Tombstone.
I walked into town tonight and saw Adrian talking with Jeff in front of the hotel. I blinked, relieved to finally see him, and called, “Adrian! I need to talk to you!”
“Oh Miss Trin. Hello. Yes yes.. how can I help you Miss Trin?”
“Is this your top hat?” I handed him the picture of the top hat left on my table.
He took the picture and looked closer. “’Tis… Yup, t’is,” he said, handing it back.
“It’s currently in evidence. I found it on my kitchen table. Along with a death threat and ‘wb’ traced under it. Any idea how it landed up there? And yes, the letters were traced in blood.”
“Now then…” he paused, and looked at me agape for a moment. “My hat is on a dead person who threatened you?”
“No, sir. The threat was to kill me.” I shook my head. “The hat was left on my kitchen table. Near the threat.”
“Jane Downs.... the night of the pie contest…” Adrian said aloud as he tapped his chin.
“Jane Downs?” I looked at him. “Who the heck is Jane Downs?”
“Well... I will gladly have back my topper, if you would be so very kind.”
“It’s in my office if you’d like to join me?”
“Who is Jane Downs?” Adrian spouted out, near red-faced.
“Who exactly is Jane Downs? Closest person to that name is Downy…” I asked him. “We tried to get Downy’s prints but she was very... anxious about complying.”
“And the prints I found in the kitchen were partials. Along with a note I got from young Jeffrey saying I couldn’t read it. Same prints.”
Adrian held up a hand to about my height and said, “Yay high, toe haired, loud…” Adrian nodded. “Yes.. best way to describe her -loud- .. however Miss Trin.. she cannot write.”
I looked at him and suggested, “Maybe she had a friend. It was from WB. I have a feeling it’s in response to the trial where I got Steve hanged.”
“May I suggest that you take the hat to someone who says the sooth?”
“Though he woulda been hanged either way. What’s that, sir?” I looked at him.
“I do not know what the woob is. Says the sooth.”
“The hat is in evidence. You’re saying that Downy stole the hat?”
“A soothsayer, a gypsy.”
“So we still dont’ have any solid proof.”
“Yes.. The hat was removed from me after a pie eating contest indeed... in Ghenna.. as I personally chased them down. the fiends!”
“We just know that it was probably Downy Snoodle or whatever her last name is stole it.”
“I cannot help you with the WB however. I do not know that.”
“I believe it stands for Wild Bunch. That seems pretty self explanatory as Downy is a member of that gang.”
“Ohhh Initials!”
“She was at the trial, as I recall. She was a lead witness for him, in fact. Not hard to put the pieces together. We just need proof.”
“Well… self explainable to YOU maybe.” Adrian coughed.
“Would you be able to write a statement for me about the hat theft, Adrian?”
“I can and I will. Tis as if it happened yesterday!”
“Would be much appreciated, sir,” I said and handed him a blank copy of a statement. “You’re our only witness at the moment. Actually… I suppose it would be the Bisbee law statement, wouldn’t it?”
“Hat theft?” Millard asked.
“Especially since Thomas has jurisdiction over there... he’ll be handling this one personally, I’m sure.”
“Bisbee and Tombstone are sister cities,” Adrian said with a nod.
“Our house was robbed and broken into just before Christmas. They even stole the kids’ presents.”
“I will find a pencil.. pardon me. Oh dear… That’s unthinkable!”
“Did somebody call my name?” Thomas asked as he walked over then.
“Dear, come on over here!” I called to him and handed Adrian my pencil. “A Pinkerton is never without a pencil.”
“Uh oh, what I do now?” Thomas chuckled.
I leaned against the sign as Adrian worked on his statement and sighed, looking at Thomas. “We still have no proof but at least when we finally do get proof... we’ll add theft to the list.”
“What’s going on, my dear?”
“You know the infamous hat dear? The one in our kitchen?”
“Oh yes, the one that we think may belong to a certain someone.”
“It is indeed the mayor’s. He’s writing a statement for us about how it was stolen from him.”
“Oh my…”
“Ohh a cook’s hat got stolen?” Millard asked curiously.
