Chapter Four
Later that evening, Señora Helena and her servants had supper at the Inn. She had taken a table where she could see everyone who came and went. After the meal, she sent her two ladies to get everything ready for her evening toilette. She and Rudolfo remained. From where she sat, she could hear most of the conversations. Nothing piqued her interest until Sergeant Garcia came in. The first thing the innkeeper said to him was, “No more credit Sergeant.”
She watched as he walked over to a table and tried to get himself invited to share a glass of wine. He was turned away. Undaunted, he turned and saw two soldiers who were enjoying a bottle of wine together. Smoothly, he invited himself to their wine. They were not happy about it, but what could they do? She heard Garcia say that next time, he would buy the wine. What he said next had her undivided attention.
“I expect to become wealthy quite soon.”
“How?” said one of the soldiers.
“Do you see that notice up there?” he indicated the Zorro poster on the wall. “Tonight I will capture Zorro and claim the reward.” He then went on to explain his plan to capture Zorro when he came to rescue Franco Barbarosa. The other two soldiers were skeptical that Zorro would take such a chance on being trapped, but Sergeant Garcia was very certain that he would come for he said, “Whenever there is any offense against the people, Zorro rides. Usually at night, when others are asleep.” The two soldiers exchanged a look and suddenly became much more friendly with the sergeant. They offered him some more wine. What happened next puzzled her. The two soldiers did something with their wine glasses and mentioned something about the ocean which apparently made the sergeant sick. They walked him out of the Inn through the back door followed by the innkeeper. Quickly, she sent Rudolfo to follow after them.
He came back and said that the two soldiers had locked the sergeant in the shed out back and had paid the innkeeper to keep quiet about it. Then they had gone toward the grist mill. Señora Helena knew what she must do. She sent Rudolfo upstairs to tell her ladies not to wait up for her and then he was to follow her to the grist mill. She left the inn and in the darkness walked toward the mill. She kept to the shadows along the edge of the plaza. She was just in time to see a soldier she did not know leave the grist mill enclosure, but to her disappointment the gate was closed behind him. She could see nothing. But she could hear the creaking of the mechanism as Barbarosa pushed the pole and heard the whip as it cracked. Poor man, she thought. He has been pushing that pole for hours now. It did seem excessive.
Then she heard someone cry, “Zorro, look out!” and there were sounds of a scuffle going on and what sounded like a brief clash of swords. Her heart beat rapidly. Her quarry was so close and she could not even see him! She clinched her fists in frustration. Then a pistol shot went off. She held her breath. From out of nowhere she saw the commandanté run toward the grist mill. Just as he got there, the gate was opened and she heard someone with a commanding voice telling the prisoner to get away. Barbarosa ran out just as the commandanté was trying to enter. Ortega cried, “Zorro!” and drew his sword as he went in. Señora Helena could not stay away. She ran to the open gate and peered in, keeping out of sight.
There before her was Zorro. He was having no difficulty keeping Ortega at bay. Despite herself, she was captivated. Zorro was magnificent in his black costume and flowing cape. Soon he had pressed the Capitán so closely that he was crying out for Sergeant Garcia and the lancers, and then he found himself on the ground, disarmed, with Zorro’s sword at his throat. What Zorro said next let her know she was right when she had said that Zorro was no common bandido.
Holding Ortega at bay on the ground he said with that voice, “Let me never again hear of you putting a man to do a mule’s work. Or it will be the last order you ever give.” He then did something with the tip of his sword that she could not see. Sheathing his sword, Zorro climbed easily up the poles of the grist mill and leaped onto the roof of the outbuilding. He turned and bowed to Ortega and wished him a cheerful goodnight before he disappeared into the night. She could hear hoofbeats as he rode off. She just had time to back up out of sight behind the gate as Sergeant Garcia and some soldiers ran into the mill enclosure. Rudolfo was there to catch her as she tripped a bit, leaving her a little off balance.
She wanted to stay and see what else would happen, but she felt like the best thing to do would be to return to the inn in case the commandanté was in a bad humor. Señora Helena could well imagine that he would be. Zorro had released the prisoner and had defeated him in a matter of moments. He would not be happy if he found out that there was a witness to his humiliation. She smiled to herself as they walked back across the plaza. She had been here less than one day and already she had seen Zorro. It was a most satisfactory way to begin her quest.
