Bisbee.
This afternoon I played piano and sang at the Stock Exchange. There were a few people there but it was a smaller crowd than normal.
Tombstone.
I walked into town and Jess asked if I was singing today and I told her I had already.
“I had a patient this morning was shot in the leg, but it was weird.”
“Why was it weird?” Abby asked Jess.
“He had been shot with a derringer. He said a man had shot him but men don’t use derringers they use revolvers.”
“Well maybe this man had stolen the derringer?”
“Did you get any names, Jess?”
“I told him I believed that whoever shot him was a woman dressed as a man.”
“Well it could happen I guess,” Abby said and I chuckled.
“He’s a ranger, I believe. I forgot.”
We went through a list of Ranger names and she finally remembered that it was Bravo. “Reckon I’ll go have a chat with him. I’ve known him a long time.”
I saw Angi walk over to her undertaker office and knew that I needed to talk to her about the case for Matt. I excused myself and headed over to the office, sighing before entering. Reluctantly I stepped in the doorway and said, “Angi, you got a sec?”
She turned from the room and looked at me. “Sure.”
“Was wondering if you have a record of all the people you’ve buried...”
“I do. But only the people I’ve buried.”
“Would other undertakers have the same list? Of people they’ve buried I mean?”
“I don’t include the people Serenity has buried or the bodies that have been stolen, or the ones Ru buried yesterday. Depends on the undertaker, I imagine most would.”
“Stolen? Do you perchance also list the date and cause of death?”
“I do. Let me show you my files,” she said and headed upstairs. She opened the top drawer of the cabinet and handed me the file.
“Can I keep a copy of this?” I asked, taking the file from her.
“Sure. I have extra.”
“Thanks Angi, I appreciate this. Let me ask you... Have you ever been suspicious of Serenity and her work?”
“Well,” she looked up. “I guess, I mean...” She looked around a bit more and I smiled at her reaction.
“I did defend her against murder charges. I try not to do that, conflict of interest and all.”
“Of course.”
“But I had agreed to the trial before I knew everything about it. I try to be more cautious of that mistake.”
“Well you’ve been very helpful, Angi. I need to head up to the fort and talk to a Ranger about something.”
“But I know it weren’t the first time, nor the last.”
“Let me know if you think of anything else you want to tell me?”
“Good luck to you. File is always open if you need it.”
“I have an office here but also one in Bisbee if you need to speak more privately.”
“Thank you,” she nodded.
“Thank you,” I smiled and headed out of the office with her.
“I need to go back downstairs and figure out what happened to my flowers.”
“Something happened to your flowers?” I turned to her.
“I think them damn Apaches took them again.”
I shook my head at the information and said goodbye as I headed in the direction of the fort. I knocked on the fort door and heard someone coming up behind me and turned to see Bravo.
“Bravo, just the man I’m looking for.”
“Hello Trin.”
“Heard you got shot this morning. You alright?”
He walked up with a slight limp and said, “I’m fine... just another scar, Trin.”
“Jess seemed mighty confused by the whole thing. Said you were shot with a derringer?”
“Yeah I was.”
“She said that men don’t usually use derringers... You know who shot you?”
“Caught a guy robbing some stores so I chased him down. He pulled a pistol on mean shot me in the leg so I couldn’t chase him.”
“Ever get a name?”
“No.”
“Description?”
“He shot me then ran off. He wore all black had a thick bear with a bowler cap on, with a red vest.”
“Just glad you’re alright, Bravo. I’ll let you know if I find out anything. Stay safe out there,” I said as he nodded and turned to walk off.
***
I walked into town a couple of hours later and saw a group in front of the Wells Fargo. Ella and Stareyes seemed to be in an argument and I noticed Phelps standing among them. I couldn’t quite tell what they were arguing about and I asked Maxx about Phelps but he’d never heard of him before. I listened to the girls arguing a bit and then headed to the sherif’s office.
Bubba sat in front of the office and I asked, “Bubba you got a sec?”
“Sure miss Trin.”
“Wondering if you can help me out with some things... I have no idea which warrants have been served so I don’t know if some of my cases are still open.”
“What cases would that be?”
“Is there still a warrant out on BB?”
