helped her off with her pack and placed it next to his. For the next half hour, they entered into each cave to make sure the small girl had not crawled inside one to rest.
“Dulce! Are you here?” Jensen called again to no avail. Rubbing her arms, she muttered, “The temperature is dropping. It’s going to be dark soon.”
“Hold up.” Clint returned to their packs and picked them up. “Joseph included some powerful headlamps. Let me find them and we’ll be able to continue tracking.”
Once he located the lamps, they continued their search. Knowing Jensen and her research, Clint asked her a question, “What do you know about the history of this spot?”
“This was Indian territory, of course, and there are many pictographs in the caves and rocky ledges. Smuggler’s Pass is nearby where cattle rustlers would move cattle from ranches through Fusselman Canyon and on to the Rio Grande Bosque and into Mexico. There’s also a lost mine somewhere close called the Lost Padre Mine. The tale goes that some 5000 silver bars, over 4000 gold ignots, nine burro loads of jewels, and four priceless Aztec codices were hidden in the deep shaft by an explorer named Juan de Onate.”
“Juan de Onate? What about the lost padre?”
“I don’t what happened to him.”
Clint’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t think the lost padre is lost any more.”
“Why do you say that?”
Clint pointed to a trail about fifty feet down the side of the mountain below them. “Doesn’t that old man look like he could be our lost padre?”
Jensen stared with open mouth as she witnessed a monk-like figure moving slowly down the path leading a burro. The old man wore a long, tattered robe with a rope tied around his waist. “Good gracious. That just can’t be!”
“What can’t it be? It’s an old dude and his donkey.”
Jensen grabbed Clint’s arm. “The Transmountain Highway is supposed to be haunted by a monk and his burro. They’re supposed to be seen on the road fairly frequently.”
“Well, there you go. He’s the Lost Padre.”
“I don’t think the two legends are about the same guy.”
“Do you know that for sure?”
“No.”
“Well, there you have it.” He pointed at the old man who kept looking back at them as he moved along with his burro. “He’s the lost padre.”
“Stop teasing. Why does he keep looking at us?” she asked, a bit creeped out.
“I think he wants us to follow him.” Clint enjoyed Jensen clinging to his arm.
“Do you think he’s seen Dulce?” She put her hand to her mouth. “Hey, Sir! Have you seen a little girl down here?”
The man said nothing, he just kept moving slowly, looking back at them every few feet.
“Come on.” Clint held Jensen’s hand. “Let’s climb down to his level. This looks like a fairly safe spot.” Together, they clambered down. Jensen lost her footing and almost fell, but Clint caught her.
Once they were on the same path as the monk, Clint urged Jensen to pick up her pace in hopes of catching up to the old man, but no matter their gait, the distance between them remained the same.
“We’re going too fast. We’re not searching for tracks.”
“We can backtrack.” Clint was intrigued. “Something tells me…”
At that moment, the eerie pair leading them stopped walking and the monk gave Clint and Jensen one last long look…just before he and his animal faded from sight.
“What in the freaking world?” Jensen exclaimed, grabbing onto Clint with both hands.
“Come on.” Clint pulled her forward, an unexplainable hunch driving him to check closer. They hurried to the very place where the ghostly monk and burro had disappeared into thin air. “Look!”
Jensen looked where Clint was pointing. “Dulce!” she exclaimed. About a dozen yards below them, lying on a ledge was the small child.
“Here, let’s tie this rope to that rock and I’ll go down to get her.”
Jensen hurried, helping him. “I hope she’s okay.”
In a few minutes, Clint called back up to her. “She’s awake and scared.” I’m giving her water. “I see scratches and scrapes, but nothing is broken.”
“Oh, wonderful.” Jensen took out the radio to inform the Sheriff that Dulce was safe. She smiled as she heard the mother’s jubilant cry at the news. Once that task was completed, she watched with pride and adoration as Clint brought the little girl up on his shoulders. “You sure make a handsome hero.”
“I’ll fight your battles any day, gorgeous.” The smile he gave her was priceless and Jensen believed every word he said.