She went back to the inn and up to her room. As she prepared for bed, her thoughts were of Zorro. There were several things that she knew about him already. One, he was extremely bold. He had come alone to the pueblo, to what he knew could be a trap, and still he had freed the prisoner. Two, he was an excellent swordsman. She had thought perhaps that Zorro had gotten lucky against Don Luís, taking advantage of his cocksureness, but Ortega was a soldier and trained in the ways of the sword, and Zorro had beaten him handily. Three, Zorro was audacious enough to flaunt his freedom in front of the man he had just defeated with that cheery goodby of his. This was either a sign of a very foolish man, or a sign of a man who was very confident of his abilities. She rather thought it was the latter.
She was puzzled by one thing, however. What was Zorro’s motive for freeing the prisoner? If he was just a bandit why would he risk his life in such a manner? Would he show up later at the prisoner’s house and demand money for freeing him? She did not know what to think. She remembered what Sergeant Garcia had said about Zorro always showing up whenever there was an offense against the people. An altruistic bandido? She shook her head, amused at herself for even thinking of such a thing. No, there was something for Zorro to gain from all of this, either money or power of some sort, or she did not know men like she thought she did. All she had to do was find out what this gain was and that would lead her to the man behind the mask. She needed information and she would start with Sergeant Garcia in the morning.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After breakfast, Señora Helena and her servants went over to the house she was renting to continue cleaning. She directed the servants as to how she wanted things done and left them to it. Her main goal for the day was to quietly question everyone she could concerning Zorro. Information was her weapon of choice to wield against Zorro and she meant to arm herself well. Seeing that the cleaning was well underway, she walked back to the inn. Sergeant Garcia was already there with one of his soldiers, a corporal, if she was not mistaken. The corporal looked forlorn as he handed a coin to the barmaid to pay for the two glasses of wine at the table. Sergeant Garcia was enjoying the beverage. “What a mooch,” thought the señora.
But no matter. She still wanted to find out what he knew about Zorro, so she walked over to their table. Both men stood instantly out of respect for her. “May I join you, Sergeant?” she asked. She was welcomed warmly. The barmaid, Maria, came to ask if she would like anything, but she told her no. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sergeant Garcia looking relieved. If she had ordered anything, he would have felt obligated to pay for it and she knew he did not have any money. She had spared him the embarrassment. On the wall next to their table was the poster showing the reward for El Zorro.
“Sergeant, I heard some disturbing news this morning,” she said. “It is said that the bandido, Zorro, was in the pueblo last night and created some disturbance. Is it true? I positively do not feel safe with him on the loose.” She gave him her best look of concern and dismay.
“Yes, it is true, Señora Del Fuego. Zorro was here last night. I am afraid he got away again, though,” said the sergeant.
“But why was he here? What did he want? And why was he not captured?” She peppered the sergeant with questions. She did this deliberately. She wanted him to think of her as a rather simple person; one to whom he would have to explain everything. This way perhaps she would gain more information than otherwise. This method seemed to work with the sergeant.
“Zorro came to rescue Franco Barbarosa, Señora,” he said. At her blank look, he went on, “Franco Barbarosa was sentenced by the Magistrado to work in the grist mill for not paying a fine for trespassing on the king’s land.” Here he looked both ways before speaking again. “I should not say this, but I am glad Zorro helped Señor Barbarosa to escape.”
“Why, Sergeant? He was being punished for breaking the law was he not?”
“Señor Barbarosa was only doing what he and the other rancheros had been doing for years. They had been told that they could work the land and build homes there and at some point the land would become theirs. But the Magistrado has said that the law has been changed and that the rancheros owe the king money. Maybe they do owe the king money, but the punishment was too much. If the Magistrado had only given him more time, I am sure he would have paid. Franco Barbarosa is an honest man.”
“But why would the outlaw take an interest in freeing Barbarosa? What is Barbarosa to him?” she asked.
“Oh, he is just another man, Señora. But that does not matter to Zorro. Anytime he hears of someone who has been wronged, he comes.”
“And that is the only reason?”
“Who can say what another man thinks, Señora. All I know is that Zorro has never harmed one of the people. He protects them.”
