December 1, 1869

Kansas. 

This morning I rode around the areas and then suddenly saw splatters of blood on the ground near the bridge into Hawk’s village. I went into the village and looked around, “Hawk? Sasha? Anybody here?” 

“Haaahe Trin come!” Hawk shouted back. 

I dismounted and headed over to them by the fire. “Hawk, Sasha, thank God! I need to show you something, It’s not far... Just over the bridge into your village.”

“Hmm okay,” Hawk said and stood to join me as Sasha stayed behind. 

I led him over to where the blood was and said, “Hawk, look here... There’s another splatter up by the bridge. I’ve not seen it before today.” I pointed to the river and said, “There’s a knife and some prints here...”

“Looks to be woman’s hand. Yes I see,” Hawk looked around. 

“Hawk... There’s a knife here...” I said, walking along and saw footprints in the snow and another splatter. “The trail ends here.”

“Hmm maybe went into river?” Hawk wondered. 

“We need to let the marshals know. There is no local law in Kansas right?” I ran after Hawk then and stopped when I saw the dead body. 

Hawk stopped short and looked down at the body and then to the wolves. “No there is no law here that I know of.” He shooed the wolves off and looked closer at the body. “Hmm... wrapped and tied. Still not very old. Could make good dinner if got soon,” he chuckled. 

I took a picture of the body and then said, “I want to go back and get a picture of the knife.” 

We noticed movements and then saw two men and a little girl coming over with a horse. “This little girl is wounded,” the one man said. 

“Haaahe brother,” he looked over. “Ah, little one. Are you okay? What happen?” 

“Hawk?” I looked around.

“I helped her to fire here to gets warm. She had fall in river,” the man said. 

“Hi Hawk. Bad man run in village. Tried to get me. I fall in ice water. Me run and run and run,” the child said. 

“Ahh into our village?” Hawk asked. 

“Yes!!! He come in teepee too! Me run!” 

“You see this over in the snow? By the wolves brother?” Hawk looked at the one man. He looked back down at the child and asked, “What the man look like?” 

“Ahh yes. I heard many wolves,” the man said. 

“Mean man. Big gun,” the child said. 

“You see what they are surrounding, brother?” Hawk asked him. 

“No, think wolves hides in grass,” the child said. 

“Hau. My name’s Trin. I run the newspaper over in Nebraska,” I greeted them. I’m also a Private Investigator.”

“Come look, Brother. Sasha is coming,” Hawk said to the child. “Need to show Little bear this that the wolves have.” 

“Ahh, me can’t read white man’s paper,” Little Bear said. “Sam one send me paper with pony rider.

“Little Bear, come and look,” Hawk said. “We found something, want to show Little Bear, not far, we will come right back.” Sasha went with the child to the village and I followed Hawk and the men over to the body. 

“Body is covered, not sure who it is,” Hawk explained. “Felt blood, is few hours old maybe.” 

“Whoever it was his body can’t be recognized now,” Little Bear said. 

“Maybe early morning when sun was down still.” 

“I guess wolves found him and was hungry. It’s bad try take the body from wolves now.” 

“I worry of who it is, some of our people have been out gathering and hunting.” 

“Ahh, could be a Cheyenne warrior.” 

“I am not sure brother, with it wrapped, like you said may not be able to tell anymore who it is.” 

“We saw a knife down the way too... I don’t think this was just the wolves’ doing. Something evil happened here,” I told them. “Hawk, let’s show him the knife.”

We showed Little Bear the knife and he said, “Hmm not Oglala knife. This knife I have seen before.” 

“You have?” I looked at him. 

“Hmm yes.” 

“Do you know whose it is?”

“It’s a gift to Miss Gracie,” he said, making us both raise our eyebrows. 

“Hmm... could not tell if the body was man or woman,” Hawk said. “Tracks here of both. Man’s boots and woman’s foot prints.” 

“This track is too big to be a woman’s,” Little Bear said and we both agreed. I wondered if Gracie was really involved or if she was being set up. 

“Gracie could have come here found the wounded man,” Little Bear said. “When tried help him, when wolves come.” 

“Or maybe her wrapped and cold? Could not tell if body was a man’s,” Hawk said. 

“Maybe so, brother,” Hawk said. 

“Do you think that maybe she did it? Or was she protecting against someone who had done it?”

“Maybe so brother,” Hawk said. 

