June 1, 1901

Black Diamond. 

This morning I worked at the saloon and waved to Bill as he came in. “Hey there, Sir. Can I get you a drink?” I asked him. 

“Yes, anything wet with a bite,” he said with a smile. 

“How about.... hmm.... Well whiskey’s always a good favorite.” 

“That’ll do.” 

I nodded and reached for the bottle, pouring him a shot of whiskey and sliding it over to him. “How’s your day goin’?” 

“It’s not like it used ta be for sure.” 

“That’s for sure… Things sure have changed ’round here, ain’t they, Bill?” 

“I miss the hustle and bustle of the old days.” 

“You and me both…” I sighed. “Can’t get a soul in this here bar to save my life. Other than you, of course.” 

“I like everybody else thought it would always be available. Lots of improvements,” he said as he looked around the saloon. 

“I know what you mean. I’ll be singing over in Bisbee in a couple of hours. I’d be lucky to get more than a handful of people there. And yet when there’s town dances at nights... Everyone flocks to those. Yes, this saloon has come along nice. Angeles did well with it.” 

“But no one to admire them…” 

“We’re going to be taking a trip soon... Hopefully won’t be gone too long. My mother passed away last week. She was very old... But now both of my parents are gone.” 

“We’re being?” 

“My family… Thomas doesn’t want us to make the trip alone. I’m most worried about little Natalie though.” 

“Ahh... so sorry for your loss.” 

“Thank you, Sir. Now there’s just my brother and I hardly talk to him anymore.” 

“I believe you’ll find things adjust to accommodate.” 

“I just don’t want to make the long trip... My life is here now. Natalie is taking it the hardest. I’m not sure how to console her.” 

“We live between eternities…” 

“Heaven and earth, you mean. I try to tell her that Granny isn’t suffering anymore, that she’s in heaven with Jesus. It’s not good enough for her.” 

“It took an eternity to arrive and it will be another eternity when we go. Don’t waist time suffering.” 

“I’ll be alright. It’s Natalie I’m worried about. How have you been keeping busy, Bill?” 

“I’ve been drifting a lot lately. Things are slowing to a crawl it seams and it’s everywhere.” 

“Indeed.... Cases have been few and far between for me. Though the other day I helped the sheriff solved a case just by standin’ there.” 

“Did you get paid?” 

“No,” I said with a chuckle. “Angel asked me to gather statements for a case... But the witnesses all came to us without even trying to find them. Two came to us in person, one came to my mailbox and left the statement there. They had more than enough for the warrant from one of the statements.” 

“Then things are still moving along... good to hear.” 

“I miss that work, Bill…” I sighed longingly. “Did I tell you I’m not a lawyer anymore? Not in Tombstone anyway. I’ll prosecute a trial in Black Diamond if it ever came to that... But I won’t work for a court run by an outlaw and his little minion boy.” 

“It’s always been a little shady,” he said and chuckled. 

“You know what I mean then,” I said and he nodded. “I stand for justice. You know that. I always have. And when the court favors those who are on the outside of the law to be on the jury... Even if they manage to make a disguise... I won’t be apart of that.” 

“But the one thing you can always count on... Change.” 

“My job is done when those criminals get arrested from a warrant. Well, actually more accurately, my job is done when a warrant is written.” 

“So when was the last ‘court Friday’?” 

“Court Friday? Goodness... It’s been ages.” 

“Might work on that.” 

“Not my problem, Bill. If they can’t get their…” I sighed and shook my head angrily. 

“The dances are good... so should the courts.” 

“You’re preaching to the choir, Bill. I don’t understand how so many people flock to dances... And yet no one wants to see justice done.” 

“The rifts between... we need to work together to close them.” 

“Which rifts are those?” 

“Between people.” 

“I would like nothing more than for trial to happen. But I’ve done everything I could to make that happen. People are done listening to me. In spite the fact I’ve been here now over two years.” 

“There’s been so many butt hurt individuals.” 

“We’re lucky we have Jimmy and Natalie, or we’d be bored stiff.” 

“Yes... they are the most active.” 

“They are indeed.” I chuckled. “Our life is never dull because of them.” 

“If I had half their energy. Been thinking bout Poe.”

“My daughter has been getting to you, has she?” I grinned. 

“Edgar was my great great uncle from my mother’s side. Seems like a good fit. Should have thought of it long ago.” 

“Mmhmm I wonder how Natalie will react to that. She’ll love you even more. She already talks about you constantly. Every time she sees you.” 

“There’s a good story there somewheres.” 

“There must be.. The kids, they’ve started exploring to find treasure. They want to start studying the history of the town more and they might bring what they find to school for show and tell when Thomas is teaching.” 

“What time is your swaree?”

