ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

"Dieter saved his money. Your granddad and dad inherited that. Family lore has it that Gunter was a gambler and pretty good at it. I wish Kuruk had packed three sandwiches instead of two." Alex chuckled.

"The land grants were 250,000 acres each. With both of those together, I'm still missing 125,000 acres. Any ideas?"

"Oh honey, that's a heated question. Are you sure you want to go there? It may have been what got Gunter killed. Nobody knows for sure."


TODAY'S POST:

CHAPTER 27, PART 4:

Soni stared straight ahead in silence before she finally said, "Before we left, I forgot to notify the airport."

"That little landing-strip you use surely isn't busy this time of night." Alex checked his watch. "It's 2:00 A.M."

While she called to give their estimated time of arrival, she nodded in acknowledgement. "They'll have a taxi waiting to take us to the hospital."

After another lengthy silence, Soni said, "I need to know how we ended up with 625,000 acres. We only started with 250,000. If Gunter gave his land to his brother, we're still short. Please tell me what you know."

"I don't know anything." Alex emphasized the word know. "I'll share the stories I've heard. Is that fair enough?"

Soni nodded. "Thank you." She glanced at Alex, waiting for him to begin. When he didn't, she asked, "So Dieter paid for his land with money he'd saved, and Gunter paid for his with gambling monies?"

"Not so fast. Gunter did a good day's work. He was a hard worker but invested his money, so to speak." He smiled. "He also enjoyed the adrenaline rush of trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"Before Dieter brought his family to West Texas, Gunter helped him build a home for Gisela and the children. Gunter's land never had a house or any building on it." Alex opened his thermos, poured some coffee in the lid, and took a long drink. "I needed that. Once Dieter's family had settled in, he began ranching and was good at it."

"Did Gunter ever settle down?"

"Nope, but he tried." Alex paused. "He helped Dieter get his ranch going. Dieter offered to help Gunter build a house and other ranch buildings. But then the two massacres, the Alamo and Goliad, got in his way. April 21, 1836, the Mexicans were surprised by a Texan army at the Battle of San Jacinto. Gunter was part of that army."

"Was he killed fighting for Texas freedom?"

"No."

Soni released a deep breath. "Grandfather and you have been drawing this story out for hours, but it seems like days. How did Gunter die, and how did I get 125,000 extra acres?" She pouted. "Why wasn't I told about this? Because I'm a female?"

"I can't answer that. I don't know." After a brief hesitation, Alex continued, "The short version is that Gunter won the land in a poker game from a Mexican named Juan Paco Martinez-Vega. There were accusations of cheating, but nothing was ever proven. The war broke out with Mexico, and Gunter went to fight."

"Did Martinez-Vega kill Gunter?"

Alex waited until Soni landed the helicopter before he answered, "Gunter was found dead on the property line between his and the newly acquired land."

Soni's eyes met his. "Exactly where did the property lines go back then?"

"Your original 250,000 acres stretched from I35 to the reservation and that area by the Edwards Plateau."

"Did it follow I35 all the way to Laredo?"

"No. Gunter's land started about Big Grizzly and went south and east."

"So the 125,000 acres went by Laredo and pretty much followed the border," interrupted Soni. After Alex nodded, she asked, "How did Gunter die?"

"It happened under a Comanche Moon. Gunter was found staked spread-eagle and naked over a red-ant bed. Because a Comanche lance lay beside him and his clothes were scattered all around, most Texans believed it wasn't a Comanche attack but made to look like one. We'll never know."

"Native Americans valued their weapons. They would never have left one." Soni opened the helicopter door, paused, turned, and looked at Alex. "So Martinez-Vega murdered my Uncle Gunter?"