The Law and Dan Mesa (11 page)

The waitress approaches, saying, “What would you like to drink, sir?”

“I would like a glass of iced tea, please, with lemon, and a glass of White Zinfandel for my guest, who will be here shortly.”

Dan’s mind returns to Sonia.
Sonia,
I
wish
I
had
been
there
for
you.
This
shouldn’t
have
happened
to
you.
I
promise
you
they
will
pay
for
what
was
done
to
you.
I
shall
have
to
live
with
this
for
the
rest
of
my
life.
I
will
get
everyone
who
was
a
part
this.
I
will
make
them
pay!

In the meantime, Charley knocks on Janie’s office door.

“Come in, Charley. You look worried. What’s wrong?”

“Ms. Olivetti, there is a rather handsome black man wearing western gear and a badge asking for you. He looks familiar, but yet I don’t know him. What shall I do?”

“Charley, he is an Arizona ranger named Dan Mesa and a very, very dear friend. He is the one I let get away. Where is he seated?” she asks. “Oh, I bet I can tell you. He is seated so he has a complete view of the room with his back to the wall, right?”

“Yes, but how do you know that?”

“I know Ranger Daniel Mesa better than most. He is one in a million, and I mean exactly that. Show me where he is sitting.”

Dan sees her coming and breaks out in a sweat. He rises as she approaches.

“Hello, Janie,” he says, “it is good to see you again. I . . . I . . . well, what I mean is you are lovely.”

“Why, Daniel Mesa, I do believe you are blushing! You really are happy to see me, aren’t you?”

“Janie, I am always glad to see you. Every time I see you, you take my breath away. I guess I still have you under my skin. Please, have a seat. I ordered a glass of wine for you. If I remember correctly it is White Zinfandel?”

“Dan, I heard about Sonia, and I am so sorry. I heard she was a friend of yours. Have you caught those responsible for it?”

“No, I haven’t, but I will. I can promise you that. It seems that the culprits are Carlos Meana and Antonio Blackbear of Tucson. They kidnapped her and took her to a house and left her there. The house was struck by lightning, and she burned to death. They tied her to a chair, and she was gagged. Every time I think about it, I just want to kill them slowly and let them suffer as she did. I keep having these nightmares . . . I can hear her screaming my name. I should have been there.”

Janie is watching his face and sees the pain and hurt he is going through. Before she knows it, she is crying softly.

Mesa regains his composure and looks up to see her tears. He immediately apologizes.

“Janie, I am sorry for bothering you with this. I told you I would be back to spend some time with you after I finished that Jackson affair. I didn’t think it would be under these circumstances. Captain Johnson told me—no, he ordered me—to take a few days off. I do believe he is worried about me.”

Mesa smiles a crooked half smile, and his face suddenly lights up for a second.

“Dan, why don’t you follow me home, and I will prepare a meal for you? It has been a long time since I cooked for a man.”

“Okay,” Dan says, “but I must warn you, there is a price on my head for five hundred thousand dollars. I met one of the assassins a few minutes ago. They were changing a tire across from the restaurant. I warned them that, the next time I see them, I will shoot first and ask questions later. Just in case they don’t hear well or understand English, maybe I should park my truck in your garage until I leave Sierra Vista.”

“Dan Mesa, how is it that you manage to stay in so much trouble?” Janie asks. “Well, I love you, and I will take you any way I can get you, so follow me.”

Janie lives in an exclusive section of Sierra Vista in the foothills in an old refurbished ranch house with stables and horses. It seems that her past profession paid high dividends. Dan Mesa, a friend from years back, has never mentioned her past profession. He just likes her as a friend, and there are unspoken feelings that he dare not go into. He parks his truck in back of the house in the barn under the Breezeway. They walk inside. Janie turns around and smiles at him.

“Dan, do you mind if I change into something more comfortable than this gown? Follow me upstairs, sir.”

Dan smiles to himself, remembering how she looks in a nightgown. He knows that, for a few minutes, he can just be Daniel Mesa, a man with a beautiful woman who loves him and demands nothing.

I
guess
I
am
a
fortunate
man
who
has
some
very
good
friends.
Janie
has
always
been
there
for
me,
but
I
have
been
there
for
her
as
well.
Why
can’t
we
settle
down
together?
Mesa is contemplating these things when Janie walks in wearing a lavender gown that takes his breath away. He stands there with his hat in his hand, smiling like a kid in a candy store.

“Daniel Mesa, you look as if you are seeing me for the first time. What is wrong? Don’t you like me?” She smiles, knowing that she looks absolutely gorgeous.

“Janie, I just want to say . . . well, what I meant to say is . . .”

Suddenly, he finds himself in her arms, and her lips meet his. The whole world seems to be right for once in his life. A sea of warmth and contentment envelops them, and no one else matters for a while. Afterward, Mesa falls asleep and sleeps fretfully. He awakens to find that Janie is standing there watching him. He smiles.

“Janie, why can’t we fall in love get married and just enjoy being with each other? I have been in love with you since we first met, and that has been more years than either of us wants to remember.”

“Dan, I love you as well and always have. The problem is that I have been around the track a few times. There have been several men in my life, and you know that. Can you take me as I am and love me regardless of what I have been?”

“Janie, all I want is for you to be happy and for me to be happy. It doesn’t matter what you once were or did. What matters is what you are now and plan to be in the future. I love you, and that is all that matters.”

She smiles at him and walks toward the window to look out.

“Dan, you have issues and things you must deal with. Sonia’s death is one you have to deal with. While you slept, I watched you. I heard you call her name, and I saw you crying. It tore at my heart to see you in such pain. I cannot and will not put you through pain again. I hurt you once, and I will never hurt you again. The only way I can ensure that I don’t hurt you is by not getting too involved in a relationship with you. I do love you more than you can imagine. When all this is over and you’ve gotten over Sonia, please ask me again; I promise you won’t have to ask twice, okay?”

