Disclaimers: The characters from the Queen of Swords are copyrights of Fireworks Productions and Paramount. No infringement of copyright is intended or revenue expected from their use. The story plot and other characters are copyright to the author, Maril Swan.

Acknowledgment: Thanks to Jo for beta reading this story and helping to make it better.

Author's Note:This story was formerly titled "And the Truth Shall..."

Arsenic and Black Lace
A Maria Teresa Alvarado mystery
by Maril Swan

Part 2 of 3

Grisham's voice broke into the stillness like a shock. "Why would Marta want to kill your wife, Señor Vicente? They hardly knew each other."

Vicente's eyes went to his daughter, seated behind Grisham and next to Dr. Helm. "I would prefer my daughter does not hear this. Please take her back to our hotel."

Montoya motioned to a soldier and reluctantly, the young girl arose to leave. She glared at Marta and shouted, "I hope they hang you for this! I want to see you dead like my Mama!" With that, she burst into tears and ran from the courtyard.

Marta's face paled and she swayed. Tessa rushed to her side. "Some water, please!" She held the other woman up as she seemed about to fall from her chair. "Marta, are you all right? The girl was distraught. She didn't know what she was saying." A glass of water was handed to her and she gave Marta a few sips.

A babel of voices arose behind them as the audience spoke excitedly among themselves until Montoya hammered with his gavel to call for order. "Take your seat, Señorita Alvarado. The witness will now answer the last question."

Vicente continued to look at the floor. He said, "Almost from the moment, we arrived at the hacienda, I noticed the Gypsy woman watching me. After a few days, she offered herself to me for money."

"That is a lie!" Marta's voice rang out across the courtyard as she stood glaring at the witness. "You have sworn to tell the truth. So tell it!" The two guards on either side of her pushed her back into her seat.

Montoya glanced from Marta to Tessa. The señorita's eyes were wide in astonishment. It was obvious to the colonel that things went on in her household of which she was not aware. He was delighted. This trial was proving more titillating than he could have imagined. His attention was drawn back to Grisham.

"So you're saying that because you rejected her, Marta killed your wife in revenge?" Grisham's voice held an edge of incredulity and Montoya frowned at him.

Vicente sent a scathing glance at Marta. "Who knows what goes on in their minds. They're half savages, all of them."

"Señor Vicente!" Montoya shouted. More quietly, he said, "Do you have anything more to add to your statement, señor?" Vicente shook his head.

"Anymore questions for this witness, Captain Grisham?"

"No sir." Grisham resumed his seat with an arrogant smile at Tessa. "Your witness, counsellor."

Tessa arose and moved away from the table. "Señor Vicente, did your wife want to leave Spain?"

Vicente gave her an impatient look. "What does that have to with anything?"

Montoya narrowed his eyes at Tessa, as if wondering where she was going with this query. "Answer the question."

"No. She loved Barcelona and wanted to stay near her family." Vicente sat erect and met her gaze without flinching.

"Yet you made her come with you to Alta California, knowing it would make her unhappy."

"A wife's place is with her husband. She knew that. I thought after a while in Monterrey, she would make new friends, have new diversions to take her mind off missing Barcelona. I was sure she would be happy here once she got used to it."

"So, your wife was in a very depressed state of mind over leaving Spain. And your daughter, Cristina. Did she want to come to California?" Tessa exchanged a glance with Marta and saw the light of hope kindling there. I only pray it doesn't prove to be a false hope.

"Yes. She was eager to come. She had read about the exploits of that vigilante woman, the Queen of Swords, and wanted to come here to Santa Elena. She hoped to meet the bandita, of all things. Cristina is a young, romantic girl, a dreamer. She even suggested she would like to be like this Queen of Swords." He snorted in disgust. "Imagine. She even wanted me to let her take fencing lessons. As if any responsible father would let his daughter do such a thing!"

Tessa forced her features to remain blank as she recalled that eventful first meeting with Cristina the night before she met Don Vicente.

----------------

His light is still on, the black-clad woman mused, as she watched Dr. Helm's office from her rooftop perch which was across the street from his office. Maybe I'll wait awhile before I surprise him with a visit. Her heart seemed to be beating abnormally fast as she contemplated that small square of light which still spilled from his window onto the dusty pueblo street.

Had she not been so preoccupied, Tessa would have heard the stealthy figure stealing up behind her on the roof. When a hand touched her arm, she turned instinctively, grabbing the other's arm and throwing her attacker off. She landed on top and clamped her gloved hand over the other's mouth, while pulling out her dagger to place at the throat. Only then did she realise her 'attacker' was a young and very frightened girl. The girl's wide eyes stared in terror and she whimpered.

