Belle Book
                    "A Tale of Two Outlaws"
                         by Belle Book

Part Five

A minute later, outside Don Luis's room

     Zorro had ridden Tornado to a
spot underneath the balcony so he could
stand up on the horse's back and reach
the balcony railing.  Once he did so,
he climbed up the balcony railing and
looked inside Don Luis's room in the
tavern.
     Carmen Sandiego was looking a-
round the room.  She seemed to be search-
ing for something important.  But what?
What was her connection to Don Luis Al-
varez?
     Zorro remembered how all this
happened.  After returning to the haci-
enda, Diego had said he had a headache 
and had to retire.  Carmen had said she
was tired from walking all day and would
retire early herself.  She went to the
guest room.
     Instead of going to his room,
Diego had went to the cave with Felipe
and Don Alejandro.  Diego changed into
his Zorro costume while Felipe saddled
Tornado.
     Then Don Alejandro and Felipe
went up to check on Carmen, while Zorro
went to check on Don Luis and find out
what he was up to.
     At the tavern, he led Tornado
around the back, and looked around to
see if anyone was around.
     That's when he heard hoofbeats
approaching.  Zorro hid Tornado behind
a good place to hide while he checked
out who it was approaching.  To his
surprise, it was Carmen on a de la Vega
horse.
     He saw Carmen tie her horse to
the post, then use a very unfamiliar
device to get to the balcony railing.
She then picked the lock to enter Don
Luis's room.
     Now Zorro saw Carmen open Don
Luis's suitcase.  It was empty.
     Wait a minute!  Carmen seemed
to be examining the suitcase.  She
frowned, then searched it further.
     After a minute, Carmen gasp-
ed, then reached into the suitcase,
pulling out what appeared to be some
papers.  The suitcase had a false bot-
tom!
     Carmen closed the suitcase and
went to the bed.  Sitting down on it,
she began to read the papers.
     That was enough for Zorro.  He
had to find out what Carmen wanted with
papers of Don Luis.  Was she involved
with Don Luis?  Or did she wish to stop
him?
     Zorro slipped inside the window,
determined to find out what Carmen was
up to.

_________________________________________________________________

Inside Don Luis's room

     Carmen almost couldn't believe
her eyes.  Yet she was certain what she
read was true.
     What she was reading was two pa-
pers.  One was a list of weapons.  The
other was a letter.
     The letter was from a business-
man in Mexico City, Rodrigo Martinez.
Apparently, he was to smuggle in weapons
for Don Luis to use for the purpose of
freeing California from Spanish tyranny.
Don Luis was to gain support for the
armed revolution from among the Cali-
fornians.  Los Angeles was to be the
first spot Don Luis was to gain sup-
porters, and the eventual center of
the revolution.
     Carmen had to stop this from
happening.  And the first thing she
had to do was tell Zorro the following
morning, when he was Diego.
     Of course, that would mean she
would have to tell him who she really
was, and why she was here.
     Carmen slipped the papers in
her coat pocket.  After all, she need-
ed them for her purposes.
     Then she turned to the window 
-- in time to see Zorro standing there,
frowning at her.
     <Looks like I'm going to have
to tell my story sooner than I planned,>
thought Carmen.

________________________________________________________________

     "I hope you have a very good ex-
planation for taking those papers," Zorro
said coldly.
     He was angry that he, his father,
and Felipe had been deceived so by Car-
men Sandiego.  They'd believed her story,
and it appeared she had lied to them.
     "I do have a good reason for ta-
king these papers, but first I'd better
tell you something very important," Car-
men whispered.
     "First, you must swear that what
you have to say is the truth," said Zorro.
     "I can understand your reasons,"
said Carmen.  "I promise."
     "Well, what do you have to tell
me?" asked Zorro.
     "First, I must tell you that I
know that you are Diego de la Vega."
     Zorro stood stunned.  Was this
true?  Carmen knew his secret?  "If this
is so, how did you know?" he asked.
     "I knew because I am from the
future," said Carmen.  "To be precise,
over one hundred seventy years in the
future."
     This was almost too much for
Zorro to handle.  Carmen Sandiego had
travelled back through time?  Zorro
was a scientist, but this was hard to
believe.
     "I'm certain this must be hard
for you to believe," said Carmen.  "But
it is true.  I can prove it to you if
we go back to where you first met me.
My time machine is behind a boulder
there."
     "Very well," said Zorro.  "And
if your story turns out to be true, I
would like you to come to the cave and
explain who you really are and why you
are here to Felipe and to my father."
     "I will do so," said Carmen.

