Death in the pueblo - The missing bride

Disclaimer: This story was written solely for the enjoyment of other Zorro fans and is not intended to infringe on any copyrights held by Goodman/Rosen Productions, New World Television, Zorro Productions, the estate of Johnston McCulley or anyone else.

A/N: This was prompted by the writing challenge "Death in the pueblo" and requires the following elements.

- Someone must die or be "presumed dead"

- You must include a lace hanky

- Zorro must use his whip

- You must mention albondigas Soup

- The Alcalde must be in a jail cell.

Chapter 1

"Where is Victoria?" Diego questioned Francisco as he saw the two brothers enter the church without his bride.

"I'm sorry, Diego," Ramon apologized, "but she's not here. All we found is this." Ramon showed him a lace hanky with a large Z on it. "She has left with Zorro."

Diego stared at the hanky. "That can't be. This is not true. Victoria can't have left with Zorro."

"I know it must be difficult for you to accept, Diego," Francisco showed his sympathy, "but she has left you for Zorro."

"No!" Diego was firm. "Victoria wouldn't leave me. Something must have happened to her."

"I know that you want to believe that Victoria loves you, and not Zorro, any longer," his father threw in, "but it's not the first time Victoria backed out of a wedding because her love for Zorro was stronger. We should discuss this at home."

Padre Benitez approached them. "Where is the bride? What is the reason for the delay?"

"The bride isn't here, and there won't be a wedding. My sister has left with Zorro." Francisco declared.

"Oh dear, oh dear," the padre murmured, shaking his head. "She's truly in love with that man."

Alejandro addressed the gathered community. "I'm sorry to inform you, but there won't be a wedding. You can all go home now." Murmur and whispering around the crowd ensued, followed by the scraping of chairs and the rustling of clothes as people started to leave.

"This isn't true," Diego declared, addressing her brothers. "Victoria hasn't gone with Zorro. She can't have." Diego was desperate. How could he make them believe him without revealing his identity?

"Diego, you must accept it." Ramon padded him on the shoulder. "I don't like it at all, but you know how stubborn my sister is."

Without listening further, Diego strode out of the church, maneuvering through the gap in the crowd that opened for him, ignoring the whispers as he passed by the wedding guests. He needed to find out what had happened to Victoria. Not slowing his pace, he went straight to the tavern and up to her room.

"What do you want here, Diego?" Roman, who had followed, inquired.

"I need to find out what has happened to Victoria, and who has abducted her." Diego looked through the room where Victoria's clothes were scattered across the room. On the nightstand was the open jewel box with the necklace Diego had given her the night before. She had wanted to wear it at the wedding as it matched the engagement ring he had given her as Zorro.

Everything looked as if she had left in a hurry, or if she had been abducted. Nothing gave him at hint who had done it. Diego went over to the half-open window, where he found a strip of white cloth from Victoria's wedding gown.

"What did you find?" Ramon asked, curiously.

"This is from Victoria's dress," Diego held up the piece of cloth. "The abductor must have left with her through the window."

"Of course, only Zorro would come and go through the window." Ramon stated. "Diego, you must accept that Victoria left you for Zorro."

Ignoring Ramon, Diego gracefully swung himself through the window and climbed on the roof. His wedding suit was less comfortable than his Zorro outfit, but he didn't care if the suit would suffer from his climbing. On the roof Diego looked around to find more traces and found another piece of cloth at the other end of the roof, indicating the direction she had gone.

After climbing back inside, he proceeded through the tavern and out the door, looking for carriage or horse tracks. He found the place where the cart was parked and tracks of military boots next to the neighboring house. The tracks of the cart were leading away from the pueblo.

"Did you find anything?" Ramon asked as he returned to the tavern.

"Yes, I think I know who abducted Victoria," Diego said grimly.

"How can you be so sure that Victoria was abducted and didn't leave with Zorro?" Ramon inquired.

But, Diego didn't answer and purposely went over to the alcalde's office, followed by Victoria's brothers on his heels. He noticed the guards posted around the office and found his suspicions confirmed. The alcalde wouldn't have surrounded himself with guards if he didn't expect a visit from Zorro. This was definitely a trap for Zorro.

One of the lancers tried to keep him from entering. "The alcalde doesn't want to be disturbed, Don Diego. He has ordered to keep all visitors away."

"Sepulveda, you know me! Do you think I'm a threat for de Soto? I know you are here to look out for Zorro, but I'm here to talk with him about my wedding." The lancer pondered a moment, and as he didn't consider Diego dangerous, he let him enter with Victoria's brothers.

