The town had no name.
It did not need one. It was one of many across the empty, barren spaces of the West, where for a time, life might form when the conditions were right and then faded away into nothingness with a sudden shift of the wind. In its life, the town was peopled with all the colourful characters and stolid, staple fixtures making up a community. The preacher who bellowed hellfire from the pulpit to the sheriff who tried to keep things orderly and the local gossip who spread confusion and rumour for want of anything better to do.
As the town burned out of existence, the flames providing the amber palette for the painting of the twilight sky, there was no one left to prevent this fiery display. Those who had fought to save the town failed. The others chose to vanish into the surrounding night, to mourn the end in their own way. Some rode away on horses and covered wagons, seeing the shift early on and fleeing while they had the chance, while others remained to the end and could only slink away in the aftermath, changed forever. Then were those who could not bear the outcome, they rode away from the town as bloated bodies carried downstream
They did not speak of what happened, not even to each other, for speaking of it would give it power, and they were so afraid of such a happenstance, it was best not to make any mention of it all. It was easier to go their separate ways, to not encounter the faces of those who remembered, who could unearth the memory all of them would be trying so hard to hide. Yet no matter how far any one of them ran, even if their flight took them to the four corners of the world, where the language spoken did not provide the articulation to tell the truth, they could not outrun whatever happened.
The event was burned into their minds. Doomed only to surface in the darkness of slumber, where the mind lowered the drawbridge of all its traumas.
By the time the buildings in the town became kindling, its windows shattering, and glass heated beyond tolerances, it was already abandoned by its inhabitants. Amongst the wreckage in the buildings becoming a cinder, were those who had tried to fight and failed. Their bodies were left to burn, erasing all traces of their attempts to prevail and ensuring they left no markers behind for others to give reverence to their passing.
As the water boiled in the horse troughs, and signs swayed in the wind, caught fire as the flames climbed up posts, ignited the dry hay of stables and spread across banners, no one was left to pay attention to the caravan rumbling away in the distance. With only the stars above to watch its departure, the procession of wagons left the town in a wholly opposite way that it had entered.
Ahead of the caravan, the flat land beckoned, with only the erratic line of mountains in the distance to indicate they were not travelling to the edge of the Earth, where they could tumble off its great precipice into space. It was a journey they had taken numerous times before, a trip they would take until the world stopped turning or the sun grew so large in the sky, they were all reduced to ash.
The two men sat beside each other, while one commanded the pair of dark Friesians pulling the wagon into the night. The first was a caricature of a snake oil merchant, complete with tophat, mismatched clothes and garish taste. With a large bow tie drooping beneath his chin, there was still a hint of grease paint left against his skin. He was in his fifties, his liver on its way to being utterly rotten with sclerosis, and a face jaundiced from too many cheap cigars and shots of rum. With a bulbous nose and a pudgy face, he looked as worn as his clothes.
“Now what Polidori?”
“We keep going.”
A world apart from Darvell, Polidori did not answer immediately. His hawkish dark eyes stared into the emptiness, seeing worlds no one else remembered, from ages just as distant. He thought of the times when the world was quiet, where you could walk for days and not hear a human voice, where a scream could be lost in the wilderness, like an owl hooting in the black.
“Perhaps we should do just that, keep going until we hit Canada. It’s quieter there,” Darvell glanced over his shoulder at the town, burning away. “Here, there are more and more people coming out west.”
“Sheep.”
“Yes,” Darvell wasn’t about to argue. “But sheep always have shepherds, and we don’t need to run into any of those.”
Polidori did not look at him and snorted derisively. “I have no fear of goat herders and simpletons. They never know what is happening until it is too late and we have sent enough of them into the fire to be of any concern. They should have just let us take what we want and remained silent about it. The fire is for those who think they can change the way things have always been. We will keep going on our course as intended.”
Darvell wasn’t so sure, but he was Polidori’s creature, and as it was when he was a child, he had no will of his own to demand his will to be carried out. Besides, Polidori was correct, this town would be no different than the others before it. Those in it, never understood the trap until it was sprung, and when it was sprung, it was already too late. They almost always surrendered and gave Polidori what he wanted.
When they did not, they burned like the town behind them.
Then the caravan would move on because punters were always welcoming them with open arms,. Children would wave happily, expecting a spectacle and Polidori was an attraction on his own because the women lovxed him. Darvell would distract everyone else, with God on one side and clowns, card games, fortune tellers and knife throwers on the other.
After all, who didn’t love a carnival?
Four Corners was changing.
Even if one did not read the statement of this simple truth in the pages of the Clarion News, where all critical town business was related to the community thanks to the widow Travis, the metamorphosis could be felt by its residents. Whether it was due to the main track into town being trampled into a street by increased traffic, the fact Virgil Watson was no longer ordering record levels of glass to replace broken windows, or the appearance of new stores such as the Pemberton Emporium, there was no denying Four Corners had turned a corner.
Few people could pinpoint the exact moment the shift had begun, but all could say with certainty, its epicentre was a black-garbed gunslinger named Chris Larabee.
Chris Larabee's arrival in town, first viewed with caution due to his notorious reputation as a gunfighter, seemed an unlikely catalyst for change. Yet with six mismatched men at his side, the Seven as they were called these days in Four Corners, brought with them the first real semblance of law and order the town had ever known. It was not to say the transition was smooth and some still wished Larabee would simply ride away with his comrades, but to everyone else, he was a reassuring sight in times of crisis.
In fact, as time went inevitably by, it was clear Larabee was going nowhere and neither were the six men who rode with him. The Seven as they were affectionately called, had weaved themselves into the fabric of the town, becoming a part of the flock, despite thinking they were still outcasts when wiser minds knew better. From the courtship of Chris Larabee and Mary Travis to the church Josiah Sanchez was building and the renaming of Murphy's Bar to the Standish Tavern, they were setting down roots. People still flocked to see Nathan Jackson to cure their ills and felt reassured seeing JD Dunne patrol the streets, knowing he was there representing his friends.
On this particular day almost four weeks after the anniversary of the town's founding, things had settled back to its lethargic pace.
The build-up to the anniversary celebration had seen everyone working hard on several projects. With Gloria Potter in charge of the decorating committee, she had for a week, turned Four Corners into the epitome of the up and coming frontier town, with new coats of paint and repairs across all buildings. Julia Pemberton and several business owners had donated material, and Mary Travis had prepared the celebration events like a general on the field.
Of course, things rarely went smoothly in Four Corners. The celebration was marred by a visitor from abroad who orchestrated the abduction of several prominent citizens. Inez Recillos and Julia Pemberton had been abducted and Alexandra Styles, the new doctor, was almost killed. Fortunately, the interloper was promptly dealt with by the Seven and died a natural death of a heart attack in the jailhouse a few days later, never being held accountable for his crimes.
Josiah Sanchez left his church and headed for the Standish Tavern, taking note of the time. The sun had peaked in the sky and was beginning its slow descent into the evening. If his memory served, Inez would be serving dinner about now, and Josiah liked the idea of taking a meal at the establishment since the lady was an excellent cook, and most of his friends would be there.
Although none of them would say it out loud, it had become a ritual of sorts, the breaking of bread with comrades who had become a family in their outcast state. Even Chris, who now owned a parcel of land, managed to be in the vicinity and though none of them pinned him down, they believed he liked the company. His courtship with Mary Travis did not change that, and even if he wasn't amongst them as frequently as before, he was still very much a towering figure in their lives.
"Good morning Mr Sanchez," Bernadette Freeman sang out from the doorway of her bakery. The aroma of freshly baked bread still lingered around the place, even though her ovens were cold and the lady was closing up for the day.
"Mrs Freeman," Josiah tipped his hat at the pretty, dark woman in greeting.
"The church is coming along nicely," she remarked as she paused a moment from her chore of sweeping the dust from her premises. "Jimmy says if you need some help with any of the woodwork, he'd be happy to help."
"That would be appreciated," Josiah smiled at her, grateful for the offer. Her husband Jimmy made his living as a carpenter and having seen his work at Alex Styles's clinic, Josiah knew the man was highly skilled when it came to his craft. "I could use some help repairing a few of the pews."
While Josiah knew enough about restoring the church such as it was, to ensure it was structurally sound enough to not collapse on the heads of the future congregation, he wasn't a craftsman the way Jimmy was. Furthermore, he was not so arrogant as to turn down help when the church he was building really belonged to God and the folk of Four Corners.
"In that case, I'll send him over tomorrow," Bernadette smiled at him. "And pie."
"You are an angel."
The woman laughed, and it was a sound that made Josiah smiled as he tipped his hat and continued towards the saloon.
Other faces appeared as he walked along the boardwalk towards the main entrance of the Standish Tavern. Across the street, Virgil Watson waved, indicating at some point, he might make his way there for a drink. When the rest of the seven weren't around, the two men shared a bottle, and while Watson looked liked the crusty storekeeper with no thought to the world except his mercantile leanings, Josiah knew he was a great reader. They'd get into lively debates about who was better, Frost, Twain or Whitman.
Not so friendly was Paul Jacobson, a proper God-fearing Christian who was nowhere as charitable as the Good book demanded. Not if the look he gave Nathan told Josiah anything about his barely hidden bigotry. The man flashed him a scowl as if Josiah was the reason the infection of mixed races was allowed to flourish in Four Corners. .
The sound of clunky music preceded his arrival at the swing doors of the saloon. It rose over the voices chattering loudly and glasses and tableware clinking against each other. The lively atmosphere drew Josiah in as surely as the aroma of tasty, Mexican cuisine wafting through the open doors. Entering the establishment, Josiah could see the place was filled with other bachelors, looking for a good meal, served by the beautiful Inez, the manager of the Standish Tavern, and Buck Wilmington's very own holy grail.
To no one's surprise, Buck was following the woman around as she balanced a tray on her shoulder, regarding him with the weary resignation he was not going to go away any time soon. The mating dance between the two every evening was almost as much a ritual as the Seven’s evening meal together.
"I’m telling you, Inez, it will be great. Stars, moonlight, a nice bottle of wine I won in a poker game and a blanket? What more could you ask for?"
"For you to go with someone else?"
"Why would I want someone else when I can go with the prettiest girl in town." Buck stepped in front of Inez so she was forced to pause in her advance towards the table whose occupants were growing steadily impatient for their food to arrive.
"I believe that would be Jenna Hawkins and if the rumours are right, you went with her last night." Inez sidestepped him quickly with that biting remark.
The visible wince on Buck’s face seemed to indicate he might not have expected this bit of news to reach her ears. "You know she doesn't mean a thing to me, she's just a place holder to keep me busy while I'm waiting for you."
Inez's expression at that statement spoke volumes.
As the duo passed by the table occupied by most of the Seven, Chris who was closest to Four Corners' very own Lothario, reached out and grabbed the man by the jacket and pulled him into the nearest empty chair.
"Siddown." The gunslinger commanded.
"You know I never interfere with your love life," Buck protested as he plonked into the seat between Chris and JD Dunne, who promptly shifted his chair a few inches away from Buck.
"What's wrong with you?" Buck stared at the younger man in question.
"I don't want to be next to you when the thunderbolt hits."
