Black Diamond.
This morning I walked downstairs and heard voices in the office. Ger and Aly were talking about how they would be going to the Criss ranch tonight and I said, “We don’t have too many cases open right now. It’s a good time for you to head out and help Aly.”
“Timing is the key...” Ger nodded.
“We closed the case about the stuff left on Aly’s porch... It was Mark. I went to the village and saw him there,” I told him.
“OH, speaking of cases..here are the test results you asked for,” he handed me the results on the cake and I read it over, “Lot of unknown prints, as expected.” I also noticed the arsenic discovered in the cake and grew more curious about that.
“Trin..you know I saw him dancing with a new girl at the wedding the other day. It was really hard. I couldn’t stay. He moved on fast. But I won’t talk about it anymore. It’s done,” Aly said.
I nodded, “Time to move on with your life, hon.”
“Well I think tonight will be a big step.”
“I’ll put this in the sheriff’s box. Thank you, Ger,” I said and headed out of the office. I blinked seeing the windows boarded up and ashes everywhere. “Holy...”
Lil walked over and asked, “What happened here?”
“Looks like the sheriff’s office was set on fire. Just trying to determine the point of origin but I don’t want to go in without Sheriff or Ray here.”
“I wouldn’t the roof might cave in on you.”
We talked about her wedding and how it was like being a sheriff’s wife. She said she was going to continue her walk so we said goodbye and I headed to the office.
***
I walked over to Aly’s and talked to her about how she was doing and suggested that we go for a ride. We took a ride around the town and I heard Krell talking about finding someone guilty. We went into the bakery and found him talking with Leigh and Bree, though they stopped talking about the previous subject when they saw us. They invited us to join them and we sat down at the table for lunch, which Leigh insisted was on Krell.
“So Trin, did you see the jail is burnt?” Krell looked at me.
“I did,” I nodded. “You know anything about it?”
“Oh is that from last night with Jewel?” Aly asked.
“With Jewel?” I looked at her.
“Now where do crooks go, Krell?” Bree asked.
“She is pushing for a hanging,” Krell said.
“Yeah. I think it was there. Sheriff was there. I heard noise so went outside. He said it was from the fire,” Aly said.
“Oh Tye was there too? I need to talk with him tonight.”
“Yeah..and Peta. Tye is the one who said it was a fire,” Aly said. “I need to talk to him too. It’s important before I leave.”
“Well this sounds familiar,” Bree said.
“Peta saw stuff too?” I looked at her.
“Well, we need to know what exactly happened. I only hear rumors,” Krell said.
“Dunno if she saw, but she was there when I got there,” Aly told me.
“Is good to have witnesses,” Bree said.
“I will work with Tye on it. I assure you,” I looked at Krell and he nodded.
“Yeah and I didn’t see nothin’ just heard it. Best to ask Tye directly,” Aly said.
“Is a wonder more not burn,” Bree shook her head.
“Aly, you may want to take a look at the damage and let me know if it’s something you can fix quickly or not,” Krell said. “Our lumber supply is dangerously low.”
“Not without Tye,” I looked at him.
“Hm, that might have to wait sir, I’m leaving tonight,” Aly told him. “But I might be able to look before I go.”
“Aly you heading to the Criss Homestead with Gerric?” Krell asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well be safe,” Krell told her. “How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know yet. It depends on what kind of work need to be done. I’ll need to make repairs, give Ma, Pa, Ada, and Calvin their proper burials...and clean the barn. AND try to find the lost animals, if they are still around. or alive.” She said, not touching the food in front of her. I reached over and squeezed Aly’s hand in assurance.
“And Gerric will help you, yes? you are not doing this alone, right, you promised if I remember right,” Krell said.
“Well at least it will help get my mind off Mark. No, he said he’d go with me.”
“Will be good for you to get away for a bit,” I agreed.
“I think so. Perhaps after all this is done I can take a step with moving on, ya know?”
“Am so sad for your loss, Aly,” Bree said.
“Hey now people don’t pity me or nothin’ I’m not the kinda girl that likes it,” Aly laughed.
