April 22, 1901

Tombstone. 

This morning I walked around, checking on things. I hadn’t been in the courthouse for a while but if the vagrant was targeting the law then the courthouse was the next likely target to get hit. I blinked seeing a donkey in the courtroom and a sign posted saying, ‘the law is an ass’. I got on my gloves and started dusting for prints. 

I sighed, finding some prints on the sign. I got out the other prints that I kept from the manure sign and from the barrels of fish and found it was yet again a perfect match to the ones on the sign. I took a picture with my camera as evidence, since I couldn’t take the whole donkey myself.

I headed back to the city hall and saw that the paint had been cleaned up. I dusted the floor for prints anyway, just in case, and found some. I saw they were also a match to the other ones and I kicked the city hall wall in frustration. 

Muttering, I wandered around the hotel and looked for Bianca. Since Abi had said the man with the yellow paint had been stinkin’ drunk, one man fit the description perfectly and I needed to talk to his girlfriend. “Bianca??” I called out.

“I swear that man can even take his empty coffee mug to the kitchen,” she was mumbling to herself and I followed the sound of her voice into the kitchen. 

“Hi B. I was wondering if you’d... Is that Joe’s coffee mug?” I asked her. 

“Yes,” she grumbled. 

“Could I see it, please?” I asked. 

“I don’t mind cleaning up after everyone else Joe should help and take his mug to the kitchen.” Bianca handed the mug to me and asked, “What do you want it for? It smells of coffee and shine.”

I took the mug and set it on the table, then took out my dusting equipment and started dusting the cup for prints. I found prints on the cup and sighed with relief, looking over at her. “Joe’s the only one who’s touched this cup?” 

“Well beside me handing it to ya.” 

“Would you be willing to give me your fingerprint please, B?” I asked her, looking from her to the ink and paper on the table. 

“I guess but I didn’t do anything. I’ve been to busy here since I took over for Miss Pet.” 

“Well sure, I know that.” I set the paper out and reached for her hand. “Will  you put some ink on your finger and stamp it on this paper?” 

Bianca stuck her finger in the ink and then pressed it on the paper, making marks on it. I thanked her and compared her prints to the ones in the jar from the other evidence gathered and found it wasn’t a match. “Alright, well that’s settled at least. Now the moment of truth.” 

“What are you going to do with the prints any way?” 

I took the other print from the mug and examined the lines carefully with my magnifying glass. I looked from them to the print on the cloth from the jar and swallowed hard as it’s a perfect match. “Damn it, Joe.” 

“What did Joe do now?” Bianca asked with concern. 

“Well let’s see…” I sighed, putting the cloth with Bianca’s prints in one jar for my file, and then Joe’s prints in another jar, then put the jars in my bag. “He left piles of manure in front of the Black Diamond office. He left rotting stinking fish in front of two sheriff’s office. He started to paint the city hall yellow, and he left a donkey in the courthouse saying ’the law is an ass’.” 

Bianca was clearly trying hard not to laugh as she said, “Well the poor man has been bored.” 

“Obviously. I know you love him, B, but this just got serious.” 

“No one is hurt and there is only so much ummm… adult time I can give him.” 

“It’s destruction of property no matter what. And probably obstruction of justice if I can swing that. But I need to talk with Angel and Thomas. These crimes happened in two towns.” 

“Besides I doubt he knows what he is doing.” 

“That’s for the court to decide. And it will go to court. I’m sorry Bianca, I need to go process all of this.” 

“Half the time he’s so drunk I’m surprised he hasn’t ran through town naked,” she said with a sigh. 

“Take care, Bianca. Don’t let him go far,” I told her and adjusted the bag around my shoulder with a sigh. 

“J just remember he’s one hell of a doctor Trin.” 

“Then he should understand the affects of his alcohol on his actions. And that actions have consequences.” 

“Maybe a night in jail might help…” Bianca sighed. 

“We can only hope.” 

I walked out with a sigh and went to the sheriff’s office, dropping the finished incident report in Angel’s mailbox. I felt relieved at solving the case but was less than thrilled with the result. Heading to the city hall, I put a copy of the report in Adrian’s mailbox, since he was my boss as well and would want to know the outcome of my investigation on his law buildings. 

I walked down the street and Jy waved to me. I asked him who the sheriff in Benson was and he told me it was Al. I thanked him and headed there, dropping the report in the sheriff’s mailbox. Heading back to Black Diamond, I put the report in Thomas’ box as well, knowing he would be thrilled that I had solved the case. I went to the saloon and got myself a drink in celebration of being done the investigation. 

*** 

Bisbee. 

I was sitting in my office at the house tonight when I heard Natalie storming into the house with Jimmy. “Ya didn’t have to bring up Jeff like that. I said drop it and ya kept goin’,” she exclaimed. 

“He said you tried to kiss him! SO you was trying! Don’t holler at me!” Jimmy exclaimed, also stomping into the house. 

“Nu uh!” Natalie exclaimed back. 

I walked downstairs and looked between the two of them. “Alright, what’s going on with you two?” 

“Ma! Natalie punched me cause I just told the truth!” Jimmy cried. 

“Is that true?” I asked, looking at my daughter. 

Thomas came downstairs then and asked, “What’s going on down here?” 

“Ma, he kept teasin’ me about Jeff when I told him to drop it,” Natalie explained. 

“I wasn’t teasin’. I ust made a single comment, and then she lied and said she didn’t do it,” Jimmy insisted. 

