Disclaimer: No copyright infringement meant with story. Characters owned by ZPI, not by me. I only wish to borrow them for a little while.
Summary: Victoria is in Monterey to pay the taxes on the tavern. She is mistaken for a woman who is wanted for a crime that carries the death penalty.
AN: This originally began as an attempt at a story to submit to a Zorro collection. I didn't get too far with it at the time, but I have occasionally attempted to work on it. I now think it is practically ready to share. I still have some doubts about it, but I will see if you readers disagree. Overall, I think it is an entertaining story, along the lines of some of the 1960's westerns. (i.e. Bonanza, which I recall several stories of mistaken identity taking place on that show. Unfortunately I couldn't remember enough for it to help me write this story, sigh. Or to acknowledge the particular episodes.) Anyway, thanks for giving this a try, and hope you enjoy it.
(I'll shut up now and let you read before I give away any more spoilers).
It started as any usual day would for Victoria. Or at least a day when she had to travel to another pueblo. Victoria rose earlier than usual, started the bread dough to rise, washed up the remaining dishes she hadn't gotten to the night before, checked out the supplies she needed to get for the day. When her helpers arrived, she gave them instructions for the day, until she returned. She herself had to make a trip to Monterey to make a loan payment on the tavern but had planned to be back before the evening meal.
Victoria enjoyed the ride to Monterey. With the sun shining, she was able to spend the rare time alone relishing the opportunity to think about different things. Besides such pleasant reminiscing, she also enjoyed the silence only punctuated by the noises of nature. She hardly ever had time to be alone, to contemplate how her life was going.
Traffic was light on the way, without many travelers coming either way. She made good time, entered the bank and paid her loan without incident. At least she thought 'without incident'. She noted in passing that the bank owner and his family had left several months ago, selling the bank to a new owner, who then had hired new employees. The fact didn't make much impression on her besides noting the new employees were just as friendly as the former ones.
As she was leaving, she was almost knocked off her feet by someone rushing into the bank. Victoria was lifted back to her feet by two strong arms. As she was about to thank the gentleman, she heard an intake of breath.
"It's you!"
Victoria pulled herself out of the stranger's grasp. "Excuse me, Senor?" Looking at the stranger, she was met with dark brown eyes considering her with what felt like disdain. The man had curly brown hair, a thin face, was several inches shorter than Diego, and shoulders not quite as broad. He was dressed as a vaquero, in a red and black flannel shirt and a black vest. He was no one she'd ever met before.
Without another word from the man, Victoria felt something cold on her wrist. She looked down as he enclosed her other wrist in a manacle as well.
"What's this? What in the world are you doing?"
"Well, Senora Grande, I don't think I need to tell you. You've certainly been in enough manacles to know when you're being arrested."
"Arrested? What do you mean 'arrested'?"
"Why are you acting like you don't know what this is all about? You have been arrested at least several times, in your lifetime, being such a scandalous criminal. Now, you be quiet, and I'll bring you to the Commandante."
Victoria was simply too shocked to protest, allowing herself to be led across the street to the jail. Passers-by moved out of their way and continued to watch their progress, wondering who the young senorita was and what she had done wrong to be treated so.
~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~
"You don't understand. I am not this Senora Grande. I've never heard of her."
Victoria barely contained her anger as she tried to speak with the two men across from her, barely restraining herself from rising from the wooden chair from which she was sitting. The man whom she had run into was introduced to her as Juan Torres, a bounty hunter from the United States. He was currently hunting for this criminal Maria Grande, whom he'd never met. He only had a wanted poster with a description and drawing, which they hadn't shown Victoria.
The other man, Commandante Julio Vasquez, had recently been transferred from Northern California and had never met Victoria, or been to Los Angeles. He had jet black hair, a trimmed moustache on his round face, and appeared to be in his late forties. Sitting behind his desk, he continued to look at Victoria with a serious, steady look with his coal-black eyes.
"That is what we'd expect you to say, Senora. The American government has been searching for you for several years,"
"But I've been living in the Pueblo Los Angeles all my life. My name is Victoria Maria Escalante, not Senora Grande."
"What proof do you have?"
"Proof? What type of proof? Take me to Los Angeles and any number of people there will testify as to who I am."
"You have anyone here in Monterey who can testify to that?"
Victoria scoured her memory for any possible acquaintance she had made in this pueblo. Usually, over the years, she had only had time to make the payment and leave, in order to get home to her often-overwhelming responsibilities as a tavern owner. The only people she would converse with were the banker and his family, who had now left. If she had visited with anyone, it would only be in passing, without an exchange of names. Surely no one who would confidently testify as to her real identity.
"Over the years, I've only had time to come, make payments on my tavern loan, and leave again. Surely the new banker can contest I made a payment on the account with the name of Victoria Maria Escalante."