“We just know how hard on ya, Aly,” Bree said.
“Work is good at keeping things off my mind and onto more pleasant ones!” she smiled.
“This is true.”
“The farm should be a nice distraction. I need to head home to finish some things before the trip later. If any of you see Tye please send him by, I need a word with him.”
We finished eating and I decided to take a walk to Tombstone and see what was happening.
Bisbee.
I nodded to Jewel and greeted her, “Just out for a ride. How are ya?”
“Would be better if folks stopped trying to blame me things I ain’t done,” Jewel grinned.
“What are you getting blamed for this time?” I smiled at that.
“Did ya see the sheriff’s office? were that wern’t me!”
“It wasn’t, huh?”
She shook her head, “Nope, and even if it was that dam sheriff deserved it after what he did!”
“What’d he do?”
“Only stormed into my house arrested me and threw me over his dam shoulder like a cave man!”
“He did what?” I blinked.
“In front of the whole dang town!”
“Who all was there? What’d he arrest you for?”
“Few folks and he don’t need a reason I swear he just makes up charged so see me behind bars,” she scowled and crossed her arms. “I can’t believe he did that though!”
I heard someone coming over and saw Ger, “Hey Ger. Just talkin’ with Jewel about the sheriff’s office being somewhat decapitated.”
“Well, I wouldn’t eat the food there, thats for sure,” Ger said.
Jewel nodded, “And I was just telling her it wasn’t me. I was resting in bed at the time.”
“She said the sheriff came into her place and arrested her.”
“He did and he had no dang right!” Jewel complained.
“What for this time?” Ger asked.
“I dunno,” Jewel shrugged. “The man likes to make stuff up. At least he can’t lock anyone up now.”
Ger looked at me and asked, “What’s wrong with the office this time?”
“It’s um... a bit blown up. Walked over and saw ashes and everything. I don’t want to walk through the structure without Tye,” I told him.
She looked at me and asked, “You sure are fond of that guy. You sure ya ain’t sweet on him?” she grinned. “Though God knows why...”
“And I can’t go in there then...Myst will kill me if I did,” Ger nodded.
“That ain’t it. I just respect a man’s office and it’s his case first. I won’t walk into his office without him present.” I nodded to Ger and said, “She sure would.”
“Miss Jewel, Jimmi representing you again?” Ger asked.
“If you say so, Trin,” Jewel grinned a bit and then looked at Ger. “Why would Myst care?”
“She’s my doctor...and lady friend...and I have developed ...a problem let’s say.”
We said hello to a Native man riding by that I didn’t recognize and then I asked Ger if we could head to our office. We went to sit down at his desk and I asked, “So... You believe Jewel?”
“Don’t know what she was arrested for...need to talk to Tye and see. See if he even had a warrant.”
“Definitely need to talk to Tye.”
“What it was for...etcetera. Is Jewel a suspect for the damage to the jail?”
“Well seeing as I just heard about it seconds ago... I think she was arrested for something else. Like I said, not sure, need to talk to Tye.”
“Yep...” Ger nodded.
“TRINNNN!!! There was a native outside my door!!!!!” Aly shouted then.
“I really need to talk to you about this cake investigation,” I looked at Ger.
“Sweets can really kill you I guess,” Ger said.
“Let’s go over what we know...”
“Don’t you think you see to Aly?”
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. “She probably saw that Native that said hi to us in Bisbee.”
“I know...decisions...that’s why you are the boss..” he winked and I glared at him a bit for that.
“Two seconds. I’ll call over and see what she wants.”
“That’s what I’m thinking... and in her state...”
I walked outside and called, “Aly, are you alright?” When I didn’t hear anything I called again, “Aly?!?” I opened the office door and said, “Ger, we need to go over there.”
We headed over to Aly’s house and saw her on the balcony. “You okay?”
Ger pounded on the door and said, “Aly, it’s Ger... open up.”
“I think... is he gone?” Aly asked with worry.
“He’s gone. We saw him wide through Bisbee,” I assured her.
“Are you alright?” Ger asked.
