Tombstone.
This morning I sat down in front of the hotel beside Alex who still seemed to be not in a good mood. I handed him my flask with whiskey in it and we talked about what happened in town yesterday with the bank robberies and the gunfight with Seth.
“Ben Cravens is back in town.”
“Yeah?”
“And apparently I’m living beside two outlaws in Pearce. Thomas is going to start looking for work. No more selling tonic,” I winked.
“That’s good. I don’t trust those tonics.”
“The guy who made the stuff was hanged by some unhappy campers in Texas,” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Was enough for Thomas to want to change professions.”
“Does he know what he’d like to do?”
“He keeps going back and forth... Currently thinking news or bartender, I think.”
“Do you want to go have breakfast?”
“Yeah, we could do that,” I nodded and followed him down the street.
Black Diamond.
We walked into the cafe in Diamond across from the Pinkerton’s office and greeted Aeryne and Sabi while we sat down at the table. Make yourself at home! Can I get ya coffee? I been learnin ta pour without spillin!” Sabi offered.
“Coffee would be nice, thank you,” Alex nodded.
“How about you let me pour the coffee Sabi...” Aeryne suggested and Sabi sighed, nodding.
“Would love another coffee,” I smiled as Aeryne set two mugs on the table and filled them with coffee as Sabrina headed to the kitchen. She came back and slid big plates in front of us both with a grin, and we thanked her for the food.
“Mm it’s very good,” Alex took a bite of food.
“Thank you Alex. A bit rushed... Sabi was supposed to have help this morning but no such luck...” Aeryne laughed. “So how are the two of you doing?”
“Fine, thank you. How are you doing?” Alex asked.
“Good thank you! It’s been mostly quiet in town, and I cant help but appreciate that.”
“Oh you know, same idiots different day,” I winked at Aeryne. “If you need help with anything, Aeryne, you’ll send for me?”
“That is true for sure Trin,” she chuckled and nodded. “And you bet I will! Right now all I got is a minor disturbing the peace issue which I have already spent way too much time on.”
“Oh?”
“Seems someone decided to start a gunfight at Angeles’ dance in town the other night... Sadly, my counterpart decided not to make any arrests on the scene so I get to try to figure out what happened after the fact...”
“You need a new counterpart,” I rolled my eyes.
“I hate to say it but I agree. The current one is too close to the local outlaws.”
“Now you know why I moved,” I nodded.
“You moved?”
“Yes, moved to Pearce. I still have my office and lab here in Diamond though. I do recall telling you about it,” I smiled.
“I’m sorry, it’s good food, but I’m not really feeling like eating today,” Alex pushed his food around with his fork.
“Oh I see, sorry Trin, so much going on lately,” Aeryne said and looked to him. “Everything alright Alex?”
“Thank you for breakfast,” he nodded and headed out of the cafe.
“Anytime,” Aeryne said. “I heard what happened.”
“Sabi why dont you run home, I think we have had the visitors we will be having. I will stay just in case,” Aeryne suggested.
“Can I get a hug before you go?” I asked the girl.
“Bye bye Aunt Trin,” Sabi hugged me then headed out of the cafe.
“So he doing any better?” Aeryne asked when we were alone.
“Hard to say. Some days are better than others. More frustrated with the whole thing myself because Aly hardly ever talks to me about anything other than work.”
“She barely talks to me at all anymore. I don’t get it.”
“I was his best man, Aeryne. I should be there for both of them but she’s not letting me in and he’s breaking down.”
“I wanted this one to be different. To last. It was hard enough accepting that it was happening since he was the last man I...”
“ I tried to convince him to move back to Black Diamond, help us rebuild.”
“I just can’t be in a town where they let people like Stormy be law when they don’t do any work and hang out with outlaws all day. There was an arrest in Tombstone and Garth was around but not really involved. He found his way into the jail and she wandered over to the office.”
“Well luckily Stormy is lazy and doesn’t even show up for work... so I am here,” Aeryne chuckled.
“I asked her what it was to her since this ain’t Diamond. She said Garth is her kin and was worried ‘bout him. I told her that he wasn’t in trouble but she bardged in the office past me like I wasn’t even there.”
“If I have learned anything about this job is that when you are at work you have to put everything else aside, especially family. There isn’t any room for letting someone off the hook because you share blood.”
“Did you hear I’ve started caring for a child?”
“Yes Sabi told me, Natalie right? I met her at school.”
“Yes. I brought her to Canada with me last week for my brother’s wedding,” I smiled. “She had a great time. My mother loved her.”
“Ahh wonderful!!”
“And I’ve also um...” I blushed.
“Uh oh, an um...” Aeryne grinned.
“Started seeing a man....” I grinned.
“Ohhh yeah?? Anyone I know?”
“Thomas Wallace.. He’s a wonderful man; very sweet. Taken me to a dance in Tombstone and we sometimes just sit by the river and talk...”
“Hmmm not sure I have met him, but I seem to always be here in Black Diamond these days. He a new arrival?”
“He’s been in town a couple weeks now I think.”
“Sounds about right. Its been at least that long since I regularly visited.”
“I’m really happy, Aeryne. Since Alex... the only man I was interested in seriously was Joe, and we all know how that ended. Though I hardly think Joe and I counted as bein’ together since we barely did anything romantic.”
“Well I am happy for you Trin, you all deserve happiness. Now Alex just needs to find it again.”