“Then he expects the people to pay him for doing this? I cannot believe a bandit would risk his life for nothing.”
“I do not think he would accept money for what he does, Señora. He has never stolen so much as a peso from the people. Why, just the other day he helped us soldiers by getting our payroll money back from a crooked government official, and incidentally kept me from the firing squad. No, I do not think money means much to him.”
“That is very interesting, Sergeant. A bandido who does not act like one. He almost reminds me of the legendary Robin Hood,” Señora Helena said almost to herself.
“Who?” said the sergeant looking puzzled.
“You know, Robin Hood. From the English legends. He robbed from the rich to give to the poor.”
Sergeant Garcia pretended to know all about it, even though he did not have a clue. “Oh yes. Robin Hood.” He paused, deep in thought. “ I do not think Zorro would rob from anyone who did not deserve it,” he said with conviction.
Señora Helena did not know what to make of that last statement, so she changed the line of questions. “Does anyone know who the man is behind the mask? You seem to know him pretty well, Sergeant.”
“If I did know who Zorro is, I would have captured him long ago, Señora. You see that reward posted on the wall there? I would have collected it and retired from being a soldier. Maybe I would have bought a tavern somewhere . . .”
The corporal spoke up for the first time, “And he would have hired me to serve the drinks so I could stop being a soldier too.” He looked dreamily out into space.
“So no one knows who he is? Has anyone ever tried to find out?” Señora Del Fuego continued.
“Si, our former commandanté, Capitán Monastario, tried many times, but he never found out.”
“Did he have any suspicions? Any one that he thought might have been Zorro?”
“Well, he did accuse Don Diego once. But it was not him.”
“How do you know?”
“He had Don Diego here in the tavern as a prisoner, but Zorro came to the pueblo at the same time. Since Don Diego was inside the tavern, he could not be outside the tavern as Zorro and so Don Diego inside could not be Zorro outside,” said the sergeant wagging his finger to make each point.
Señora Helena’s head spun after that statement, but she got the meaning. Well, that eliminated one person from consideration. She would not have to worry about Don Diego being Zorro. “Who else could be Zorro, Sergeant?” she asked. She did not think he knew, but maybe he would tell her information she could use in her own search.
Garcia shook his head. “I do not know, Señora. He is not called the Fox for nothing. He has escaped all the traps we have tried to set for him and no horse is as fast as Zorro’s horse, so no one can catch him. He knows the hills around here like the back of his hand and so no one can track him. I could almost believe he is like a ghost, for he can vanish into thin air.”
Señora Helena laughed a little. “Surely Sergeant, you do not believe Zorro is a ghost?”
“If you had seen some of the things I have seen, you would believe it too,” said the sergeant. “He comes and goes from the cuartel even though guards are posted all around and no one knows how. It is a great mystery.”
A soldier came in the inn and walked up to the sergeant. “Sergeant Garcia,” he said, saluting. “Capitán Ortega is looking for you and the corporal. You are to come at once.”
“Si,” said the Sergeant. “I must take my leave, Señora. You will excuse us?” He and the corporal got up to leave. Just as they reached the door, Bernardo came in.
“Oh, hello, Little One,” said Sergeant Garcia. Bernardo gave him one of his patented blank looks. Sergeant Garcia looked exasperated. “I keep forgetting he is deaf as well as dumb,” he said to the señora. He waved at Bernardo and went on out followed by the corporal.
Bernardo watched the sergeant’s departure as he walked over to the bar. He mimed a drink being poured and the innkeeper poured a glass of wine. Bernardo sipped it appreciatively. He had come to the pueblo for two things. One was to pick up some supplies for Don Diego and the other was to . . . . then he remembered. He patted his pockets and found a note that he was supposed to deliver to Señora Del Fuego.
Sitting at the table, Señora Helena watched as Bernardo showed a note to the innkeeper, and the innkeeper pointed to her. Bernardo turned to look at her and smiled hugely when he saw her. He pointed to her and back to the note. The innkeeper nodded and pointed to the note and back to her. Apparently, this servant is none too bright, thought Señora Helena. His being deaf and dumb must account for that. She watched as he made his way over to her and bowed, presenting the note to her. She took it and smiled her thanks. He waited patiently while she opened and read the note.
