CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – Spying
As Alejandro and Diego walked into the dining room, Victoria spotted Diego, rose and ran to him. She hugged him with such force she nearly knocked him over. Mendoza rose and smiled, walked over to Diego and waited a moment before slapping his arm in a friendly slap.
Victoria cried, "Diego! Are you all right? Are you really all right?"
"Si, Victoria. I'm – all right. Really – I am." Diego blinked his eyes trying to focus them and deal with the force of her greeting. But it was momentary. He looked down and smiled his winning smile. She looked up and he brought his head down and gave her a little kiss.
Mendoza said, "Don Diego, gracias for your note – Felipe is giving the lancers a note to come and protect the hacienda until Doctor Barton is found. Could you tell us, Don Diego, exactly what Doctor Barton did to you?"
Diego pointed towards the left. "Let's all have a seat in the sala, shall we? I still get very tired. And – what I have to say – I only want to have to say – once."
Victoria and Diego sat together on the settee; Mendoza sat in a chair a few feet opposite them with a coffee table in between. Victoria took one of Diego's hands and held it.
Diego began, "I went to talk to Doctor Barton about what happened to Father…but mainly – I was hoping to get him to share a little bit about his life. We don't know anything about him – I hoped he would share."
Victoria squeezed his hand. "And did he – tell you – anything?"
Alejandro came in with drinks and some tea cakes. As he poured and served, Diego continued his narrative. Alejandro poured Diego a cup of coffee, the others, tea.
"Oh, si. But I'm afraid I can't remember very much. I got so sleepy – from that tea. When I first got there, I noticed he lives a bare existence. There are no pictures around, no artwork on the walls – nothing. I thought it was because he hadn't had time to unpack…" Diego shook his head again, to clear it.
Alejandro leaned forward. "Are you all right, son?"
"Si, Father. I – just get – sleepy – especially when I talk…it seems – I – put myself – to sleep…"
"I get drowsy too, sometimes, Son. Although, I think most of what he gave me has worn off."
Mendoza cut in. "And – just what did he give you, Don Diego?"
Diego gently slapped his cheeks a couple of times, shook his head. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Some sort of chamomile tea…only this one, he said, had 'other delights' mixed in with it. I couldn't discern them."
Victoria interjected, "What happened after you drank it?"
Diego sighed. "That's the part I'm fuzzy on. I think there were differing relaxant and sedative qualities to it. I think –I was an experiment on how it affected me. He questioned me…and – I think – he did a medical examination on me."
Mendoza cut back in. "What did he ask you, Diego, if I may ask? What could he possibly want to know from you that he would have to go to such trouble? It doesn't make sense."
Diego shook his head. "I don't remember everything. I do remember he asked me about an analgesic tea I formulated. I'm pretty sure I – told him. I think he may have also asked why I was there. But – uh – Doctor Barton left – and I escaped. Gracias a Dios – Felipe found me."
Victoria could see that Diego was rapidly falling asleep. "Diego, are you all right? You look…like I felt after Zorro had me drink some cactus tea – when I sprained my ankle." She thought that would engender some sort of response.
At the words 'cactus tea,' Diego slowly swung his head in Victoria's direction, looked at her through his eyelashes, and smiled. "Si, I feel the same – on the 'good' doctor's chamomile tea…" His head drooped a little.
"Here, put your head on my shoulder, Diego." Victoria leaned back on the settee. She put her arm out. Diego leaned back, scrunched down, snuggled in, leaned to the side, and put his head on her shoulder. Within two seconds, he was fast asleep. She crooked her arm around his head, and stroked his hair.
Mendoza smiled. "You two make such a pretty picture." Then he looked to Alejandro and repeated. "Don Alejandro, I'm going to have the lancers guard the hacienda twenty-four hours a day – until Doctor Barton is caught."
"Gracias, Sergeant. And what about the doctor? Is he still at large?"
"No one has found him yet, Don Alejandro," Mendoza answered. "We sent out two patrols, but we didn't encounter him."