“Said something about a Jane Downs. Which I believe is Downy ’cause I ain’t sure who else that would be.”
“Hmmm...Jane Downs…doesn't ring a bell. Yeah, now that’s a big coincidence.”
“Either way.... we have no proof. Even with the partial prints. Apparently Downy doesn’t write so I guess she had help.”
“Well we may just have to question her about it.”
“Good luck with that.” I nodded to him as Sunset came over then and we greeted each other.
“Yeah I know...but someone has to do it,” Thomas replied.
“This gives us a bit of clarity at least for the owner of the hat but tells us very little else unless Adrian will confirm in his statement it was Downy herself,” I told him.
I looked over to Jeff then and leaned down to his level. “I need to talk to you.”
“Yes ma’am. Um… Well I not know a thing.”
“It’s very important Jeff. The people that were in our house… I don’t want them near Jimmy or Natalie again so I need to know who gave you that letter.”
“I found it,” Jeff said.
“So you don’t know who wrote it?”
“Uhm no ma’am.”
“You sure?” I looked at him and he nodded. “If you hear anything about this you’ll tell me right away?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Jeff the people who wrote that note.... they want to kill me. So any information you give me might save my life," she says and turns to go back to Adrian.”
“There…” Adrian came over with a signed statement.
“All done?” I smiled at him.
“Oh indeed… Here you are,” Adrian said, handing me the statement.
“I’m on the fence about giving you the hat back, though it did not really give us any prints.”
“There is no fence.”
“No fence?”
“It is my hat. When you are finished.”
“Then we can go to the office and collect it if you like.”
“Yes sir, Mr. Mayor, but it’s been involved in a crime,” Thomas said.
“I will have my hat back but I do strongly suggest youhim. seek a gypsy,” Adrian suggested.
“A gypsy….” I looked at Adrian. “By the name of Jane Downs…”
“The Gypsys can help you further with my hat. I do not know of a Gypsy named Jane Downs.”
“Downunder Snoodle is the one that we suspect... Downy, that is,” I said to Thomas.
“Jane Downs took my hat. If you need to know what the Hat knows.. that can only be told by saying the sooth. and only a gypsy can say the sooth.”
I looked over at Thomas, who rolled his eyes, and I sighed. “This isn’t helping.”
“Oh? Then I am sorry,” Adrian said.
“Jane Downs doesn’t mean much to me... Not sure I know her. Do you know anything about Jane Downs? That might help us in our search for her?”
“She is about your height perhaps sorter.. toe haired and loud.”
“Does she run with the wild bunch?” I asked and waved to Chris as he came over.
“Are you talking like the soothsayer that went around yelling the Ides of March right before Caesar was murdered by Brutus? That kind of soothsayer?” Thomas asked.
“A card reader Mr Tom. Some scry- some read tea leaves.. it’s all the sooth,” Adrian said.
“Okay let me get this straight…” I said.
“Hmm?” Adrian looked at me.
“After some pie eating contest.... Jane Downs stole your hat.”
“Yes.”
“And some gypsy could tell us what the hat saw.”
“It’s all in the page I just handed you.”
“But this Jane Downs woman... Who is she?”
“Oh I see her around.”
“With the Wild Bunch?”
“I do not know anything about a wild bunch.”
“Oh I have not drank... yet. One moment.. while I verify something.. kindly,” Adrian said and looked over his statement.
“I think the mayor needs a vacation,” I said and looked over at Thomas.
Thomas made googly eyes at me and motioned towards Adrian, and I shook my head in amusement as he said, “I think someone has been smoking peyote a little too much with the Apache.”
“I know nothing of this Jane Downs person..”
“Me neither, but they may be of some connection to Downy. I will have to check into it.”
“Hey Jeff?” I looked over at the boy. “You been around a while right?”
“Uhm yes ma’am.”
“You know anyone named Jane Downs?” I asked him and he shook his head ‘no’. “Hmm… Odd… very odd…” Jeff stayed quiet and I looked at him and asked, “You wouldn’t lie to me, would ya Jeff?”