The remark elicited a round of laughter from all five men at the table, Chris included. The gunslinger raised his shot glass of whiskey in JD's direction. JD grinned, returning the gesture.
"Very funny," Buck grumbled, watching Inez move across the floor of the saloon before he waved one of the other girls in the place to bring him a mug of beer a second later.
"We seem to be short our usual number today," Ezra Standish remarked, shuffling his favourite deck of cards with one hand while reaching for his glass of whiskey with the other. "Where is Mr Jackson and Mr Tanner this evening?"
"Nathan's still at his infirmary," Josiah answered, having seen the healer earlier that afternoon. "Donnie Ross fell off his horse and broke an arm. From what Nathan tells me, he's going to be in a cast for a few weeks."
"Donnie Ross?" Ezra paused a moment, the deck of cards held still between his fingers as he tried to remember the name.
"One of five," Chris, who had returned to his book, looked up long enough to respond. "Lots of red hair."
"Oh that brood," Ezra nodded, remembering the collection of red-haired children he often saw running along the street like a pack of Irish setters. They ranged from five to thirteen, with young Master Donnie being the oldest of the group. "Well falling off a horse is a rite of passage I suppose. I am sure Mr Jackson will have him mended in no time."
"I thought you were having dinner with Miss Pemberton Ezra." JD pointed out, recalling the man mentioning something of the sort this morning when they were at the jailhouse.
"Alas the lady has made other plans," Ezra sighed unable to hide his disappointment. "Some crisis has arisen at the Emporium, and when it comes to turning a profit, not even I can compete with the potential financial loss. A woman after my own heart."
"Can't say I blame her," Buck replied. "There's money to be made there all right. The womenfolk love the place. They can get all their fancy ribbons and things at the Emporium instead of having to go all the way to Sweet Water or Bitter Creek."
"She does appear to be doing brisk business." Ezra agreed, having perused Julia's inventory once or twice and being surprised by the selection. He wondered if she truly made enough profit to sustain the place even though when he asked the question, she was somewhat enigmatic about the answer.
"Hey did you hear Gravedigger Mills might be in the area?" JD spoke up, having heard the rumour that the leader of the infamous Mills Gang operating out of Las Vegas Valley was heading down south towards Mexico.
"Where did you hear that?" Buck stared at him sceptically.
Of course, they all knew who the man was. The Mills Gang had been operating in the Las Vegas Valley for some time now, and were supposedly a bunch of Confederate bushwhackers leftover from the days when Confederate forces held the place as Fort Baker. Since then, the Valley had become a popular trading post with little in the way of law and order, since it had no official status as a township or a military fort. Matt Mills, better known as Gravedigger, had racked up an impressive number of kills, so much so he had the Union Army after him, following the accidental killing of a Federal officer travelling through the area.
"Lem Slipton," JD replied, identifying the town drunk who was known for his tall tales in exchange for a free drink from anyone willing to pay to be entertained for a few minutes.
"Did you have to buy him a drink?" Buck rolled his eyes, hoping to God JD had learned better by now than to take any whiskey-soaked barfly at his word.
"No," JD glared at Buck, insulted by the insinuation. "I just heard him talking."
"That's all it is JD," Chris said firmly. "Talk."
Unlike the Valley, this part of the Territory had more than its fair share of lawmen to combat the number of outlaws. Furthermore, during the last mail delivery from the stage, the wanted posters for the jailhouse revealed the bounty on Gravedigger Mills was a thousand dollars. While the Territory was hardly a bustling metropolis, there were still enough bounty hunters and mercenaries to look upon such a sum of money as too good to resist if Mills wandered into their crosshairs. If the man had any sense, he'd stay away from large towns where someone might aim to collect that considerable price on his head.
"If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay clear of here," Chris stated, with just a hint of menace in his voice to imply the man's fate if he even attempted to grace Four Corners with his presence.
"Might not be a bad idea to ask around," Josiah suggested. "Just to get an idea of how tall Lem's tale is."
"Not that I am one to pay heed to the ramblings of a local drunk, but Mr Sanchez is correct, his rumour mongering may have a more legitimate source. In any case, if I am not mistaken, Mr Mills comes complete with a cohort of equally violent types. Not the kind of element we want anywhere in this vicinity. After all, they have us to bring down property values already, I see no reason to invite the unnecessary competition." Ezra capped that remark with a glint of gold from his smirk.
"Hey, I'm a bad element?" JD couldn't help liking the sound of that.
"Of course you are," Chris said with a perfectly straight face and then moved on before Buck or Ezra told the kid any different. "I'll get Vin to ask around, maybe take a ride to Purgatorio."
"Where is Mr Tanner anyway?" Ezra asked, wondering why the tracker wasn't here.
"Guess," Buck broke into a grin.
"He's with Doctor Styles," JD replied rather redundantly.
Ezra stiffened inwardly, uncertain why it still bothered him to see Vin and Alexandra together. After all, his own behaviour towards the woman had hardly been gentlemanly, thanks to Julia's revelation of their affair before he had a chance to break things off amicably. It should have made him relieved she had found someone else, but the intensity of her relationship with Vin was so utterly different than what he shared with her, Ezra found himself feeling a little jealous.
After all, it made no sense their relationship should be so passionate, especially when they were such an unlikely couple.
With his slouch hat, hide coat, and an assortment of colourful neck scarves, Vin moved across town with the stealth of a hunter surveying the terrain, always watchful and alert for the scent of fresh prey. Cobalt coloured eyes noticed everything, from the doings of folk going about their business to the new faces riding into town, seeking fortune or infamy. It was difficult to say until the shooting started. When he was noticed, which was rare if he had no wish to be, every one of the remaining seven recognised Vin as Chris's trusted second and it was to him they looked to for leadership.
Ezra had no issue following Vin's lead. Not at all. Vin was never judgemental, always fair and had a streak of idealism that Ezra could not help but admire. Yet despite the integrity he wore as comfortably as his hide coat, Vin was also a realist and could be extraordinarily pragmatic when he needed to be. The paradox of the tracker often fascinated the gambler, especially when one considered he was almost as young as JD. Experience just made him seem older.
In contrast, Alexandra Styles was a world far away from the one Vin Tanner inhabited.
Even if her exotic colouring did not give her away immediately, the accent with which she spoke was telling enough. Most members of the community believed she was English, but the truth was, Ezra knew her speech was a mishmash of her well-travelled youth. No matter what her background, there was no denying she was a lady, for she comported herself with the grace and elegance of one. Still, it puzzled those who thought her far too refined to keep company with a man who used to hunt buffalo for a living.
Ezra included.
Despite himself, Ezra wanted to know when Alexandra had time to develop such strong feelings for Vin.
The woman had rode after Vin when he was taken by bounty hunters, nearly getting killed for her trouble. In all the time he spent with her, Ezra never saw Alexandra look at him the way she looked at the tracker. When they had courted, he could see her affection, but it was nothing like the burning flame that seemed to exist between her and Vin. It made him wonder if something had existed between them before that and Ezra simply had not noticed.
"They have been spending a lot of time together," Josiah remarked, ignoring Ezra's discomfort because as far as the preacher was concerned, he'd let a good woman slip through his fingers and he had no one to blame but himself. Besides, Josiah liked seeing Vin and Alex together, and he was reasonably sure Chris did too. "Young love always burns hot in the beginning."
Ezra opened his mouth to make a comment when the chatter of the saloon was silenced by the outbreak of music that did not originate from the old piano, in dire need of tuning. Instead, the gay lilting melody came from outside the dusty confines of the saloon. It immediately drew the attention of everyone in the establishment to investigate.
Leading the charge through the door was predictably JD.
The young man was always eager to rush in where angels feared to tread, and as they emerged one by one through the batwing doors of the saloon, Josiah saw it was not just his comrades and the saloon patrons who had come to see what was happening. Most of Four Corners had also emerged from the crooks and crannies of the town, peering through curtains, sitting on window sills or hanging over balcony rails. Others lingered on the boardwalk or stepped through the doors of the establishments still open at this time of the day, fascinated by the music which made Josiah think of the tune played by the Pied Piper of Hamlin.
The procession coming down the street was one of colour and spectacle. Leading the caravan of brightly painted wagons, with unmistakable theatrical flare, was what could only be a moving carnival. The man sitting at the cart being pulled by two of the tallest horses Josiah had ever seen, their jet coloured coats gleaming in the dwindling afternoon light, was dressed like the ringmaster of a circus. He wore a bright red jacket, a white frilled shirt and top hat, smiling broadly at his audience, waving at them like he was the Second Coming.
The occupants of the rest of the wagons ranged from colourfully dressed performers in their frills and sequins to animals peering at them dully through steel bars. One of them was emblazoned with the words 'Madam Esmerelda Fortune Teller", while another bore a similarly outlandish title 'World Strongest Man'. They waved, and they smiled, blowing kisses to gawkers and some, like a fancily dressed young man in bright yellow colours, juggled numerous balls after he climbed to the top of his wagon to ensure he was seen.
"And I thought things were about to get dull around here," Buck grinned as he saw a bevy of beauties seated on top of their wagon with the words' Flying Nightingales' announcing them to the town, waved at him, with wide welcoming smiles.
"Look, Josiah!" JD pointed. "They got a strong man!"
Indeed, a seven-foot-tall behemoth dressed in nothing but skins was lifting a girl over his head like a sack of rice. She was bent gracefully, like a bowstring, dressed in very little as she was held up to the air like a trophy, her head turned in their direction to offer them a full smile with her ruby red lips.
"Now this is certainly an interesting turn of events," Ezra remarked as he sighted a magician brandishing a deck of cards and immediately wondered if there was a challenge to be found in the man's sleight of hand. It had been some time since he had a worthy opponent at the tables and looked forward to testing the man to see if he was worthy of the name 'the Great Bandini'.
Chris Larabee said nothing, watching the procession and feeling for reasons he could not explain, uneasy.
For the first time in his life, Vin Tanner was happy.
Before this, he had been satisfied with merely being content. Despite the price which hung over his head like a storm cloud about to burst, he could honestly say he had achieved a measure of peace. For so long, he drifted through his life alone, without friends or family to mark his place in their hearts. The last person who meant anything to him had died of putrid fever, and though he continued without his ma, through years of cruelty, loneliness and disappointment, he hadn’t expected to find salvation in the town of Four Corners.
Ely Jo’s machinations had driven him from what refuge he had in the wilderness, making him a man as hunted as the buffalo he once stalked over the plains. Vin had come to Four Corners to disappear, giving up the only life that ever gave him comfort to push a broom surrounded by walls. A week into the job and he had been ready to eat his gun.
Until a would-be lynching changed everything.
Chris Larabee on first sight appeared to be the unlikeliest catalyst for the change that would sweep through Vin’s life, but he was. Thanks to Chris, Vin became one of two and then in a matter of hours, one of seven. The gunslinger had taken one look at him and understood Vin on the most fundamental level, even if he didn’t have the specifics, and to his surprise, Vin could attest to being able to do the same. Chris Larabee was a force of nature, you could just feel it within seconds of being in his company.
