Black Diamond.
I was walking into town this afternoon when Sabi walked over and greeted me. “Hey there Sabi. How are you doin’?” I asked her.
“I am mostly okiee Miss Trin, but lookin for tha law. Do you know where they all went to?”
“Um... that’s a good question. Something wrong, sweetie?” I asked and she nodded. “Wanna talk to me in my office? Safer there?”
“Tha lady that said she was gonna hurt mommy and me was back by Miss Halo’s garden a bit ago!”
“What lady, hon?”
“The one who wanted money from Mr Ben ma’am. He said he paid her and we never would see her again.. but there she was!”
“The one from court...?”
Sabi shook her head and said, “Miss um..... Kat!”
“Is Mr. Ben and your mommy around?”
“Yes Mommy is right near by. Mr Ben is pouting in tha saloon.”
“What else do you know ‘bout Kat?”
“Over here Miss Trin,” she pointed to the cantina.
“Only that she told me how bad Mr Ben was, and ta tell him if he didn’t pay her he would hurt someone he cared about,” Sabi told me.
“Think I’m gonna talk to Mr. Ben and your mommy then.”
“Hello Miss Trin,” Adriana walked over then.
“Here is mommy,” Sabi smiled.
“Hello Ma’am. I’m trying to recall if we’ve met officially,” I looked at her.
“Yes, we did. Well I know your name, but I am sure you noticed me at court.”
I looked over and saw the man walking over, backing off at the sight of me. I looked back at the woman and said, “Yes I did. My leg was in quite a bit of pain though so it was hard to focus. Was just glad I didn’t have to work.”
“It was when Mr Ben was accused of stealing. You were standing right next to me.” “Detective Trin Paige,” I reached out my hand.
“A pleasure, Miss Paige,” she shook my hand.
“Sorry ma’am it’s been a long weekend.”
“Adriana Mactavish, mother of Sabi as you probably know yourself.”
“Yes that much I have deduced,” I winked. “You have a lovely daughter.”
“Do’t you worry about it, Ma’am. “Yes, she is my pride.”
“I can understand why.” I looked over at the other man and asked, “Have we met?”
“No, don’t believe we have,” he shook his head.
“Oh, Miss Paige... a friend of mine. Mr. Ty, meet Miss Paige,” Adrianna introduced.
“Hello Ty,” I noded to him.
“Ma’am,” he nodded.
“I hear you’ve had some trouble, Mrs. Mactavish,” I looked at the woman.
“I didn’t so far, ma’am. My daughter keeps telling about a woman who ... well, stalks her somehow. I never saw that woman, but it scares me.”
“Kat, something or other...” I nodded.
“Yes, that is suppose to be her name, Miss.”
“And she’s been following your daughter? Do you know a last name perhaps?”
“I will take good care of my girl, Miss, but I really don’t know what will happen if she threatens her again and I am around. No ma’am, I have no clue,” she said.
“I told Miss Stormy about it yesterday Miss Trin,” Sabi told me.
“Let me look into this... what kinds of threats have been posed?”
“Tell her, Sabi.”
“Oh that’s good hon, but I’d still like to know just in case it happens somewhere outside of Diamond,” I said. “Then I can tell the deputies in that town.”
“Well she said if Mr Ben didn’t pay her something bad would happen ta folks he cares about. But she looked right into my eyes when she said that,” Sabi explained.
“What else?” I nodded to her.
“Mr Ben knows about it, said he took care of it... but she is still here. He said its all taken care of and not to worry. Said if he hurt mommy he would cut her head off.”
“Sabi,” Adrianna placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Anything else hon?” I asked, noticing Ty’s evasive gazes in my direction.
“Yes mommy?”
“He said that for being worried,” Adrianna said.
“Oh. Are you sure mommy?”
“Yes, angel,” Adrianna laughed slightly.
“Miss Kat also said he used ta sell girls to tha broffel for whiskey,” Sabi said.
