Chapter 13:The noose is tightening
The talk with Hernando was, all things considered, quite short. Surprised by the allusion to El Diablo, Monastario tried to learn more, but couldn't get anything from the man he was talking to save for the names of the men who talked about it, namely Yago and El Lobo.
During the afternoon which followed Sancho's death, Diego went back to Los Angeles to make his report to Capitán Toledano. Following the advice of Padre Felipe, he had put his arm in a sling to avoid using it. It was in a cart, driven by Bernardo, that Diego arrived to the cuartel.
The gates were wide open and he noticed the scaffold being put up as he walked to the commandante's quarters.
"Don Diego, buenas tardes." Saluted Sergeant Garcia looking sallow.
"Buenas tardes, Sergeant. Is Capitán Toledano in his office?"
"I'm sorry, he just left."
"Oh... Could you tell him that Padre Felipe received well the merchandise and that he thanks him?"
"Without fail, Don Diego. But tell me, you seem weary... Why don't you take a little tonic to the tavern?" Slipped the sergeant with hope.
"That's an excellent idea." Retorted Diego entering in the game of his friend. "Come on, come with me." He suggested.
Garcia smiled, more than delighted.
"Corporal Reyes, I entrust you with the overseeing of the cuartel. Come inform me when the capitán returns."
"Very well, Sergeant." Answered Reyes with his sleepy face.
A little later to the tavern, the discussion continues between Don Diego and Sergeant Garcia.
"By the way, Sergeant, Señora De la Cruz didn't go on a journey with her son and her uncle."
"How's that?" Exclaimed Garcia with astonishment and putting on the table the drink he was about to consume. "Pedro would have lied to me?"
"I'm afraid he did."
"What makes you think this?" Asked the sergeant.
"The day I brought you the prisoner..."
"The one which laughed like crazy when the death of Sancho was announced." He interrupted him.
"If that's what you say. I didn't bring you others bandits, Sergeant."
"That's correct."
"This day, with my father, Doña Salena and Miguel, we were coming back home from a ride during which we passed not very far from the De la Cruz hacienda. I found it weird that no one maintained the residence during the absence of the señora. I told it to my father and he decided that we must have a closer look. The sala was all topsy-turvy, there had been a fight, Sergeant, and I think that the De la Cruz family was kidnapped."
"Come on, Don Diego, Capitán... Señor Monastario wouldn't have allowed this to happen." The sergeant corrected himself.
Capitán Toledano, informed by Corporal Reyes where to find the sergeant, was quite surprised by this sentence when he heard it as he entered the tavern.
"What wouldn't he have allowed, Sergeant?" He interrogated.
Surprised, Garcia nearly choked by drinking the wrong way.
"Capitán Toledano, buenas tardes." Saluted Diego.
"Buenas tardes, Don Diego. Did everything go well?"
"Si."
"Your arm makes you suffer?"
"Answering no would be lying... The natives were scared as they wanted to move the long box off of the cart... I felt obliged to help them and..."
"The weight of the box got reason of your wound."
"Yes indeed, Capitán." Answered the young De la Vega.
"I'm terribly sorry, Don Diego."
"It's not your fault."
"What were you talking about, without indiscretion?" Asked Toledano.
"If you want to know, let's continue this discussion in your office." Suggested Diego.
"Of course." Answered Arturo.
While the sergeant rose up, Diego left some money to pay the bill then saluted the innkeeper with a nod.
"By the way, Capitán, I noticed the gallows when arriving. You intend using it?"
Toledano looked around him as they were crossing the plaza.
"Don't worry yourself, Don Diego... Since we began installing it, the prisoner stopped laughing. Maybe will he decide to talk."
"With this whole case, I forgot to make a request to you... It goes hand in hand with the discussion we are about to have." Explained Diego while they arrived in the office.
"Please, sit down, Don Diego." Arturo said by indicating him a seat before going round the desk to take place at his turn.
The sergeant closed the door and Diego explained to the capitán the situation concerning his friends.
"When the sergeant was talking about Señor Monastario, he was well talking about the former capitán of the cuartel?" Interrogated Toledano.
"That's right." Answered the young De la Vega.
"The same who wanted to prove to the viceroy that you were Zorro." Added the capitán.
"We are talking well of the same." Assured Diego, lightly ill at ease.
"Why do you want to help him?"
"One year ago, Señor Monastario saved my life. And even if he thought to be indebted to me for the help I gave to his niece, he wasn't obliged to do so... Now, if I could pay him back... Sergeant Garcia must have written a report about these events; the bandit's nickname involved is El Diablo."
"For sure, yes, I was obliged to make a report, Don Diego. And after your conversation with Judge Vasca on the day after, I must have rewritten it." Lamented Garcia.
"You see me terribly sorry." Smiled Diego. "Capitán, could you officialize the searches of Señora De la Cruz, her son and her uncle?" He questioned then.
"It's not that I refuse, Don Diego, but aren't you afraid that official searches might scare their abductors and that those latter act in consequence?"
"It's true that it could turn badly if they see soldiers. It could also turn badly even if we do nothing." He made remark.
Exactly. Realized Toledano.
"I will conduct discreetly the searches and I will inform you about the progress."
"Gracias, Capitán." Thanked Diego as he stood up to bow before going out.
Toledano observed him thoughtfully.
"Sergeant." He called him as this one was on the doorstep.
"Yes, Capitán?"
"When you wrote your reports, you didn't notice something strange?"
"No, mi Capitán. Save for the one about El Diablo."
"What do you mean?" Asked Toledano wanting to learn more.
"It was the very first time that Don Diego lied to me with impunity. We had just arrived to the hacienda, shortly after the death of this man."
"This man?"
