Conundrum
(Part 3 of Conspiracy of Blood)
This episode was written by Robert L. McCullough and Phillip John Taylor, and directed by Ray Austin.
(The pueblo cemetery. The people are gathered at the grave of Julian Hidalgo for his funeral.).
Benitez: Lieutenant Julian Hidalgo was a brave soldier and loyal servant of the Spanish Empire, tragically shot in the course of his duties. (De Soto looks guiltily at Mendoza) We pray for his salvation under the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. While none of us is without sin, Lieutenant Hidalgo was not exception. (Resindo looks menacingly at the padre.) May the Lord God enfold him in his infinite mercy. Amen.
The crowd: Amen.
Mendoza: Lancers! Prepare to fire! (The lancers and guards raise their muskets.) Fire! (They fire. Resindo motions for De Soto and Mendoza to follow him and he leaves the gravesite.)
Resindo: So, take me through this story again.
De Soto: Well, Zorro and Lieutenant Hidalgo were struggling and outside the de la Vega hacienda, and suddenly Zorro stepped back and, the coward that he is, shot Hidalgo through the heart.
Resindo: But you yourself had a pistol, De Soto, why didn’t you shoot the villainous swine yourself when you had the chance?
De Soto: Well, Your Eminence… um…it was so dark, Zorro in black, so difficult to see.
Resindo: (Suddenly drawing his sword and pointing it at De Soto’s throat.) Hidalgo was worth twenty of you, you incompetent ignoramus! Let me remind both of you that you are still under sentence of death! Bring me Zorro or I shall take great pleasure in running both of you through myself.
De Soto: (Standing his ground) With all due respect, Emissary, capturing Zorro, which I am sure you must appreciate by now, is not an easy task.
Resindo: (Sheathing his sword) You actually believe the myths the locals weave around this masked bandit? Zorro is a murderer, nothing more. To catch him, all you have to do is get inside his treacherous mind. (To Mendoza) Bring the Escalante woman to my office. Now! (Mendoza salutes and leaves.)
De Soto: (Stepping close to Resindo) Forgive me for saying so, Emissary, but, uh, now that the special war tax has been collected, won’t the King be waiting for his money?
Resindo: The King has been waiting six months for that money. Let him wait a few days longer until I have Zorro’s head. (Resindo leaves and De Soto just shakes his head.)
(The hacienda. Diego is pacing while writing a poem.)
Diego: The sun sends. The moon pulls…and a chapel door flies open. (Felipe runs into the room.) What is it, Felipe? (Felipe signs.) Resindo is taking Victoria to Monterrey? Why, in heaven’s name? (Felipe signs again.) To face the Inquisitor General! (Furiously) By the time I finish with Resindo, he will rue the day he ever set foot in Los Angeles. (He throws down the paper with the poem on it.) Saddle Toronado! (They head for the fireplace.)
(Outside of Los Angeles. Zorro has caught up the guardsmen who appear to be taking Victoria to Monterrey.)
Zorro: Victoria. (Resindo who is apart from the others spots Zorro and fires his pistol at him. He misses. As he tries to reload quickly, Zorro rides up to him and strikes him with his whip three times, carving a “Z” on his cheek.) Lay a finger on the señorita again, Señor, and you’re a dead man! (The guardsmen come over the hill to chase Zorro.)
Resindo: After him, guardsmen!
(Zorro circles around behind two of the guardsmen and the horse carrying Victoria. He rides up alongside one of the guards and jumps from Toronado and unseats him from his horse. Zorro continues riding the soldier’s horse after the other guard and Victoria. The trailing group of guardsmen and Resindo arrive to see the unhorsed soldier on the ground.)
Resindo: Leave him! I want that horse! (Pointing to a fleeing Toronado)
(Zorro pulls Victoria from her horse only to find it is a guardsman disguised to look like a woman. The horse stops and the guard slips to ground, pulling a pistol on Zorro. Zorro kicks him away as it fires and then uses his whip to unseat the other guard who has turned around to help. Zorro escapes with Resindo and several guards pursuing him into the desert.)