"When are the lancers scheduled to arrive, Sergeant?" Alejandro wanted to know if he still had anything to fear – and to try to know when it would be safe for Diego to stay inside the hacienda instead of the cave.
"I told them to come as soon as they can – but – I don't know exactly when they'll get here. With Corporal Sepulveda in charge – well – I should get back soon to make sure my orders are carried out – otherwise it could be tomorrow morning before they get here."
"Sergeant, gracias for all you do. But – stay and finish your tea and tea cakes. Maybe the lancers will arrive before you leave. Because right now – I hate to disturb those two lovebirds over there. Diego needs to sleep it off."
He gestured towards Diego and Victoria. Alejandro smiled as he watched Diego snuggle into Victoria's shoulder. She kept absent-mindedly stroking Diego's hair as she sweetly nestled her head on top of his.
Z
Dr. Hernandez gently coaxed the horse and buggy along the road towards the de la Vega hacienda. He was nearing the hacienda when he thought he saw something – or someone – out front. He would try to remember to mention that to Don Alejandro.
He pulled the buggy up to the front gate, got out, and walked to the front door. He thought he heard a rustling in the bushes to his left about thirty feet, but dismissed it. He thought he saw something, but felt it was probably a rabbit. He knocked on the door.
Z
At the knock, Alejandro rose. "Doctor Hernandez, so good to see you. Come in, come in." Alejandro ushered Dr. Hernandez into the sala.
With their fears allayed, Victoria and Sergeant Mendoza felt it was time to leave. Victoria gently awoke Diego, who slowly stretched and seemed a bit stiff as he extricated himself from Victoria's shoulder.
"Victoria – your shoulder is so comfortable. Sorry – I fell asleep." He looked at her with adoring eyes.
She smiled back. "Gracias, Diego. And Diego – I still expect to see you tomorrow, at siesta."
Diego smiled and stretched again, rubbing his neck to work out a kink in it.
Sergeant Mendoza said, "Gracias Diego. I'll make out a preliminary report. We'll keep a sharp eye out for this man. Lancers should be here soon. Maybe tomorrow – you could come to the pueblo to make sure I have everything in the report?"
Diego answered both with, "Si – I'll be there." He yawned, stretched, sat up, then drank more coffee.
Z
Felipe stopped in the de la Vega barn to see if Esperanza made it back all right. She did. He unsaddled her, brushed her down, gave her hay and water and headed towards the back of the hacienda.
He hoped Diego was all right. He would see what was going on, then he thought he'd slip into the cave and check on Tornado.
Z
Jackson weighed his options as he watched through the window. He could wait until Dr. Hernandez left, or he could sneak in now. He had watched as Mendoza and Victoria visited with Don Alejandro. He watched as Diego nearly fell asleep talking. Yeah, my tea is still working on him, he thought. It's a strong tea. I'm glad to be able to observe this. It will help me in my research. Diego's a strong man, but he's not invulnerable. The European doctors and jailers said that no matter what stimulants were administered to prisoners in their experiments; one dose in one cup of tea would still take at least twenty-four hours to wear off. I gave Diego one dose in his tea, then he got about another half dose in the laboratory. It's funny to see him try to fight it off with coffee! It won't do him much good. There is no antidote to this – at least not yet. He chuckled to himself and continued to watch with amusement.
He also weighed what to do with his newfound knowledge of the fireplace. I wonder where that leads, thought Jackson. Every fox has a lair – that's probably Zorro's. I remember hearing stories about the old haciendas and their secret escape passages. It's just like our large mansions back East. Not that I've ever been in any of them. Quite the contrary. Well, there was that one rich family in New York; they lived outside the city… His mind wandered back…
Jackson spit when he remembered the incident – when just before one Christmas, he and George were sent back to the orphanage because Jackson had punched the little brother of the boy they were visiting – for being a tag-a-long. It was common practice for rich folk to make themselves feel better by inviting orphans to spend Christmas at their home. Before being sent back – Jackson enjoyed being there – roaming through thirty rooms, and being shown a secret passage that led them out to the back of the estate. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he watched through the window.
