CHAPTER ONE – A Deal with the Devil
It was a beautiful, calm day in the pueblo with no hint that a cruel dictator was about to take over the pueblo without a shot being fired. Two children saw the soldiers first, and ran to their mother. They pointed out the coming of a group of riders to a lancer who was standing around. A woman looked up from the water fountain to see the small army of Royal Guardsmen as they rode swiftly into the pueblo.
The lancer rushed over to Tavern Victoria to notify Sergeant Mendoza, who was playing cards at an outside table. Mendoza grabbed his helmet and rose from the table, fastening his helmet chin strap and buttoned his jacket collar while he walked.
A sinister, but distinguished looking gentleman looked around the pueblo with disdain. He rode up to Mendoza and introduced himself. He was wearing a fancy version of the still popular three-cornered hat. His uniform was fancier than normal, yet plain, with wide gold brocade trim, and a striking red sash. He cut an impressive figure. His voice was a deep bass, crisp, bold, and clear. It held an air of authority behind it.
"I am Colonel Mefisto Palomarez of the Royal Spanish Army." He turned to his men, indicating Mendoza. "And they call this a soldier! Pitiful!" To Mendoza, he said, "Where is your commandant?"
Mendoza tried to be calm, but he was a bit unnerved. "At his office. It is lunch time."
"Get – him!" The Colonel emphasized each word separately, but curtly.
Mendoza tried to be pleasant. "You just don't get the Alcade."
Palomarez was no-nonsense. "Now!" He held command presence. When Palomarez gave a command and said 'jump,' his soldiers asked 'how high.'
As Mendoza trotted to the Alcalde's office, he stopped and turned around, squinting in the mid-afternoon sun. The Alcalde's door was open, so he bowed as he walked through the door. He knew Luis Ramone didn't like to be disturbed on his lunch break, but he also knew that he needed to obey the soldier in the plaza.
"Alcalde, it's Colonel Palomarez out there with some men. They look more like conquistadores. They don't look friendly."
Ramone looked up from his desk and glared at Mendoza for interrupting his lunch. "Who did you say is out there?"
"Colonel Palomarez, Alcalde." Mendoza visibly gulped.
Ramone's expression revealed his surprise. He knew there was no way Mendoza could be making this up. He got up from his desk. Mendoza turned to exit and Ramone followed.
"I don't believe it!" Mendoza and Ramone came out the office door and stood for a moment under the overhang roof so that the alcalde could see who had come. Ramone spoke the name with awe. "Colonel Palomarez…they called him 'the butcher' during the Yucatan campaign. The ultimate soldier. He's an expert swordsman. I wish I had more time to prepare a proper welcome…"
When he saw the local alcalde come out from the office, the Colonel dismounted and waited where he was for Alcalde Ramone to formally greet him. Ramone quickly hurried towards the visitor, holding his right arm out in a sweeping gesture of welcome. Mendoza followed.
"Ah, Colonel Palomarez! This is indeed an honor!" As Ramone walked towards the Colonel, they met a moment. Then Ramone turned around, and the two walked together. Mendoza and a couple of Palomarez's men followed a short distance behind.
Colonel Palomarez got straight to the point. "Word of your trouble with the rebel bandit Zorro has reached Madrid. I am here to eliminate him."
Ramone stifled a speculative and mocking laugh, then had another thought. Maybe I can get his sympathy. "Ah, begging your pardon, Colonel, Zorro is no ordinary bandit. The people have taken him into their hearts. They have thwarted my every effort…" Ramone gestured in frustration.
"Effort? I am here for results." Palomarez turned back towards his men, leaving Ramone deep in thought. Palomarez walked back to his horse, then turned and faced the people who had gathered, so he could make his announcement.
He raised his voice for all to hear. "The king of Spain has ordered the arrest and execution of the man known as Zorro." A young man with more passion than common sense stepped up and said, "You'll never catch Zorro!"
Palomarez corrected him. "You're quite wrong about that." He gave a signal to one of his soldiers standing behind the young man. He tapped the teenager on the shoulder, then proceeded to punch him out. The crowd gasped in horror and fear. Ramone grew very concerned. This man was every bit as dangerous as he'd heard. As much as he wanted Zorro captured, Ramone was almost afraid of how far this 'butcher' would go.
Palomarez turned to the Alcalde. "By sunset, I want the name of every person living in this pueblo."
"Why, what for?" Ramone was very worried now.
"There will be a lottery at midnight to determine who will hang at sunrise in the place of Zorro."
With some shock and surprise, Ramone spluttered, "But Colonel, you can't go around executing people without good reason!"
Palomarez strode with great authority towards the townsfolk. "Perhaps I have not made myself clear." He raised his voice as he walked in front of the small crowd of curious townspeople, slowly passing by each and every one, looking them in the eye. But not many of them could or would look the colonel in the eye.
