July 3, 1869

Amiville. 

This morning I walked into the saloon and got a coffee/whiskey mix from the bar. People came in and out but I didn’t feel much like talking so I stayed quiet, letting the drink put me in a better mood. I felt like yesterday had been a complete waste of time and I wondered where I should look next. 

“Alright Trin, spit it out woman,” Rosa looked at me. “What’s got ya’ll in a sad mood?” 

“I ain’t sure who I can trust anymore, I s’pose.” 

“Trust, hell no one around here, I reckon.” 

“I’ve been hearin’ things that ain’t sittin’ well with me and I’m more confused than when I started,” I sighed. Then I asked her, “Yerself included, hmm Rosa?” 

“Well I assure ya,” she looked to me. “Ya tell me and I promise to tell ya the truth. I dunno what I supposedly did now? I think people listen to too many hens cacklin’ around here, and likely startin’ lies, but hell ask anyway. I ain’t got nothin’ to hide.” 

“I’ve been thinkin’ ya’ve been rather quiet since we talked about that... er... ghost.” 

“Oh, well people thinkin’ Imma crazy, so I jes stay to myself. Ain’t seen anything else, so I reckon it was my imagination.” 

“Ya, well I’ve been tellin’ people about it and they think I’m crazy now. Especially since I started to rent out their old cabin by the church... If ya ain’t crazy then the boys are liable to come back after me.” 

“Well heck, I didn’t tell ya to. That be my fault?” she shrugged. “Seems folks after me too. I jes gotta remember to wear my gun and I’ll be fine.” When I sighed she said, “Miss Trin, seems to me ya got two options. One, listen to all that riff raft of cacklin’ hens that got nothin’ better to do, or two, make yer own determination and mind up.” 

“Well it seems everyone’s got a different opinion of what happened and I can’t rightly make my mind up anymore. Besides, it ain’t just the cacklin’ hens... it’s the ones who ain’t sayin’ nothin’.” 

“Yea, I reckon they do. Sometimes it’s best to let the dead die.” 

“But now that I’m stayin’ in the boys’ cabin and I...” I coughed, “Spoke to Bravo... It kinda puts me right smack in the middle of it.” 

“Bravo?” she shook her head. “That man is odd.” 

“I didn’t even know he existed until yesterday.” 

Rosa laughed, “Yeah he comes and goes a lot.” 

“Just seems weird that in a small town with all the people I’ve talked to... No one’s brought his name up.” 

“That’s cause he’s not around much. That man disappears faster than ya can blink.” I couldn’t help but think he stayed around long enough yesterday, but I stayed quiet as she continued. “Hell, he wanted to court me, and that in itself is why I didn’t say yes. ‘Course that was some time ago. Jes saying, he ain’t around much.” 

“I thought if Bravo and I were to... he’d give me some information that he was hidin’ from me... which he did, eventually but...” 

“Well ya do take yer chances with that one,” she looked at me. “But it came at a cost, eh?” 

“Well he played me for a fool, Rosa.” 

“Doesn’t surprise me,” she shook her head and sighed. 

“Everything he said... Unless Zakk...” I stopped, not liking where my train of thought was going. I took a deep breath and finished, “Unless Zakk’s the one lyin’ to me and playin’ me for a fool...” I wondered. 

“Zakk? Erm, I never known Zakk ta lie.” 

“Ain’t sure I know anyone not to lie anymore...” 

“Well your determination in this town lies on yer head and heart, I fear,” Rosa advised. “Men are like poison in this town. And people do lie, hell I learned that long ago. But I bet that behind most lies a man is involved. Ya gotta be smart in this town. Outwit folks, dun take too much ta heart. Be clever and always watch.” She glanced at me then, and as if she could sense my greatest worry she said, 

“Dun fret what people say. Go to the source and find out for yerself.”

I thanked her for all the advice and went home, thinking about everything she’d said. I knew that she was right; I had to go to the source for information, whether it made people like me or not. 