“And dropped the knife in fear. Or maybe she was the one who... I don’t know her that well... Is she capable of that sort of crime?”

“We must find Gracie if she’s still alive,” Little Bear said. 

“Yes, I agree. Where could we find her?”

“Not sure of this, Trin,” Hawk looked at me. “Also worry of all the outlaws... hope she was not the one attacked and dropped knife. Is many things that could have happened. Her home is near our lands.” 

“Not sure where she could be,” Little Bear said. 

“I heard there was a new gang in Georgetown...” I suggested. 

“Maybe we should go look to see Gracie’s home?” Hawk suggested. 

“I’ll come with you,” I said and followed them through the snow. We found the house owned by Pat and Gracie completely burned to the ground. I put my hand on Hawk’s arm for support, feeling the shock of the sight. “Hawk... More blood...” I said, leaning down. “Same prints as were at the river’s edge... Male prints...” 

“Yes, main attack happened here,” Hawk said. 

“Different blood...” I noticed. 

“Hard to say of the blood, taste it and see, then go taste other and see if same.” 

“The Williams home... burned to the ground,” I looked at Chief Little Bear and took more pictures. 

“Blood here too,” Little Bear noticed. 

“Yes. Hard to tell who’s blood but attack started her.” 

“Could it be Pat’s boot tracks?” Little Rock asked. 

“Those footprints are the same though,” I noticed. “Except these. It looks as if you can see the toes on these ones. Hawk.. Look... See, it looks like those feet are closed... like they were wearing a shoe.”

“Yes same ones as at river,” Hawk nodded. 

“But these single foot prints are just the feet... no shoes,” I said. 

Hawk nodded and said, “The woman’s print at river had no shoes. Only man’s prints have boots.” 

“We must find out who’s blood it is,” Little Bear said. “Yes, could be track of Gracie’s bare feet.” 

“And if Gracie and Pat are okay. More here,” I pointed at more prints. 

“Wait... See movement near house,” Hawk said and looked close. He crawled through the rubble and called, “Gracie? Pat?” 

“Pat!” I exclaimed as we saw the man come out of the house. He was covered in ash and the side of his head was bloody. 

“You alive Pat! We was worried both you and Gracie was dead!” Little Bear exclaimed. 

Hawk looked Pat over and asked, “Pat, can you talk? Where is Gracie Lady?” 

“What the sam hell?” Pat rubbed his eyes. 

“Woah... Easy Pat... Don’t get too close to the flames...” I helped pull him over onto the snow with Hawk’s help. 

“Something very bad happen, Pat,” Hawk said. 

Pat took off his hat and touched the dried blood. He looked around, confused. 

“We have something to show you, points to the pools of blood, then the woman’s feet and hands prints, and the men’s boot prints,” Hawk said. “Can you walk Pat? We need to show you trail we found,” he sighed and said, “And what is at the end of the trail.” 

“Ya just give me a minute...” Pat fished around for his flask and took a sip from it. 

“We need a healer to look at Pat... Make sure he’s okay...” I said. “Sasha is a healer right?”

“Last night kinda foggy,” Pat said. “Me and Gracie were talking. She thought she saw something out the window. Then I passed out. Don’t much remember anything after that.” 

“You just passed out? From drinking or..?” I asked. 

“We will get someone to look at him, is he can walk well we need to go see the end of this trail,” Hawk said. 

“So you don’t know where Gracie can be, Pat?” Little Bear asked. 

“I... I have no idea,”he said. 

“No one stepped on em eh?” Pat asked, holding the side of his head. “Remember heard someone in the house... woke up... Had on me six guns out... We fought but got knocked out pretty quick... it was dark...” 

“Let us follow the trail. No we have been careful of the track,” Hawk said. “Come though you need to look.” 

“Hawk have found blood track all way past his camp too,”Little Bear said. 

“Anyone ask, eh?” Pat said. “Think Hawk remembers I am one fer tha boxing. Used ta do a bit back in Boston... and in the war fer liquor prizes. But he got the jive up on me.... Slicker than badger. It was too dark, didn’t see a face.” 

“Was there more than one person there? Male? Female?”

“Oh it was definitely at least one male.” 

“At least? There could have been more?”

“Yes, tracks only show one man.” 

“I think... I know Gracie... I think... I remember her yellin’.” 

