Tombstone.
“Hey! Trin!” I heard Jimmi calling as I walked into Tombstone this morning.
I walked over to him and Starling and greeted them, “Hey you two.”
“I didn’t know you had a new partner?” Jimmi said.
“I have a new partner? Who’d that be?”
“Yes, four legs, blue and brown eyes black and white coat all shaggy. Just dug up a body.”
I smirked, hearing the description of the dog. “Where ‘bouts?”
“Rangers down there are just taking it to the undertakers.”
“Shall we head over there?”
“I have to get home. We need to feed the baby.”
“Oh, alright. S’pose I’ll head over then. And congratulations on the baby! All is well, Starling?”
“Thank you and congratulations on your new dog,” Jimmi said.
“Yes he is a good baby,” Starling nodded.
“I’m so glad to hear. And I haven’t met this dog yet but I’m excited to!”I smiled.
“She tracks and digs and I’m sure she growls too,” Jimmi said.
“Sounds like just the kind of partner I need,” I grinned.
Mick and Amara came over then and told me about the bones they took to the undertakers. The dog wandered towards us and I leaned down to pet it as Jimmi and Starling headed home.
Amara and Mick told me about the bones and we walked towards the sheriff’s office. The dog dug up more bones from the tree there and then we walked up to the undertaker’s office. I noted that it looked like the body was buried under the tree where the dog was digging up bones. Amara said she saw Rikki this morning blaming Paisley for the fire at the sheriff’s office in Bisbee.
I walked over to Paisley and wondered what on earth I was going to do with a bunch of bones, since I wasn’t an undertaker and had no evidence or proofs to investigate. I decided to let the undertakers and rangers handle this one until they gave me something I could actually work with.
I sat down beside Paisley and sighed, “Not sure why everyone things I’ll do their jobs for them.”
“Poor job ethic,” she giggled.
“This dog digs up some bones, the rangers come find me. I’m like what am I gonna do with a bunch of bones? Shoulda told em to find a damn undertaker.”
“Bones? They should have! Joe has been dying for work. Excuse the pun...” she said and I laughed at that. “Joe keeps wanting to off folk just to have work. You should send the bones his way.”
“They should, yes.”
“Package them up and let him have some fun, and explore where they found them and have some fun yourself. The mines could be a lot of fun... I just have to be careful or I would do exploring myself. I can not risk injury. I wonder if they are going to have the birdcage comedy tonight. I could use a laugh.”
“Yes I think we all could.”
“Are you investigating the fire in Bisbee?”
“Yes ma’am. That’s my main case right now.”
“Rikki was in town earlier and she was not happy at all. Angry at me for not pulling her from the fire and I was not in Bisbee when it happened. I live next to the Sheriff’s office. up the ramp. She was saying my home may be next. What happened?”
“She threatened you next?” I blinked.
“Anyone who lives in Bisbee.”
“I’m not sure... I haven’t been able to sit down with the deputy and focus on it. We were dealing with the Zannza case sat the time more so.”
“Started packaging my valuable to ship back to my attorney back in New York for safekeeping. He has kept my affairs in order since father’s death. He handled the estate. I just kept him on out of courtesy. I do have some things here, but he maintains a lot back East for me.”
“Yes you’re a busy lady here.”
“It was simpler. I was engaged to his son and law partner...”
“At least you’ve got Anthony now.”
“Yes. It was the polite thing to do... to maintain the contact for legal matters. Father would have wanted at least that. The son is fine with my marriage and all. I hope both get sorted soon.”
“Sorry I’m so quiet... My mind is spinning.”
“It is ok.. I have had a bad morning... no worries. And with two cases, you have a lot to sort out.”
“Well the bones thing ain’t mine. What were you saying about the situation in Bisbee...? Rikki threatened you that the next fire in town would be yours or someone else’s in town?”
“The fire.. She said my home may be next or anyone of us in town- town being Bisbee.”
“So she told you she set the fire in Bisbee?!”
“She said my home may be next. She was angry I did not pull her from the fire. Amara heard her... and Ansar.”
“Did you see her setting the fire?”
“No... I do not know who set fire to the sheriff office. I was not in town.”
“So then why was she angry about you not pulling her from the fire?”
“She blames all of town for not pulling her from the fire. All of Bisbee... and plans on making us pay. As I said Amara heard this. We were all looking at that wanted poster on the board there and then got chatting on the fire at the sheriff office in Bisbee. She blames all of Bisbee. I told Her I was not there, but I do live there.”
“Rikki blames all of Bisbee?”