“Yeah, just a little freaked out. Was sittin’ there on the rocker taking a break, minding my own and uh...just kinda say....it. him. Why I got natives here again!!”
“I have never met Mark, nor seen him...was that him on the horse Trin?” Ger asked.
“No, that wasn’t Mark,” I shook my head and noticed Aly almost looked sad at that.
“So maybe someone just passin’ through?”
“Most likely,” Ger nodded.
“Seems that way, hon. Nothing was left on the porch huh?” I looked at her.
“No....well I dunno...haven’t checked I was upstairs. Did you see anything when you came in?”
I walked outside and looked around but found nothing out of the ordinary. I walked back inside and said, “Hon there’s nothing out there.”
“You need to relax. Remember when I told you that Apache weren’t dangerous unless their family is harmed?”
“I’m sorry..maybe I’m just a little nervous about tonight. Yeah, well I kinda broke Mark’s heart Trin. That’s harming.”
“He seems fine, Aly,” I sighed. “You need to stop punishing yourself for that and move on. You can’t let these Natives control you or make you afraid.”
“He moved on Aly...time you do too,” Ger said.
“You think I’d be standing here in front of either of you if I had let their family cliques control my fear? You both know my story.”
“I don’t really know how to Trin. I’ve tried...whiskey, church, dancing.... Soaking Ger’s shirt even. What do I do now?”
“The answer is different for everyone Aly...” Ger told her.
“Well how am I suppose to figure out mine?” Aly asked.
“Time, thinking, talking,” Ger suggested.
“Giving yourself an escape.. Aly... listen... I poured my life into those Native people. Literally. I lived with them, I slept in their villages. The Cherokee, the Cheyenne, and in the end the Apache... my own flesh and blood... treated me exactly the same way. I was white man. I was different. I didn’t understand their values of family. It didn’t matter that I had Native blood. What mattered was that I had assimilated myself to white man ways and that Native history had been wiped out in their eyes. I fought for justice for them, I showed them that I wasn’t afriad of outlaws and wanted to live with their families. I helped save their chiefs from being killed. Twice. Once with the Cherokee, and then once more recently with the Apache being on trial,” I explained. “The Cherokee incident... The man who shot down their chief lived in my town. They wanted war on my town and nothing I could say would change their minds. But a couple of weeks ago I stood up for the Apache and got a statement from the chief’s wife defending her husband’s action in a hanging trial. You know why?” I looked at her, making sure she was listening.
“Yeah...see...that’s not making me comfortable ...seeing them outside my window any.”
“You know why, Aly?”
“No... because I don’t understand?”
“Because they’re family. They’re my past. I took control of my past and turned it into something good. In spite of all the danger they caused... I did what was right because I couldn’t see an innocent man get hanged. And now I can walk into that village with confidence and talk to one of their own and do my job without fear.”
“Well you’re definitely more brave than me.”
“You know how long it took me to get to this point Aly? Fifteen years.”
“And stubborn,” Ger added.
“I wouldn’t step foot in there,” Aly said.
“For fifteen years, I have been wandering and trying to get over my past. Hell, I almost lost my life because the man who killed my Native father came after me. But I latched on to the fact that we were both Native and that’s what saved my life. He died trying to save me. And the only way I can make that right is by making sure that the people that deserve to live don’t get injustice. I have seen both sides of this coin, Aly...”
“No wonder Tye trusts you,” Aly said.
“Trust me, I know what you’re going through.”
“I know Trin...”
“I’ve been there. I loved a Native man. I’ve been there.”
“And all I want is peace.”
“And you will have it. In time. It took me fifteen years. I hope it takes you a lot less.”
“But he’s not really native. He’s....I don’t even know what he is anymore,” Aly sighed.
“Took me over four years to let go of my wife,” Ger said.
“I just need to get away for a bit,” she sighed. “That’s not reassuring. I didn’t want it to take that long.”
“Like I said Aly...it takes different ways, and times, for each person,” Ger said. “For each relationship.”
I nodded in agreement and said, “The point is... You need to give yourself that time. Don’t expect it to happen overnight or within a week. It’s not going to happen.”
