Diego opened the door to the newspaper office. A chair had been overturned, and he picked it up and replaced it at the small table. The table was covered in notes, written in his handwriting. He had obviously taken this work seriously, he thought, picking up the top piece of paper. It was the beginning of a news story about new taxes, and he put it down with a frown.
"Are you alright, Diego?"
Diego nodded, and walked slowly around the small room. The printing press sat in a corner, imposing with a sense of power. "The pen is mightier than the sword," Diego murmured to himself. He reached out and touched the machine, sweeping a fine layer of dust off the top. There was another chair here, and he sat down absentmindedly.
This was important to him. He felt emotions rise and fall, and the slight ache that came before memories reasserted themself. He rubbed his head to ease the headache, and turned his attention to the letters waiting to be typeset. He arranged some of the letters on the window ledge at his elbow.
Z...o...r...r...o. Diego stared at the word hard, trying to force a memory that stubbornly hid itself from him.
"What can you tell me about Zorro, Luke?"
Zzz
Luke froze, and swallowed hard. He had heard the doctor's warning about sudden shocks to Diego's system. He couldn't very well tell him that he knew he was Zorro. He fidgeted as he hesitated.
"Zorro? Oh, no one knows very much about him," Luke said, as he noticed Diego's growing impatience. "He dresses in black silk, and wears a black shirt, black trousers, a cape, and a hat. And a mask. It covers his face, a bandana they say. Just reveals his chin, and his eyes."
Diego raised his eyebrows. "Sounds very Shakespearean."
"Shakespearean?"
"Dramatic. Like a figure on the stage. How long has he been active in the community?"
"About five years," Luke said. "This curiosity can only lead to trouble. The alcalde has declared him an outlaw."
"An outlaw? What crimes does he commit?"
"His crimes are petty basically. He defends the interests of the pueblo and the people. He is a hero. A hero of the people," Luke said. "Diego, what are you thinking about doing with this information?"
"I am trying to remember. It feels very important to me," Diego said with a shrug. "The alcalde would know more, do you think?"
"You aren't listening to me," Luke said, feeling his frustration rise. His new friend was very stubborn, and not much like an easy going lazy caballero that the pueblo had considered him. "I don't think this is a good idea. I have a bad feeling about this."
"I will take it slow," Diego said, glancing at his friend with concern. "I am not about to rush anything. Why does everyone overreact when Zorro's name is mentioned?"
Luke just stared at him with concern, but Diego was obviously focussed on what he wanted to do next. The question was clearly asked hypothetically.
Zzz
The alcalde was busy dealing with paperwork, when Diego de la Vega entered the office with a cursory knock.
"Well, hello Don Diego. I heard about your accident, I hope you are feeling better," Ignatio de Soto said, eyebrows raised with surprise.
"A sore shoulder and a knock to the head," Diego said with a shrug. "My newspaper needs me, so I have to take steps to get the next issue out."
"Indeed," the alcalde said, eying his documents carefully. Hopefully if he didn't pay the young nobleman too much attention he would leave as suddenly as he had appeared.
"I have a question to ask you, Alcalde," Diego said, with a touch of uncharacteristic impatience. An attitude more like his father, de Soto noted, lifting his head to study Diego again.
"Yes, you must excuse my distraction, Diego. Paperwork…" He gestured vaguely with his hands. "What can I do for you?" He leant back in the elaborate chair, and steepled his fingers on the desk.
"Indeed?" Diego said. "Paperwork is tedious, I suppose."
"Very," De Soto added, and the two men eyed each other warily. Luke shifted at Diego's side, but said nothing.
"I believe that you know things."
De Soto was startled. He'd heard that Diego had amnesia, the whole town was talking about him forgetting everything. Did he remember his kidnapping? Was he here to complain about MacKay and seek his arrest? Or was it something completely different? Diego was not much of a troublemaker, but he could make waves if his attentions were raised. His father was another matter altogether, of course.
"Go on," the alcalde said carefully.
"As you may have heard, I have a form of amnesia," Diego said.
"Yes, I have heard something about that."
"Huge sections have been wiped completely, but I am slowly regaining certain memories," Diego said, as if treading carefully. "Such as the latest goings on in the pueblo. As the newspaper editor, it is imperative that I can recover from this. You do understand, of course?"
"Of course," de Soto said, nodding. Diego de la Vega's skills were basically his intelligence afterall. There was nothing else that he was good for. His clumsiness was legendary, and his general ineptitude was well known.
"I would suggest seeking old copies of the newspaper, where your own stories will fill you in," de Soto said, losing most of his interest.
Diego was studying the poster of Zorro that hung on the wall.
"Are you interested in something in particular?" De Soto said with renewed interest.
Zzz
Luke was tugging at Diego's sleeve, a little anxious about being in the alcalde's office of all places. Diego didn't really know how dangerous the man was, not with half of his memories gone, but it was as if he had walked unarmed into a lion's den. This lion was licking his lips, Luke was sure.
"Don Diego, we promised Victoria we would return to the tavern for lunch," Luke said, with difficulty. "Alcalde, if you will excuse us…"
"Of course, pressing engagements are important," the alcalde said. "I do have pressing issues of my own to attend to. I will see if I can gather some notes for you when I have time."
Diego had stiffened his body for some reason Luke noticed. He wasn't sure why. Luke prayed a quick prayer that nothing further would happen, and Diego slowly relaxed and nodded.
"That would be appreciated, Alcalde. Thank you."
Luke managed to lead his friend out of the office, and back into the nearby tavern with some difficulty. He sighed with relief when they finally sat back at the usual table.
Zzz
Diego had felt uneasy in the alcalde's office, as if his mind was fighting forgotten problems. Sometimes it was if his mind was haunting him with the ghosts of the past. Something was triggered at the back of his head, warning him of danger. He was wise enough to tread carefully.
He had gone to ask about Zorro, but he had changed his mind on the spot. Swirling memories of de Soto had consolidated into reality when he stood in the office. Something warned him that the alcalde was not his friend, he was an enemy. It was something that shook him to his core, but his heart knew it was right.
Back at the tavern, Diego breathed again. He had been holding his breath for a while. Luke was worried about him, he could tell with the expression on his face.
"It's alright, I'm fine," Diego said, smiling encouragingly at his friend. "No harm done."
Luke was shaking his head with something bordering on disbelief.
Victoria came over to the table with a soup for Diego and a sandwich for Luke. She glanced at Luke and back at Diego.
"What have you been up to?" She asked, placing the soup in front of Diego.
He glanced into the steaming bowl and breathed in the fragrance of aromatic herbs. He lifted a spoon to taste it, and then sat back with satisfaction.
"Albondiga soup," he said, sighing. "How could I have forgotten that flavour? My favourite…"
Victoria turned and smiled at him. "There's a flan for you after lunch as well."
Diego ate the soup, grateful that at least Victoria knew him well enough to spark some of his memories back to life. He was looking forward to the flan.
Zzz
"What on earth has he been doing?" Victoria asked Luke, taking him into the kitchen for a moment.
"He insisted on visiting the alcalde," Luke whispered, despite the empty kitchen. "He wants so much to find out more about Zorro."
"Sometimes I think it would be safer to just tell him," Victoria said thoughtfully. If Diego had put a foot wrong in his weakened state, the alcalde might put two and two together. Their hero could soon be a dead hero. They had to protect him.