“Yes, she does. She said my home may be next.”
“Rikki was with you looking at the warrants?”
“The board next to the court house. I can show you.” She led me towards the board in front of the sheriff’s office and said, “This is where we talked. She was getting quite angry at the folks that live in Bisbee for not pulling her from the fire.”
“So she admits to being at the fire..”
“I kept telling her I was not in town and could not pull her from the fire. She blames us for her injuries and now wants to make us pay.”
“I’ll look into this, Paisley,” I sighed. “Thanks for letting me know what you know. That helps a lot.”
“Anytime.”
We turned to see Jimmy playing with the dog and I smiled watching him. I stared at the warrant sign, knowing that the bones given to me near them weren’t my problem and I wasn’t a mortician. I wandered over to Paisley and Jimmy and asked her to write me a witness statement for me. She nodded and we talked with Jimmy about the dog for a while.
“How are you Jimmy?” I asked the boy.
“Miss Trin I need talk to ya when you git time.”
“Sure hon. Just waiting for Paisley to give me a statement, unless you want to write it when you’re done with the dog, Paisley?”
“Whaevr ya do, don feed it peppermint, it donlike em, I dun try.”
Paisley felt along the collar of the dog and felt a tag. She read it and said, “Sorra. Seems your name is Sorra. Hello there Sorra!”
“Oh, Sorra its name...that’s a pretty name...Hey Sorra...” Jimmy hugged the dog tightly and the dog perked up hearing its name.
“Jimmy why don’t we go talk while Paisley writes the statement for me?” I suggested.
“Yes Miss Trin, I rilly need talk to ya.”
“Come on Jimmy, let’s go talk in the hotel. I need some coffee,” I said and led the way to the hotel. “What’s goin on kiddo?”
“Me and Natalie git in truble dis mornin.”
“Bout what?” I raised an eyebrow.
“It no our faul tho...Miss Pet tell Nat we go explor caves in Benson...so we go...den we fine these bullet thingys on groun in box...so we stop ask man wha they were, and he say we trepass. He say we go jail, an get hurt by explodsons, and we stay out cave.”
“Did he tell you his name?” I sighed.
“No! an I ask, he no tell me!”
“Did you tell anyone bout this? Other than me?” I frowned. “And which caves? The mines or the Apache tears ones?”
“He say cave his, I tell Misser Jimmi and Miss Reb. He say turn dem bullets to Sheriff, and we bes off stay outta cave, he say no safe.”
“Which cave kiddo?”
“He tell me and Natalie sum peeple might whoop us fer trepass we no carful...it caves outsi Benson, small, had funny pictures on stone. Look like fat dear.”
“Hmm..... You must mean the caves then where the bats are?”
“YES!!!! BATS....B...A...T...S! I member cuz Natalie teech me that new word!”
“That’s a good job, Jimmy. And those caves are okay.”
“But dem bullet thingys in a box outside, jus sittin on groun,” he held out his hand with two bullets in it.
Paisley walked over to us then and handed me her witness report. “Here you go Trin.”
“Thanks hon. You’re the best,” I smiled at her, putting the report in my pocket.
“Anytime.”
I took the bullets from Jimmy and said, “Kiddo, probably shouldn’t be keeping those. They could hurt people.”
“That wha that meen man say...say explosons.”
“You and Nat need to be careful in those mines... You could get injured and no one would know..” Paisley said.
“Paisley I don’t think they were in the mines this time. They were in the caves with the bats,” I told her.
“We no meen trepass Miss Trin, we jus explorin cuz Miss Pet say no go the mines.”
“Oh?” Paisley giggled.
“I know kiddo it’s okay,” I said.
“You two sure do love exploring!” Paisley smiled. “There is one near my grandmother in upstate New York. It is called Howes Cave.”
“We go explorin see wha we fine...I took Natalie near indian place, and holler, but no one der...I wan her meet nice indiands,” Jimmy said.
“Have you two watched the bats?” Paisley asked.
“We did, they all roun us in caves, cus almos touch em.”
“They take care of a lot of insects for us,” Paisley said. “Be careful around Indian land.”
“I see one hang upside down, he look funny,” Jimmy said.
“Have you met Cas yet Jimmy?” Paisley asked.
“Who?”
“I wonder if that’s the mean man who talked to them this morning,” I looked at her. “Said they couldn’t go to the caves. Maybe Cas thought they were in his mines.”
“I guess not. His name is Castion Eyre. He is a nice man,” she said.