“I’ll have to walk to the office for a second and see if it is on the board I’m afraid. Any more warrants?”
“Could we? I’d really like to move some of these cases along if you’re not busy... Yeah, I’ve got a few...”
“Sure thing Trin, follow me. Bb you said?” he asked as we wet into the office.
“Yeah, that’s one... I’ve got the warrants already I just ain’t sure if they’ve been served. No one tells me those things so I’ve gotta pry for information around here. You’d think being a detective they’d be a bit more helpful,” I winked at him.
“I found one about BB, I work here since yesterday so I won’t be sure which ones are served and which ones are not.. Since there is one on the board I guess its still a valid warrant.”
“Alright. How about Dominic James? He still up there?”
“Yes there is.”
“Nikki Mullery?”
“Yup,” he nodded.
“Maveric/Ace? He held Ella at gunpoint... I think that one’s waiting for a court date...”
“Looking at the date it happened a while ago.”
“What? Ace was in court already for that? How’d it end?”
“I haven’t seen ace in court recently.”
“Okay so that one has been served but waiting for court...”
“I might have been in an another town when that happened.”
Bree knocked on the door and came in. She told Bubba that BB had been seen around town and I looked at Bubba, “BB’s back in town?”
“We tried to arrest her in Black Diamond with a couple of rangers but she eluded us. That was back on July 5..”
“I don’t know any BB...” Bubba admitted.
“I hope you guys get her,” Bree said.
“Well you’ve got the warrant with you, I’ll help you identify her if you want?” I asked him. Bree, where’d you see her?”
“I don’t have it with me since I didn’t grab it... Hold on just a second,” he went over to the wall and grabbed the warrant from the wall.
“It was a fleeting glimpse, Trin,” Bree admitted.
“We’ll keep an eye out. I’ll let you know if I see her again,” I said to Bree and looked to Bubba. “I have some business to attend to in Black Diamond.”
Someone from down the street called for Bubba and he went off to deal with it as I headed for Black Diamond to tell Matt what I had discovered.
Black Diamond.
I smiled when I saw Matt standing in front of the office. “Well now there’s a sight I could get used to.”
“Howdy,” he tipped his hat and smiled. “Come... have a seat, or... need privacy?” he smiled and looked around.
“I’ve got a present for you.”
“A present?” he asked and I handed the papers from Angi’s office to him.
“It’s not exactly what you wanted me to find... but it’s a start.”
He started reading the reports and asked, “Do you know how many of those from April on resided in Tomb or the town where Angi is the undertaker?”
I looked at him and winked, “You want me to know everything?”
“I see one judge.. one officer.. one doctor...”
“I ain’t sure where anyone lives anymore... People move too much around here.”
“For those gunned down... do you know if they caught the perpetrator?”
“I haven’t looked at the list myself... Just held onto it to give to you and see if you had anything jump out. You have anyone specific you’re asking about?”
“Shenson, Vena, Cletis, Jac, and Kristoff... were they outlaws or just citizens?”
“Shen and Cletis and Kris were law... V and Jac, outlaw.”
“Ah... now we are getting somewhere.”
“Like I said, you ask names, I give you intel.”
“Let’s eliminate the outlaws because...” he shrugged, “They may kill each other, but would be interesting to know if they were different gangs.”
“As far as I know... Jac and V were in different gangs...”
“Rivals?”
“I doubt if they even knew each other much,” I shook my head.
“For the laws... Shen, cletis, Kris, adding wedge and Judge angeles.. who did the killing? Seems that July 14 was a busy day for the undertaker.”
“Don’t think I was around that day.”
“Perhaps a .. special day for outlaws.. don’t you think?”
“Refresh my memory...”
“July 14.. there were... Three dead, and all law.”
“Geez.”
“Judge was hanged by outlaws.. Wedge and Shenson were shot.”
“July 14... I think I may have been on my way up north then...” I remembered.
“Too much whiskey, detective?” he laughed. “August 14 you were on your way up north. Or did you also do a trip that same date?”
“July 14 I went up north to tell Josh about the threats. That’s when I got shot down that first time... August 6 was when I went up again to tell him about developments with Sunset.”