“But you need to work on it...find something that takes your mind off of him and do that for a while,” Ger said.
I nodded, “For me it was my work... Solving cases and focusing on other people’s problems. For Ger I’m sure it was something different...” I looked at him.
“I went back to school..poured myself into my studies.”
“You know I’m still getting over Calvin too... so not I’ve got TWO men to forget.”
I shook my head, “Not forget... Just... accept. Accept that it’s past.”
“And what if he wants me back? I don’t know what I’d do.”
“And...” I looked at her seriously. “Accept that it wasn’t your fault. He proposed to you in a crowded room. You felt pressured. Then you realized it was a mistake and took responsibility for it. If he wants you back... He’s gonna have to be patient.”
“He just moves so fast Trin....” Aly nodded.
“And it also depends on how you feel at the time,” Ger added.
“Even the fact that it hadn’t been a week...” Aly shook her head.
“And that’s the point you need to remember. HE moved fast. Not you,” I reminded her.
“I don’t feel like he loved me. I feel like I’m taking a long time to get over this...whereas he just found someone right away,” she said and I sighed, knowing what that was like exactly. “I know. But I still feel like the bad guy in the first place for breaking it off.”
I shook my head, stepping back a bit. My own grief was starting to well up again and I looked at Ger, “Sit with her a while? I need to go make a timeline for that cake case.”
Ger shook his head, “Okay...”
I walked out of the doors, close to tears. I went to the saloon and took out my flask of whiskey and poured myself into my work, as I always did when I was upset. I created a timeline for all that we knew so far about the mysterious cake and knew that I needed to talk with Krell, Bree and Leigh about the cake still.
A man walked into the saloon and I looked up, seeing a man walk in who I didn’t recognize.
“Hi,” he greeted me as he sat down beside me.
“Hi there. New to the area?” I looked him up and down.
“Why yes, indeed I am.”
“Detective Trin Paige. Nice to meet you, Sir. And you are?” I held my hand out to him.
“Nice to meet you. I am Traveller Sponkey,” he shook my hand.
“Traveller Sponkey, huh? That’s quite the name... Or is it just Sponkey your first name?” I smiled.
“It is just Sponkey but Traveller makes it sound better.”
I chuckled at that and took a sip of whiskey, offering the flask to him. “Want some?”
“Sure, I will take a sip,” he looked over and took a sip.
“Been a long day... You staying in the area then or just get to town?”
He took a sip from the flask and handed it back. “Nah just got into town today.”
“I can show you around if you like... Just finishing up some reports here and then I’m free for the rest of the day.”
“Sounds good,” he nodded.
“So what line of work is it you do, Sir?”
“Don’t really have a line of work now that I am here in this town.”
“Tryin’ to find your way huh?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“Yeah I was kind of drifting at first too back when I moved to Colorado. Was a writer... turned into a newspaper editor then. When I moved to Tombstone though, the Pinkerton job I had in Georgetown found me.”
“Nice a writer I bet that was a fun job.”
“It sure was, though it didn’t last long. I get much more fulfillment out of being a detective.”
“Speaking of which,” I finished my report and closed the notebook, putting it into my vest. “I need to drop this timeline off for my partner at the office. Feel like joining me?”
“That is a big change writer to detective.”
“Not really... I’m still gaining information and solving stories, it’s just for people that need help like citizens and the local law instead of just the general public.”
“Ah so still have that writing feel..”
“Mmhmm, still write plenty,” I smiled.
“Yeah, I say so,” he smiled.
“I can give you the brief tour,” I winked at him and led the way out of the saloon.
I led the way to the Pinkerton office and left a copy of the timeline on Ger’s desk for him to get later, then showed him around Diamond. We said hello to Ally and talked about how he had to watch out for Jewel, though I pointed out that he was fully loaded. We walked through Bisbee and then headed over to Tombstone to drop the timeline off at the Russ Hotel for Tye, since the sheriff’s office in Diamond was burned down.
Tombstone.
While in Tombstone we met a man named Jeremiah who was riding around with Lil.
Diamond.
We walked back to Diamond and went to the saloon for another drink.
