The Law and Dan Mesa (8 page)

Twenty-four hours after Sonia’s death, no one has seen Dan Mesa. The investigation into Sonia’s death continues. The FBI has taken over the case along with the rangers. Carlos’s and Antonio’s photos have been circulated with warrants for their arrests. So far, though, no one has seen or heard from them.

Scotty and Jonathan have been searching everywhere for Dan. It has now been thirty-six hours, and they’ve found nothing. Scotty, Jonathan, and Nadia have been living at Dan’s place. Captain Johnson comes by for a visit.

“Jonathan,” he says, “have you heard anything from Dan since he arrived? He has never done anything like this before. He is hurting, and he is dangerous now.”

“Dan will show up in a few hours,” Agent Ortiz says. “I finally figured out where he is. He is preparing himself for the task at hand. If I know him, he is getting into the mind of Carlos and Antonio. But he doesn’t know there is a contract out on him.”

In Yuma, Major McMasters is listening to the news when he hears about Sonia’s death. He walks into Lieutenant Osborne’s office, where she is watching the news as well.

“Alana, it seems as if trouble follows Sergeant Mesa wherever he goes. What do you say to a man who has faced as much as he has faced these last few months?”

“Sir, I wouldn’t know what to say. I have been thinking about it, and no one could know what to say or do. I was thinking of that lady Sonia. He spoke of her once. I got the feeling there were a lot of unspoken things there. It is hard to get him to talk about himself, but I do know he cared a lot about her. She was the one who ended the relationship because of the nature of work he does. Her husband was a policeman who was killed in the line of duty, and apparently, she never got over it. Major, Dan Mesa is going to go nuts over this. You saw what happened when he and Jackson met. That was child’s play in comparison to what will happen now.”

“Lieutenant, please call Captain Johnson and ask if there is anything we can do to assist them. Also inquire about Sergeant Mesa.”

The phone rings at ranger headquarters, and Sergeant Savalas answers the phone.

“Arizona rangers, Sergeant Savalas speaking.”

“Sergeant Savalas, this is Lieutenant Osborne from Yuma. How are you?”

“Ma’am, I am well. What can I do for you?”

“Sergeant is the captain in? If so, may I speak to him?”

“One moment, ma’am.”

“Captain Johnson, I have Lieutenant Osborne from Yuma on the line. She wants to speak with you.”

“Put her through please,” Johnson says. Then he picks up his phone. “Lieutenant Osborne, how are you and what can I do for you?”

“Sir, I am recovering and doing better each day. The reason I am calling is because of what happened to Sonia. The major wants to know if there is anything that we can do to help and asked that I inquire about Sergeant Mesa. He is well liked here, and everyone is concerned about him.”

“Lieutenant, Sergeant Mesa is missing. No one knows where he is, but we suspect he is out in the desert getting ready for his confrontation with Carlos and Antonio. But what he doesn’t know is that a contract has been put on him.”

“Sir, what can we do to help him? He is very special to me. I can’t let anything else happen to him. If you hear from him, please call us right away. Thanks, sir.”

Captain Johnson hangs up the phone but is very worried. He knows his friend’s life is at stake.

Chapter Five
 

In Tucson, the colonel is watching the news and bangs his fist on the desk, rattling the whole room.

His secretary rushes in and asks, “Colonel, what is wrong?”

“Maria, you are fired. You are lucky that I am not pressing charges against you. You told Carlos and his group about Ranger Mesa. If he gets hurt, I will hold you responsible. I want you out of this building in ten minutes, or I will have you arrested. If I ever see you again, I will arrest you.”

“Colonel Grant, I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t know what to do. I know I should have told you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t help me! I am sorry for letting you down.”

“Lady, I don’t want your sorrow or anything else. One of my best rangers has lost a lady he cared about because of you and your friends. GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!”

Maria leaves broken and crying. Colonel Hiram H. Grant is a man with few illusions about himself and life. He too has smelled the acrid smell of gunpowder and the stench of death in Vietnam and as a ranger. He knows what the rangers in the field go through, which is why he is so angry with Maria. She has possibly helped in the death of Sonia Perdenales.

