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"No! Not the tavern," cried Victoria as they rode into town. "Diego, we have to do something!" A line of people had already formed and buckets of water were being passed from one person to the next, but it was having little effect on the fire. Diego and Victoria reined in their horses near the front of the tavern and dismounted.

Victoria's feet had barely touched the ground when a shadowy figure darted forward from the church. He grabbed Victoria with his arm around her neck, and dragged her backwards toward the church. In an instant, everything became clear to Diego as he felt his stomach clench. The fire was a ruse, meant to do exactly what it had done: lure Victoria into Lopez' clutches.

Diego lunged toward them. "Stand back!" Lopez snarled. Diego stopped in mid-stride, looking at Lopez holding a knife poised in front of Victoria. The dog was at Lopez' side, teeth bared. Behind them the townspeople continued fighting the fire, unaware of the drama being played out nearby.

"The tavern! Don't let the tavern burn!" Victoria pled.

"Shut up!" said Lopez fiercely as he dragged Victoria back further until they were against the front doors of the Church.

"The tavern can be rebuilt, " Diego said grimly. "But you..."

"You want to help her?" said Lopez. "Then spread the word: The Escalante woman goes free only in exchange for Zorro."

"No!" exclaimed Victoria.

"I told you to shut up!" said Lopez again.

Diego's mind was working rapidly. He would give up himself and his secret in a heartbeat to save Victoria. But even if he told Lopez this instant that he was Zorro, would it help? He had no proof, and he didn't trust Lopez for an instant. For all he knew, revealing his secret would not help Victoria anyway. For now, he had to buy time.

"Zorro—you mean the masked bandit?" Diego inquired.

"You know very well who I mean," Lopez responded angrily. "All of Los Angeles knows Zorro, and I expect a few of them even know who he is. In fact," he turned menacingly to Victoria, "perhaps you know his identity."

"And if I did, I wouldn't tell you in a thousand years!" she countered. Diego grimaced, wishing that right now she would not speak her mind quite so freely.

Lopez jerked Victoria harshly and Diego heard her gasp. "Find Zorro," snarled Lopez, "Muy pronto! He must come to the church by sunup, or you will regret it." With that, Lopez backed Victoria through the doors of the church as the dog followed. He shut the doors quickly and Diego heard the sound of the wooden bolt being put in place from the inside.

Racing to the side of the building, Diego tried the side door. Locked. Lopez had obviously prepared.

Diego felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach. Why hadn't he seen this coming? His back against the wall, he bent over, hands braced on his thighs, as he tried to catch his breath and clear his head. He realized there was no use berating himself; he needed all his mental faculties to find a way to rescue Victoria. "Dear God," he whispered, "please help us all! And please," he added, "keep Victoria safe."

 

It took a few moments for Victoria's eyes to adjust to the darkened interior of the church. Lit only by a few candles, it was dim and chilly. Lopez  sat Victoria down on one of the pews and tied her hands behind her back, then threaded the rope through the decorative openings at the back of the pew. Then he reached down and bound her around the ankles. "There," he said with a smile. "The trap has been baited." Lopez took a seat in the pew opposite Victoria, and drew his gun. "Now, we wait."

 

Walking around to the back of the church, Diego considered his options. It would not be difficult to break into the church, but he would have to be certain Victoria would not be harmed in the process. Or should he come to the church as Lopez was demanding, in the guise of his alter-ego? That presented its own set of problems. No doubt once word got around, the Alcalde would have the church under surveillance for Zorro. And there was the dog to worry about.

The sound of hooves turned his attention to the road leading into the pueblo. To his immense relief, he saw his father and Felipe riding quickly toward him.

"Diego! Diego, what happened?" called Don Alejandro.

"Father! Felipe!" Diego exclaimed, running toward them. "It was a ruse. Lopez has taken Victoria!"

Alejandro quickly dismounted. "Ruse? Lopez has Victoria? But how?"