“Do you remember if you fire your gun, Pat?” Little Bear asked. 

“And one, barefoot woman,” Hawk said and I looked over at him, wondering if Gracie was taken. 

“Oh aye,” Pat held the side of his head. “Tracks probably Gracie’s,” he leaned down to examine the print. “Bout her height and weight and she was barefoot. As she was sleepin’. I know, I winged one of them.” 

“We have to show him everything” I looked between them. 

“Yes, come see. We follow the trail until the end. It is a lot of blood lost.” 

We walked along and then I held onto Hawk’s arm, pointing to a dead deer. “I didn’t see this part before.” 

“Hmm, this leads to animal dead. Did not see this before. There is more.” 

“Well ma’am, I’d tell ya not to look to save ya sight but reckon this ain’t ya first rodeo,” Pat told me as we walked. 

“I’ve seen worse,” I assured him, thinking of Sayler, and looked around. “What the hell happened here... Hawk...” I pointed to the coat hanging against the branch and looked at Pat. “Hawk!” 

Hawk nodded and looked around, carefully climbing out onto the limb getting the coat and holds it out. I put a hand on Pat’s back while he tried to control himself and Hawk came back with the coat. 

“Is a woman’s coat. This Gracie lady’s coat, Pat?” 

“Oh aye, that’s Gracie’s.” 

“Is more this way,” Hawk frowned and pointed out to the footprints and then the knife. 

Pat leaned down, “That’s Gracie’s knife...” he looked up. “Those prints are bout the height and weight... it certainly not a woman.” 

“Yes Little Bear said he had seen Gracie Lady with this knife. Is how we thought to go to your home,” Hawk said. 

“There’s one worse thing to see, Pat. You think you can handle it?” Little Bear asked. 

“She was good with her knife... is...” Pat said. “Lost my guns in the house. We gotta scare them off,” Pat said when we looked over and noticed the wolves and he clapped his hands yelling at them. 

“We don’t know who’s body it is, Pat,” Little Bear said. 

“Wrapped and tied body, we can not tell if it is man over woman,” Hawk looked at Pat and fired off a few gunshots into the snow to get rid of the wolves, and they ran off. I jumped at the sound of gunshots and swore at myself, staying close to Pat. 

“Is hard to tell. Body is wrapped good,” Hawk said as they leaned down to the body. 

“Hard to unwrap,” Little Bear said. 

“Looks like we gonna need a fancy doc up this way,” Pat said. 

“Yes with blood frozen to the wrap and the body need someone who knows how to get this off good,” Hawk nodded and I swallowed hard at the smell from the body but tried to remain objective and watched Pat’s expression. 

“If I HAD to guess which... Aye, wouldn’t be on it since the wolves had a feast. Don’t think it’s Gracie.. but... I can’t even tell... Man or woman, we need a do... a good one too.” 

“You know a doctor who is good for this?” Hawk asked. 

Pat looked at me and asked, “Is Iccabod still around these parts? He’d be best one this far out...” 

I shuddered hearing that name and said, “I haven’t heard that name in... months..” I looked over at Hawk. 

“Hmm I know of him,” Hawk nodded. “Hmm... what is lady doc in Amiville village? Hear she is very good too.” 

“When I was a marshal in Amiville, we had a case similar a few... Always knew to look for things around if the face canna tell ya,” Pat said. 

“Fritha...” I said. 

“Yes, think that is the lady,” Hawk nodded. 

“I haven’t seen her in ages,” Pat said and looked around. “Ah, a pocket watch,” he said then. “Unless this was a rather forward thinkin’ woman, I’d venture to say this is a male... but no way to be certain.” 

“Maybe the watch can help tell who it was,” Little Bear says. 

“Someone didn’t want to pay there taxes?” Pat tried to joke, still coughing from all the smoke. 

“I can ride out to Amiville and find Fritha...” I offered. 

“Yes, would be best Trin,” Hawk nodded. 

“We need to get this body to the clinic,” Pat said. 

“Okay. We will return soon then hopefully,” I said and got on the horse. 

“Reckon I’ll make a fire until then... Thank you both, old friends,” Pat said with a raspy voice. 

“We will find Gracie somehow, Pat,” Little Bear promised. 

“We just hope all is well here Pat,” Hawk agreed. 

“We’ll return here, Hawk?” I looked at Hawk. 

“Yes, we will be here, Trin,” he promised. 