Traveling south on I-19 is a dusty bronze Toyota 4Runner being driven by a man who is small in stature but big in heart and courage. At this moment when no one can see him, tears are streaming down his face, and his heart is as heavy as a brick. Sergeant Dan Mesa of the Arizona rangers is heading back home to begin a journey that will end in the deaths of several men and maybe justice for Sonia Perdenales.

When Dan arrives in Nogales, he reports in to Captain Johnson.

“Hello, Captain,” he says. “Is there anything new on Sonia’s murder?”

“Sergeant, where in the name of Hanna have you been? You’ve had all of us worried to death about you. There is a contract on you, and we suspect it was put out by Carlos or some of his cronies.”

“Captain, I had to get away from here for a day or two,” Mesa says. “I need to contact Sonia’s parents and see about funeral arrangements for her. I’ve never spoken to them, but I know she was close to them. I keep asking myself if she suffered because of me. It doesn’t make any sense. She wasn’t a threat to anyone. She was just a nice woman who shouldn’t have been involved in this. Someone will pay for her death. Sir, do you have any leads on the contract taken out on me?”

“Sergeant Mesa, do I need to remove you from this case? I know it is personal, and I know there isn’t anything anyone can do to make it hurt less, but I can’t have you going off half-cocked. Take a few days off and mourn her death. Come back ready to make those bastards pay dearly for her death.”

“Captain, I have it under control. I don’t need time off. I can do my job.”

“Sergeant, this is not a request; it is an order. Take time off or turn in your badge. Dan, look, you need some time off, if only a couple of days. You are at the end of your rope. I know you, and I know you are capable of killing someone with the least provocation. I just want to make sure you kill the right person under the right circumstances. Now, will you do as I ask?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll take a couple of days off, but after that and the funeral, I will cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war. Someone is going to pay for her death. Captain, have the FBI check Vermenti Pellegrinni and see if they can determine whether he put out the contract. Carlos and Pellegrinni have a history together. Better yet, I’ll ask Scott to look into it for us.”

With those remarks, Mesa leaves the Captain’s office.

Captain Johnson calls in Ranger Bonefacio Hernandez.

“Bonnie, I want you to shadow Sergeant Mesa without him knowing it.”

“Captain, you know I will do anything you want me to do, but Dan is one of us. I can’t and won’t do that.”

“Bonnie, Dan is not in trouble. I want you to shadow him to keep him from killing someone. He is angry and on the edge. Just keep him out of trouble. He is my friend; I don’t want anything to happen to him. Someone has put a contract out on him, and he is going to try to find out who did it. I just want someone covering his back.”

“Captain, that is something I can and will do. I like Mesa, and so do most of us. He is a hard case but fair and honest, and if he is your friend, he is the best friend you’ll ever have. But if he is your enemy, then God have mercy on your soul.”

“Bonnie, keep me posted and watch you back too.”

In El Paso, Sonia’s parents and family are planning the funeral when the phone rings.

“Hello, this is the Cortez residence.”

“Hello, I am Sergeant Daniel Mesa of the Arizona rangers and a friend of Sonia’s. I must apologize for disturbing you, but I have to ask about the funeral arrangements and if there is anything I or the rangers can do to help.”

“Ranger, I am Sonia’s mother, Ophelia. She spoke of you often. She cared for you a great deal. I know she’d want you here. The funeral is scheduled for Saturday at Saint Paul’s Cathedral at eleven a.m. Will you be there?”

“Yes, ma’am, I will be there. I will arrive tomorrow. I just want you to know I . . .” For the first time in his life, Dan Mesa breaks down.

“Ranger Mesa, will you be okay? You are welcome here anytime. It is a hard thing for all of us to understand. She said you are a special person, and she wanted me to meet you. We’ll talk when you arrive.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Cortez. I don’t know if I will ever be okay again. This is something I feel responsible for. I will see you tomorrow.”

Napal Cortez, Sonia’s father, walks into the room and asks, “Honey, who was it on the phone?”

“Napal, it was that ranger whom Sonia often spoke of. He must be something special for her to have cared as she did. He almost broke down over the phone. I could tell by the way his voice shook. Unless I miss my guess, that man is not someone to tangle with. The anger in him and the hurt is tearing him apart. Whoever killed our little girl will regret it something terrible. He will arrive tomorrow.”

“Ophelia, how will we know him? Does he want us to meet him at the airport?”

