December 4, 1869

Georgetown. 

This morning I walked over to the sheriff’s office and heard talking inside. I saw Nile talking with the little girl who I had seen yesterday in the street. I knocked on the door and they came out of the office. 

“Hey Sheriff. Hello there... I’m Trin. What’s your name?” I asked the girl. 

The girl blinked and looked from Nile to me without a word. Nile explained, “This is my young friend, we are going on an adventure. She doesn’t speak.” 

“An adventure hmm?” 

“Have you seen her before?”

“Well I’m in need of an adventure... Just got everything set up and lookin to see what’s goin on around town. I’ve seen her but never met her.” 

“Sure, she has a button she is going to show me where it came from in town.” 

“Oh I see.” 

“I think she’s an orphan. But I don’t want to let her live in the cold.” 

“Mind if I follow?” 

“Sure come along.” 

“Is there an orphanage around?” I asked and suddenly the girl ran off. 

“Well I guess she ran off,” Nile commented. “Come inside, I still see the button on the table,” he 

looked in the office. 

“Alright,” I said and followed him in. 

“Hey Trin have you seen this button before?”

I looked over to examine the button and shook my head. “Nope, never seen it before.” I looked around and asked, “I was wondering if you could show me a few things? Eagle disappeared to do some hunting or meditating or something last night so we didn’t get a chance to tour the town.”

“Sure, as soon as I figured out why she left me this button. It was only after I gave her the tomato,” he said. I smiled and nodded, looking at the button closer for any inscriptions or symbols. “I think she tried to pay me with it for the tomato.” 

“Ohh that makes sense. Maybe it’s worth something?”

“Possibly to her. I’m not sure what I’d do with it? I’m not missing any am I?”

“Nope, you’re not,” I chuckled. “But if she thought it was worth something to pay you for the tomato with it... How much is it really worth?” 

“Notice anything distinct bout it? Who knows, we may need to find the dress maker and ask her.” 

I saw that the button had been dyed blue and looked at him. “It’s blue here, but faded... See?”

“Yes I do, dyed blue. Don’t ya need special plants for that?”

“Hmm... I don’t know much about herbs, but my friend Eagle might... Wish he was around... He tends to go off on his own quite a bit but is usually here for dinner.”

“Ah okay, well lets see if our retired dress maker knows anything bout the button.” 

“We have a retired dress maker?”

“Well Twist used to make dresses but she gave it up, when she met her lover.” 

“I agree we should go talk to her,” I nodded. 

“Well lets see if she is available.” 

“When did she pay you for the tomato with this button?”

“Well she showed up at my door step and would not speak, she just shrugged lot and shook her head yes or no, she had dark hair and freckles and her face was covered in dirt. She came in and had a cup of tea and then used a wash cloth to clean off her face. After I gave her a tomato and then she put the button on the table... and when you showed up at the door, she ran off. It was bout a minute or two before we walked out of the door. She just left it on the table.” 

“I see. That’s very strange.”

“Well let’s see if the dress maker knows anything else. Follow me.” 

We walked into Twist’s house and Nile explained to her what we needed to know. “You’ll see it’s faded blue a bit... Like it was dyed,” I said when Nile was finished. 

“Interesting button,” Twist said. 

“Can you tell us anything bout it?” Nile asked. 

“I’ve seen this before I am pretty sure it comes from a haberdashery in Kansas... from Wichita.” 

“A haberdashery?” I looked over with curiosity. “Is it worth anything do you think?”

Twist looked at Nile with an unsure expression and Nile looked at me. “You’re making my job too easy.” 

“Sorry...” I chuckled. 

“But go ahead, the questions you are asking are spot on,” he nodded. 

“Haberdashers were initially peddlers this button seems not very expensive,” Twist said. “But the color is what sets it apart, if only because not a lot of folks look for buttons like that.” 

“Ah what is so special bout the blue?”

“Well most folks don’t get colored buttons, Nile.” 

“I forgot to mention earlier that she’s a mulatto girl. Would that mean somethin? Or at least she looked at one...” Nile said, saying that the girl was a person of mixed white and black ancestry, especially someone with one white and one black parent.

“You’d have to be able to afford something colored like this, right Twist?” I asked. 

“Well it really doesn’t seem expensive, Miss Trin, but I am sure you can only find this button in Kansas.” 

“You told Twist she was an orphan, right Nile?” I looked at him. 

“I believe so, she didn’t admit to having any parents or anywhere to live,” Nile said. 

“Maybe she was a child of a help,” Twist suggested. 

“Or at least that we think she is? Of a help? A slave or servant?” 

“She was also a mute,” Nile added. 