However, Vin knew there was more to the man than his fearsome reputation and steely glare. Beneath that veneer of sheer intimidation, there was anguish and longing for a life gone. There was also empathy and kindness, struggling to surface through a black tide of rage. Chris had a moral compass very much like Vin’s own. The world was brutal and hard, with no patience for weakness. This, Vin and Chris, understood without question, but neither were willing to sacrifice compassion and honour because of it.
At Chris’s side, the place Vin knew he would forever stand, they had become the Seven, and with the five men who rode with them, Vin found a family and was finally content.
Happiness rode into town one day with golden skin and an odd accent.
There had been women before, but she was the one who made him know, the way poets and writers had tried to express since Adam saw Eve, she was the love of his life. The journey to the scab of rock on which he was sitting had taken its time, but now she was his. As he stood watching her do what she did best, heal, Vin knew she would be the last thought in his head before he passed out of this world.
Sipping a hot cup of coffee offered to him by Chanu who was seated similarly on the edge of the small hill overlooking the rest of the Indian reservation, Vin cast a glance at the hut where Alexandra Styles was presently treating one of the women in the village. Overhead, the sun was starting to descend into the horizon, and he wondered whether or not they would be able to leave before dusk settled over the land.
“I am surprised Tanner,” Chanu remarked, noticing the direction of his gaze.
“At what?”
“I did not think when you found a woman, it would be the doctor.”
Vin stiffened and stared at him. “What does that mean?”
Chanu gave him a grin, “she’s smarter than you.”
Vin laughed softly. “She’s smarter than both of us.”
“That is true,” Chanu agreed. “I am pleased for you. It’s not good to be alone.”
“You are,” Vin said kindly, a subtle reminder to the man that life went on, even if there was the wreckage of loss behind him. Chanu was the son of Chief Kojay, he was sure there would be no end to the list of women in the village willing to spend their lives with him.
“Not in my heart,” Chanu admitted quietly. “Claire still lives inside me, and while she is there, I will not take another.”
The sadness was nowhere as cutting as it used to be, but it was still present. Chanu had embraced village life again, but Vin knew he was still in mourning. Perhaps he would always be.
Despite the social taboo, Claire had loved Chanu and paid the ultimate price for it at the hands of her murderous father. Mosely, who hanged for filicide, could not bear the stigma of having a daughter married to an Indian, even though the girl was with child. Vin and Chanu had developed a friendship when the tracker was sent to hunt down Chanu, whom Mosely blamed for the crime. With the help of the others, Vin proved Chanu’s innocence and gained a lifelong friend in the aftermath.
“She must have been something,”
“She was,” Chanu nodded, and his eyes misted over with the profound grief Vin suspected he would never shake. “Claire was kind and beautiful. She talked about the books she read, the life she wanted us to lead. She believed it was possible to do it standing in two worlds, that our child would be a symbol of hope that the white man and the Indian could live together in peace. It would have been a good life.”
“I’m sorry,” Vin said for want of anything better.
Dispelling his melancholy, Chanu blinked and broke into a faded smile. “Your lady is a good woman, you chose well.”
“Wasn’t a choice, it was just how it was meant to be,” Vin shrugged, and it was the truth. Alex’s effect on him was like a bullet to the brain. Vin wasn’t prone to being emotional, but when it came to her, his heart sent his mind running like a burro taking a sharp kick to the rear.
“So you will marry soon?”
Vin who was taking a sip of his coffee nearly choked on it. After a few seconds of coughing, which Chanu was viewing with much amusement, he gave the man a pointed look. “Just one thing at a time. I’m just happy she ain’t wising up to the fact she’s courting a drifter on a dollar a day.”
“I think a woman who rides after bounty hunters to save your life, doesn’t care about such a thing.” Chanu couldn’t help smirk, having heard the tale from Josiah during one of his trips to the village to visit with Kojay.
Vin tried not to blush, still unable to believe Alex had done that but knowing how willful she was, supposed she would do nothing else.
Before he could say anything else, the plaintive wail of a child cut through the air, drawing both men’s attention to the hut where Alex was. The small gathering of men, including one very nervous brave who had been pacing the dirt floor in front of the dwelling, suddenly froze at the sound, giving the door their undivided attention.
A portly matron appeared through the door a few seconds later and exclaimed proudly to those waiting for news. “It’s a boy!”
***********
An hour later, Vin and Alex were riding back to town after Alex had done all she could for Mira, the young lady whose breached birth she had been called to attend. There were enough midwives and mothers in the village to ensure Mira and her new baby would be well looked after, even if the new father, one of the bravest men there was according to Chanu, was a nervous wreck. The sun was already starting to set when they headed back to Four Corners, and Vin had no intention of being out in the darkness when Alex was with him.
As always, Vin relished Alex clinging to him as they rode beneath the glorious expanse of stars, made all the more magnificent by the cloudless sapphire sky. Strokes of amber still framed the setting sun, making the mountains in the distance appear as if they were radiating burnt sunlight. Her cheek was pressed against the hide coat on his back, allowing Vin to guess she was taking a little doze.
He’d taken her to the village this morning after Chanu had ridden into Four Corners asking for help. Knowing it took quite a bit to coax any of the First People to seek advice from the town, Alex had been prepared to ride to the village on her own until Vin offered this alternative. Upon arriving at the community, Alex took the opportunity not only to check on the welfare of the female population but also deliver Mira’s baby.
“Hey, don’t fall off back there,” he flexed his shoulder just enough to prompt her into waking. Not that he minded her dozing off, but he worried she might slip off the saddle and hurt herself.
“I’m not,” she straightened up immediately. “I’m just resting my eyes.”
“Sure you are,” he gave her a look. “We’re almost home so you can get some sleep.”
“Are you coming over?”
Even though it was hardly proper, Vin had been sneaking into her house unseen at night and leaving in similar stealth the next morning. Alex relished falling asleep in his arms, even when there wasn’t passionate lovemaking before that. It was the intimacy of touch that mattered so much. When they were together, they revealed truths they voiced to no one else, and Alex learned more about Vin during those midnight talks than any other time. Coaxing out the person beneath the sharpshooters and tracker was no easy thing, but then she supposed he had similar challenges finding out who she was beneath the doctor.
“You want me to?” He asked. “You’re plenty tired. I don’t mind if you want to catch up on your rest.”
“I do, but I get it better when you’re there.” She smiled, kissing him lightly on the shoulder.
“Then we won’t be sleeping,” he winked wolfishly relishing the gesture, even if he could barely feel it through his coat.
“I know I know, you gotta save me from being a dried-up old spinster woman, right? “
“You know it.” Vin laughed, recalling that old joke between them. “I was gonna drop in at the saloon first, see how everything’s going but I can come on by later. That okay?”
“Of course it is,” she rested her cheek against his shoulder. “Just let yourself in as usual.”
It was essential to Alex Vin remained a part of the Seven. Seven was a number of power, and when the defenders of Four Corners were together, everyone who saw them felt its mystique. There was something complete about their brotherhood, something that went beyond words. No matter how much she loved him, there was a part of her that recognized Vin’s place was at Chris Larabee’s right hand. It was an understanding shared by all the women who loved the seven, from Mary, Inez, Rain, Casey and even that two-headed Jezebel Julia, the power of the seven was stronger than all of them. As long as they remained the seven, they would always come home.
It was destiny.
***********
Vin and Alex returned to town hoping the evening would allow their return to go mostly unnoticed. Even though most of Four Corners had no idea they were sharing a bed, a few of the local gossip mongers did consider it improper they rode together double on Peso out of town, but Alex loved those rides with Vin too much to pay it much mind. Besides, they didn’t do it often enough for it to be scandalous and for the most part, tried to be discreet. Still, Vin was mindful of Alex’s reputation, knowing as the town doctor, she could not suffer any grievous injury to her reputation.
Tonight, however, there was no need to worry if anyone saw them together. Everyone’s attention was occupied elsewhere.
The streets were alive with people, with a caravan of colourful wagons flanking the boardwalk on one side of the main road, while a procession of strangers in equally vibrant costumes performed along the other. The townsfolk of Four Corners had forgotten the encroaching night, revelling in the appearance of the new arrivals, eagerly displaying their talents to the local audience. Stores that ought to have closed for the day, remained open, taking advantage of the unexpected traffic brought about by the spectacle on the street.
Children carrying sparklers, cotton candy and twirlers gathered around the jugglers, sword swallowers and contortionists holding court on the street, or on the back of uncovered wagons. Elsewhere the strong man who rode into town carrying a girl had exchanged the lady for several barrels, balancing them on each shoulder as if they were light as a feather. Meanwhile, women giggled like school girls as the magician called the Great Bandini, charmed them with his perfect smile and roses that seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
Once again the festive atmosphere of the town’s anniversary returned to Four Corners, with calliope music playing its cheery tune above the excited chatter of everyone caught up in the spectacle. As Vin and Alex rode towards the Standish saloon, they glimpsed Buck Wilmington, predictably chatting up some sequined beauties near a wagon. Their costumes revealed their stockinged thigh and high boots, with glitter covering their skin. Buck appeared to be talking up JD, who tried to look as charming as the town’s Romeo and failing, especially when Casey entered the fray and dragged him elsewhere.
Josiah was watching the display from a chair outside the tavern. The former man of the cloth was leaning back in his chair, a mug of beer in his hand, paying close attention to one of the performers who seemed to be firing up the locals in front of his wagon. The man was wearing a top hat and commanded his audience the way a preacher would mesmerize his flock from the pulpit.
“What on Earth is going on?” Alex finally found her voice to speak, even though it was quite clear what was happening. “When did the circus come to town?”
“Don’t know,” Vin replied, aware that they usually got forewarning of such an event. If not from Mary Travis, who made it her business to know everything that transpired in Four Corners, then through the chatter of people from the surrounding towns where such a company of performers might find custom.
Speaking of Mary, Vin noticed the widow next to Chris Larabee, who was holding young Billy upon his shoulders as they watched the sword swallower, a swarthy looking man dressed in the costume of a Romany pheasant, complete with sash and flowing shirt, attempting to lower a dagger down his throat.
“Oh, that ain’t safe.” The tracker winced, seeing the long dagger disappear down the man’s throat.
“It isn’t,” Alex remarked, understanding his concern. As a doctor, she couldn’t help but disapprove of seeing anyone test their body so dangerously, but she also knew those who do it for a living know how to do it well. “But if it goes wrong, I’ve got lots of thread for sutures.”
“Ouch,” Vin made a face, not wanting to imagine the mess a mishap like that was going to make.
“Hey, Vin!”
The couple looked up to see Nathan Jackson crossing the street from the direction of his infirmary, towards them. Weaving through the people on the road, he paused long enough to see a lovely dark woman with feathers and plumes on her scantily clad emerald costume, giving him a little wink. The healer flashed her a smile before remembering himself and what he was doing and hastened his pace to catch up with them.
“Hey Nate,” Vin greeted him with a nod. “Looks like we got company.”
“Yeah,” Nathan glanced at the street, crammed with people. “They just rolled into town this afternoon and started entertaining. Seems they’re touring the country from California and are going to play at all the towns around here. After Four Corners, they’re going to Eagle Bend, Bitter Creek and Sweetwater. Last I heard when I spoke to Chris, the fella who runs the thing has worked out with Mrs Travis, a spot outside town where they can set up shop for a week or so. I mean this is just a preview, the real show is going to be under the big top.”