“Janie, I plan to hold you to that promise. I promise you I won’t ever try to change you. I want you just the way you are. I also love you dearly. Now what shall we do for an encore?”

“Dan, I want you to just relax and enjoy this time we have. You don’t have to try to please me. I am your friend now and always. I promise I won’t run away and won’t object to what you do for a living either.”

Meanwhile back in Patagonia, the fire department is still investigating the fire that killed Sonia Perdenales.

“Chief, look at what I found. I found this gas can laying in the weeds on the side over there. Chief, I don’t think this was a total lightning strike. I believe this was arson and the lightning just happened to strike too. This is straight-out murder.”

“Bill, have the lab boys from Tucson checked this place with a fine-tooth comb. I want these sons of bitches to pay dearly for what they have done. I want the evidence handled with care and no contamination. This has to be done by the book. This one is for Dan Mesa. He deserves to know the truth, and I’d hate to be the one responsible for this. He is already angry, and this will push him over the edge. I’d better call Sam.”

The phone rings at the ranger station in Nogales. “Arizona rangers, Corporal Garcia speaking. Hello Pop, what can I do for you?” his son answers.

“Son, is Sam in his office? I have some more bad news for him.”

“I will get him for you.”

“Hello, Orlando,” Captain Johnson says when he picks up, “what do you have for me?”

“Sam, we were finishing up our investigation of the fire in Patagonia, and we found something that makes this more than a lightning strike. Sam, that house was drenched in gas and set on fire. The lightning struck the house just by coincidence. This is capital murder. Sam, what will you tell Sergeant Mesa?”

“Orlando, this is one time I wish I was a dogcatcher instead of a ranger. I will just have to tell him the truth. Orlando, let’s meet after work. I need a drink or maybe two.”

“Old friend, I’ll meet you at the bar at five thirty p.m. Take care. We’d better keep an eye on Dan. What is the latest on Carlos and Antonio?”

“Well, we know he bought a maroon Dodge pickup in Douglas. It has a camper on it, and they are supposed to be heading toward San Antonio. I have notified the Texas rangers to keep an eye out for them. Sergeant Savalas is shadowing Sergeant Mesa. Let me know if anything else turns up.”

Janie and Dan are watching an old Bogart movie when the phone rings.

“Hello?” Janie says. “Oh hello, Captain Johnson. Yes, Dan is here.”

“Dan, Captain Johnson wants to talk to you. He sounds strange. I wonder what is going on.”

Mesa takes the phone, wondering to himself what else can go wrong?

“Hello, sir, what can I do for you?”

“Dan, I just got off the phone with Chief Garcia, and he told me that the house fire that killed Sonia was not due to lightning. Someone drenched that house with gas. It is a clear case of murder.” The phone is silent for a few seconds.

“Dan, are you still there?”

Dan’s voice is hard and bitter as he answers, “Yes, sir, I am still here. I will return immediately. I want to get started looking for those two. I’ll see you in a few hours.” After Dan hangs up, he turns to Janie. She sees the change in his face and knows he will be leaving. She waits for him to speak.

“Janie, I have to return to Nogales. They found that it was not a lightning strike that started the fire. It was arson and a clear case of murder. The house was drenched with gas. The lightning was just coincidence.” He turns around quickly so she won’t see the anger in his eyes.

Janie walks around and looks into his eyes. What she sees frightens her and she backs away quickly.

“Dan, sometimes you frighten even me. I know you better than most people, and what I see in your eyes is death. Promise me you will be careful and only kill if you absolutely have to.”

“I can’t promise you that. They killed her, and I plan to kill them—today, tomorrow, or next year. It may take me a year, but I will catch them.”

He hugs her and then turns and walks away with his bags. As he gets into his truck, a bullet spits dirt and glass and shatters the right window of the 4Runner. Mesa dives for cover and comes up shooting at the sound. A second shot is fired, putting a hole in the brim of Mesa’s hat. Mesa dives under the truck and comes out with an M16 and two grenades. He throws one and waits as it explodes.

A voice rings out saying, “Hold it. We give up! Ranger, please don’t shoot. We give up.”

“Throw out those guns and walk this way. I know one of you is hurt, so drag him out, and if you move one muscle I will kill you like the dogs you are.”

Two men emerge, and one is missing his right hand, and the other one is bleeding. Mesa walks up to them and strikes one with all his force and turns and kicks the other in the groin and walks away. Seeing what is happening, Sergeant Savalas rushes up to stop Mesa. Mesa turns around swiftly so that the rifle is pointed at Savalas; he is consumed with anger.

“Dan, it’s me Savalas. Don’t shoot. I am under orders to follow you, so don’t shoot.”

Mesa relaxes his grip.

“Okay, Savalas. You’d better call the police and notify headquarters.”

Dan rushes toward Janie as she comes running.

“Dan, I saw them and yelled, but you didn’t hear me. Are you all right? Are you injured?”

“Honey, I am fine. I was lucky this time. Now you go back in, because I don’t want you involved in this at all. I love you, and now I am going away, and you won’t see or hear from me for a while. Just know I love you. Good-bye.”

The Sierra Vista police arrive with Captain Heath, who remembers Ranger Mesa from the Jackson affair.

“Hello, ranger,” he says. “How are you? What happened here?”

“Captain, these two gentlemen opened fire on me as I got into my truck. If you check, you will find that they are on the payroll of Vermenti Pellegrinni of Washington, DC, and Baltimore. He is the local crime boss. They were paid to kill me to keep me from finding Carlos Meana and Antonio Blackbear. They are the ones responsible for the fire in Patagonia that killed my friend.”