This chapter is based on episode 31, The Wicked Design of the South India Trading Company.
Here's a quick update because I won't have the time to work on this story for a little while due to exams and travelling.
THE RIGHT TURN OF THE ROAD
Chapter 22
Gabriel frowned as he inspected the carriage before him. The left front wheel looked like it would give in at any moment, but that was no wonder. After he had failed to find Rafael on the night of the incident with Sella, the young man had returned to the tavern, taken the carriage and tried to go home alone. Gabriel couldn't imagine how he had done it, but somehow he had crashed and almost broken his leg. Rafael claimed he had drunk too much, but Gabriel would have been ready to bet money on his general incompetence playing a part in the accident.
Gabriel saw someone approach him from the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, he found himself facing a young woman. Her name was Guadalupe, and she was one of the workers in the fields.
"What do you want?" Gabriel asked.
The poor woman froze at his voice, but she didn't try to retreat. Her cheeks were flushed, and Gabriel didn't miss the way she was grasping her hands together. He couldn't help but feel annoyed. Some of the workers were so afraid of him it was getting bothersome.
"I'm looking for Basilio. Do you know where he is?" Lupe asked. Maybe the blush on her face wasn't the result of fear after all.
"I haven't seen him all day," Gabriel said. Basilio should have been building the fence, but apparently he had found something better to do with his time. Pablo had threatened to put something disgusting into his wine the next time they ate.
"Oh," Lupe said and lowered her eyes in disappointment. "When he comes back, can you tell him that I'm looking for him?"
"Sure, but since it's almost time for you to go back to work, I doubt he'll make it in time," Gabriel said.
"Then I'll talk to him before going home today," Lupe said. She turned away and was about to leave, but then she spotted Pablo who was walking towards them. He was grinning from ear to ear and winked at her.
"You can't be one day without him? I didn't know you were so sweet on him," he said.
"I just have something to say to him," Lupe said. A hint of annoyance crept into her voice, but Pablo either didn't notice or didn't care.
"I'm jealous. I have no idea how Basilio got such a pretty sweetheart so fast when a man like me is still lonely."
"Stop that. It's not funny," Lupe pleaded in exasperation.
Pablo came to lean on the broken carriage and glanced at Gabriel. "You know the place. I'm sure you can tell me where to find someone with such lovely eyes."
"Stop it!" Lupe snarled, but Pablo only laughed at her anger.
"And such a lovely temper," he said.
"Tell him to stop!" Lupe snapped and turned to glare at Gabriel with such blazing anger in her eyes that he was momentarily caught off guard. She had been so timid just a moment ago.
"But maybe she's a little too feisty," Pablo said.
"And you're wasting my time. Go away if you can't do anything productive," Gabriel said. He wondered if he could fix the carriage himself. He had never done such work before, but surely it couldn't be that complicated.
"Hey, are you trying to come to her rescue? I'm not sure Basilio would like that," Pablo said.
"Shut up!" Gabriel and Lupe snapped at the same time. This finally made Pablo wipe the grin off his face. He rolled his eyes at the two of them.
"You're both in such a bad mood today," he said.
"I'm busy. I have no time for your foolishness right now," Gabriel said.
"And I don't need to listen to such talk. You know it makes me uncomfortable," Lupe added.
Pablo chuckled. "And that's exactly why I love teasing you. I'm sorry. There's something about young romance that makes me lose it." Before Lupe could add another angry word, Pablo straightened his back and turned to look at the carriage. "I wonder how Rafael did this."
"I'm not surprised," Gabriel said. "At the very least -"
"He's such an idiot! He can't do anything right!"
Gabriel and Pablo turned around to look at Lupe. Gabriel was a little surprised that she was still there, but her sudden outburst puzzled him even more. He realised that he was glaring at her because she suddenly threw a hand to her mouth, her blush growing even deeper.
"I'm… I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to insult him." She was looking up at him with her lips pursed in apprehension. She probably thought he'd punish her for saying something like that about their employer. If she only knew how much he agreed with her.
"Never mind that. Has he done something to you?" he asked.
Lupe hesitated only for a moment before she replied. "He almost ran over my mother and her friends with that carriage the other day and made her drop all the grapes she was carrying. Then he stomped on them when he got down! I'm sure he saw them, and he did it on purpose! My mother had to stay here and pick more grapes to replace the ones that were ruined," she explained.
"She shouldn't have done that. It wasn't her fault," Pablo said.
"We have a daily quota to fill," Lupe said with a careful glance at Gabriel.
Pablo snorted. "Surely it's not that important."
Gabriel found himself hesitating with his answer. Don Augusto had been very clear about what he wanted, but Gabriel had the feeling he might be more lenient if the problems were caused by his son, not the workers.
"No. If we tried to fix all the damage Rafael causes, we wouldn't get a moment of rest," he said.
"True," Pablo said with a sigh, but then he turned to look at the broken carriage. "But look on the bright side. Now that he wrecked the carriage, he can't go to drink and gamble in town in a while."
"Can't he take a horse?" Lupe asked.