"Yes, the bandit called El Diablo. We were patrolling, looking for Señor Monastario when we heard a gunshot. When arriving, we discovered the body of a man. I spoke with Don Alejandro, and then I went inside to find Don Diego in the library. We talked about Señor Monastario and this one was there with Don Diego and I completely wasn't aware of it. Don Diego answered my questions while hiding his presence from me although he knew we were looking for him. On the other hand, I didn't ask him if he knew where he was. You will find the reports concerning this bandit in the other drawer of the desk."
"The reports?" Asked the capitán with surprise.
"Yes... I was obliged to modify the first and rather than fill it with deletions, I wrote a second."
"And you kept the first one?"
"Well... Yes, Capitán."
"But why?" Exclaimed Toledano with surprise.
The sergeant scratched his head, looking for an answer which he didn't find.
"I really don't know."
Dazed, Toledano laughed out loud.
"My brave sergeant." He exclaimed, continuing to laugh. "I thank you; it will make more reading for me."
Looking sheepish, Garcia didn't know what to say.
"I presume that the first report was written after you repatriated the bandit's body to the cuartel."
"It's exact... The second followed the arrest... I mean the surrender of Capitán Monastario."
"The surrender? He must be a proud man."
"That's an understatement. He even insisted on the fact I shouldn't call him capitán anymore."
"I'm curious to make his acquaintance. Well, thank you Sergeant."
"You're welcome, mi Capitán." Saluted Garcia before going out.
Smiling, Toledano opened the drawers and took the different reports.
...
Back to the hacienda, Diego sat down in the library and sighed while a 'DIEGO' resounded in the hacienda.
"I'm in the library." He answered his father.
When Don Alejandro came in, he noticed right away the sling of his son.
"Your arm causes you suffering?" He asked with worry.
"No, I am just following the advice of Padre Felipe in order not to use it."
"I forgot to ask you before, did everything go well?"
"Yes, I now know that Sancho didn't act willingly. His son has been kidnapped by El Lobo and is used as a way to pressure him."
"This El Lobo is really vile."
"I couldn't have put it better myself."
"Where were you? Salena looked for you in the whole hacienda."
"I went to Los Angeles to take stock of the situation with Capitán Toledano."
"He has asked relevant questions concerning Zorro and..."
"And?" Interrogated Diego in front of his father's silence.
A few minutes previously, Salena left her room by hearing Don Alejandro calling for Diego. When she arrived in front of the library's door, she overheard the conversation between father and son when Diego repeated his father's 'and'. She pushed the door to come in while Don Alejandro continued his thoughts. Intrigued, she came forward.
"Who are you talking about?"
"Salena." Smiled Diego by seeing her.
"You are well curious, Señorita." Gently reprimanded Don Alejandro by making her blush.
"You... You didn't answer." She didn't budge from her position at all.
Father and son exchanged a glance and decided, silently, to let Salena know.
"We were talking about Capitán Toledano." Diego said to her.
"What makes you think this?" She asked then to Don Alejandro.
Señor De la Vega had a minor cough, slightly embarrassed.
"Do you remember the discussion we had during lunch when Capitán Toledano asked you if you often followed the advice of an outlaw?"
"Yes, I remember. I told him that Zorro saved my life eight months ago."
"It's exact. What both of you ignore, and I'm feeling guilty about it, it's that the capitán and I were talking just before."
"What did you talk about?" Inquired Diego.
"The capitán found you rather close. I explained him that your reunion, eight months previously, brought you closer."
Eight months. Realized Diego.
"I see, for him it's not a mere coincidence, I'm afraid." He said then out loud with irony.
Salena remained silent until Diego 'woke' her by putting his valid hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with panic.
"Salena, calm down, all will be alright. Don't worry yourself." He said with assurance.
"How... How can you stay so calm knowing this?"
"All I can tell you is that Zorro has an influential supporter. But I can't say more for now... Before I forget, know that capitán's plan has worked. Sancho is now in shelter in the mission." He said to change the topic. "What do you think about taking fresh air in the garden?"
"With great pleasure." She answered with a huge smile.
Don Alejandro looked at them going out and made sign to Bernardo to keep an eye on them. Smiling, Bernardo followed the young couple outside.
...
The following days were relatively calm from all sides and Diego's injury healed quickly thanks to Bernardo's balm. Miguel was installed in the vaquero's hut until he could recover and walk without any help. He certainly had the agreement of Doctor Avila to go home, but only under this condition.
In Los Angeles, the preparations for the meeting made good progress. The prisoner ended to admit working for El Lobo and the capitán couldn't get anything more out of him.
To the reading of the different reports, Toledano learnt more than he hoped on the recent activities of Zorro and his suspicions began definitely becoming clearer as for the identity of this outlaw. Moreover, the discussion he had with his wife on the evening of her arrival has, too, contributed to this deduction. According to Doña Constancia, Don Diego was a fine swordsman. This theory had well made laugh Doña Leonar who badly saw this dandy with a weapon in his hand. Intrigued, Raquel had asked some innocent questions but no answer was relevant. Don Diego was a Good Samaritan, always there when needed, but who didn't stick his neck out when things got complicated. The señoritas were agreed on one point... Don Diego was a very charming caballero who knew how to talk to the women. Point which well made Arturo laugh when his wife mentioned it.
Since his conversation with Hernando, Monastario was observing his kidnappers cautiously. El Diablo had left lasting memories on him and if any of these men were acquainted with El Lobo, nothing good was to predict for his future.
During the following days, he observed the healing of Isabella and was surprised to see El Lobo mellowing against her. Distrustful, he was suspecting that El Lobo was hatching a new bad trick; therefore, it was without much surprise that when Saturday morning arrived, he received his new order of mission.
