July 2, 1869

Amiville.

The sun rose over my small cabin and I looked around the bedroom. It was a room in the attic and there was just the main room downstairs, and I wondered if it was time to buy something a bit bigger. I went in search of Mrs. Ami Roi, the mayor, and we found a nice cabin behind the church that overlooked the river. As w talked about the house, I found out that the Solo brothers had in fact all lived there at one point or another. We talked about the family and about meeting Mercy Solo. 

“She said she and Dutch were playing hide and seek by the church. “She was sitting up on the...” 

“I want to know who killed my brother.” 

“Your brother?!” I stopped, shocked. 

“Yes, my father was um... a sort of ladies man you would say.” 

“Like Dutch?” I chuckled, thinking the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. 

“Yes, I suppose that is where he got it from. Looks like my father too, those handsome looks.” 

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

Ami told me how she had no idea who her mother was and that her father lived in Boston. We talked about my investigations so far and Ami said, “Well that man did not look like Dutch to me but was hard to tell, they said.” 

“The man brought in who was shot in the back?” 

“Yes, they told me it was Dutch.” 

“So then I could be right about my theory... Mrs. Ami, what if Dutch is up in some cabin somwhere just perfectly healthy and happy... Would he fake his own death just to get out of the way of a lover’s spat? Did Ms. Rosa and Dutch ever...?” 

“Oh Lord!” Ami gasped. “I never thought of that!” She thought for a minute and asked, “Do you think? Oh if that is true I would be so happy... But yet kill him myself!” To ask my question about Rosa she said, “I have never heard of him and Miss Rosa having a thing but with Dutch anything is possible.” 

“Well it just seems strange, don’t you think?” I asked. 

“Now that you mention this yes, indeed.” 

I summarized what I knew about things so far and she said that I should talk with the sheriff about all of this. “If there is a killer out there, you do not need them coming after you,” she advised, and I realized that if someone wanted to go after Gaide or Josh next, they might come to the house I’d just bought looking for them. 

That afternoon I walked into town and found some people at the saloon. There was a man there who I had not met yet and I said, “I don’t believe we’ve met.” 

“Bravo Solo,” the man introduced himself. 

I raised an eyebrow at the last name and asked, “As in... related to...?” 

“I’m one of the Solo brothers,” he explained. 

“Well I’m confused,” I sighed. “As far as I know there were only three brothers... Unless you’re...?” 

“I’m their half brother,” Bravo answered. “I’m kind of the bastard child of the bunch,” he handed me 

a copy of the family history to prove his relation. 

I thanked him and invited him over to my house to talk. We stopped in front of the door and he said, 

“This is Gaide’s place, ain’t it?” 

“The mayor said Gaide had up and left, and that this place was available,” I explained. 

“Hmm... Well you’d probably take better care of it than he,” Bravo joked and we headed inside. 

When I’d showed him around the house we sat on the couch beside each other and I told him about how I was searching for his brothers and why. 

“I think I know who did it,” Bravo declared. 

“You do?” I raised an eyebrow. 

“A former US Marshal by the name of Hav Taraug... He never liked Dutch or any of us Solo brothers, ‘cause he was a crooked marshall... and we got him fired.” 

“Well that would give him motive...” I hesitated and said, “I met Mercy Solo the other day...” That brought a smile to Bravo’s face and I continued, “She said she saw the whole thing... from her place where she was hiding when she was playing with Dutch that day. She said she saw a man wearing black and a star like her uncle had.” 

“That’s Have,” Bravo said decisively. 

“Has the law gone after him?” 

“Nah, I think they fear he may do something really bad like kidnap Miss Ami or worse. And he was a Yankee sympathizer from what I remember... Every one of my brothers served in the Confederate Army ‘cept Gaide. He was a Guerilla in Misouri. He rode with Quantrill and his riders. And then bloody Bill Anderson...” 

“Bill Anderson?” I prompted. 

“Me and Josh served in the same brigade... until I was made the commander of the brigade and he was transferred to the west.” 

“I have not heard the name Bill Anderson either.” 

“You never heard of Bloody Bill?” he sighed. “Lawd woman, where ya from? Up nawth?” he smirked and I nodded, though now wasn’t the time to tell him about my past. “Well all the same we got separated after the war and didn’t meet up until...” 

He drifted off so I let it go and told him what I knew about Dutch’s body. He said he’d heard Hav bragging about shooting Dutch but hadn’t been seen since. 

I looked at him and tried to put the pieces together but something was still missing. “Sir, there’s somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me.” 

“Um... I told ya all I know.” 

“Are ya sure?” I sat closer to him. “Bravo, I think we can help each other out here...” 

“Oh can we, eh?” he looked at me with a smirk. 

“You tell me what you’re not tellin’...” 

“So what can you do for me?” 

“And maybe I let you feel a bit less lonely than you seem to be... If’n you’re interested...” 

“Alright,” he smirked, looking at me. “Well Dutch had a price on his head from a Mexican outlaw band... He had killed the leader’s brother,” he hesitated and I slid my hand up his thigh. “The leader put out a reward for his death.” 

I slid my hand higher and asked, “And Hav came through on it.” 

“Mmhmm... He’s also a bounty hunter.” 

“He’s a bounty hunter and a marshal?” I gripped his thigh tighter, wanting more. 

“Well, just a bounty hunter now... He got fired ‘cause of me and Dutch.” 

I traced my finger up to his waistline. “Why did you have him fired?” 

“Why don’t we head over to my place?” he smirked, looking at my hand. “I’ve got a bottle of wine we could drink.” 

Kansas.

Nodding, I followed him outside and we took a wagon over to his place in Kansas. When we had our drinks and were standing inches from each other, we locked eyes and I whispered, “You know how to find Hav, don’t you?” 

He put his hands on my shoulders and said, “Yes, I do.” 

I put my hands on his waist and asked, “You’re going after him, aren’t ya?” 

“Yeah, I is.” He leaned in to kiss me and it was so intense and passionate that it took my breath away. We removed each others’ shirts and felt our bodies so close, so warm. 

“Bravo...” I whispered. 

“Yes?” 

“What aren’t you tellin’ me?” I asked as I kissed his neck. 

“That Dutch was supposed to be a father.” 

I kissed behind his ear. “Why’d you and your brothers get Hav fired?” 

“‘Cause he was responsible for robbing a ban and killing three people.” 

“Who’d he kill?” 

“A judge and three women.” 

“Because they were messing around with Dutch?” 

“Yeah.” 

I smiled and kissed him firmly, knowing I’d just gotten all the information I needed. “Well darlin’, you’ve been mighty helpful. I best be on my way.” 

He smirked as I stood and put my shirt back on. I walked outside and headed home, wondering why I’d never heard about this man until today.

Amiville.

That evening I found Chels by a campfire near her cabin and sat down beside her. I told her about meeting Bravo and said nobody had ever mentioned him as a half brother. I told her about Hav Taragu and she wondered if that was the sheriff over in Georgetown. She seemed surprised that Dutch had been expecting to be a father. 

Going to the saloon, I found Zakk and talked to him about everything. He told me how Bravo was like the red-haired step child who could never measure up to his brothers. He suggested that I take Bravo’s words with a grain of salt. I headed home, wondering if I’d really learned anything today other than that I wasn’t sure who I could trust anymore.