"No. It turns out he has been too afraid to get on horseback after he fell on the day he met our good Gabriel on the road," Pablo said.
"Really? I never heard of that. What happened?" Lupe asked.
Before Gabriel could get another word in, Pablo had started telling her of that day, how they had met each other for the first time and how Don Augusto had hired Gabriel. The remains of Lupe's anger and worry were all washed away by the time Pablo was done, and her face was lit by a delighted smile.
"I wish I could have been there. It must have been funny," she said. The happy tone of her voice was so refreshing after so much fear and mistrust that Gabriel couldn't remain annoyed either. It felt like ages since he had been able to just casually chat with anyone other than Gonzales or Pablo.
"You don't have to do much to scare him like that. You'll see something like it sooner or later if you keep your eyes open," he said.
"I'll give him a shock on purpose if you'd like," Pablo added.
Lupe laughed. "Oh, just listen to us. We're horrible," she said. "But I should get going or I'll be late."
"The break isn't over yet," Gabriel pointed out.
"I know, but I -" Lupe started. She hesitated for a moment, as if weighing her options. "I promised I'd do something."
"Oh, are you going to help your uncle again? Has his hand got any better?" Pablo asked.
Lupe froze at his words and glanced at Gabriel, tense like she expected him to yell at her or hit her. Gabriel frowned as he wondered if this exchange should have meant something to him, but then he remembered.
"Edmundo Cortez?" he asked.
"Oh, you already know," Lupe said and relaxed again. "I thought you'd fire him if you knew about his hand."
"As long as he can do his work, I don't care," Gabriel said. As far as he was concerned, it didn't even matter if Edmundo only got through the day with the help of his friends and family. It wasn't an issue as long as all the work got done, and it was easier on him than having to fire the man and find someone to replace him.
"That's wonderful! My mother will be so happy to hear that," Lupe said. She waved goodbye to Gabriel and Pablo before hurrying outside to get back to her work.
Pablo chuckled as he watched her go. "I like her."
"From what I've heard, you like everyone who wears a skirt," Gabriel pointed out.
"Yes, but I especially like Lupe. Don't you just love the way she blushes when she gets angry?" Pablo asked.
"She's not my type," Gabriel said.
"Then what is your type?"
Lolita, Gabriel thought instinctively. She was everything he wanted, but now that he thought about it, she and Lupe were very alike. Both looked sweet at first, but they could become aflame with anger at the smallest provocation. It was one thing he liked about Lolita – she wasn't predictable or easy. And yet the same trait in Lupe didn't interest him at all.
"Every time I ask you about women, you never say anything," Pablo pointed out. "I can't believe there's nothing going on. When you were a lieutenant, surely all the women in San Tasco wanted to -"
"Shut up!" Gabriel snarled.
A thoughtful frown appeared on Pablo's face. Gabriel glared at him, ready to punch him if he saw even the faintest trace of a grin. Couldn't this idiot see that he didn't want to talk about this topic?
"Let me guess. Someone lost interest in you when you were removed from service?" Pablo asked.
"No, and it's none of your business," Gabriel said, and he couldn't decide if that would have been preferable to the truth. At least then Lolita would have wanted him at some point, even if it was just for his rank. The fact that she had never seen anything desirable in him hurt and angered him more than he wanted to admit.
Thankfully, Pablo got the hint and said nothing more about it. He crossed his hands behind his back and shrugged.
"If Basilio doesn't ask Lupe to marry him soon, I will," he said.
"She would be insane to say yes."
"It's always worth a try, and I can be really persuasive when I want to," Pablo said with a laugh.
Gabriel couldn't help but think back to what Gonzales had said about not wanting to pressure Sella and how he couldn't be happy with a woman who didn't really love him. He wondered what would have happened if his attempts to blackmail and threaten Lolita into marrying him had worked. He had been certain it would make him happy, but maybe Lolita would have found ways to make his life hell.
Nothing of interest happened in a few days. They made good progress with the fence and Pablo estimated that they'd probably finish it in just a day or two. Everyone else was happy about it, but Gabriel thought he might miss the work a little. It wasn't fun by any means, but it gave him something useful and productive to do in his otherwise dull life.
Pablo was currently telling him about how they had thought they had run into English pirates on their way from Spain. He was just about to get to the climax of the story when he suddenly lifted his head to look over Gabriel's shoulder.
"I wonder what's going on over there," he said with a frown.
When Gabriel turned to look, he could just about make out the crowd that had gathered by the entrance to the estate. It was too far away to see who was there, but since all the workers were still in the fields, it had to be someone else.
"We had better take a look," he said, and they both let the fence be. It took them some time to walk through the field to the front yard. By the time they made it there, some of the workers had left the vines as well and come to look. Gabriel thought about yelling at them to get back to work, but his attention was stolen by the people at the entrance.
"What's this? What are you doing here?" he asked. The people appeared to be commoners, and there was nothing threatening about them. Nobody carried a weapon. Maybe they had come to ask for work.
Everyone turned to look at him as they heard his voice. Gabriel was surprised to see no fear on the people's faces. He became even more puzzled when one man took a step closer, desperation in his eyes.