It was from Don Alejandro de la Vega. He said that he had learned she was visiting Los Angeles and as he was having a small dinner party at his hacienda that evening, he would be delighted if she would accept an invitation to dine with him at seven o’clock.
This will do nicely, she thought. I may be able to find out more about Zorro from Don Alejandro and his guests. And besides, she would like to be with people who were somewhat more of her own class. She was a little weary of talking only to servants and soldiers. It would be interesting to see what the landed gentry was made out of; to see how they compared to her colleagues in Mexico City. Especially the ones she usually invited to her weekly dinners.
She beckoned to Rudolfo, who had just come in the door. “Rudolfo, please bring me a pen and some paper. I wish to reply to this invitation I have just received.” She made a sign to Bernardo to wait for a reply and then pointed to the bar and mimed drinking the wine. To her mild surprise he seemed to understand perfectly as he bowed to her and went over to pick up his glass. When Rudolfo got back with the paper, she inquired how the clean up was progressing.
“It goes well, Señora. You should be able to move in tomorrow morning.” He looked around to see who else might be listening, but only Bernardo was nearby and he looked like he was lost in a world of his own. The innkeeper had gone into the back room.
Señora Helena said, “It is all right to speak. The sergeant said he is deaf. Apparently, he is a servant of the de la Vegas.” Rudolfo continued to look at Bernardo. He was a very cautious man. Quietly, he walked up behind Bernardo, who did not seem to know he was there. Suddenly, Rudolfo clapped his hands loudly right behind Bernardo’s head. Bernardo did not so much as blink. He just kept on sipping his wine. Rudolfo looked back at Señora Helena and shrugged his shoulders. He was satisfied that the little servant was indeed deaf, so he came back over to the table and sat down next to the señora.
“Señora, I have found out some more information concerning Don Luís’ encounter with Zorro,” he said. Without turning his head, Bernardo listened intently. He knew about Don Luís from Diego and if these people were somehow involved he needed to know.
Rudolfo continued, “Don Luís was here for two days when he decided to amuse himself by making advances toward a young señorita who was betrothed to another man. She would have nothing to do with him, and he was a little too rough with her. Her fiancé was out of town or he would have been the one to demand satisfaction from Don Luís. As it was, Zorro came in his place. At first, Zorro came to Don Luís in the dead of the night and warned him to stay away from the señorita. When Don Luís persisted, Zorro came again, this time to the inn in broad daylight. He tried to give Don Luís a chance to end it peacefully by inviting him to leave Los Angeles, but Don Luís was spoiling for a fight. Everyone could tell that Zorro did not really want a fight, but Don Luís kept calling him names. It is said that Zorro laughed and told Don Luís to keep calling him names if it made him feel better, but he would be leaving the pueblo all the same. Then Don Luís said something he should not have. He said that Zorro’s mother must have been quite a vixen to have whelped such a cur as he. There were several witnesses, and they said you could see the anger in Zorro’s eyes.
“They drew their swords. Zorro had Don Luís at his mercy within minutes and then demanded that he apologize for the remarks he had made concerning Zorro’s mother. At first Don Luís refused. He declared that he would not apologize to someone who was not his equal, and secondly, he would not apologize for something he held to be the truth. The witnesses said that Zorro stepped back and allowed Don Luís to regain his sword and they began again. Zorro fought like a demon and Don Luís was just no match for him. He put his sword right through Don Luís’ shoulder and pinned him to the wall. Zorro would not withdraw the sword until Don Luís finally apologized and swore to leave Los Angeles immediately. He said that if he ever saw Don Luís again, he would kill him.”
“That is quite a story, Rudolfo. Montez certainly left out a lot of important details. So Zorro is not so benign as the Sergeant would lead me to believe,” said Señora Helena thoughtfully.
“No, Señora. He is a very dangerous man.” Once again, Rudolfo looked around to see if anyone else besides Bernardo was near. “Please forgive me, but are you sure that winning a wager is worth the risk?” Bernardo’s ears perked up at the word “wager”. “You already have the land that Don Luís wagered and you do not need the reward money that unmasking Zorro would bring. Will you not consider leaving this place and returning to Mexico City? After what happened to Don Luís, no one will fault you for not seeing this through.”