"Victoria and I saw the smoke from the fire, so we rode back here as quickly as we could. Just as we dismounted, Lopez took Victoria at knifepoint. He's holding her hostage inside the church, and he says Zorro must come by sunup, or . . ." Diego left the unthinkable unspoken as he looked at the shocked faces of his father and Felipe.

Felipe made a single "Z" in the air, adding the question mark with his eyes.

"Yes, I think it would be a good idea for you to get Zorro's clothing," replied Diego somberly.

Felipe immediately rushed to his horse and dashed off into the night. Diego turned to his father. "Father . . . " he looked his father in the eyes resolutely. "I must do something. But what?"

"The padre—" Alejandro said, looking questioningly at Diego. "Have you seen him?"

"No," responded Diego. "You don't suppose he could be inside, do you?"

 

From behind the curtains in the vestibule, Padre Benitez shifted his weight silently. Earlier he had been in the church's small supply room gathering more candles when he'd heard rapid footfalls in the chapel—which struck him as odd, because most people moved quietly and reverently in the church. Trusting the inner voice he had learned to hear over the years, he quickly blew out the lantern and waited, grateful for the curtains which hid the supply room door. He heard whoever it was move toward the side door and lock it, then back to the front door. Then all was silent.

Several minutes passed, when suddenly cries of "Fire! Fire!" sounded from the town square. He heard the front door creak open. Carefully looking around the curtain, he saw a dark shape looking through the thin crack of the open door. Odd that the person, whoever he was, didn't go to help put out the fire. What was he watching for? Minutes had passed, when suddenly the man bounded out of the door. To the padre's horror, he'd appeared several moments later, dragging Señorita Escalante with him. Quickly, the padre had ducked back behind the curtain. When he heard the man say something about a trap being baited, it wasn't hard to guess the prey.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been waiting, but the church had been silent for some time now. Noiselessly, he slipped back into the supply room and closed the door. He didn't dare light his lantern again—in the dimly-lit chapel, the light might give him away, even with the door closed, and he couldn't take that chance. He loathed the idea of leaving the señorita alone with a man who was obviously unstable . But how else could he get help? Kneeling carefully, he felt around on the floor under one of the shelves until his fingers felt a thick piece of rope. Grasping it tightly, he pulled it toward himself and felt a slight draft on his face as the shelves swung around. Feeling his way around them, he found the first step. Carefully he stood, then with his hand to the passageway wall, he descended the first two steps. He stopped to pull the shelves back into place, then continued down the stairs, completely in the dark.

As he found the bottom of the stairs he relaxed slightly, relieved to be on fairly level ground. Still keeping his hand to the wall, he walked as quickly as he dared through the dark, musty passage way, his feet thudding quietly on the dirt floor. The air felt cool and slightly damp. The padre thought back to the time he had almost had this passageway sealed off. It had originally been built as an escape route for the Alcalde to go from his office to the safety of the church, should the need arise. Padre Benitez had never expected to be going the other direction. The passageway hadn't been used for many years, and he doubted the current alcalde even knew of its existence—which brought him back to the present. He didn't particularly trust Ignacio De Soto any more than Luis Ramone, and he preferred to keep the passageway a secret if possible. Hopefully the Alcalde would be out with the townspeople fighting the fire.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as something brushed against his leg and he gasped sharply. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest. He stood still for a moment, trying to slow his breathing and listening in the dark. But he heard nothing, so after moment he resumed his walk. Probably just a rat, he thought to himself, although the thought wasn't particularly comforting. Rats were God's creatures too, but he preferred these particular creatures as far from him as possible.

The padre slowed his walk, knowing he would be coming upon stairs at any time. Finally, his toe bumped the bottom step, and he began carefully ascending. As he looked upward, he could see a square outline of faint light around the door into the alcalde's office, which was masked from the other side by his bookshelf. The padre paused on the top step and listened for a few moments. He heard nothing—no papers rustling, no coughs, movements, or other indications anyone was on the other side. So he braced himself against the secret door and pushed. The door groaned but didn't move. The padre pushed harder, and was soon rewarded with the sound of scraping as the door slowly gave way. Looking quickly around, he saw the office was indeed deserted. He closed the door and brushed away the faint trail left on the floor. Then he moved rapidly to the front door and opened it slightly. Seeing the crowd around the tavern, he quickly let himself out and closed the Alcalde's door.