Amiville. 

I went to the saloon and found Fritha and Gramps talking. “Fritha, thank God!” I exclaimed with relief. 

“What?!” Fritha turned. 

“I need your help...” I said, trying to stay calm. 

“Miss Trin! Yes of course, what is it?” 

“There’s been a murder in Kansas!”

“Why does this not surprise us? But surely Miss Trin, if the person is dead?” 

“I saw splattrs of blood on the snow and went to Hawk’s village. Hawk and I followed the trail to a body... We went to see if Gracie and Pat Williams were okay... The knife was Gracie’s...”

“Well, I shall come an examine it, anyway. Let me get the horse saddled.” 

“Their house was burned to the ground... We found Pat in the rubble. Alive and okay but...” 

I followed Fritha outside, grateful that she was anxious to get going. 

Kansas. 

We rode out to Kansas and found TJ had joined Pat, Little Bear and Hawk. Hawk was explaining to TJ  what had happened and Fritha leaned down to examine the body. “Glad it was not Gracie, now we still need to find her,” said Little Paw, who had also joined us. 

“We’re sure this isn’t...?” I asked. 

“Pretty sure it’s male but glad miss Frith is here. I ain’t no doc,” Pat said. “Just a tracker.” 

“Well I think we can safely say that it’d dead, and not a little frozen,” Fritha said. “I suppose all that can be done is to let the marshals take over.” 

“Should we move it to a clinic or some such? Thought I seen something near them tracks,” Pat said. 

“What, Pat?” I asked him. 

“Near the knife... I’ll check that out in just a second. After I stop spinning,” Pat held the side of his head and I put a hand on his shoulder. “Gonna retrack the steps by the knife. Thought I seen somethin’ round there.” 

“Bring it to the Marshals’ office in Springs or Amiville I suppose,” Fritha suggested. 

We followed Pat as he continued to track prints. He pointed out Gracie’s feather along the way and we kept walking. 

Iowa. 

The trail of blood continued as we moved into Iowa and I wondered where the trail ended or began. We found more footprints leading towards an abandoned train. On the wall of the train was a bloody hand print. 

“Gracie!” we called out and then saw her, tied up and sitting on the train. Pat took out his knife and cut the woman free. She was barely alive, but she still had a pulse as the men untied her. We brought Gracie over to Little Bear’s village since it was closest, and set her down carefully near the fire to warm her up. 

“Pat... We need to find a marshal to help us,” I insisted to him. 

“If anyone of tem left alive, they won’t be for long,” Pat said under his breath, then he nodded to me. “I’m too connected to this to be any legal help.” 

“My friend, she will be okay,” Little Bear insisted. 

“See what you can get out of her when she comes to though...” I told him. “What are you going to do, Pat?”

“You gots that marshal pal? Fill him in, yeah?” he asked me. “This is just too much fer me to handle right now.” 

“I will,” I nodded. 

“You need rest too, Pat,” Little Bear reminded him. 

“Best we find out exactly what she was doing in tha’ train car like tha.... ainna seen anything like that since before the war....” Pat muttered. 

“You both safe here,” Little Bear promised. 

“Stay here with her... She needs you. We’ll take care of this, Pat. I promise,” I looked at the chief for clarification. 

“When she’s strong to talk, we will know, Pat,” he said. 

“Well I talked to the grey coat..... homeless but not a confed..... ain’t seen no one tie up folk like that but southerns.” 

“We should let Chief Standing Bear know about this...” I said as the Oglala chief chanted some healing prayers. 

“So let’s see... let’s just back track here...” Pat said, trying to think out loud. “Gracie sees something out the window last night... I told her she was tired. We go to bed. I hear noises in the living room... Go out, get blindsided... Fired a few shots... Winged one of them but get knocked out...” he looked around for us to fill in the pieces. 

“I found the blood spatter... Just outside Hawk’s village. That’s when I alerted Hawk to it. We followed the trail and found the body, then Hawk found Chief Little Bear. He recognized the knife as Gracie’s and we went to your house to find it burned down and we found you there. You know the rest.”

“Okay... Not sure what we’d do without our native friends... Why me and Gracie live up this way... Last place left still free.” 

“Pat, you have capture any gray coats earlier and put in jail?” Little Bear asked him. 

“No.... not in over a year last grey coat confed aye seen was down Amiville way... he six feet wrong direction now if ya get my meaning.... not my fault.” 