"What are you doing up here?" Tessa whispered harshly near the girl's ear. "If I move my hand from your mouth, do you promise not to scream?" The girl nodded, never taking her eyes off Tessa. Carefully, Tessa removed her hand. "Now, tell me what you think you are doing on this roof."

"Señorita Reina," the girl whispered excitedly. "I have heard so much about you, and I admire you so much for your exploits. I want to be just like you." Breathlessly, she added, "I came to help you. What are we doing tonight - stealing gold, freeing prisoners?"

"We are not doing anything. You are going back to wherever you came from." Tessa paused thoughtfully. "How did you know I was here?"

"My hotel window is right across from this roof. I saw you and sneaked out of my room to come to you." The girl knelt and peered across the street to where Tessa was looking. "What can you see from here? Only the hotel and the doctor's office. Why would you be watching those places?" She turned back to Tessa with a scornful expression on her young face. "It's the doctor's office you were watching, isn't it? You are the doctor's lover!"

The girl stood up and withdrew a small sword from a scabbard at her side. In the pale moonlight, she made a comical sight - a slim and pretty blonde girl dressed in a culotte skirt and light coloured blouse, and striking a threatening pose that could not be less threatening. Tessa tried not to laugh. The girl hissed, "I'll fight you for him. I love him. He is mine." She advanced with her sword and Tessa dodged the first clumsy thrust. This scene was no longer amusing.

"Are you crazy!" Tessa whispered urgently. "The first sound of a swordfight will bring the soldiers out with their guns. They're known to shoot first and ask questions later." But the girl ignored her and tried a few more thrusts, nearly cutting Tessa with one slash near her shoulder. Tessa moved in quickly and disarmed her with a few manoeuvres that left the girl stunned and weaponless.

Tessa held the girl in a tight grip around the neck, and said close to her ear, "Now, let's get a few things straight. First, I don't need a partner. And you could get killed climbing around on the rooftops in this town. Second, I am not the doctor's lover. If you want him, take him. He's all yours." With that, Tessa released her. "Come on. I'll help you get back to your room before anyone discovers you're missing."

--------------

An amused twinkle shone in Marta's eyes as Tessa recalled that scene. Marta must be remembering it too, as I told her all about it. Well, she admitted to herself, not quite all. I didn't mention why I was on the roof across from the doctor's office. Glancing in Dr. Helm's direction, she felt a warmth coming into her cheeks. His wry grin made her face burn more and she returned to the witness.

"Señor Vicente. You say you believe Marta killed your wife because you rebuffed her amorous advances. And that she wanted to be paid also. Does this not stretch credulity a little too far? In a matter of hours, she conceived such a passion for you, she would kill your wife for vengeance? It sounds more like a conceit to me." A few restrained snickers from behind made Tessa smile sardonically. To the audience this was just a play, a diverting entertainment. To her it was life and death.

"Señorita Alvarado," Montoya said firmly. "You will confine yourself to questioning the witness not making conjectures as to his character."

Tessa flushed with chagrin and began again, "May I remind you, you are under oath, Señor Vicente. Would you relate the circumstances of that alleged proposal made to you by Marta?" She sent an apologetic look to Marta who seemed to be rigid with indignation.

"I had been in my wife's room and was distressed by her condition. I went into the parlour and poured myself a liberal glass of cognac to steady my nerves. I noticed Marta had also entered the room and seemed to be hanging about as if she wanted to say something. When I asked what she wanted, she said 'You. I want you.' That's when she offered herself for money. She said a virile man like myself had needs and my wife could not fulfill them. For a price, she would ..."

"Liar!" Tessa turned as the two guards restrained Marta who was struggling in their grip. Her face was florid with rage. They forced back into the chair and held her firmly.

Montoya gave Tessa a scornful look. "If your client causes any more disturbance, I will eject her from the courtroom, and when she is recalled, she will be in manacles! Is that understood?"

"Yes, Colonel. There has been a lot of tension here today. Perhaps this would be a good time to close the proceedings for the day. I would like to confer with my client."

"If Captain Grisham agrees, we will adjourn until tomorrow at ten o'clock." Montoya rose and the whole assembly also got noisily to their feet. He went through into the main building, leaving Grisham to clear the courtroom and take charge of the prisoner.

Marta sat staring unseeingly at the scarred adobe walls of her cell. Outside she could hear the noises from the street - the rattle of carts, the calls of children, the neighing of horses. The small square of light that entered through the barred window seemed to contain all the warmth of the hot sun as she watched it moving steadily across the wall. She reached out to feel its heat on her hand, casting a harsh shadow on the far wall. Its warmth was a small comfort to one who had lived all her youth in the open air with no walls but the trees and the mountains.