"Don Diego, congratulations on your wedding," de Soto was sitting behind his desk and greeted him with a false smile. "As you can see, I'm very busy at the moment."

Diego braced his arms on the desk and leaned forward, threateningly. "I'm not here for idle conversation, de Soto. You will tell me immediately what you have done to Victoria!" Diego demanded in a cold voice.

"What are you talking about, Don Diego?" de Soto asked, innocently. "I thought you were already celebrating your wedding?"

"Victoria is nowhere to be found, and I don't believe for a moment that she has left me for Zorro. She was abducted, and I want to know what you did to her! Where is she?" Diego pulled the sword from his sheath that he wore today to complete his outfit and put it at de Soto's chest.

"Why do you think I had something to do with it?" de Soto tried to talk himself out of the situation. "I know it must be humiliating to be left standing at the altar for another man, and Victoria has done that before.." He couldn't continue because he was interrupted by Diego.

"Stop your idle talk, de Soto. I know this is one of your schemes to catch Zorro. By blaming him for Victoria's absence, you want him to confront you, so you can catch him. What other reason would you have to surround yourself with guards? You also didn't post guards around the church because you knew that there wouldn't be a wedding ceremony for Zorro to interrupt. I ask you for the last time, where is Victoria?"

Ramon and Francisco found themselves surprisingly swayed by Diego's arguments.

"I do believe Don Diego has some points," Francisco agreed. "If you have done something to my sister you will pay for it!" Ramon and Francisco drew their swords too.

De Soto saw himself surrounded by angry men, and the blade that Diego was drilling into his chest helped convince him to confess. "You are right, Don Diego," he held up his hands. "But believe me, this wasn't aimed at you."

"It was aimed at my bride, so it was aimed at me, de Soto," Diego said with suppressed anger. "Where is she?"

"She is on the way to Santa Paula, guarded by soldiers."

"You will take us to her immediately. And, if you have harmed her in any way you will regret it!" Diego said in a cold voice that became more threatening by the smile that accompanied it.

Francisco and Ramon helped to bind the alcalde and lead him out of the office. The soldiers outside didn't interfere because of the blade that Diego held to de Soto's throat. With the alcalde in their middle, the men mounted their horses and followed the trail south to San Diego.

"How did you convince the soldiers to become part of your scheme, de Soto?" Diego wanted to know. "Mendoza wouldn't willingly abduct Victoria."

"Of course, they don't know," de Soto explained. "I told them to guard the coffin of my deceased grandmother."

"You put her in a coffin?" Diego exclaimed, horrified. "How could you!"

He urged the horses to a faster speed, his fear for Victoria driving him forward. It didn't take them long to reach Mendoza and his men, who accompanied the cart with the coffin, forcing them to stop.

"Open the coffin at once!" Diego ordered when the cart came to halt.

"But, Don Diego, it contains the alcalde's grandmother!" Mendoza objected.

"The alcalde has no grandmother. Open the coffin!" He grabbed Mendoza's sword from its sheath and used it as a lever to open the coffin's lid. Pushing it away, he could look inside. Victoria lay motionless in the coffin, dressed in her white wedding gown. With her eyes closed it looked as if she was sleeping.

"It's Señorita Victoria!" Mendoza exclaimed. "How did she get in there?"

Diego bent over her and checked her breathing. "She's not breathing! She's dead!" he said shocked, turning around, helplessly looking at her brothers and Mendoza. "Victoria is dead!"

"No!" Ramon bent down at the coffin. "Not my sister!"

Diego's eyes fell on de Soto, who was had dismounted too and was standing nearby, his hands still manacled on his back. "You! You killed her! You killed Victoria!"

"I'm sorry, Don Diego. I didn't want that! I never wanted to harm Victoria," de Soto stuttered, apparently shocked as well.

Diego didn't listen to him. Instead, he cut de Soto's ropes and threw him Mendoza's sword while he drew his own. "Defend yourself!" he commanded.

"Don Diego, please, I didn't want that!" De Soto tried to stop him, while trying to defend himself. Overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events and Diego's unexpected aggressiveness, he was soon disarmed after a few blows by Diego's ferocious attacks.

"You will die for the death of Victoria!" Diego said determinedly, putting his sword at de Soto's chest, intent on killing him.

"Please, Don Diego!" De Soto helplessly held his hands up high. "You're a kind man who wouldn't want to kill another!"

"No! You will die! I have no mercy with someone who kills an innocent woman! You killed the woman I loved!"