"Please, can you help us? We have nothing more to eat, and we can't afford to buy anything," the man said.
"What? What is this nonsense?" Gabriel asked in confusion. All of these people were well-dressed and looked like they hadn't spent too many days of their lives starving. None of them would stand out in any way in San Tasco, and he just couldn't believe that they were really that poor.
"They must be talking about the recent fires," one of the workers said. Gabriel needed a moment to recall her name, but then he realised she was Anita, the mother of that annoying little girl.
"What fires?" he asked. News didn't reach the estate very quickly, and since he didn't talk much with the workers who lived in San Tasco, he didn't really know what was going on.
"Someone has been setting fire to fields all over the countryside. It's horrible. There's barely any wheat left. The South India Trading Company was able to save some and bake bread, but their prices are insane. Nobody can afford to buy enough for their families," Anita explained.
"I knew nothing about that," Gabriel said, suddenly feeling a little foolish. This was something everyone was supposed to know.
He glanced at Pablo who just shrugged. "Me neither."
"Why have you come here?" he asked of the man who was leading the group.
"We need bread for our children, but we can't buy it. Please help us if you have anything to give us," the man said.
Gabriel realised that everyone was now staring at him and waiting for his answer. He didn't know where to look. The pleading expressions on the newcomers' faces unsettled him. They were nothing new to him, but it felt different to see someone look at him like that when he was standing on the same level with them, not glaring down at them on horseback. The workers were almost worse. They were resigned and glum, like they already knew what he was going to say.
With some surprise, he realised that he didn't want to be the one to make a decision. This time, he didn't want the power.
"Where is Rafael? He's in charge of the estate, not me," he said.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him all day," Pablo said. "But maybe we can ask Eduardo or Carla about this."
"Right," Gabriel said with a nod. "You stay here," he said to the people before turning to face the workers. "And you people get back to work!"
"What a mess," Pablo said with a sigh as they entered the main house to look for someone who could take the decision off their hands.
"I don't think we can give them anything," Gabriel said. There were a dozen people outside. They'd have nothing left for themselves if they gave something to everyone. News would travel soon, and then they'd have even more people begging at their door.
Gabriel hated beggars and delighted in showing them their place in the world, or at least he had used to. The desperate looks on the people's faces now reminded him too much of his own plight not too long ago, and he found he couldn't turn his back on them as easily as before.
"I think so, too, but we'll let Rafael decide. If we can find him, that is," Pablo said.
They did find him, and it didn't even take long. That surprised Gabriel a little, but what didn't was that they found Rafael still in bed. He staggered to the door after they had spent a good while knocking on it and wrenched it open.
"What do you want so early?" he asked.
"It's almost noon!" Gabriel snapped. He could recall the times he had caught soldiers dozing off much, much earlier in the morning and the dressing-downs he had given them.
"In other words, it's all too early to get up," Rafael said with a yawn. "But since you forced me up, I guess I'll listen to what you have to say."
Gabriel and Pablo explained the situation to him. All through it, Rafael's expression didn't change at all.
"You bothered me for that? I already knew about it," he said once they were done.
"You have to decide what to tell to the people," Gabriel said.
"Tell them to scram," Rafael said. He retreated back into his bedroom and pulled the door shut before Gabriel had even fully understood what he had just said.
"Can't say I'm surprised," Pablo remarked.
"It's probably what his father would have done," Gabriel said.
"No, I think Don Augusto would have sold them some bread for the normal price. He never gives anything for free, but I'm sure he would have wanted to help," Pablo replied.
They returned outside and went to tell the people the bad news. The man leading them said he wasn't surprised, but that didn't stop the expressions on their faces darkening as they turned to leave. They had walked a long way from San Tasco, and it looked like they would be going even further to reach an even more distant estate.
From the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw many of the workers in the field stare at them. When he turned to look, they immediately returned to their work. Damn peasants! What right did they have to glare at him like that, like he had done something wrong?
"Too bad," Pablo remarked.
"I wish I could do something," Gabriel muttered, earning a surprised glance from Pablo.
"What, you want to hand out bread to the people?" he asked.
"Of course not! I want to go and search for the bastard who's setting the fields on fire," Gabriel said. Had he still been in the army, that was what he most likely would have been doing at the very moment. Unless Raymond was behind the whole thing.
The people had mentioned the South India Trading Company and how much profit they were making by selling their remaining bread. Gabriel thought it more than likely that Kapital had hired someone to burn the fields to make sure everyone would have to pay his insane prices.
"Are you stupid? That's dangerous!" Pablo said. He was looking at Gabriel with such serious eyes that it surprised him a little.
"I'm not actually going to do it," Gabriel said. He just wished he could. He liked to entertain himself with the thought of arresting the culprit and bringing him to San Tasco. How glorious that would be, and how he'd love the adoration the people would shower upon him. They'd say they had been wrong to judge him and that they had treated him unfairly.
"Oh, good. For a moment you looked like you were serious," Pablo said with a sigh. "I think it's better to let the army deal with this."