Resindo: Where did he go? (He smiles as he looks down into the canyon and sees three of his guards have Toronado captured.)
(The armoury. Toronado is giving the guards a very hard time.)
(The alcalde’s office. De Soto enters as Resindo is seated at his desk with his hand covering part of his face.)
De Soto: Emissary, that infernal horse is about to destroy the entire quartel.
Resindo: That infernal horse will help me to capture Zorro. Is it true that Diego de la Vega is something of a poet?
De Soto: (Snickers) A poet? Well, I…I suppose so, but his verses are somewhat metaphysical, extremely immature — (Resindo moves his hand and De Soto is shocked to see the “Z” on his cheek.)
Resindo: (Angered when he sees De Soto staring at his cheek.) I want examples of de la Vegas poetry on this desk by sundown. In his own handwriting. Go!
De Soto: Yes. (He turns to leave quickly but stops at the door for one last look at the “Z”. He smiles as Resindo rubs the cheek.)
(Outside the tavern. Mendoza and Alejandro are sitting at a table)
Mendoza: Don Alejandro, If Zorro doesn’t come quick for Toronado, there’s not going to be anything left of the armoury! (Alejandro nods.)
De Soto: (Calling from the street.) Sergeant, may I see you for a second, please?
Mendoza: (Getting up to go to De Soto) Sí, mi alcalde.
Alejandro: (As Victoria comes to the table) Victoria, I wonder what the alcalde is up to now, huh.
(In the street)
De Soto: Sergeant, You know the de la Vegas rather well, don’t you?
Mendoza: Oh, sí, mi alcalde, they are very good friends of mine.
De Soto: Good. Good. In that case, Sergeant, there’s a little something I’d like you to do for me. Hm? (Smiling, he puts a hand on Mendoza’s shoulder and pats it several times.)
Mendoza: Bueno.
(Outside the tavern. Victoria and Alejandro are watching the exchange between De Soto and Mendoza.)
Victoria: I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s no good. (Both cast suspicious looks in De Soto’s direction.)
(The hacienda. Diego and Felipe are coming from the fireplace.)
Diego: What really angers me is that I rode right into his ambush. I underestimated him. It must never happen again. (Felipe signs) Yes, rescuing Toronado will require careful strategy. Let’s take a ride into town and see what Resindo has in store for us. Saddle the horses, would you? (They both leave the room and the front door opens. It is Mendoza.)
Mendoza: (?) Andrew? Diego? (There is no answer. He enters the room and looks around. Seeing papers on a table, he looks at one and takes it. It’s obvious he doesn’t like what he’s doing as he leaves.)
(The armoury. Toronado is banging against the gates. Diego and Felipe arrive to
hear him whinnying.)
Diego: (Smiling) It looks as if
Toronado is giving them a tough time. (They both head into the tavern.)
(The alcalde’s office. Resindo is reading the poem Mendoza has secured. De Soto is there.)
Resindo: (reading) “So you are the Stone Prince again gloating under camouflage bearing feathers in your cap.” Hm. Seems harmless enough.
De Soto: (Laughing) His verse is so irregular. It doesn’t even rhyme.
Resindo: Something bothering you, Mendoza?
Mendoza: No, it’s just that Don Diego is a friend of mine.
Resindo: Oh, and you feel you have violated his friendship, betrayed his trust.
Mendoza: Well…something like that. Yes.
Resindo: You are a sentimental fool. Get out. (Mendoza salutes and leaves.)
De Soto: A thousand, thousand pardons, Emissary, but there must be many examples of de la Vegas poetry the local newspaper, The Guardian.
Resindo: That may be true, but not in his handwriting.
De Soto: (Laughing nervously) Forgive me, I just don’t understand. Why is it so important for you to see um —
Resindo: Read your Machiavelli of whom you see so obsessively fond. Do you not remember his maxim of “divide and conquer?”
