The Law and Dan Mesa (24 page)

She turns to Charley Grey and says, “Charley who is that fellow at table twenty-two? I have seen him before, I am sure.”

“Honey, go and get Miss Olivetti. She will be happy to know he is here.”

“Charley, who is he? He isn’t Mexican and definitely isn’t white. He looks to be a Negro.”

“Honey, don’t ever let him hear you call him a negro. The correct term is African American and
he
is Sergeant Daniel Mesa of the Arizona rangers.”

“He is that gunslinging ranger I have heard so much about! He has killed a lot of people, and they say he is looking for Carlos Meana and Antonio Blackbear. They say he plans to kill them for killing his girlfriend.”

“Just go and get Miss Olivetti.”

Charley walks over to the table, smiling and says, “Hello, Dan, how are you?”

Mesa stands up and smiles a quick smile.

“Hello, Charley, how are you?”

“I am well, and it is good to see you again. Have you recovered from your injuries? Oh, Janie will be here in a minute.”

“Janie is here,” a voice says from behind Mesa. Dan turns around and what he sees makes him weak in the knees. She is dressed in a soft beige pantsuit with a green trim. The suit is somewhat revealing but in a tasteful manner.

“Hello, Janie. How are you? You are absolutely beautiful as always.”

He seats her and then takes his seat. He stares into her eyes, sees his reflection, and the hurt returns. He looks away quickly to prevent her from seeing what is in his heart. It is too late. She has already seen his eyes and smiles a sweet smile.

“Dan, have you fully recovered from your injuries? You had me very frightened.”

“Janie, I’m totally recovered and back at work. A lot of strange things have happened since I saw you last, but I am well and am handling things as they come. I just wanted to come down for dinner and spend a couple of days with you—that is, if you don’t mind?”

“Daniel Mesa, of course I don’t mind. You are welcome at my house any day. What are your plans for Christmas? How about spending it with my sister and me?” Janie asks. “That’s right, I never told you about her. Well, she really isn’t my sister. I was adopted when I was a year old by her parents. We are the same age. I am three months older than she is. She is a criminologist with the Denver police department working with CSI. Although, we are not blood related, we are as close as blood sisters. She is a lot of fun, and you will like her. Her husband was born blind, but he never allowed that to stop him. He is a professor of international politics at the University of Denver. The two of you should have a lot to talk about. What do you think?”

“I accept your invitation, and I thank you for inviting me. I think being around you is a plus in itself. I really do enjoy spending time with you. Some of the best hours of my life have been spent with you. I find that I miss you a lot.”

“Dan, allow me to treat you to dinner. We have a grilled trout that is flavored with herbs and spices from Greece with Mediterranean vegetables, a sweet potato cooked in paper, and a Greek salad. If you don’t like that, we have other dishes to choose from. I believe you will enjoy the trout.”

“Okay, that sounds great. I am hungry. I find that I miss a lot of meals these days. I need to just sit and talk with you. I am at the end of my rope. My anger at what happened is all-consuming. The only time I don’t think of it is when I am asleep. Killing is becoming too easy for me. I don’t want to kill anyone, but lately, every situation turns to killing. It is as if every would-be tough guy wants to make a play for me.”

Dinner is served, and Mesa realizes he is very hungry indeed. He eats with gusto.

Meanwhile back in Tucson, the authorities still haven’t found a clue as to who the female bank robbers are. They do have information that Armanti Sandoval is in Arizona and possibly in the Tucson area.

Dan and Janie leave the restaurant and go to her house. They are enjoying the evening listening to music by Glenn Miller when the phone rings.

“Hello?” she answers.

“Janie this is Captain Johnson. Is Dan with you?”

“Oh, hello, Captain Johnson. Yes, Dan is here. Just a moment and I will get him for you.”

“Dan, your captain is on the line.”

Mesa accepts the phone saying,” Sir, Sergeant Mesa here.”

“Dan, the state police received word that Sandoval is in Tucson, and he is looking for you. He is the one with the contract to kill you. What do you want to do?”