“No ma’am, I sure uhm… wouldn’t tell no fibs and stuff.” Jeff looked the other way.
“Uh huh.” I blinked and looked at Thomas. “That note that we weren’t able to read….”
“Yeah, what about it?” Thomas looked at me.
“Maybe Downs tried to write and it’s too illegible because she don’t know how to write, like the mayor said.”
“Yeah but why wouldn’t she get someone else to write it like they did at our house?”
“I can’t answer all the questions in one night, darling.” I winked.
Thomas stuck his tongue out at me and laughed. He put his arm around me and kissed my lips firmly. “Why not? You are supposed to be the miracle worker.”
I chuckled and kissed him back deeply. “Right dear... miracles... if I could make miracles happen we’d have the woman in jail.”
We greeted Victoria as she came over and she didn’t want to bother us because we were kissing but we assured her she wasn’t a bother. “Nothin’ else to do while waiting for paperwork. Have you been keeping busy?”
“Yeah, some people around town think we might be in love. I don’t know what give them that idea.” Thomas pulled me close and kissed me again, chuckling.
“Yes I have.” Victoria laughed.
“Oh now dear.... Pet and Bass were being sarcastic when they said it weren’t obvious.” I smiled and laughed at Thomas. “Never a dull moment with this one around, Victoria.”
“Well if a man can’t show a woman how much he loves her, then what can he do?” Thomas smiled.
We talked about the holidays and then decided to head to the office. I didn’t want to go far in case the mayor wanted to talk after verifying whatever it was he was looking at.
When we’d sat down at the desk, I looked over to him. “What’s up, sweetheart?”
Thomas ran his fingers through his hair as he sat. “Have you talked to Jimmy today?”
“What’s wrong?” I shook my head, looking at him with worry.
Thomas reached into his vest pocket and put a gold nugget on the desk.
I blinked at that and looked down at it. “Where on earth did you find that?”
“That my dear, was under his pillow. I was making his bed this morning, cause he ran out with Natalie on some kind of errand and there it was.”
“You’re kidding... He was hiding a gold nugget from us?” I blinked at him.
“Um… that’s not all dear.” Jimmy took out a bag from a drawer in the desk and dropped it on the desk. He opened it and showed coins in silver and gold. “There was also this.” I sat back in shock, unable to speak. “I asked him where he got it. You know what he said? He found it.”
“Found it where?” I leaned forward.
“He said somewhere over near Benson somewhere. He found a what I can only make out to be a strong box of some kind buried.”
“What’d he say when you asked him why he didn’t inform us of this right away?”
“He was afraid someone would think he stole it. Dear there is several hundred if not thousand dollars here. He said this wasn’t all of it, just what he could tote home so far.”
“Wow… Thomas, it’s not safe to have that in our house. If anyone finds out... or if he blabs about it to his friends... like Jeff... it could go back to Lot.... and maybe…”
“I know. But if it was stolen by robbers whenever it was, we cant rightfully hold onto it either.”
“There’s no way to know who this money belongs to, hon. If he found it out near Benson only thing we could do is ask around and see if anyone’s missing a bunch of cash. And I bet you all of them will say ‘yes’.”
“We have safes here and at the sheriffs office in Bisbee, I could store it in both of them till we find to what to do.”
“I think that would be better than the banks…” I nodded. “Until someone reports it missing or stolen.”
“Well from the looks of the bags, this money has been hidden for many years. So no telling who or where it come from.”
“I still feel better having it here or at the office in Bisbee... Less risk on us than if it were at the house.”
“I agree. Well I have it all here right now. Except for whatever is left in the box itself. I made Jimmy promise to show me where it is tomorrow. He swears the only person who knows is Natalie.”
“I just can’t believe neither of them came to us and told us first. They should have known better than to hide it at our house. Especially after the talks we had with them last week.”
“I know dear. But think about it. This much money, and a kid finds it. Plus gold too. It scares them and excites them at the same time. They don’t know what to do with it.”
“Sure, I understand that…” I nodded to him.
