October 18, 1900

Tombstone.

This evening I walked over towards the saloon and leaned against the crates, listening to the group talking. Dancing Cloud was going on about something or other and I looked over at May and asked her, “Hi there May. Did you get ahold of Jimmi?” 

“Yes Trin, I did,” she nodded. 

“Oh good. Now we just need people to show up for their trials and we’ll be alright.” 

“He let me fill out an application. Is that not great?” 

“That’s fantastic! I knew he would.” 

“Who didn’t show up for court, Trin?” Spin asked. 

“In the meantime, I am getting info on Rock Janic’s life here,” May smiled at me. 

“Anyone. We haven’t had a trial in weeks, Spin,” I shrugged. “Why?” 

“Thought supposed to be one today. Adrian sent out in the mail,” Spin said. 

“Dancing Cloud get Shaman to put curse on gypsy woman,” Dancing Cloud muttered.

“Seems his life here might make a good ten cent novel...well if i clean it up a bit,” May grinned. 

“Never got summoned for it by telegram,” I shrugged. 

A woman there hissed at Dancing Cloud and I raised an eyebrow as Dancing Cloud hissed back. 

“Oooh Trin, can you tell me any thing about Rock Janic?” May asked me. 

“Other than that he’s an idiot?” I asked and Spin laughed. “And expects me to be his personal secretary?” 

“But how could he have been and be a law man? anyway he is dead.. Trin,” May sighed. 

“Like.... dead dead? Or dead like people say around here and then they show up again not so much?” 

A man came up behind me and poked me in the back and then said, “Reach for the sky!” and kissed my neck. 

“No, no, his skull was found to day… with the eye patch still on it,” May told me. 

I blinked, hearing the man’s voice and feeling his kiss. I turned around and smiled, wrapping my arms around Thomas. “I knew you had to come out of that office sooner or later, dear!” 

“Sure it was his skull?” Spin asked. 

“Yes Spin…” May said. “They were even has his funeral today… I attended and took notes.” 

Thomas hugged me tightly with a big smile and said, “Yeah, my eyes were beginning to hurt, everything was running together.” 

I shook my head at that and said, “I bet, dear. You’ve been at those books for ages.” 

“I’ve seen a few people here in Tombstone with an eyepatch,” Spin said. 

“Whose funeral?” Thomas asked. 

“Apparently Rock’s skull showed up,” I told him. 

“Rock?” Thomas raised an eyebrow. 

“Yes, sire Rock the Deputy here,” May nodded. 

“The one who thought you were his secretary?” Thomas asked. 

I nodded to him with a chuckle and said, “I’ve had a few too many people in my life raise from the dead though, before coming here, so I’m not going to start grieving yet.” 

“Rock Janic,” May said. “Trin would grieve if she knew he was really dead,” she said as she wrote a note to herself.

“I hate to hear anyone died, but I think whoever did it, did Tombstone a favor. He was a danger to others and himself,” Thomas said. 

I smirked a bit and leaned into my man’s arms. “I’ve missed you, darling.” 

Sabi and Free came over then and Miss Luna as well. Thomas held me close and kissed my lips softly. “I missed you too. I need to speak to you about something very important though. When you get a few minutes.” 

“Did you know Rock Janic… Sabi?” May asked the girl. Sabi told her about the time when Rock tried to convince her to do his work for him and I looked over at Thomas, no longer interested in the conversation around me. 

“Sure dear. Is this a sit down in the office kind of talk or a get a drink kind of talk?” I asked him. 

“Ummmm, well do you have a bottle in your office?” 

“Want to take a walk, darling?” I smirked a bit and waved to everyone and we headed to my office. 

While we were walking, I blinked and stopped when I saw Mysti, who I hadn’t seen in a long time. “Well I be… Ya see, Thomas? This is why I don’t believe anyone sayin’ someone’s dead. Not that they’ve said that about Mysti but... people disappear and then return when you least expect it.” 

“Is that what they’ve been sayin?” Mysti laughed. 

“Nah. How you been Mysti? This is my love, Thomas Wallace. Dear, this is an old friend of mine... Mystii.” 

“It’s good to be back. I had to go back East,” Mysti smiled at Thomas. 

“Everything alright, Mysti?” I asked her.

“Nice to meet you Mysti. Any friend of Trin’s, is a friend of mine. Welcome back,” Thomas smiled. 

“Yes but I had a few family emergencies several illnesses and a death,” Mysti said. 

“Oh I am sorry to hear about that. Are you living in Bisbee again? Or Diamond?” 

“And nice to meet you too, Thomas,” Mysti smiled at him and then looked at me. “It’s all better now, and I never left my home in Diamond.” 