As the padre walked rapidly across the town square, he could see that the townspeople had gained the upper hand against the fire. Tired faces, some smeared with soot, looked in disbelief at the damage. Someone asked, "Has anyone seen Señorita Escalante?" The padre was astonished. Was it possible they had not seen her being abducted? He listened, but no one seemed to know. Uncertain what to do next, he walked toward the back of the church. As he did so, he became aware of hushed voices, and he stopped. Could the man who had taken Señorita Escalante have accomplices waiting outside? He stood still, listening, but couldn't decipher any words, let alone recognize the voices. Tentatively, he took several steps forward and stopped to listen again. He could hear more this time and caught the word "Victoria." Still, he couldn't tell—but suddenly, he became aware of the pounding of horses' hooves growing louder. The padre listened as the rider reined in his horse.

"Felipe!" With relief, the padre recognized the voice of Don Diego de la Vega calling out, and he started around the corner of the church. Not only was Deigo there, but also his father. Both of them had their backs to him.

"You made good time," continued Diego. "Did you get everything?" Then they must have noticed something in Felipe's eyes, for they both turned and looked in his direction.

"Padre!" exclaimed Diego. "How long have you been here?"

 

Victoria shivered, wishing she could rub her arms to try and keep warm. Lopez grinned at her, looking amused. Quelling her irritation, Victoria reminded herself she musn't let him get to her, musn't let him get the upper hand. She kept her expression neutral as she returned his gaze. Maybe if she got him talking, she could learn something that would help her escape.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him.

"You don't need to know," he said. The arrogance in his tone needled her.

"And what do you have against Zorro?" she continued. Her voice sounded too intense, even to herself. Again, she forced her emotions down. Stay calm, she reminded herself.

"What difference does it make to you?"

We're talking in circles, Victoria thought. "Well," she said out loud, "If I'm going to be the bait for Zorro's trap, I suppose I would like to know why."

"You talk too much," Lopez said.

"There's not much else to do at the moment," she said wryly, refusing to be intimidated by him, and was rewarded by the look of concession that flickered across his face. I've got to keep him talking, she thought. But about what? "So tell me, do you abduct people often?"  After searching her mind frantically for a few moments, she asked him, "Are you cold?"

"If I am, I don't let it bother me."

Victoria shivered again and said nothing. Lopez regarded her for a moment, then reached down to a bundle on the floor. He pulled out a tattered blanket and threw it at her. It landed on her lap, and since her hands were tied, there was nothing she could do but let it sit there.

"Thank you," Victoria said, a tinge of irony in her voice. Lopez didn't move.

It was going to be a long night.

 

Diego regarded the padre. He had no reason to doubt the padre's saying that he had only been there a moment. Still, there was something in the padre's face: he knew more than he was saying. "Padre," Diego began carefully, "Is there something you want to tell us?" The padre glanced down and there was a pause as he seemed to be considering something. Then he looked up and spoke.

"Yes, my son. The sanctity of our church has been violated—"

"You saw them?" Diego broke in, grasping the padre's arm.

"Then you saw them as well," the padre said, looking at Diego intently. "What was it you saw?"

"Victoria and I rode into town when we saw the fire. We had just dismounted when Lopez took Victoria at knifepoint and forced her back into the church."

"And," added Don Alejandro, "the price for the Señorita's freedom is Zorro—by sunup."

"I didn't think any one else had seen them," said Diego. "They were all busy fighting the fire. And by the time Father and Felipe got here, Lopez had already taken her."

"We were just talking about what to do," Alejandro said cautiously. "We must help Victoria. But we don't exactly want to involve the Alcalde. For one thing, I don't trust the lancers. For another, I don't want to endanger Zorro. It's the last thing Victoria would want."

And Zorro's father, Diego thought, hearing the words his father hadn't said. "Father, you must know Zorro would gladly give himself up to save Victoria," he replied.

