"Zorro's Honor"
Long after Lozano had gone, Diego lay on his bed in the darkness thinking. It made him crawl inside to think that the imposter would use the image of Zorro to rob innocent people. He determined to discover the name of the peon who was robbed, and see that however much money had been stolen from him was returned. And, one way or another, he was going to ride into the hills tomorrow to see if Tomaso was telling the truth. He must find this imposter and bring him to justice, to make sure that he was punished for his crimes. However, this did not relieve the problem of Zorro’s reputation being restored. So, what if the man posing as Zorro was exposed and convicted, would he confess to not being the real Zorro? And if he did, would anyone believe him? How could Zorro’s reputation be restored? Even if the real Zorro were to appear after the imposter was captured, so that everyone could see the man they had imprisoned was a false Zorro, there would still be those who would say the imposter had just been taking advantage of the situation by impersonating Zorro. They would still believe all the rumors of Zorro’s army and of Zorro’s desire to take all of California for his own. They would still have a Zorro to pin that upon. The real Zorro.
With a sigh, Diego turned over in his bed. He could not sleep. He could not quiet the thoughts in his head, try as he might. He lit a candle and tried to read, but he could not concentrate on the words. He found his mind returning to the problem again and again. He shut the book with a snap and tossed it on the other side of the bed. He blew out the candle and pulled the bedcovers up to his chest and clasped his hands behind his head. He had no solution to his problem and he tried to will himself to sleep. Hours passed and still he was wide awake, running everything he knew over in his mind and trying to come up with some form of action. Then it occurred to him to wonder to himself, Just why do I care what happens to Zorro’s reputation after the imposter is captured? Yes, what would it matter about Zorro then? The imposter would be removed from society where he could no longer harm the people. There would be no need for the real Zorro to show himself, would there? Diego had already decided to let Zorro fade away when he was no longer needed. This was what he had told Bernardo. The Magistrado would see that justice prevailed in the district and Diego would be there to help him every step of the way. Was it just Diego’s pride, . . . no, . . . Zorro’s pride that demanded that the record be set straight? What would it matter if Zorro’s image faded away tarnished or not?
These questions caused Diego to restlessly toss back and forth on his bed, eventually sending his forgotten book sliding to the floor with a thump. He left it there. After a time, his mind wandered back to his home and Bernardo, . . . and his father. Bernardo was his confidant. The only one to whom he could speak of such things as those which were in his heart tonight. He missed Bernardo at such times as this. But he sensed that tonight, not even Bernardo could help him.
His thoughts returned to his father. What would his father say? His thoughts went back further and further until he remembered a certain night when he, as Zorro, had held his wounded father in his arms while Monastario’s soldiers had hunted for them. His father’s words came back to him as the elder de la Vega had tried so hard to see the man behind the mask. "It is almost as if I had known you," he had said. "You seem so much like someone I know." From his heart, Don Alejandro had spoken these words, "So often have I dreamed that my son would come back from Spain, and he would be like you." Diego remembered how his heart had been torn by those words. He wanted nothing more than to have Don Alejandro know he was the son his father sought in his dreams. But Diego had sacrificed having his father’s respect for him as a man in deference to what he saw as a higher calling. That of being the servant of Señorita Justice. Being the mysterious Zorro was the only way he had to accomplish that. And now, was he willing to sacrifice Zorro for Señorita Justice as well? Was there no justice for Zorro?
Diego let that thought sit in utter silence for a time.
Then, once again, his thoughts returned to his father. To be Zorro meant that he, Diego, must protect those around him. Knowledge of Zorro’s identity meant death to those who were caught, thus he would not burden his father with the secret. That sacrifice was still very much a part of his life. But, as Diego continued to think about that night, he also remembered that as he struggled to carry his unconscious father across the rugged terrain to the safety of the cave, how he had resolved that his last ounce of strength would be exhausted before he failed the man he carried in his arms. It was Zorro who carried Don Alejandro that night. It was Zorro whom Don Alejandro credited with saving Don Nacho Torres and countless others. It was Zorro who fought the evil Galindo’s henchmen the night they had attempted to frame and kill Capitán Toledano along with Don Alejandro and the others. It was Zorro who had foiled the Eagles’ advances and who fought side by side with Don Alejandro in the pueblo that fateful day. It was Zorro who would not fail his father.
