When Dawn Comes, Chapter 21





Felipe pulled his horse to a stop and pointed to the ground.

“This is it?” Michael asked.

Felipe nodded.

The Americano jumped down from his horse, squatted, and looked at the ground. He straightened up and looked around, then crouched and shuffled around in a circle. After a few minutes, he turned back to Felipe.

“I can see the tracks where you were following her and where you stopped.”

Felipe sighed inwardly. Zorro had made the evidence match his story.

“I can see where she continued on, but then the tracks stop. They must have been cleared.”

Felipe looked in the direction Michael was pointing. He showed no response as he listened to Michael mutter, “This Zorro is a clever man.”





Anna ran her finger over the inscription on the inside of the watch and then closed the cover.

Diego stated, “Thomas was Matthew’s middle name, yours Rebecca.”

“Yes, in the network we go by our middle names, and in the world by our first. When they came to arrest me, I knew I had been discovered because the commandante used my middle name.” Anna said, examining the back of the watch.

“I didn’t know who Rebecca was until last night, either.” Zorro crossed his arms sternly over his chest. He knew how disappointed Felipe was going to be. “You were Matthew’s wife.”

Anna looked up, surprised. “No! No, we were not married!”

“I don’t understand.”

A slight smile crept to her lips. “Matthew and I were named for our parents. My father’s name was Thomas Matthew and my mother’s Rebecca Anne. My mother gave this to my father on their wedding day.” She vehemently shook her head, “We were most definitely not married.”

“I remember you saying that your father was in the intelligence service, but was your mother, as well?”

“No. She had this made especially for father. They were very much in love. She was heartbroken when he was killed. She died a few months later.”

“I’m sorry.” Zorro said.

Anna nodded her head silently.

“I don’t think Michael will recognize this. My father was still alive when we met him, and he wouldn’t have known our middle names anyway,” she said. “I will have to go with you.”

“No. If you were captured, we’d have more problems than we do now.”

“How else will Michael know that I am safe and be convinced to go to Monterey?”

Zorro paused. She had a point.

“Alright,” Zorro reluctantly agreed.

As he saddled Toronado, Anna took the pocket watch over to the cot and pulled her satchel into her lap. Opening the broken seam in the bottom of the bag, she pushed the watch inside. Zorro was soon ready to ride. He placed Anna on the horse and climbed up behind her. With his arms securely around her, he urged Toronado from the cave.





Felipe looked at the ground pretending to be searching for tracks. Michael had insisted that they scour the area for clues; he was sure that Zorro could not possibly cover all signs of the girl. Finally, Michael waved for him to return to the original site.

“Did you see anything?”

Felipe shook his head.

“Neither did I. That Zorro is one clever man.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Zorro said, stepping from behind a rock. He led Toronado into view, Anna in the saddle.

“Anna! Are you alright?” Michael called to her in English.

“Yes, Michael, I’m fine,” she answered with her British accent. “It’s nice to see you. Thank you for coming so quickly. Matthew would have appreciated that.” With Felipe’s assistance, she climbed down from Toronado’s back and then walked over to the Americano.

“I intercepted the letter in Sante Fe; I was trading there. Matthew said in the letter that he wanted me to take you to the United States.”

Anna continued in Spanish, “There is no way we can travel through Spanish territory all the way to the States without my being arrested.”

“We’ll go by sea then,” Michael said, understanding the necessity of Spanish.

“The next ship does not arrive for two weeks, Senor.” Zorro interjected.

“And it would take even more time for one of your father’s vessels to arrive,” Anna said. “Michael, I am safe here.”

“With a warrant out for your arrest?” he asked incredulously.

“She is safe as long as she is in hiding, Senor.”

“But, Michael, there is something you can do to help.”

“Anything.”

“There are papers in Monterey that are critical to my defense. I have no way to retrieve them. Could you go to Monterey and get them for me?”

“Yes, I will.” he said without hesitation.

Anna was taken aback by his willingness. She began to wonder if he was in the American network.

Zorro threw the man a roll of parchment. “The papers will have been filed with the territorial governor’s office. Go to the office with this letter from alcalde requesting that the extra copies that were sent be returned.” Zorro said, referring to the standard practice of sending multiple copies of letters in case one was lost, “It will take over two weeks for you to return with them.”

The Americano smiled at the forgery.

“What about Anna?” Michael asked.

“She is safe with me.” Zorro said.

Michael looked to Anna.

“It’s alright. He’s been very kind, and he is very respected by the people in the community.”

