June 1, 1900

Black Diamond. 

I sat in the saloon this morning drinking coffee with whiskey, enjoying my day off. It was Sunday and I was wearing a dress without my gun. I knew I needed a day to clear my head if I was going to have any chance of figuring out the cases that were piling up. 

My eyes lit up when I saw Joe walk into the saloon. “Well hey there!” 

He looked surprised to see me and looked me up and down. “Well hello there! Off duty today?” 

“Mmhm. No work today. Would you like to join me for a drink or cash in on that deal to dance with me in a dress?” I winked at him. 

“Relaxed Sundays seem to be peaceful and was just taking in the air and looking for accommodation,” he told me. 

“Still haven’t found a place to live yet?” I asked as he pulled me to the dance floor and we started to move around together, in perfect rhythm. 

“I am patient and particular I normally build my own place,” he replied. “So what are your plans today?” 

“No plans really... At the moment I’m not thinking past being in your arms again. You’re a carpenter as well as an undertaker?” I looked at him. “I suppose that makes sense, since you need to make coffins and whatnot.”

“When there are no bodies I can make cabinets or build my own home,” he smiled. “And yes, I shall enjoy this dance while things are quiet.” 

“It’s hard for me to relax sometimes... but I kinda forced myself to today. Can’t work all the time, right?” 

“Black Diamond is a possibility, but I lived here for a few years so we will see... and yes good to relax and dance and not be with the dead. I forget when I asked you... Who runs the town now?” he asked as he glided me slowly around the floor. 

“That would be Gerric. He’s a good friend of mine. You should talk to him about that undertaker’s office.”

“I may do. It’s still occupied at the moment but we will see.” 

“Still don’t think James is coming back...” I looked in his eyes, wondering why my sudden attraction to this particular profession when I used to be afraid of it. 

“I do like Sunday. People are much more peaceful and I am in little mood to did graves today.” 

“Well then don’t think about work. I’m in little mood to figure out how to prove what I already know too. So let’s just not think today.”

“Ah one can not plan for when the dead arrive... but I worry when I look at people and all I can see is a coffin as clothes. But then business is business.” 

“Well... I get to know people and all I can see are their cards in my filing system... the lines that I have to fill out about them... So I know how you feel.”

“True, but if I don’t get some bodies soon.. Will have to go back to furniture making. But didn’t appear to be much call for that either,” he furrowed his brow. 

“I still think you should settle near Diamond... could work all over still like I do but it’s a nice town to live in.”

Suzy walked in and said hello then and headed back out of the saloon. I shook my head and said, “In and out like the wind, that one.”

“Must be my sunny disposition,” he smiled. 

“You do have a sunny disposition,” I chuckled and tickled his side. 

“Mostly to animals or children. I tend to have a problem with adults. Or maybe they have a problem with me.” 

“Didn’t have a problem with me,” I winked. 

“I must be losing my touch,” he laughed. “Do you want to show me the undertakers?” 

“You want to go inside this time?”

“Sure, let’s have a look around,” he said, stopping the dance. 

“Alright,” I said and reached for his hand ass we walked through town towards the undertaker’s office. 

“General store is empty as well,” he commented as we walked to the office. I hesitated, letting Joe lead the way as he whistled, “Bring out your dead” and led me inside. I walked in after him, wondering if I was crazy. “It’s not exactly homely is it?” he asked, looking around and rubbing his chin. 

I shook my head, having a glimpse back to Icca’s opium den of an undertaker’s office, and shook away the image. It came up every time I was in one of these offices and I wondered if it would haunt me for the rest of my life. 

“We will see, and as the place is furnished. It looks like the previous occupier may come back,” he smiled. “I am patient you have to be in my job.” 

“I doubt it,” I replied somewhat bitterly. 

He looked at me and asked, “Is there something I should know?” 

“Thought he liked me is all. Guess I wasn’t worth comin’ back for. Can’t remember the last time I saw him.”

“Well you never know. He may return,” Joe stood, looking a little uncomfortable. 

“If he does.. I’ve moved on. I can’t keep waiting around for people, Joe. I’ve gotta live in the here and now,” I shook my head. 

“In my job you get used to waiting for people. I have a extra large coffin for somebody special,” he winked at me. 