With a pounding heart, Diego knew that he had grasped the essential point. Should his father someday discover his other identity, Diego knew that he did not want Zorro’s lasting reputation to be forever tarnished. For Don Alejandro’s respect for Zorro was his respect for Diego. If Zorro’s name became associated with foul death and corruption, remaining unredeemed before the people, then Don Alejandro would be forced to deny Zorro.
Forced to deny his only son.
Diego knew then he must redeem Zorro’s honor at whatever the cost to him personally. The thing he longed for most in the world was to gain his father’s respect. His father’s love for him was a thing understood, but there was a near bottomless void in his heart which could only be filled by earning the respect of his father.
Honor and respect. The two foundations upon which his father and his father’s father had built their lives. And all the de la Vegas whom Diego had ever heard about. Diego had his honor and Zorro had his. Together, one day, they would make Don Alejandro proud of them both.
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Sometime in the early morning hours, Diego had finally fallen asleep. He was awakened by the innkeeper’s knock. Acknowledging his wake up call, Diego stumbled out of bed and got ready for the day. After shaving and running a comb through his hair, he got dressed and went down for a bite of breakfast before heading down to the docks to meet the ship captain and the purser. To be sure he was well prepared, he reviewed his notes from the night before as he ate.
The breeze from the sea reached Diego as he accepted the reins of his horse from the young boy who had brought the palomino to the door of the inn just as he had been told. A shiny new peso was his prize. Diego smiled at the boy’s happy excitement and mounted his horse. He rode past the garrison and past the church, down along the dusty streets until he reached the docks. The cargo ship was tied to the end of the main wharf which reached far out into the bay waters. Diego dismounted and tied his horse to a hitching post and proceeded to walk down its length. He enjoyed the sea air and the sounds of the gulls as they wheeled overhead. He smiled as he remembered that the Magistrado’s favorite song featured a gull in its title. "La Gaviota," as he recalled. Just as he had sung that song to please the Magistrado when he had first arrived, so now he wanted to complete his assignment in a way which would please the Magistrado. Diego had come to admire Señor Santiago very much, and although they were not that far apart in age, he looked upon Santiago as a mentor. Diego would like nothing better than to be able to return to Los Angeles with this case resolved, thus showing Santiago he was capable of handling more difficult cases.
As Diego approached the ship, the purser, who was on deck, hailed him in a thick Italian accent.
"Señor! You are the deputy magistrado, yes?" the purser called. He was a man of middle years, with gray hair and a pair of spectacles which he had perched on the top of his head.
"Sí, I am Diego de la Vega, Assistant Deputy Magistrado," Diego called back. "May I have permission to come aboard?"
"Sí, permission granted," came another voice, distinctly Spanish, which was deeper and more resonant.
Diego looked to his left and saw a man, whom he took to be the captain of the ship, approaching the gangway. "Graciás, Captain," he said as he walked up into the ship. The captain was almost a foot shorter than Diego, and almost as round as Sergeant Garcia. But he wore his captaincy like a mantle, and Diego had no doubt but that the sailors obeyed him quickly.
Further introductions were made and Diego’s credentials were checked. He knew both of the men were skeptical of his abilities due to his young age. Diego pressed his lips together and remained pleasant. He would soon show them how well he could manage. The captain invited Diego to come to his cabin and soon the three of them were immersed in the details of the case. Diego found the purser’s accent to be rather difficult to understand from time to time, especially if the man became animated. Diego soon found a use for his education in foreign languages and was able to converse with the purser in his native language, one in which the captain demonstrated fluency as well. This quite impressed the purser and he became very friendly.