“Very well,” he nodded with a grin. “Alibi checks.”
“Satisfied?” I winked at him. “Why do you think I record everything?”
“Good work,” he smiled.
“So the 14th was busy?” I went back to the original discussion.
“Now... I wonder when Serenity arrived to Black Diamond...”
“As undertaker? That would take a bit more work.”
“Yes, it was...” he said about the 14th. “I do not see another ‘cluster’... of course, need to see if Serenity has a similar list. I may ask her about it.. but may need a search warrant...”
“If I were you I’d ask for a list similar to Angi’s here... She might give it to you more than she would to me.”
“That’s a plan then,” he nodded.
“She and I aren’t exactly... on good terms as you can imagine.”
We continued to talk about more specific names on the list and then he thanked me for the information. I said goodnight to him and he said, “Perhaps later when off duty, I will join you at Kate’s for a drink or any other place that you prefer...”
Did you just ask me out on a date, Deputy?” I chuckled and looked at him.
“Just a drink, Detective... just a drink...” he winked.
“I’m just kiddin’,” I chuckled and waved. “Have a good evening.”
I waved and turned, heading back to town.
Tombstone.
Walking back into town, I saw Cletis and Piers and said, “Cletis, you remember we tried to arrest BB a while back?”
“BB?” Piers asked.
“I hear she’s in the area. Gonna go see if I can find her.”
“And what will you do when you find her?”
“Look for local law.”
“Try Bisbee then. That’s where I saw her last.”
“You see warrants don’t you? Why didn’t you arrest her?”
“Didn’t have one then.”
“Deputy Bubba told me the warrant was still open.”
“Step on the wrong toes, you lose your job before it’s done.”
“That’s why I said I would ask local law,” I looked at Piers.
“Ain’t my place to arrest, just to inform locals that there is someone out there whom they have a warrant for.”
“Might as well go then. Come on before you get yourself shot.”
I nodded and led the way. I showed him the warrant and he took it and read. “Believe me now?”
“Sure. Didn’t say I didn’t before.”
Black Diamond.
BB stood amidst a crowd with Matt, Nim, Gabe, Ali, and some others. I wondered why, if warrants could be seen everywhere, they just let her stand in the middle of the street, so I indicated for Matt to come over. BB, meanwhile, ran off and I sighed, looking over at Piers and seeing that Cletis had joined.
“Have a warrant, Piers?” Nim asked the ranger, ignoring me.
“As far as I know... that warrant on her is still open,” I showed the warrant to Matt. “Was told she was seen in the area so thought I’d come over with a ranger to find out. You see the open warrants over in the office in Allen Street, don’t you?”
“Then when you first arrived, you should have brought the paper to me,” Nim said to me. “We see warrants everywhere but someone with authority must serve them Trin.”
“I brought it to a lawman. Doesn’t matter which one I was told.”
“It’s about time, Trin,” TJ smirked.
“The Ranger has authority, he simply needed to inform Matty or myself,” Nim said.
“Why do you think I brought the ranger?” I asked.
“We would have assisted. He has to speak. We don’t read minds.”
“She gone now. Probably to Ghenna!” TJ said then and said, “She ran towards Ghenna. Piers followed.”
“Alright then,” I nodded.
“In this case, had Piers walked in, handed Matty the paper, he could have approached BB right away. It’s not hard. Matty and I would have backed him up. But if no one is saying anything, or showing anything, we cant just assume.
“I just said...” I started but then shook my head. “Fine, whatever. I brought the rangers, showed them the warrant. I told them what I heard and we came here to investigate. See you later,” I turned and headed out of town.
Bisbee.
I walked off to Bisbee and heard Ripley standing behind me. “Hey,” I said with a sigh. “Feel like taking a walk with me? I want to see this through and they probably went to Ghenna.”
“Sure, let’s go.”
Ghenna.
“How do we play this? Draw guns first?” I asked as we walked into Ghenna.
“No, that makes it open season on being shot.”
“Let’s go see if we can find them then.”
“Cletis, is that you in my town?!” Rikki shouted from a distance.
“Ahh, Cletis is here too. Good,” Ripley nodded.