She shuddered with dread. The danger was real and imminent. She might die for a crime she did not commit. And the things that were said against her. She tried to suppress the bitter rage that boiled within. I must not let it touch me, she thought. It is not me they are accusing but a race they despise. If I can hold onto that, I may get through this.

She shook her head sadly as she relived the last week at the hacienda. The guests had created a great disturbance in the household routine. But Tessa had agreed because Dr. Helm had asked, and she would refuse him nothing. If only she had said no, Marta thought, then relented. It was a reasonable request and I also consented to it. Her mind drifted over the events leading up to the trial.

-------------------

The drapes were closed against the heat of the day, and the dimness in the room seemed to make the woman in the bed more comfortable. Marta rinsed a cloth and wiped the woman's feverish face. Señora Vincente was very weak from her illness and did not seem to be improving, even after nearly a week at the hacienda. Marta pursed her lips as she examined her patient. She picked up one of her hands to wash it, and pushed back the sleeve of the nightgown. Across the inside of the señora's wrist was a thin white line, like a scar. As Marta touched it, a flash of red filled her eyes and an indescribable terror gripped her mind. With a gasp, she dropped the woman's hand.

With trembling hands, Marta prepared the dosage of medicine to give her in the glass of water. Dr. Helm had left her medications to administer but they had not made any difference to the señora's condition. Marta was puzzled. She wished her mother were here to advise her. Mama would know what to do, she thought sadly. I wish I had learned more from her.

The door opened suddenly, a loud sound in the muffled quiet of the room. Señora Vicente stirred and tried to open her eyes. Even that small effort seemed too great. Her eyelids fluttered and closed.

Cristina rushed to her mother in alarm. "She's not...." A look of wild desperation crossed the young girl's face as she gazed at the wan and fading woman that was her mother. She turned to Marta with a savage glare. "You're killing her! Why did the doctor send us here? You're making her die, with your Gypsy magic and spells!"

Marta moved toward the girl to embrace her and soothe her pain, but Cristina pushed her violently away. "Don't touch me! Get out!" Her face wet with tears, the girl took her mother's limp hand and pressed it to her cheek.

With a last doleful look at the mother and daughter, Marta quietly left the room. I must find something to help her. There must be something I can do. She went to Tessa's room which she had been forced to share, having given up her own room to the sick woman. She sat on the bed and closed her eyes, breathing deeply and slowly. Gradually, the trauma of her confrontation with Cristina wore off. A sense of peace washed through her and she waited. Time passed but there was no time where she was. Suddenly, she heard her mother's voice and it whispered gentle counsel in her mind. Marta experienced a sensation as if she was filled with light, weightless and formless as she absorbed everything her mother said. A bittersweet warmth suffused her and she tried to hang onto the feeling but suddenly she was back in the bright hot room. She took several deep breaths to overcome the rush of emotions that assailed her in reaction to her vision. I don't have time for tears, she admonished herself. I have to see the señora. I just hope I am not too late.

A little unsteadily, Marta got up and moved to the door. How long was I gone, she wondered. As she was about to open the door, Tessa stepped in.

Tessa looked down, unable to meet the other woman's eyes. "Marta, I don't know how to say this. Señor Vicente has forbidden you to tend his wife. Cristina was nearly hysterical with grief and he let her have her way. I'm sorry. I know you have been going to her room day and night, losing sleep and doing everything you can. Maybe it's for the best. If she dies, you will not be blamed." She reached out and Marta allowed herself to be held closely, finding comfort for the suffering she felt at the señora's losing battle with her illness. And now this.

Marta laughed harshly. "I finally have the answer, and I'm not to be permitted to use it? This is too funny." She pushed Tessa away gently. "We can't let them stop me from helping Señora Vicente. I know what to do now, and I must be allowed."

"Don't do anything, Marta," Tessa said in alarm. "Let Dr. Helm tend her from now on. Señor Vicente sent for him a short time ago."

"There is something about Señora Vicente that I must tell you. Tessa," Marta said urgently. "I suspected it and now I am sure."

---------------

Marta's reverie was interrupted as the food from the cantina arrived . A young man entered her cell and set a tray on the small table. He backed away as if afraid he would be attacked. Marta smiled at the cowering young man.

"Thank you, Jaime. The meal smells delicious. Thank your father for me." Her smile faded as the boy practically ran from cell. She lifted the covers from the dishes and began to eat though she had no appetite.

