The Law and Dan Mesa (26 page)

Jane’s heart is breaking, but she maintains her composure.

“Doctor Burke, what can I do for her? How do I make her comfortable?”

“Just make sure she enjoys life as much as possible. Marilyn will not just sit back and die. She will try to enjoy life as much as possible, so let her enjoy it. Now, go on in and be with your friend.”

Jane regains her composure and walks in to where Marilyn is.

“Hey there, girlfriend,” she says, “and how are you?”

“I’m okay. It was just another warning from God, telling me I don’t have long to hang out with you guys. So, for the next few months I want to enjoy my life. Now don’t give me that surprised look. I know I have only about six months left. I plan to make the most of the next three or four months. If my guess is right, I figure that around the fourth or fifth month, I will be too weak to do much.”

“Marilyn, what will I do without you? We are sisters through and through. I know God knows what is best, but I wish he’d reconsider and let you stay with us. You are my best friend, and if I could take your place, I would.”

“Jane, if it was possible, I wouldn’t allow you to take my place. This is my fate, and I must do as God has planned. Now get me out of this meat factory, and let’s find food. I am hungry.”

When they arrive at the apartment, Susan and Sophia meet them, and all laugh and cry together.

Sophia turns to Jane and asks, “What do we do next? Do we need to take down any more banks?”

“No, I think we have enough money if we manage it right. Also, I have this feeling that tells me it is dangerous to try it again. We were lucky; we didn’t have to shoot anyone. Our luck could run out any day.”

Marilyn looks at them and says, “I believe Ranger Mesa will be after us once he clears his current case up. I don’t want Mesa as an enemy. He is trouble, and trouble is something we don’t need right now. Let’s just go back to work and act as if nothing has ever happened. We will disguise ourselves just enough to prevent anyone from associating us with the movie star bandits.”

Sophia stands with a strange smile on her face and says, “I wonder what Ranger Mesa would do if I just sort of brushed into him one day. He is handsome in a western sort of way. He isn’t Robert Redford or Sidney Poitier, but there is something about that man that gets to me.”

The girls all respond at the same time, saying, “Are you crazy or have you bumped your head one time too many? If he discovers who you are, he will arrest you and send you to prison!”

“All right, I was only thinking out loud. I am not going to look him up. I was just thinking about him.”

Marilyn smiles.

“Sophia,” she says, “now is not the time. After I am gone, then it will be okay. I know what you are thinking, but trust me. I know what I am talking about. If you do as I say, we will not be caught, but if you fail to do so, we will all go to jail. I don’t want to die in prison.”

Jane cries softly, and they all hug Marilyn. It is a scene that would make even a ranger like Mesa cry.

The news comes on the TV, and the local commentator is talking about the shooting in Tucson.

“Good evening, I am Laura Denton.”

“And I am Chuck Garrison and this is the evening news. Our lead-off story is about the shooting that took place in Tucson yesterday. An assailant viciously shot down Lieutenant Alana Osborne of the Arizona rangers and her mother Matilda Osborne. Mrs. Osborne almost died on the operating table, but due to the work of the attending doctors, she has survived. Her daughter the lieutenant survived but is in critical condition. The assailant was shot and killed by another ranger, Sergeant Daniel Mesa. The assailant was Armanti Sandoval, a notorious assassin wanted by the FBI and INTERPOL. We will continue to keep you posted on this situation.”

Susan walks over and turns off the TV and sits down quietly.

“How is it that one man can be a part of so much violence?” she asks. “That Ranger Mesa seems to be wherever there is violence and shooting. It is as if he is cursed. I would not want to be married to him. I would always be afraid of that knock on the door and someone telling me he had been killed. My dad was an air force pilot during Vietnam, and I will always remember that knock on the door when they told my mother he had been shot down and killed over North Vietnam. They loved each other so much. It took her ten years to let go of him. That was in 1968, and I was a sophomore in high school. In 1978, she finally started dating this nice guy, and they got married in 1980. They are happy, and amazingly, he was a pilot also. But I am not my mom.

Marilyn smiles and says, “If he loved me, I would just love him back and pray for his safety and trust that God would protect him. I would just want to be happy.”

