the set, which consisted of two chairs facing each other and a second, smaller space that looked like it was used for news updates.

The excitement of the crowds and the bustling crew as well as memories of his lunch with Kat Gleason had come together to put Eriksen in a good mood.

He had been nervous accepting Ted Dempsey’s invitation to visit the set and watch the first live broadcast from El Paso. Mike Zara would have a stroke if he knew Eriksen was anywhere near Ted Dempsey, but Lila had convinced him it would be fun and said she wasn’t going to come by herself. In truth, he knew he needed a distraction from dwelling on John Houghton’s death. Next week, after the complete autopsy, they were meeting with the El Paso homicide detective, and then he might get some closure. That didn’t change the fact that one of the few people he could trust in El Paso was gone.

Lila came up beside him and pointed out how distinct the two different groups of people in front of the set were. They didn’t look like protesters, but some carried signs. On one side of the set the signs had slogans like STOP OUTSOURCING or SENSIBLE IMMIGRATION. The other side of the crowd had more of an angry demeanor and signs that said such things as NAZIS WERE ANTI-IMMIGRATION TOO and RAMOS IS A TRAITOR.

Lila said, “This is interesting. I didn’t realize his first guest was Elizabeth Ramos.”

Eriksen turned from surveying the crowd and said, “The senator?”

“The only senator who’s been making headlines for weeks. People either love her or hate her.”

Eriksen started surveying the crowd as if he were on a security detail: Every person was a potential assassin and every object a possible weapon. He found himself checking the number of security people and saw that the producers had hired El Paso police officers in addition to the private security force.

Lila’s phone spit out the beat she used as one of her ringtones. She looked at the phone, then said to Eriksen, “This is one of my good sources in Mexico. I gotta take this.”

* * *

Eric Sidle felt a jolt of excitement seeing his friend alive and sitting at one of the picnic benches in the courtyard of the touristy marketplace.

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