While walking back through town I overheard the undertaker speaking about having Dutch’s body embalmed in his parlor. I figured this was close enough to the source as I was gonna get and asked if we could go to his office and see the body. He said we could and led the way to his office in Georgetown. 

Georgetown. 

When we got there we sat down on a couch and I prepared myself for what I was about to see. Icca was a tall, skinny man with long, black hair and dark, intense eyes. If you didn’t know the man, you’d guess his profession easily enough. His office was as big as a church, but it was very dark and foreboding, like the man who worked there. 

I was quiet for a long time and he finally asked, “Would you like a drink?” 

“I’m not sure a drink would help me, Icca,” I shook my head. “What I need are answers.” 

“Answers?” he asked me and I nodded. “About?” 

“Dutch Solo. Yer sure the body you have is his?” 

“Looks like him,” he nodded. “Ami witnessed it, but she can be mistaken.” 

“I received a picture from..” I turned and looked away. 

“From?” 

“Bravo...” I sighed, still having regrets from that day. 

“How’s Bravo been?” When I looked away he asked, “I take it you don’t like Bravo?” 

“You’re the undertaker, right?” I asked, changing the subject. “Is there a way to prove that the body is who people say it is?”

“I was just goin’ by what Ami said. Looks a lot like him too.” 

“But Rosa’s seen his ghost... I mean I thought I could trust Bravo but... This whole thing’s pretty crazy, right?” 

“There are such things as ghosts,” he assured me, and Bravo is a trustworthy guy...” 

“That ain’t what I’m hearin’... Unless everyone else I’m talkin’ to is lyin’ to me.” 

“I’ve always known him to be.” 

We talked about what I knew thus far and eventually he said I could take a look at the body. He led me into the back room where he held the bodies for examination, and I took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I knew that I would have a feeling if it was truly Dutch or not. I didn’t have much experience with death, other than to confirm the body of my fiancé back in Texas. My thoughts took me back to that day and I hesitated before walking closer to the table. It had been a day I wished I could forget... Seeing Jason’s body on the table like the one in front of me now had been one of the worst moments I’d ever experienced. 

Gathering myself, I pulled out the picture Bravo had given me of his family tree. Icca went to pull back the sheet to reveal the body in question and a vision of Jason’s face replaced the one on the table, making me step back. “It’s hard to tell if this is really him or not...” I said shakily. 

“Sorry, are you okay?” Icca asked with concern. 

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have come...” I looked away, seeing the shelves of skulls an bones along the back wall. The longer I was in this room, the more I wanted to get out. 

“It’s always better to be safe than sorry..” 

“But unless I knew the man when he was alive, how will I ever know him in death?” 

“True,” he nodded. 

I felt myself getting weak in the knees then, and reached for the wall to steady myself. Icca reached for me and I told him I needed to sit, so he led me out of the room. I sat on the couch in the front room, trying to catch my breath. 

“If ya like I have an opium den upstairs. I can give ya a shot or you can smoke...” 

“I’ll be fine, I just...” I shook my head. 

“It’s really good, pure stuff,” he assured. 

“No...” I shook my head and he handed me a glass of water, which I drank slowly. I handed the empty glass back to him and said, “I should go...” 

“Okay,” he nodded. “Well, you’re always welcome.” 

I stood and looked at him. “That’s a strange invitation coming from an undertaker.” 

“Well I’m kinda an odd guy.” 

I took one last look around the room before thanking him and walking out the door. I had such a strong sensation that the body I had just seen wasn’t Dutch’s, but there was no way to validate my suspicions. I only knew what I could feel in my heart as I headed home that day. Maybe, just maybe, Dutch Solo was still alive...

That night I went outside hearing loud bangs that sounded like gunshots. Relieved, I found that the bangs were actually just fireworks. I stayed and watched the show for a while before heading back home to bed.