"Can we even find Zorro?" the padre inquired, his tone suggesting that such a thing wasn't likely.

"I think we have to move forward without depending on that," Diego answered. "We're here, now. We must think of something to help Victoria."

Padre Benitez looked at the three men, as if weighing his options. Finally, he spoke. "My sons, I am about to entrust you with a secret which no one else knows but myself. I had never expected to reveal this secret, but with an innocent woman's safety at stake, I see no other option."

"A secret?" questioned Don Alejandro.

"Yes. But I must have your assurance you will never reveal this secret to anyone else."

"Of course!" Alejandro and Diego replied at the same time, then smiled at their timing. Felipe nodded earnestly. Padre Benitez went on to explain the existence of the hidden tunnel.

Diego looked hopeful. "We can get inside the church without Lopez knowing!"

"Yes," answered the padre, "if the Alcalde is not back in his office. We should hurry."

"But what will we do when we get inside?" Felipe queried through his gestures.

"Let's worry about that after we get there," Diego said. Felipe nodded, and he and Don Alejandro led their horses toward the courtyard while Padre Benitez and Diego walked on ahead. Just as they rounded the corner of the church and came into the courtyard, Diego grasped the padre's arm and said quietly, "Look." Following the direction of Diego's gaze, the padre looked across the courtyard just in time to see Alcalde DeSoto entering his office.

The disappointment of the group was palpable as they retreated back into the shadows. Diego motioned, and they all followed him back behind the church where they could talk more freely.

"Now what?" asked Alejandro.

"We must lure him away from his office, and quickly!" exclaimed Padre Benitez. "But how?"

How indeed. Diego's mind was racing: what were the options? Should Zorro burst into the alcalde's office and simply knock him out? He wasn't sure how the padre would like that. More darts like the one that had put Lopez to sleep were back at the hacienda. The 20 minute round trip seemed too much to spare with Victoria's safety hanging in the balance. Could his father pretend to have some business with the Alcalde? But what would be plausible at this time of night, and what would actually draw him out of his office?

Felipe began to gesture, interrupting Diego's inner monologue. As Felipe went on, Diego smiled and began to nod. "Felipe," he said, "I think you've just come up with a plan that will work."

 

Victoria shifted uncomfortably on the hard pew. She saw Lopez nearby, cleaning his gun. Her thoughts turned to Diego. Where was he? What was he doing? She half-expected him to burst through the doors of the church at any moment—whether as himself or Zorro, she didn't know. She had seen his eyes as Lopez dragged her away, and knew it had torn him apart. She hoped Diego didn't blame himself. After all, how could they have seen this coming?

And what about the trade? She would never agree to go free in exchange for Zorro. There was no question about that. But knowing that he would be coming for her, one way or the other, what could she do to be ready? Without moving her head, so as not to attract attention, she slowly looked around at her surroundings. She flexed her arms, testing the rope which bound her. It gave only slightly. Perhaps if she kept at it, she could work the knot loose or at least pull it loose enough that she could slip her hand out. Then she might be able to untie her feet.

Concerned that her posture might give her efforts away, Victoria forced herself to relax her neck and shoulders while working with her hands. She yawned as if tired, though in reality she knew sleep was impossible. But if Lopez believed she were sleepy, perhaps he would let his guard down somewhat. Patiently, keeping her shoulders relaxed, she fingered the rope around her wrists, searching for a place to pull or work it free.

 

Alcalde DeSoto sat at his desk, staring straight ahead, lost in thought. He was bone-weary after fighting the fire. Coming so closely on the heels of the troubles with Gilberto Risendo, it was overwhelming. And even though he couldn't prove it, he had a suspicion who had started the fire. Señorita Escalante was meticulously careful, and he couldn't imagine a fire taking place through her negligence.

A series of shots startled him out of his seat. They sounded as though they were coming from the courtyard, possibly the armory. Buttoning his coat, he quickly ran out into the courtyard, calling for the lancers. He didn't see the three figures who slipped into his office, moved the bookshelf, and disappeared into the secret passageway.

If you have comments or suggestions on this story, I would appreciate hearing them.

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