August 24, 1900

Tombstone. 

I walked down the street this morning and found Jimmy and Paisley sitting in front of Dutch Annie’s. They greeted me and I asked if everything was okay. 

“Yeah, I think so... I was doing a little reading for Jimmy is all,” Paisley told me. 

“So far so good... ‘cept someone broke in bank agin Miss Trin!” Jimmy said. 

“Oh I see...” I looked over to the bank. 

“Yes. He came over to tell me.” 

“Did you see who did it Jimmy?” I asked. 

“I look inside, but no touch...no, I see nobody roun...firs person I find was Miss Paisley when she come out.” 

“He came over as soon as he saw me,” Paisley said. 

“Ah okay. Guess ya don’t need me then...” I nodded. 

“Awe, Miss Trin you can sit wit us..I jus askin Miss Paisley read dis letter I find...I from my ma when I little,” Jimmy said and I took a seat on the steps, full of exhaustion and frustration from the trial yesterday. “Miss Trin, you look tired.” 

“You okay?” Paisley looked at me. 

“It was a long and hard day yesterday,” I shrugged. “What was the letter about Jimmy?” 

“Yes it was,” Paisley smiled. “Go on, tell her.” 

“My ma wrote me a little fore she die, she tell me she love me, and about who I am.” 

“Oh yeah? Where’d you find the letter?” 

“I find it in an old shoe I had.” 

“Oh I see.” 

Sammy came over hobbling on his crutches and we talked about how he knew Natalie and she’d told me about him. 

“Momma tell me I was part Apache indian, cuz she was too,” Jimmy said then. 

“Oh yeah? Just like me...” I looked at him. 

“Oh you part indian too Miss Trin?” 

“Mmhmm I sure am. My daddy fought in the war but with a group of Apache warriors... They were a special group of soldiers. I’m teaching Natalie how to speak Apache.” 

“All wonderful groups of Natives,” Paisley said. “Rich heritages. Nat said you had a book Trin.” 

“I learned my momma’s name from the letter too..he name was Mandy, but Miss Paisley said it could be short for Amanda,” Jimmy said. 

We went over several words that we knew in Apache and then I went to change into the outfit I wore when I went to visit the village. They all said that they really liked the outfit and I suggested Jimmy and I could go for a ride to the village sometime since they knew me and trusted me. 

With all the talk about the Natives, my mind went back to many memories of how things had ended badly with each tribe I had tried to help so long ago. My emotions were heightened when Paisley mentioned Sunset and I walked over to the coral, needing to gather myself. The last couple of days had been hard and I felt like I was losing my sense of calm and peace. 

“Miss Trin you ok?” Jimmy’s voice brought me back to the present and I looked down at him, wiping the tears away. 

“I’m sorry Jimmy... It’s been a hard few days and I just... the memories sometimes get to me.” Jimmy handed me a handkerchief and I took it, wiping away the tears. “Being Apache is something to be proud of, Jimmy, but it’s not always easy.” 

“It’s ok Miss Trin...I cry too...I cry when Miss Paisley read me that letter earlier..cuz I miss my ma so much.” 

Sammy walked in then to make sure I was okay and we talked about how the last couple of days had brought up a lot of painful memories for me. Jimmy talked about how he worked at the stable for miss Pet. Kaden walked over then and I listened to the boys talk about working with the horses. 

“Ms Trin likes to hang out with the injuns,” Sammy said. 

“Well.. I used to... I haven’t really gotten to know them here much but...”

“What happened?” Kaden asked me. 

“I did help them with court once. I helped save their Chief from getting hanged.”

“How did you do that?” Kaden asked. 

“Well that sounds like a friend,” Sammy smiled and then Jimmy said he had to go.

When Jimmy ran off to Benson I looked at the other two boys. “You want me to tell you how I saved the Apache Chief from getting hanged?” 

“Yes’m, it sound real intresting,” Kaden nodded. 

I smiled and knelt down to their level and started to tell them the story. “Well... I felt bad that the Chief was gonna get hanged... cause you know when you kill someone... you get killed for it... But I knew that the Chief had done it to protect his son...” 

“That good that he protect his son but killing is still bad,” Kaden said. 

“Well... I went to talk with the Chief’s wife and got her statement... I thought that maybe if I had her story, the court would go easier on her husband because then they’d understand why he did it. Wanna hear what she said?” 

“Yeah,” Kaden nodded. 