The group smiles and nods in agreement.

Chapter Twelve
 

Thirty-six hours have passed since the shooting by the time Mesa arrives in Nogales and checks in at ranger headquarters. He knocks on the captain’s door and walks in.

“Captain, I am going after Carlos and Antonio, and I won’t be back until I have them in custody. Please do me a favor and check on Alana and Matilda and keep me posted. This whole affair has gone on too long. It is time to bring it to an end, one way or another.’

“Dan, the colonel just called me, and I have been promoted to major,” Johnson says. “I need another lieutenant in the unit. You have earned the rank of lieutenant, so how about taking the promotion?”

“Sir, I’m grateful to you, and I’d like the rank, but I have to finish this up before I can accept it. Do me a favor and let me finish what I have begun, and then we’ll sit down and talk about it.”

Captain Johnson looks at Mesa and almost chews him out, but he decides against it.

“Sergeant, go and do what you have to do. After this case is over, we will talk, and for once in your life, you will listen while I talk. Do we understand each other?”

“Yes, I understand, and thanks, sir. I know I sometimes push too hard, but this case has hit home in too many ways.”

Mesa turns and leaves the office. He is thinking about his friend Ranger Savalas when suddenly he smells a familiar fragrance. He begins searching and hoping. Then the smell is gone. He feels that familiar tug at his heart.

He climbs into his truck and heads toward home. He thinks about all the people he has been acquainted with who have died. He thinks of Jose, Sonia, and Savalas, and he remembers what has happened to Alana and Matilda. He thinks of the men he has killed and finds that he regrets killing them; but if he had it to do over, he would do the same thing.

He arrives home and calls for the dog, but he remembers that the dog is dead.

“I need to get another dog. I guess I’ll get me a hound dog. They make great pets and great watchdogs.”

Mesa goes to the stables and feed the horses and reminds himself he needs to start riding them more. He gives each one grain and some hay and checks the water. The barn is new and has a concrete floor with built-in drains and feed bins. He takes down the brush and comb and brushes the coats of the horses, taking his time and talking to them as if they were human. When the chore is finished, he goes into the house.

He starts to prepare food, and then suddenly the smell of Chanel No. 5 is strong. He turns, and she is standing there. He smiles.

“I was hoping I would see you again,” he says. “I miss you so much.”

“Dan, I will always be with you, and nothing will stop that. One day, I won’t be around as much I am now, but when you need me, I will be there. I am your guardian angel, and believe me, you need one. You must take better care of yourself. Don’t worry so much. Enjoy life.”

Mesa looks at his watch, and it is four a.m. It was only eleven p.m. when she appeared. He wonders if he dreamed the whole thing. Then suddenly the fragrance is strong again, and he knows that he wasn’t dreaming. He gets up, takes a bath, and dresses in gray slacks with a green shirt and a gray western tie. He straps on that familiar peace of gear, the .357 magnum, and climbs into his truck with the destination of Tucson. Mesa puts in a call to the Arizona state police and finds that Carlos is in the foot hills of Mount Lemon. He calls the telephone company and gets a number for the location.

Carlos is eating breakfast when the phone rings. “Hello, Hello. Who is this?”

“Carlos, this is your worst enemy, Daniel Mesa, and I am coming for you. You should change from those ridiculous pajamas into running clothing, because you have only a few hours left in this world. Pray that I don’t catch you. Now run, damn you.”

Antonio has been watching Carlos and asks, “Boss, who was that?”

“Antonio, that was Dan Mesa, and he is coming after us. He knew that I was wearing these pajamas! How in the hell does he know that? Let’s pack and get out of here. Get every gun we have and all of the ammunition. We are heading for Mexico. Let’s see if he can find us in Mexico.”

“Carlos, how will we cross the border? You know they have pictures of us at every exit point.”

“My friend, we will cross where there aren’t any patrols. Do you remember that old abandoned silver mine out there by the golf course in Nogales? Well, that is where we will cross the border, but first I must make a phone call.”

He places a call to a number in Chicago. A voice answers, “Hello?”

“Rudy, this is Carlos, and I need your help.”

“Carlos, you are trouble. The kind of trouble we don’t need right now. We are watched too.”