"Right," Gabriel, not quite able to hide his frustration.
Diego frowned as he watched the scene that was playing at the town square. South India Trading Company had set up a large stand. Boxes full of bread were towering on it while people waited anxiously in line for their turn to buy some. The impatience always turned to shock when they made it to the front and heard just how much they had to pay.
"This insane! This isn't enough for my family!" one man was complaining.
"It's all you can get for the money you gave me," the merchant replied.
"It's too expensive!" someone from the line said.
"It can't be helped. Our fields were burnt, too, and this is all we have left. We aren't making any profit here. We're practically running a charity with these prices," the merchant explained.
Similar exchanges had taken place all through the day. The people complained, but in the end they had no choice but to pay the asked price. They all returned to their homes with their meagre purchases, so there was something they never saw. But Diego did.
He had been watching the stand all morning. He had quickly noticed that no matter how much bread the South India Trading Company sold, more and more was being brought to the stand. They kept talking of how little they had, and yet it looked like they possessed more than anyone else combined.
That the South India Trading Company was lying about their damage and trying to benefit from the current catastrophe wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. Someone was setting fire to all the wheat fields in the area. He had burnt several warehouses, too. If it didn't stop soon, all of San Tasco would be in serious trouble. Zorro had ridden around the countryside each night, but so far he had seen no sign of the culprit. This time he had even accepted Bernard's help.
The de la Vega fields hadn't been touched yet. The wheat the rebels had stolen from the army was also safe, but there wasn't much of it left. It wouldn't help anyone in the long run. The whole situation was gnawing at him from the inside. He hated feeling so helpless and useless.
The same went for his father. Diego didn't think he had ever seen him that tired. Alejandro had started staying up at night to guard their fields with a few of their men. He had asked Diego to join them. Diego would have liked nothing else more, but he had had to lie that he was too tired and didn't feel like it.
He spotted Sergeant Gonzales walking down the street and decided to have a word with him. He might have new information about the mysterious arsonist. The army seemed to be trying to catch the man, but Diego wasn't yet ready to trust that Raymond had nothing to do with the matter. It would be just like him to let honest men like Gonzales and Jekyll work night and day to catch someone who had protection from higher officers in the army.
On the other hand, Raymond had nothing to gain by burning the fields. He would just be causing trouble for himself. Soldiers had to eat, too. That meant they were looking for either a madman or someone who benefited from all this.
Diego couldn't help but glance at the bread stand one more time.
"Hey, Gonzales," he called out.
"Oh, Don Diego. How are you?"
Diego noted that the sergeant looked tired, too. He had dark lines under his eyes, and his smile was a little strained. Of course, part of it could be because of what had happened with Sella. Diego hadn't wanted to get involved in such personal matters, but once he had learnt of the trouble Sella was facing with Theodore, he had decided to keep an eye on the situation as Zorro. Thankfully, his interference hadn't been necessary. He was a little curious about Gabriel's involvement in the whole thing, but there were more important matters to deal with now.
"Just fine. It's such a beautiful day today," he replied.
Gonzales grunted in disagreement. "There's nothing beautiful about this day if it's not the day when we catch that damn arsonist."
"Oh, I heard about that. Such terrible business."
"Tell me about it. I haven't had a moment of peace ever since this started a few days ago," Gonzales said.
"No wonder. With so many fields and warehouses destroyed, everyone is panicking," Diego said. He pointed towards a nearby tavern. "Do you want to come for a glass of wine? You shouldn't forget to rest in the middle of your responsibilities."
Gonzales glanced longingly towards the tavern, but he shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't. I need to go to the station to read through the recent reports. Lieutenant Serrano is probably already waiting for me."
"What about Jekyll and Placid?" Diego asked.
"They're patrolling the countryside with the men and looking for leads," Gonzales said.
That already told a lot to Diego. Either Raymond had nothing to do with these incidents or he hadn't yet lured Serrano or Placid to his side. If this was his doing and if he had a new officer working for him, he wouldn't have wasted resources by making that man work against their own plan, not even for appearances' sake. Three officers would have been enough.
Diego didn't think it was likely that Raymond would find an accomplice in Placid, but Serrano was a mystery to him. He had tried to get the opportunity to talk to the lieutenant again, but it was as if Serrano was avoiding him. Whenever he saw Diego approach him, he either voiced an excuse and left or made sure they wouldn't be alone. Diego couldn't understand what the lieutenant had against him. He had asked his father and Don Carlos if they knew anyone by the name Serrano, but neither could recall a significant encounter with anyone called that.
"Well, I'm glad you're all working so hard. I'm sure you'll catch the culprit in no time," he said.
"I hope so, too. But to be honest, I wouldn't mind a little outside help."
"What? What are you talking about?" Diego asked innocently.
Gonzales took a careful glance at his surroundings to make sure there was nobody to hear. Then he leaned closer to whisper, "I mean Zorro."
"That bandit? Sergeant, are you serious?" Diego asked, feigning shock.
