Chapter 15 – The kidnapping plan

"Oh my God! What happened to you, Diego?" Don Alejandro said when he saw his son arriving home with his clothes covered in blood stains, bruised and battered.

Dismounting was a difficult task for Diego, with his whole body aching, but he eventually managed in slow motion. Felipe took Esperanza's reins with eyes wide open, full of questions.

"The bounty hunters… They molested Victoria in the tavern and I got on the way. Probably they thought I was a punching bag." Although he tried to laugh, his attempt for irony didn't work.

"Is Victoria all right? Did you really get in a fist fight with them? All of them? How?"

"Yes, she is fine, a bit shaken but unharmed."

"What about you? Are you all right, Son? Did you see a doctor?" He didn't like the way Diego was walking wearily, holding his side with his right hand.

"Yes, doctor Hernández had a look at me; he said nothing is broken, although it feels like it. I just need to rest, doctor's orders," he said, heading slowly towards his room.

"Yes, Diego, do that, go to bed. Call if you need anything," Don Alejandro said, patting his back. Knowing his son, he knew it would be pointless to ask him for more details because he always kept to himself, so he decided to go and check on Victoria instead.

ZZZ

On arrival to the pueblo he found the tavern closed. He knocked on the door calling for her until she finally opened it, letting him in.

"Victoria, are you all right? Diego arrived home in a state, all battered, but he didn't give me much details of what really happened before he went to his room to rest."

"Yes, Don Alejandro, I am fine, thanks to your son. He was very brave, facing the bounty hunters when they molested me. If he had not been there I don't know what would have happened." Tears came running down her cheeks again.

"It's all right Victoria, don't cry, you are safe now," he said, holding her, while she cried on his shoulder.

"I was so scared… that man grabbed me, and… he… he… Diego punched him… It was awful! I left to get help, and when we came back they had beaten Diego up so badly… Is he all right?"

Although he was quite worried himself, he tried to reassure her.

"I think so. He will be sore for a few days, but he should be all right, don't worry. Victoria, I don't like the idea of you being here alone this evening. Maybe you should come to the hacienda and stay there as a guest. After all, you came back to Los Angeles for the wedding, didn't you?"

"Yes… no… I also came to sort out the situation with the tavern," she lied. "Thank you, but I can't stay in your house." Because she was so ashamed of her own behaviour, she could not bear the thought of being so close to Diego and to see him every day.

"Don't be silly, of course you can. Pilar and Alicia can carry on handling the tavern for you. Grab a few things, you are coming with me now."

"But… but…" No, you don't understand. He won't be happy to see me!

"No buts. I would not forgive myself if anything happens to you because you were left here alone. I don't think anybody in the pueblo is safe while those men are around."

In the end, she gave in, because she was really scared of being on her own.

ZZZ

Cristina arrived at the Hacienda de la Vega in the morning to check on Diego. She had heard the news and was anxious about the whole issue with the bounty hunters, in case they would suspect he could be Zorro. Coming into the main room, she was very surprised to find Victoria sitting quietly with Don Alejandro, waiting for Diego to show up. Cristina had to make an effort to conceal any signs that she had seen Victoria before, or that she knew who that pretty little lady was, which was a difficult task because finding her rival there was very unsettling.

"Cristina, how are you?" Don Alejandro said. "Cristina, this is Victoria Ortiz, a friend of the family. She is the one Diego was trying to protect at the tavern. Victoria, this is Cristina Blasco, la novia de Diego."

When she saw the guilt and the uneasiness in Victoria's eyes, Cristina had to make use of a lifetime of training on keeping the composure, so she would not slap her.

"Nice to meet you. How are you?" Cristina said with the friendlier voice she could manage, which was just above a plain, cold tone.

"Fine, thank you. Nice to meet you too." Oh, gosh, she is really as beautiful as they say. No wonder he has fallen in love with her!

The two women gazed at each other for a while without talking, measuring the opponent up. The moment was broken when Diego appeared at the library. His face was swollen and bruised, with many different purple shades on display, especially around his nose and his right eye. Both women gasped when they saw him in such a state. Startled, he also gasped at the sight of them together in that room.

