Free The Law and Dan Mesa by Dan Sears

stench of death in Vietnam and as a ranger. He knows what the rangers in the field go through, which is why he is so angry with Maria. She has possibly helped in the death of Sonia Perdenales.
     
    Traveling south on I-19 is a dusty bronze Toyota 4Runner being driven by a man who is small in stature but big in heart and courage. At this moment when no one can see him, tears are streaming down his face, and his heart is as heavy as a brick. Sergeant Dan Mesa of the Arizona rangers is heading back home to begin a journey that will end in the deaths of several men and maybe justice for Sonia Perdenales.
    When Dan arrives in Nogales, he reports in to Captain Johnson.
    “Hello, Captain,” he says. “Is there anything new on Sonia’s murder?”
    “Sergeant, where in the name of Hanna have you been? You’ve had all of us worried to death about you. There is a contract on you, and we suspect it was put out by Carlos or some of his cronies.”
    “Captain, I had to get away from here for a day or two,” Mesa says. “I need to contact Sonia’s parents and see about funeral arrangements for her. I’ve never spoken to them, but I know she was close to them. I keep asking myself if she suffered because of me. It doesn’t make any sense. She wasn’t a threat to anyone. She was just a nice woman who shouldn’t have been involved in this. Someone will pay for her death. Sir, do you have any leads on the contract taken out on me?”
    “Sergeant Mesa, do I need to remove you from this case? I know it is personal, and I know there isn’t anything anyone can do to make it hurt less, but I can’t have you going off half-cocked. Take a few days off and mourn her death. Come back ready to make those bastards pay dearly for her death.”
    “Captain, I have it under control. I don’t need time off. I can do my job.”
    “Sergeant, this is not a request; it is an order. Take time off or turn in your badge. Dan, look, you need some time off, if only a couple of days. You are at the end of your rope. I know you, and I know you are capable of killing someone with the least provocation. I just want to make sure you kill the right person under the right circumstances. Now, will you do as I ask?”
    “Yes, sir. I’ll take a couple of days off, but after that and the funeral, I will cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war. Someone is going to pay for her death. Captain, have the FBI check Vermenti Pellegrinni and see if they can determine whether he put out the contract. Carlos and Pellegrinni have a history together. Better yet, I’ll ask Scott to look into it for us.”
    With those remarks, Mesa leaves the Captain’s office.
     
    Captain Johnson calls in Ranger Bonefacio Hernandez.
    “Bonnie, I want you to shadow Sergeant Mesa without him knowing it.”
    “Captain, you know I will do anything you want me to do, but Dan is one of us. I can’t and won’t do that.”
    “Bonnie, Dan is not in trouble. I want you to shadow him to keep him from killing someone. He is angry and on the edge. Just keep him out of trouble. He is my friend; I don’t want anything to happen to him. Someone has put a contract out on him, and he is going to try to find out who did it. I just want someone covering his back.”
    “Captain, that is something I can and will do. I like Mesa, and so do most of us. He is a hard case but fair and honest, and if he is your friend, he is the best friend you’ll ever have. But if he is your enemy, then God have mercy on your soul.”
    “Bonnie, keep me posted and watch you back too.”
     
    In El Paso, Sonia’s parents and family are planning the funeral when the phone rings.
    “Hello, this is the Cortez residence.”
    “Hello, I am Sergeant Daniel Mesa of the Arizona rangers and a friend of Sonia’s. I must apologize for disturbing you, but I have to ask about the funeral arrangements and if there is anything I or the rangers can do to help.”
    “Ranger, I am Sonia’s mother, Ophelia. She spoke of you often.