“If a man got the help pregnant it is also possible they tried getting ride of her,” Twist suggested. 

“She seemed nervous...” I noted. 

“Yes ma’am. I used to have a black help around here they are very faithful.” 

“Well we can speculate all day, but we should ask around some more. Who do you think would know something Twist?”

“We should take the button with us then right Sheriff?”

“Yes we should, ya can hold onto it Trin,” Nile nodded. 

“Well, wouldn’t be in these parts Nile,” Twist said. “This button definitely comes from Kansas. I used to buy material there to make dresses.” 

“Anyone from there living here now?” 

“Not that I know.” 

“Ah maybe Mayor Downy would know,” Nile said and I tried to think of people I’d come across. I wished that Frank had moved with us since it was something he might have known. 

“I could always ask my husband when he gets home he knows few people around close towns,” Twist said. 

“Sure ask him if he knows of the mute girl,” Nile nodded. “Not to many mutes round here.” 

“Where is the poor child now?” 

“She ran off when we stepped outside,” Nile stood. “Well, let’s go make a visit to Mayor Downy. She seems to know everyone.” 

“That’s a good idea. Keep me in touch,” Twist said. “Also... if I may? I am supposed to be traveling to get supplies. Maybe I could inquire about the button?” 

“Sure please go ahead,” Nile nodded. “Thank ya for your kindness. We’ll see ya around Twist!” 

“Hope the child will be alright in this cold,” Twist smiled and nodded. 

“It was good to see you again, Twist,” I said and followed him outside. 

We found Suzy and Downy standing outside and greeted them. Nile told them how I was assisting him on the case of the mute girl and the button. He told them all the details about his interactions with the girl, and then I explained to them what we’d learned from Twist about the button. 

“If it’s whom I suspect... She don’t have no family,” Downy said when we were done. “Our ex Madame gave her work and a bed for some time, but that child is on her own.” 

“Is there an orphanage here in town, Downy?”

“Not yet ma’am,” Downy shook her head in response to my question. 

“Who is your ex Madame? Maybe we should talk to her?” I asked, looking at Nile for confirmation. 

“Yes, I believe we should,” he nodded.

Downy pulled a face full of disdain. “Someone that left the area some time ago... dare I speak her name for fear of my mouth turning into bitter ginger plant. Although... I do believe Iza was working in that establishment at the time too... she may be of some help. That would be Mrs. Zarco.” 

“Ah where can we find Mrs. Zarco?” Nile asked. 

“Can I have the button back? I want to check something...” I asked, then took the button from Twist to examine it as I remembered Ica’s wife. I sincerely hoped he wasn’t around this town too. 

“Why did the Madam leave? Falling out with the membrs of the town?” Nile asked. “And do you know the girls name?”

“The Madam left some time ago. Many months ago...” Downy said. 

“I never got a name from her, as she couldn’t tell me,” Nile said. 

“The child’s name is Emily,” Downy told us. 

“Ah Emily. Well that’s helpful,” he said and I smiled, now that we finally knew a name. 

“Do you know if she speaks or if she is mute like we assume? If she speaks she could just be shy...” I wondered. 

“Emily rarely speaks... maybe one or two words to people she knows extremely well,” Downy said. “I do recall an incident where Emily ran away from the madame’s care.” 

“Ah okay, has she been on the run since?” Nile asked. 

“Mrs Zarco is married to our funeral home fella here, her home is down the road as well,” Downy said. 

“Well I Emily taps me on the shoulder now and again when she’s around. I couldn’t tell you where she’s residing these days,” Downy said. “I know that when she ran away from the madame’s care that the Injuns took her in for a while.” 

“Does she talk to you when she gets your attention?” I asked about Emily, then looked between them. “Which tribe?” 

“Bear River Cherokee.” 

I smiled widely and looked over at Nile. “I know the Cherokee tribe well. Chief Standing Bear has offered his hand of friendship and protection when I need it. I know several of the villagers..”

“Ah nice. I’m not familiar with the tribe, you may be a really good asset after all,” Nile smiled. 

“I would also maybe be able to see if they need a specific plant to dye the button that color,” I smiled. 

“I could talk to them about this... They are somewhat cautious about palefaces though so it might be best if I check this out on my own?”

“That sounds good as well. You may and report back to me.” 

“Will do, Sheriff,” I nodded. 

“I hope that’s of some help to you both,” Downy said. 

“Very much help!” I smiled and we said goodbye to them before we headed back to the office. 

“Well we sure do know a lot,” Nile said when we’d sat at his desk. 

“We sure do. That was a very productive conversation,” I nodded. 

“Yes it was, I hope she is okay out there in the cold.” 