“I hate this town,” I muttered as we approached the hill where everyone was shouting from.
“Sho nuff is heathen, don’t stand in the way of Ranger business or you like to get dealt with. We got a warrant for BB!”
“DON’T YOU COME INTO MY TOWN THINKING YOU ARE THE LAW, OR I’LL ARREST YOU AND HANG YOU MYSELF, YOU HEAR ME!?” Rikki continued to shout.
“We know ya here BB!” TJ shouted and I was relieved to hear he was on our side.
I drew my guns and hid behind a building with Cletis, nodding to TJ and Rip.
“Rangers is the law!” Cletis continued to shout.
“IF YOU’RE IN MY TOWN, IT CONMCERNS ME, NOW GIT!” Rikki shouted. “RANGERS AIN’T TOWN LAW.”
“Drop your guns Rikki, less you get hurt. We got a lawful murder warrant for that heathen BB!” Cletis shouted.
“I ain’t warning you again, ranger! Git!” Rikki shouted again.
“Don’t make me spoil that dime store dress you got on heathen!” Cletis shouted. “BB Come out with your hands up or you might get your heathen friend hurt! Last chance heathens to do this peacefully! Rikki I hate to shoot you even if you corrupt and crooked as a snake!”
“AINT NO ONE HERE BUT ME CLETIS, NOW GIT!”
“Toss your guns out and let us do some searchin!” Cletis shouted back.
“She’s gotta be here somewhere,” I whispered to TJ.
“Show Rikki the warrant, Trin,” TJ suggested.
I holstered my gun and Cletis said, “Hang on don’t shoot Rikki, we show you the warrant.”
“Rikki! It’s Trin! My gun’s holstered, I’ve got a warrant to show ya!” I shouted to her.
“Okay, I’ll hold my fire!”
“You remember it... Cletis and Wedge and I tried to arrest her a couple weeks ago in Black Diamond!”
I stepped out a bit and Rikki came down to join us. I handed her the warrant and she looked at it, “This is old.”
“It’s still open,” I said.
“Old but good,” Cletis nodded.
“They haven’t arrested her for it yet,” I reminded her.
“I heard she already paid for this crime.”
“Has she? That’s news to us.”
“Well you ain’t a judge,” Cletis said. “So we have to take her in and find out.”
“Did she go to court?” I asked.
“Check with court clerk,” Rikki said.
“And it ain’t like you got the most upstanding reputation. And she shot some folks last night.”
“Bubba still had the warrant on his wall this afternoon,” I said. “If she’d gone to court already why would the warrant still be there? Cletis, you see the same warrants the deputies do, don’t you?”
“Until you show me a current, valid warrant, you have no jurisdiction here,” Rikki told us.
“This is a bloody valid warrant!”
“Looks valid to me,” Cletis said.
“She ain’t even listening,” I looked to him.
“Now I suggest you git before I call the US Marshals here to deal with you.”
“Call them. You got a chair we can wait in?” Cletis asked.
“They have the same warrant we do,” I shrugged. “They’ll tell you the same thing.”
“Something comfortable? Maybe a turkey pot pie?” Cletis continued to jibe. “I sho nuff could use one of them.”
“Sure,” Rikki grinned. “I got a chair you can wait in, but it’s in my cell.”
“No I expect that one ain’t all that comfortable. We go on and go, but be back when we be back.”
“If this case has gone to court how come I ain’t seen it go to a court docket, Rikki?” I asked. “Ya know I’m a lawyer too.”
“And ain’t nothing you, your dyed hair, or your dime store dress gonna do about it Sheriff of Ghenna... if that even a real job,” Cletis smirked and looked over to us. “Let’s go, she just hard headed and self important, nobody here to sheriff over any how.”
“Yer welcome to wait, but I’m gonna send a wire for the marshals. Bye Ranger, and stay out of my town.”
“I might just rent a place here,” Cletis joked as we walked out. “Sell snake oil. Run for mayor.”
Tombstone.
“You notice she didn’t tell me to stay out,” I whispered to Cletis as we walked back to town.
“Typical,” TJ muttered as he rejoined us in front of Annie’s.
“TJ, what happened?” I asked.
“She got away,” TJ said and I sighed. “Magically.”
