Colorado.
This morning I walked into Colorado and went to Adder’s place, seeing him with his wolf and horse. I smiled and asked if I could join him. I walked inside and sat down with him, talking about the two animals.
“I’ve been out of town a couple of days... Needed to get away and clear my head,” I told him. “Good to be back though.”
“Aye. Well you’ve missed a few things.”
“Oh did I? Good cause the paper’s pretty thin still and I have a few unfinished stories that no one’s informing me on.”
“There was a bunch of Mexican bandits hired to kill me.”
“Oh really?” I asked, wondering if this had anything to do with the mayor’s request for me to find a hitman but I stayed quiet, petting Snowy.
“Aye. Didn’t go too well the first attempt they made. But yesterday two more of ’em jumped me, two on one. I lost and was dragged down to Kingsley.”
“Adder…” I shook my head. “How’d you get home? Are you alright?”
“I escaped when a couple of wolves and Flower here distracted them, and I hopped over a low point in their fort wall. Then they followed us back here, where they confronted the mayor.”
“Confronted the mayor?” I perked.
“Free Feather PAID them to kill me,” he said.
“Why on earth…” I gasped, connecting the dots. I was hardly able to speak.
“My best guess is that business when she was accused of horse rustling.”
“But that was ages ago, Taurus…”
“Aye, just makes it look less like being her. Apparently one of the bandits took a picture.”
“Really... a picture of you?”
“Easy Saiya, good girl,” Adder told his dog when she and Snowy started to go at each other. We shouted at the dogs and they lied down after a bit and settled.
“No no, of the mayor paying them,” Adder said.
“Oh that,” I sighed, relieved that it wasn’t me who’d found the bandits to kill him after all, though I hadn’t known who the hit was going to be on. “Seems I’ve missed a lot around here... Any more word about the outpost fire the other day?”
“Nothing I know of. Probably those Mexicans though. When they came back yesterday, they made threats of burning the whole town if anyone tried to arrest the mayor.”
“I saw it burning and tried to help put it out. The group of them went down to Kingsley but I stayed back ’cause I know how those trips go. Don’t think they liked that I didn’t help them though. I waited for almost an hour for them to come back... Then I saw them dragging some girl into the courthouse. Sam came out and I asked him what was going on but he just shook his head and walked away.”
“More fool them, going down there. Its not the sort of place anyone should go.”
“It was so unlike Sam to not tell me what was going on. He’s usually my prime source for information other than you.”
“Possibly wasn’t a totally legal arrest then,” he nodded.
“I guess not but Chels was there… Twist and TJ helped in the fight too I guess but they were the ones most vocal about me not goin’ down there.”
“TJ? helping the law now? He was making a nuisance of himself in my office last week. Refused to put his rifle away. Idiot.”
“Adder I need to finish up some articles here... Maybe you can help me.”
“I can try."
“No one else seems to want to talk. You said you don’t know much about the outpost story... What about the bank robbery? Danny and Luke rode down to Kingsley right after that happened too. Came back injured.”
“Bank robbery? Las Calaveras left one of those silly little flags of theirs. Don’t know how much they got, but they robbed it two nights running. I’d guess they got sod all the second night.”
“Two nights ago... I’m talkin’ about the one about five nights ago…”
“Outpost fire was probably them, one of them was here yesterday, banging on about how all this area used to belong to Mexico. Aye, the one five nights ago. They did it two nights in a row.”
“Two nights in a row, huh? They’re resilient. These are the same idiots that left the flag as if to show off what they’d done?"
“Aye, one of them even put a flag on my office the other day, while i was inside. When I came out and saw it, I blew my nose on it, then burnt it.”
“Oh really? Maybe I should just do a column about all the Mexican’s antics. You got names?”
“Names? Jet, he was the main one that Free hired to kill me. As for the others, I don’t know.”
“Okay let me get this all straight... There was the two bank robberies successively one night after the other. Then they tried to shoot you down but failed. Then they tried again and draged you down to Kingsley.”
“Aye.”
“Oh and in the midst of all that they set the soldier outpost on fire?”
“Yep, that’s about right.”
“Geez. Gonna be some article,” I winked at him.
Snowy stole Saiya’s food and I talked sternly to her, giving her some food of her own. Adder gave me some meat from his cool box and I sighed, wishing Tom was around more to provide so well for me. I saw Young Doe standing on the street and I knew she wouldn’t trust me even more now that I was talking with the sheriff. I decided to throw a stick for the dogs to catch and Doe watched us with interest. I marvelled at the fact that the natives are always so against me interacting with paleface people, yet they sent one of their children out on their own and let her interact with whomever she wants.
“I wonder if the Apaches have a ‘word’ for me yet,” Adder commented and we chuckled, watching our dogs playing with each other. I ignored his comment about the Apache, not wanting to get in the middle again. Young Doe continued to play with the horse and I started to feel more frustrated watching the child. I said I was going to get some work done and headed down the street.
I went to the courthouse and knocked on the door, but no one answered. I wrote down a quick note to Chelsea and Jake and left it on the door which said: “Got a telegraph from sheriff in Kingsley - ‘Chap Guyot from the Sheriff’s office, to the U.S. Marshall: Wanted in Kingsley, US Marshall Tulcas for burning some houses. Reward 2000 $. Greets Sheriff Max Carter. Kingsley.’”
***
This afternoon I rode out to Kansas to see if anyone was there, but the village was empty so I rode back to town.
I talked with Bo about my new horse and he said he’d finally bought himself a house. I asked Bo if he wanted to join me for a drink at the saloon and I sat on the stool with a sigh. I told him about Tom not being around much and then he had to get going.
Kansas.
Hours later, I sat down by the water in the Apache village, watching the beavers again, feeling at peace and clear mind. I pulled out my notebook and began to write some articles for the paper. I saw a man walking over and stood respectively. He stopped hesitantly but came over to greet me.
When he said something in Apache, I shook my head. “I don’t understand much of the language... I am still learning my heritage as an Apache. Chief Nah has allowed me to stay here while I clear my mind and learn about the culture from my family in generations past.”
“Hi, I am Elan Kuruk, It means Friendly Bear in your language,” the man introduced himself in English.
I smiled at his friendly tone and stood closer. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Trin Paige. I am still discovering my spirit guide.”
“You are very friendly for a paleface.”
“I carry no weapon. I try to create peace with words, not with violence.”
“It is not a matter of if carrying weapons, but it is how those weapons are used. A paleface taught me that on my travels.”
“You speak English very well for an Apache.”
“I have come across many of your people on my travels from Arizona. My tribe was burnt down by Cherokee, and we were driven away from our land. I got separated from the group I was fleeing with and decided to go on my own to find a new tribe, which here I am hoping to get in well with this tribe,” he explained. When I swallowed hard at the mention of the Cherokee, I looked down. “Are you okay?” he stepped closer.
“I’m sorry, that tribe brings back painful memories.”
“Tell me about it,” he nodded.
I shook my head and said, “I am trying to move past it. I don’t like to talk about it much…”
“I understand.”
“I was just observing the beavers... I feel at peace here by the water watching them. I wonder if they’re my spirit guide that Nah keeps talking about…”
“Maybe. My spirit is the bear, and I am suppose to camp down here. I will watch over your spirit.”
“Agoshe, ... Elan..” I said, remembering his name. “I should make my way to the teepee for the evening before it gets too dark.”
“Be safe, Miss Trin.”
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Elan.”
“Kuruk is preferred. And it is a pleasure meeting you as well.”
“Kuruk. I hope to see you around soon,” I nodded and headed over to my tipi to settle in for the night.
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