I remembered the day so clearly and told them, “She said... ‘My husband was wronged. Our family was said bad things against. She call our papoose, our baby son, a critter. Our papoose not rat. My husband, Chief of tribe, is his duty to protect family and tribe. We just look. We not bother no one.’ Then she said... Woman come to us. I back behind husband, I not trust. She say bad things. Then my husband, he need to react. Is the Apache way, not to do this. She put her hand to her guns. Put us in danger and my papoose. Left Chief no choice but attack.’ She said ‘Dago te’ to her. She make fun of language. My husband try tell her. She not like this, so this all happen. We just stand quiet and look. Not cause trouble. So she he no choice, when see she went for guns, to protect us.’” 

“So she said bad things and touched her guns? That scary,” Kaden said. 

“So the chief took out his weapon to protect himself and his son. But see... When white man looks at this story... all they see is that Chief killed the woman, right?”

“If that all you say then that what people know,” Kaden pointed out. 

“They didn’t think about it from the Chief’s view.. And Apache women don’t trust anyone enough to give them their stories written down... They can’t even write.... But I went to the village and I told the woman that I was part-Apache. She trusted that I wanted to help her and her husband. If I hadn’t gone to talk to her... No one would have... And no one would have heard her story. I even sat on the jury for that trial and made sure to say that the chief wasn’t guilty. The rest of the jury agreed and he was let go.” 

“You done a good thing,” Kaden said. 

“See normally... Pinkertons don’t help the defense...” 

“You was a witness and a juror?” Kaden asked. 

Well... I sat on the jury but they didn’t tell me to get off. They never said my name with the report.” 

“Tombstone law...” Sammy said. 

“Cause I was scared then... to show that I was helping the defense. Now that I think about it I shouldn’t have been on the jury at all...” 

“So it was a anonymous report?” Kaden asked. 

“Just from the Pinkertons,” I nodded. 

“But you weren’t what they say, impartial.” 

“Right... but I was able to listen to both sides and hear both arguments of the case...” 

“They’ll favor who’s paying them,” Sammy said. 

“As a detective... I have to look at all the sides and facts, right?” I said. 

“Well that’s true, Sammy,” Kaden nodded. 

“So maybe I had made a mistake and maybe the prosecutor would convince me otherwise... I had to take that chance. In the end though... Mr. Lot had the better case and a solid argument for the Chief.” 

“Mr Lot likes to help the indians,” Kaden said. 

“But see that teaches you a lesson, right? Before you decide something about a person based on who they are or where they’re from.. You’ve gotta hear the whole story. From both sides. Then you can decide who you believe more.” 

“Yep, it’s ok to be on the jury even if you made up your mind ahead a time long as you ain’t a kid,” Kaden said. 

“Well... I hadn’t quite made up my mind yet, that’s the thing. I was still confused ‘cause I’d heard all the sides of the story. All I’d done was gotten a statement from the chief’s wife..” 

“Didja lose your job with the pinkertons?” Sammy asked. 

“Nope. They knew I’d done a good job and helped the law in a lot of other cases. Sometimes... the facts lead us where we don’t want to go. Sometimes the facts make us help the other side. Like yesterday..” 

“What happen then?” Kaden asked. 

“My friend Zannza went to court.” 

“What for?” Sammy asked. 

“She and her husband hired me to do the whole investigation though... Cause she had been stealing artwork from galleries around town. Thing was.. someone else was doing it and making her look bad. But we didn’t know that when we started. So I thought I was helping the law by getting her arrested... But then the woman doing it came and tried to kill her so she actually ended up killing her too. Kinda like the Apache Chief... The woman she killed had tried to hurt her and said she’d hurt her family.” 

“Wow...” Kaden shook his head. 

“Yeah... So see it’s the same kind of thing. I wrote a huge report about it and the prosecutor person actually tried to use me as a witness.” 

“People keep killin like they ar ain’t gonna be no one left in Arizona by 1910,” Sammy pointed out. 

“But I don’t think she’d read the whole report or she woulda seen I was actually in the end helping the other side this time too. Problem though with yesterday...” I sighed. 

“Ma’am?” Sammy looked at me. 

“The prosecutor didn’t seem to like that I was helping the other side... She brought up all this bad stuff that the Pinkertons had done in the past and tried to get the jury not to trust me as a witness.” 

“Who was that?” Kaden asked. 

“Suzy...” I sighed. “It was awful. I felt like I was bein’ punished for what my other detectives had done in the past.” 

“Weren’t she a pinkerton way back?” Kaden asked. 

“Was she?” I looked at him with surprise. 

“Kaden’s got a purty good memory,” Sammy said. 

“I ain’t real sure but I thought she was,” Kaden tried to think. 

“Hmm... That’s interesting. But see...” 

“That would give her the information she was throwing at you,” Kaden pointed out. 