“Then why the mask?”

Zorro answered, “I’m afraid the alcalde does not share the people’s opinion. It is best that my identity remains a secret.”

“I see. I will return to town to buy supplies and then set out for Monterey. How will I meet up with you again?”

“When you return, get a room at the Tavern Victoria. I will contact you.” Zorro said.

With a nod, Michael mounted his horse. He looked down at Anna.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, recommencing in English.

“Thank you. May you have a safe journey.”

“May you remain safe while I am gone.” he said, with a wary glance at the two men. He turned his horse and galloped back towards the pueblo.





The days dragged on wearily for Anna. The monotony of the cave slowed her perception of time. A day seemed to take eternity to pass. Only her interest in the scientific equipment and books and her nightly talks with Felipe shielded her from the dreariness of solitary confinement.

The two would sit on a bench and converse until the wee hours of the morning. There was nothing they didn’t speak of, argue over, debate, or discuss. Diego watched their developing romance with fascination. He would lounge in a chair in the corner, pretending to read, and, in reality, eavesdrop on the audible side of the conversation. He was impressed with Anna’s vast knowledge and logic on a variety of topics. He understood why, with every passing day, Felipe was falling more deeply in love with the girl hiding in Zorro’s lair.





Three rough looking bounty hunters rode grizzled horses over hills outside of pueblo de Los Angeles. It was early evening and they had called off their search for Zorro. As they returned to their camp, they rode through a brushy area. As a covey of quail flew from the bushes, a doe lifted her head to see the horses. She fled from the men toward another cluster of cover a hundred yards ahead.

“Look! We’ll eat well tonight, men!” one of the hunters yelled. He slowed his horse and raised his rifle to his eye. Taking careful aim, moving with the deer, he pulled the trigger, dropping the animal.

“Bravo, Luis!” his friend, Abejundio, cheered. Luis saw movement in the brush and fired again.

“Save your bullets,” Isidro, their leader, directed. “That is plenty of meat for now.” Luis, Abejundio, and Isidro rode to the kill, dismounted, and began to clean their dinner.





Anna sat on the stairs rereading Plato’s Republic. Toronado puffed and pawed.

“What’s wrong, old boy?” Anna asked, still reading her book. The horse whinnied sharply; Anna looked up. “What is it?”

She put her book down and walked to the stall. The girl reached out her hand to rub Toronado’s nose, but the horse pulled away nervously. Anna wrinkled her forehead in concern; Toronado had never shied from her touch before.

The warning bell began to ring. There was someone outside the cave. Anna ducked past Toronado and went to the entrance. She stood on her tiptoes and looked out through the peephole. She could see no one.

Anna stood at the entrance for a moment and then walked back to the cave proper. She picked up a stool and carried it back to the peephole. Climbing on top, she looked out again.

This time she could see a small animal, perhaps a baby deer, floundering around at the cave entrance. She could see a trail of darkness across the dirt leading to the animal. Blood. The baby deer was hurt. Anna heard the little animal cry.

Anna climbed down from the stool. She knew she couldn’t go outside. It wasn’t safe for her. She walked back into the cave and stood in the middle of the room, wondering what to do. The girl climbed the stairs and peeked into the hacienda. There was no one in sight. Diego had gone to town for dinner and she had no way to summon Felipe.

“Bother!” she exclaimed, slapping her hand against the stone wall.

The girl returned to the back of the cave. Toronado continued to paw the ground nervously.

“I know! I know! But what can I do?”

She looked out the peephole again. It was definitely a baby deer. The bloodstains were getting larger and the cries more urgent. The sound knotted Anna’s stomach.

Her resolve began to degrade. She paced and listened to the cries. She could listen no longer.

“No one will see me.” she explained to the horse, “I’ll go quickly. It’ll only take a minute.”

Anna walked to the button on the floor and pushed it with her foot. Nothing happened. She jumped on it and the rope and sandbag pulley system activated to open the hidden door. With a last glance to the cave, she ducked out into the sunshine.

Even the setting sun was bright enough to make her squint and blink her eyes. After her eyes had adjusted, she crept over to the little deer. It had been shot and was bleeding from its flank.

“Poor little thing.” Anna crooned at it. Slowly, she held out her hand for it to smell, then reached out to pick it up. It scampered a little ways away. Anna gradually moved closer and again it darted away. After a few minutes, Anna was finally close enough to it. Slowly, she reached out her arms to pick it up.

A pistol cocked. Anna froze.


END CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Chapter 22

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