“It could be someone you busted in jail before that comes back for revenge,” he suggested. 

“Trin... think you can put something in the paper?” Pat asked me. 

“When we know more,” I nodded as the Native women continued to treat Gracie. 

“Pat try remember if you in the past have busted any grey coats,” Little Bear insisted. 

“Well tossed one in jail for disturbing peace a long long time ago..... this something different...” Pat said. 

“Hmm... can that man be so mad at you to come back do something bad like this?” 

“Sounds like motive,” I nodded. 

“Well...” Pat thought about it. “Don’t think so. Last I heard he road out New Mexico way.  Heard tell of something called the Knights of the Confederacy. Buncha throw backs... ‘South will rise again’....” 

“This have anything to do with that guy I asked you to look for last night?” I asked him. 

“Not sure... aye donna think so... just seemed homeless ta be honest.... and was traveling with gypsy like.” 

“Well someone wants see you in a lot of pain doing this,” Little Bear said. 

“I got a ranger pal down south might know a lil more on this... Old war buddy....” 

“Thought Adder seemed like it was someone who didn’t want to accept the war was over,” I said. 

“Well... who ever it was ..... why did they hang that body?” Pat asked. 

“Don’t know... and why did they kill that other body..” I said. 

“Surely me wife must have got that other fella pretty good? We’ll know more when she’s healed up,” Pat said. “I’d send a telegram but my house is now firewood.” 

“Or... I wondered if Gracie was acting in self defense with that knife. At that first body we found.”

“Well everyone knows I was a yank in the war... least most do,” Pat said. 

“Do you think maybe Gracie would know who the guy was of that first body?” I asked. “And she was protecting him?”

“And most that know us know me and Gracie were cavalry scouts... How we met...” 

“Ah... Pat, it’s maybe Gracie they was after, not you?” Little Bear suggested. 

“I don’t know... What if... They could have been after the two that were killed and Gracie just got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had the knife out for self defense and they dragged her to the train because she’d seen too much?”

“Well why would they break in our home then? Gracie is a high profile woman...” Pat said. 

“True... why break in and put fire to your home?” Little Bear asked. 

“That’s the question... Why burn your house down.. You were obviously still in the house.. But how you survived is still beyond me.”

“Got no idea... maybe that why that feller was hung?” Pat asked. 

“I want to know who those two dead bodies belong to. That will answer a lot more questions. They obviously came into your house, burned it down, dragged Gracie out... Maybe she held the knife against them and they dragged her to the train..”

“Hmm... I go smoke in sweet lodge to ask the grandfathers fore a vision,” Little Bear said and headed to another part of the village. 

“Maybe she held the knife against them and they dragged her to the train..”

“Hmm... we’ll know more when she is done with lil paw hopefully.” 

“Don’t you think, Pat? Unless you have another suggestion?”

“Well me wife is pretty damn good with that knife so she put up a fight regardless.” 

“Pat... Go in there and be with your wife. We’ll talk more when she’s woken up and you’ve calmed down,” I said. 

“Pat you should be warm too,” Little Paw instructed. 

“I will... thank you all,” Pat said. “Reckon we may need a place to stay for a spell.” 

“Thank you for all you’ve done,” I looked at Little Paw as Pat sat down beside his wife. “I will head home and let you take care of them more.”

“My name is Little Paw. I am old friend to Gracie,” she said. 

“We met a while ago... With Kale...” I sighed with frustration, realizing how long ago that was. 

“Ahh yes, I remember.” 

“I will let you go. Have a safe night. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

“Safe paths and thank you for helping,” Little Paw said and I nodded, heading home. 

Nebraska. 

I knocked on the sheriff’s door and then turned to see Brent walking over towards the office. “Sheriff, good. We need to talk.”

“What’s up?” 

“Inside,” I said and led him into the office. 

“What’s going on?” he asked when the door was closed. 

I took a deep breath and then began. “I was out doing the rounds and I found some blood spatter on the ground.. By Kansas. I went to find Chief Hawk and showed him. We followed the trail to another spot in Kansas where there was a dead body surrounded by wolves,” I said and handed him the picture. 

He looked at the picture and frowned. “You know who it is?” 

I shook my head and said, “We saw a knife there though... Chief Hawk went to find Chief Little Bear, and he came over and recognized that the knife was Gracie Williams. We found more blood further on and we followed the trail to Iowa...”