“It’s so strange being back in Diamond... So many memories.. And now the positive ones are tainted with the present.”
“Well we ain’t dead yet.... I am hoping they decide on a new mayor soon so we can get the ball rolling on rebuilding. I can only do so much as sheriff.”
“Suzy still owns the place?”
“Yeah she is governor.”
“Believe me, I know... I can only do so much as a Pinkerton but people tend to think I can do everything. All I can do is paperwork. And maybe arrest if local law deputizes me.”
“Between us I think most people are indifferent enough just to watch this town die away.”
“It’s a shame, really.”
“Yes it is. And I will fight tooth and nail for it not to turn out that way.”
“I’m glad to hear your determination. Nice to have a sheriff that cares so much about this place.”
“Well it is home...” she smiled and nodded.
“Part of me does miss it... But I love my house in Pearce. It’s right on the river...”
“Oh sounds very nice!”
“Far enough away from everything that if I need peace and quiet to write, I can hide in my tree there.”
“I know what you mean, thats why I keep my ranch, even with Autumn traveling all the time. I should be sensible and just live here in town but I don’t.”
“I can understand why you don’t. For years I lived above my office... Was very hard not to just work all the time.”
“That it is.”
“Thomas makes sure I don’t,” I smiled.
“Well folks like that who are in our lives tend to do just that...” she chuckled.
“Mmhmm. I really hope to see a court docket today but the thing is, most cases I’ve contributed in lately with an incident report. So I couldn’t prosecute if I wanted to.”
“I am afraid we have nothing here in town.”
“Still no court here?”
“I have enough time on my hands that I can dig into my uhm... personal mystery... Nah not in as long as I have been here.”
“Personal mystery?”
“I go into the court house now and again to make sure the place ain’t falling down for lack of use,” she laughed and I chuckled. “Can you keep a secret?”
“I’m a Detective, ma’am. Kind of in our job description.”
“Well you know about my family back east.”
“I believe I do but you may need to remind me.”
“I didn’t just come here all those months back by chance. Well I grew up in Virginia. Daddy ran a business back there...did real well. When he passed on though I went through some of his old papers, trying to make sense of what needed to be done with the business. Came across an old envelope sealed in wax. Turns out they were an agreement with my daddy and an orphanage out here in Arizona to adopt a new born baby... me.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t know how my real parents are but it seems they are from somewhere around here.”
“Sounds like quite the mystery.”
“I was able to find out that it all happened in this very county. So I came lookin... still not sure I want to find out.”
“I understand that,” I nodded.
“But now look at me, I live here and probably will for the rest of my days. So best I at least find out. We will see what turns up though.”
“Need any help with this, Aeryne? I like a good mystery and I don’t have much goin’ on right now.”
“Sure, I could use all the help I can get. I don’t have a lot to go on.”
“Do you have a copy of that note about you being adopted?”
“I do but its in a lockbox back at the ranch. I will show it to you later on today.”
“I’d love to see it. Perhaps we could procure prints from it.”
“I do have something a bit more interesting though.”
“I’m listening.”
“Was in the envelope with the papers. Badly rusted, cant make out the lettering but a badge, a star to be precise. Seems I am connected to a family involved at one point with the law.”
“Oh? Well that’s interesting.”
“I been trying to match up its shape to badges I see in town but so far no luck. But then again who knows what has changed since I was born.”
“Mmhmm exactly. Was there a date on this letter? About the adoption?”
“Sure was, April 16th 1875. My birthday.”
“No names?”
“Sadly there were not any more records about it... it was all very simple with the county stamp on it.”
“That’s unfortunate,” I nodded.
“Only my daddy’s, even my name wasn’t included. I was just referred to as “newborn infant girl.”
“What was your daddy’s name?”
“Johnathan Massiel.”
“Well that’s something I can work with,” I smiled. “I can ask around about him.”
“He ran a big coal mining operation all over this region for the railroad.”
“Interesting.”
“I have been kind of wondering in the orphanage might have any further records, but I kind of doubt it after speaking with Angi before she left. Seems record keeping in the past was poor at best.”
“Yeah and now that’s all up in the air with what’s happening at the orphanage..”
“Exactly.”
“Heard there was a new matron who was very strict.”
“But then I do know I was born in April 1875.”
“Right.”
“That means that some woman around here was pregnant and gave birth but had no baby to show for it afterwards. Figure she is old enough to be my mother and that narrows the list of.... suspects.”
“Well all I can do is ask about Jonathan Massiel... You’ve already looked into the records and such.”
“Right. I will have to show you the badge too, maybe that is the key.”
“I think it might be.”
“Family of a lawman who lost a child in 1875... how many can there be?”
“If I could see the letter and badge that would be helpful.”
“Sure thing. Are you going to be home later on? I will stop by.”
“It depends. I may be locking myself up in my house this evening to catch up on reports. It’s been a busy couple of days.”
“Well I will leave it in your mailbox if I don’t find you then.”
“Sounds great. Think I may wander around and see what else I can get into.”
“Thanks so much for helping me with this Trin. Maybe a fresh set of eyes will see something I have missed.”
“Thank you for breakfast, Aeryne, and I hope we can solve this mystery.”
“Sure thing! Thanks for stopping by!”
“Have a good day, Sheriff,” I hugged her tightly and headed out.
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