Part 3:
Unsettling Information
The pale and ancient white gates of Chuparosa loomed before Jack and Maddie as the sun began to set behind them. The world around the small town resonated with coyote calls, owls greeting the night, and crickets serenading the nocturnal beings as the hot sun hastily nestled into its bed beyond the horizon. The lethargic four-beat gaits of Sundance and Gypsy added to the music of the night as they rode into town.
Chuparosa lay spread out before them like a lover in a darkly-lit hotel room, full of fine promises and mysteries. The settlement that Mexico first bequeathed to them was alluring, as was its people, as Jack quickly found out. His head swiveled around on his shoulders as he took in everything new; crossing the border had been fine with him until now, and now that he had, it felt like he was riding onto a whole different world. Without his knowing, he reined Sundance closer to Gypsy and Maddie and followed his wife's unyielding lead.
As they rode their horses past the fountain and hitched then before the cantina, a handful of men and women stopped and stared at them. Jack and Maddie dismounted their exhausted mounts and shuffled into the pueblo-looking building. Jack clasped onto his wife's hand and followed her as they made their way deeper into the place. The cantina was crowded with every manner of man and woman, all packed into one long building. The air was thick with mourning as the people took comfort in drink, card games, and each other. Maddie politely pushed her way to the bar and laid a ten-dollar bill on the table; her other hand hadn't left Jack's even as they made it to their destination. After a moment, the young man behind the counter approached them. A flicker of disgust and isolation entered his eyes as he glanced over Jack, but it vanished the second Maddie began to speak to him in his native tongue.
"Buenas noches, señor. Tequila para nosotros, por favor."
Jack stood clueless and awestruck by her fluency and beauty at the language she spoke; he looked from his wife to the bartender and waited. His grip on Maddie's hand tightened.
As if his skepticism hadn't existed, the man smiled and fetched the bottle from behind him on the wall. He seemed pleased at the undeniably attractive woman speaking Spanish, so he hastened to grab the shot glasses and pour her and Jack a drink. "You an American, no? I've never seen you here before, señorita. What brings you to Chuparosa?" He seemed oblivious to Jack's presence as he leaned his elbow on the counter top and edged closer to Maddie with a charming smile.
Jack stepped closer to the bar and leaned aggressively towards the man as he picked up his shot. He glared at him as he spat, "None of your damn business, amigo."
Maddie elbowed him softly in the side and shot him a warning glance. She inclined her head to the bartender in apology and said, "You must excuse mi esposo, señor. He is new to la tierra and doesn't know its ways."
The young man blinked and looked Jack up and down. "¿Tu esposo?" he asked, his eyebrows raising. "¿Realmente?"
She nodded and grinned proudly at her spouse. She picked up her shot glass and threw it back without hesitance.
His dark cheeks flushed, and he ducked his head down as he uttered, "Lo siento mucho." He gathered up the bill she'd placed between them, turned to the register, opened it, and fetched the right amount of change. He carefully placed the cash in her outstretched hand, avoiding eye contact at all cost.
"Chuparosa is quiet tonight," Maddie noted as she looked about before returning her gaze to the bartender.
He nodded gravely and refilled her glass. "Sí, muchacha. We are all grieving."
"¿Por que? ¿Qué pasó?"
His eyes darted around suspiciously, and he whispered, "La Phantasma." He took the rag that hung at his belt and hastily wiped down the counter.
Maddie and Jack exchanged perplexed countenances before looking back at the young man who nearly quivered where he stood.
"Come again?" Jack pressed.
The young man shook his head and gave them a panicked look. He clamped his mouth shut and instead moved away to a gaggle of Latinos on the far side of the bar. Though they looked like they needed no service, he walked up to them and asked if they needed anything.
Jack watched him carefully all the while, and in his frustration, he threw back the shot without thinking. He would've kept his hateful gaze on the man if it weren't for how smooth and sweet the tequila was as it floated down his throat and settled into his stomach. Blinking, he swallowed again and felt immense pleasure as he lingered on the taste. "Damn, that was good." He set his glass down on the counter and beckoned for the bartender's attention.