“I sing at 1. Thomas will be there tending bar. It’s at the Stock Exchange in Bisbee every other Monday.” 

“I’ll make a point of being in the area.” 

“Thanks Bill, I appreciate that. I just…” I sighed longingly.

“Don’t think you’re not appreciated... not even for a second.” 

“I know Bill... I just miss… I miss the old days... I’ve been working on gathering my journals... From before coming to Tombstone. It keeps me busy... and eventually soon I’ll get caught up. It’s been therapeutic. But it makes me miss the adventure and the action. Even though it all happened about twenty years ago... I mean I was seventeen or eighteen back then... I just... When I put it on paper it’s like I can finally put the past behind me. You know what I mean?”

“Think about why dear. Why the music stopped.” 

“Why do you think it stopped, Bill?” 

“Bullying. Feeding egos. They do the damage and move on.” 

“Yes… You want to know my biggest concern, Bill? My biggest concern is how all the children idolize Lot. How he takes over everything that they do. They all think of him as some sort of god and it takes away from children that would rather not be in that kind of company. Over the Christmas holidays, our house was broken into. By Downy and Lot’s gang. They threatened me. Left a note in our kitchen where our children could see it.” 

“Lot is the main bully to my opinion.” 

“We strictly forbid them from being in his and her presence since that happened.” 

“If he could step back and see the results…” 

“Now... the man shows up at school, at the orphanage… He’s stealing their friends from them. And it’s not right. And it’s driving people away... one by one. Am I wrong, Bill? It concerns me. Greatly. And it WILL push us out of Tombstone ourselves if something doesn’t change.” 

“Lot has a good heart… indeed... a talk with Lot and Adrian at the same time.” 

Jimmy came in the saloon then and I smiled, greeting my son. “Look who’s here. Jimmy, this is my old friend, Bill Badfinger.” 

“I was hunting me some bears, but I didn’t see none… Howdy Mr. Bill!” Jimmy exclaimed. 

“Hey there son. You look like a fine young man.” 

“Want a rootbeer, Jimmy?” I asked. 

“I shore do!” Jimmy jumped for joy and I got to work on his drink. 

“Can the book be judged by the cover?” Bill asked Jimmy. 

“He don’t look like Old Fat Bill ma. Did he lose weight or something?” Jimmy asked. 

“Not that Bill, kiddo.” I giggled. “This is a different Bill. He used to be the mayor of Black Diamond a while ago.” 

Jimmy took the root beer from me and thanked me for the drink. I asked him how his morning was and he said, “It was good… I showed pa what I found the other day...and told him bout the bank man try cheat me.” 

“Yes, why don’t you tell Bill about that?” I said as I took some whiskey and sipped it. 

“Mr. Bill...I found these shiny grey rocks you see, and well I went to Mr. Chase at the bank in Tombstone...and he says they is silver ores...but when I ask how much theys worth, he offer me 10 cents for both. They worth more than that aint they Mr. Bill,” Jimmy told Bill. 

“They fewer there are the more people are willing to pay son,” Bill said as he downed another shot of whiskey and set the empty glass on the bar. “Are there more where you found them?” 

“I mean I founds them out hunting fer treasure...I dunno...I found ’em outside that old mine between Bisbee and Tombstone..I promise I didn go inside ma...they was in one dem car thingys that roll on the track into the mine,” Jimmy said. 

“I’d hang on to them son... some day they will be worth more.” 

“You can put them in the safe in my office here in town, Jimmy... No one would be able to get at them there,” I told him. 

“I even found some gold dust long time ago when we lived in Pearce, but I ain’t allowed in that place no more,” Jimmy said. 

“That’s because your sister fell off that mine shaft and broke her arm,” I told him. 

“This ole earth is full of hidden treasure,” Bill commented. 

“Ma can you keep them safe somewheres? I don’t want no one stealing ’em...they is the Nugget’s silver ores,” Jimmy said with a smile. 

“Sure I can. We’ll put them in the safe on the way to the saloon in a while. We got lots of time though. Why don’t you tell Bill what else you’ve found? Wasn’t there a buckle of some sort?” 

“Oh yeah… we found a buckle with CSA on it, and a coin of some kind, and what pa called a mini ball bullet. Oh and a crusty metal button of some kind.” 

“Confederate Soldier Army…” I thought out loud and looked over at Bill. 

“Can you spot the relationship between the items... like a good detective,” Bill said and looked at me with a wink. He looked back at Jimmy and asked, “So… military, huh?” 

“That’s my guess... Does that meaning of the initials make sense?” I asked with a smile. 

“Well um… I think CSA means it’s Civil War, and pa says the button was from a military jacket of some sort, and he said the mini ball was used during the Civil War...so I guess they all belong to a Civil War soldier.” 