"Diego, how are you? You look awful!" Cristina said, walking towards him. She kissed him lightly in his swollen lips, in a gesture to mark her property. Accusing eyes looked at Victoria as the cause of the damage, with a clear message of"Hands off. He is mine." Victoria felt so guilty she had to look down at the floor, blushing.

"I am all right, thank you, don't worry. I will look like a plum for a few days, but I should be fine for the wedding," he said, with a light tone. "Victoria, are you all right? What are you doing here?"

"I am fine, thank you, Diego. Your father asked me to stay as a guest. Well, actually, he dragged me here," she added also on a light tone, trying to excuse herself.

"Diego, I didn't want her to stay at the tavern on her own. Those men are very dangerous. I hope they go away soon," Don Alejandro said. "They are nothing but trouble."

"I hope they go away without capturing Zorro," Cristina said, looking at Diego intently.

"Yes, let's hope that," Diego agreed, quietly.

ZZZ

The bounty hunters arrived at the pueblo on Sunday morning right after mass, while the faithful were coming out of church. Another two dead bandits were on display in the cart. This time, they had been shot in the back. Everybody could see them in the plaza, because Karl had chosen the moment to make a statement.

"Señor Jäger, I believe your methods for capturing criminals are not improving," De Soto said when he saw the gunshot wounds.

"What do you mean, Alcalde? You asked for them dead or alive. So here they are: dead. You owe me another 3000 pesos."

"Every person deserves a fair trial!" Don Alejandro shouted. "You should capture them and bring them to justice! Not murder them like this!"

"If they run away it means they are guilty. No need to bother with a trial," Karl said.

"No. It means they are scared of you and you methods. How many men have you killed since you arrived, rather than bringing them to justice alive?" Don Francisco said, with his blood boiling inside his veins. If someone like the ruthless German would had been in Spain when he was accused of treason, he would be dead.

"Just five. Zorro will be the last one here and we will go away," the German boasted. The crowd booed at him, outraged.

"If you get him!" shouted someone, followed by some cheers.

"You will never get him!" shouted another voice.

"Yes, we will!" Karl said. You'll see, stupid rabble. You'll see. We will get him.

De Soto walked into his office to collect the reward money for the bounty hunters. He was disgusted by their methods, but he was looking forward for them to capture Zorro, so he could return to Spain on the next available ship.

In the meantime, Mendoza and three other soldiers carried the bodies to the garrison's jail, while the bandits' burial place could be arranged at the cemetery. Arriving at the jail, Mendoza struggled to open the lock in that particular cell door, one that had not been used for a long time. The lock was old and rusty, and it took him a while to turn the key. The Sergeant rattled with the key and shook the bars at the door, frustrated, producing a loud noise that annoyed De Soto's delicate hearing.

"What is this infernal noise?" he asked, coming into the jail just when Mendoza had managed to open the lock.

"This lock, mi alcalde. It is too rusty. I could not open it."

"Too rusty? Don't be silly, Sergeant, just put some oil in it and it will be fine."

He came into the cell after the soldiers to check on the bodies again.

That German has no honour. It is a disgrace the way he killed these bandits, with so many shots in the back. But, if he gets me Zorro, I will not complain. He stood there contemplating his own promising future, the one he could imagine for himself once that Zorro's cold, lifeless body would be resting in that very same cell. Hopefully, quite soon.

Mendoza poured some oil in the rusty old lock and closed the door to try the key again, while De Soto was still inside the cell. The lock was stuck, just as before, and the Sergeant rattled the key a few times, in vain.

"Mendoza! What are you doing? Open that door immediately!" De Soto barked.

"I am trying, mi alcalde, but I can't. It's stuck again," Mendoza said nervously, with sweat droplets appearing quickly on his forehead.

