A PAST FOREVER PRESENT

CHAPTER 29

(Two weeks ago…)

Scott was waiting expectantly while Val was taking his sweet time. With a mutter, the lawman filled his cup with fresh coffee and took a careful sip before clearing his throat noisily.

"I know you really want to find out how we met and there's really nothing wrong with me telling you. But I'd like him to be with us for that one. Think you'll love his comments when I tell the story," Val said, winking exaggerately. "What I can tell you about it, besides the fact Johnny was a cocky little bastard of 15 with a bragging mouth, is that we started on the wrong foot. We faced each other in the dusty street of a small Mexican border town and we ended up saving each other's lives."

Scott nodded and smiled, both grateful that the two didn't complete their dance and shocked to find out Johnny was only 15 at the time.

"Johnny was – still is – a real rogue, full of shit and a thirst for life that was very catching. We bumped into each other regularly after our first meeting, often for work. About a year after we became friends, we met in El Paso. Then, Johnny dragged me to a fiesta in a part of Mexico where Madrid wasn't very well-known and where it was kinda safer for him to be," Val said, scratching his unshaven chin as the memories pertaining to that event took hold of his mind.

*

"We rode to Nuevo Laredo. That's a small town not very far from the border but way out of Johnny's normal territory. Said we would spend a week away from work and have some fun."

"You believed him?" Scott asked, scratching his nose before taking a sip from his cup.

"Yeah, I did," Val said, smiling. "But his idea of fun was pretty peculiar."

"How so?" Scott asked as he filled Val's cup with fresh coffee.

"Well, we booked a room in a small hotel and headed for a little cantina. Of course, it was overcrowded, what with the big fiesta going on, but he managed to get us a spot in the private dining room of the family owning the place."

"How the hell did he do that?"

In the flames, Val could see that Scott's face was alight with curiosity.

"He simply charmed his way in. I tell you, Scott, the woman he talked to seemed about ready to eat out the palm of his hand," Val said, laughing. "Of course, I asked him what he told her."

And in a perfect imitation of Johnny's soft drawl, he continued, "Oh, just that although you look kinda rough around the edges, you're a very good prospect for her oldest daughter."

This came just as Scott was gulping down the rest of his coffee. It all came out through his nose and he was left panting.

"I don't believe it!" he said, after regaining his composure. "He really said that?"

Val nodded. "And then he told me she intended to fatten me up because I was too skinny."

"Well, that's still the case," Scott deadpanned. "Was the girl pretty at least?"

"More than pretty. She was stunningly beautiful."

"How did you manage to get out of that… interesting situation?"

"I didn't. The whole thing was a prank. It turned out that the owner of the cantina was the cousin of Johnny's mother."

"He has family in Mexico then! I was under the impression he had had no one to turn to after his mother died. I wonder if my father knew about those people."

"I doubt it, Scott. If he'd known, he would have gone there to look for Johnny. Not that he would have found him but at least, he'd have known under what name he was going and it would have made his search easier."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Scott said thoughtfully. "So, my brother set you up good, huh? That's too funny. Were you mad?"

"At first, yeah, I guess I was. But then, Johnny looked so happy, I just couldn't stay mad at him. We ended up having a very good time. Esperanza – that's the girl's name – was already married and a mother of two lovely little girls who were both in love with Johnny. You should have seen him with them. He was like a kid himself. Hell, he was still a kid in reality.

"Well, Esperanza became our guide for the whole week. It was the first time I ever saw Johnny so carefree. I think I was lucky enough to have a glimpse of how life could have been for him, had he stayed with them after his mother died."

"Why didn't he?"

"According to Señora Valdez, she and her husband offered him a home with them but he wouldn't stay. He had too much hate inside him. All he was dreaming of was to find his father and kill him. But, you already know that."

"Yes. I'm glad things turned out okay for all of us. Still, I wish Murdoch had found him earlier. It would have spared them both so much pain and hardship."

Val nodded and drank his coffee. Scott could see he wasn't quite with him as he had a faraway look in his eyes and was smiling at something only he could see.

"But yeah, he really had me going for awhile. I thought I was gonna have Señora Valdez linin' me up for a weddin'," Val finally said after a minute. "I swore I'd have my revenge."

Scott laughed. He'd been on the receiving end of one of Johnny's practical jokes a few times, so he could easily imagine his brother playing such a prank on Val. That thought made him all the more eager to find his wayward sibling. God, he missed him so much.

"So, Val, did you have your revenge?" he finally asked, after taking another sip of coffee.