“Sir, I won’t hide or run from him or anyone. I will face him at my choosing and at the time and place that is convenient for me. I am leaving now for Nogales and I will see you in about three hours. Mesa hangs up the phone and turns to Janie and says, “Janie, I have to leave for Nogales. There is a contract on me, and the man trying to collect is a killer. He would kill you to get to me, and I can’t have that, so I am leaving right now. I will return to Nogales through Tucson, the long way around. I don’t want anyone to know I was here.”

She looks at him and tears fill her eyes.

“Dan, be careful. I have a bad feeling about this one. You will be shot, so wear your vest. I have a premonition, so humor me and do as I request, okay?”

“Honey, I wear it most of the time, but for now, I will wear it all the time. I must leave now.”

Mesa packs his duffle and walks to the door. He turns, kisses Janie and says good-bye and drives away.

The drive back to Nogales is uneventful. When Mesa arrives in Nogales at his ranch, he steps from the truck and notices that his dog is nowhere to be seen. He gets back into the truck, drives down the road, and stops. He walks quietly back and stands in the shadows. He notices movement next to the horse barn, and he moves in. He throws a rock and hits the figure. The man turns, and Mesa clobbers him hard. The man drops hard to the ground. Mesa moves like a ghost in the night and attacks without warning. A second man turns to run, but he runs straight into Mesa, who hits the man in his kidneys with a punch and kicks the man’s knees. He falls, and Mesa is on him like a vulture. He handcuffs the fellow’s left hand to his right ankle.

He searches the ranch for others but finds the tracks of only two vehicles and nothing else. Yet there is something else. There is an aroma that lingers at the corners of his mind. It is something he has smelled before but where?

He calls the rangers and they arrive with the local police. The two assassins are taken away and the forensics team arrives and does an inch-by-inch search of Mesa’s ranch. Alvina Venable is in charge of forensics, and she doesn’t miss much. A cigar stub is collected. A cast is made of footprints and another of tire markings. The tire has strange markings and should be easy to trace. Alvina walks toward Captain Johnson.

“Captain Johnson, these guys were playing for keeps. They dropped a bag, and inside I found this.” She opens the bag and produces plastic explosives, the military type. “Those guys are pros, and they planned to kill the sergeant and not leave a trace.”

Mesa says, “Sir, give me five minutes with them, and I promise you they will tell you everything you want to know.”

“Sergeant, you know I can’t and won’t do it. This has to be done by the book, because I don’t want some smart lawyer to get them off on a technicality. I want them to pay for their transgressions.”

“You are right, captain, but I just get tired of these characters getting away with their dastardly deeds.”

“Come along, sergeant, and let Alvina do her thing. If there is any evidence to be found, she will find it.”

“Sergeant, how did you know something was wrong when you drove up?”

Mesa smiles and says, “The dog was missing. If he had been alive, he would have greeted me with barking. So I took it as a warning and drove away.”

“Dan, this is the strangest case I have ever worked on. We have ghosts appearing and disappearing. To top it all, we have a second case involving female bank robbers, and they all are replicas of famous movie stars. It has to be a full moon, because there are lunatics everywhere I turn.”

The crime scene is secured, and the CSI team is combing the area with the hope of find more evidence.

In a house in the hills northwest of Tucson, Armanti Sandoval is figuring out his next move.

“There has to be a way of tricking Mesa into meeting me some place. I don’t want a fist fight with him. I am not so sure I will win. He has proven to be quite handy with his fists and with most weapons. This will require simple sniper tactics.”

Sandoval is aware of Mesa’s feelings for Alana Osborne and her mother and decides to use that to his advantage. The idea is to trick them into bringing Mesa out into the open. Maybe he can follow them to dinner and there attack. Christmas is only a few days away. The idea is to finish up everything before the New Year. It makes for messy bookkeeping to carry it over to the next year.

In another part of Tucson, Colonel Grant is meeting his ex-wife at the airport. As she steps through the entrance, Joan sees Joe standing there looking like a huge cuddly bear. He has a smile on his face, but she can see the apprehension in his eyes. She walks toward him and gives him a hug. She looks into his eyes and says, “Joe I was afraid that you’d change your mind and not be here after the way I acted years ago.”

He smiles and says, “I was afraid you’d change your mind and not come. I prayed last night and asked God to guide you and me back together. I haven’t done much praying over the years, but I think it will become a big part my life from now on. I promised him I’d start serving him better than I have been.”