“Glad to hear that. We’ll have to have tea and catch up sometime,” I smiled. “Seems Thomas and I need to chat about something. We were going away from the crowds on Allen Street,” I winked at her knowingly. 

“I am surprised it is not broken in to or burned to the ground again but my wolf I believe has been keeping an eye on it,” Mysti said and smiled. “Well don’t let me keep you two, and so good to see you again, my friend.” 

“Same to you hon. We’ll catch up soon.” 

Thomas and I said goodbye to her and then headed onward to Bisbee. 

Bisbee. 

We walked to the cafe and took a seat at a table outside as I said, “I always like coming to this cafe with Alex when we have something serious to talk about. Never get interrupted out here,” I looked down, missing my best friend. 

Thomas pulled a chair out for me and then sat down across from me. “I have never been here. Seems nice though.” 

“Lots of memories in this town…” I said and ordered a couple coffees and got my flask of whiskey out, giving him a wink. 

He held his cup out for me to add a little whiskey to his coffee and said, “Trin I need to ask you something very serious.” He removed his hat and set it on a nearby chair. 

“I’m listening,” I took a deep breath. 

“What do you know about Jimmy’s family?” 

“Not much. I know that his father was a gambler or somethin’ and is doing life in prison. I know that he found a note from his mother saying that they were part Apache… His mother died when he was young, I believe.” 

Thomas looked around and then asked, “Do you know what his fathers name is?” 

“I thought Jimmy was named after him?” 

“Jimmy? Like in James, or Jim?” 

“Something like that but I have no idea for sure.” I took a sip of coffee and asked, “Why do you ask, dear?” 

He shook his head and asked, “Ummm, well.....do you know Jimmy’s last name by any chance?” 

“You know... I have no idea,” I said, thinking about it. 

“I think he told me once it was Wheeler. If so, then something isn’t right about this.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Trin, there are things about me you don’t know. First, I am not originally from Philidelphia. I was born and raised in Texas until I went away to college back east,” he said. I blinked and leaned back, listening. “My parents died several years ago, leaving me everything they had. But I have a brother, and I had a sister, but she died of smallpox some years ago.” 

“Where is your brother? He is still alive?” 

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen or spoken to him in nearly fifteen years. He took to a life of crime. I almost had to kill him when I was 19, when he tried to kill our mother for slapping him when he stole money from a mercantile store.” 

I looked in my coffee and then back at him. “What does all this have to do with Jimmy?” 

“His name was James Robert Wallace, and our mothers name was Lousise Allison Wheeler Wallace. If Jimmy is a Jr. and his last name is Wheeler, then I am wondering who his father is or was.” 

“Because you want to adopt him,” I nodded. 

“Yes, I loved the little guy, and want him as my son. But Trin, if his father is by chance my brother, that would mean Jimmy is my nephew. I didnt even know my brother ever got married, if he did.” 

“Your brother…?” I blinked and looked at him. 

“James Robert Wallace, if he was by chance Jimmy’s father, is my brother,” Thomas said. 

“But... Jimmy’s last name is Wheeler you said..” 

“Why I am bringing this to you Trin, is I need your help to find out what I can about Jimmy and his family. True, and my mothers last name was Wheeler. Her maiden name I mean.” 

I blinked, putting it together as I reached over to take his hand. “We will figure it out, dear. I’m not sure how but... we will. Maybe if you looked at that note that Jimmy got... from his mother… Maybe you might recognize the hand writing… If it was your sister-in-law…?” 

“How have you and Natalie been? I am sorry I been spending so much time studying,” he said then. 

“Well, last time I saw my brother, he wasn’t married, nor did he have a son. Like I said, its been 15 years since I heard from James.” 

“Oh…” I shook my head. “Our best option is to talk to Jimmy and find out how much he remembers I guess… We at least know that his mother was Apache.” 

“You are right.” 

“So we are both from Texas, but needed to go long journeys to find each other here in Tombstone…” I smiled, thinking about it. 

“I didn’t mean to alarm you dear, but I just didn’t want everyone hearing about this on Allen Street. Yes, very true, except you didn’t have a murderous thieving brother whose whole family disowned when he was 21.” 

“Of course... I am glad you told me everything, Thomas... Our pasts are what make us who we are today. I am not upset that you didn’t tell me. I am glad you felt you could trust me with it.” 

“When he was 13, he burned down the schoolhouse because the whooped him for not going to school.” 

“Wow…” 

“I thought and hoped he was dead, I know thats an awful thing to say about ones brother, but he didn’t have a good bone in his body.” 