"Oh yeah. I got him good a few days after. But right now, I want to sleep," Val said, barely suppressing a huge yawn.

"You can't stop here, Val."

"Yeah I can and I will. We've got to get up early tomorrow, Scott… Heck, it's already tomorrow as it is. Go to sleep."

"But…"

"I'll tell you the rest while we ride. I promise."

Scott's expression was so funny that Val almost burst out laughing and changed his mind. He patted the younger man's arm and threw the rest of his now cold coffee behind him, into the bushes. Then, lying down, he turned on his side and made a show of yawning and grumbling.

Scott shook his head and grinned. He really would have liked to know the rest of that story, to see if Val got his revenge and what Johnny's reaction had been. But, he also knew Val was right. They only had a few hours of rest remaining. He stretched out on his bedroll and watched the stars for a few minutes until his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

* * * * *

Murdoch's night proved to be anything but restful. He turned over and over in his bed, unable to find a comfortable position. And then, when he closed his eyes, all he saw were visions of a blue-eyed young boy, struggling to survive in a harsh world, a place not yet ready to fully accept mixed-blood children. If only he had been able to keep his son by his side. If only Maria hadn't left, taking the boy away from the security of his home. If only… He sighed and turned once again, the bed creaking under his weight. And finally, an hour or so before dawn, he fell asleep.

* * * * *

Johnny was feeling sleepy but the movement of the stage wasn't very favorable for a nap. He tried to distract himself by watching the scenery unfolding in front of his eyes. There wasn't much to look at… a dry and dusty road, endless fields, a faraway ranch, a few cowboys here and there, nothing to worry about. In a nutshell, the ride was boring, very boring and he now wished he had rented a horse and continued on horseback, even if going by stage part of the way was the sensible thing to do.

Two of the passengers were having a discussion about the wonders of travel around the world. Obviously, they knew what they were talking about and that made Johnny smile. His brother would have loved to participate in such a conversation. But him? Nah! Although he had travelled a bit, his travels had mostly consisted of going back and forth between the south-west states and Mexico – not much in the face of what those two had done. It kept him occupied for a bit but soon, his mind started to go back in time once again.

(Five years ago…)

The fun was about to begin… but Johnny was not stupid. When he saw how many men rode behind El Capitán he knew that, unless a miracle happened, today would be his last day on earth. His only regret was that his friends were also risking their lives. They were all in position and it was just a matter of time before he had to play his part and stand in the street to face his nemesis. He had no doubt his friends would intervene as soon as the rurales made their move. They would watch his back, but at what cost?

He had already mentally prepared himself for this confrontation. He had a few things to tell Lopez – things that he needed to get out of his mind. Although he knew the man was less than honorable, he was still counting on his curiosity and his willingness to restrain his men while they had their talk. Once this was done, he was pretty sure all hell would break lose.

Still sitting in the rocking chair, he watched the band of rurales riding in slowly. Soon, they stopped in the middle of the street and faced the mission. Then, El Capitán motioned for his men to move back a little while he rode still a bit nearer to the abandoned building. He stopped his horse near enough to be able to hear Johnny.

"Tell me, do I scare you so much that you need to bring reinforcements with you?" Johnny asked, as he spared a glance at the eight men behind El Capitán.

"One day, Mestizo, your big mouth will get you killed."

"Well, dying comes to us all, sooner or later."

"In your case, breed, it might be sooner than you think."

Johnny grinned. "Shall we talk then? Unless you want to dance. Your choice, amigo."

The young gunfighter knew better than to provoke El Capitán but he couldn't help himself. He saw the man's right hand twitch and he smiled again.

"You think you can take me?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Maybe not, but you sure make me feel like trying, Mestizo."

"As I said, your call," Johnny said, finally getting up.

He took his time flexing his fingers and stretching his back, all the while looking straight into the eyes of his enemy. He was taking chances but in his heart, he knew El Capitán wouldn't move until they were both ready. Then he rolled his shoulders back and forth and shrugged. Slowly, he pulled his black glove out, put it on his left hand and made sure his holster was well tied. Then, he leaned nonchalantly against the mission wall, as if he had no worries at all.

He could see El Capitán's men spreading and forming an arc behind their captain and dismounting once each was in position. He almost checked to make sure his friends were still in place as well but didn't. That would be HIS surprise for El Capitán.

"So, what shall it be – talk or dance?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, smiling insolently.

"Let's talk. After all, that's why you invited me here."