***
This evening I received a telegram saying that there was an Apache attack so I headed out of the office and walked over to the bank where Tye and Peta stood in the street. “Hi you two. I missed an Apache attack?”
“Apparently,” Tye nodded.
“I saw the telegram about it in my office. Were you guys around?”
“Not me,” Tye shook his head.
“I came to help patch folks up,” Peta said.
“How many were hurt, Peta?”
“Just Suzy and Jack.”
“Ah I see. Did you see which Apache it was?”
“Umm... I think the war chief? Dunno his name. I saw him in town, said somethin’ about wantin’ Jack’s scalp but I figured it was a metaphor or somethin’.”
“Natives don’t use metaphors,” I raised an eyebrow at that.
“Dunno why, Jack ain’t got all that great a’ hair,” Tye shrugged.
“Okay. I shoulda warned him.”
“Wonder what Jack did to tick them off,” I wondered then looked at Tye. “You haven’t been by the Russ today have you?”
“I got the note,” he grunted.
“Good,” I nodded.
“What note? What’s up?” Peta asked.
I sighed and asked, “Need me for anything else, Sheriff?”
“I just might,” he motioned to the jail.
“Right, I want to talk to you about that. “I’m sorry, my head is...” I shook my head. The jail... I talked with Jewel and it sounds like she’s pretty upset with you.”
“She can go on and get her panties in a bunch somewhere else,” Tye said.
“She said, ‘it wasn’t me but if it was he sure deserved it.’”
“Hmph. She and me ain’t friends no more,” Peta said.
“Oh, it was her,” Tye nodded. “Can’t prove it, but it was her.”
“She suggested I take Tye home and make him a real nice dinner and dress up all fancy!” Peta exclaimed. “It took me HOURS to get my makeup on--looked real good too--and it was just a ruse!”
“What can I do?” I looked at Tye.
“Work your voodoo or whatever it is you Pinks do.”
“Sounds like she wanted you out of the way, yeah,” I said to Peta and then chuckled at Tye.
“Voodoo?”
“Whatever the hell you call it.”
“Investigation?”
“That. Get me somethin’. Because I’m stringing her up.”
“Yes Sir. I don’t want to go in that building alone though. I was waiting for you to be in town. I didn’t trust the structure.”
“Ya don’t need the fires to string her up. Ya already got a whole bunch of warrants... unless, uhh, they burned up,” Peta said.
“I never keep my only copies in the jail. Ever,” Tye said. “That’s just for other law to see what they need to work on.”
“But--what about that one I rewrote for you?! That one was poetry!” Peta said.
“That one’s gone, Peta.”
“WHAT?! I’ll have to rewrite it! Hmph. You shoulda rushed in to save it.”
“I got a copy of that too, Peta,” Tye sighed.
“Woot!” Peta kissed him on the cheek. “You’re such an old softy!”
He tugged her in closer and said, “Don’t go spreadin’ that around.”
Peta wrapped her arms around Tye’s waist and I looked between them as I took my gloves out of my pockets and put them on. “Shall we go examine, Tye?”
“Yeah, sure,” he grunted.
“I’ll come too! I’m sure I won’t destroy any valuable evidence,” Peta declared and we walked over to the burnt office. “Looks like a burnt piece of wood ta me.”
I muttered something about stating the obvious and examined the lock, seeing it had been tampered with. I opened the door and heard it creak loudly as I walked in. I took in the destruction and shook my head. “Man Tye, someone really hates you.”
“Peta, my butt’s cold. I need your help,” Tye said then and took Peta in his arms before she could come further into the office and interrupt my work. I looked out the window and smiled my thanks at him as I continued to look around in peace.
“Let me know when you’re warm so I can go help Trin,” Peta said and I shook my head, looking behind Tye’s desk.
I noticed an open whiskey bottle and picked it up with my gloved hands, seeing fingerprints.
“Bingo,” I smiled at that and walked outside with the bottle in hand. “Tye can you come to the office with me?”
“Which one? Yours?” he asked.
“Mine.”
“Yep, I can do that,” he sighed and followed me into the Pinkerton office.