“What a wonderful idea,” Alex exclaimed, looking at the magician in interest. “I haven’t been to a circus since I left England.”
“Then I guess we better go,” he gave Alex an affectionate look, always pleased when she got excited about something other than doctoring.
“I will be happy to have you escort me, Mr Tanner,” Alex smiled, linking her arm through his. “As my...what is the word for a suitor?” She glanced at Nathan, certain there was an American term for it.
“Beau,” Nathan said helpfully and almost laughed when he saw Vin turn red at the description. Even though everyone knew how he felt about Alex now, Vin still behaved like a nervous teenager when anyone called out his relationship with the doctor.
“Yes, beau,” Alex noted Vin’s colouring and couldn’t help adding. “You are my beau now, Mr Tanner.”
“Alright, alright,” Vin gave her a look, aware he was being teased. “Guess I got to take you out now and then, keep you from turning into a mean old nag who can’t stop complaining.”
***********
Meanwhile, Ezra Standish was watching the performance of Sebastian Polidori, one-half owner of the Great Polidori Circus.
According to Mary, who had spoken to Mr Polidori and his partners August Darvell shortly after their arrival, Sebastian was the grandson of the original owner of the circus. In recent years, finding he needed assistance in the management of the production, August Darvell, a long-time associate, was made a partner. While Darvell had the characteristics of a snake oil salesman with his bombastic voice and larger than life personality, Sebastian was lean, handsome, with dark hair and chiselled features.
His audience, except for Ezra and a few others, were all women.
Even his Julia had given the man her undivided attention, much to Ezra’s chagrin. Far too many women in his life were doing that of late, he thought sourly. Nevertheless, as Sebastian applied his abilities as a hypnotist on his subject, Yosemite the curmudgeon who ran the livery bearing his name, his voice and countenance had more than enough intensity to charm even the most celibate woman.
“Should I be worried?”
Julia turned her emerald eyes on him with amusement. “Mr Standish, you know you have my heart. No handsome, charming, articulate, brooding and intense specimen who possibly stepped out of Wuthering Heights, could turn my head.”
“Thank you, my dear,” Ezra frowned. “Your words have put my mind completely at ease.”
“He is very handsome, though,” Julia pointed out. “And last I looked, I did still have eyes, but I admire the man, the way I would admire a Rembrandt, something to be viewed from afar.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Ezra remarked and noted with amusement, Yosemite was now performing the waltz on the stage with a non-existent partner.
The gambler looked away from the performance for a moment, wondering if any of his associates were nearby when he caught sight of a young girl, standing in the crack between Virgil Watson’s store and the hotel. She was no more than fifteen, with a dark blue dress that laced up front. Her skin was pale, and her eyes sunken. Long brown hair framed her face, and she swept her gaze across the street, like someone viewing the scene with dread, not awe like everyone else.
Something in those eyes tugged at Ezra.
“Excuse me, my dear,” Ezra whispered in Julia’s ear, “may I trust you to remain on your own for a few minutes without my presence? Can I be assured I won’t return to find you embarking on a career as an equilibrist?”
“As long as you do not attempt to become a comedian,” she said dryly.
“Touche.”
Ezra made his way out of the crowd, crossing the street, without anyone paying him any attention. All eyes were fixed on the performance on stage, so Ezra was able to make his departure discreet. He crossed the street and realized the girl had retreated into the shadows, perhaps realizing she had caught his attention. He did so hope she wasn’t a young working girl, thinking she had snared a customer. The darkness in her eyes had drawn him out of the crowd like an ace in the deck.
Reaching the narrow passageway, he stepped into the shadows, leaving behind the spectacle of the circus in the main street, their voices becoming distant as the darkness surrounded him.
“Hello?”
She was standing behind some old crates as if the dark wasn’t enough to hide her. Ezra could see the silhouette of her slender frame and the gleam of moonlight across her dark hair. Her eyes fixed on him, glittering in the night like black pearls.
“What is your name?”
“Anna.”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance Anna,” Ezra asked, unable to fathom why he felt the fear radiating off her like a furnace. Learning to read people had kept him alive, and all the skills at his disposal told him this young girl was terrified. “This is no place to be Anna. Can I escort you somewhere...”
“Don’t believe them,” she said quickly as if the opportunity to speak was fleeting and she had to grab it while she could. “Whatever they say, don’t believe them. This is a trap.”
The sudden burst of applause from the performance he just left made Ezra glance over his shoulder, but when he faced front again, Anna was gone.
Only her warning remained.
Thanks to the crowds on the street the night before, it was difficult for Ezra to bring Anna's warning to Chris Larabee and the rest of his associates before the next morning at the Standish Tavern.
As it was, the main street of Four Corners resembled the aftermath of Mardis Gras in New Orleans and judging from the chatter as he made his way to the saloon for breakfast, the excitement had yet to die down. While it was nice to see the town so animated, the girl's warning stayed in his mind for most of the night, even during the part of the evening spent in Julia's intimate embrace.
After Julia had lain against his chest and gone to sleep, with the scent of sin and perfume in his lungs, Ezra couldn't help but find his mind returning to the girl's words.
It's a trap.
If she was to be believed, then what sort of trap could a troupe of circus performances possibly spring upon the town? If it was a case of chicanery, Ezra knew from experience, there were more than enough cool heads about to prevent the sale of anything irreplaceable for the proverbial magic beans. Lord knows he had tried hard enough during his time in town to make such a trade himself, usually with poor results, not to mention a stern warning from Chris that was punctuated with the glint of the man's Peacemaker.
As Ezra headed down the boardwalk, he caught sight of Buck Wilmington crossing the street, presumably heading towards the saloon to partaken in Inez's excellent breakfast cuisine. The gambler and the ladies man made eye contact, prompting Ezra to pause in his steps so Buck could join him the rest of the way. Buck seemed in good spirits which usually meant he was in the company of a paramour who was more than accommodating the night before.
"Good morning Mr Wilmington," Ezra tipped his hat.
"Hey Ezra," Buck greeted just as cordially. "Going to get some breakfast?"
"Yes," Ezra nodded. "Also to catch up with the others. I had an encounter the evening before that gives me concern."
Buck was about to make some glib remark at Ezra's expense when he noted the expression on the gambler's face implying what he had to discuss was anything to take lightly.
"What's up?" His tone shifting immediately from lovable rogue to serious lawman.
"I am not sure," Ezra revealed his uncertainty over the entire encounter with Anna, a thing he was unaware was telling in itself to his comrades.
Ezra was composed most of the time, hiding what he felt behind a mask of cold indifference or shameful smugness. It served the man well during games of poker. His only tell, appeared to be his eyes. When he was going for the kill, Ezra's eyes always seemed darker. If Buck had ever seen a shark, he would have recognised the similarities immediately. Confusion revealed itself in Ezra's eyes as a dance of gold flecks in murky green water.
Both men continued up the boardwalk for a few more steps as Buck waited for Ezra to articulate what he needed to say, which meant it was serious indeed. Ezra was never at a loss for words and that he had to think about it, told Buck a great deal.
"A young lady who did not appear to be part of the performance coaxed me into a private audience with a warning that our new arrivals cannot be trusted."
"Well they're circus folk Ezra," Buck shrugged, seeing nothing ominous about that. "It ain't a good idea to trust them with the keys to the town under any circumstances. I mean they're here to make a few dollars by keeping everyone entertained, knowing we ain't got nothing here for the women and children. Men, we got our saloon girls and watering holes, but everyone else has to just make do. These folk will put on a show, try and sell fortunes and elixir to a few people and then head on out to the next town."
Buck did have a point. One of the reasons Julia's Emporium was enjoying the success it was, wasn't merely because she brought merchandise to town that would otherwise need to be bought in Eagle Bend or Sweetwater. The structure was large enough for her to host the occasional special event, inviting the local girls to model some of the newer fashions for the ladies of Four Corners during afternoon teas. Adjoining the small cafe which incidentally served ice cream, was a library. It was no more than a dozen shelves of books, but for a town that had none, the idea of having free access to literature meant increased patronage not just from women and children, but also the men.
Even though Ezra would never say it to her, mostly because she had an ego already as massive as his own, he was exceedingly proud of Julia. When she ran from her life and a wedding, he had imagined her as nothing more than a spoiled rich girl. In truth, Julia had a hell of a head for business, and he was starting to suspect the Emporium was mostly a hobby with her, and her real fortune lay elsewhere in investments. None of which Ezra minded of course. Being Maude Standish's son, meant he was used to women with an enterprising streak, and he had no difficulty being a kept man.
"It is more than that Mr Wilmington," Ezra replied after a moment. "The young lady spoke of a trap. We should not believe a word said to us because it was leading into some kind of snare."
"That does sound a little strange," Buck had to admit. "But it's thin Ezra, and it depends on what you mean by trap? Trap to get our money, burn down the town, what?"
"On that point she was vague," Ezra shrugged. "Before I could question her further, she was gone."
Before Buck could say anything further, both men caught sight of Vin Tanner standing on the boardwalk with Alex Styles. Alex appeared to have run into the tracker coming out of Gloria Potter's store, and the two were bidding each other good morning, the way only a young couple could. Buck could see Alex laughing at something Vin had said before she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Alex was soon on her way, with Vin staring after her a moment before he continued towards the saloon.
Ezra stared once again, forgetting Anna and the ominous warning the night before to feel the familiar rise of annoyance surface at the exchange between Vin and Alex. Why did it bother him so much? Was it perhaps Alex never showed her regard for him in such a public fashion? Was he really that jealous even after humiliating her in front of the town when he took up with Julia?
"Mr Tanner seems happy," Ezra remarked.
"He should be," Buck smiled knowingly, seeing where Ezra's gaze had been. "Considering how he spends his nights."
Ezra bristled, aware that Vin was no longer sleeping alone. "I had no idea she was so accommodating."
"No more than Miss Pemberton," Buck pointed out before Ezra got something stuck in his craw that became a problem. "Besides, look at him. You ever see him with a gal other than that Richmond woman? He ain't like us, Ezra. When he meets the one, he's all in, no matter how much trouble it lands him in."
To that, Ezra could not argue. "I suppose I did not expect them to become so familiar so quickly."
"Sometimes, when you meet the right one," Buck said, thinking this was precisely the case for Vin, "you just know. It don't make sense how, just that you do. I think that's how it is for both of them. You can see it by the way they look at each other, just like when we see you and Miss Pemberton together."
"What?" Ezra stared at him in question.
"There are folks that are just meant to be," Buck said sounding not like the scoundrel who produced some of the most outlandish statements known to man, but as a seasoned, thoughtful student of the human heart. "Every time that girl looks your way, we see no matter how much she hides it, she'd walk through fire for you. "
Ezra dropped his gaze to his boot, not wanting to meet Buck's eyes because to say anything would be to admit he felt the same. Both of them were outcasts looking for a place in the world. Ezra found it first with the Seven, but for Julia, it had been much harder. A woman's place in society meant there were considerable limitations for the paths she might walk. She'd run away to the wilderness to be her own person because in the past sex was the only power she felt she wielded. She used it to get what she wanted, never thinking it could be more than a tool. When they met, it was the first time she realised it could be something beautiful between two people. Ezra knew she loved him because he was the one who made her see that.
