May 7, 1901

Bisbee.

Today we moved to a new house on the hill in Bisbee, which was more protected and hidden from our other home. I was working at my desk at the house when Natalie and Wyette walked in. They said that Jimmy was on their way and I told them to go get some muffins from the kitchen. They told me they had gone to the orphanage for hamburgers. 

“Wyette was askin’ about you. So I said we should come meet ya,” Nat said then. 

“Oh were you?” I asked and looked over at her. 

“Just wondered if you could find someone,” she said. 

“Oh? Who do you need me to find, hon?” 

“My mother.” 

“I’m listening... Do you know your mother’s name?” 

“Kinda…” she shrugged. “She might go by something else now, I ain’t sure.” 

“When was the last time you saw her?” 

“Umm.. my pa says I was about a month old when she left.”

“Who’s your pa?” 

“His name’s Henry, but he’s passed on now.” 

“Oh, okay. So what makes you think your mother might be here in Tombstone?” 

“I’m from Kansas.. that’s where my pa was from too.” 

“I’ve been to Kansas a few times in my day.” I nodded with the memory. 

“He said he tried to keep track of her and heard she’d been around here the past few years.” 

“Oh I see… I don’t s’pose he gave you a picture of her?” 

“He didn’t have one… they didn’t really know each other well.” 

“Your pa and ma didn’t know each other real well?!” Nat exclaimed. 

Wyette shook her head and said, “Pa said they met at a saloon and spent some time together for a few days n she took off with some bad men she was runnin with.. then about eight months later came back pregnant sayin he was the father.” 

“She was runnin’ with bad men?” I perked and she nodded. “Do you know who?” 

“No. I don’t think she was still with them when she got here.” 

“Ok so let me summarize… I’m lookin’ for a woman who might be your mother who your pa didn’t really know and didn’t have a picture of, so we don’t know what she looks like, or what her name is, and she ran with some bad men but she might not have been with them here in Tombstone?” 

“Well…” Wyette pulled out a folded parchment from her skirt pocket and handed it to me. “I do have my birth record here and my pa said she was dark skinned with long dark hair, looked like she was part injun.” 

I looked over, realizing the woman was part Native, and sighed a bit as I studied the birth record. “Of course… So I should ask Native women if they had a daughter that they lost when she was one month old…” 

“What ya doin? Hi ma, sis and Wyette,” Jimmy said as he walked in then. 

Wyette unfolded the paper and pointed to the name of her mother. “Ssee.. it says her name was Janna Lee Moonie.. but my pa thinks she was usin a.. alias.” 

“Hmm... I don’t know that name… But that’s good to know. So we’re looking for a woman who lost a one-month-old baby who’s part Native and may or may not go by the name Janna Lee Moonie?” 

“Ya got yer work cut out for ya ma!” Nat exclaimed. 

“He usually said Jan when he talked about her,” Wyette said as Jimmy and Natalie continued to talk about the muffins on the table. 

“Can I... write up a copy of this birth certificate, Wyette?” I asked her. 

“Yes ma’am.” 

I went over to the desk and took a piece of paper and a pencil. I wrote out every detail of the certificate on a page and filed it away. 

“I been wantin to ask Mr Lot too, since I found out he’s a outlaw.. but I ain’t seen him in a few days,” Wyette announced. 

“You be careful around Mr. Lot. And other outlaws. Let me talk to them, okay?” I sighed a bit. 

“But Mr Lot comes to the orphanage.. he’s nice to us.” 

“Yeah... except when he hung a dead cow in Miss Abi’s office,” Nat reminded her. 

“They get under each other’s skin a bit,” Wyette said with a giggle.

“Ya think? Any man who threatens a woman in an orphanage is not someone I want my children around. Or any other children,” I told her. 

“I never heard him threaten her, but I’ve only been here a few weeks,” Wyette said. 

“I don’t know if it was threatening or not but that dead animal should not have been in an orphanage.” I shrugged. “But... if you do talk to him... Take Miss Abi.” 

“Oh.. he had cleaned it and meant it to be food, but she wasn’t having it.” 

“However if you want me to help you find your mother... You have to let it be in my hands too. Without goin’ to bad people. That could get you hurt, Wyette.”

“No ma’am, I don’t want to get hurt.” 

“I wasn’t gonna eat none of that. Or his pancreatic cow goop,” Nat said and I coughed, hearing that. 

“Hey sis… maybe Wyette could join our nuggets, then I can protect her like you and Sarah,” Jimmy said. 

“Well! He gave us some to eat and I got sick. Found out later that’s what it was,” Nat said and then exclaimed, “Yeah!!! She could!! We explore around and find treasure, Wyette. And Sarah writes about all of ’em in her notebook. I the leader and Jimmy’s the pertecter.” 

“Oh yeah?” Wyette asked. 

“Well I don’t have much to work with to find your mother... but it’s a start. I’ll ask around and see what I can find,” I told her. 

“I appreciate your help ma’am,” Wyette said with a nod. 

“Of course. I help anyone, no matter how old or young they are,” I said with a wink. 

“Ma is the best detective around...she could find a needle in a haystack!” Jimmy exclaimed. 

“Well that sums up this case right, Jimmy,” I said with a smile. 

Natalie asked Wyette if she’d like to sleep over sometime and I told Jimmy that maybe he and Thomas could go camping sometime. I told Natalie and Jimmy to walk Wyette back to the orphanage and they headed outside together as I went back upstairs.