I took the bottle over to the lab and set it down with the print facing me and looked at Tye. “I need a copy of your fingerprint. I’ve got some ink over here and a paper if you can do that for me?”
He narrowed his eyes and asked, “The hell for?”
“For reference! Silly!” Peta shook her head.
“Because if that print isn’t yours, it will lead us to whoever set that fire,” I told him.
“Fine,” he grumbled and stepped over. He dipped his fingers in the ink and placed them on the paper. “Ya got a rag? Or should I just smudge the counter?”
I studied Tye’s prints to the one on the bottle and nodded, reaching for the rag and handing it to him. “Definitely not a match. See how those lines aren’t the same?”
He wiped his hands down and said, “Yeh, course not. I ain’t set my own place on fire.”
“Well I know that but... Now we have something to match the arsonist’s prints with.”
“Go ahead and smudge the counter, hon,” Peta said. “I’m sure no one will mind.”
“I know you drink whiskey. If it was your own bottle I wouldn’t be suspicious of it,” I said.
“Good. Check ‘em against Jewel,” he nodded.
“And if you smudge that counter, I’ll smudge you,” I said, taking his fingerprint and putting the paper in my file as the ink dried. “Do you have something of Jewel’s that has a print on it?”
“Hell, it probably was my bottle. Expensive damn bottle. Just ammo, but we mix that all up.”
“Yep. Ya won’t know it’s hers,” Peta nodded.
“I need something solid to compare it to. A gun or somethin’.”
“I hear a whinin’ dog. Ya ain’t feedin’ your dog, Trin?” Tye grumbled.
“Yeah, I need to go take care of him. You’ll get a warrant for Jewel’s gun then?” I heard the dog upstairs.
“Well, get me the report. I’ll get a search warrant for her. Show me how to compare the two, and if they match, I’ll arrest her,” Tye said. “Then string her up. Maybe not in that order.”
“I need to ask you about something else. You know anything about how the cake in your office got discovered behind Jewel’s place?”
“Yeh, course I do,” he set the rag on the counter and moved back around Peta.
“Huh? Cake?” Peta asked. “Yeah! Did you find out who poisoned me?! Cause they ruined my life!”
“Care to share?” I looked at Tye.
“I came to town to find wolves attackin’ the mayor, Jewel, and me, and worse - he’d been poisoned by eating the cake. So I had to get rid of it best way I could with damn wolves on my ass.”
“So you threw the cake back there?” I nodded.
“Yeah! Gotta find out who poisoned me! And the mayor. But mostly me!” Peta exclaimed.
“We’re working on it,” I nodded to Peta.
“I thought I’d scared ‘em off, but when I brought the cake up the stairs, they was after me again, so I dropped the cake and shot some wolves.”
“But since it was in Tye’s office it was probably directed for him. Tick anyone off lately, Sheriff?”
“Who do you think, Trin? Just about every damn body.”
“Well that narrows it down...” I chuckled.
“It was Leigh, fairly sure Krell mentioned she’d made the cake.”
“Did you tell me about that already?” I raised an eyebrow.
“What kind of a bastard would poison Tye? Oh. Well, okay. It was Leigh,” Peta said.
“Pretty sure I did, Trin.”
“I recall you said that you bet it was Mayor Krell and Leigh that they put somethin’ in it... And you suspected she baked it...”
“I don’t think the Mayor’d do it. I think she convinced him to put it in there for her,” Tye said.
“It was arsenic we think. Garlic smell,” Peta put in.
“Never heard anything from you after that conversation to confirm that finding though,” I said. Yeah it was arsenic. Ger tested it. Does Leigh know about the progress with our case against her? Might she be trying to shut you up?”
“I’m sure she does. She’s been arrested and charged. She’s just the kind to try.”
“Right... And to try to do it before a jury can find her guilty...”
“Oooh, bein’ a sheriff’s wife is real hard,” Peta said.
“Cause it ain’t closed ‘till we get that guilty verdict.”
“If she don’t hang for her other crimes...” Tye started.
“Maybe we shoulda continued livin’ in sin,” Peta said.
