31 - AFTER THE STORM

 31 - AFTER THE STORM

- What do I do with them, Deputy?

- Like this?

- We arrested them... but what do I do now?

- It is not obvious? Open the case against them, well...

- This is very beautiful on paper, Delegate Vicente... but we don't even have a judge in these neighborhoods...

- And not just request one in the Capital? There is an Itinerant Judge... just call...

- But where am I going to leave these goats? The police station doesn't even have a cell...

- Like this?

- Yeah, Chief... we don't have a place to leave the prisoners...

- Any city near here with jail?

- The nearest one is two days away...

- But how do they appoint a delegate to a city that doesn't even have a jail?

- With all due respect... how would I know? I was told to come here, I came... the rest is not up to me....

- And you never went after that? It was up to you to make arrangements...

- Negative... my job was to keep the city out of trouble... and that's what I've always done....

Vicente is thoughtful.... how had he not noticed that the police station did not have facilities to house the prisoners? This really was a problem... but there had to be a solution... after a few thoughtful minutes, Vicente returned to speak with Duarte...

- What is the nearest farm?

- Why?

- Well, it's simple... most farms still have their slave quarters... in a situation like that, we can requisition the place and install the prisoners there...

- Well, the closest is Santa Helena, from "Mr." Nardi... but I think it's been a long time since he demolished the slave quarters he had there...

- It costs nothing for us to check, does it? After all, the cattle they stole were his own...

Duarte shook his head... he didn't like the idea very much... what if the ranch cowboys decided to punish the thieves? After all, controlling the men's anger at seeing their wounded companion was not an easy task... they wanted to finish off the bandits right there! And now this measly Deputy wanted to leave men at the mercy of their victims? That was, to say the least, madness.... you don't keep the chickens in the fox house...

- I know what you're thinking, Duarte... but if we want to change the way people think about what justice is, we have to start somewhere... besides, is there a better solution?

Duarte remained silent. No, he didn't have a better solution. The Punisher's idea was the only viable one at the moment. Hell, he was going to run after the city councilors and demand that a jail be built in the village as quickly as possible, so he wouldn't have to go through this trouble a second time... he was pacing the room, then he stopped and looked at Vicente...

- Doctor, tell me something...

- You can talk... but enough of this doctor stuff... I'm not a doctor....

- What happened there by the river?

- Like this?

- Well... we were talking, sitting on that fallen log...

- Yes...

- Well, so far so good... I don't understand what happened next...

- And what happened afterwards, Duarte?

-That ... woman ... at least I think she was a woman .... who came out of the water and came towards us ....

- What about her?

- Hell, Chief... I've never felt so scared in my life as I felt at that moment...

- I know... and?...

- That's what I don't understand! What was that, for all the hell?

- Well, what did you think it was?...

- I don't know... a haunting?...

- Is that what you think?

- That's the problem... I don't know... I'm not even sure I saw that...

- Well, if that's any consolation... we actually saw the apparition...

- AND...?

- And the only reason she didn't attack us was because of the amulets Father John gave us...

- AND...?

- And that was the "Enchanted"... I don't know what she wants around these parts...

- And what would she want, besides people's blood?

- I don't know, chief... that's what we have to find out...

- And how are we going to get it?

- I don't know... at that moment, I only know two things... we find out what that creature wants with his town or we find a way to destroy it... and, trust me... yeah easier to figure out what she wants...

"Have you faced this sort of thing before?"

- An "enchanted one"? No, not until today... but I've already met other beings from beyond... and I can tell you one thing... if they're here, it's because they have a score to settle... not even they like to stay on our plane ... is not comfortable for souls who are already in another dimension of existence...

- But she's killing people...

- I know... but it's not by choice... did you notice her face?

- Yes...

-She had no desire to attack us... I would even say that she was relieved when she was repelled by the power of the amulets...

- Yeah, but we almost had dinner at that time...

- Duarte, Duarte... you have to learn to see beyond appearances... understand one thing... the souls on the other side have no interest in staying on our plane... with this "Enchanted" it's the same thing ... is she killing? Yes, she is... and she's going to keep killing until we figure out a way to send her back where she belongs...

- What would it be?

- How am I supposed to know, Duarte? That we will have to find out...

And Vicente ended the conversation. Duarte gathered his helpers, picked up the prisoners and headed for Santa Helena... perhaps the farm had somewhere that could serve as accommodation for the prisoners, while they awaited the arrival of the judge who would judge their crimes... he just waited. that the farm people didn't decide to punish the bandits on their own... but then... that was already out of their hands, after all, the idea had been from the Federal Delegate....