“Someone shouldn’t be held accountable for the actions of everyone that’s gone before. Those two cases I told you about? Where I helped the other side?” 

“She might a been talkin bout what she herself done,” Kaden said. 

“But lawyers know folks don’t think that way,” Sammy pointed out. 

“Those are the only two times I’ve ever done that. And the second time, yesterday, I didn’t know I 

was helpin the defense until the end. It hurt a lot... the way she talked about the Pinkertons and how she tried to make them not trust me.” 

“You gotta have a thick skin in your business ma’am,” Sammy observed. 

“Yes you sure do. I’m tryin’ to see it just like you said Sammy... She was a lawyer tryin’ to do her job.” 

“I don’t like her. she even tried to get a bunch of us kids once to get guns and join her posse,” Kaden said. 

“Wow... That isn’t allowed.” 

“Now that’s really against the law,” Sammy shook his head. 

“But she did,” Kaden said. 

“She shoulda been up before territorial justice for that,” Sammy pouted. 

“You would think...” I said and looked between them. “Hey guys? Thanks for letting me talk about all this... It helps me keep things in perspective and try not to get too.. upset about it.” 

“Well ma’am there sure ain’t much law west of the Pecos, is there?” Sammy looked at me. 

“I’ve been kinda lonely lately. Though I’ve got Natalie. And Alex and Aly... and Thomas when he’s in town I guess.” 

“I met her yesterday, she’s sweet. Got a purty name,” Sammy said. 

“Mmhmm. She and Jimmy are best friends but she likes hangin’ out with the boys better than the girls. She’s scared to go to school though.” 

“After last night i think we’re all a little nervous about school,” Sammy frowned. 

“What happened last night? She didn’t go...” 

“There was a big shootemup right outside the school.” 

“Really?” 

“Yikes,” Kaden cringed. 

“We was all inside afeared they’d come ridin through the door.” 

“Wow... That’s awful.” 

“Didnt last long but it was right skeery while it did.” 

“I bet you were. Hope they caught em.” 

“Shot ‘em, I think.” 

“The law did?” 

“Yes. Soon’s the street cleared I headed for ms Joan’s.” 

“Well they shouldn’t be sootin’ right near the schoolhouse. That ain’t right.” 

“Nope,” Kaden shook his head. 

“Never had ‘em back on that street before,” Sammy pointed out. 

“How was the class part?” I asked. 

“Allen Street got plenty of room,” Sammy muttered. “The street by the school is narrow. Ifn ya didn’t git shot ya could git run down by a horse.” 

“Mmhmm, you’re right Sammy,” I nodded. 

Sammy and Kaden said they had to go and Kaden looked at me. “Thanks fer tellin the stories Miss Trin, I real sorry it causin ya problems with the Pinkertons.” 

They both said that they found my life interesting and I told them I could tell them lots of stories if they wanted to hear them sometime. 

I walked over towards the courthouse and saw Jimmi and Starling standing in the street in front of it. They greeted me and we talked about how I had been checking my gun to make sure there were bullets in it. 

“Gonna need it if I’m gonna protect my honor around this town after yesterday,” I muttered. 

“What happened?” 

“Suzy attacking the Pinkertons like that in court.” 

“Trin, you’re not a Pinkerton in whatever and wherever it was whenever too. You’re here and now in Tombstone today.” 

“Precisely. She shouldn’t be holding the crimes of my predecessors against me.”

“Suzy is great to know when she has a few lemonades inside her.” 

“I just hope it hasn’t tarnished folks’ trust of me and my fellow detectives that might be hired. I worked hard on that case. And to have it manhandled by her hit hard.”

“She is a lawyer and she will drill holes in any testimony she thinks needs a few leaks. Don’t take it personally.” 

“I guess it should be seen as a compliment then,” I nodded. 

“Exactomondo,” Jimmi nodded. 

“She just didn’t realize that my statement would be helping the other side this time. Though, I didn’t know that until the end of the case,” I winked at him.

“It was amusing though, Adrian helping Suzy back to her seat. ‘This way Suzy, sit here have some water.’” 

“I thought it was amusing that Adrian, who is technically my boss, was defending and asking questions to me as a defense witness,” I chuckled. “I was just telling the boys... Only other time I helped the defense in court was for the Apache Chief murder trial back in February. It don’t happen often,” I chuckled. 

“He killed Vena,” Jimmi remembered. 

“Out of self defense and protection of his family.”

“Over a few words, words don’t hurt unless you allow them. Guns and knives, you have no choice if they are used. They will hurt. “ 

“I recalled his wife’s statement. Vena went for her guns and the chief felt threatened. It hadn’t been over merely words.”