“Because I didn’t! We was provin’ that kissing didn’t make babies so I leaned forward to kiss his cheek, that’s all. I didn’t wanna kiss him on the lips that day!” 

“Then you KISSED him!” 

“Not the same thing!!!” 

“Alright, who really brought up kissing Jeff tonight?” I asked. 

“See ma! And she punched me for that!” Jimmy exclaimed. 

“Well... we was talkin’ bout how Mark Twain and Becky were childhood friends and how..” Natalie started but then stopped suddenly. 

“Well?” I looked at her expectantly, and then at Thomas. 

“Natalie said she got yelled at for having a boyfriend with Jeffery… and all I said was I think it was cuz she kissed him, then she hit me!” Jimmy told us. “I wasn’t trying to tease, I just was making a comment.” 

“I’m sorry for hitting you, Jimmy. I was the one who brought it up,” Natalie said softly, nervously playing with her dress. 

“I am sorry I said anything sis… I didn’t mean to upset ya.. I really thought wrong I guess,” Jimmy said as he looked at her. 

I blinked between the two of them and looked at Thomas. “Did that just... did they just…?” Thomas just shook his head and went back upstairs, mumbling to himself and I couldn’t help but chuckle at him. 

“It’s okay, Jimmy... You weren’t wrong... I tried to kiss him and... I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Natalie said. 

“I’m proud of you both for handling this so maturely,” I said to them. 

“Ma you every seen a horny lizard?” Jimmy asked then. 

“Uh…” I looked upstairs and blushed, then said, “No kids, I don’t think I have.” 

“They’re called horn toads or horny toads Jimmy!” Thomas called down. 

Jimmy and Natalie hugged and told each other they loved each other and I told them to head upstairs and go to bed. Natalie asked if we could talk alone though, and Jimmy went up to talk to his pa as I cuddled Natalie on the couch.

“Ma... when do the dreams about boys stop?” Natalie asked me. 

“Well, they don’t ever, unfortunately. I dream about your father all the time.” 

“Really? Like what?” She grinned. 

“Well... sometimes I dream really good things. Like when we spend time alone together... But sometimes really bad things. Stuff I never want to imagine happening.” 

“Like nightmares?” 

“Yeah... Those ones aren’t so fun. What kinds have you been having, Nat?” 

“Dreams about playin’ with Jeff and Millard. And then... all of a sudden I gotta pick between ’em.” 

“Interesting... Like, you’re playin’ with them? Or at school? Really... And what happens? Do you ever pick one?” 

“Yeah... like at school I gotta pick who I sit beside.. which could never happen ’cause well, we ain’t allowed to sit with them.” 

“It sounds like you’re starting to have feelings for boys, sweetie.” 

“But…” Natalie looked at me. “THOSE boys? I mean... It’s Jeff and Millard.” 

I chuckled and said, “Well maybe not those ones in particular... But I think you’re starting to feel things about boys and wanting to spend more time with them. But you don’t have to pick between anyone. You can have lots of friends who are boys.” 

“Well I hope not them ’cause they’re weird. They say they ain’t scared of nothin’ but then... they was talkin’ bout vampires and stuff and Jeff started to hum and close his ears,” Natalie exhaled. “And Mill got real quiet.” 

“Well sweetie... they’re still growing up too. They wanna act brave in front of you girls. But they’re human and have fears too.” 

“I guess I should go to sleep soon... Thanks, Ma. This helps,” she said and I thought to myself, That was easy.

Natalie went upstairs and I told her to send Thomas downstairs. He walked downstairs and I went over to kiss him. “I love you,” I whispered. 

“I love you too sweetheart. That is one conversation I am ready to go over with him about,” Thomas told me. 

“Well I can’t blame you for that dear... He’s only ten.” I hadn’t heard much of the conversation upstairs, but I could catch for the most part that they were talking about puberty. 

“Oh yeah! Ma!! I gotta tell you bout somethin’!” Natalie said then suddenly. 

I sighed and walked up with Thomas as he said, “That’s your kiddo, sweetie.” 

“Ma... Miss Muriel and Miss Rikki were makin’ fun of us at the saloon. They said that I did somethin’ to Miss Bree so that I could run the cantina,” Natalie told us. 

“They did what?” I blinked and grabbed Thomas’ hand. 

“Yeah and I kicked ’em both for pickin on Natalie!” Jimmy put in. 

“Yeah then they went on ’bout how I was mean and how there were some rumors goin on bout us.” 

“Don’t worry dear,” Thomas insisted. “I will take care of it next time I see both Rikki and Muriel.” 

“I glad you will pa. It was awful,” Natalie said and exhaled. 

“Don’t you worry about them, sweeite. Your pa will handle this,” I said and went over to kiss Natalie on the forehead. 

“Yeah, cause all we did was go to dance..we didn’t even say nuttin to ’em,” Jimmy said. 

“Ok Jimmy, you two did the right thing in leaving.. just don’t be kickin grown-ups ok? It’s not nice, and might get you in more trouble than I can handle,” Thomas told him. 

“Yes pa. We left like when we saw Mr Lot at the schoolhouse,” Natalie said. 

“That’s real good, sweetie. I’m glad you guys left then,” I told her. 

“Ok pa, I promise...but they so deserved it, you can ask Miss Doll, or even Miss Abi, they were both there,” Jimmy said. “They said we was salacious, whatever that means.” 

“Don’t worry Jimmy, we will take care of it,” Thomas promised and we said goodnight as we headed to bed.