Señora Helena briefly considered what Rudolfo was asking her. Then with a slight shake of her head she rejected the notion. “Rudolfo, I am surprised that you do not know me after all these years. I never back down from a challenge. No, I will not leave just yet. I started this and I will see it through. Another day or two of asking questions, and I will be able to lay my plans for trapping Zorro myself and learning the identity of the man behind the mask. I do not think he will suspect that a woman such as myself is capable of being a threat to him and he will be caught off guard. Besides, after I saw him at the grist mill last night, I must say that I am determined to meet him for myself.”
Rudolfo stood and bowed to the Señora. “You are wrong, Señora. I do know you after all of these years.” He showed a shy smile. “I merely entertained the slight hope that I could persuade you this time.”
Señora Helena smiled back at him and rose also. “Well, that is settled. Give this note to the de la Vega servant. I am going back to the house to check on Bonita and Contessa. You may continue to move around the pueblo and find out what you can. We will have our lunch at the house at noon. You may report your findings then.” Rudolfo bowed and then went over to Bernardo and gave him the note, pointing to the name on the front of it. Bernardo grinned from ear to ear and nodded his head vigorously. He waved cheerily to the Señora and she smiled back at him in encouragement as she turned to leave.
Bernardo wasted no time in getting back to the hacienda. He was bursting with the news about the señora. He found Don Alejandro seated in the sala pouring over some record books and gave him the note. Then he went in search of Diego. He found him reclining on the bed in his room, reading. The younger man was not wearing a jacket and his collar was open in deference to the unusually warm day. Swiftly, Bernardo began to make signs to convey what he had learned. He was moving so fast that Diego was left behind.
“Bernardo,” he said holding up his own hands. “You are talking so fast your words are running together. Slow down a bit. The only thing I know so far is that you were to deliver a note from my father to Señora Del Fuego asking her to dine with us this evening.” Bernardo nodded eagerly. Taking a deep breath, he made himself slow down and soon Diego had the whole story.
“So, Señora Helena Del Fuego has come to Los Angeles under false pretense,” said Diego with an amused tone. He rather enjoyed the idea that he was already wise to her. “If we did not already have so many problems with the ones who carry feathers of the eagle, I might be tempted to have a little fun at her expense. But,” he held up his hands, “I cannot take the chance. We must find out who is behind the eagle feathers and what they intend for California. The Magistrado is one of the leaders certainly, but he is not the mastermind. That is the man we must find.”
Diego continued. “However, Señora Del Fuego may become a problem. She spoke of laying a trap for Zorro did she not?”
Bernardo nodded.
Diego thought for a moment then asked, “How did she seem to you? Was she an intelligent woman?”
Yes.
“One accustomed to winning such wagers as she seems to have made?”
Yes.
“Determined?”
Yes, accompanied by a rueful look.
Diego rose from the bed and paced the floor as he thought some more. “And you say she has already seen Zorro?”
A nod.
“Then if she never has Diego to compare him to, it will be all the harder for her to find out who he is. I am not sure how all of this will turn out, but the first part of our plan to deal with Señora Del Fuego means that she, unfortunately, will not have the pleasure of meeting Don Alejandro’s finest son.”
At Bernardo’s wry look, Diego threw a small pillow at him. “So what if he only has one son? I am the finest one am I not?” Bernardo looked like he was thinking it over, then grinned to show his wholehearted agreement. Diego laughed.
“All right,” he said clapping Bernardo on the shoulder. “We need to come up with some excuse to get me out of the house tonight. I know, I will go to visit Padre Benedetto to play chess with him. He always gets wrapped up in the game and forgets what time it is. I will send you back to get a change of clothes for me with the explanation that I will be spending the night at the mission. Then in the future, you and I will have to make sure that the señora never gets a good look at Diego.”
At Bernardo’s look of dismay, he shrugged his shoulders a little and ran a hand through his hair. “I know it will be hard, Bernardo. But right now, I do not know what else to do. I cannot demand that she leave at the point of a sword like Don Luis; she is a lady after all. I suppose I will just have to wait until you come up with a better solution.”
Bernardo gave Diego a sputtering look. Diego pushed Bernardo towards the door. “ Now, I will change clothes while you go down and have the horses saddled. We will leave right away.”
Chapter Five
Chapter Three
Chapter Two
Chapter One
Table of Contents