De Soto: Why yes, yes, of course. But..uh — (De Soto leans his elbow on the desk and sees that the action irritates Resindo. He immediately removes it.) Ah! Why the de la Vegas? What possible reason could —
Resindo: Do you really expect me to tell you? Capture Zorro and you may still be alive when the fun begins.
(The tavern. Alejandro, Diego and Felipe are seated at a table.)
Diego: Sooner or later, Emissary Resindo must return to Madrid. We only need to be patient.
Alejandro: Why, Diego? The man is a walking pestilence. I say we drive him out. He’s a disgrace.
Resindo: (Entering) Ah, Don Diego. Don Alejandro.
Diego: (Under his breath.) Speak of the devil.
Resindo: I am so glad I found you. I wanted to apologize to you both for my rather ill-considered seizure of your property. You see, this is my first imperial appointment, and in my eagerness to please His Majesty, I clearly overstepped my authority.
Diego: (Rising) That, Señor, depends on whether such recklessness repeats itself. (To Alejandro) If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. Felipe. (Diego and Felipe get up and walk to the door) (To Felipe) I think it’s time we got Toronado out of this madman’s clutches.
Resindo: (Sitting) I can hardly blame him for being so hostile.
Alejandro: Neither can I. Adios, Señor. (He gets up and starts for the door.)
Resindo: Uh, Don Alejandro! (Before Alejandro turns, he pulls a paper from his boot.)
Alejandro: Talk to me, sir.
Resindo: This was on the floor, Señor. Does it belong to you? (He hands the paper to Alejandro.)
Alejandro: (Feeling his pockets.) I don’t think so. But…(He takes the paper and looks at it.) Well, it’s my son’s handwriting. A letter to the Governor.
Victoria: Is something wrong, Don Alejandro?
Alejandro: I don’t know, Victoria. It’s a letter to the Governor from Diego informing him that I have grown mentally incompetent and that I am incapable of handling my own affairs. (He looks suspiciously at Resindo.)
Resindo: Good heavens! How perfidious!
Victoria: (Taking the paper and reading) He asks the Governor to name him administrator of your estate? (She looks at Resindo suspiciously too.) I wouldn’t worry, Don Alejandro. Don Diego would never do such a thing.
Alejandro: He wouldn’t, Victoria, and he didn’t.
Resindo: Didn’t you say that was your son’s handwriting?
Alejandro: Hm. It appears to be. But as you might know, sometimes the difference between reality and appearance… (He makes a motion with his hand and laughs.)
Resindo: (Rising) This certainly seems real enough.
Alejandro: No, sir. I trust my life to my son. Perhaps you don’t understand that, since you don’t have children, Señor. Tell me about your father. Don’t you love him?
Resindo: I never knew my father…until recently.
Alejandro: That’s unfortunate. However, the bond between this father and his son is not so easily broken with a letter which is obviously a fake. Whoever forged this was very skilled but not skilled enough to look into my son’s heart. (Smiling) I’m going to show it to him. This is going to give him a good laugh like it did me. Emissary, adios. (He leaves.)
(The armoury.)
Mendoza: (Entering smiling with some hay.) Toronado, nice horsy, look. I got some hay for you. Nice horsy, ni…nice horsy…(He leaves it for the horse.) …some hay for you. (Tornado hits the bucket with his head and it lands atop Mendoza’s head. The guards laugh. Zorro is seen on the roof and he signals to Toronado.)
(The alcalde’s office.)
Resindo: Is everything ready?
De Soto: The minute Zorro tries to breach the quartel gate, he’s a dead man. (Zorro jumps down beside De Soto.)
Zorro: Why use the gate? (He knocks out De Soto and draws his sword on Resindo before he can reach for his pistol in his drawer.) Close the drawer, please, slowly.
Resindo: You’re wasting your time. The minute you enter the yard, my men have orders to shoot that horse.