“I understand, love. Family ties don’t mean we condone what our relatives have done,” I nodded. “I wish that you could meet my brother someday…” 

“But to hear Jimmy talk about his pa, it really don’t sound like my brother, I cant picture him ever having a wife or son.. he just, I don’t know.” 

“We’ll find out the truth, dear.” 

“I would love to meet your brother Trin, if he is anything like you, he’s a good person.” 

“He certainly is. I just have to convince him to make the trip out here. He is very busy with his work with the government up north,” I smiled. 

“What does he do if I might ask?” 

“Some sort of security government work... I don’t really understand it but he’s intensely protective of me.” 

“Oh I bet. Especially you being in the line of work you are in. The prettiest Pinkerton Detective I have ever seen,” he smiled. 

I grinned and intertwined my fingers with his on the table. “Sadly the most unemployed Pinkerton Detective you’ve seen. I haven’t had a good case in months.” 

He held my hand in his and kissed my fingers, leaning across the table to kiss my lips firmly. “Well, that just means nobody is dying around here. Though it makes me wonder what happened to Rock if they buried him today. You might get some work there it looks like.” 

“If they even bother to ask me for help.. Guess I could look into who killed him but I bet you they’ve already arrested whoever did it.” 

“If they even know who did it. This was the first I have heard of it. Last I heard about him, was when you said he asked you do make contact with whats her name the other night. Maybe he made the wrong person mad.” 

“That would be my guess,” I nodded. “Natalie has had quite the busy day today.” 

“Oh?! What has little Natalie been up to?” 

“She came home and told me all about school and then following the cavalry around during payroll.”

“Oh wow.” 

“Yeah. She said that some outlaws in Tombstone were talking about intercepting the cavalry on their way back into town so she rode off to warn them.” 

“Jimmy told me about a new little girl here in town, named Shira...said she is Apache.” 

“Oh? Maybe she can help Jimmy understand his culture a bit more…” 

“He didn’t say much, just that she lived with Chief Mahko up in their village and that she loved horses.” 

“I have been working on putting together a book…” I smiled. 

“Many times I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my memoirs. I decided to gather them all in one book. It will cover the main events but I’m going through and making a timeline of when things happened from my journals. The current section is difficult to go through though. It’s the time when I was working with the Natives and trying to protect them against outlaws.” 

“Oh wow, how far back do your journals go?” 

“1869... When I moved to Amiville and began to work on the paper.” 

“How many years have you been here in Tombstone dear? I know you said came here from Texas right?” 

“I grew up in Canada with my family on a ranch there. I met a man from Texas and was going to move down with him but the summer I was going there, he was killed in a stagecoach accident,” I nodded. “I stayed with his sister for some time... then in 1869 I moved to Colorado. Then... in 1899, last year, I moved to Tombstone. With several places between Colorado and Tombstone. Tombstone is the first place where I have stayed over a year since leaving Texas.” 

“Oh my, I am sorry. I have been a few places myself, some of which I am not proud of. A few times searching for my brother. I served on a posse with the Texas Rangers once, trying to track my brother down before he left Texas.” 

“Oh, you were a ranger?" she asks, trying to think if she knew that fact already.” 

“No, I never wore the badge, I just went out on a posse with a Ranger company because I was the brother, and usually knew where he was hiding. How are things going with your partner? Has he gotten any better since he started working with you?” 

I rolled my eyes and said, “I haven’t seen the man since I hired him. Not that I’m terribly surprised. Most are all excited about being a Detective and then never commit to it.” 

“Him and that Lisa woman haven’t bothered Natalie and Jimmy again have they? Jimmy hasn't told me much, since he seems to leave me alone to study. I think I am about done with my studying though. I been trying to teach Jimmy to read and write.” 

“I don’t think they’ve bothered them since... I’m glad you’ve been teaching Jimmy. I think Natalie was trying to do that as well.” 

“Yeah he said she was teaching him to pick out words he would see, then they would spell them out in the school together.” 

“Natalie really missed him at school this morning,” I nodded with a smile. “She’s been missing him a lot lately.” 

“Yeah, he has missed her a lot too, I didn’t let him out a whole lot here lately, cause I wanted him to concentrate on his learning, he is a very smart young boy.” 

“Well hopefully they can spend some time together again soon,” I smiled. 

“I hope so too, he has worked very hard, I am giving him a break..smiles...why don’t we head home love, its getting late.” 

“Sure dear, that sounds like a good idea,” I reached for his hand and pulled him into an embrace. “We will discover the truth about your family soon, dear, and Jimmy’s.” 

He hugged me tightly and kissed me hard. “I hope so Trin, I love him, and you and Natalie, no matter what. I just want to know if he has other family, or if I am all he’s got.” 

“I understand that darling, I do. Come on, let’s head home,” I nodded and we headed home.