“Is there a hotel somewhere that she can stay in? Oh... She seemed to understand you when you talked to her, right? She understands English?”

“Yes she does.” 

“Good to know.”

“But she was very shy bout answering questions. There is a boarding house but thats fifty a week. Rather steep.” 

“Maybe a fear of adults... I wondered if it was a fear of a specific gender though... I wonder if she got along well with a child I know at the Cherokee village..”

“Maybe she did, who knows. Since you are friendly with them it be best if ya talk to them. I’d scare them off.” 

“They don’t take to palefaces very well...” I nodded. “It was a unique situation under which they accepted me...”

“Ah alright. Is your friend part of that tribe?” 

“My friend Lonely Eagle? No, he is not apart of a tribe in particular. He is on his spirit journey and believes it led him to me. We are still searching as to why or for what purpose...”

“Ah okay.” 

“Shall I head over to Wyoming then?”

“Yes. Let me know what ya find.” 

“Will do. Thanks, Sheriff. It’s great to be doing this work again.”

“Sure,” he said and I headed for the Cherokee village. 

Wyoming. 

I walked into the village and greeted everyone at the fire. When they asked if I had news I said, “I need your assistance in something actually...” 

“How?” they asked. 

“There was a young girl who came to your tribe recently... She looks as if she was born of both a black and a white parent... She didn’t talk much... was very shy...”

“You have name for her?” Ahyoka asked. 

“Her name was Emily. She came to my sherif’s office in Georgetown and gave him a button, in payment for a tomato. The button looks rare, is dyed blue...”

“A button or stoned shaped into a button, Trin?” Mingan asked. 

“She said that she came to this tribe to stay for a while before coming to Georgetown... It is a round button with two holes...” I pointed to a button on my jacket to show them an example of what a button was. “I was wondering if your tribe could tell me more about her, or this button, but it seems you don’t know who I’m talking about..”

“She think it was payment for goods?” Ahyoka asked. 

“I’m not sure but that’s my theory. I have not yet, no. I was hoping he would be here.” 

“You speak to Chief, Trin?” Mingan asked.

“In what way?” Ahyoka asked. 

“Well... for the button to be dyed blue like this... It would have been from a rare plant but I do not know which one.” 

“Yes I agree,” Ahyoka nodded. 

“Mingan thinks about the plants... blue ones...” he said to himself. 

“It’s an inexpensive button... but it looks like it came from a Haberdasher in Kansas.” 

“A long way. Many moons travel Kansas.” 

“Indeed,” I nodded to him. 

“I look out for Emily.” 

“You don’t know which plant would make it this color?”

“Wode makes blue,” Ahyoka said. 

“You cook with any blue plants,” Mingan added. 

“Is rare to find here. Is usually up in mountains,” Ahyoka said. 

“Interesting... Would this plant be in Kansas?” I asked. 

“Kansas is flat?” Ahyoka askd.

“I don’t know. You not see it very much,” Mingan said. 

“This is why I’m intrigued by this story.. Yes as far as I know Kansas is mostly flat. But there could be mountains in the neighbouring areas...”

“And palefaces,” Mingan said and I nodded. “So not go too far looking for blue plant.” 

“Virginia has mountains,” Ahyoka pointed out. 

“It seemed clear that this button was from Kansas though...” I said. 

“Maybe Chief help,” Mingan said. 

Ahawi came to the village and I told her about Emily but she didn’t know about the girl or the button. Ahawi looked at the button and said it was beautiful. Mingan asked if there was more than one button but I said that I only had one. Ahawi had never seen anything like it, even when she lived with the English. We continued to talk about how I had moved to Georgetown and begun to work as a Pinkerton. We talked about Georgetown and the law there. I thanked them for their help with the case and it was helpful to know that the plant used to dye the button was named Wode. 

Georgetown. 

While standing in the kitchen of my new house this evening, I decided to ask Lonely Eagle what kind of plant would make the button be a dyed blue. “So I’ve been working on this case and I need your help with something...” I looked at him as we sat at the table. “Do you know what kind of plant would make a button a dyed blue tint?” 

“Is the button made of wood?” 

“I believe so yes.” 

“There is some pine wood from forests in the far north that has been killed by beetles. The beetles turn the wood blue.” 

“So far north as in western north or eastern north?”

“I believe it is north of what you consider this country’s boundaries. Far to the northwest.” 

“Okay, that is helpful,” I thought to myself how this would apply to the case and wonders what it would mean. “I need to go and confer with my boss about these things. Will you be okay on your own for a bit more?”

“I will be fine here. I have some meditation to do.” 

“See you soon then,” I nodded and walked outside. 