Johnny just smiled again and moved away from the wall, advancing toward El Capitán but still staying far enough away from him.

"Señor Castaneda had assured me his men had killed you and left you in the desert for the buzzards. I should have realized it wouldn't be that easy to get rid of you."

"Well, Castaneda's men did a lousy job. They should be fired, don't you think?"

"You certainly have guts, Madrid. I have to hand that to you."

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an awful long time but was only a minute or so in reality. Then, Lopez spoke, his voice just loud enough for Johnny to hear him.

"Where's my money?"

"Ah! So that's why you really came today!"

"Castaneda was stupid enough not to make sure you were definitively out of commission. Why should I care about the problems you've created for him? I'm only interested in getting my money back."

"You mean the money you stole from those poor peons who already had next to nothing?"

El Capitán's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint appearing in them. "Don't push your luck too far, Madrid."

"Else what? You gonna have me taken down by your men? Very brave of you. Eight… no, make it nine against one."

"Well, it was very stupid of you to come alone. You can be such a foolish boy."

"You think so?" Johnny asked, defiantly.

Thing is, this time El Capitán was right. Were it not for his friends who were hiding nearby, he would have been alone. How could he have believed for even one second that the man would have come alone?

Still, the fact that his friends would now risk their lives for someone like him didn't sit well with him. He now wished he'd not sent that note to the Rurales captain. That had been foolish. But then, if he hadn't, Castaneda and El Capitán would have exacted retribution from the peons. And that's something he couldn't let happen. He needed to make sure they wouldn't be bothered, no matter what. He needed to convince El Capitán that everything that had happened was of his own doing, that he was alone when he did it or that whoever had helped him was now long gone – back to the other side of the border. Yes, that's what he needed to do and right now. There wasn't much time left for this because soon, Lopez would tire of their little game.

"There was a time when all I wanted was to be like you. I admired you," the young gunfighter confided, in a soft drawl.

"I remember. You were always in my way, asking questions, demanding answers. You couldn't get it in your thick head that no blue-eyed half-Mexican boy would be accepted in the rurale force."

"Guess I was really stupid, huh? And here I thought you were an honorable man. I thought you loved my mother, that you could have been a father to me," Johnny said, unable to totally hide the hurt from his voice. "All you ever wanted from her was for her to spread her legs for you."

El Capitán's eyes became murderous. "You won't speak of your mother like that, Mestizo. She was worth more than you'll ever be."

Johnny dipped his head and briefly lowered his eyes. When he raised them again, they were brighter and filled with a renewed hate for Lopez.

"What do you care? I followed you a few times and she wasn't the only one. I saw with whoever you were taking your pleasure with. I saw how you treated those women. My Mama was just another one of them."

"Don't change the subject, Mestizo. Where's my money?" El Capitán asked, the hand holding the pummel suddenly clenching it.

"What's in it for me if I tell you?"

"Maybe I'll spare your life."

Johnny snorted, laughing bitterly. "As if I would believe that!"

"Then, how about I spare the life of those who helped you?"

"What makes you think I got help?"

"I'm not stupid, Madrid. You couldn't have pulled all of this alone. The peons hired you and then they helped you."

"The peons? Hiring me? Come on, they don't have any money to pay me. You took it all from them. You think I'd work for free?"

"I'll find the truth sooner or later. It's easy, really. I only have to take you back with me to a certain village."

"This is not necessary. The peons have nothing to do with this. I was helped by a few gringo friends," Johnny said, maybe a little too quickly.

"And where are those friends now? Hiding here and waiting to cut me down?"

"No. I don't work that way. By now, they're safe across the border."

"If it wasn't for the peons, then why did you do it? Why didn't you cross the border and save yourself?"

"Vengeance."

"I don't get it."

"Vengeance against Castaneda for what he's done to me. Vengeance against you for what you've done to my Mama."

"I haven't done anything to your Mama."

"You abandoned her," Johnny said, venom dripping from his voice. "You left her at Carlos' mercy and look what happened? She died! She left me!"

By then, Johnny was shaking. He realized he needed to refocus and quickly. He should never have let their conversation go that way. And now, El Capitán was looking at him with a strange expression in his eyes. The man must think he was crazy.

"I don't think we have anything else to say to each other, Mestizo," El Capitán said, finally dismounting.

Johnny moved backward as quickly as he could to reach the safety of the mission. El Capitán raised his hand and his men started to advance, closing in but still staying behind their captain.

A single shot reverberated.

TBC