I shook my head at him with a sigh and pulled him close to lean against his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here, Joe.” 

“Aye I am glad to be back, but Diamond still feels a little strange. Many memories...” 

“I bet...” 

“You said you were married to someone for two years... can I ask you who you were married to or would you rather not talk about it?”

“Was married to Mayor Cymbal Constantine. Through thick and thin,” he smiled. “They were good times and believe me, lively times.” 

“Cym!?” I blinked at him. “You were married to Cym!? Geez... talk about old cases coming to life again,” I shook my head.

“What cases particularly?” he asked slowly. 

“I was working a case back in October and start of November of last year... looking into your ex wife’s disappearance. Along with what happened to Kaly. But it never got solved.”

“Ah Kaly...” he rubbed his chin. “As for my wife, I believe she is dead, but then I believe she said I was dead,” he laughed a little. 

“Not you too with this ghost stuff... You knew Kaly too? Maybe you could finally shed some truth on what happened to both of them, if you know anything?” I looked at him hopefully, wondering if this mystery would finally get solved. 

He shook his head and said, “My wife was going mad and Kaly, I remember, was mayor here for a while when I moved out to be near Broken Arrow. I left shortly after and went to Mexico with some lumber... but that was a long time ago. I heard our daughter came here. Didn’t she shed any light on what happened?” 

“So Kaly didn’t just disappear then....” I sighed, relieved at least that half the mystery solved. “Yeah, Jo... That didn’t really help anything, no.”

“Like mother like daughter,” he muttered under his breath. “Well some cases are best left a mystery it adds to the mystic of the town.” 

I thought back and told him, “Jo... The sheriff at the time warned me against going to her directly for information. I did talk to her though and we talked about Eye coming back into town... We were investigating the Regulators at the time in connection with it all. I didn’t even bring up the gang or the case but she told me that the Regulators were dead. She said that all of them were supposedly killed and her grandpa, Cym’s father I guess, was shot by law. She said that some were saying some of the family got away but no one knew the truth. She admitted that when people talk like he wasn’t there around the town and they acted mysterious around her. She hoped that one of her family members would still be alive. She said that the Regulators were family and that if one of them was still alive, maybe it would explain what happened to Cym.”

“Ah, my father-in-law Johnny... I remember the Regulators and apart from Eye, I thought they had all been caught or run off to Mexico. It would not surprise me if some were still alive but I doubt they would come back here. Cymbal and the regulators were close to put it mildly.” 

“Jakob Despres was one of them... he was a good friend of mine back in Colorado. Actually ironically... the undertaker who was here in this office before... was James Despres.. Jake’s brother. But I never talked to him about the case with Cym. I should have,” I sighed at myself. 

“Let’s get out of this office,” he said, looking around. “It’s depressing. Yes, I remember Jakob. You can’t solve all cases... I couldn’t save all my patients.” 

“Yeah but Joe if you remember something... Maybe I can solve this one. I mean you already told me what happened to Kaly which was part of the mystery.. All we knew was that Kaly vanished and her things were untouched.”

“If I can I will but its part of me I prefer to keep locked away,” Joe nodded. 

“All we knew about Cym was that she was killed in a mine collapse while trying to save some miners. No one knew what caused the collapse though,” I said as I followed him outside. “I’m sorry to bring up old memories Joe... It’s just... it was such a big mystery.”

“The mine was always a deathtrap...” he paused. “But did they actually find a body?” 

I shook my head and said, “If you think I should let this be... I will... I just... you might be the only one who could help me solve it.”

“I will if I can, just depends on the old memory,” he smiled a little. 

“Can I give you the timeline to look over? Of what we figured out with this case? You can read it over and maybe fill in some gaps when I see you next?”

“Of course, I will do what I can,” he nodded. 

I handed him a copy of the timeline and said, “It’s a read, but hopefully you can work through it.” He paused a bit and then asked, “Are there any other cases unsolved? Say, involving Mayor Wise?” 

“Not that I know of?” I looked at him with confusion and could swear I saw a twinkle in his eye. 

“Well Trin I should carry on my search for land. Was a pleasure as always.” 

“Alright Joe... See you soon,” I leaned in to kiss him. 

He kissed me back and said, “Safe paths,” he waved and headed into the Canyon. I shook my head again as I watched him walk away.