“You know what Jimmy said the first thing he wanted to do with his part of the money was?”
“What’s that, dear?” I looked at him.
“Buy his ma some cooking lessons so she can go in the kitchen again.” He laughed.
“That boy.... I’m never gonna live Thanksgiving down.” I chuckled and shook my head, sighing a bit.
Thomas laughed and reached over to take my hand in his. “It’s ok dear. At least they love us, and are thinking about us. Are you ready to go home yet? I think our Mayor flew over the cookoo’s nest.”
I rubbed my tired eyes and stood. “I think it’s time to head home. He knows where to find us. At least we have a verbal statement of his account... Lets us have a bit more peace of mind. You’re going to put that gold away, dear?”
“Yeah… best not to leave it out I guess.” Thomas took the gold and bag of coins and locked them away in the safe. “There, now we are in the clear.”
A note was slipped under the door and I took it, reading the note from the mayor. It read:
“Was about 3 years hence now, during the end of the Farmers & Ranchers Show on Allen Street, and the prize pies were just set out on a table near the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
Miss Jane Downs was eying the pies something wicked, but we all were, they were prized pies.
I turned for a moment, only to turn back and see 3 of the pies GONE.. and dust rising up to my right.. Miss Jane Downs.. was gone. The corner of my eye, I caught movement in the desert, not far from the view of the Birdcage theater. So, uncharacteristically of me, I headed out that way.
I had my rifle with me, there was shooting contests - another reason I was brave enough to venture near the town of Two Guns, and sure enough, the closer I walked, the stronger the smell of those pies got.
You can't fool my nose when it comes to prize pies.
There they were. Laid out on the bench by some rickety old saloon. As I approached them, Mr Balbozar stepped out of the Saloon claiming the pies, which was ridiculous. I gave him the what for, waved my rifle around and he trembled, dropping his irons and running fast as he could..... but Jane Downs got the drop on me.
Next thing I knew, she was holding the precious delectables hostage.. would be for my Topper, a trade... for the pies safe return. How could I refuse?
I handed her the Hat.. took the pies and hurried back to the Show.
Signed: A. Wise, Mayor.”
I finished reading the note and blinked. “THREE YEARS HENCE?!?!?!?!”
“What?!” Thomas asked and I handed him the paper to read.
“Who in the hay is Jane Downs???” I sighed, trying to figure this all out.
“I think our Mayor needs his head examined. Three years hence?! What the hell?” Thomas shook his head, reading the note.
“Jane Downs.. lives over in Two Guns.... So far that matches with Downy. Mr Lot dropped his guns and ran terrified??? Wait wait wait…” I said and read it again. “He gave her the damn hat!!”
“And Jane Downs didn’t steal those pies, he exchanged his hat to save them.”
“Good gosh…”
“I don’t believe Lot run from nobody with a rifle.”
“Well I think we can still call it theft if she forced him into giving something up. I agree with you there. That part makes no sense.” I started to pace in frustration.
“Prized pies, they must have been some damn good pies…” Thomas chuckled. “Stops pacing dear, you are wearing a rut in the floor.”
I spun on my heel and looked at him, with anger in my voice. “That statement is full of cockamamey lies and don’t help us at all other than the fact that Jane Downs, whoever the hell that is, took his hat for some pies!!!! And some how that damned hat wound up in our kitchen with a threat nailed to our cabinet saying they would hang ME!!!”
Thomas laughed and took my arms, kissing me passionately. “BREATHE baby! It gives us somewhat of a clue as to who she may be, We know she was in Two Guns with Lot. We both know Lot and Downy are in the Wild Bunch. Where does the Wild Bunch stay? Two Guns.”
We heard sneezing outside and both of us looked over at the door curiously. Thomas spoke loudly as he said, “You know dear, I am thinking its time for all the kids in Tombstone to see the doctor again. This time they will have to get shots. Cause don’t Jimmy and Natalie need their shots too?”
“Let’s go home, dear.” I nodded and opened the door, seeing Millard wander off. We headed home and kissed the kids’ foreheads before crawling into bed for the night.
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