“Rudy, I need someone who is discreet and who can take care of a package for me. I am transferring two hundred fifty thousand dollars to your account now and another when the job is done. The package must be mailed, whether I am around or not.”

“Carlos, after this, I don’t ever want to hear from again. Our association is over. You have angered many people. Your actions have caused us much discomfort.”

The line dies, and Carlos and Antonio drive away with the conviction that their troubles will soon be over.

As they drive away, a dark truck follows at a comfortable distance. The driver places a call to ranger headquarters.

“This is Ranger Mesa,” the driver says.

“Go ahead, Sergeant Mesa.”

“I am following Carlos Meana and Antonio Blackbear on I-19, and they are headed toward the border. I suspect they will detour and head toward Patagonia and try to cross the border in that area around the old silver mine. I will need assistance. Please notify the local police and the state boys to be on the watch for them. They are traveling in Carlos’s Dodge truck, and they are heavily armed.”

“Dan, this is Major Johnson, you be careful. Don’t take any foolish chances. We don’t need any more dead rangers.”

“I understand, sir, and I promise to be careful.”

Major Johnson alerts the local police and the state police. He turns to the desk sergeant and says, “Log me out, and I will be on the radio. This is not going to be nice.”

The major takes an M16 and one hundred rounds of 9-mm ammo. He knows it will be a tough take-down.

On I-19 headed south to Nogales, Carlos and Antonio are speeding along at the posted speed limit, not wanting to attract attention. Suddenly they notice a dark Ford truck on their tail and closing in.

“Carlos, we have trouble behind us, and it looks like that darn ranger,” Antonio says. “What should I do?”

“Take him out if you can. I will try to outrun him.”

Antonio begins firing at Mesa’s truck, but he is unable to score a hit. Carlos takes the Nogales exit and speeds toward Patagonia. He misses the golf course turn-in and continues toward Patagonia. Carlos suddenly takes a side road, and Mesa follows. Carlos ditches the truck, and they begin running. Mesa stops his truck and is aware that other police cars have arrived. They begin following Carlos and Antonio.

“Carlos, what is your plan?”

“I plan to kill Dan Mesa once and for all. Now watch and learn.”

Carlos takes several grenades and goes back down the trail. Antonio follows.

Mesa is coming up the trail in a very careful manner. He stops and turns to those behind him.

“Carlos is no fool. He will try to ambush us, and if I were he, I would use some kind of explosive, probably grenades so let’s wait here for a few minutes. I have a feeling we are about to have his presence.”

Carlos is moving down the trail carefully when he hears, “Carlos, this is Dan Mesa of the rangers. Stop where you are and give yourself up. If you do not, you will die, and that is a promise.”

Carlos lobs a grenade at the police. There is an explosion, and a young rookie policeman is injured. His left arm is mangled, and another officer is also injured. They open fire, and Carlos retreats, throwing grenades as he runs.

Major Johnson arrives on the scene and is a witness to the action. He watches as Mesa charges forward, firing every step of the way. Major Johnson yells at Mesa, “Sergeant Mesa, get back here,” but due to the noise from the explosion, Mesa doesn’t hear him and continues to charge forward. The police and the rangers charge forward.

Carlos stops as Mesa approaches.

“Okay, Sergeant Mesa, people are always talking about how tough you are. Well, I am tough too, so let’s settle it right here. Or are you just a lot of hot air? Well, what will it be?”

“Carlos, you have an opportunity to live, and if I were you, I’d take it. If you face me today, you will die, and so will Antonio. Antonio killed her, but you are responsible, and both of you will die today unless you give up and disarm yourselves.”

“No, Mesa, it ends here today. Not tomorrow, now!”

Mesa stands up and moves forward, carrying a pump shotgun loaded with double loads of buckshot. Everyone is watching this turn of events. Mesa walks at an even pace, almost as if he is floating on air.

One ranger says, “I smell perfume. Where is it coming from?”

“Ranger, I suggest you pay attention to what is happening here and not become fixated with perfume,” comments an older ranger.

Suddenly, Mesa stops, and Carlos appears. He drops his gun and grenades.

“Okay, Ranger Mesa let see how tough you really are.”