"Zorro has been a great help in the past. It's true that his opposition to the army makes things a bit complicated, but this time we have a common goal. The army hasn't made any progress yet. Maybe Zorro is the only one who can do something," Gonzales explained.
Diego felt a smile tug at his lips. "I'm sure Zorro would be glad to hear you have so much faith in him."
"Yes, well. Sometimes I think that… Oh, never mind," Gonzales said, clearing his throat as he suddenly realised how freely he was speaking.
"What are you thinking about, Sergeant?" Diego asked.
"That's just it. I shouldn't think," Gonzales said with a harsher tone in his voice. He said a quick goodbye to Diego and hurried down the street towards the station.
Diego returned to the town square. He wasn't at all surprised to see that the South India Trading Company still had more than enough bread displayed on their stand. At the moment, another argument about their prices was taking place. This time the complaints came from two mothers who had five children hiding behind them, looking yearningly at the bread they couldn't afford.
This won't do, Diego thought. He couldn't just stand by and watch children starve. That he rode at night as Zorro didn't do anything to help these people. Even if he found the culprit, it would still take time before everyone had enough to eat again.
He spotted Bernard in the crowd with a few of his friends. They were so busy glaring at the merchants and muttering to themselves how unfair it was that they didn't notice Diego until he was standing right next to them.
"Bernard, I need you to do something for me," Diego said.
"What?" the boy wanted to know.
"Spread the word that all children in San Tasco are welcome at the de la Vega estate and that there's going to be food for them there," Diego said.
"What? All children?" Bernard repeated. "But that's going to -"
"It'll be fine. I'm sure my father would agree," Diego said. In fact, he was sure that if he didn't do this now, his father would get the same idea in no time.
Kapital kept his hands clasped behind his back as he listened to what the man before him was saying. By the time he was finished, a displeased frown had settled on Kapital's face. He should have known that trouble would emerge sooner or later. Things had been going too smoothly.
"This Alejandro de la Vega is a fool," he said.
"Quite true," the man before him agreed. His name was Valerio Martinez, and he was an old acquaintance. He had been working at Kapital's company in Spain and had only recently arrived in San Tasco.
"Have we already targeted his fields and warehouses?" Kapital asked.
"Not yet, sir. The de la Vega family sells their wheat elsewhere, so everything they have here is for their own use," Martinez replied.
"Then they probably don't have much," Kapital mused.
Martinez shook his head. "They only have one warehouse. If Don Alejandro goes through with his plan to bake all of it into bread and give it to the people, I'd say it'll hinder our operation for a week and a half at most," he said.
"That's not a problem," Kapital said. He could deal with a minor setback like that. After a while, the people would be forced to come back to his company anyway. Ruining Alejandro's plan would be risky, and it wouldn't bring in much profit.
On the other hand, it could solve some of his other problems.
"So, we'll let them be?" Martinez asked.
"No. I want you to find someone to set fire to their warehouse, but make it look like some random person did it. I don't care who it is as long as someone outside our company gets the blame," Kapital said.
"Of course, sir. But wouldn't that mean the end for this operation? That person would no doubt be blamed for the other fires as well, and then we couldn't proceed anymore," Martinez said.
"It won't matter anymore. We've ruined most of the fields in the area, so the damage is done. Even if there are no more fires, the people will have to rely on our bread for months to come," Kapital replied. He paused for a moment and chuckled. "Besides, it's for the best if the culprit is found soon. My good friend in the army is getting a tad too suspicious for my liking."
"I see. This way you'll make sure nobody suspects you," Martinez said.
"I'm sure the commander knows who's behind everything. He doesn't have proof, so he can't do anything at the moment," Kapital said.
Martinez frowned and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Won't this damage your future operations with the army? I know we haven't touched the army's warehouses, but burning the fields means they can't confiscate enough wheat as taxes in the near future. What if the commander turns against you?"
"Don't worry. Raymond is not stupid. He knows he needs me and my money if he wants to strengthen his hold of the area. And I need his protection if I want my business to thrive," Kapital said.
The frown didn't leave Martinez' face, and Kapital knew he didn't understand. He was sure only few would have. He and Raymond weren't friends by any means. In fact, apart from Zorro, they were probably each other's worst enemies. Their goals both tied them together and brought conflict between them. To an extent, they could work together and support each other, but there would be a time when either one would find the other's presence too dangerous for their own position.
"This is just a reminder that he doesn't control me and won't be part of my business unless I wish so. He will no doubt give me a similar reminder in due time, but our shared operations won't suffer from this," he continued. In fact, he had scheduled a meeting with Raymond for that very evening so that they could discuss the matter of the new hospital. It would probably prove to be an interesting conversation.
Diego felt a headache coming. The whole day had been nothing but a series of conflicting emotions, and it had all ended up in a catastrophe. First his suspicions of the South India Trading Company. Then inviting the children to eat and helping Lolita and Maria organize all that. His father's decision to give all of their wheat to the poor. Getting to know Miguel. Watching his family's warehouse go down in flames and listening to the people curse the de la Vega name for empty promises.
