February 24, 1901

Black Diamond. 

This afternoon I met a boy named Willy who said he lived at the orphanage. He said he hadn’t gotten the measles and he said that he just got to town Saturday and couldn’t even get into the orphanage, but now he was able to. We talked about Black Diamond and I told him that I was a detective like Sherlock Holmes. Something seemed a little bit off about the boy though, so I decided to pursue that line of questioning. 

“I help the law figure out who did the crimes. Or I help other people solve mysteries…” 

“You must be smart.” 

“I guess you could say that. For instance.. I can tell... you’re hidin’ somethin’.” I looked down into his eyes and he glanced away. “See? If you wasn’t... you woulda kept lookin’ at me.” 

“What?” 

“Well… The way you can tell if someone’s guilty bout somethin’… If they look into your eyes then they ain’t afraid, you know?” 

“Oh?” He asked, glancing around. 

“See?” 

“See what?” 

“Well.. you keep glancing around. As if you’re hidin’ somethin’. You know buddy… The nice thing bout detectives? We can’t arrest people. So if you did do somethin’... You could come clean and tell me now and I won’t punish ya too bad.” 

He moved his hand to the bottom of his shirt and then Jade walked past as we waved to her. “But Willy…” I looked at the boy again when we were alone. “If some other person with a badge finds out… Ya might be in worse trouble. So you might wanna tell me instead.” 

“So if I tell you, then I be okay?” 

“Well... depends. I ain’t gonna let you off scot free… But… It might not be as bad as what someone else with a badge might do.” 

“Well…” 

“Yes, Willy?” I knelt down. 

Willy thought about it long and hard and then pulled up his shirt, pulling out a loaf of bread and some apples. “I kinda found these” 

“Ya found em? Where?” I raised an eyebrow. 

“Umm… Well, they was in a build over yonder…” 

“Hmm…. Inside the building? Was no one workin’ there?” 

“Well, there was.” 

“Did you pay for the food, kiddo?” 

“But he had his back to me and was doin stuff behind a counter. Well… Ya see, I ain’t got no money and doc Beauregard always told me to get whatever I could when folks wasn’t lookin.” 

“Listen kiddo… It ain’t right to take things when people aren’t lookin’ But I understand ya don’t have much money... so why don’t we do this. I’m gonna give you some money and you can bring it with me to the store. We’ll give the money to the man for the food, okay?” 

“Okay, that sounds good.” 

We waved to Jade and Angel who joined us and walked down the street towards the grocery store. Willy apologized to the store owner and said that it wasn’t right to take things and not pay for it, and then we went back to join the others. 

I smiled when I saw Thomas standing with the group and we talked and met Angel’s nephew Noah. Thomas said that the kids had been busy cleaning the house and I told Angel that I had a couple of cases lately. She said there were a lot of outlaws that had packed up and left. We talked about the train track and how the train hadn’t been around much.

“Well I would like to help out in Black Diamond and Bisbee as deputy. I do in Bisbee already since I live there now,” Thomas said. 

“Vell ve have control in Bisbee ve can arrest here az for Diamond though not so much,” Angel said. “Am vorried for Goldfield, Pearce, and Diamond. They aven’t had real active deputies though. Ali iz thankfully still active in Benson.”

“We’re just... tired of the nonsense on Allen Street with Lot and Downy. Being out here more will be safer for the children,” I told her. 

“Lot’s been keeping to himself more since the rumor of most of the Vild Bunch leaving…” Angel said. 

“Ah had heard rustlings of that happening.” I nodded.

“Where are they going?” Strider asked. 

“I ain’t seen em so I’m guezzing iz true.” 

“I noticed that I hadn’t seen much of them other than Lot and Downy lately,” Tom said. 

“Good riddance, I say. Even if one of ’em’s someone I’ve known since Georgetown,” I said, thinking of Mac. 

“I know for sure Garth left,” Angel said. “He said Sniper done left too.” 

“There’s a name I hadn’t heard in a while,” I commented. 

“Angel, have you come across a new lady in town lately, dressed all in black?” Thomas asked and I nodded to that, wanting to know as well. 

“Known Sniper as long as I’ve known Mac. Glad to be done of them.” I nodded. 

“No, I don’t believe so, vhy Thomas,” I said. 

“Well I learned from Jimmy that some woman tried to get him and Natalie to take a train ride the day they got out of the orphanage from the measles,” Thomas said. 

“Lot never gave me a good feeling. Not one time,” Strider said. 

“Lot still about, Strider,” Angel said. “He just stayin’ home vith iz Ivy more, it seemz. I vill keep an eye out for this voman.” 

“Jimmy said she wore black, had a gun, and chased him and Natalie all over town. Said she wanted to see them home safe by the train,” Thomas said. 

“Odd. I vill definitely keep an eye open then,” Angel said and then waved as she headed down the street with Willy and Noah. 

I asked Thomas if he wanted to join me in the office and we said goodbye to Strider as we walked in to sit at the table. I told him about the situation with Willy stealing from the grocery store and he was proud of how I had handled things. 

“You wanna know something baby? We should really try to help the orphanage out. I have money and we are more then well off compared to all those kids.” 

“I agree. As a Pinkerton you know that I get paid very well, whether I have a case or not. Whenever we see kids out and about we should make sure they ain’t hungry.” 

“I actually have some deer stored in a smokehouse over in Tombstone I was gonna give the orphanage to keep them from having to eat horse and other animals not meant to be eaten.” 

“What if we had a cookout at the orphanage where you made them deer meet there? Jimmy and Natalie would enjoy that too I think. They told me how much they loved spending time with all the kids there, even though they were sick.” 

“Yeah, but I am worried about all the kids now, after what Jimmy told me. Do you know who this strange woman is?” 

“I’ve never met anyone matching that description. I don’t like that she followed them all around town.” 

“Me neither. Jimmy said she approached him right outside the orphanage. So she has been staking out town it seems.” 

We continued to talk and then headed home to check on the kids as we were both worried about them, but they were happily keeping busy reading and writing so we sat in the living room and relaxed together.