"Morning," Vin greeted as he finally reached them, a few paces from the saloon doors.
The delicate topic was quickly forgotten as their number increased by one with Buck nodding in greeting, the subtle way only the men of the West seem to manage.
"Hey you know if Chris is in town?"
"Rode out last night," Vin answered, remembering bidding the man goodbye when he rode out to his shack. Considering how busy the town had been last night, Vin could imagine Chris had no intention of being around all that ruckus. If not for spending the night with Alex, Vin might have considered doing the same. "Why, something up?"
"I am not certain," Ezra admitted. "Suffice to say, I think we should wait for Mr Larabee before deciding how to proceed."
***********
As it turned out, Chris was in town and was already at the saloon waiting for his breakfast by the time the three men entered. With Billy visiting Mary from Eagle Bend, Chris had promised to take the boy fishing today and wanted to get an early start since Billy was all fired up to go to the first performance of the circus this evening. It was understood among the seven when Billy was in town, they would pick up the slack left by the gunslinger's absence, aware of just how much the boy adored Chris.
"Mr Larabee," Ezra greeted when he arrived at the table and was pleased to see all his associates were present.
The breakfast crowd filled the place to the brim, not just with the usual stench of stale liquor and cigar smoke no amount of airing could banish, but with the intoxicating aroma of cooked food that made the lingering odour tolerable. Cowpokes, ranch hands and even the barflies without a family or a home, found a little slice of it at the Standish Tavern now Inez was in charge. The lady was a breath of sunshine in all their lives as she moved from table to table, either taking orders or delivering meals.
"Howdy," Chris greeted them with a slight nod before similar salutations chorused around the table before the new arrivals got settled in and their number was complete again.
"I am gratified to see you here this morning Mr Larabee, I seem to have run into a curious situation."
Curious situation to Chris Larabee meant trouble.
Actually 'curious situation', 'something odd', 'guess who I ran into today,' all spelt one thing in Chris's vernacular. Trouble.
"What sort of situation?" Chris sat up straighter, and Ezra turned to see he had the undivided attention of everyone save Buck, who was gesturing Inez over for their usual morning ritual of proposition and rejection.
"I ran into a young lady yesterday during the entertainments produced by our new arrivals."
"Haven't you had enough trouble running into young ladies who just arrived in town," Nathan could not help but tease, reminding Ezra how he'd reacted the last time an interesting woman graced Four Corners with her presence.
"Droll, Mr Jackson, droll." Ezra made a face at the grinning healer.
"Go on," Chris prompted, telling everyone in no uncertain terms to button up until Ezra had his say. After that, it was open season. Chris knew how to have a little fun too.
"I encountered a young lady named Anna. She told me we should not take anything said to us as truth, that they were lying to us, and this is a trap."
"A trap? What does that mean?" JD asked with understandable confusion.
"I do not know, and the girl did not remain long enough to elaborate. She was no more than fifteen if I were to hazard a guess and her clothing did not indicate she was one of the garish troubadours we saw on the street last night."
"I think it's just warning us not to lose our money," Buck stated, seeing nothing so ominous yet.
"Yeah and this is the Territory," Vin added. "People don't part with their money easy, especially when they don't got a lot of it."
"And snake oils salesmen are a dime a dozen," Nathan pointed out, having encountered one or two since his tenure as town healer. While he believed some herbs and roots had medicinal properties that could cure ailments, these varmints promised ridiculous things like being able to get a woman to like you or make you taller. Without meaning to, he glanced at JD.
"They did come out of nowhere," Josiah pointed out.
"That's true," Chris had to admit. The spectacle on display last night was undoubtedly lavish, beyond the norm for news of their travels through the area to remain anonymous. Rumour flew across the Territory faster than tumbleweeds in a desert storm. "Any of you heard of them before they showed up yesterday?"
The group shook their heads to indicate no, which once again provoked Chris's natural suspicion even further. Still, he was not one to cast stones without proof, especially now they were practising law in this town. Even in an unofficial capacity, Chris knew it would not take much for the perception of the Seven to go from reliable lawmen to a gang of armed thugs if they did not conduct themselves appropriately.
"They've put down stakes at the Holland place," Chris explained. The Holland homestead, abandoned for some time now, was close enough to town for an audience, but far enough away so that the more conservative members of Four Corners, would not be bothered by the noise. "According to Mary, they're staying for a week before heading down to Eagle Bend. We could take a ride down there and look around, see if there's anything funny going on."
"Aren't we going to make them think we're suspicious about something if we just show up?" JD asked.
"Yeah, you don't scream casual Chris," Buck reminded tactfully.
Chris sighed, unable to disagree with his old friend on that score. He did seem to put people on edge. Besides, he had made plans with Billy, and Chris hated to disappoint the kid if he could avoid it.
"Okay then, Ezra you go out there, take Josiah and JD with you."
"What about me?" Buck asked, wondering why he wasn't included in the entourage. People liked talking to him.
"No," Chris said firmly. "We'll never see you again."
A ripple of laughter broke out across the table because they all knew the same thing Chris did. With the number of scantily clad ladies in the troop with their sequined costumes and gorgeous smiles, the Seven knew once Buck got anywhere near them, he'd lose all good sense, and they'd have to send Vin out there to find him again.
"Very funny," Buck grumbled and swatted JD's hat off his head when the kid sniggered. Almost on cue, Inez who was walking by, did the same across the back of Buck's skull, not liking it when he teased JD like that.
"Ow," he grumbled and then faced the others. "She loves me. She really does."
"Yeah," Chris rolled his eyes. "We can tell."
"You sure about this Ezra?" Nathan asked the gambler, wondering whether or not they were worrying about a storm in a teacup. For all they knew, the girl could be playing a prank on Ezra, even if it was highly unlikely. Then again, Nathan saw Ezra's reaction to the question, which made the healer think there was more to it. It was as if something had taken root in the gambler's mind and he couldn't let it go, which was unusual for a man who rarely thought beyond how much money he could squeeze out of a situation. "What's snaking you about this? You look like you swallowed bad rotgut."
"Firstly," Ezra stiffened in his chair. "I fail to see how there can be bad rotgut when none of it is good. Secondly, it was the look in her eyes."
"Look?"
"It was in her eyes, Mr Jackson." He met the healer’s gaze. "Her eyes told me giving us that warning was something she had been forced to work up the nerve to do. Whatever she thinks is happening, or what trap she believes we might be entering, it frightened her. What I saw in her eyes, Mr Jackson," Ezra admitted finally, "was terror."
***********
Anna sat in her wagon, working on the dress that would be needed for their debut in Four Corners.
Outside the small window, she saw the beauty of the land surrounding the campgrounds and admired the mountains in the distance. It was so beautiful here, not like the dreariness of Glasgow where she had first joined the troop. It seemed so long ago now, decades even when she left that squalid place thinking she was going to the New World for a life of adventure and excitement.
How wrong she'd been.
Hiding in the darkness of the wagon, she saw the others out and about, setting up for the punters who would be coming tonight and for the rest of the week. During the day, the empty field they had chosen for their campsite would be filled with colour, inviting visitors to try their hand at the various carnival games, milk bottles, high striker and the shooting galleries. There would be a few little performances, mainly from the jugglers and clowns who were harmless enough.
Unlike the Cavern of a Thousand Mysteries and Madam Esmeralda's Fortune Teller.
Suddenly, the work outside stopped abruptly. Everyone went silent. Anna peered out the window and saw everyone staring at her wagon, their eyes dark and their expressions grave. Even Esmerelda who was setting up her tent, stood watching Anna's home in silence, the banner depicting a wizened crone and a crystal ball flapping unsecured in the wind. They said nothing but continued to stare, waiting.
Anna's breath caught, understanding.
When the door creaked, she froze and knew immediately, she had not been as discreet as she wished the night before. Someone had seen her.
Trembling, she turned away from the window slowly as she felt its breath, hot and fetid. Turning her head slowly, she felt the fear clench at her gut and sent warm piss down her leg. Almost whimpering by the time she faced him, her lips quivered, and she opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm sorr..."
She never finished the sentence. Blood splattered across the walls and her scream, what little of it she was able to utter, vanished in the low growl made by something older than time.
Something hungry.
Riding into the campgrounds of the Polidori Circus was like stepping through the looking glass.
One minute they were journeying along the beaten-down horse trail cutting through grasslands covered with low, bushy shrubs, shaded by moderately tall junipers and pinyon pines and the next, they were in a world of calliope music and colour. Leaving behind the sweet smell of wildflowers and dried spoor carried on a mild summer breeze, they were instead greeted by the scent of straw and sawdust.
While the circus and accompanying stands were still being set up across the abandoned Holland property, the carnival was taking definitive shape when Ezra, Josiah and JD finally arrived at the place. A few local children were perched on the still-standing fence line running along the edge of the homestead, watching the work continue now that school was out for the day. Not that it was just the erection of tents that fascinated them.
Acrobats were practising their acts, tumbling across mats, while animal trainers prodded and cajoled troops of dogs through hoops and balancing on their hindquarters. In what was left of the Holland corral, a quartet of snow-white horses galloped along the fence with a young woman balanced between two of them. Elsewhere, the cornucopia of sights continued with another beauty sitting astride an elephant.
“I don’t think we ought to let Buck anywhere near this place,” JD remarked as he watched the woman, with glorious dark hair and full red lips, wearing clothes that revealed magnificent legs.
“He may become the first grownup to run away with the circus,” Josiah grinned.
Ezra did not answer. Instead, the gambler was searching the faces going about their business for one in particular, frowning when he did not see her. “I see no sign of Anna.”
At the mention of the girl who sparked this journey here, both men turned to the gambler with Josiah offering a reasonable explanation first. “There are an awful lot of wagons around here,” the preacher regarded the collection that served as the homes for the travellers. “She could be one of those. Seems like these folk are plenty busy this afternoon, setting up.”
“That is a possibility,” Ezra nodded in agreement, “but I will not be satisfied until I see her.”
As the three riders rode further into the campgrounds, Ezra saw the eyes of those present shifting slightly in their direction, not long enough to stare but enough so that Ezra knew they were not as oblivious to the lawmen’s arrival as they were attempting to portray. Something about this felt wrong, but Ezra could not put his finger on it, which bothered him to no end. From the corner of his eye, he saw the emergence of August Darvell, the so-called ringmaster of the circus. Dressed less ostentatiously than the night before, the man was still clad in a waistcoat, with the chain of a gold watch hanging from his pocket and a battered top hat of grey.
“Welcome my friends to Polidori Circus! We’re not quite ready for guests yet, but I assume you’re the local constabulary?”
Darvell’s voice was loud and bombastic, what one would expect from someone who had spent his life playing to an audience. His voice reminded Ezra of a trumpet call with just enough hint of melody to be pleasing instead of annoying. The voice of a salesman, Ezra thought silently and then added, or a conman.
As they came to a stop near the hitching post by the small creek that ran through the property, the lawmen dismounted just in time to be met by Darvell.
“You assume correctly. Mr Darvell, am I right?”
“August Darvell at your service,” he tipped his hat at Ezra, Josiah and JD in greeting. “And you are?”
