Part Six
By MaryAnn Beverly
around. The wound was not serious, but the doctor had said he might have
headaches and experience dizziness for a few days. Diego was grateful the
injury was not worse.
"Si, Don Diego?" The sergeant moved closer.
"Did you ever learn anything more about the man with the piercing blue eyes?"
"No, Don Diego; I never had time. I was going to find him last night, but
right after you left, there was a fire at the stables. All of the lancers and
I joined the water brigade. By the time the fire was out, I was so tired, I
went to bed. I forgot all about the stranger."
"Do you know what caused the fire?" Diego tried to stand and was forced to
grab the back of a chair.
"No. Maybe a lantern was left burning and a horse kicked it over," the
sergeant suggested.
"A lamp burning in the middle of the night?" Diego frowned. "Tio is not
usually that careless. Sergeant," Diego thought of something else, "you never
told me what had you upset last night. Before the fire, I mean. When we were
in the tavern."
"Was I upset?" Garcia said evasively. "I don't remember being upset."
"Bernardo had been hit in the head, and I brought him back into the tavern.
Remember? You acted oddly."
"Of course I remember that Bernardo was hurt. First him, now you. That is a
very unusual coincidence, isn't it, Don Diego?"
"I wonder if it was a coincidence at all," Diego spoke ruefully. "I suspect
that Bernardo being hit, Tio's fire, or the cattle rustling here today are
somehow connected."
"You do?" Sergeant Garcia said with surprise. "But who would do that? And
why, Don Diego?"
"That is exactly what I intend to learn," Diego muttered under his breath.
*******
"Show me on the map again," del Mondego demanded as he looked over Carlo's
shoulder.
"Right here," Carlos pointed a grimy finger to a location on the paper spread
on the ground before him. "The de la Vega rancho covers all this land," he
made a large circle with the dirty hand, "and the hacienda is here.
Following the markings on this map, we want to dig right here," he stabbed at
a particular spot.
"All right," del Mondego nodded. "I am going into town to see Basilio again.
We are going to have to find more hired hands since we lost so many in the
failed raid. I need to learn how young de la Vega is too. I don't think he
was killed thanks to you being such a bad shot."
"I never tried to shoot someone while galloping across hills," Carlos
protested.
"No excuses," del Mondego snapped. "You're not the one who has to explain
this foul up." He mounted his horse. "Stay out of sight. That fat sergeant
and his lancers may be patrolling the countryside for the remaining 'cattle
rustlers.'"
*******
The first knock almost made Basilio jump from his chair. The second, slow,
deliberate knock did propel him from the chair and to the door. He opened it
carefully.
"Good, you recognize the sign," del Mondego said as he strode in.
"Of course I recognize it," Basilio huffed. "Well?" he said impatiently as
del Mondego eased himself into a chair and stretched his legs.
"We need to make a few alterations in our plans," del Mondego said
unconcerned.
"In other words, you failed," Basilio frowned.
"For the moment," del Mondego agreed. "I had hoped that the fire would keep
the lancers busy all night and into the morning. The staged cattle raid on
the de la Vega's would have split the father from the son. Apart, they would
have been easy to kill."
"What went wrong?" Basilio demanded. "Why is it so difficult for you to get
rid of one old man and his cowardly son?"
"Never mind about the failed attempt," del Mondego shrugged off Basilio's
concern. "I will come up with something new that will succeed. However, I
will need more money to hire more men."
"Why should I give you more money?" Basilio demanded. "Why should I
throw good after bad?"
Del Mondego turned his icy blue eyes on the smaller man. "We both answer
to a higher authority. Do you want to explain to him that his treasure will
forever remain buried on the de la Vega rancho because you don't want to
cough up a few more pesos so that I can get the men I need to do the job?"
"Oh, all right," Basilio went into a desk drawer and withdrew a leather
pouch. He handed several gold coins to del Mondego. "I will expect to
recover all my expenses when the treasure is divided."
"You will. Right now, I think you should pretend to be a good servant of the
people and take a ride out to the de la Vega's. Express your concern for the
lawlessness in the area. Find out how badly the young man was hurt. If he was
hurt badly enough to die, half our problem will be solved."
**********
"Thank you," Diego said to Bernardo when the servant placed a cool, damp
cloth against Diego's head. "How is your own head?"
Bernardo touched the bump on his head gently and grimaced slightly. He
forced a smile to his round face to indicate that he would be okay. He made
his sign for Sergeant Garcia and looked around Diego's bedroom."
"He's gone," Diego answered. "He thinks all of these recent events are
unrelated." When Diego saw the incredulous look on Bernardo's face, he
chuckled lightly. "My feelings exactly. There is something going on,
Bernardo, and although I have no proof, I do have a hunch that Seņor Blue
Eyes is in the middle of it.
Bernardo nodded in agreement as Diego continued. "Let's see what we have.
First you tell me that you see the blue eyed stranger in a huddled conference
with Basilio. When you attempt to follow the stranger from the tavern,
someone obviously didn't want you to see where he went and knocked you
over the head."
Bernardo nodded again. He pointed to his own eyes and made them grow cold and
hard.
"Yes, quite possibly it was Seņor Blue Eyes himself. But if he knew that you
had seen him with Basilio in the tavern, why would he not want you to see him
meet with Basilio again? Perhaps because he wasn't going to meet Basilio?
Perhaps he was going to the stable to start a fire?"
Bernardo shrugged with uncertainty. "I agree," Diego said. "Why start a fire
in town? And why rustle cattle here? To draw me out so that I could be shot
and killed? Diego de la Vega is not perceived as a threat to anyone. As a
diversionary tactic? Diverting attention from what?" Bernardo shrugged again.
"We have more questions than answers, my friend," Diego sighed. "Perhaps
Zorro can gain information we cannot." He started to get up from his bed,
groaned, and fell back against the pillows. "Tomorrow," he concluded weakly.
"Zorro can ride tomorrow."
"Diego?" Alejandro knocked briefly before opening the door and sticking his
head into the room. "Diego, Seņor Basilio is here. He would like to talk to
us about what happened today. Can you come down?"
"Yes, Father," Diego struggled again to get up.
"I will see you downstairs," Alejandro said as he left.
Bernardo steadied his master and helped him put on his dressing gown. "How
nice of Seņor Basilio to pay a visit," Diego said. He smiled when he saw
Bernardo's expression. "Well, since Zorro cannot ride today, don't you think
it is very considerate of Seņor Basilio to visit Zorro?"
*************End of Past Six ************