"Jack," Maddie warned, her eyes widening with concern.
The bartender's expression held nothing short of distaste and discomfort as he hesitantly came back to them and poured Jack another shot. The second the shot was poured, he retreated back from whence he came and busied himself by talking to the locals in a hushed tone.
Jack took his second shot without hesitation and sighed afterwards. He looked over at her when he felt her eyes fixed upon his face.
"What?"
Concern melted from her features and was replaced by a knowing grin. She tilted back her head and took her first shot. "Nothing, dear," she said afterwards. "Nothing at all."
Jack blinked, not following. "What?" he repeated and faced her fully, still holding her hand.
"It's muy bueno, no?"
He nodded enthusiastically. "This is some damn good stuff, Maddie. Better than anything I've ever had in Blackwater."
"That's because it's real tequila, honey," she chuckled and ushered the bartender over once more: he'd made his rounds with the other line of people at the bar around them and was circling back. "Dos más, por favor." When their drinks were poured, she raised hers up and faced Jack. Once again, the mischievous smile returned as she looked at him. "Bienvenido a Mèxico, Jack."
Jack paused a second to remember the phrases she'd taught him an hour ago. He smiled, raised his glass as well, and clinked it against hers. "Thanks—er, I mean…Gracias, Maddie."
Maddie smirked at his adorable slip-up before they threw back their second round in unison. As they sighed and set their glasses back down, they looked about them, taking in the scenery fully. The blending of voices rose above theirs and created such an interesting sound; the Latina prostitutes ambled about, staring hungrily at every man who appeared single and in need of succor; the congregations of robust but weary men blended together in a giant bustling crowd; in the second room, a game of blackjack was in full swing. All this, Jack took in with white-faced culture shock. Not only did he not care for large crowds, he didn't understand a single word the people around him were saying, which set him further off edge and made him step closer to his wife and squeeze her hand tighter.
Sensing his distress, she wrapped her arm around his waist and looked up into his eyes. "It's all right, Jack. It takes a little gettin' used to, but you'll come to love Mèxico." She looked out along with him and smirked. "It may not look like much, but if you give it a chance, it'll come as a surprise to see how much you enjoy it here. It was home for me for a year."
"You mean when you ran away from your father and step-mother."
She looked back at him and nodded. "Yes. Those were some…troubling years for me, but I adapted, and I came to love Chuparosa and Mèxico. I mean, look at this place! And think back to the land you and I rode across to get here. It was beautiful, was it not?"
He nodded and grinned as he draped an arm around her shoulders.
"I knew the second I crossed the border I would come to love this place and the land around it," she continued, a reverent smile spreading across her lips. "Landon Ricketts helped me understand the land, its people, and its culture in ways I never thought I imagined." She looked Jack over with a glimmer in her eyes like that of a teacher overseeing her student. "I'll teach you everything Landon taught me." Her resolution faltered with a humorous grin as she added with a chuckle, "Well, at least, I'll try my best."
He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Her chuckle matured into a laugh as she motioned to him. "Look at you, for Christ's sake! You're practically shakin' in your boots; you're petrified of being here. God forbid you ever set foot off our ranch and explore."
He sighed through flared nostrils and furrowed his brow. "Maddie, before we agreed to go on this wild chase, you and I swore to each other that we wouldn't go after a big bounty like Jackson Randall again." He harrumphed and shook his head as he looked around him with unease. "And so here we are…"
"Oh, you stick in the mud," she giggled as she cuddled against his chest. Her lips caressed his underneath his chin before she leaned away and asked, "It can't be that bad, eh? You've got me to protect you from all the banditos and the prostitutas. I won't let anything happen to you."
"It's not me I'm worried about, Maddie," he commented gravely with a poignant stare.
Maddie took a step back from him and returned the same sharp look. "Jack, I can take care of myself, especially here in Mèxico. I'm more than capable of fending for myself. Need I remind you that Landon and I went on hunts together during my stay here?"
"I know that, but how many times was Landon there with you?"