“I am Ezra Standish,” Ezra took the lead and noted both Josiah and JD had opted to let him make the introductions, sensing perhaps Darvell would be more receptive to the gambler who also knew how to talk a good game. “These are my associates Mr Josiah Sanchez and Mr JD Dunne, and you were correct in your assertion we are the law in this locality.”
“Unofficially,” Josiah added, in case Darvell asked for official proof which only JD possessed. “This is just a social call.”
“Well then, permit me to offer you a little tour,” Darvell brightened up. “Of course, for obvious reasons, I will not be unveiling everything you understand. After all, a magician must retain some secrets for the sake of mystery.”
“Of course,” Ezra nodded in understanding. “As one who indulges in games of chance, it is necessary to keep some tricks up one sleeve.”
Josiah leaned over and said quietly in JD’s ear, “along with aces.”
***********
The first port of call during their so-called tour was the big top, shortly after it was raised to its full height. The canvas was dyed with red and white stripes, with fancy trims and the customary flag at its peak. It was an impressive height of at least forty feet, sufficiently high enough for the trapeze artists and equilibrists to thrill audiences from aloft. While Ezra remained at Darvell’s side, JD and Josiah took the opportunity to wander about, though neither had seen the girl Ezra indicated and would not recognise her, even if she was encountered.
“So how long have you been in the Territory?” Ezra inquired of Darvell as they watched the circus folk continuing to prepare the tent for the evening’s performance.
“Not long at all,” Darvell explained as they watched the frame for the trapeze act put into place. “In truth, we are on our way home to New York. We started out from that metropolis almost two years ago and have travelled through the northern states. Why we’ve played in towns from Illinois to the Dakotas before turning south when we reached Oregon. Once we arrived in California, Sebastian decided it was time to head home.”
“An extended engagement indeed,” Ezra said, mildly impressed. “I assume you will take an equally long sabbatical once you return to the East?”
“Not for long,” Darvell admitted readily enough. “Circus folk are not the kind to remain in place too long, and Sebastian hails from Europe. Once we return to New York, we will be embarking on a tour of that continent and possibly beyond. The world is our oyster, Mr Standish.”
Ezra swept his gaze around the community of performers and supposed the bond they shared with each other was strong indeed, which meant getting anyone to talk to them out of turn would be difficult. If there was anything to say at all. Anna had warned everything ‘they’ said would be lies. Did that mean all of the people in this circus?
“I am almost envious,” Ezra replied. “I would like in my lifetime to see Rome and Paris.”
“Really?” Darvell replied with interest. “As charming as your town appears to be, you do strike me as a man who would be limited in such a small community. I sense a free spirit in your manner.”
“I did my share of travelling,” Ezra had to admit, remembering his youth, journeying with Maude and then later on his own, throughout much of the south and even some of the eastern states Darvell spoke. “I suppose you pick up many stragglers on your travels. People who decide to run away with the circus so to speak.”
“A few,” Darvell nodded. “We’re a place for outcasts. I was a rather unsuccessful seller of dictionaries until I encountered Sebastian’s father. He gave me a home here,” he swept his gaze across the tent and the community beyond it. “I’m sure if you were so inclined, we could find a place for you.” He joked, a gleam of mischief in his eye as he made the proposition.
Ezra uttered a short laugh. “I am afraid other than conducting a master class in poker, I have no talent that would attract a crowd.”
“Oh, I am certain you are a man of many skills, Mr Standish,” Darvell smiled. “Even so, not all who join us are performers.”
“I see that,” Ezra nodded, thinking it was the perfect segue into an inquiry about Anna. “I met a charming young lady from your company yesterday, and I did not think she was a performer. Anna?”
“Anna?” Darvell stared back at him. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. We have no one by that name here.”
Ezra tried not to show his utter disbelief at the man’s words, especially when Darvell’s denial sent a surge of concern through him for the girl’s welfare. Of course, he could be wrong, and the others were right in believing this was a teenager’s attempt at a prank which implied Ezra had been duped by a child, a possibility he was incapable of accepting on any level. The alternative, however, meant Anna was very correct in her warning and may have paid the price for giving it to him.
“I am certain, she claimed to be from the circus,” Ezra remarked, projecting a facade of uncertainty to give Darvell the impression he was not as sure about his encounter with Anna as he indicated.
“We are a family, Mr Standish,” Darvell replied, glancing at the others. “Everyone knows everyone, and I can tell you for certain, we don’t know anyone named Anna.”
“Well, she must be a new arrival in Four Corners then,” Ezra dismissed the inquiry as unimportant. “It is easy to lose track of all the faces that flock to the community from across the Territory. I assumed she came with your associates since I only spoke to her the night before. Forgive me for the mistake.”
“Not at all.”
Darvell sounded as if it were no bother, but Ezra who knew how to look beyond the facade projected by most people knew he was nowhere as comfortable as he appeared to be. In fact, his next words proved it.
“If you don’t mind me asking, you seem to be so invested for such a brief meeting.”
“Well, the girl wanted me to speak on behalf of my lady friend Miss Pemberton. You see she owns the Pemberton Emporium and it seems Anna wanted to know if there was any employment to be had. I thought she might be looking to settle down locally.”
“Well she definitely can’t be one of us then,” Darvel declared. “Most who join the circus are here for the duration. If Anna wanted to leave, then she was definitely not one of us.”
***********
While Ezra continued his verbal jousting with August Darvell, Josiah took the opportunity to do some explorations of his own. If these people had anything to hide, they certainly did not show it as he strolled across the campsite, taking in the sights of animals and circus folk readying themselves for the evening’s performance. The activity was divided into two distinct groups, with one centred on the show beneath the big top, while the other focused on the various stands and novelties, such as a museum of oddities, a fortune teller, the funhouse and the hall of mirrors.
Pausing at the decent-sized tent with the banner displaying the title ‘Cavern of a Thousand Mysteries’, curiosity tugged at Josiah. He was sure it was filled with trinkets and collectibles that would surprise no one who had travelled the world but might be of some interest to rural folk scattered throughout the wilderness of the Territory. Josiah did not expect to be surprised by anything he saw inside the tent when he pushed past the flap to investigate.
Streams of light poured through tiny holes in the fabric, giving the dimly lit space some much-needed illumination. Against the backdrop of shadows, Josiah saw dancing specks of light given their day in the beams of sunshine. The smell of musty canvas assaulted him and tried to tickle his nostrils into sneezing. Wiping away the sensation with his sleeve, Josiah realised the tent was empty and wondered what were a thousand curiosities were since he saw nothing of the kind. The only things he could see were the support poles holding up the tent and dry straw across the floor.
“We’re not open yet!”
The source of the announcement was at the far corner of the tent, and upon blinking twice, Josiah realised he was not alone, which was rather unusual for him. As one who lived with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, such an oversight could be fatal, and for a few seconds, Josiah wrestled with the possibility that age was eroding his situational awareness.
Dismissing the thought, he took a few steps forward, he paused when he saw a woman lowering a rolled-up sign across one section of the canvas wall. When the sign unfurled completely, it read ‘Salome, the Sublime Lady of the Serpents’. Along with this headline was an image of a partially clad beauty, with snakes coiled around her waist and neck. As the lady putting up the sign straightened and stepped into the errant beams of light so she could be seen, Josiah saw there was something coiled around her neck.
He almost went for his gun.
She noticed his visceral reaction and broke into a little laugh. “Don’t worry, Mortimer isn’t going to hurt me. Or at least he hasn’t yet.”
She was in her early forties, dressed in loose-fitting pants and a plain short sleeve blouse that revealed limbs covered with tattoos. Josiah, who appreciated such artistry after his travels in the Far East, recognised the pattern of scales mimicking the creature presently coiled around her neck so languidly, it might have been mistaken for a scarf. Against the scales on her skin, were ornate roses that blunted the ferocity of the reptilian design. With wild red locks reminding Josiah a little of Rain’s dark mane, she smiled at him pleasantly, and the musty smell was suddenly replaced by the scent of exotic spice perfume.
“My apologies, out here, snake bites are cause for concern.”
“Mortimer is a python,” she explained. “He has no venom to speak off, but he can give you a rather deadly embrace if you’re not careful.”
As if reacting to her words, the creature shifted slightly in its position around her neck. It’s muscles rippling beneath the shimmer of its scales.
“I’ll take your word for it,” Josiah replied unconvinced, but he relaxed a little since the lady was perfectly comfortable with her pet. “I take it you are Miss Salome?”
“At your service,” she bowed her head slightly.
“I’m Josiah Sanchez,” Josiah returned the gesture. “Nice to meet you, Miss Salome... and Mortimer.”
The greeting made her smile wider. “Mortimer likes you. Normally, he tenses when he doesn’t like someone.”
“Well, Mortimer obviously has good taste.”
She chuckled, and Josiah thought she had a pleasant laugh as well as a sweet smile. “So, if I come back here this evening, you’ll be performing.
“Yes,” she nodded. “By evening, I’ll be just one of a few of the sights. The merchandise hasn’t been brought in yet. I’m merely a glorified shopkeep, the real attraction are the trinkets.”
“I wouldn’t sell yourself short, I’d come to see you.”
“You snake charmer you,” she beamed at that. “So why have you come so early? Are you here on behalf of the town?”
“We’re the law yes,” Josiah nodded. “But we just came for a look. Four Corners are good Christian folk and sometimes that leads them to be exploited by the unscrupulous. Also, my friend was trying to find a young lady, he thought she might be one of your company.”
“Oh?” She stared.
“Yes, someone named Anna.”
While her expression remained the same, the shade of her hazel eyes seemed to brighten, and for a moment, Josiah thought it might have been the light, but upon closer observation, he noted this was not the case. Not that he had much time to ponder it since she was back to normal a split second later.
“I’m afraid I don’t know Anna.”
And right then, Josiah knew she was lying.
***********
This was hooey.
That’s what Buck would say if he could see JD now. Of course ‘Mr Hooey’ had also been the one to buy a love potion to trick Inez into liking him, so JD dismissed the dose of reality sounding like Buck in his head as he sat across Madame Esmerelda. As he was walking around the campgrounds, Esmerelda had offered to tell him his future and JD was just intrigued enough to let her.
Following her inside her gypsy wagon which was complete with a bowed roof of turquoise, gold leaf pattern painted against the walls and bright yellow wagon wheels. The inside was no less vibrant, decorated in Romany trinkets, with embroidery and silk, draped off the walls and furnishings. There was an unreality about the place that seemed heightened when JD peered into crystal ball she claimed would show him his future.
All JD could see was her distorted features reflected through the thick glass.
“What do you see?” JD asked again, once again hearing Buck’s words in his ear.
HOOEY!
Esmeralda did not speak, focussed on what she was looking at in the crystal ball even though from JD’s perspective, there was nothing there to see. Of course, this was all nonsense, his educated mind reminded, just a little bit of wishful thinking and fun.
“There is a girl.”
JD stared at her. “Girl?”
“Yes,” Esmerelda spoke in a low voice as if the revelation she was about to make came from some dark depths. “A girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She wears men’s clothes.”
JD blinked in recognition. “Casey. That’s my girl.”