He wasn't sure what to think. He had found some gunpowder and the remains of a suitcase near the destroyed warehouse. It proved that the fire was the work of professionals, not just some madman, but that wasn't going to bring him any closer to discovering the culprit's identity.
His father, true to his nature, hadn't let the incident hold him down. After they had made sure the fire was properly put out, Alejandro had decided that action had to be taken. He wanted to go to the main offices of the South India Trading Company and ask Kapital to lower his insane prices. Diego had agreed to accompany him, partly to find out more about Kapital's intentions and partly because he didn't want his father to be alone with such a dishonest man.
"I'm sure he'll do something when I explain the situation to him," Alejandro said as they stopped their carriage outside the offices.
"I'm not so sure of that. Kapital is a businessman."
"True, but he has shown he has an honest heart. He paid for all the damage his men caused to Adans, remember?" his father asked.
"Only because Zorro brought the dishonest business to light," Diego pointed out.
"Do you think Kapital knew what they were doing?" Alejandro asked, stopping at the door. Something about the way he was looking into his eyes made Diego feel unnerved. He couldn't name the emotion on his father's face, so he quickly turned to look elsewhere.
"It's a possibility," he said, for once unable to outright lie.
"I hope you're wrong, but -" Alejandro started, but it was then that one of the servants came to let them in. The man was smiling pleasantly at first, but his expression grew sour when Alejandro explained why they were there.
"I'm afraid Mr. Kapital is currently busy. If you'd like to, you can talk to Mr. Martinez about your problem," he said.
"That would be excellent. Thank you," Alejandro said.
"You can find him in the conference room. Third door after you take the left stairs," the servant said. He didn't wait to get a reply but promptly returned to his duties.
"That was rude. He could have at least shown us the way," Alejandro muttered.
They went upstairs and found themselves in a long corridor. The thick, red carpet on the floor made their steps silent. Just as Alejandro was about to knock on the door the servant had mentioned, the doors to one of the rooms on the other side of the corridor were pushed open, and Commander Raymond stepped outside.
Everyone stood in silence for a moment. For a split second, Raymond had a furious look on his face, but he quickly replaced it with a polite smile. What he couldn't hide was how his shoulders were tense with anger.
"Well, good evening," Raymond said.
"Good evening," Alejandro replied, but his voice was strained.
"I didn't know the de la Vega family had business with the South India Trading Company," Raymond said.
"I could say the same about the army."
"I assure you, this only a social call. Mr. Kapital can be most intriguing company," Raymond said. His voice remained pleasant, but Diego could hear the malice behind it. Whatever had just taken place behind those doors had left Raymond infuriated.
"I'm sure of it," Alejandro said.
"In any case, I need to be on my way," Raymond said. He made the move to walk past them, but Diego's next words stopped him.
"You must be very busy with trying to hunt down the arsonist who's setting fire to all the fields."
Both Alejandro and Raymond looked at him in surprise. Raymond was the one who recovered first. He sent an icy glare to Diego's direction. The ever-present smile somehow made it even worse.
"Of course. The army is doing everything to catch that madman as soon as possible," he said. "Oh, and I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your warehouse earlier today. It's such a shame that your noble intentions… went up in smoke, one might say." With that, the commander walked downstairs.
Alejandro didn't say or move until Raymond was gone. He turned to glare at Diego with a challenging look.
"What was that? Were you trying to provoke him?" he asked.
"Not at all, father. I simply stated the truth," Diego said. He tried to ignore his father's look and instead focus on what all this could mean. The arsonist was currently winning, so if Raymond was angry, he probably wasn't involved. Diego didn't believe for a second that the commander had just dropped by to say hello to Kapital. They must have discussed something important, and what could be more important than the current situation?
His thoughts were interrupted when his father turned to knock on the door to their right. A voice asked them to enter.
A man dressed in a red coat was sitting at the end of a big table, browsing through some papers in his hands. He looked up and smiled when they entered. Diego realised that it was the man who had been selling bread at the town square earlier that day.
"Oh, good evening. What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Are you Mr. Martinez? I've come here to talk about the current situation in the area," Alejandro said.
"You mean that madman who is setting fire to everyone's fields? I heard what happened to your warehouse today. I'm very sorry to hear it. Have you come here to purchase some of our wheat to replace what you lost?" Martinez asked.
Alejandro shook his head. "Not at all. I've come to ask you to lower your prices so that the people can afford your bread."
"I'm afraid that's impossible. Surely you understand that -" Martinez started with a pleasant tone, but Alejandro didn't have the patience to let him finish.
"Don't you have any idea what you're doing? Do you have no heart? The people are starving! Do you want to be responsible for that? You have to lower your prices!" he said, not bothering to even try to keep his voice down.
"I don't understand why you're getting so upset. We're already selling our products at the lowest possible prices. If we lower them more, we'll go bankrupt," Martinez said. He had his arms crossed on his chest, and he wasn't even looking directly at Alejandro as he spoke. Diego couldn't help but frown at the man's arrogant demeanour and lack of respect.
"Is that really what you think?" Alejandro asked.
"As far as I'm concerned, yes."