Torres and Vasquez exchanged glances. Victoria's lip curled in disgust as Torres slowly shook his head. Her temper flared once more, despite the precarious position in which she found herself.
"Really? What would be the purpose of a criminal to enter this pueblo, make a payment on an account which isn't hers, and leave?"
Vasquez quirked an eyebrow. "That does make sense, Torres. And this picture, it's not a very good likeness." To demonstrate his point the Commandante held up the picture.
Victoria leaned over and grabbed the picture from his hand. Looking at it, her temper flared once more. "That is not me. The nose is absolutely too wide, as well as the forehead. It looks like her hair has gray in it, and mine definitely does not. This woman appears at least forty. I am barely half that age."
Vasquez nodded his head. "I agree with you, Senora." Fixing his serious gaze onto the other man, he says, "Torres, you're certainly making a thin argument here for your case."
Torres raised his voice to drown out Victoria's protest of the use of 'Senora'. "In my experience, the drawings aren't exact, but the basics are still there, I believe. It is a woman, with black eyes, the mouth appears to be the same, and the basic characteristics are still there. The parts you argue about, Senora, are often the parts of the face that are exaggerated in such drawings, unfortunately. It does not negate the fact that this resembles you a great deal."
"May I ask, Senor," Victoria's voice dripped with sarcasm at her exaggerated politeness, "how much experience as a bounty hunter you have, exactly?" Glaring at Vasquez, she said, "I would've thought this would be your first question to such a man before taking his word over an innocent citizen."
"I let you know I have been capturing no-good criminals like yourself for the past three years. I have a pretty good record, tracking and capturing many whom I've chased."
"Three years? Doesn't seem to be much experience to me," Victoria answered, her lips curled in distaste.
She jumped as Vasquez stopped Torres from slapping her. "None of that, Torres. I don't know what they teach you in the Americas, but around here we don't treat a woman like that."
Torres angrily pulled his arm out of Vasquez' grip. "If you'll simply release this woman into my custody, I'll be on my way, and out of your hair."
As Victoria opened her mouth to protest, Vasquez quickly said, "Hold your horses, Senor Torres. Again, I don't know what you Americans do in such a case, but here in the Californias we don't simply allow possibly innocent women to leave in the company of unrelated men."
"Senora." After Victoria scowled at him, Vasquez began again. "Senorita, I apologize for any inconvenience, but I have to insist you stay in my cell until the judge arrives on his monthly route. He will be here in two days' time."
Both Victoria and Torres began to protest loudly, but Vasquez held up his hand. "Again, I apologize to both of you, but it is what must be done. The judge will determine what to do next, and he will be here in two days."
~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~Z~~
Don Alejandro de la Vega entered the tavern, greeting everyone with a smile on his face. In a good mood, having been successful with getting much work done since early morning, he slowly made his way to an empty table. Meeting one of Victoria's waitresses, he greeted her with an especially kind smile. "Hello Alicia, how are you this morning?"
"Very good, Don Alejandro. How are you?"
"I'm also very good. And hungry for some of Victoria's tortillas and huevos."
"I'm sorry, Don Alejandro, Victoria isn't here this morning. We don't know where she is."
"What do you mean?"
"She left yesterday for Monterey to pay the tavern's taxes, but she never returned. At least no one has seen her since."
Diego and Felipe then walked into the tavern.
"Diego, have you seen or heard from Victoria this morning?"
"No, I haven't. Is something wrong?"
"Alicia says she left yesterday for Monterey to pay the taxes on the tavern and she never returned."
"Has anyone looked for her, Alicia?" Diego asked Alicia as she hurried by with a tray of food. "She makes it a point to never stay overnight in another pueblo by herself."
"What? Oh, no, I don't believe so, Don Diego. I…I didn't know what to do, so Maria and I just opened the tavern this morning. Since Victoria usually opens the tavern before we get here, we had a lot to do because there were patrons waiting for their breakfast. In the busyness of it all, we…we didn't really give it much thought."
Diego hurried to reassure Alicia. "I'm sure she is alright. Felipe, run upstairs and check her bedroom. I'll go check her back rooms, just in case. Father, why don't you line up some volunteers to start a search?"
Alejandro nodded, grabbed his gloves and headed out the tavern. After Diego and Felipe had searched the tavern, they met in Victoria's back parlor. Diego had his characteristic determined look on his face.
"Tell Father I'm headed for Monterey."
Felipe began signing furiously, protesting the intelligence of leaving suddenly. Diego interrupted him. "I'm sorry. I can make faster time on Toronado. Time is of the essence. This is Victoria we're talking about!"
The young man was left with his doubts, and the responsibility of coming up an excuse for the missing Diego while facing an angry Alejandro.
AN: So, what did you think? I think you will enjoy the twists and turns I have coming up in this story, so tune in when I post the new chapter.