"Give me that key, imbécil!" the Alcalde demanded, grabbing it from Mendoza's shaky hands. He didn't fancy staying in that cell with two dead bodies, not at all. Despite his confidence, De Soto also struggled to open the lock, twisting the key so forcibly that, in the end, it snapped inside the keyhole. He shouted and cursed, kicking the door and shaking its bars furiously.

"MENDOZA! OPEN THIS DOOR AT ONCE!"

The Sergeant gulped and retreated cautiously, whispering a sensible: "I am going to get the farrier, mi alcalde. It won't take long, sólo un momentito. Sit down and relax… Madre de Dios!" He ran out to the street, and half way to his destination he could still hear the angry yelling with colourful insults coming from the jail.

ZZZ

The following day, Cristina and Diego went for a ride late in the morning. Considering how bad he looked like initially, Diego had recovered quite well, and a week after the beating he was nearly back to normal. Or at least, his body was. His mind and heart were still a big mess, engaged in a constant dispute over the objects of his affections. His head had declared Cristina as the obvious winner, but, on the other hand, his heart kept saying but… And there were so many "buts" to attend to.

Cristina, painfully aware of his unusual absent-mindedness and trouble, knew perfectly well the cause. That morning, quite upset with the situation, which was out of her control, she pushed her horse ahead and let Diego follow her. That way, she hoped it would be easy to wipe off any stranded tears before he could see them.

Shortly after, they reached a dense woodland area. While cantering on a narrow path, Cristina encountered a fallen tree across it and she jerked the horse with a weird lateral movement to go around rather than jumping over it.

"Why did you go around that trunk like that? You could jump over it quite easily," Diego said, advancing parallel to her when they reached a wider part on the path.

"I don't like jumping," she replied, evasive. At that point, she didn't feel like talking about anything, especially horse-jumping.

"I guess jumping is more difficult with a sidesaddle. What about the Italian? Does he jump?"

"No, if he can avoid it."

"I can't believe this, the fearless Leonardo doesn't like to jump!" he teased. "I usually jump with Toronado over the ravine when the soldiers are chasing Zorro. They never follow me."

"See? I am not the only one who doesn't like it."

"I am talking about a ravine, not a little trunk on the ground. You know where it is, we have been riding around there before."

"Yes, and I think it is irresponsible to do that. It is too dangerous."

"Never had a problem but, after all, I am riding Toronado," he winked. "I would not try it with Esperanza, but I bet your Perseo would be capable to jump over it."

"We will never know. I am not going to try."

"I don't want you to try! I'm just wondering if he would, that's all."

On the way back to the hacienda Diego was wondering about the reason for her apprehension, while Cristina remembered the time when she had the bad fall which caused her irrational fear for jumping. She didn't like to talk about it because she felt too embarrassed. As Diego had pointed out, the Italian should be fearless, but he wasn't.

ZZZ

Meanwhile, Vladimir overheard a conversation about Victoria. Two women were gossiping about how she got away from Zorro to get married, and how inappropriate it was for Zorro's ex-lover to be back in the pueblo on her own without her husband. A sly smile formed in the Russian's face when he realized the importance of this piece of information.

"I know how to make Zorro come to us," he said to Karl. "We have to kidnap the tavern wench. She was his lover."

The German didn't know about Victoria's past and was gladly surprised. That would be a good idea to set a trap for Zorro.

"Yes, that may work. I will talk to the Alcalde."

Coming across the street to enter De Soto's office, Karl didn't pay any attention to the young man who was looking at them, the one who had been reading the movements of their lips. Felipe, looking casual and calmed despite his agitation, walked away to reach his pinto horse, and rode home as fast as he could to tell Diego. He found him in the library, talking to Cristina. He called Diego apart to tell him Karl's plan while Cristina looked at them, frowning suspiciously from the other room.

"They are going to kidnap Victoria? Are you sure?"

Felipe nodded.

"And the German is now in the Alcalde's office?"

Felipe nodded again, signing he didn't know why.

"I guess he is going to tell him about the trap for Zorro, so he doesn't interfere. Do you know when are they planning to do it? Today?"

Felipe shook his head, shrugging his shoulders.