_____________________________________________________________

Zorro's cave, twenty-five minutes later

     Carmen sat in a chair while
Diego/Zorro, Don Alejandro, and Felipe
all stood, listening to her story.
     Carmen had led Zorro to her
time machine, which had convinced him
that she was telling the truth about
her being from the future, and by im-
plication, about her knowing who he
really was.
     Once in the cave, they found
Felipe and Don Alejandro.  They were
surprised that Zorro had brought Car-
men to the cave, but Carmen explained
that she already knew about it and a-
bout Zorro.
     She then told them that her
name really was Carmen Sandiego, and
that she had apparently lost her mo-
ther in a fire, and all memories of
what her name really was.  She was
an orphan, or so she had assumed un-
til recently, when she discovered
that a Malcolm Avalon might be her
father.
     She told them of how she had
become a detective for the Acme ag-
ency, but she became too good at de-
tective work.  She began to feel the
need to leave Acme, or else she might
burn out.  Therefore, she left Acme 
and became a thief.  Ivy and Zack 
were also from the future, and were 
detectives for Acme who always chased 
her.
     Carmen assured them that she
was not here to steal anything, how-
ever.  She spoke about the crisis
she'd undergone recently, and how
reading the book "A Conspiracy of
Blood" had triggered in her a de-
sire to find out what happened to
Zorro ultimately.  That was why
she was here.
     "Unfortunately, it appears
I'm going to play a part in the
conclusion of your story, whatever
it is," Carmen concluded.
     "And the medicine?"  Zorro
asked.  "How did you get it?"
     "I got it from the Luiseno
Indians on the Pala Indian Reser-
vation in the future," said Carmen.
"I asked for it, but the shaman said
she couldn't give it to me.  There-
fore, I stole it.  However, I will
return it as soon as I go back into
the future."
     "You should," said Zorro, his
voice soft and somewhat threatening.
     "But if you had no intent-
ions of stealing anything in 1821,
why did you steal Don Luis's papers?"
Don Alejandro asked.
     Carmen took the papers out
of her coat pocket, handed them to
Zorro, and said,
     "Once I learned about Don
Luis, I was afraid he was up to
something, so I entered his room,
hoping to find something.  Those
papers are what I found, and I be-
lieve you'll find them interesting, 
Zorro."
     Zorro looked at the papers,
then at Carmen.  Finally, he hand-
ed them to Don Alejandro, turned to
Carmen, and asked,
     "Are you in favor of violent
revolution?"
     "I'm against violence," said
Carmen.  "Ivy and Zack will tell you
that I'm not violent, and that many
times, I've gone out of my way to
save them from danger even though
they were chasing me at the time.
     "I stole the papers to stop
him.  I decided to give them to you
because I know you aren't violent,
and that you'd try to stop him.  I
want him stopped."
     "So, you're offering to help
me," said Zorro.  "I must warn you,
however, I'm in love with Victoria."
     "She doesn't have to worry,"
said Carmen.  "I won't be a rival."
     Zorro sighed in relief, and
then frowned.  "If Don Luis discovers
the theft, he might think I did it
and get the Alcalde after me."
     "If that happens, I'll say I
did it," said Carmen.  "I doubt he'll
do it, however.  That would run the
risk of alerting the Alcalde to his
intentions."
     "You may be correct," said
Zorro.
     "I do want one of you to do
me a favor," said Carmen.  "I want
you to tell Ivy and Zack to stay in-
side the church and not to inter-
fere in any of my actions.  They are
very young, and Don Luis is violent,
as you well know, Zorro."
     "You do not want them hurt?"
Don Alejandro asked.
     "No!" said Carmen.  Her alarm
was real.
     Zorro stood up then and said,
"I'll go.  And then I'll pay Victoria
a visit.  I'll warn her, but not tell
her too much.  We'll keep the papers
until we need to reveal them."
     Zorro then mounted Tornado.
     "Be careful, my son," Don Ale-
jandro said.  Felipe also signalled
his desire for Zorro to be careful.
     "Be careful, Don Diego," Car-
men said.
     "I will," said Zorro.
     Then he left the cave.