“I agree as well,” I said with a nod, and noticed Bill nodding too. 

“I saw something the other day, it was really thin metal, almost as long as I am tall, and pointed on the end, but it looked broke and rusted, I was afraid to touch it,” Jimmy said. 

“Oh? Where was it?” 

“Um… ma you know where the boys’ club house sits?” 

“Mmhmm.” 

“Well it was wedged in tween them board of that bridge by there. It was really skinny, and had a slight curve or bow in it, but I don’t know what it was..I had no way to pull or grab it.” 

“Can you read n write son?” Bill asked. 

“Yes sir… I read ok, and my writin is gettin better.” 

“Good... then I suggest you keep a diary of things you find.” 

We watched Bill’s bird flying around and then Jimmy said, “Oh we keep track what we find Mr, Bill... Sarah is out ummmm the one who writes down what we have...our secrety or whatever you call ’em.” 

Bill said goodbye to us then, having to take care of some things, and Jimmy and I talked for a bit before Jimmy asked if he could talk to me about something in my office. We took a seat and then he asked, “Have you talked to Miss Bella lately?” 

“Bella... Well, yes. When I spoke with her and the Sheriff last week.” 

“Ummmm…. did she say anything about Sarah?” 

“No, she didn’t. Sarah that lives at the orphanage?” 

“Uh huh… That’s her niece.” 

“All she talked to me about was what happened with her and Rikki and Mer at the courthouse… Oh is it?”

“You know Miss Rikki shot Miss Bella right?” 

“Yes, she told me about what happened there, hon. Why do you know about it?” I frowned, not liking the fact that Bella had told my children about the incident. 

“Well Miss Bella fed me, Natalie, Sarah and Wyette one night at the Russ. She is helping Miss B there now.” 

“That’s good... Someone should be.” I nodded. 

“But she is afraid of Rikki and what she might do if she found out Sarah was her niece. So she asked me and Natalie to take her home if something ever happened.” 

“Okay…”

“She said she wants to speak to you about it first, and for me and Nat not to say anything, but I thought I should tell you anyways.” 

I noticed a half-naked man standing outside then and stood, looking at Jimmy. “Jimmy... stay here a moment.” 

“Ma?!” Jimmy blinked. 

“I’ll be right back, kiddo,” I told him and walked outside, curious about the man. “Can I help you, Sir?” 

“Just looking around. My Wife and I just moved here.” 

I saw Jimmy looking through the window and waved him outside. “It’s okay Jimmy, come on out.” 

“Name’s Nathan,” the man introduced himself. 

“I’m Trin. This here’s my son Jimmy. Nice to meet you, Nathan. What’s your wife’s name? I’ll look out for her.” 

“Nice meetin’ you, ma’am. Vicky,” Nathan told me. 

“And your last name, sir? Just so I don’t get the wrong lady,” I said with a chuckle. 

“She is intendin’ to be a Doc Lady.” 

“Oh is she? That would be wonderful to have another doc around.” 

“Broome,” Nathan said. 

“Well if ya see a deputy walkin’ around named Thomas, that’s my husband.” 

“Howdy,” Nathan said, looking at Jimmy. 

“Yeah, he’s my pa, and this is my ma!” Jimmy exclaimed. 

“Got a job, Sir?” 

“I sure will greet him, He has a handsome family,” Nathan said. 

“We have a daughter as well. Natalie,” I said with a smile. 

“Yes, Captain Joe Stoneshield hired me last week. He’s a cantkerious old cuss,” Nathan said. “And his bride is a sweet lady. I bet they are eighty.” 

“Ma what is a can tank er us old cuss?” Jimmy asked and I laughed hard. 

“He has seen everything and done everything,” Nathan insisted. 

“Well, maybe you and your wife would like to join us over at the saloon in Bisbee? I’ll be performing there in about 40 minutes.” 

“He would like you boy. You got spunk,” Nathan said to Jimmy and then looked at me. “Shucks, I have to go to work about that time.” 

“I do? Did I step in something?” Jimmy asked, looking down at his boots and around him. 

“Spunk is a good thing,” Nathan said with a laugh. “Like courage mixed with a tad bit ornery.” 

“Well, we best be moving along, Jimmy. Nice to meet you, Sir. Hope we meet your wife soon.” 

“Oh okay…” Jimmy chuckled. “Did you hear that ma! I got spunk! Whatever that is.” 

“We’ll see you soon sir. Come on, kiddo,” I said then, knowing we had to head to the saloon soon. 

“Oh well pa says ma is ornery too, so I guess I get it from her…” Jimmy chuckled and hugged me. 

We headed to Bisbee where I played piano and then talked with people after the set before going home.