Tombstone.
I wandered down Allen Street to check in with local law to see if anything was new. I went to the sheriff’s office and blinked, seeing a barrel in the front of the door. The smell drew my attention to it and I plugged my nose. I decided to put a pair of gloves on and got out my magnifying glass, looking for fingerprints on the barrel while I held my breath to not inhale the smell. I found some prints on the barrel and grinned wide. “Bingo!” I exclaimed and started to use my coal dust to retrieve the prints on a cloth, putting the prints in an envelope and putting the envelope in my bag.
Benson.
I rode over to Benson, wondering if I’d find similar things left there. As expected, there was a barrel of rotting fish in front of the office there too. I went over to investigate for prints and gathered some. I then compared them to the prints left in Tombstone and found that it was a perfect match. I put the prints in an envelope and put them in my bag with the others for evidence.
Pearce.
I waved to Cas as I rode through Pearce and he asked me what I was up to.
“Is there a sheriff’s office in Goldfield?” I asked him.
“I dunno.. there used to be.”
“Hmm… I’m on an interesting hunt. There’s been rotting, stinking fish left in a barrel in front of the sheriff’s offices in Tombstone and in Benson. I’m about to check Pearce, Bisbee and Diamond. I lifted prints from the barrels in Tombstone and Benson... perfect match.”
“From wood?”
“Reminiscent of the horse manure left in front of the sheriff’s office in Diamond a while back.”
“Well, maybe they should be nicer to people.”
“Either way, it’s intriguing and it’s disruption of property, no?” I shrugged.
Suzy and Ansar came over then and I asked him, “Ansar have you been over to the sheriff’s office in Pearce yet today?”
“Not yet, why?”
“Care to walk over there with me?”
“Why?”
“Got something I’m investigating... I’d like to see if there’s evidence there too. Found two barrels so far of rotting fish. One in Tombstone and one in Benson. Lifted prints from both, perfect match.”
“Why don’t you just ask someone if they saw who did it?” Cas asked.
“Like… what exactly?” Ansar asked.
“Fish have prints?” Suzy asked.
“So now I want to check the other offices too. No but the wood does.”
“Wood prints?” Suzy asked.
“Because Cas... finding someone to talk to about it is often difficult,” I looked at him. “And I just did ask Ansar, see?” I winked. “It kinda reminds me of the manure left in Diamond a while back. In front of Thomas’ office.”
“You asked me to go to the sheriff off not if I saw something,” Ansar said.
“You think Ansar left the prints?” Suzy asked.
I sighed and said, “I asked if you’d been there... if you’d been there you would’ve seen the barrel. Or smelled it. Pretty awful smell.”
“Maybe Ansar is trying to start people eating those things brits eat fish and chips,” Suzy suggested.
“Who else have ya asked?” Ansar looked at me.
“No one else around until I saw Cas here. Was no one in Tombstone or Benson. When I saw the barrels. So I rode out this way and found Cas. While on the way to find you in Pearce.”
“What was it?”
“A barrel full of rotting fish.”
“Rotting fish? So like a gift of food that went bad?” Ansar asked.
“So we’ll see if it’s in front of every sheriff’s office or just a few,” I said.
“No, like the one I put in your desk drawer,” Cas said to Ansar.
“That part is the mystery. I just know what is there.” I shrugged.
“Dust the barrel?” Ansar asked.
“I did. Lifted prints from both barrels and found a match. Have them in envelopes for evidence. Am going to gather more if I find more barrels. Just thought I’d ask you about Pearce before I go over there and look.”
“I haven’t seen any around here.”
“But you said you hadn’t been to the office yet... wanna check with me?”
“Really don’t want to be late for the event,” Ansar said as he looked at his stop watch.
Nim came over and I waved to them, heading on to investigate. There was nothing out of the ordinary at the office in Pearce though, so I continued to ride on. There was no barrels in Bisbee either though, so I head back to Black Diamond.
Black Diamond.
I rode over to the sheriff’s office and saw two barrels in front of the door. Thomas was kicking the barrels and growling. “What the freaking heck is going on here?!” He asked with anger.