_________________________________________________________

The church in Los Angeles, a few minutes later

     Ivy and Zack were in a little
room inside the church talking to the
Chief.  Padre Benitez had left them
and gone to check on the orphans who
lived with the Padre.
     They explained what they had
found in Los Angeles, including the
fact that the de la Vegas had taken
in Carmen Sandiego.
     "We still need to know why
Carmen's here," said Ivy.  "And why
she's with Don Alejandro and Diego
de la Vega."
     The Chief accessed his mem-
ory banks for a minute.
     "Diego de la Vega -- I think
I remember the name."
     "The tavern owner -- Victoria
Escalante -- also mentioned Zorro,"
Zack added.  "Maybe we should find
him and tell him about Carmen."
     "Zorro!  That's where I re-
member the name!" said the Chief sud-
denly.  A picture of Zorro came up
as the Chief continued,
     "Zorro was a famous outlaw
from Califoria during the colonial
period.  He fought against injustice
and tyranny.  But until later, no-
body knew who he really was."
     "Who is he?" asked Ivy.
     Zack then gasped.  "Diego de
la Vega?  Is Zorro really Diego de
la Vega?"
     "Yes," said the Chief.  Then
he said, "Ack!" and vanished.
     Zack and Ivy turned -- to see
a man dressed entirely in black, with
a long, black cape, and a black mask!
He carried a whip and a sword.

__________________________________________________________

     "You are Ivy and Zack?"  ask-
ed Zorro.
     "Yes," said Ivy.  "And you
are Zorro?"
     "Si," said Zorro.  "I have a
message for you."
     "Before you give it, Senor Zor-
ro, we must ask you if you know any-
thing about a woman named Carmen San-
diego," asked Zack.
     Zorro remembered hearing the
Chief Carmen had mentioned revealing
who he was to Zack and Ivy before he
was spotted.
     "I do," said Zorro.  "I know
that both of you are from the future,
and that she's a thief who's also
from the future.  In fact, she was
the one who gave me the message I
have to give you."
     The two stared at each other.
"What message would Carmen want to
give us?" asked Ivy.
     "That you stay inside the
church and not interfere with her,"
Zorro said.  "You remember hearing
about Don Luis Alvarez?"
     "Si, Zorro," said Zack.
     Zorro explained how he saw
Carmen steal papers belonging to
Don Luis, and his discovery of her
purpose in coming to the past.
     "You mean Carmen was curious
about what happened to you after this
book she read, and that's why she's
here in the past?" asked Zack.
     "Si," said Zorro.  "As for
the papers, they reveal plans to
smuggle weapons inside California
for a violent revolution.  I want
to stop this, and so does Senorita
Carmen.  But she does not want you
involved."
     "Why?" asked Ivy.
     "Because she does not want
you hurt," said Zorro.  "Don Luis
is both an excellent swordsman and
he is violent.  He might hurt you."
     "Are you certain Carmen's
purpose is to protect us and not to
prevent us from stopping her from
stealing something valuable here?"
asked Ivy.
     "When she said she didn't
want you hurt, I could hear a gen-
uine alarm in her voice," said Zor-
ro.
     Ivy and Zack both thought
for a minute, then Ivy said, "Let's
contact the Chief."
     <This will be a first for
Zorro,> Zorro thought.

