of informants, Clayton drove to Ulibarri’s residence, a single-wide mobile home sandwiched between two small houses on a lane just off Second Street about two miles from downtown. He knocked at the front door unsuccessfully and was about to leave when a porch light flicked on at one of the nearby houses. An elderly woman in a housecoat stepped onto the porch.
“Felix isn’t home,” she called out in Spanish. “Go away.”
Clayton stepped quickly to her, showed his shield, and because his Spanish wasn’t the best, introduced himself in English. The woman’s name was Francis Ulibarri.
“I’m sorry to disturb you so late at night,” he said. “But I need to speak to Felix. Are you a relative?”
Mrs. Ulibarri’s face was heavily wrinkled and glum looking.
“I’m his grandmother,” she said, pulling the housecoat tightly around her body. “What has he done now?”
“Nothing. I have a few questions to ask him about one of his friends.”
Sternly Ulibarri shook her head. “I do not allow Felix to bring his friends here. All they do is get borracho and then the police come.”
“Did Felix mention plans to go out of town with a man named Joseph Humphrey?”
“He tells me nothing. He comes, he goes. Sometimes he works for a paving company on jobs out of town.”
“Is he working now?” Clayton asked.
“Maybe, pero I think he’s otra vez la burra el trigo. Back to his old tricks, drinking again.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he stole money from me like he always does when he wants to get drunk. Fifty dollars.”
“When was that?”
She closed her eyes to think. It made her face look even more world-weary. “My memory is no bueno . Maybe three, four days ago.”
“Is that when you last saw him?”
“Si.” Ulibarri opened her eyes.
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“No nice woman would have him.”
Clayton persisted. “But is there a woman he spends time with or sees regularly?”
Ulibarri shook her head and answered in Spanish. “He knows only women who are sinful in the eyes of God.”
Clayton translated her words as best he could. “I am sorry your grandson has brought you so much pain,” he replied. The comment won him a slight, approving nod. “Do you know the name of the company Felix does work for?”
“JG Paving. He has no phone, so I take their messages.”
“Have they called for Felix in the past week?”
“No, pero sometimes he calls them looking for work when he needs the money.”
“Did anyone else call for Felix in the last week?”
“One man, on the day I last saw him,” Mrs. Ulibarri replied. “He said for Felix to meet him at a motel on Central Avenue. I don’t remember which one.”
“My apologies for having woken you,” Clayton said.
Mrs. Ulibarri forced a cheerless smile. “You did not wake me. I am old and sleep little. Soon, I will rest forever in the arms of Jesus.”
Clayton left Mrs. Ulibarri and checked with the two nearby Indian casinos to see if Humphrey really had hit it rich at blackjack. The books at the second casino confirmed a fifty-six-hundred-dollar payout. He got a room at a franchise budget motel near the interstate. In the morning, he’d check with JG Paving, and if Felix wasn’t working, head back home to Lincoln County. Humphrey’s casino winnings were more than enough motive for murder, and Felix Ulibarri was starting to look like a strong suspect.
Satisfied that his time in the city had been well spent, Clayton set the alarm for an early wake up and went to bed.
In early March, after Kerney had arranged for a tour of two sections of land for sale in the Galisteo Basin and a meeting with a local architect he’d known for some years, Sara had flown in for the weekend. By the time she’d boarded a plane back to Fort Leavenworth, they’d signed a land purchase agreement, retained the architect’s services to design their house, leased a furnished guest house on Upper Canyon Road to live in until the
“Felix isn’t home,” she called out in Spanish. “Go away.”
Clayton stepped quickly to her, showed his shield, and because his Spanish wasn’t the best, introduced himself in English. The woman’s name was Francis Ulibarri.
“I’m sorry to disturb you so late at night,” he said. “But I need to speak to Felix. Are you a relative?”
Mrs. Ulibarri’s face was heavily wrinkled and glum looking.
“I’m his grandmother,” she said, pulling the housecoat tightly around her body. “What has he done now?”
“Nothing. I have a few questions to ask him about one of his friends.”
Sternly Ulibarri shook her head. “I do not allow Felix to bring his friends here. All they do is get borracho and then the police come.”
“Did Felix mention plans to go out of town with a man named Joseph Humphrey?”
“He tells me nothing. He comes, he goes. Sometimes he works for a paving company on jobs out of town.”
“Is he working now?” Clayton asked.
“Maybe, pero I think he’s otra vez la burra el trigo. Back to his old tricks, drinking again.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he stole money from me like he always does when he wants to get drunk. Fifty dollars.”
“When was that?”
She closed her eyes to think. It made her face look even more world-weary. “My memory is no bueno . Maybe three, four days ago.”
“Is that when you last saw him?”
“Si.” Ulibarri opened her eyes.
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“No nice woman would have him.”
Clayton persisted. “But is there a woman he spends time with or sees regularly?”
Ulibarri shook her head and answered in Spanish. “He knows only women who are sinful in the eyes of God.”
Clayton translated her words as best he could. “I am sorry your grandson has brought you so much pain,” he replied. The comment won him a slight, approving nod. “Do you know the name of the company Felix does work for?”
“JG Paving. He has no phone, so I take their messages.”
“Have they called for Felix in the past week?”
“No, pero sometimes he calls them looking for work when he needs the money.”
“Did anyone else call for Felix in the last week?”
“One man, on the day I last saw him,” Mrs. Ulibarri replied. “He said for Felix to meet him at a motel on Central Avenue. I don’t remember which one.”
“My apologies for having woken you,” Clayton said.
Mrs. Ulibarri forced a cheerless smile. “You did not wake me. I am old and sleep little. Soon, I will rest forever in the arms of Jesus.”
Clayton left Mrs. Ulibarri and checked with the two nearby Indian casinos to see if Humphrey really had hit it rich at blackjack. The books at the second casino confirmed a fifty-six-hundred-dollar payout. He got a room at a franchise budget motel near the interstate. In the morning, he’d check with JG Paving, and if Felix wasn’t working, head back home to Lincoln County. Humphrey’s casino winnings were more than enough motive for murder, and Felix Ulibarri was starting to look like a strong suspect.
Satisfied that his time in the city had been well spent, Clayton set the alarm for an early wake up and went to bed.
In early March, after Kerney had arranged for a tour of two sections of land for sale in the Galisteo Basin and a meeting with a local architect he’d known for some years, Sara had flown in for the weekend. By the time she’d boarded a plane back to Fort Leavenworth, they’d signed a land purchase agreement, retained the architect’s services to design their house, leased a furnished guest house on Upper Canyon Road to live in until the
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