I wandered over to the barrels, examining for prints. As expected, there were some prints, and I lifted them with my coal dust and compared them to the others. “Yep... same bloody person. Love, we’ve got another case,” I told him, going over to him and hugging him tightly.
“Hi my dear! I swear I am going to kill somebody this keeps up.”
“I found one barrel in front of the Tombstone office, and one in front of the Benson office. You got two. Same prints on all barrels. But oddly enough... none in Bisbee or Pearce.”
“Happy Easter my love.” Thomas turned and kissed me softly, hugging me around my waist.
“Hi dear, same to you,” I said as I held him close, trying to relax.
“Oh of course not, and why did I have to get two barrels?”
“That’s the question of the hour now.” I shook my head in confusion. “Hmm... I wonder…” I said, wandering over to my office with him. I dug around in the office for the envelopes with the prints in them from the sign and shovel left with the horse manure. I set the contents of the envelopes on the counter, side by side. “Alright dear, we’ve got five sets of fingerprints here, see?”
“Yep,” he said and nodded.
“One from the sign, one from the shovel, one from the barrel in Tombstone, one from the barrel in Diamond, one from the barrel in Benson. Oh six... There’s the one from the second barrel in Diamond,” I said as I set it out. Holding him the magnifying glass I said, “Take a close look. Can you find any that doesn’t match?”
Thomas took the magnifying glass and looked closely. “Nope, I see similarities in all 6.”
“What does that tell you dear?” I smiled.
“It makes me think that one person did all 6.”
“Mmhmm. We’ve got one big case. A serial disturber of the peace. Focusing on the sheriff’s offices. I’m sure that there would have been manure at other offices, we just didn’t know to look.”
“Yeah, I never did find out if there was or not”
I went to update my files and then looked up. “Now who would do such a thing, dear?”
“Whoever it is doesn’t mind the stink of whatever they do. Cause everything they have used so far, smells awful.”
“You’re right... That’s a good observation. And they like you the least. Or Diamond law in general.”
“It would have to be someone who doesn’t like law I think… and yes you’re right. Where would you find enough fish for such a thing as this though?”
“That’s another good question. Or that much manure.”
“Well manure not really an issue, with all the stables and horses around.”
“Yes as Jenna told us too... well-fed horses from a ranch of some sort.”
“But that much fish, would take some time to catch, and then they had to rot.”
“Our only charge is still destruction of property, yes?”
“As far as I know, yes. And disturbing my peace. I think we should consider looking in Pearce to start… it seems nothing ever happens there, maybe that’s where they are hiding this stuff.”
“That’s interesting... Nothing seems to happen in Bisbee or Goldfield either though..”
“Yeah, but we live in Bisbee dear, and I haven’t seen anything that would make me think they are there.”
“Right… You know there’s one other place we haven’t been… Or mentioned..”
“Where is that?”
“Out in Ghenna... Or near the Native village,” I said suddenly.
“True, but I am not ready to go charging into Ghenna.”
“You and me both. But... Natives have forever hated white man’s law. So my guess is it’s someone from Ghenna or the Natives. They both hate white man’s law, for that matter.”
“True, but if we go to speak to them, we must be careful, or we could end up worse than those fish.”
“Agreed,” I said and handed him my report. “That’s my report thus far.”
Thomas read the report over and said, “Looks good to me dear.”
I took it back and filed it, then returned the fingerprints back to their envelopes and put the envelopes in a folder, then put the folder in the cabinet. “So... now what? There’s the golden gun thing going on in Goldfield. We aren’t going to get much questioning done tonight,” I told him.
“Whatever you do dear, keep it quiet that we have these prints here...or whoever is doing this might break in and try to steal them.”
“Yes, you’re right. I’d never tell anyone where evidence is.”
“So everyone is at the shooting competition huh?”
I reached over for his hand and said, “I have an idea. “Shall we go get a drink? Maybe dance a little and enjoy the fact that the children are over with their friends at the orphanage?"
Thomas smiled and led me to the saloon where we shared a bottle of whiskey and celebrated Easter together.
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