“Joseph, you think we can make it this time? Can we find a place for us to meet and be husband and wife?”

“Honey, I looked at my life and decided that compromising will be a big part of my life with you. There were times before when I should have been more in tune with you, and I wasn’t. That changes as of now, and that is a promise. Remember some months ago when I told you about one of my rangers, a Sergeant Mesa? I’ve seen what he has gone through with the loss of his lady friend, and I don’t ever want to experience what he is facing.”

“Joe, is he the one who has been in the news so much of late? The bureau has a file on him. He is something of a folk hero, but no one knows much about him. He doesn’t give interviews. He has a friend in DC, an Agent Ortiz, who is worried about him. I’ve known Scott Ortiz for a few years, and he is a darn good agent. He asked me to keep tabs on him. I will leave that to you, my darling.”

They gather her bags and depart the airport. Joe Grant is happier than he has been in many years. He silently gives thanks to God for bringing them back together.

They arrive at Joe’s house, and the children are there to greet her, as they are all aware that their parents are back together. Peter, the oldest, hugs his mom and gives his dad a big bear hug. Gilda and Patrice, the twins, just smile and tears roll down their cheeks. They notice that, for the first time in their lives, their father is crying, but crying happy tears.

It is said even God smiles when families pray together. Joseph Grant falls on his knees and thanks God for his goodness and his many blessings. Grant remembers Sergeant Dan Mesa and wishes he could pass some of his happiness on to him.

In Yuma, Matilda receives a phone call telling her to meet her daughter in Tucson at the hospital. Alana and Sergeant Mesa receive the same call. All three speed toward Tucson.

Dan Mesa is suspicious of the call and puts on his vest; he remembers Janie’s warning. He adds his 9-mm pistol to his arsenal. He arrives at the hospital to find both Matilda and Alana there waiting. Just as he steps out of his truck, someone opens fire and hits Matilda and Alana. Dan Mesa locates the shooter and opens fire. He sees the shooter go down. He stands up, knowing he is going to be hit. He feels the impact of the bullet, but thanks to the vest, he is unharmed.

The sound of sirens is everywhere, but Mesa is steadily shooting and moving. He finds the shooter, Armanti Sandoval. He is almost shot to pieces. He is still alive when Mesa arrives.

“You are Dan Mesa,” he says, struggling to speak. “They told me you were tough. I should have listened. Carlos should pay for the trouble . . .” He dies before finishing what he started to say.

Mesa rushes back to Matilda and Alana. They are being taken inside the hospital to the emergency room. He rushes to the emergency room only to be stopped by a nurse.

“Ranger, you can’t go in there now.”

“Look, lady, two of my friends are in there, and I am going in with or without your approval. Now get the hell out of the way!”

The nurse sees something in his eyes that frightens her, and she immediately backs away. Mesa rushes in and sees blood everywhere.

“How are they?” he asks.

No one says anything. He moves forward like a crouching tiger ready to pounce on someone. His voice suddenly changes, and each word sounds like thunder.

“I asked you how they are doing! I won’t ask again!”

The attending physician suddenly becomes aware that the man is about ready to attack him.

“Ranger, they are in serious condition. Now, please let us try to save them. I promise as soon as we stabilize them and find out their injuries and how serious, we will let you know. You have my word on that.”

“I will hold you to that.”

Mesa turns and walks out. He uses his phone to call Major McMasters.

“Hello, this is Sergeant Dan Mesa of the Santa Cruz detachment. May I speak to the major?”

“Sergeant Mesa, this is Ranger Aliente. I will see if the major is in.”

“Sergeant, what can I do for you?” McMasters asks.

“Sir, Lieutenant Osborne and her mother have been shot, and they are in the hospital here in Tucson. They are in serious condition, and I don’t know if they will pull through. I don’t know what happened. I received a call that said I should rush to the hospital, and when I arrived and saw them, suddenly shooting started. They were hit. I saw the shooter and took him out. It was Armanti Sandoval.”

“Okay, Dan, I will be arriving by helicopter shortly. Have you notified Captain Johnson yet?”