The door was suddenly opened and Kapital was let in by the same servant who had welcomed Alejandro and Diego earlier. Martinez immediately jumped to his feet and said good evening to him, but neither Diego nor Alejandro greeted him.
"I'm very sorry that we have to disappoint you, Don Alejandro, but it can't be helped," Kapital said. "As you know, the fires have destroyed our property as well. We have no choice."
Alejandro tried to argue with him, even pleaded him to reconsider his stance, but it was useless. Kapital's face remained a stony mask, but Alejandro was nearly shaking in frustration. Diego hated seeing his father like that, and he had to clench his crossed hands together on the table to keep himself from jumping to his feet and giving Kapital a piece of his mind. He wouldn't have achieved anything, but he already had a better idea.
"Father, what about that wheat we sold a few days ago? Why don't we buy it back and give it to the people?" he asked. He glanced at Kapital and Martinez from the corner of his eye as he spoke and wasn't surprised to see them both tense. Not so noble and honest after all, were they?
"They might have already set sail with it," Alejandro said.
"Let me take care of it. I'll find out if the ship is still docked here."
"No, I'll do it. I have to discuss the price with them anyway," Alejandro said. He said goodbye to Kapital and told him that they'd go for now but that they'd be back. All through it, Kapital had a knowing and self-confident gleam in his eyes. As far as Diego was concerned, he was behind everything.
Let's see how he reacts to this turn of events, he thought as he and his father were on their way back home. If Kapital was guilty, he would send someone to burn the wheat on the ship. It was the perfect opportunity to catch him and put a stop to this.
When Zorro arrived at the ship later that night, he could see and hear that he had company. There were several men on deck, and two of them were holding torches. The flickering light was enough to reveal their faces, but most of them didn't look at all familiar. The only one Zorro could recognise was their leader, Martinez.
Unnoticed by everyone, Zorro climbed on board. He made no sound as he took a hold of a rope and hoisted himself up. He was planning to get up the foremast and surprise the crooks before they did anything to the wheat. He spotted some sort of cannon among the men, but it didn't look like it belonged to the ship.
"You aren't going to get away with this!"
Zorro froze when he heard Bernard's voice. He hadn't noticed it at first because the men were standing in the way, but there were three people sitting bound on deck. One was Bernard, the other their new friend Miguel, and the third a man whose face looked vaguely familiar.
What is Bernard doing here, Zorro wondered, frowning. He was supposed to be at home! He didn't even know about how he had lured Kapital's men to the ship, so how could he be here before him?
But he could think about that later. Now he had to save everyone. If his suspicions were correct, Kapital's men were going to set the ship on fire to destroy the wheat. He doubted they'd bother to get Bernard and the others to safety before that.
"I'm really sorry, children, but it looks like you have to die," Martinez said. Zorro didn't see his face, but he could very well imagine the snide smirk on his face. He gritted his teeth. What a snake! He'd put a stop to this right now.
"Not so fast!" he declared and stood to his full height atop the foremast. Before anyone had the time to react, he jumped down and landed on a lifeboat.
"Zorro!" Bernard and the others said in triumph.
"What, this is Zorro?" Martinez asked.
"You criminals have set everyone's fields and warehouses on fire and let them starve! You'll soon regret that!" Zorro announced as he straightened his form and threw his cape over his shoulder. For a moment, he enjoyed the bewildered looks on everyone's faces, but then his hand flew to the hilt of his sword.
"Get him!" Martinez yelled to the others, but before any one of them could move, Zorro jumped over them and landed nimbly behind them. One of the men pulled out a pistol and aimed it at him, but Zorro was faster. He slashed with his sword, and the man fell back with a clean Z decorating the front of his clothes.
Two other men advanced at him, holding burning torches. The taller one of them struck at him, and Zorro barely had the time to pull his cape to protect his face. He hissed at the heat against his skin and knew that he had to finish this fight fast. With a swift attack, he cut at the man's wrist and forced him to drop his torch. The man tried to pick it up, but Zorro stepped on it and pointed his sword at the man's throat, forcing him to retreat.
"Fine, I give up. Just don't hurt me," the man said.
Zorro took a look around to see where the others had gone, but to his surprise he realised that Martinez and the other two were nowhere to be seen. At first he suspected it was a trap, but when nothing happened for a few more moments, he relaxed.
"Where did your friends go?" he asked the man he had just defeated.
"I don't know! I swear!" the man said, appearing just as confused as he did.
"Did any of you see where they went?" Zorro asked as he turned to address Bernard and the others.
"No, I was watching the fight," Bernard said.
"Me, too. You were great!" Miguel added.
"They must have taken their chance to escape," Zorro said. He couldn't help but feel annoyed. His enemies usually didn't flee like that, and he couldn't help but feel like his work wasn't done. He had saved the wheat, yes, but the matter wasn't solved for as long as Martinez was free.
He freed Bernard and the others and then turned towards the man he had defeated. He at least wasn't trying to escape. Without his companions, it was like all fighting spirit had left him.
"Well, as long as we have even one of them, we can prove that the South India Trading Company is behind this. There should be more than enough evidence on board," Zorro said.
