Empty Saddles - Michael Kennard

Captain Morgan Trelawney's research into the mysterious disappearance of his great grandfather, the legendary Texas Ranger Zachariah Trelawney, who disappeared into Mexico one hundred years earlier, takes an unexpected turn when the mutilated bodies of an entire family are discovered at the old Blevins homestead. It looked like a drug related murder, but Morgan saw it differently, call it a gut feeling. So close to the Mexican border, with every law enforcement agency swarming all over. It just didn't make sense. Drawn into the dangerous world of Mexican drug dealers, events both personal and otherwise soon turn Morgan's case into a quest for retribution rather than justice.

With the icy north wind whipping around his coat tails, Zachariah removed his hat and held it in front of him. As he stared down at the freshly dug mound of earth he uttered a silent prayer. He'd known the girl only briefly, yet somehow he felt a sense of guilt. Long Tom believed he'd done for them both, ' well he was wrong, and he was gonna pay!' thought the Ranger. Taking the reins of his horse he mounted and without looking back, rode off.

Thus begins a chain of events that will lead finally to the foothills of the Sierra Madre and those Empty Saddles......