“It started as words and could easily ended as words. This street is not where the old chief lives; he did not have to be here and even Vena could have walked away unharmed. As soon as a weapon was drawn, that’s breaking the law. Killing without lawful reason is murder.” 

“But Vena was the one who drew a weapon first. What choice did the chief have? His own son and wife were right there.”

“Don’t matter who drew a weapon first. Let me explain...” 

“Sure it does.” 

“No...” 

“That was because she called the baby a critter,” Starling put in. 

“Right...” I nodded. 

“You can have a fast draw up against me,” Jimmi went on. “The fast draw sees me going for my gun. He pulls faster than me because he cant help it.” 

“But you still went for your gun.”

“By the time I am drawn, he has cocked aimed and fired. Who started the fight?” 

“The motion of hands going towards a gun is enough to signal a threat to the other person.”

“I could be scratching my pants.” 

“But doesn’t say you are going to fire,” Starling said. 

“With your hand on your gun?” I blinked. 

“Starling... if you and Garry were out for a walk and someone called you names and then that person put their hand to their gun... Would you not take all precaution to protect your child?” I asked her. 

“The person who draws first is not always the person who starts the fight. The person who kills the other is the winner of the argument,” Jimmi said. 

“Of course. But I don’t wear weapons,” Starling said. 

“It’s the same thing with Zan’s situation,” I said. “Mae Billings threatened Zan’s husband and child.”

“That’s not a fair example Trin. Starling is unarmed and could never cope with a gun drawn on her.” 

“Well sure but I’m just trying to explain the mentality behind it.”

“The chief and his wife back then were armed.” 

“I could put you in Starling’s place, Jimmi. If you and Garry were out for a walk and someone started to have words with you and then went for their gun. What would you do Jimmi?”

“Cover my child with my own body.” 

“And then?” 

“I only draw my guns when I intend to kill someone Trin, not for threats or ego.” 

“Well... Native people are much more... firm with their protection of their family. It’s a cultural difference that not all folks understand.”

“Let’s get into detail of the chief and Vena.” 

“You forget Trin, I am Apache also,” Starling said. 

“I remember, Starling... Is another reason I asked what you would do.”

“It started with poor choice of words which is not really poor choice at all. Vena calls every child a critter,” Jimmi said. 

“But how was the chief to know that, Jimmi? Or his wife?”

“He wouldn’t Trin, that’s just it. So what was said for Vena to reach for her guns?” 

“As far as we know... Vena wasn’t the one who felt threatened.”

“Either way the chief got off free of all charges,” Starling said. 

“Yes, Starling, granted... But this issue keeps coming up again and again.”

“Oh I think you may find it is very different, vena cant tell you because she is dead now.” 

“People take out weapons to protect their family against someone else who is being threatening or appears threatening. The question for court to figure out is... Is it murder worthy of hanging? And that’s a question we have to wrestle with whether we’re Apache, White, or some other tribe.”

“But Vena would not reach for her guns unless she felt under threat from two armed Apache natives in Allen Street too just over there,” he pointed to the undertaker’s office. 

“Perhaps, Jimmi...” 

“So, you spoke to the chief and his woman?” 

“If I recall, I spoke to the chief’s wife. The chief was unavailable for comment.” 

“The chief’s woman talks for the chief,” Jimmi shook his head, smiling. “You know who wore the loin cloth between those two.” 

“Either way, Jimmi...” I chuckled. “We were faced with the same dilemma in court yesterday, were we not? A woman killed another woman in protection of her family. And herself.”

“Court is word against word, a battle of wit over bull shit.” 

“That may be true but you see my point, don’t you? At what point does murder become murder worthy of hanging?”

“One woman was murdered, she may have had it coming to her for crimes she did in the past but thats for law and court to decide, not another citizen unless they are part of a jury.” 

“Yes, I agree with you... But as a member of the law and a judge yourself, and a Pinkerton myself, these are questions we must wrestle with, no?”

“Killing lawfully only happens in three situations Trin. When we are at war... when we work for law... and finally only if we or our family and property is under serious threat of imminent destruction.” 

“Which is what both the chief and Zan believed they were doing. I’m sure there are other examples, just those are two major cases I worked with.”

“Zannza had past the point of self defense, she was out to murder Mae in cold blooded vengeance.” 

“Because Mae tried to hang her and threatened to harm her husband and son.”

“As far as the chief and vena are concerned, we will never know why vena went for her guns. Look at the chief and Vena again.” 

“And let’s not forget... Mae shot at Zan first.”