“Who is Gracie Williams again?” 

“She is married to the ranger Pat Williams... I think she’s the mayor of Kansas and Iowa?”

“Oh okay yeah I know her.” 

“We found their house... It was burned to the ground, Brent,” I told him and showed him the other picture. “We found Pat in the rubble... He was alive and shaken but he followed us to the body we’d found. He was sure it wasn’t Gracie’s body. So we kept following the trail... It led us out to Iowa where we found another man had been hanged by the tree. We followed the path of blood more... Found Gracie’s coat hanging over a branch over the river... We followed the path more to where that Cripple Creek train was... By the skating rink... Brent... there were bloodied hand prints on the door.”

He nodded and I continued to tell him the rest of the account of my day. We talked for a while and then I headed home. 

Wyoming. 

I went to the Cherokee village and talked with the tribe about what had happened today. I asked if the chief was there and then remembered that story hour was tonight. I said goodnight and headed back home. 

Nebraska. 

I headed into town and saw a crowd by the clinic. “Pat! What’s going on?” I called to him. 

“She starting to wake up. Moved her here.” 

“Is everything okay?” I asked and nodded to Dom. “Do we know anything more?”

“Well there is at least one and pretty sure he’s still in the region.” 

“Quiet should be here shortly,” Dom said of his wife. 

“Really? What else do we know now, Pat?” I asked. 

“Still got no idea why that fella was hung from the tree but she is slowly coming to,” Pat said. 

“I worry over my friend. I hope this person does not return,” Little Paw said. 

“She was beat worse than we thought...” Pat told me. 

“Oh?” 

“She can hardly see her eyes so bruised.” 

“Wow...” 

“Takes a real man to do that to a woman,” Pat sneered as Little Paw headed back to her village. 

“Shouldn’t you be looked at too?” I looked at him, concerned at what he’d been through as well. 

“After she is...” 

“You do agree with me though that it’s probably all connected?” I asked him. 

“Putting some things together in my own head... starting to look that way.” 

“I think so too. The trail is just too... .clearly marked,” I said, greeting Quiet Water as she came over. 

“In the war we came across a train yard..... just west of Fredricksburg. Not just Negros, had a few whites in there.... Land owners things to be we heard tell least shipped further south in case the war went badly for the confeds. This was when I was healed up,” he gestured to his throat. “Well it was near about the time of General Sheridan’s burning of the valley.” 

“Okay...” I nodded, listening. I wondered if this story was going to connect with the present story at any time soon. 

“Most of the guards there... was in what John Reb called Atlanta Campaign. They were assigned on trains to ship goods down to the south to consolidate. Me and the boys just thought it was Jeff Davis hoarding stuff. Anyway now I hear tell least a year ago about the knights of the confederacy.” 

I thought about how Gracie was found on a train and then heard someone riding by. “Kale!” I shouted to him but he rode by, not stopping. I muttered and kicked the post of the clinic angrily. 

“Who was that?” Pat asked. 

“Nobody important, apparently,” I sighed. 

“Damn woman you know just bout everyone.” 

“I don’t know who beat up your wife and killed two men along the way,” I looked at him. 

“Well... That’s the thing. The blood trail obviously wasn’t hers. They didn’t break her bones. Why I told ya that story.” 

“That’s good to know... But the women’s footprints.. The bare feet...”

“Well she was no wearing shoes probably was trying to run away. We’ll know more when she awakes... The hanging... as you said... it all connects. Military do that for traitors... might explain why I’m alive. Feller didn’t finish the job,” Pat leaned against the post. “Just a guess.” 

“Because they left you alive in the burned down house?” I asked and he nodded. “You should have died in that house, Pat. I still don’t know how you survived it.”

“Exactly my point,” he said and sipped his flask. “Best I can figure it... now that I’m not so dizzy.” 

“They were trying to kill you and thought you were dead but Gracie escaped so they had to try to get rid of her too. And the other two guys...?”

“Normal bandits don’t do that.. ya Gracie is important... but they don’t do that.. That something called scorched earth.” 

“Who are the other two guys, Pat?”

“‘Leave no ground for your enemy to go to’,” he said, as if quoting something. 

“Pat?” I asked. 

“Guessing part of their group... the amount of blood to the one body must have been the fella I winged and Gracie got a hold of her knife.” 

