Grisham got up and moved to the witness chair. Taking the Bible in his hand, he swore his oath and sat down. His blue eyes were twinkling and a slight smile played over his lips as he scanned the audience, resting his glance on the Queen, then on Vera and finally back to Montoya.

"Captain Grisham, have you ever been witness to the defendant committing a crime?" Montoya leaned toward the captain, his eyes intensely focussed, his body tense.

Moving a little uneasily under the colonel's powerful gaze, Grisham chuckled self-consciously. "The only times I've ever seen her, she's been committing crimes. The first time I ever saw her, she was freeing a prisoner from the jail. When I tried to stop her, she knocked me out. Since then, I've encountered the Queen of Swords many times. I've seen her assault the King's soldiers, kill several of them and steal tax money from the Crown. She's a vigilante, a law unto herself who lives outside the law."

Tessa could almost feel Montoya's relief as he smiled at the captain. "And, Captain Grisham, do you have any idea who this vigilante is? What is her true identity which is hidden by that mask?"

Helm was on his feet immediately. "I object, Your Honour. We have given the defendant immunity from revealing her identity. I urge the court to disallow the question."

Gaspar stared at Grisham, a hard look with no liking in it as he stroked his chin reflectively. "Sustained. The witness will refrain from making conjectures of the Queen of Sword's identity."

Seeming a bit nettled, Montoya continued, "Captain Grisham, will you be more specific about the crimes which you have witnessed the accused committing. Details, please, with times and dates." With a self-satisfied smirk, he watched Grisham pull a small notebook out of his tunic.

Tessa turned a surprised look on Helm, who only shrugged. She whispered to the doctor, "If I had known he was taking notes, I would have kept a journal also."

"You mean you haven't? A little something to tell your grandchildren?" Helm retorted sarcastically.

Grisham thumbed through the small book and was about to begin reading when a commotion near the back of the courtroom erupted. Gaspar looked up, then stood hastily, as did the rest of the tribunal. Tessa could hear murmurs behind her and turned around, then got to her feet, urging Helm to do the same.

"The Viceroy!" rolled like a wave from the crowd as they all rose noisily with much scraping of chairs and shuffling.

A slim, angular figure made his way toward the front of the court preceded by four armed guards in bright blue uniforms. He held himself rigidly erect as he paced with a stately tread as if in a royal procession. It was obvious he relished the drama of his entrance. His dark eyes darted everywhere as he moved unhurriedly toward the tribunal.

Gaspar's eyes bulged and his normally florid face lost colour. "Your Excellency," he said. "Welcome to Santa Elena. Now that you are here, Señor Rodrigues, I relinquish my place as head of this tribunal."

The Viceroy waved his hand languidly. "Not at all, my dear Hidalgo. I am only here to observe. This is the most famous trial we have ever had in the territory." Rodrigues fixed Montoya with a steely look. "I only wish I had been informed sooner, so I could have been here from the beginning."

Gaspar rapped his gavel to quiet the muttering in the audience. "We will recess for the day to give his excellency time to rest from his journey and will assemble again tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. Court is adjourned." He rapped his gavel again, then set it down.

Tessa could read the uncertainty in Gaspar's face. Her own heart had lurched when she saw the viceroy. A thousand thoughts rushed through her mind as to what it could mean for her and her chance of a fair trial.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, the Viceroy turned to her, eyeing her as if she were an strange creature from another world. While he studied her, Tessa studied him. He was thin like Helm but there was an edgy quality to his gauntness, like a victim of an insatiable hunger. Even his eyes seemed to meander as if looking for vulnerable prey. Montoya was always scheming and treacherous but the Viceroy had a quality of shrouded madness in his heavy-lidded eyes. Tessa felt like an icicle had lodged in her heart as she met the viceroy's gaze. She held her breath, trying to seem calm as she let him absorb all the information he wanted about her appearance.

Rodrigues turned abruptly to Gaspar. "I wish to see the prisoner alone. Immediately. See to it." He placed his hand on his hip and struck an impatient pose.

"Yes, your Excellency," Gaspar said. "Take the Queen to her cell, then place a guard at every exit." He spread his hands apologetically. "I am sorry; we have no place that is secure enough to protect you, señor Rodrigues, except the jail. I am sure you need not fear any harm from her while you have your interview."

Rodrigues exploded with a hearty guffaw. "I am not afraid of a mere woman! Let us get on with this, then I want a bath and a good meal."

Tessa followed the Viceroy's guards to the jail with Helm behind her. She was sure he was going to object to her seeing Rodrigues alone, though so far, he had not spoken. As she was about the re-enter her cell, Helm caught her arm and whispered, "I won't be far away. Just call out if you need me."

She smiled at him, and replied, "I'm sure I'll be all right. He just wants to talk." She forced another smile while inside, she was quaking. What did Rodrigues want? Was he going to order a summary execution like the one she had almost suffered that morning? Or maybe some kind of deal to keep quiet about Montoya? With an air of calm, she stepped into the cell and turned to face the Viceroy.

He waved the guards out of the corridor and snapped, "Keep well away. This is a private interview. The defence counsel will see to it that we are not disturbed."

Helm nodded then followed the soldiers into the guard room, leaving Tessa alone with the Viceroy.