“She reached for her guns, was she about to defend herself? You only have the story from the chief’s woman, she will support her husband.” 

“I’ll concede that point,” I nodded. “But as you said earlier... We will never know why Vena put her hands to the gun. In the case of Zan and Mae, we have all the facts.”

It was then that I noticed Sabi behind the sign in front of the courthouse and watched her with concern as she hid more when Starling walked over to her. 

“We have words Trin and versions of stories. It is the task of a court and jury to decide the most plausible version,” Jimmi said. 

“Not just the words of Trin... We had the words of Zan as well. And Mae’s. And Chris’.” 

“And we have versions of stories.” 

“Versions or not, we all swore to tell the truth on the stand, did we not?” 

“Indeed, and my version of a story will be different to yours. Nobody sees things in the same way even though two people could be looking at the same event.” 

I smiled at Jimmi and said, “It’s healthy discussions like these that make our positions enlightening, isn’t it?”

“It is healthy yes. And look! We haven’t drawn!” 

I chuckled and said, “And now you know why I write everything down.”

“That is not funny honey,” Starling muttered and I couldn’t help but smirk at this. 

“So that I don’t tell the story differently at two different times. Well if we did draw, Jimmi, Starling could heal us both,” I winked. 

“Trouble with a lot of people here these days is that they settle arguments and grudges with bullets and knives.” 

“Indeed... Where many of those arguments could be settled with words.”

“Or a drink.” 

“You and I are on the same page on that one. My gun is my very last resort.”

“Mine are too.” 

“Even as a Pinkerton... I have only ever killed one person. Here in Tombstone. She was shooting at both me and Alyssa. Alyssa was unarmed at the time, I had no choice but to defend us against the woman.”

“I haven’t killed anyone in Tombstone yet. I have been tempted.” 

“Believe me, all I wanted to do was scare the woman off. If they die because no medical help came quickly enough... That’s a whole other discussion. Doesn’t necessarily mean the person who shot them wanted to kill them.”

“Yet they would live if they had never been shot.” 

“Right, but perhaps the other person might not.”

“If something happened that morning say your bacon burned and delayed you. You would never have met that woman that fateful day.” 

“True. But Jimmi you see my point? Say two people are in a gunfight... Not intending to kill one another, just wound them perhaps... Say that one person goes down and is brought to the clinic... Say the doctor does not come to help in time and the person dies.”

“You don’t draw to wound, you draw to kill.” 

“Is the other person still charged with murder? See that’s just my point. I doubt that everyone who draws a weapon wants to kill.”

“If I don’t want to kill someone these guns sty right where they are.” 

“I suppose but that’s not always the case, is it?”

“Put it like this Trin, if there are a few Wild bunch on the street at night whoopin and yellin and messing about as they do would you draw your guns and start shootin?” 

“Not unless one of them came at me with a weapon drawn.”

“This is where it gets different, you are feeling under threat. so imagine another situation. the whole hordes of outlaws are descending upon this town on horse back with guns drawn and firing this way and that. you draw and defend?” 

“Obviously.” 

“Indeed, as would I. Even though the act of drawing without lawful consent would put us both into a jail cell.” 

“But seeing as we both work somewhat with the law... would we be arrested? Even if we weren’t deputized?” 

“We may be arrested and that depends on the workings of the law officer at the time. If they are standing at the wrong end of the street, turn around hearing gunfire and see you and I firing on a bunch of folk they may not consider our action as lawful.” 

“But if they understand that the Wild Bunch is threatening the entire town and they see us shooting at them? Knowing that you and I, as Judge and Pinkerton, always try to uphold the law and protect citizens that are under our power?” 

“They may discover that quickly yes, but you and I are rightfully sitting in a jail cell while the town cleans up the mess of bodies we made. What we should be doing is running for a law officer, not drawing guns and doing the task of the lawman.” 

“Okay so run with me on this scenario... Wild bunch come into town. They threaten and draw guns and shoot at everyone in their path. There is no lawmen around but you and me. A judge and a Pinkerton. No one to deputize us. We sit back and let them shoot up the town, or we defend our citizens and explain later when lawmen come in and find us shooting?” 

“We fight them of course Trin and then make believe it never happened.” 

Sabi started crying about shooting and I sighed, realizing maybe this conversation had been too much for the child to overhear. Jimmi went over to help Starling with trying to figure out what had happened to Sabi. I noticed a man standing nearby then who had been listening to our discussion. I introduced myself and found out his name was Ken Tungsten. I walked over to the others and explained to them what was going on with Sabi as Jess walked over to take care of the girl. Seeing she was in good hands I thanked Jimmi for the discussion and headed home.