“Ben did?” I blinked.
“No,” Adri shook her had.
“That’s what she said!”
“Sabi!” Adri said.
“Yes mommy?”
“Nothing. Stay with the... facts.”
“Well anything is helpful at this point,” I said.
“That’s not a fact, mommy?”
“She is a girl and has a wild imagination at times, Ma’am,” Adri explained.
“No really mommy, thats what she said,” Sabi insisted.
“I understand,” I nodded as Paisley and Ben walked near us. “Hi Paisley. I need to go talk with Ben for a moment.”
“Oh Miss Paisley .. that talk kept me so busy. I didn’t see you were here, too,” Adri said to her.
“I just got here.”
“I don’t really know Miss Paisley, just that she is a bad person who wants to hurt mommy and me,” Sabi said.
“We’ll take care of it, Sabi... don’t you worry. I’m gonna figure out why.”
“Is she here in town?” Paisley asked.
“Me an Miss Halo saw her a little bit ago,” Sabi nodded.
“Me for myself I never saw her, Miss Paisley,” Adri admitted.
I walked over to Ben and nodded to him while they continued to talk. “Hey there,” I greeted him. “Everything alright?”
“Everything’s just fine,” he gave a fake smile.
I looked from Ben to Ty and asked, “You want to try that answer again, Ben?”
“Ya got corn in yer ears? I’m fine and dandy.”
“Your girl and her daughter don’t seem to agree.”
“No one believes my first answer so I reckon I’ll just tell ya all lies. Ohh noo that horrible woman...she surly gonna kill us all, please help us miss detective...I’m fearful for my life..Im gonna go hide in my room under my bed now...ohhh woeee with me!” he shook his head and walked past me.
“He’s so dramatic, that one,” I sighed as I walked back to the women.
“Be sure, Miss Paige, I will have my peacemaker right by my side tonight,” Adri looked at me. “And I will make peace if she appears, Ma’am.”
“You tell me if anything else happens okay honey?” I looked at Sabi.
“Yes Miss Trin, I promise.”
“Trin if you have a few moments?” Paisley looked at me.
“If she looks the wrong way at my daughter, that woman is done, I swear to you,” Adri insisted.
“Yes ma’am, I understand. I’ll figure this mess out,” I nodded and walked to Paisley. “My office?”
“Sure,” she sighed and followed me to the office where I closed the door behind us. “I’m listening.”
“That was quite a statement to walk into from Sabi.. Children being sold to a brothel?” Paisley looked at me.
“Yes I imagine Kat told her that to scare her off. I remember Miss V sayin’ stuff like that to some kids to scare them too.”
“But there is nothing to his then?”
“I think that there is more to this than we’re hearin’.. I just need to get it out of Ben somehow.”
“There is no activity like that.. We run a clean business.”
“I know, Paisley. That’s why I think it was just fool’s talk to scare poor Sabi.”
“I do hope so. Please keep me up to speed. If I hear of anything giving credibility to it I will also let yo know. Horrible way to scare a child....”
“Of course. If you hear anything with this Kat woman, let me know.”
“I will.”
“Alright well I should head back out there.”
“I will let you tend to things.”
I walked outside and headed over to where Ben was siting in front of the bank. I pulled out my flask and took a drink. “Whiskey?” I offered him.
“Now what?” he looked at me.
“Now what? Now I want to hear the truth. Something you seem to have a difficulty telling me.”
“Nope.”
“So Kat isn’t threatening your girlfriend’s daughter?”
“Kat ain’t a problem no more; I solved the issue myself.”
“Sabi don’t seem to think so. Sabi seems pretty shaken up about the whole thing with Kat...”
“Yeah ...well I told her over and over and over again theres nothing to worry bout now.”
“Well she’s worried enough to bring it to my attention, Ben..”
“She’s a child that worries too much. If she tells you she’s afraid of monsters under her bed ya gonna come ask me a million questions bout that too?”
