A Matter of Family
1 - Treasure
A Matter of Family
Chapter 1: Treasure
Las Lágrimas de la Luna — the Tears of the Moon — was an exquisite necklace composed of one large and many smaller teardrop-shaped opals nestling among glistening pearls and tiny sparkling diamonds, all set in silver, with earrings to match. Legend said that it was originally a gift from a Russian grand duke to one of his mistresses. When their relationship ended, she married well and the necklace was passed down in the family to her great-grandson. He, unfortunately, had to sell it to pay his gambling debts.
By various means — legitimate or not, who can say? — it came into the possession of the Salalzar family, and his Excellency Don Esteban Salazar, Viceroy of New Spain, had chosen it as the wedding gift for his goddaughter, Leonar de Solá. Some wondered that he did not save the jewels for his own daughter, Constancia. The reason was simple: having become accustomed to the opulence of Mexico City, her tastes now ran to gold, rubies, and sapphires. Mere opals were of little interest.
In journeying to Monterrey, the Viceroy's party had traveled overland to Manzanillo and then boarded a ship north to San Diego. During the voyage the viceroy and his servants had tried to be very discreet about the gift they were carrying. But one night, after dinner, his Excellency yielded to the captain's curiosity and had the iron-bound chest brought to the officer's mess and opened to reveal Las Lágrimas in all its glory. Lingering over the brandy and some very good cubanos, Don Esteban chose to speak of the remainder of his journey and of the places he would be stopping and the people he would be visiting along the way.
Ordinarily this would have been a perfectly safe thing to do. Tonight it was not, because the cook's mate who was clearing the table after dinner was not the sort of man who should know about such things. The first officer, noting the crewman picking up plates and glasses from the table ever so quietly, was pleased that the man performing this menial task was virtually invisible. What the first officer did not realize was that Aldo Ybarra was moving slowly and silently in order to pick up every word of the Viceroy's conversation. Once the strongbox had been opened and he had stolen a brief glance at the necklace while setting two additional bottles of wine at the captain's elbow, Aldo had contrived to lift dishes from the table and hand them off to another cook's mate who returned the dishes to the galley, allowing Aldo to remain well within earshot of the Viceroy's plans. Aldo was not an evil man, nor was he a stupid man. He was merely a humble man who was elated at suddenly having the ability to eavesdrop on so illustrious a person as his Excellency the Viceroy of New Spain.
Once the ship reached San Diego, Don Esteban's party settled in for four days of official business at the Presidio. After that they would resume their journey north overland.
The ship's crew was tasked with provisioning the vessel and taking on additional passengers and cargo for the return trip to Manzanillo. This would also take a number of days. Since the food ashore was always better than the food at sea, the crew would take their meals in the inns and taverns and the ship's kitchen staff had relatively little to do. So Aldo Ybarra had time on his hands and money in his pocket. Naturally enough he chose to spend both at an inn near the docks. In conversation with his shipmates, he began to speak of the beauty of the necklace and of the wedding destination. As the meal was breaking up and his compatriots rose to leave, Aldo was suddenly joined by a stranger who sat down beside him and set a bottle of brandy on the table.
"Señor, the tables are so close here," said the man, filling Aldo's glass with the brandy. "I could not help but overhear your description of this necklace. Can it truly be as beautiful as you say?"
"Oh it is, señor, I assure you. As beautiful as that and then some. So many jewels! Such workmanship!" The brandy flowed almost as fast as Aldo's tongue, and soon his newfound friend knew all about the Tears of the Moon, its iron-bound strongbox, and its overland route up to Monterrey.
Rafael Viernes was a man who lived by his wits and his pistols. He actually owned a small rancho high up in the hills somewhere east of Santa Inez, but certain difficulties with the law had encouraged him to move south. Far south. Now he and a small group of like-minded men lived in the buildings of an abandoned mine and made their way in the world by stealing the occasional sheep, rustling a few cattle, and robbing a few travelers from time to time.
Frequently one or two of them — but never all of them together — would ride into San Diego to pick up supplies and news of the comings and goings of the port. Tonight had been Rafael's turn, and riding back to the mine Rafael felt very pleased with himself. For a small investment in brandy and conversation, he now knew everything he needed to know about how to make himself a very rich man. Before relocating south "for his health," as he put it, he had spent a fair amount of time doing "business" in the Los Angeles area. He was familiar with the surrounding ranchos, and in particular he knew the location of Rancho Ramirez and its approaching roads.
Upon arriving back at the mine he gathered his men and ordered them to be prepared to set out first thing in the morning. Even allowing for sending two men into San Diego for needed provisions, they would have a full three-day start on the Viceroy. If all went well, Don Esteban would have a very different sort of reception waiting for him at Rancho Ramirez.