“Good enough reason to target a sheriff...” I wrote a quick report about what I discovered with the whiskey bottle and then handed it to Tye. “I’m guessing whoever did this used the whiskey in the bottle as an accelerant. I doubt you keep empty bottles laying around. That work?”
“That’ll do.”
“Fantastic. Anything else you need us to do?”
“Yeah, child proof this place,” Tye said, watching Peta knock things over.
I told them I needed to go talk to Kris and headed to Allen Street.
Tombstone.
I walked over to Tombstone and found Kris at the saloon for the Monday night dance. I went over to him at the bar and said, “Kris I was wondering if I could ask ya somethin’.”
“Sure.”
“You remember a while back... Bree was in the bank... TJ and Lisa were in there with her...”
“Yeah.”
“Did you hear them threatening her at all?”
“Yeah. threatened to shoot her. Told her to say she was on opium.”
“And you didn’t do anything?”
“Nothing I coulda done legally.”
“Couldn’t have been arrested for harassment? Kris, can I write up something here and get you to sign it for me as a witness statement?”
“Sure.”
I wrote up the report and gave it to him and said, “Also write down if you’re willing to testify in court if we need it.” He handed it back to me and I thanked him, heading out of the saloon with the statement.
“You seen Jimmi?” I asked Tye who was standing outside with Peta.
“Not today.”
“Damn it. I want to talk to you but I don’t want to ruin your evenin’ with Peta.”
“Oh no, ruin away. We ain’t havin’ an ‘evenin’,” Peta assured.
“My evenin’ with Peta?” Tye asked.
“Well then Tye... can we talk in private?”
“If it’s about that... hell.”
“No offense Peta but this is serious.”
“It can’t wait? I got a warrant suspect inside.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “Take care of your warrants. I’ll find Jimmi and give him my report.”
“If I’m right this ain’t got nothin’ to do with Diamond, Trin. Am I wrong?”
“Whatever, Tye,” I shrugged and walked off.
I sat in my office and worked on my report for Jimmi. I shook my head at the results and then wondered what the sentence for harassment is. I walked over to the sheriff’s office, focused on my task of figuring out the sentence, and went over to the board. I finished my report and puts it in her pocket.
I walked outside and noticed a woman standing in front of the sheriff’s office. “Hey there, sorry I ignored you earlier. Just closing off a case.”
“Huh. Everyone was rushin’ around I weren’t paying attention nohow,” the girl said.
“You alright? Need help with something?”
“Young Guns Rule!” Sommer shouted from a distance and I remembered why I didn’t come to Tombstone often anymore.
“Oh no! I’m good! Jes watching this town is all,” she glanced up and down the path curiously.
“Alright. I’m Trin Paige, by the way,” I smiled.
“Nice name. I’m Ada.”
“Ada, nice to meet you. You got a last name?”
“Well sure, it’s Criss.”
I blinked and asked, “Related to Aly Criss?”
“Uh huh. She’s my older sis.”
“She’s quickly become a close friend.”
“Damn, so much for sneakin’ off without her knowing,” she frowned a bit.
“You snuck off huh?” I chuckled.
“Yeah well she fell asleep right after arriving and that other man fell asleep and I got bored. Thought about messin’ with himm, maybe put lipstick on him or something... but uh. Didn’t want to make Aly mad.”
“He’d kill you. That’s my detective partner you’re talkin’ about. Glad to hear they arrived safe,” I chuckled.
“Sure did. helped himself to my last chicken.”
“Sounds about right.”
“Though I can’t help but wonder... how long he’d go before he realized his lips weren’t right color.”
“Kinda wondering that myself.”
“Might have to test it after all then,” Ada grinned and I laughed. “Think he’d be mad?”
“Uh, yeah I do,” I chuckled. “How’d Aly seem when she got there?”
“Oh good. Gonna do it for sure then. Tired. I think she thought I was dead... Probably overwhelmed.”
“I’ve been worried about her. You really should be with her right now.”
“She’s in la la land now. I’ll go back soon.”
A man walked over and introduced himself as Billy and we talked for a bit before I headed back for Diamond.
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