“Makes sense,” I nodded. “You said there was more than one of them in the house...”

“I’ll have to look at the tracks again... but leaving the house they walked single-file. One thing I’m good at is tracking,” he chuckled. 

“They were after you. Still are, probably.”

“No.... not me... If they wanted me I’d be six feet under right now. Why the dots are connecting.” 

“True...” I said as Dom and Quiet looked after Gracie. “They were after her. To scare you.” 

“Everyone knows me and grace are friends with indians.. and I was a yank, and we both were scouts... and she is a woman of ... importance aye reckon. Her land deeds and all.” 

I saw Kale again but I didn’t call him over again.

“Why this is all pointing to the KoC,” Pat said. “They wouldn’t care about some native loving rich woman long as they can get money for her.” 

“I see... I think,” I felt confused, my mind both on Gracie and Kale. 

“We’ll know more when she wakes up fully.” 

“I hope so...” I nodded. 

Quiet Water came out and signed for Pat to come in. I asked if I could join and followd him inside to watch from near the door. 

“Hey there love... you safe...” Pat held her hand. 

“She not fully awake but she here,” Quiet Water signed. 

“All we can do fer her now is let her rest,” Dom said. 

“She need much rest. Bad hurt,” Quiet signed. 

“I just want to stand here and watch... Dom... Do you have an extra gun on you?”

“Got worst headache... it all throughout body...” Gracie said with a horse voice. 

“I got some over in the jail. Go help yerself,” Dom nodded. 

“I have mine back at the house but I don’t want to go all the way and get it... I think it might be best to start wearing it again though,” I said. 

“Love, tell us what happened,” Pat stroked the hair out of Gracie’s face. 

“Sorry, my memory is a bit fuzzy...” 

“Take your time love... Just tell us what you remember...” 

“It’s liable to be for a couple of days too,” Dom guessed about Gracie’s memory. 

“Pat... don’t push... She’ll tell us as it comes to her. I should go across the road and get my gun... If I’m gonna do this Investigator thing I’d better start wearing protection again. Keep me informed?”

“I will.” 

“Thanks.” 

I looked over at Pat and Gracie one more time and then walked out. I saw Kale sitting on a bench in front of the general store. I debated going over but shook my head and went to my house to find my gun. I reached in the bottom drawer and pulled out the holster and gun, strapping them around my waist. 

There was a heavy knock on the door and I jumped loudly. I saw Kale through the window and sighed, opening the door a crack. “Yes?” 

“Well that’s some fine hello,” he said with a smile through a large cloud of smoke from his cigar. 

“Well it’s what you get for not sayin goodbye,” I said, stepping out into the street. “I protected you... I brought you to a healer... I thought we... And then you...” I tried to speak but could barely form the phrases. 

“I couldn’t stay here,” he shook his head and dropped his cigarette in the snow. “It wasn’t safe with me around,” he said and stomped out the cigarette. 

“It wasn’t safe,” I repeated and rolled my eyes, folding my arms across the chest. “Since you’ve been gone I’ve had to smooth things over with the Cherokee, and now I’ve unravelled a double-murder/kidnapping.” 

“I’ve heard...” he said, looking around. 

“How the hell did you hear?” I asked angrily. 

“Things are said here and there,” he said as he crossed his arms. His duster was pulled up just enough to reveal that he wasn’t wearing a gun. 

“I just found out about it today. No sign of it had been there yesterday. What do you know?” I asked him almost accusingly. 

“Only what I’ve heard, which is very little,” he shrugged. “I heard that a lady publisher was asking questions about a murder... I knew it had to be you,” he said with a laugh. 

“Who told you?” I swallowed. 

“You just did,” he smiled at me. 

“I’m not in a cute mood right now, Kale,” I narrowed my eyes at him. 

“And neither am I,” he looked at me seriously. “I heard you had a case and I came to see if you wanted any help... but I can see you’ve got it all under control,” he sighed. 

“I’m sorry Kale.. I just... It’s been a stressful day,” I shook my head. 

“So I’ve seen,” he nodded. “Will she live? The woman laid up in the clinic?” he asked, looking over to the clinic. 