I must be crazy, taking a risk like this, the Queen of Swords thought as she slid into the doctor's bedroom through his back window. But she had to see him. He was Marta's only hope. She had to convince him somehow, to testify in her defence. The room was barely light enough to see the sleeping form on the bed. He snored lightly and stirred at the stealthy sounds she made moving across the floor. As she touched his shoulder, he turned and grabbed her arm in crushing grip. She yelped with pain and she could see his grinning teeth in the half-light of the room.

"I thought it was you," he said. "Who else would be sneaking around in the middle of the night and interrupting my sleep." He held her fast and sat up. "Is this a social visit or are you wounded somewhere?"

"I had to see you," Tessa replied softly. "I needed to..."

He pulled her suddenly into a tight embrace and kissed her with fierce hunger. She struggled for a heartbeat then put her arms around him, letting the loose the passion that she had pent up for so long. She felt herself falling onto him as he lay back on the bed. Some part of her mind tried to remember why she was here but the insistence of his mouth and tongue drove all thoughts away but one. Get closer.

He rolled over taking her with him and they lay side by side. Tessa's heart was racing as she gazed into his strong features, then she moved forward to kiss him again. He moved from her lips to her ear, sending a cascade of thrills through her body. His mouth slid along her neck to the tender pulsing spot at the base and he paused, taking his time to nuzzle and nip, inflaming her so she could hardly think, only feel the heavenly sensations that coursed through her. She pulled his head to hers and found his lips again, pressing herself tightly against him. His passion aroused her to a fever pitch. She felt his hand cup her breast. He began to fumble with the buttons on her blouse, and she heard him utter, "Confounded things." Suddenly, she remembered why she was there. It hit her like a pail of cold water. Marta! She shoved him away quickly and stood up, straightening her clothes. She could almost see the confused expression on his face in the wan light of the room.

"Did I do something wrong?" he whispered as he reached for her.

Tessa moved further away. "No. I did. I'd better go." Her voice sounded strange to her ears, breathless and deep.

"Wait! Why did you come here? I have to know."

Tessa turned back from the window. "I need you to testify for Marta. Tell everything you know. It's her only chance."

"Break my oath, you mean?" He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, keeping the sheet covering him.

"If you do not do something, I will have to. People may get hurt. But Marta will not hang for a crime she did not commit. That I swear to you. I will do whatever it takes to save her."

"Why does she mean so much to you?"

"She's innocent." With that, Tessa slipped through the window and disappeared into the night.

"Dr. Robert Helm." Helm handed the bible back and sat down in the witness chair. He looked gaunt, and red-eyed from lack of sleep as he scanned the informal courtroom. The chairs were filled with dons and their wives come to enjoy the spectacle of a real trial. He pulled himself erect as he waited for Grisham to begin the questioning. He felt Marta's eyes upon him and kept his face averted. He couldn't meet her eyes as his testimony might seal her fate.

Grisham finally finished riffling through the papers on his desk and asked, "Dr. Helm. As the physician in charge of Señora Vicente, please tell us all you can about her case. Start from the day you first saw her."

Helm cleared his throat and shifted uneasily. "I was called to the hotel to examine someone who had been on the ship and was very sick. I diagnosed her as having a form of dysentery which she could have contracted during the trek across Panama. I made up a drug to treat it and she appeared to be improving. Since she seemed to be getting better, I thought a move into the country might speed her recovery. I asked Señorita Alvarado if she would have the Vicentes as her guests for a while and she consented."

Grisham held his hand up as the doctor was about to continue. "Why did you choose the Alvarado hacienda for the señora's convalescence? There are closer ones that might have been more convenient for you."

"Because of Marta. I knew her skills as a healer and trusted that Señora Vicente would be well care for. I still believe that."

"Yet, only a few days after you left the woman in Marta's care, she began to get worse and eventually died. Have you wondered about that?" Grisham turned to the audience like an actor playing to the gallery, and grinned.

"Yes. But it isn't unusual for people with dysentery to suffer a relapse. I was sure that, under Marta's care, she would make a full recovery."

"What was in the medicine that you prescribed, Dr. Helm? Was there something that could kill in large doses?"

A small muscle worked in Helm's jaw as he took several deep breaths before answering. "There was a trace of arsenic, a small amount of which, given in measured doses, is therapeutic."

"But in a large dose, arsenic can kill. What about in larger doses over a period of time, Doctor? Would that eventually kill someone?"

"Yes, but..."

"Don't you think that would account for the señora's decline, Doctor? Someone giving her larger doses of your medicine." Grisham seemed to enjoy the doctor's discomfiture at being cut off before he could finish. He continued, "Tell us about the day before the señora's death. What happened?"