“But you saw her?”
“She was there,” he nodded.
“I knew it. Getting kind of sick of her ghost-like act.”
“She a slippery heathen,” Cletis nodded.
“Wish we could just tear the damn warrant up but we can’t,” I sighed.
“Well put it this way miss Trin,” Ripley looked at me, “The more you chase, the more she thinks her notoriety goes up, I wouldn’t give her the time of day if all she does is... disappear.”
“Now what we could do is,” Cletis thought out loud. “We build a big box...or a cage, and we put a bunch of liquor bottles on a table and hang the cage over it. Then we wait. Yeah...we end up with half the town in that cage.”
“Uh huh,” I chuckled.
“Wait till someone else finds her and then go after her and let her disappear again,” I nodded to Cletis.
“Best thing to do, when she located, is don’t tell anyone, and rush her,” Ripley suggested.
“Well I tried to tell a ranger ‘cause I couldn’t do the arresting,” I nodded to Rip. “Then Piers did bloody nothing. At least Cletis followed through with it.”
“Can’t wait to get my badge,” TJ sighed.
“You and me both, Teej. For you that is,” I nodded to him. “I like the badge I’ve got, when I’ve got lawmen to work with like yourself,” I winked at Cletis.
“Then when she located, just get together the trustworthy ones, not possible spies for her, then rush her,” Ripley continued.
“Yeah we should have had her surrounded in Black Diamond,” I agreed with him. “She had too many escapes.”
“At least I got to get inside the office for once. I’ve got so many open cases right now I just wanna solve one. Thought I was going to with this... Been tracking BB since July 2nd.”
“And why haven’t you solved any?” Rip asked.
“Because I’ve got no damn law to help me with it. No offence, Cletis.”
“Well listen, start with forgetting the BB one, get the others,” Rip suggested.
“None taken, I don’t even pretend to try and solve crimes,” Cletis nodded. “Unless I have to.”
“The clock tower case ain’t still open, is it Cletis?”
“What clock tower case?” he shrugged. “You mean when the heathens stole them?”
“From a while back, those clocks were stolen... Was gonna be a posse to go after the clocks but nothin’ was told to me about how it turned out.”
“I remember we arrested a bunch of them when they tried to ransom them back...”
“In that shootout ya mean?” I asked, “When you stood on the clock?”
“Me?” he raised an eyebrow.
“Seems theres some lack of communication, miss Trin,” Rip said. “Half ya cases might have been done.”
“That’s the problem. No one tells me anythin’ so I gotta pry it outa people.”
“Well Mr. Cletis is a reliable source, talk to him on any outstanding, see if they still happening,” Rip suggested.
“So I can let the clock tower case be?” I asked Cletis.
“Far as I know the clock case is closed... unless it happened again.”
“Haven’t heard anything since, well, June 28. Alright,” I nodded. “How about Dominic James?”
“Has he even been seen?” Rip asked.
“That’s what I wanna know. Haven’t heard anything about him since middle of June.”
“Me either. I figure they left the territory.”
“So that one’s still open then...”
“So Miss Trin, by talking, ya can close some of the cases you are pursuing,” Ripley said.
“Guess if they come back you should pursue it but I ain’t seen them since then.”
“Put it in the, when they back, pile,” Rip said.
“And that a big pile,” Cletis added.
“Has Ace/Maverick been to court over the whole incident with Ella? I know he’s on the docket...”
“I know he’s on the docket... But communication hasn’t been great there either so I don’t know which cases have been done or the verdicts.”
“Not that I heard but I been gone the last two court days, ever since they tried to blame my snake oil on causing crimes,” Cletis said. “Well that cause Ansar turned heathen.”
“Oh here’s a fun one.. .Ever hear anything about Stinky’s pigs that were stolen a while back? End of July I think?”
“Never heard on them pigs,” Cletis said. I heard a rumor that that one bumpkins brother killed the one that took the pigs in the desert with no witnesses. But he told an indian about it...so I hear.”
“Okay well... I narrowed that down a bit,” I winked at Ripley. “I feel a bit better.”
We talked for a while and then decided to head to the saloon for a much needed drink before the evening dance.
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