I nodded and put a hand on his arm. “Please, Kale... I’m in way over my head here.” I realized I touched the arm that was shot by Buu and pulled my hand back. “I tried to talk to the sheriff in Nebraska, he disappeared. Dom’s over there now with his wife talking to Pat and Gracie, hoping she’ll talk... Pat’s too far into this to be objective... There’s not a damn lawman or marshal around otherwise... I don’t know what to do,” I leaned back against the wall with an exhausted sigh. 

He looked down at his arm and chuckled, “it’s alright... it’s healed. Hmm... that is very deep...” he said, taking out another smoke. 

“Please, Kale... I took some pictures... I could use your objective opinion on this.”

“What do you know so far?” 

I led the way out to the saloon and we had some whiskey as I explained to him what I had found with the others and showed him the pictures of the dead body. 

“Anybody you know?” he asked. 

“It was too hard to tell. The body was wrapped up and on its stomach,” I said as I explained the rest of the story and how we’d found the burned down house, with Pat inside, and then Gracie found tied in the train. 

“Looks like your friends have stirred up a hornets nest,” he said when I was finished. 

“I don’t know what to think, Kale. It’s obviously connected. The path from each body to the train just seems too perfectly staged... Whoever took Gracie to that train lost a lot of blood while they killed the two other bodies.”

“Too perfect indeed,” he nodded. 

“And the trail from Pat and Gracie’s house... Kale it was awful.”

“Are you sure your perpetrator worked alone?”

“No... Pat’s pretty sure there were a few of them. He started to remember things as we went along... They beat him up and dragged Gracie out of the house..”

“Do Pat and Gracie have and enemies?” 

“Gracie has a lot of leverage on her, Kale... She has a high standing in the area and is an easy target. Pat thinks it has something to do with some confed war from years ago...”

“Does he remember any faces?” 

“I don’t know, Kale. Gracie was just starting to wake up when I went across to get my gun... I wanted to give them some time alone. Gracie and I don’t know each other that well yet... I didn’t know if she’d open up around me. What do you think? Pat should have died in that fire, Kale. They obviously thought he had. But why not just kill Gracie and be done with it?”

“Hmmmmm maybe they did not want her dead,” he said. “Maybe they wanted to take her some place and keep her locked up until they could regroup? Or maybe they just wanted to leave a message?”

“Maybe we should go back to the clinic and see what’s going on?”

We walked back into the clinic and after I introduced Kale we found that she didn’t remember much. 

“All she can remember for sure is deep south accents,” Dom said. 

“Hmm...” I looked at Kale, remembering what Pat told me about the confed war. 

“And something about waiting on the train.” 

“Waiting? For a long period? Short period? Alone? With someone?”

“Dunno. Trin, come closer so Gracie can see it’s you,” he told me as Kale pulled out his notebook and started writing. 

I walked next to the bed and said, “Hey there Gracie, I’m Trin..” 

She spoke in a horse voice still and said, “Yes... I remember you faintly...” 

“I run the paper but I’m also an investigator...” I said and she nodded once. “Anything you can remember... Anything at all would be helpful.. Do you remember how many there were?”

She looked a bit puzzled and her face was still puffy. “I just remember was dark... was screaming... fighting for life... and woke up in dark box.. dark to dark...” 

“The train...” I nodded. 

“Yes... no hay, no warmth, no soes,” she said and I looked down to see her cold reddish feet. 

I nodded and looked over at Kale, “The prints on the snow... Showed that the woman was barefoot.”

“Was night... was at home sleeping... Took shoes off...” Gracie said then. 

“Love, didn’t the general store just get a new shipment of boots in?” Dom asked, wanting to give Gracie some boots. 

“Only one I know that barefoot is Wolf. I know she not hurt,” Quiet signed. 

“Before they came into your house..” I started. “The barefoot prints are obviously Gracie’s... They’re female and the blood splatters led us from the two bodies to the place where she was held in the train,” I said. “I still don’t know who the other two victims are. Dom have you been out to the scenes?” I asked. 

“No, I haven’t.” 

“Shall we? We should let Quiet take care of Gracie,” I looked 

I led Dom and Kale out to see the trail of blood and prints. Kale noticed that it was hard to tell the cause of death or the body, whether it was from the wolves or something else. I showed them the burned house and the train where Gracie was found. Dom commented that judging by the lack of her footprints she was carried most of the way. We talked about how there was at least one assailant but how there should be more footprints that were bloody if they were beat up. After we debated theories for a bit longer, I headed home to rest from the long day.