She bit her lip and glanced to the side. "Almost all of them."
"Now you see my point."
"Hey, it's not like I didn't have him at my side all the time. There were a couple of times where I went off on my own without him knowing and came back with the bounty tied onto my horse's ass. Granted, I had to shoot and kill one of them 'cause he was a little too much for me, but I proved myself to Mister Ricketts and to the people of Chuparosa that I was a force to be reckoned with, and that I was a serious bounty hunter."
"That was then, and this is now," Jack argued back with a resilient shake of his head. "Who knows how much things have changed?"
She puckered her lips and scrunched her brow. "You just love playin' the devil's advocate, don't you?"
"I'm just bein' realistic, Maddie. Honest, I'm not tryin' to pick a fight here. I'm just laying it all out for you to make you see that you need me here with you in Mexico."
She rolled her eyes and faced the bar once more. She waved the bartender over and said, "Cervesas, por favor." Once she was given her beer, she took two mighty gulps of it, wiped the foam off her mouth with the inside of her neckerchief, and said to her husband, "Just you wait, Jack. When I show you the ropes around here, you'll be thankful you came with me."
"I somehow doubt that, Maddie," he snorted as he leaned on the counter with his elbows. He sipped at his beer and glanced down at her. "I still don't like leavin' my ranch to that bucket mouth Eli. God knows what he's sayin' 'bout us right now."
"Never you mind about that; just concentrate on helpin' me with this hunt and gettin' it done so that we can get home as soon as possible."
"That's exactly what I plan to do."
"But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy your journey across this rich and interesting country."
"We'll see."
Maddie frowned and turned away from him. Her keen eyes scanned the crowds for what seemed like the tenth time, and like before, she immediately picked up on the tall-tale signs of a people in desperate need of help. The men carried themselves with less gusto. There was an overpowering sense of despair, hopelessness, and tension in the conversations she eavesdropped on; they all spoke in such quiet voices that she could barely make out the words. Shifting eyes and weary steps were often picked up by her acute vision, and it was quite clear to her that something was definitely wrong with the once spirited and lively people of Chuparosa.
"Something's wrong here," she pointed out to her husband in a murmur. "The people are afraid…deathly afraid."
"Of La Phantasma?" Jack uttered back and stepped closer to her. "Maybe they know something we don't."
"Of course they do. Look at them all: they're all huddled around each other like cattle at the slaughter house."
Jack finished his beer and sat the empty glass on the counter. "We need to find out what's scarin' 'em."
"That'll probably be easier said than done, darlin'."
"We gotta try if we're gonna find this Ghost and do her in."
"Well spoken." She looked carefully around, trying to meet the gazes of the men in the cantina. Most averted her eyes, while some returned the stare threateningly. Despite such harsh reactions, she continued around the room, turning around in a half circle until her eyes snagged on a lone man sitting adjacent to the blackjack table. A bottle of tequila was his only companion as he sat solemnly staring down at his shot glass.
"Bingo," she said and smirked. She set her beer down on the bar and walked forward. Jack followed right behind her, and as they came to stand before the man, she knew he would be the one to talk amidst all these terrified people.
The Mexican was quite large, with thick black hair and dark eyes that flicked warily up to look at them. His weathered poncho hid the bulk of his frame, but even he seemed small to the bounty hunters. The man looked to be both on the verge of tears and towards the onset of a raging breakdown. To calm his shaking hands, he picked up his bottle of tequila and poured himself another shot.
Maddie stepped forward and smiled charmingly down at the Latino. "Buenos noches, señor. You look a little…troubled."
The man swallowed nervously and flicked his gaze from her to Jack and back. Beads of sweat began to accumulate on his forehead. With a shaking hand, he wiped his brow with a dark-blue neckerchief and sat staring back at them. In a desperate attempt to busy himself and hinder the oncoming interrogation, he threw back the shot and clumsily set the glass onto the table afterwards.
Maddie gave him an amiable smile and asked, "¿Qué es tu nombre, amigo?"