“No, dear, but I will know him anywhere. According to Sonia, he is about five feet five inches tall and weighs around one hundred fifty pounds. He is African American but not black. He has brown skin and a face that seldom smiles He always wears a gray western hat, boots, jeans, and a western tie. You’ll know him without a doubt.”

In Nogales at Mesa’s ranch, Dan and Agent Ortiz are in conversation.

“Scott, could you check with your people and find out if Pellegrinni has put out a contract on me or if he has done anything out of the ordinary these last few days?” Mesa asks. “According to my captain, there is a contract out on me. I am not afraid, but it does make it difficult for me to do what needs to be done if I have to watch my back constantly.”

“Dan, I will call right now. Someone should be there in the office.”

When the phone is answered at the bureau in Washington, DC, Ortiz hears, “This is the FBI, Agent Schmidt speaking. May I help you?”

“Dave, Scott Ortiz here. Do me a favor and check and see if Vermenti Pellegrinni has taken out a contract on anyone lately. I am primarily concerned about an Arizona ranger named Daniel Mesa. I’m in Nogales, Arizona, and you can reach me at five two zero nine zero eight two three four seven. Dan Mesa is my best friend, and I would appreciate anything you can find out. There was a kidnapping here, that ended in the murder of a very special lady. Dave, all hell is about to break loose down here, and unless I miss my guess, the world will be minus several criminals before this is over. I don’t want him to go off half-cocked and kill the wrong person.”

“Scott, isn’t he that ranger who was involved in that shoot-out in Albuquerque a few months ago?”

“Yes, he is the one. The lady who was kidnapped and killed was his lady, someone he valued highly. Dan Mesa doesn’t get involved easily. She must have been a great person. Call me as soon as you know anything.”

“Scotty, wait a minute,” Schmidt says. “The information is coming in now. According to our info, there is a contract on Dan Mesa of Nogales, Arizona. The amount is five hundred thousand dollars. Damn, someone wants his hide bad. Tell your friend to watch his back. Our sources say the contract is being financed by Pellegrinni.”

“Dave, I owe you one. Just name it, and I’ll be there. Thanks.”

Scott slowly cradles the phone and turns around.

He looks at Mesa and says, “Dan, there is a contract for five hundred thousand dollars on you head. Pellegrinni is financing it. That is a considerable sum of money, and every would-be assassin will be after you. What are your plans?”

“I plan to carry on with what I am doing but have eyes in the back of my head. I will wear a vest, and I will be very cautious. I plan to stay alive. I have a little fellow who needs me,” Mesa says. “I have to prepare for the funeral.”

Dan leaves the room to prepare for the trip to El Paso.

In the air aboard Southwest Airlines flight 3655, Ranger Dan Mesa is sitting with his eyes closed when the pilot announces, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching El Paso airport, and the weather is mild and dry. The temperature is seventy-five degrees with a slight overcast sky. So sit back, and we will land shortly. I hope your trip to El Paso is an enjoyable one.”

When Sergeant Mesa reaches the baggage claim area, he recognizes Sonia’s mother because she is a slightly older version of Sonia. Mrs. Cortez seems to recognize him immediately and walks toward him.

“You must be Ranger Mesa,” she says. “Your appearance is exactly as Sonia described. She really liked you a lot. I miss her so much. We were more than mother and daughter; she was my friend also.”

Dan immediately turns away to prevent her seeing the tears in his eyes. Mrs. Cortez pats him on the back, and they walk toward the baggage area to retrieve his luggage.

In the car headed toward home, Mrs. Cortez looks at Dan and asks, “Ranger Mesa, what will you and the rangers do about Sonia’s murder?”

“Mrs. Cortez, we know who did it, and we will get them one way or another. The main person responsible for her death is Carlos Meana, but he didn’t kidnap her. Antonio Blackbear, a crony of Carlos, kidnapped her. They have disappeared, but I will find them, and they will pay. Another associate of Carlos has put a contract out on me for five hundred thousand dollars. I will settle with each one of them. The law wants them, and the law will have them. That I promise.”

Mrs. Cortez looks deep into his eyes and possibly into his soul and sees the torment the ranger is dealing with. She wonders how he is able to continue doing what he does. They arrive at the Cortez residence and are greeted by Mr. Cortez and Sonia’s two sisters.