"I was called to the Alvarado hacienda and found the place in turmoil. It seemed the daughter had been having hysterics over her mother's worsening condition and made an allegation that Marta was killing her with witchcraft or some such thing. Señor Vicente had violently argued with Señorita Alvarado over Marta continuing to care for his wife. When I arrived, he had forbidden Marta to go near her again, and turned his wife's care over to me. Señora Vicente was certainly in a bad state. She was weak and semi-conscious. I don't think she knew what was going on around her. Since I couldn't stay at the hacienda myself, I explained to the husband how to prepare the dosage and administer it. I showed him how to do it, and also warned about overdosing. I told him about the arsenic in the drug. I left shortly after."

"Now, let's talk about the fatal night and the next day. What do you know about that?"

"One of the Alvarado's workers came to get me very early in the morning. I was told to bring soldiers as there was a suspicion of a crime being committed. I woke Captain Grisham and he gathered some soldiers and we all went out to the hacienda."

Helm paused to collect himself. He gave an apologetic glance toward Marta, and continued, "The señora had died during the night. I'm not sure of the time of death as this is a warm country and rigor mortis takes longer to set in. But she had been dead for at least six hours by my reckoning."

"And the medicine?" Grisham said with a flourish like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

"The bottle was empty."

"So we can assume that sometime during the night, someone gave the sick woman enough medicine to kill her."

Helm deliberated for several seconds before answering. "As I wasn't there, I couldn't make such a conjecture. I only know the medicine was gone. It could have been poured out the window for all I know."

"Did you do an examination of the body after it was returned to Santa Elena?"

"Yes. I didn't find anything that would lead me to conclude foul play contributed to her death. She was in a very weakened condition and her body may just have given out. It happens."

"That's all, Doctor. Your witness, señorita." Grisham flopped into his chair with an air of self-satisfaction.

Tessa stood up and bit her lip, hesitating to open the cross-examination. A flush painted her cheeks as she regarded the doctor sitting rigidly in the witness chair. With a quick glance at Marta, she said, "Doctor Helm, was there anything else wrong with Señora Vicente besides the dysentery fever?"

Helm moved convulsively in his chair and the muscle in his jaw jumped spasmodically. "I'm afraid I can't answer that question, señorita. It's patient privilege."

"But you could tell us about the dysentery? What is the difference?"

"Her illness was common knowledge; she didn't confide that to me."

"I see. Like a priest in the confessional, you are bound by an oath of silence. I do not wish to force you to break that oath, Doctor, even though a life is at stake here. So I will supply the answer to that question. Señora Vicente was suffering from an advanced case of syphilis. The arsenic in your drug was for the other disease, not for dysentery." Tessa stared directly into his eyes and saw corroboration there; she felt a sudden lift of hope. But she couldn't get him to admit he was treating syphilis. At least, I have introduced this evidence. Maybe now the shadow of doubt is cast in another direction.

"Now as to the empty medicine bottle. Is it not possible that someone else who had access to the señora's room could have forced her to swallow it? Someone such as her husband who you say knew about the arsenic in the medicine?"

A sudden bellow from behind caused Tessa to turn as Señor Vicente leapt to his feet. "This is an outrage! Are you accusing me of killing my own wife?" His face was florid and his eyes bulged in rage, and for a moment, Tessa feared he would attack her.

Montoya rapped his gavel several times to call for order, then shouted, "Señor Vicente! Calm yourself! We are only probing for the truth in this court. Sit down. Everyone. Let us have order here."

"I couldn't answer for that either, señorita. The empty bottle and her death may not even be connected."

"One other question, Dr. Helm. In your opinion, from what you know of the accused, do you think her capable of such a crime as murdering her patient?"

A silence fell suddenly in the courtroom as Helm considered his answer. Finally he said, "Marta is a very knowledgeable healer, very capable of attending to most illnesses and injuries. If she was a man, she could be a doctor. So, in my opinion, she holds to the same principles that I do when it comes to healing. 'Do no harm'. I very much doubt Marta would do what she is accused of."

"Thank you, Doctor. No more questions." Tessa breathed a great sigh of relief as Helm made his way back to his chair. Though he didn't look at her, she had the feeling he was grateful for the skilful way she had introduced that key evidence without his breaking his oath. Marta had told her about the señora's disease the day that Vicente had forbidden her to care for his wife. Tessa returned to her own chair, risking a glance at Helm, and saw something new in his eyes - respect. It was all she could do not to grin with joy. With a lighter heart, she resumed her seat and watched as Grisham got up once more to take the floor.

Concluded in Part 3 of 3