"Jesús," he blurted back in a deep growling undertone. "Jesús Aguirre."
"Pleased to meet you, Jesús. I'm Maddie Marston, and this is my husband, Jack." She reached across the table with the bottle and poured him another shot. As she and the unsettled man watched the liquid fill the glass, she said, "So…I see you and the rest of Chuparosa are quite unsettled about something. What's happened of late that's caused such powerful silence in such a once lively people?"
The Mexican ran a hand over his damp, reddened face. His hand settled over his mouth, as if he were forcing himself to remain mute.
Maddie set the bottle back down on the table and looked him in the eyes. "What can you tell me about La Asasina or La Phantasma?"
Jesús flinched at the sound of the bounty target's name, and his eyes darted about wildly. He licked his lips and murmured nervously, "I will not speak here in the open. It's too dangerous." As soon as he finished his sentence, he looked around like a deer sensing itself as being prey to some unseen predator lurking in the shadows.
"¿Por que, señor? What are you afraid of?"
Still looking about, Jesús began in an undertone, "La Ph—" He seemed to choke on her title, so he instead skipped it entirely and continued, "She has many spies and asesinos in Mèxico. She has grown to such immense power in such a short time, señorita. Many people have joined her, mostly because they are afraid of death by her hand: they either join her or die. I am not about to be killed for telling you what you wish to know. It is too dangerous for me and mi familia." He tucked his chin into his neckerchief and poured himself another shot of tequila.
Maddie and Jack exchanged glances. Without a word, Jack went to the bar and paid for a room for the night, then with a considerable amount of encouragement and reassurance, they ushered him to the room and locked the door behind them. It was rather spacious, with a desk, a small dresser with a wash basin, a chest, and a bed.
"Here, sit down," Maddie said as she pulled out the chair at the desk and turned it around for their informer. Jesús silently obeyed and made himself comfortable as the Marstons stood facing him with crossed arms.
Jack nodded down at the man and beckoned, "You were saying?"
Jesús looked around the room and licked his lips.
"It's all right, señor," Maddie said and gave him a reassuring smile as she unfolded her arms. "You're safe to speak in here."
He shivered as he stared into her eyes. "If she finds out, then I've condemned myself and my family to death."
"What is said in this room will stay in this room. You have my word."
The man stalled a moment longer before he began in a low murmur, "She goes by many names, but La Phantasma is what most people call her. Nobody knows her real name, or what she really looks like: she keeps her face hidden with a pañuelo, and she wears disguises. But there is one thing that everyone knows her by, and that is she rides un caballo blanco named Muerte. It is known that wherever that stallion gallops, he brings death to anyone and anything that's in his rider's way." He shook his head and stared down at his trembling hands; he clasped them together to still them. "I don't think I've ever heard or seen of such una loca puta." He looked back up at her in the eyes and warned, "Que tenga cuidado, señorita."
"What's she after?" Jack piped up, switching his weight from foot to foot. "Does she target specific kinds of people, or does she even care who she kills?"
The Mexican shrugged and shook his head. "Yo no se."
Maddie sighed through her nose and pursed her lips. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"When she rode through town three days ago, she stole some ammunition and some other supplies, shot and killed a handful of people—two of which were my very best amigos—and set fire to the market and the church. Thankfully we were able to douse the flames. Then, as quickly as she came, she rode off and headed west, and from what I've heard by the few that have survived her pistola, she's riding across Mèxico killing whenever she feels like it. She rode down here from America across Butter Bridge and keeps going west across la tierra. Dios mio, the poor bastardos she's gunned down…"
"We're gonna stop that, mister," Jack said as he took a bold step forward and uncrossed his arms. He exchanged a strong, determined countenance with his wife before he added, "We'll make sure she doesn't kill any more people."
"You say that, señor, but you two must realize you haven't been the only people who've said that. There have been other bounty hunters who've promised just as much and ended up the same: dead in the middle of the desert. The vultures and the wolves will pick you clean, señor."
Jack shook his head. "No, amigo. This is different."