_______________________________________________________

A few minutes later

     Once the Chief appeared, Ivy
and Zack explained the situation.
Zorro had stood some distance away.
listening in but not saying anything.
     "Chief, do you think that it
would be best to do what both Carmen
and Zorro suggest and remain here in
the church?" said Ivy.
     The Chief thought for a min-
ute, then said, "If this guy is as
violent as Zorro says he is, I think
it would be best for both of you to
stay here.  Yes, Ivy, that includes 
you."
     Ivy flushed.  She knew the 
Chief was referring to her willing-
ness to risk her life in pursuing 
Carmen.
     She still had a hard time
believing that Carmen's purpose in
warning them through Zorro was con-
cern for them.
     Still, she did remember the 
time that Carmen stole that tower in 
Bavaria, Germany.  Ivy was hanging 
on for dear life as it was airlifted 
when Carmen urged her to take Carmen's
hand.
     Ivy refused, not wishing to 
accept the help of the woman she 
wished to capture, and thinking she 
could take care of herself.
     What was surprising, now that 
she remembered it, was that Carmen 
went out of her way to try to help 
Ivy.  And there were other times, too, 
when Carmen went out of her way to 
help the detectives who were always 
pursuing her.
     Also, Zorro seemed to believe 
that Carmen was concerned about them.  
And, he did know Don Luis, and seemed 
to believe that the guy was dangerous.
     So Ivy made up her mind.  It 
would be difficult to stay inside the 
church, but she would do so.  So would 
Zack.
     That's when Zack said, "Zorro, 
I'll stay in the church and not inter-
fere."
     Ivy said, "So will I.  I prom-
ise."
     "Gracias," said Zorro to them.  
"I will tell Senorita Carmen.  But 
first, I must go to the tavern.  I wish 
to speak to Victoria."
     Ivy remembered Victoria's tell-
ing them about her love for Zorro, and 
Zorro's love for her.
     Zorro saluted them all, then 
disappeared out a window.
     "I just hope this Don Luis is
not more trouble than Zorro can handle," 
said Zack.
     <Or Carmen,> thought Ivy.

__________________________________________________________

Victoria's Tavern, a few minutes later

     Victoria had seen Don Luis go
to his room, so she went up to her own
room.
     There she was just about ready
to open a drawer where she kept the
ring Zorro had given her, when she
heard a pebble hit her window.
     <Zorro?> she wondered.
     Sure enough, when she looked
out her window, there was Zorro.
     "I hear you have a guest.  Is
he in his room?" he asked.
     "Yes," said Victoria.
     Putting on a shawl, she went
down, opened the back door, and let
Zorro in.
     "I hope I'm not bothering you,
Victoria, but I have to tell you some-
thing very important," said Zorro.
     "What?" asked Victoria, real-
izing something was wrong from the
serious look on Zorro's face.
     "I found out some disturbing
news about your guest," said Zorro.
     "Don Luis Alvarez?" asked
Victoria.  Zorro nodded.  "What?"
     "He plans to have weapons
smuggled into California as part
of a plan to free California from
Spanish tyranny -- by means of vio-
lence.  I have to stop him, or in-
nocent lives might be hurt."
     "How did you discover this?"
asked Victoria.
     Zorro seemed to hesitate
for an instant, then he said, "When
I learned he was here, I planned to
check his room for evidence of his
intentions here.  However, someone
else had the same idea in mind.  A
senorita in a long red coat stole
the evidence, and when I caught her,
gave it to me."
     <Carmen Sandiego?> thought
Victoria, remembering the woman with
the de la Vegas.
     "Would her name happen to
be Carmen Sandiego?" she asked.
     "Si," said Zorro.  "She al-
so wants to stop him.  So she asked
to help me stop him."
     Victoria frowned.  Senorita
Carmen was a rather beautiful woman.
     "I hope you're not interest-
ed in Senorita Carmen," she said.
     Zorro smiled and said, "No.
I love you, querida.  I could never
love anyone else."
     Then he drew Victoria into
his arms and kissed her, tenderly
at first, then more passionately.
     The passion in his kiss
was all Victoria needed to be re-
assured of his love for her.
     When he raised his head,
Victoria said, "I just hope Sen-
orita Carmen doesn't try to win
you from me."
     Zorro chuckled and said,
"I told her that I was in love
with you.  She told me she would
not be a rival."
     Victoria sighed in relief.
     "I wish I could stay with
you forever," she whispered, rest-
ing her head against his chest.
     "So do I," Zorro whispered,
"but I must go now."
     Slowly, reluctantly, he re-
leased Victoria.  He went to the
door.
     "Hasta luego, querida," he
told Victoria, smiling.  "Be care-
ful."
     Then he went out the door
and was gone.
     Remembering what Zorro had
told her, Victoria thought, <You
be careful, querido.>

To be continued