But I'd get lonely up there. It was nice having someone to talk to. What soured the relationship is unclear. But on the border drugs is where you look first. Mayes admitted that he liked to smoke marijuana for his rheumatoid arthritis.
Contraband runs over the dirt roads of Lochiel like rain water.
The holdup and the theft seemed like another drug stickup, a venerable tradition on the border. Mayes told the cops his story, including his belief that Velarde was the gunman, then he went to Sierra Vista to buy a new car. On November 2, detectives showed up at Mayes' hut to ask additional questions about the robbery. Mayes and a friend were inside drinking beer. Investigator Mike Magallanes asked Mayes if he'd had any contact with Velarde since October 24.