"Henceforth, one of your citizens will die every day…" He stopped to admire a young woman's hair and caress it, as if he owned her. "…until Zorro is delivered to me." As he moved along, he finally ended up back in front of Alcalde Ramone. As he walked away, the astonished Ramone just stood there, gaping.
Z
"Clear the tavern!" Palomarez was taking over. Soldiers were upstairs evicting customers from their rooms through great struggle. Victoria Escalante was upstairs yelling "Let go! Stop it! All our rooms are full!" She hurried downstairs, and even though Palomarez towered above her by about six to eight inches, she wasn't afraid of him.
"You are throwing out paying customers!" She glared at him with a look that would have melted most men. He nonchalantly replied, "My men and I prefer privacy in our accommodations." At that, a customer was summarily 'helped' to roll down the stairs.
From outside, Alcalde Ramone heard the disturbance. He swiftly came into the tavern and tried to take charge. "What is going on in here?" he demanded.
Palomarez stood face-to-face with Ramone as if he had every right to demand whatever he wanted. "My men need their rest and privacy."
Alcalde Ramone attempted to be calm, yet reason with the visitor. "Colonel, this tavern is the only public place in all of Los Angeles. To close it to the public would mean…"
"….Absolutely nothing to me! Now stand aside, and allow us to get on with our work!" Palomarez was totally unfazed by Luis Ramone. He saw Ramone for what he was – a petty little despot who pretended to be a man of great authority, but was himself only bent by someone more ruthless than he. I am more ruthless than he is, thought Palomarez. He cares too much about what others think of him. That is a weakness I can exploit.
Ramone replied, "Colonel, I really must insist!" Ramone was desperate, but he didn't want to offend Palomarez.
"You still don't understand. Until further notice, this is my pueblo." Palomarez looked him straight in the eye, and knew he had the authority to back up everything he said.
Ramone knew there was nothing he could do. He turned and left. Palomarez continued, "Clear the tavern!"
More customers were hauled roughly from their rooms and forced out of the tavern. It was chaotic. Sergeant Mendoza saw the Senorita, and pulled Victoria aside. He felt it was his duty to help protect her, since there was no other man around to act on her behalf. He pulled her back through the curtains that went to the kitchen.
As Mendoza backed up, he ran into the butcher block prep table. A large butcher knife lay with its point at his back and it pricked him. He uttered an exclamation, then turned around to see the offending instrument. He picked up the knife and looked at it. "Ay muchita!"
A side door to the kitchen opened and daylight streamed through. It was Diego de la Vega, who had seen Mendoza and Victoria sneak into the kitchen. He needed to find out what was going on, and figured they were the ones who could tell him. He'd seen the small army as they rode past the hacienda, and knew he needed to investigate.
Diego gently warned, "Careful Sergeant. That's sharp." Victoria grabbed the knife from Mendoza and put it down on the table out of anyone's way.
"Yes, Mendoza, you could get hurt!" Victoria was clearly annoyed.
Mendoza asked, "What are you doing here, Don Diego?"
Victoria looked at Diego with some irritation. Curious, he is, but action oriented, he is not, she thought. And that is what irritates me about him!
"Yes, Diego, what are you doing here? Are you going to do something about this? Are you going to help me take back my tavern?" Victoria's eyes flashed her anger.
Diego remained calm. "Well, I saw the 'glorious' Colonel and his men approaching, and I decided that discretion might be the better part of valor," he said smiling. "It certainly would have been for the Alcalde."
"And what is the Alcalde going to do about Palomarez?" Victoria's eyes flashed in anger.
Mendoza looked at her questioning. "What can he do? Palomarez is a colonel, and the order is from the king!"
"So, we're just going to let a madman take control of the pueblo!" Victoria was livid!
Mendoza tried to be a voice of reason. "Believe me, the Alcalde would like nothing better than to have Palomarez gone!" To Diego he said, "But until Zorro's captured, what can he do?"
Diego stood there with his arms folded, and shrugged his shoulders. He thought, this Colonel is no Ramone. He will be a force to be reckoned with.
Z
Back at the hacienda, Diego sat in the library, twiddling a feather quill. He wished his father was home, but he'd had to go away on ranch business for a few days. He needed his father's wisdom. Mendoza and Victoria had filled him in on the Colonel's plan to draw a name at midnight of someone in the pueblo who would be hung in the morning if Zorro didn't show up.
He knew he had to plan very carefully. There was no way he would allow an innocent person to die in his place. He looked at the clock. It was 6:00 p.m. – six hours until the lottery. He would be there to see what happened – whose name was drawn – but he still had no idea what to do yet. Maybe there is a chance the Colonel could be talked out this, he thought. But I doubt it. I have to come up with something – but what?
As Diego tripped the hidden latch, Felipe came through the fireplace.