I'll try to reason with them…but if not…well, they'll get what they deserve – what everyone deserves what they get when they reject me. I hope they…let me reason with them. That man in New York – the father – didn't even want to hear my side of the story. He summarily sent George and me back to the orphanage without so much as a by-your-leave.
He started putting some of the contents from his special saddle bag into different pockets. This way, I'll be prepared for anything, he thought.
Jackson continued his watch through the window.
Z
"It's my fault. I should have never brought him here. This is just terrible! Are you both sure you're all right?" Hernandez put a hand to his head to hide his shame.
Diego yawned, then reached over and put a hand on Hernandez's arm. "Doctor – it's not your fault. You couldn't have known… the man is insane. I'm sure he's learned to – hide his violent behavior until he feels comfortable. That he showed himself so quickly here is a credit to our acceptance. From what I think I heard him say last night, it usually took many months longer – in one case over a year."
Alejandro poured a cup of tea for Dr. Hernandez, who took a drink. "Si, Doctor. Don't blame yourself. Obviously the man is insane. There was no way to know."
"And Doctor, I'm fine," Alejandro replied. "A little worse for wear, maybe – but I don't think I have a concussion, and obviously he didn't give me enough, what did you say you thought it was, Diego? Ether?"
"Si, Father. It was probably ether – administered – through – inhalation." Diego shook his head to clear it, and gently slapped one cheek, then the other – as he yawned yet again.
Doctor Hernandez noticed. "Are you all right, Diego? Do you want to lie down?"
"No thank you. I've lain for positively hours today, Doctor. But Father, could you get me – some more – coffee? It helps – temporarily – fight that tea." Diego's eyes blurred. He blinked trying to clear them, then rubbed his hands over his face to help wake himself up. It helped a little. He felt a little more alert.
"Gracias. Diego, for your kind words… Now, you also said – he interrogated you. What did he want to know? Did he suspect…" Hernandez looked at Diego questioningly, and angled his head towards Alejandro.
"It's all right, Doctor. Father knows. I – I told him when I officially began courting Senorita Escalante – when Zorro and Victoria had their very public breakup. But si – Jackson suspects. He may even have proof, I'm not sure how – or where his suspicions came from. I don't believe he got an admission out of me. But it wasn't for want to trying…"
Alejandro poured Diego another cup of coffee. Dr. Hernandez sighed visibly. He still felt guilty. "If anything happened to you because of that…I'd never forgive myself."
Alejandro came and sat next to Dr. Hernandez. "Doctor – I don't know much about these things, but Diego does. If he said you're not to blame – you're not to blame."
Dr. Hernandez looked up in gratitude. "Gracias. Oh, I forgot my other purpose for this visit. I've written to Mexico City. I have a friend there. I asked him to send us a new doctor – one he knows personally and trusts. There should be someone here in just a few weeks – maybe less – if the mails are in our favor! After these accidents began, I felt I had to do something. So – without consulting anyone – I wrote to my friend, Doctor Gonzales Gomez. Hopefully, I'll hear something soon. You never know – with the mails being as they are."
They didn't notice someone had slipped in the front door – and heard everything Doctor Hernandez said about a new doctor…
TBC
A/N: Thank you again to those who faithfully review…LaCorelli, Diet MJ, and Dana…and all of you… I appreciate your feedback. Hang in there…there's a lot yet to be told – and this is a weird story. Patience is a virtue and you will be rewarded with surprise twists. Don't expect the story to go how you think it will. Only one of you even has a clue as to what could happen in a future chapter – and you said it in a review many chapters ago. Chapter 22 is entitled Meltdown…hang in there…action's coming, going, then coming again! After that, all that's left is the fallout… But I warn you – this is not a traditional Zorro story…