The man looked unconvinced. "You're both fools if you think you can undo what's been done. La Phantasma's power is growing, and it's only a matter of time before she does something terrible, and on a much larger scale."
"You said she's heading west, right?" Maddie asked
The Latino turned his attention to her and nodded.
"If she stays her course, then it sounds like she's heading for Escalera."
The trio took a moment to blink and soak in the revelation.
Jack looked at Maddie. "Isn't that where President Reyes lives?"
His wife's eyes widened. "Oh, shit."
"What if she's trying to take over Mexico?"
"Another revolucionario?" Jesús scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised, but then again, she'd be the worst we've seen of late. First it was Allende, then Reyes, and now her. Ha! I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't already infiltrated the government already." He looked at Jack and Maddie gravely. "It's true, our government is corrupt, but if she digs her bloody fingers into it, there's no telling what will happen."
"Yeah, no kidding," Maddie agreed.
"Pero," Jesús added, "I don't think La Phantasma is trying to be a revolutionary. She's more like una anarquista."
"A what?" Jack asked.
"An anarchist," Maddie translated.
"Oh." He looked back at the informer. "How so?"
Jesús blinked and gaped incredulously up at him. "Are you stupido, señor?! She's killing innocents everywhere she goes! Don't you see? She's cunning and fast like the plague, and she's sweeping across this land just like one! She attacks whenever she wants to, for no apparent reason other than to kill! She feeds off the blood of innocents and relishes in the destruction she causes! It's a wonder that Chuparosa is still standing after what she's done!"
"Where else has she done this?" Maddie asked.
"Practically every town east of here."
"Where exactly?"
"Casa Madrugada was the first town to fall prey to her, then she just made her way across Mèxico. She pillaged through El Matadero, Agave Viejo, and Chuparosa, of course."
Maddie blinked. "She bypassed Las Hermanas? ¿Por que?"
Jesús shrugged. "Yo no se. How should I know why she chose not to try to raze that holy place? She's tried burning down every church she comes across in the towns."
Maddie frowned and looked off to the side, her brow furrowing in worry. "That's…odd."
"Sí, lo es. Either way, she's nothing but death to whoever opposes her, so I'd be careful if I were you."
"Do you know if she and her gang are hiding out in Tesoro Azul or anywhere near here?"
The Mexican shrugged. "No one knows, but I would imagine so."
"Then it's settled. We'll leave at first light tomorrow and go check Tesoro Azul to see if she's hiding there. If not, then we'll head to Escalera as fast as we can. Whatever's going down, we need to be there to stop it."
"Good luck chasing after Muerte, amiga," the Mexican chuckled darkly. "You'll run your horses to death before you even get close to catching up with her."
Maddie's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Gypsy is one of the fastest and toughest horses I've ever ridden. I know my horse, so I'll be the judge of that, señor."
"Entonces Dios sea con ustedes," Jesús said as he stood up out of the chair. He walked hastily to the door and, as he grabbed the handle, he turned back and said, "I wish you all the luck in the world."
She inclined her head to him. "Gracias, y también a usted."
The informer forced a small, unconvincing grin and nodded jerkily before he turned and disappeared behind the door.
A moment of reflective silence enveloped the room as the Marstons faced each other with mirrored expressions of shock.
"This is bigger than I thought," Maddie whispered.
Her husband scoffed. "And you wanted to go after one last bounty."
She scowled up at him. "Yes, but I didn't think it would've been this bad. I wonder what all La Phantasma has done to spread such terror across Mexico."
Jack shrugged and pushed in the chair. "Hell if I know. Guess we'll find out soon enough."
Maddie sat quietly on the bed. In a daze, she took off her hat and set it beside her. "This doesn't make any sense. If she's not a revolutionary, then what is her goal? Does she truly wish to spread such wanton violence, or is there something more to her motives?" She flicked her hair over her left shoulder and combed her fingers through her long, tangled tresses.
"It's hard telling, Maddie," Jack replied as he took off his duster and hat and laid them atop the dresser nearby. "Some people try their best to change the world; others just want to watch the world burn."
"So it would seem."