“Cassandra,” Esmerelda said, “you love her.”
JD fell silent for a moment, aware of how passionate his feelings for Casey ran but uncertain whether or not he was in love with her. In truth, he couldn’t imagine his world without her, but admitting he loved her would be a life-changing decision. When you love someone, you were committed to them forever and JD like his life too much right now to make that kind of change.
“I don’t know....”
“Then it is for the best,” Esmerelda said, pulling back from the orb in front of her.
JD did not miss the woman’s grave expression. “What do you mean?”
“It is nothing,” she feigned hesitation. “Some things are not meant to be.”
JD blinked. “You mean Casey and me?”
“The future is never quite set,” Esmerelda replied, trying to appease him. “What might be, my not necessarily become what is.”
“I don’t understand,” JD stared. “What did you see about us? I want to know.”
Aware she had him well and truly baited, Esmerelda leaned back into her chair. “That you love her and that you will lose her. She will give you fine children, but she will not live long enough to see them grown.”
“Why? What happens to her?”
“I cannot see that,” she met his eyes sympathetically. “Only that you will raise your children alone. She will not be there with you.”
"Well, they're definitely lying about something."
This statement had come from Josiah even though Ezra more or less agreed with it. While there was a scant possibility Anna might not have rolled into town with the circus, Chris had directed Buck and Vin to ask around, just in case Darvell and Miss Salome were telling the truth. As expected when it was reported to Chris and the rest of the seven in the jailhouse some hours later, no one had ever heard of Anna.
"The problem is," Buck said as he leaned against the wall with the back of his chair, "we can't prove it. At least not in any legal way. Ezra was the only one to see the girl, and if we accused them without any proof she even exists, they're gonna come back on us and say he could be lying for some kind of gain."
"For what purpose?" Ezra stiffened in his own seat in the jailhouse, eyeing Buck critically.
"Ezra you weren't exactly a saint before you came to town," Chris reminded smoothly, able to see the bristle of outrage running across Ezra's spine. "If we press the point, they might bring up that fact and claim you're making up this story to get something out of it."
Ezra's jaw clenched, feeling once again singled out because of his past. True, he was never able to avoid a quick scheme to get rich, but he had certainly desisted in swindling people outright since his arrival in Four Corners. "The girl exists, and I am certain she has come to harm or been silenced."
"Ezra we believe you," Nathan said before Ezra assumed they were casting any doubt on his word. "Chris is just saying they're gonna use your past to make out you're lying."
"I suppose," Ezra frowned and had to admit his associates did have a point, despite how annoying that bit of truth was. "But Mr Darvell is lying. I would bet my stake in the saloon and my earnings for the next decade on that fact. He attempted to hide it, but I could see it in his eyes, he knew her. Furthermore, his words were odd, as if he were parading the notion none of his 'family' in the circus would ever turn on each other, implying that Anna was not one of them if she did indeed try to speak to me about leaving."
"He's not wrong," Josiah added. "Something is going on there, I can't put my finger on it either but something ain't right. They seem nice enough, but as soon as we mentioned the girl, they clammed up. They know her alright. The question is, what did they do with her?"
"Well it ain't hard to hide a girl in that place," Vin who was leaning against the desk remarked. "They got enough wagons to hide a body if that's what it's come down to."
The idea of that terrified waif being disposed of that way, cut to the bone more than Ezra liked to admit. He'd seen her eyes and knew just how afraid she had been. It had taken extraordinary courage to surmount her fear to try and warn them. Ezra did not like the idea she might have paid the ultimate price for it.
"Did you see anything, JD?" Chris asked, turning to the youngest member of their group, presently staring past the bars of the jailhouse window, lost in thought. When he didn't answer, Chris tried again. "JD?"
For a few seconds, it did not register Chris had spoken to him until JD heard his name repeated. He turned to see the others staring at him in expectation. "What?"
"You okay kid?" Buck asked, realising for the first time what should have jumped out at him before this. JD was quiet, which was unusual in itself. The kid always had something to say and the fact that he was silent after visiting a circus of all places, implied something was up.
"Yeah, sorry," JD dismissed his lapse. " I was just thinking. What did you say, Chris?"
Like Buck, Chris had noticed something about the boy's behaviour that was odd, but JD wasn't one to sit on his feelings. If he were upset, he'd usually let them know about it, and Chris respected his privacy too much to pry. "I asked you, did you see anything?"
"No," JD shook his head, not wanting to admit after his encounter with Madame Esmerelda, not much had impressed upon his brain. "I mean they were friendly enough, but I didn't think there was anything strange going on."
"Well that's it then," Chris regarded the others, somewhat disappointed that there was no smoking gun to lead them to the girl. "All we can do is keep an eye on them unless we're prepared to search the place."
"Ain't going to be easy," Nathan pointed out. "They're a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone from the sounds of it. I'm sure they ain't gonna let us wander around and take a look for ourselves."
"Nathan's right," Vin added. “Besides if Anna is still alive, us snooping around the place would be a sure-fire way of getting her killed."
Silence descended over the group for a moment as they tried to find a solution past the present obstacle when Chris Larabee raised his eyes to all of them. "Then we'll search for her while they're performing tonight."
"That's an idea," Josiah nodded. "They'll be all under the big top for the show. The rest of them will be trying to con the locals out of their money at the stands. One or two of us could take a discreet look around, see if we can’t find the girl."
"I'll do it," Nathan suggested, "I wasn't planning on going to the show so no one would notice if I'm not there. Vin weren't you taking Miss Alex tonight?"
As always Vin appeared somewhat embarrassed when any mention of his relationship with Alex was discussed, even though everyone in town knew they were together now. "Yeah, I was taking her."
"Well, don't disappoint the woman," Chris tried not to smirk at the deepening shade of red on Vin's face. However, beyond his amusement at Vin's discomfort, there was a good reason why he wanted everyone who intended to go to the circus to keep their plans intact. It was a legitimate excuse for all their number to be present at the showgrounds. "I want all of us there in case there's trouble."
"I would offer my services to conduct the search, but I suspect, they will be wary of me after my inquiries today." Ezra sighed, wishing it were otherwise. He really did want to find out what happened to Anna and wasn't in much of a mood to tolerate the entertainment beneath the big top for most of the evening.
"I can help Nathan," Buck suggested. "I've already made the acquaintance of some of the lovely fillies there, and I'm sure they won't mind it if I'm waiting for them when they're done for the night."
A collective groan rippled through the room with Chris giving Buck a pointed look. "Buck, don't get distracted. You're looking for the girl, not chasing sequined tail."
"Now Chris," Buck sniffed with mock hurt. "Would I ever let myself get distracted because of female company?"
"Hell yeah."
"Does a leopard have spots?"
"Does a bear shit in the woods?"
Buck gave his so-called friends a scowl and responded with a universally known gesture involving his middle finger.
***********
When dusk settled over the land, the mundane surroundings of the Holland homestead, already coming to life thanks to its newest occupants, was further transformed into a magical place of colour, music and sights to behold. Townsfolk began arriving while there was still a bit of light out, but by the time the indigo curtain of twilight descended fully, the Great Polidori Circus had reached full bloom.
As the crowds filled the various walks meandering through the showground, exploring the numerous stands selling games, novelties and food, the big top towered over them like a patient god waiting for worship. Barkers stood at the partially open flaps of the smaller tents, cajoling visitors to spend their money taking in the sights hidden within the canvas.
Grateful that the curious glances their way was waning the more often she and Vin were seen together, Alexandra Styles strolled through the crowds, hand in hand with the tracker shortly after their arrival at the showgrounds. She supposed they were an odd couple to the casual observer and didn't really mind the scrutiny since she'd never been happier. Vin, on the other hand, seemed a little more sensitive to the stolen looks in their direction, and Alex guessed it was because a small part of Vin thought he was not quite good enough for the likes of her.
What nonsense, she scoffed inwardly. If anything it was she who was not good enough for Vin.
Wasn't it Vin who knew they were meant to be together from the start? While she floundered with her feelings for Ezra, thinking the comfortable, mutual affection she had for the gambler was a safe love that didn't threaten to consume her, Vin had loved her in secret with all his heart. It was only when they touched that first time at Nettie Wells's farm, did Alex understand real love wasn't safe, it was a mad, passionate thing that could make you breathless with anticipation and terrified at the same time. It filled every corner of your heart until the world was a duller place for the lack of it.
Vin made her feel all those things with just a touch of his hand.
Alex had much time to soul-search after that meeting and to her embarrassment, was forced to acknowledge how deceiving first impressions could be. The first time she laid eyes on him, she'd remembered Vin's thoughtful expression as he stared at her and dismissed it and him without a second thought. She, who was considered the dirty secret of a prominent English family because she was half-caste, never imagined a rough and tumble bounty hunter could be a suitor for her hand. Coming from Europe, she was accustomed to men who considered themselves cultured and gravitated towards Ezra for that very reason.
After what she went through with Randall Mason, Alex would never make the mistake of assuming manners made a man a gentleman.
Since they became lovers, Alex discovered she hadn't even scratched the surface of everything Vin was and felt even worse for judging him. He carried the heart of a poet, with his soft-spoken voice composed some of the loveliest prose she'd ever heard, even though he could barely read. Furthermore, Vin was principled, compassionate and kinder than anyone with his life experience ought to be and though the tracker presented as shy, he was funny and open among friends. When Vin loved, he did so with all his heart, and the intensity of it made Alex wonder what she had done to inspire such deep passion in a man who seldom revealed his emotions to anyone.
It filled her with such a swell of affection, its demand to be unleashed culminated in Alex leaning over and planting a soft, tender kiss against Vin's cheek.
"What was that for?" Vin eyed her with affection.
"Just glad to be here with you," Alex smiled before leaning her head against his shoulder, enjoying the atmosphere and being with him.
Accustomed to the displays of affection she showed him in public, Vin returned the gesture by brushing his lips against her hair in a similarly affectionate kiss.
"I'll see if you feel the same when I bring you home something to skin and cook."
Alex eyed him with amusement. "Mr Tanner, what exactly do you think I did when I was travelling with my father through the jungles of Burma? We didn't exactly have a chef you know? My father was a wonderful doctor, but not much of a cook. I learned to do it the way the locals did."
The idea of her skinning and cutting meat for cooking like the women of any tribe shouldn't have been a surprise to Vin, not after he had seen her tending to flesh as a healer. Still, even though he joked about it, he wasn't sure if he had such expectations of her. Alex seemed too refined for that sort of work. Then again, if they were ever married, what would life for them look like? He certainly could not think of settling down anywhere permanent, not when he had this price on his head, nor would he expect her to run with him if the law caught up with him.
Thankfully, he didn't have to ponder the question long, aware it would only lead him to places in his mind he would rather not be at this time. Alex loved him, and for right now, that was enough.
"Enjoying yourselves?
The man came out of nowhere. Vin, who was always very aware of his surroundings due to the price on his head, did a double-take at the stranger's sudden appearance. He seemed to have stepped out of the crowd the way a predator lurking in the shadows stepped into the light, in the last seconds of its prey's life. Vin felt especially chagrined because this was not the kind of man that went unnoticed in a crowd.