The Viceroy's elegant suit of brocades and silks made the cell seem more tawdry than ever. He held his lace handkerchief delicately under his nose as he gazed around the confines of the jail. With a disdainful sniff, he said, "This place is hardly fit for pigs, much less a lady such as yourself." He bowed toward Tessa, keeping his eyes upon her face, then upon her cleavage. Moving closer, he lowered his voice. "I believe you need me and I can help you to go free. In fact, we can help each other."

Tessa forced her face to remain blank. She had no idea why he was here or what he wanted, though the look in his eyes made one desire quite tiresomely obvious. Holding her ground, she waited for him to continue. He had sought her out for more than just a quick sexual thrill, of that she was fairly certain.

The Viceroy glanced around, then took her arm and led her away from the cell window. "We can't take any chance of being overheard," he whispered.

Tessa was beginning to think the man was quite mad. He seemed to have some delusions of persecution. She allowed herself to be moved to the corner of the cell, almost crowded in by his wiry frame. A mixture of strong cologne and musty clothes and body odour arose from him. She knew she probably didn't smell much better after two days without a bath.

Still keeping his voice low, he said, "You probably want to revenge yourself on Montoya after he tried to kill you this morning. I heard about it as soon as I arrived here. I can help you accomplish this."

Confused, Tessa stared into his eyes. They didn't look mad, only intense and a little bloodshot. "Why would you do that for me? What do you want in return?"

His eyes swept over her and she groaned inwardly, preparing to ward him off if necessary.

"I know everything!" he announced in an excited whisper near her ear. The stale smell of wine wafted into her nostrils, nearly gagging her.

Intrigued and a little frightened, she asked, "What do you know?"

"About how you and Montoya have been in league all along. How else could a mere woman have outwitted him and escaped time after time? Women are just not strong enough or clever enough. Meaning no offence, of course."

"Of course. Who could be offended by that?" Tessa said offhandedly. "What else do you know about Montoya and me?"

"He helped you steal and then escape. You and Montoya have been stealing tax money from the Crown for nearly two years." Rodrigues straightened slightly and smiled, revealing yellow false teeth. "After you were caught and a trial was scheduled, Montoya was afraid you would reveal everything and incriminate him, so he tried to murder you this morning."

Tessa nearly laughed in relief. "Did you think this up all by yourself, Señor?"

Rodrigues twirled his narrow moustache and bowed again. "I did. I have always been known as an intellectual."

Tessa returned his bow. "I congratulate you on your great powers of reasoning. But I still don't see what saving me will do for you." She inhaled sharply. "Of course! Montoya has been playing a double game, and lately has been cutting you out of your share of the takings. So, if I denounce Montoya at the trial, he will in turn denounce you." Tessa had to smirk at the way his face tightened and his eyes narrowed.

He studied her for a moment, then said, "So you see, Montoya has become a liability to both of us. My predecessor was also in league with Montoya and was killed here in this pueblo. I do not intend to die in office. I think we can both agree that saving our lives is the paramount thing."

"It's definitely on the top of my priority list," Tessa said. "What do you propose?"

"I will allow you to escape before the trial ends. Then, you will leave a note saying that you were hired to kill Don Rafael Alvarado and that Montoya paid you to do it. I will take care of the rest."

Her breath caught in her throat but she quickly steadied herself. "Why would Montoya want to kill Señor Alvarado?"

Rodrigues waved his hand dismissively. "It is no concern of yours. Will you do it?"

Her voice hardened as her stomach clenched. "Why should I denounce Montoya after I escape? It makes no sense. I need to know why Montoya murdered the don."

The Viceroy leaned closer and glanced around warily, then said, "The Alvarado hacienda is sitting on a gold mine. Señor Alvarado discovered the gold and told one of his friends about it. That friend betrayed him to Montoya. Montoya sent a patrol out to get Alvarado to bring him in and get him to show where the gold is, but the fool of a captain shot him and killed him instead. Montoya has been trying to get his hands on the land ever since. Only Alvarado's daughter stands in his way now. I believe he is plotting to kill her."

Tessa felt as if her heart had stopped. It took every bit of strength she had to keep herself from crying out. Her hands tightened so hard she felt the nails almost puncturing her gloved palms, but she held onto the pain, trying to focus on remaining absolutely still. Scarcely trusting her voice, she said, "So, you get rid of Montoya and Señorita Alvarado keeps her property with the gold."

Rodrigues tapped his head and laughed wheezily. "You are not thinking, Reina. With Montoya out of the way, I will acquire the property. The señorita's days are numbered, sadly for her. She doesn't even know that she has a fortune somewhere on her land. And she will die without ever knowing. You will see to it for me. I detect that you have a taste for killing, but so far it has only been for a pittance from the taxes. What I offer is enough..."

"To live like a Queen?" Tessa quipped. She swallowed and tried to moisten her dry mouth.

"Exactly!" He took her hand and placed a lingering kiss on the back while a knowing and lustful look filled his eyes. "We have an understanding, I believe?"

"I think we understand each other perfectly, Señor Rodrigues."

"And perhaps with your newly-acquired wealth, you will find Monterrey more to your taste. After all, a queen needs a consort." He turned her hand over and kissed the gloved palm.

Tessa forced down the bile that rose in her throat. He sickened her but she forced a coy smile onto her lips. "Perhaps we will meet again in Monterrey, Su Excellencia. Quien sabé?"

Rodrigues dropped her hand and with a curt bow, called to the guard who came hastily from the guard room and unlocked the cell. The Viceroy gave her a wink as he passed by the cell door, then the curtain fell back into place and she was alone once more.

Continue to Part Four

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