“He near big house bottom from caves, he meen man, the man we meet tis mornin,” Jimmy said.
“His wife took pictures at my wedding. She got permission to take my husband and I onto Indian land. We still had a few Natives looking at us and watching... So, please be careful,” Paisley instructed.
Adriana and Joe walked past then and I sighed a bit, remembering how things had ended strangely with Joe, if they’d even begun. It seemed sudden that the two were now engaged and I still wondered what on earth had happened between us. I went inside to refill my coffee and then leaned against the counter in the hotel listening to them talk. Joe came in to make some tea and I sat in the chair by Pet’s desk, trying to relax from the frustrating day.
“You okay Trin?” Joe asked when I finally walked out of the hotel.
“Just tired of people thinkin’ I do their jobs when it ain’t my place,” I sighed.
“Well that’s other folks problem not yours,” Joe nodded.
“Exactly.”
“Sorry, forgot to ask. I assumed nobody else wanted a cuppa,” Joe sipped his tea and looked at us but Paisley, Adri and I insisted we were fine.
“Excuse me, folks,” I said eventually when I saw Ansar coming out of the office across the road. I wandered over and leaned against the post, nodding to him. “Hey there, Ansar.”
“Hey, have a seat,” he offered.
I sat down with exhaustion beside him and told him, “Rangers gave me a bunch of bones this morning. I told them to find an undertaker. I’m not a damn mortician. Tired of them assuming I’ll just do their job. Only case I’ve got open right now is the fire over in Bisbee. I need to investigate the office but Williams hasn’t been around. I don’t want to go over there without him.”
“Oh I know who started that...”
“You do?”
“Yup.”
“Who? How do you know?”
“Rikki came into town, her face was all burnt.”
“No kidding...”
“So Paisley asked her what happen. I was wondering myself too so so I asked as well. Rikki said she was cooking a barbecue.. or something. I don’t trust a word of it.. but the fire got outta control and burnt the town.. So she admitted starting the fire it was inside a building.”
“She admitted to starting the fire?!?!” I blinked.
“Then she got trapped and that how she got burnt. Yeah she said she started the fire to cook a meal.. didn’t I just say that? A roast as she said.”
“Yeah ya did, sorry, long day. I’m with you. So she got trapped and that’s how she was burnt..”
“Yup, bad scares on her face. and it didn’t look really like her hair.. it almost looked wig like.”
I had been writing while he was talking and I nodded, handing him over the statement. “Interesting. Don’t s’pose you wanna sign this thing here huh? I’ve been writing while you were talking.”
“Oh sure.”
“Between you and Paisley we have two people pointing towards Rikki here,” I said and Ansar checked the statement and signed it, handing it back to me right away. “Perfect, thanks darlin. You rock.”
“If ya got proof it wasn’t no accident then we may have a case on her.”
“I just need to investigate the office more and see if I can find somethin’. I need Ash’s statement too. He said smoethin’ about the vault bein’ open and his mug missing..”
“Well, the heat of a flame can crack open a vault sadly enough.”
“Good point..”
“If it gets hot enough.”
“I remember Ash sayin’ something... He found powder marks emanating from the center of the desk.”
“Haven’t spoken to them. But.. you may even get Rikki to admit where she started the fire on that day. It’s enough to place her in the building.. and if the source of the fire don’t match up.. well you will know she lying.”
“Right... If I can get Rikki to talk to me. Is powder marks on the desk enough to prove it was arson or do we need more? I need Ash to get that to me in writing.”
“I wouldn’t know. I ain’t a Pinkerton.”
“And I ain’t a fire marshal,” I chuckled.
“Exactly.”
“We’d need to get Jy in there.”
“Sounds like a plan before they start rebuilding the houses.. then there will go the proof.”
“So with Jy’s investigation report and Ash’s statement..... we should be off to the races.”
“Just cross your i’s and dot your t’s.”
“Need to know if Ash left a candle or stove or fireplace or something burning... Or if there was material exposed or available for a fire to start, like a lamp.”
“Well there was the great fire of Pearce.. one time Pearce burnt to the ground. there wasn’t a building left standing. Dang horse got the blame.”
“A horse?” I shook my head.
“Yeah. In a barn with some hay. It knocked over a lamp.”
“Sheesh.”
A woman walked over then and said her name was Kirah Swan. She said she had been arrested the night before because she’d been shooting after the man who had shot her father. His name was Ole Rotten Tooth Garret, who goes by the name Pete. I filed the names in my mind though I wasn’t going to look further into the incident as it had been handled, and eventually decided to head home.
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