I walked down the street to Allegra’s house and saw her standing on the balcony with Twist and TJ. I waved to them and asked if they’d heard of a girl named Emily. 

“Neutron?” Allegra asked. 

“She’s a black girl who doesn’t really speak much,” I said. 

“I know Em. With glasses, right?” TJ asked. 

“Yep, Neutron,” Allegra nodded. 

“She seems really sweet,” Allegra said. 

“She’s quiet...” I said. 

“Do you know anything about this Emily girl?” I asked TJ. 

“I know she was an orphan, and I always used to give her money. She don’t talk,” he said. 

“Anything else?” I asked. 

“Maybe we should help her,” Twist suggested. 

“Nope, that’s all I know,” TJ shrugged. 

“I guess you can’t tell us what this is about Miss Trin?” Allegra asked. 

“Sorry, Allegra. Not sure how much of this is confidential.”

“I understand. I just hope she is alright.” 

I nodded and waved to them as I headed into town. I asked Downy and Suzy where Sam was and they said he was out by the mines. We walked over there to greet him and I told him about the case with the mysterious button and all that we knew about Emily.

“So what do you propose we do about it at this time agent Trin?” Sam asked when I was finished, and I couldn’t help but smile at my new title. 

“Well Sam, we need to find someone who she will talk to. If she has a story we should know it in case there’s something more... dangerous to her past... Why is she here alone? Where are her parents?”

“Well seems my darlin wife here knows her so perhaps you can work with her to discover more about this Emily,” Sam said. 

“I’m not certain of where her folks are or what happened to ‘em... but I know somethin’ happened cos you know how I told ya she ran away that time Miss Trin?” Downy asked me. 

“I’m listening,” I nodded. 

“The thing that triggered that episode of her runnin’ away was a man in uniform.” 

“Oh really?” I asked, intrigued, and looked at Sam as if to make my point. 

“Yes.. I observed her reactions on one or two other occasions too... that same uniform used ta make her anxious and terrified.” 

“Hmm... Which uniform was it?”

“Confederate soldiers.” 

I looked over at Sam and he nodded as I said, “There’s something here, Sam. I can feel it. She’s running from something.”

“You may be right I am starting to thing Agent Trin, that there is a big mystery behind this child and we need to discover it...” Sam looked at me. “Normally we don’t take on these kinds of cases because the pay isn’t so good... but after looking into those brown eyes of that girl the other day I feel I could not turn away from her needs.”

“Them Confederates is what she runs from,” Downy said. “Why... I ain’t sure.”

I nodded to Sam, knowing I could get at his apathy. Downy, who were the confeds she was running from? Here in town?”

“No Ma’am they were a group of Rebels that our law drove off some months back. It weren’t their faces she saw though... was their uniforms.” 

“There goes that angle,” I nodded. “Are there any of those uniforms still around now?”

“Hmm... She seemed fine around Sheriff Nile.... Though when I came into the office she disappeared...”

“Trin I am thinking there may be another reason she gave you that button.”

“I’m listening... She gave Nile the button though. He entrusted it to my care.”

Sam pointed to my shirt and said, “If you were wearing that outfit when she saw you I can understand why she left.” 

“I didn’t have my badge yet... Or the gun..” I looked at him. 

“That’s a confederate shirt.” 

“Because there’s red?” I looked down, and thought I would test the theory and wear a different outfit tomorrow to see how the child reacted. 

“We need to dig into her past see if you can get a lead on where that button is from for sure and perhaps any background information you can it would be helpful - I am gonna put you in charge of this case for now - work closely with Nile on it and keep me informed ... Do you have a report for todays work so far?” Sam asked me. 

“I’ll write one up. Can I just suggest one thing though..?” I asked him and he nodded. “If this button is made from pine wood and that wood was found in northwest region of America... Does that not suggest a region where she could be from?”

“Thus the reason I want you to follow that lead.” 

“Consider it followed,” I smiled at him. 

“Well I have a bit more work to do over here before I head to town feel free to use the pinky office for your report,” Sam nodded with a smile. 

“Alright then. I will do that.”

“Dang I better head home too ... gotta get the taters out fer Sam ta cook,” Downy said. 

“And by the way...” Sam looked at me. 

“Hmm?” 

“Welcome to the team,” Sam shook my hand. 

“The pleasure is mine. Great to be doing this work again,” I smiled. “See you, Sam. See you ladies. I’ll head back home. To the office, I mean. Gonna go write up that report.”

“Be safe, agent Trin,” he nodded and then Downy and I headed back to town. 

I went to my new office at the Pinkerton building and wrote up a report from today’s investigation. I put the report into Sam’s mailbox and then headed home.