The conclusion
"Tell me, alcalde. Are Don Alfonso's men aware of the gold in the Indian territory?" Zorro asked, aiming with his sword to the alcalde's throat.
"No. They don't know anything. Don Alfonso said it was a secret; he didn't tell me anything about it, either," answered Luis Ramón, agitated, trying to get away from the sword unsuccessfully. Zorro had caught him by surprise at his quarters, where he was reading at candle light in his bed, materializing out of nowhere from the distant shadows of the room.
"In that case, as Don Alfonso and Oliver are dead, you are the only person left alive besides the Indians who knows about the gold in San Bernardino," said Zorro with a hard menacing tone, increasing the pressure on the alcalde's throat with the tip of his sword. Ramón looked at Zorro with wild frightened eyes, and swallowed hard in fear. A drop of blood slid down his neck, staining red the collar of his new white nightshirt.
Zorro held the fake deed for the land with Ramón's signature in his left hand, and waved it in the alcalde's face. "Nice try. I would have loved to see the outcome of that deception with your friends. What a shame we'll never know what Oliver would have done to you on discovering this," said Zorro, setting the paper on fire on the candle's flame. When it was nearly consumed, he submerged the remains in the glass of water close to the candle, on the bedside table. "I don't think it should be necessary to explain you that if you want to continue to be the only person of that trio still alive, you should forget about the existence of that gold. Do I make myself clear?" The alcalde tried to nod, but the sword cut a bit deeper into his skin. He stopped moving, with his head held back, afraid he could slice his throat open all by himself. "Do you understand?" asked Zorro again, waiting for a clear answer from him.
"Yes! Yes, I understand. No gold. I mean what gold? Never heard of it…" Zorro relaxed his arm just a fraction. "Put that away from me!" demanded the alcalde. Zorro did that, but he pulled the sword off just a couple of inches only.
"I'll be watching you. Any suspicious behaviour; any news of gold in the territory; any complains I received from the Indians… and I'll be back to finish you off for good. You have been warned, alcalde," said Zorro, stepping back to swish his sword away from the alcalde's neck to carve a neat "Z" on his nightshirt, over his heart. He wished his words had sounded credible, because he still didn't feel able to carry out that menace, in the same way Eagle Eye would do without a second thought. "You have my word, and I have yours." As fast as he had appeared, Zorro disappeared again into the darkness, without a trace.
"Toronado sends his regards!" a fainted voice came from outside, followed by the distinctive noise of hooves at full gallop.
Ramón sighed, relieved, and cleared his throat when Zorro left, shaking his head. He frowned looking at his nightshirt, holding the newly "Z-ed" piece of cloth between his hands, and cursed loudly. Then he smiled, showing his most evil grin. "That's what you think. I will keep the gold a secret, for now, but at the first opportunity I get, with any excuse, I will travel to the Devil's Fortress to get hold of the original land grant for that territory. And while I am there, I will try to get the De la Vega's land grant too. Why not? What a fantastic idea! You will not stop me, Zorro."
ZZZ
That night, the alcalde didn't know he would be dead in less than a month, only seconds after he'd found out Zorro's secret identity. As a result of that tragic dead, the sacred Indian Gold in San Bernardino continued to be undisturbed for nearly 200 years more.
ZZZZZZZZZ
Fin
*** Author's notes ***
Yes, in the end I managed to kill them all so the Indians and the gold could be safe, at least for a while. :D
I hope you enjoyed the story. And thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews. Much appreciated.
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