From his perusal of the documents, Diego was soon able to discern the problem. It was not the quality of Lozano’s goods that was in question, it was the quantity. Through a bit of carelessness, a number seven had been transformed into a number nine by a small smudge of ink on the agreement sent to the purser. So, the ship’s purser was expecting a larger quantity of trade goods from Lozano than Lozano thought he had agreed to provide. Diego surmised that the purser’s accent led to part of the confusion. "Quality" instead of "quantity". Diego pointed to the mistake and the purser took the paper, pulling his glasses into place so he could scrutinize the document closely.
After a few moments, the purser said, "I see that you are right, young Señor. My eyes are not what they once were. But we still have a problem. We purchased our goods, which we are to deliver to Señor Lozano, based upon this error which was not of our fault. We must recover our costs and make some profit on this cargo, yes? If Señor Lozano cannot accommodate us, for it was not entirely our fault that the error was made, then we shall have no choice but to take our cargo elsewhere and sell it to some other worthy merchant who can meet our price." The purser shrugged his shoulders while the captain nodded his head in agreement.
"I see your point entirely," said Diego. "Perhaps we can arrange a compromise? I will schedule a meeting with Señor Lozano for this evening at the inn where I am staying. Say, eight o’clock? I know that Señor Lozano wants the cargo you are carrying and you wish to receive his goods and money in return. Now that the problem has been discovered, I think Señor Lozano will be agreeable to negotiating a settlement which will benefit both parties. May I say that you will be there?"
The purser looked at the captain and the captain looked at the purser and finally they both nodded at the same time. The captain spoke. "Sí, we will meet with you and Señor Lozano this evening at eight o’clock. We wish a speedy resolution to this problem so we may continue on our journey. We have many other ports of call to make along the South American coast and do not have much more time to spend here."
"Splendid," said Diego, with a smile. "Please bring your papers with you when you come." He gathered up his documents and his notes. He was escorted to the gangway by the two men. Bowing to them both, he said, "Until this evening."
Feeling quite good, Diego made his way back up the wharf and mounted his horse. He felt Señor Lozano’s problem would soon be resolved in an equitable manner. Each party might leave with less than they desired, but with more than they might otherwise have gotten. He could have arranged for the meeting to be held sooner, but he still wanted a chance to ride into the hills and check out Tomaso’s story. He would need several hours for that expedition. He stopped in at Lozano’s store and spoke to him about the mistaken number and asked him to meet with him and the two men from the ship. Lozano seemed to be rather skeptical at first, but relented when he seemed to accept Diego’s assurance that the smudged number was at the root of the problem. He agreed to the meeting. Diego was pleased. He continued to the inn where he had a meal and freshened up. Then he called again for his horse and set out to the east of the town, following the directions given to him by Tomaso.
Diego did not see Señor Lozano watching him from the front door of his store as he rode away. Lozano was carefully monitoring Diego’s movements. Had he not ridden out of the town to check out Tomaso’s information, there would have been a second visit to him by the little man with the limp. The Magistrado’s orders were to do whatever was necessary to entice Diego to seek out Zorro’s hideout alone. Apparently, no further nudging was needed. Tomaso had performed surprisingly well. As soon as Diego was out of sight, Lozano closed his store and went over to the garrison, asking to see Capitán Hidalgo. He was soon escorted into the Capitán’s office.
"Buenas tardes," said Hidalgo when they were alone. "He has ridden into the hills?"
"Sí. He has left just now," said Lozano. "You know what you are to do?"
"Sí, sí," said Hidalgo. "I am to trail him into the hills where I will confront him and question why he is there. Uresti will appear as Zorro and my soldiers will chase him. I will appear to chase Zorro, but will pull back and watch de la Vega to see what he does. I am to write a full report of his actions and you will take it to Señor Santiago in Los Angeles."
"Very well," said Lozano. "I will come to you tonight to receive the report."