"Ah Felipe. I was just coming down to see what kind of supplies we have. We've got to make some sort of plan. This Colonel Palomarez is no Alcalde Ramone. He's much worse. We will need all our cunning in order to defeat him."
Felipe nodded in agreement. He signed "With you." Diego said aloud, "Yes, you're with me. I don't know what I'd do without you my friend. Let's go see what we've got. Maybe something will present itself as a solution."
Z
At midnight, many of the citizens of the pueblo had gathered in the tavern for the lottery. Colonel Palomarez made his way through the townspeople to a large cooking pot which held all the names of the people in the pueblo. It sat on a table.
On one side of the table stood Diego, on another stood Luis Ramone. The Alcalde tried one more attempt at logical reasoning. Even though Palomarez was here supposedly on behalf of the king, Ramone knew that if his people were executed one by one, it would reflect very poorly on his own leadership of the pueblo. "Colonel, I beg you to reconsider."
"Sniveling will not bring me Zorro." Palomarez could not believe the weakness of this alcalde. He'd heard that Ramone was a tough, no-nonsense commandant, but obviously he'd been misinformed. Ramone had obviously been intimidated by this bandit known as Zorro. The Colonel didn't know the particulars, but he could read the signs.
"But summary executions! Not even I would conceive of such a thing!" Luis Ramone had an epiphany! At least I'm not as bad as he is, he thought.
Palomarez smirked. "It is brilliant in its simplicity." He raised his voice to the crowd. "I am here to draw the name of the individual who will face the gallows at sunrise." A murmur made its way through the crowd. "This wasn't right! This wasn't fair! Where's Zorro? Why isn't he here to rid us of this tyrant?"
Diego looked down, apparently in deep thought. He stood with a foot on the leg of a stool. He quietly, but nervously, tapped his fingers on his knee. Truly, Palomarez is a madman. Victoria was right about that. He is much more dangerous than Ramone. He was here to see Palomarez up close – so he could formulate the best response. He had a few ideas already, but wasn't sure which option to choose.
Ever passionate, Victoria now spoke up. "This is not justice! This is murder!"
Palomarez looked around, and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Bring Zorro to me before dawn, and only he will face the hangman's noose."
At this, Diego decided to enter into the conversation. "Senor…" he warned. Mendoza picked up on Diego's irritation, and gently cautioned him. "Careful Don Diego." He liked Diego, and didn't want to see anything happen to him. Mendoza thought Diego was a little naïve about evil men.
Palomarez looked Diego in the eye. He hadn't really taken note of the caballero before. "Do you have some particular knowledge of Zorro, Senor?"
Diego answered, crossing his arms in an unconscious attempt to forestall and protect himself, closing himself off to any verbal or otherwise attack.
"Zorro is a difficult man to know. We've always been protected by his secret identity. That has kept us safe from the excesses of the military." At that, Ramone and Mendoza looked down for a moment, then up. They knew Diego was talking about them and their 'excesses.'
Victoria interjected, "It's true! We do not know who he is or where he is! So your threats of violence will not help you find him." Mendoza looked at Victoria with pride in her spunk.
"I certainly think it's worth a try." Palomarez sneered as he drew out a name. "The first person to die under the curse of your Zorro is…" he looked up with an evil smile. "…Sergeant Jaime Mendoza!"
The crowd in the tavern reacted with shock and dismay. Mendoza went into shock and fainted in the Alcalde's arms. Ramone caught him as he fell. The guardsmen tied Mendoza's hands behind his back, while Ramone protested. "You can't be serious! Military personnel should not be included in this!"
"Ah, but they are Senor. Even your name is in the bowl." Ramone could not believe his ears! "My God!" he whispered. This man truly was a madman. He was horrified! There was nothing he could do except wait and hope that Zorro would give himself up.
"Persist with your interference, and yours will be the only name in the bowl!" Palomarez warned. "Take him!" As the guardsmen dragged the half-conscious Mendoza away, he gave the alcalde a look of desperation. He looked like a lost puppy.
With all sincerity and great regret in his voice, Alcalde Ramone said, "I'm sorry, Sergeant." Mendoza looked over to Victoria and Diego. Both of them were looking down. Diego was in deep thought, but he was also trying to control his inner rage.
Victoria looked worried. "Zorro should have shown himself by now." Diego stroked his chin, not something he did often, but he was still in deep thought. "Don't worry, Zorro will help somehow." But how, Diego thought. It was going to take all the planning, cunning and trickery he possessed. He only hoped he could come up with a viable plan to not only save Sergeant Mendoza, but also keep himself out of the hangman's noose.
At that Ramone said in all sincerity, "Unless he's learned what we already know…"
"And what's that Alcalde?" Diego asked calmly, but with great underlying interest.
Ramone's thoughts were far away, but he looked up at Diego and replied, "That Colonel Palomarez is a man with no mercy."