"They put barrels of oil below deck! They were going to burn everything!" the man who had been imprisoned with Bernard and Miguel said.
Zorro nodded. "That's good to know. It's all clear, then," he said. "But who are you?"
"My name is Nicolás. I'm Miguel's father," the man said.
The others gave Zorro a quick explanation about how they had got there. The South India Trading Company had framed Nicolás for their crimes, and the army had come to arrest him for being the arsonist. Miguel, at first hurt and betrayed, had been ready to believe his father's guilt until Bernard had convinced him otherwise. They had decided to go and talk to him, but it was exactly then that Nicolás had panicked, knocked out the soldiers who were taking him to prison and escaped in the army's carriage. It had taken him to the docks where he had decided to hide on the ship where the wheat was. He had been quickly captured by Kapital's men. Bernard and Miguel had spotted him in the carriage earlier and had decided to follow him, which was how they had ended up on the ship as well.
"Well, it sounds like you three had quite an adventure tonight," Zorro said with a smile. Just like with the incident with Pepita, he couldn't blame Bernard for what had happened. He had been trying to help a friend, and it was a pure coincidence that he had been pulled into this.
"What about the men who escaped?" Nicolás asked.
"They can't get far. We have enough evidence against them. If they try to go to Kapital, he has to turn them over."
"But what if they try to leave San Tasco?" Bernard asked.
"In that case, the army will no doubt send men after them. They can't get far," Zorro said.
And the army wouldn't be the only one going after Martinez and his two companions. Zorro would personally see to that the men were found and brought back to San Tasco. Their crimes against the people were outrageous. Zorro couldn't remember when he had last time encountered such arrogance and greed in men.
But for tonight at least the fight was over. All they had left to do was to clear Nicolás' name and hand the captured man over to the army, but both were swiftly taken care of when the army arrived to re-capture Nicolás. They were thankfully being led by Gonzales, so not many explanations were needed.
"Thank you again, Zorro!" Nicolás called out after him, and Zorro's sour mood over letting Martinez escape faded when he saw Nicolás and Miguel leave the ship together.
Don Alejandro was worried. No, he was more than worried. There was a constant feeling of ache gnawing at his insides, and he wasn't sure what to do about it.
All things considered, he should have been happy. The previous night, Zorro had captured one of the men who had been setting fire to the fields and warehouses. Alejandro couldn't say he was very surprised to hear that the culprits behind everything were working for The South India Trading Company. Kapital was, of course, denying that he knew anything about the men's actions and had personally asked Commander Raymond to put all his efforts into capturing the escaped men.
The people would soon have something to eat again. Alejandro had bought back the wheat he had sold earlier, and it would last for over a week. He had already made plans to gather the dons together so that they could buy more from friends in other areas and distribute it evenly among the people. Meanwhile, the wheat the rebels had hidden on de la Vega land would help a little as well. The farmers who owned it would no doubt agree to give some of it to the townspeople.
It wasn't any of this that was worrying Alejandro. The problem was Diego. Ever since the incident with Adans' mine, Alejandro had been paying close attention to his son. The day after Zorro had captured the men responsible for blowing up the mine, Diego had lied to him.
Diego had claimed he had heard someone talk about the incident at the house. When Alejandro had offered the explanation that it had been him and Maria, Diego had immediately accepted that. But it wasn't true. He hadn't talked about it with anyone anywhere near the house, and neither had Maria or any of the other servants. And yet Diego had known what had happened right after getting out of bed.
There was only one possible explanation for that, and Alejandro wasn't sure he liked it. Diego must have heard the news that night. That in turn meant that his son was not only lying to him but also leaving his home in secret to do who knows what at night. Alejandro would have liked to think that he only went to town to have fun with his friends, but why would Diego keep that a secret?
He sighed as he kept staring at the surface of the dining table. It was almost noon, but Diego was still in bed. Had he been out again last night? Was that why he always slept so late? How often did he go on these nightly escapades? What did he do?
Diego had been like this ever since he came back from Spain. At first Alejandro had simply thought that life in a big city had changed his son a little, but maybe it was more serious. He couldn't help but think back to Don José's murder attempt and how it had come to light that his son Lapaz had had problems with money and gambling in Spain. Was that it? Was Diego hiding a similar secret?
Alejandro didn't even realise how hard he was gritting his teeth until it was starting to hurt. He didn't know which bothered him more – that Diego could be in such serious trouble or that he felt he couldn't tell his father about it.
And it could be even worse than that. Ever since his return from Spain, Diego hadn't shown any interest in any women. Even though he was engaged to Lolita, any talk of marriage only made him stutter and quickly change the subject. Maybe… maybe that was the reason Diego had to sneak out at night. Maybe he had abnormal interests.
God, no. That couldn't be it. Not his son. There had to be another explanation, Alejandro thought as the fear inside him grew almost physically painful.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered. The longer he spent thinking about it, the worse his imagination would make it. The only way to be certain of the truth was to ask Diego directly, and that was exactly what he would do as soon as he woke up.