“Nope just care about the well-being of folks that bring things up to me is all. They said you knew about all this so I figured I’d go to the source.”
“Ok let me see if I can say this in a way ya might understand. There isn’t any problem no more.”
“Uh huh,” I nodded.
“Well I can’t make it no simpler than that miss Trin. How bout ya deal with a problem I have?”
“What problem is that?”
“That Miss Dakota still yappin, slandering my name about stealin’ her neclace..which I didn’t do.”
“You were charged guilty in court, if I recall.”
“Went to court on friday and they found me guilty for something I didn’t do.”
“That ain’t my problem, Ben.”
“Yet the woman is still threatening me.”
“Then that’s my problem.”
“Ohh that’s not your problem then...alright.”
“I’ll look into it. What happened in court ain’t. What’s happenin’ to ya since is.”
“So I’ll handle the problem my way next time she utters a single accusation again...that’s fine.”
“Ben hear me. I just clarified myself. I can’t do anything about the verdict in court. What I CAN and WILL do something about is these threats since court.”
“I hear ya... and you heard me.”
“Can I ask you a question about somethin’ I’M dealin’ with?”
“Sure...ask away.”
“You know a man named Eryk?”
“Nope.”
“Really.”
“Got a last name?”
“I wish. Seems to know you.”
“Let me guess, another assassin comin my way?”
“Or mine,” I muttered. “What can ya tell me about Ty?”
“Eryk? I really cant tell ya much, seems like a decent fella...friendly enough..why?”
“Just curious,” I nodded. “So these threats from Dakota... what kind of threats?”
“Tell me more about the Eryk fella.”
“You first,” I chuckled.
“She claimin the stolen necklace was her momma and she gettin it back one way or another...came at me ready to pull her irons, if I wasn’t such a nice fella, she be in Bree’s office....but I seemed to have talked a big enough game that she had second thoughts bout pulling on me. I ain’t liken to shoot no one less they leave me no choice.”
“You and me both...” I nodded.
“Your turn,” Ben looked at me.
“So she held her guns at ya? Here in Diamond? Could get her arrested for that if you wanna write it as a statement...”
“She went dumb enough to pull em on me...but the treats of makin me pay are gettin old.”
“I understand that Ben. But seriously... if she pulled the guns on you you can charge her for that. Write it up and I’ll give it to the office.”
“If she pulled them guns , they would of never cleared her holsters and she be laying in a puddle of her own blood, I can assure you of that.”
“So she didn’t actually pull ‘em?”
“Nope.”
“Alright then. Anything else?”
“That’s about it, so tell me about that other fella.”
“Well... not sure how much to tell you since you’re so closely linked to this whole thing and I ain’t sure if you’re still involved or not...”
“I ain’t involved in nuttin’.”
“Uh huh ‘cept you’re doin’ deliveries for the man.. Warnin’ me about his friends bein’ around.”
“Just being a good citizen in doing all that.”
“Uh huh.”
“How’s this Erky fella involved?”
“Cause he came and told me to rest up and get healed ‘cause the bad guy would be here when I was. Seemed awfully odd since you’d just told me that the bandit was gonna be around in June.”
“Ohhh he’s here, be assured of that. Some of his gang too. Kat be proof of that, the others I’m not up on.”
“Kat? Kat’s part of his gang? What’s Kat’s full name?”
“Umm ..kitty..kat hell if I know. She ain’t much with a gun...more the seductive type.”
“I want a last name,” I said, having flashbacks to a KittyKat turned Cathy in Amiville and I shuddered.
“Don’t have a last name either,” he smiled.
“Of course not. Alright Ben I’m gonna let you go.”
“I gotta tell ya Trin. I’ve been real good up to this point. But my patients wearing thin these days. A lot of new folks in and out of town.”
“I know, Ben...” I nodded.
“You be safe,” he told me and we parted ways then.
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