"I am going to have to convince the Alcalde kidnapping Victoria is not a good idea, and that he should protect her."

Felipe nodded again in agreement.

"Cristina, I have to go now," Diego said coming back to her to the other room, looking distressed. "I will see you later."

"Where are you going? You promised you would not show up at the pueblo as Zorro while the bounty hunters are around. Are you breaking that promise? Why do you have to go?" she asked, feeling an unbearable mixture of anger and anxiety.

"They are planning on kidnapping Victoria. I have to stop it before it happens." He didn't like the suspicious, upset look in Cristina's eyes. "I would go for anybody else, but especially for her. I feel responsible because I put her in danger when I fell in love with her as Zorro."

"Diego, if you are going, I am going. There is no point in arguing."

"But…"

"No buts. You know that, unless you tie me to a post, I will follow you."

He sighed, giving up. She was so stubborn, that statement was probably right.

"I don't want you to get hurt. These men are dangerous. They shoot on sight, so they won't give you time to use your sword. And you don't want to be shot, believe me. If you really have to come after me, please just follow us from the distance. Don't go in the middle of it, please. Promise me that."

"I will try, but I can't promise you anything. I don't want you to get hurt either." And I don't want you to be alone with her, even for a second.

"I am going to convince the alcalde to protect Victoria rather than to go along with the plan. Hopefully they won't see me and I will be back here within an hour. If they chase me, I will try to lose them jumping over the ravine. Don't get on their way, please. I feel very tempted to tie you up in the cave."

"I know you do. Take care, dodge all the bullets," she said, kissing him goodbye as if it was the last time. Please, come back to me, she wished, closing her eyes and clenching her fists, shaking. She could not bear the thought that Diego could choose Victoria, even risk his life for her. The moment Diego and Felipe disappeared behind the fireplace, she headed home, determined. No time to waste.

ZZZ

"Alcalde, long time no see," Zorro said, approaching him silently from behind, placing his blade across his neck, below his jaw.

"Zorro! What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"Shhh… We don't want anybody to hear us, do we?" Zorro said, lowering his voice. "I am a ghost, and I can walk through walls." De Soto nearly believed him at that.

"What do you want?"

"I heard about the bounty hunters' plan to kidnap Victoria. I want you to reconsider that agreement. She doesn't deserve to be used like that. Besides, her husband is very well connected; he won't like it if anything happens to her."

"How do you know about this? Karl just told me a while ago."

"I know everything. I hear everything like the ghost I am. Promise you will protect Victoria and I will go. Tell them their plan won't work, because I already know about it."

"But—"

At that moment, Karl Jäger came back into the Alcalde's office to tell him they were planning to kidnap Victoria that afternoon, while she was at the tavern. He froze when he saw Zorro behind De Soto.

"Help me!" De Soto cried right before Zorro hit his head hard with his sword's hilt.

The German reached for his gun while Zorro jumped over the Alcalde's unconscious body, getting there in time to hit the gun away with his sword. The loud bang was heard by the bounty hunters outside the office.

"It's Zorro!" the German cried before he encountered Zorro's fist.

Vladimir came into the office in time to see the masked man climbing up to the roof through the window in the ceiling. He followed him alerting the others, who looked for him from the street. Zorro ran over the roof tiles toward the end of the row while whistling to Toronado. The horse came at once, running parallel to the back of the houses, making possible for Zorro to jump on the saddle from the roof while running, without stopping.

The killers shot Zorro while he galloped away, but they missed the fast moving target. Then, they mounted on their horses, following him like a pack of wolves.

ZZZ

Before she changed into Leonardo's clothes, Cristina primed a couple of guns taken from his father's collection, and took some balls and gunpowder with her. As Diego said, they would probably shoot them rather than attack them with their swords.

When she got ready disguised as the Italian, she came back to the pueblo to find out if the killers were chasing Zorro or not, looking for their tracks. She found a wide track with multiple prints that could have only been left behind by a large group of horses at full gallop, which she followed away from the pueblo.

ZZZZZ