Zorro: If Toronado dies, you will join him. Now move. (They go out the door and into the armoury with Zorro still holding his blade at Resindo’s throat.) (To the guards) The first man to shoot will be responsible for the Emissary’s death! You! The big corporal, untie the horse! (The corporal goes to do it as De Soto wakes up in the office and comes out the door and grabs Zorro from behind. Zorro knocks him to the ground as Toronado starts creating havoc with the guards).
Resindo: Guards, watch that horse! (He draws his own sword.)
(Zorro fences with Resindo, and interferes whenever a guard tries to shoot Toronado as well. Zorro finally escapes to the roof with Resindo following.)
Mendoza: Alcalde, I think it will be wise for us to leave. (He helps De Soto up.)
(Zorro and Resindo fence atop the roof. A soldier fires at Zorro wounding him in the right arm. He falls down, but manages to kick at Resindo, knocking him off the roof. As Resindo lies unmoving on the ground, Zorro drops down onto Toronado’s back and rides away as the remaining soldiers fire more shots at him.)
(The armoury. De Soto, Mendoza and the guards find the body of Resindo.)
Mendoza: Alcalde, do you think…
De Soto: Obviously, Sergeant. Take him into the jail until a coffin can be made. (As they remove the body, De Soto claps his hands together, smiles and heaves a sigh of relief.)
(The tavern. The de la Vegas enter to find the people dancing and celebrating.)
Mendoza: Welcome, Senores. What a fight, Don Diego. (He punches Diego in the
arm and Diego grimaces in pain.) Zorro was magnificent. You should have been
there.
Diego: (recovering his composure.) So, I’ve heard, Sergeant.
Alejandro: Quite a party, heh?
Victoria: And the alcalde has agreed to pay every centavo.
De
Soto: Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. I think we all need to let off a little
steam. You all know how personally close I came to death. Hm?
Mendoza: Me too! If it wouldn’t have been for Zorro —
De Soto: Sergeant, if it weren’t for Zorro, we never would have come so close to hanging in the first place.
Victoria: Oh, come on, Alcalde, it’s a celebration! Can’t you bury the hatchet with Zorro just for one night?
De Soto: You’re quite right, Señorita. This is a joyous occasion. May I have the honor of this dance?
Diego: (Coming forward.) Pardon me, Alcalde, but the señorita promised this dance to me. (They dance away with De Soto glaring at them.) The alcalde will bury the hatchet all right.
Victoria: Yes, right on Zorro’s head.
(De
Soto sees another girl and starts forward to ask her to dance, but Alejandro
pulls him back.)
Alejandro: What was that expression?
Blow off a little steam. I like that. (He offers his hand to a lady.)
Señora? (They dance away.
Mendoza sees a girl nearby and moves toward her. De Soto holds him back.)
De Soto: Don’t even think about it, Sergeant. Señorita? (He dances away with the girl, leaving Mendoza to pretend that he’s dancing.)
(Outside the tavern. A coach arrives in the dark street.)
Inez: Sentry, where can I find Emissary Don Gilberto Resindo?
Sentry: Haven’t you heard, old woman. The emissary is dead.
Inez: It cannot be! Where is he?
Sentry: His body is in the jail. Hey you! You can’t go in there!
Inez: You dare to stop his mother. (He lets her go into the jail.)
(The jail.)
Inez: Gilberto, my poor Gilberto. (She takes the covering off him.) The fools! There is still blood in that face. Gilberto, don’t leave me now. I am here. Come back to me. (Resindo stirs.) Come back to me. (He opens his eyes.)
Resindo: Mother. Am I dreaming?
Inez: It’s no dream. I wanted to be here for the final triumph. How goes our plan?
Resindo: The de la Vegas have outmaneuvered me at every turn. I was in the hacienda. It was ours. They would have been penniless outcasts. I even tried to drive a wedge between Alejandro and his son. But they are so strong, nothing seems to move them.
Inez: Then humiliation alone will not serve our purpose. If you are to regain your birthright, Gilberto, there’s no other choice. The de la Vegas must die! (They clasp hands.)
The End