Almost matching Vin's height, the stranger regarded them both with dark eyes of black coal. Framing his features which Vin supposed women would find pretty, was curly dark hair with light stubble covering his face. Like all city folk, he dressed in a fancy dark suit Vin would never feel comfortable in, with frills beneath his chin, and polished riding boots of expensive leather. Everything about the stranger told Vin, this man's station in life was one of wealth and leisure.
He reminded Vin of Randall Mason.
To this day, Vin had never been able to forget the moment when Randall put a bullet in Alex's back, even as she was running for her life. Only Nathan's skill had saved her, and if Randall hadn't died of a heart attack in jail, Vin would have surely killed the man and damn the consequences. Just the idea this stranger could be anything like that crazy bastard put Vin on his guard immediately.
As if detecting the shift in his manner, the man immediately took on a more formal tone, as if it would forgive his forwardness. Vin wasn't buying it, but he wasn't about to be rude about it since all the man had done was evoked a memory of Randall.
"Forgive me," he turned to Vin, "I'm being rude. Permit me to introduce myself. I am Sebastian Polidori."
"Like the circus," Vin noted, realising this was August Darvell's partner, who was obviously the mouthpiece of the business. He was roughly the same age as Vin, but there was something in those dark eyes that made him seem older. Vin had been told on numerous occasions by others, he had such eyes, but until now, had not realised what they meant by it.
"That's correct," he gave them a pleasant smile, trying not to look directly at Alex even though Vin could tell he wanted to.
"Vin Tanner," Vin replied amiably, hiding how much he disliked the way the man was looking at Alex, but then chided himself because men always stared at Alex that way. Then again, he was also mindful of what Nathan and Buck were getting up to while he was here with Alex. Anna's absence and what might have happened to her justified his caution again. "This here is Doctor Alexandra Styles."
"Doctor?" The man gave Alex a look of mild surprise.
"Yes," Alex nodded, unable to discern where the tone behind the man's question was one of derision or genuine surprise. "I am a London qualified doctor."
"I do detect a note of England in your voice," he replied.
"You do and may I say 'Rada Tebya veedyet,'" Alex returned and gave Vin a little wink.
The tracker had no idea what she had just said, but the response from Sebastian was immediate, and he burst into genuine laughter. "Likewise Doctor Styles."
"What did you say?" Vin stared at her in puzzlement. He knew Alex could speak in a couple of different languages though she seldom displayed the habit for fear of alienating people.
"She said, 'good to see you' in Russian," Sebastian explained to him, still smiling at Alex in admiration. "Where did you learn it?"
"When I was a child, travelling with my father through Russia. He wanted to see St Petersburg, but all I picked up were a few phrases including that one. I'm afraid I won't be much good for conversation."
"It's nice to hear it nonetheless," Sebastian smiled and turned to Vin. "And you, Mr Tanner? Are you as versatile?"
"Afraid not," Vin shrugged. "But I can talk my way out of trouble among the Indians."
"Really?" Sebastian exclaimed with genuine interest. "I have to admit, I have not seen many of them since I began travelling west, but I would like to. The culture of the First People always interests me."
"First People?" Vin had never heard the term before but thought that was a good way to think about the tribes that were in this land before the white man.
"It is what I call the natural occupants of a place," Sebastian explained. "Though my homeland is Russia, my people were the Sporoi, an early Slavic tribe. Very old, and now forgotten."
There was sadness in Sebastian’s eyes at that revelation, and though Vin had felt wariness earlier, he now felt a little sorry for the man. He had to admit, he too would be saddened knowing there would be a time when the tribes of all the First People as Sebastian called it was forgotten, trampled under the progress of white settlement.
"I hope it don't come to that for the tribes here.”
"Sadly, it probably will. It is the way of things," Sebastian sighed. "But this is gloomy talk for opening night. I do hope I shall see you both under the big top, I'm sure you will enjoy it."
Once again, he cast his gaze at Alex, and the interest in his eyes for her made Vin uncomfortable again until he reminded himself he couldn't very well call out everyone whose head Alex turned. Furthermore, he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't like it much. Besides, the last thing he wanted to do get on the wrong side of Sebastian Polidori when at this moment or soon enough, Nathan and Buck would be conducting their search of the place for Anna.
"I'm sure we will," Alex smiled at him graciously, not wanting to linger because she too had caught the way Sebastian was looking at her, and after what Randall's obsession had cost Alex, she wanted no repeat of such a thing. "If you'll excuse us," she glanced at Vin. "He's got a prize to win me at the shooting gallery."
"I'm sure no prize he wins will be as valuable as the prize he already has," Sebastian met Vin's gaze with one of admiration or envy. "You are a lucky man Mr Tanner."
"I am," Vin said, allowing himself to be led away by Alex who towed him toward the shooting gallery stand where competitors were pitting themselves against targets amidst the burst of gunfire.
Sebastian watched the couple retreat into the crowd before he returned to the shadows from where he had been conducting his study of the townsfolk. Drinking in the sight of Alexandra Styles who was indeed a diamond in the rough, he had to admit she was enchanting. While the night was young and he had yet to make his final tally, watching her in the company of her lover told Sebastian he had gotten off to a good start in his selection.
"Her?" Darvell inquired, stepping up from behind him.
"Yes," Sebastian nodded silently. "Find out what you can about them both. I need to know what I'm dealing with if she is to join us."
"As you wish," Darvell nodded, familiar with the ritual of selection to know what came next. Sebastian had made his first pick of the evening, and the night was still young.
“Come on, Mama! Come on!”
Gloria Potter let out a weary breath as she stood before the hastily erected building of wood and canvas calling itself the Hall of Mirrors, wondering why she had wasted good money for such foolishness. She knew why of course, she had a gaggle of children who had been talking about nothing else since the circus came to town and she was too much the soft touch for her own good. Gloria knew she was spoiling them, but it was what came of raising sons without a father.
Even now, two years on, the grief still stabbed at her heart. It remained as acute as the day she ran out of the backroom to find her husband sprawled across the floor. Put there by Lucas James, standing up to a bully had cost him his life. They’d been sweethearts since childhood and the void he left in her heart could not be filled even by their children. She knew she had shut down emotionally, but the children still needed her love, and GLoriawould give them what there was of it she could, including indulging them when they could ill afford it.
The sign in front of the rather rickety building called itself the Hall of Mirrors and the children had disappeared into it no sooner than she’d paid the barker. He was a thin, reedy looking man with yellow teeth, a straw hat and hollowed eyes. Gloria had almost hesitated to allow the children to disappear into the place, especially if that slightly creepy looking character was skulking about inside. Fortunately, the man remained outside, trying to attract other customers.
“Boys!”
Gloria called out to her sons as she stepped through the canvas flap and found herself passing through another curtain of black velvet. She could hear the children’s laughter as she entered the place. The light beyond the canvas was dim, and it felt colder than the warm evening outside. Squinting, she tried to make out her surroundings and stopped short at the face staring at her. It took her a second to realize she knew this face very well.
It was her own.
She was staring into a damn mirror! Letting out a groan of exasperation at her own foolishness, Gloria took a step back with the figure in the mirror doing the same. In fact, as she paid closer attention now, the mirrors appeared to be surrounding her on all sides, making her look like a chorus girl on stage in the big city, one of many. She was a dozen copies, all wearing the same look of confusion and mimicking her every move. It felt unsettling. At that instant, Gloria decided she did not like this place and was somewhat irritated she’d paid money to enter it to begin with.
“Boys! Robbie! Jamie! Where are you?”
Studying the different panels before her, she saw no sign of the sons who rushed in ahead of her. From the reflections against the background of dark velvet, she appeared to be the only one present in the hall, and that immediately caused her some alarm. Yet when she listened carefully, she could hear them. She could hear their voices even if it felt distant. Retreating to leave the maze and go find them, she felt her back against the hard obstruction of glass and turned around. It was her own face staring at her.
Frowning, she saw the facsimiles in the mirrors doing the same and tried not to feel ridiculous at becoming lost in what was really a child’s game. Not one to let any obstacle overcome her, Gloria placed her palms against the cold surface to feel her way along the mirrored walls until she found a path through the labyrinth of glass. How hard could it be to find her way out? She’d noticed the size of the tent before she entered and it was no larger than a big shack. It simply wasn’t big enough for her to get lost in.
With a sudden start, she realized she couldn’t hear the boys anymore.
“Robbie! Jamie! You answer your ma now!”
Only silence followed, and Gloria bristled with growing anger at being left behind since she couldn’t hear or see them. Promising they would hear of it when she caught up with them, Gloria continued to navigate the maze, ignoring the reflections of herself in the glass. It only emphasized how supremely foolish she felt for getting lost. Added to this was her frustration whenever she found herself at a dead end and had to backtrack, the trickery of mirrors proving to be an able foil to her sense of direction.
She didn’t notice all the reflections except the one directly in front of her had stopped moving.
When she finally noticed it, her spine stiffened as if a sliver of ice was riding the currents of her blood. For a few seconds, she didn’t dare to move, thinking perhaps if she remained still enough, the delusion Gloria was seeing (for she could imagine it to be nothing else), would go away. Telling herself, she was letting the place get to her, Gloria lifted her hand to flick a strand of hair over her ear.
The reflections did not repeat the gesture. Instead, they stared at Gloria like bystanders presiding over her in judgement for unspoken sins.
She uttered a cry of fright and started moving again, desperate to find her way out because the fear was salting her mind. What she was seeing was impossible, she knew it. Yet even as she attempted to use reason to combat the impossibility of it, she could see those same reflections stalking her, like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey. They were her reflections in the mirror, how could they be moving differently to her? It was impossible, this was her mind playing tricks. She swung around, attempting to run when she felt her face flatten against another pane of glass. When she pulled back in pain, the reflection in the mirror was smiling at her.
Gloria screamed, but there was no one listening.
***********
Josiah returned to the Cavern of a Thousand Mysteries and found the transformation from canvas tent to the den of fantastic to be quite impressive. The dull, calico fabric was concealed with coloured lights, vibrant posters revealing some of the novelties to be found inside. From the exotic Madame Salome and her reptiles to a supposed half mermaid creature who looked a great deal like a girl in a suit, to the conjoined twins who lived their lives in endless unity. Amongst the other curiosities was the skeletal visage of a ferocious dinosaur, and what was meant to be the remains of the mythological Bigfoot, with a striking resemblance to an Old World gorilla.
Nevertheless, it was not the curiosities Josiah had come to see but rather the lady who was part exhibit, part tour guide. Entering through the opening in the flap that served as the main entrance int the so-called 'cavern, Josiah joined the throng of onlookers who had come to marvel at the sights within. The atmosphere was lively with audible gasps escaping the crowd when they were confronted by the objects and people on display.
Taking centre stage, however, was Miss Salome.
Dressed in the costume of her biblical namesake, she was performing to the haunting tune played by an Indian who had skin not so different from Alex Styles, on the bansuri, a flute native to that subcontinent. The dance was sensuous and enthralled the audience of mostly men, especially when she was doing it with Mortimer the python coiled around her neck and a smaller snake of vibrant green, curled around her forearm. She looked like some jungle creature, exotic and preternatural.
The performance took a few minutes and mesmerized everyone, Josiah included. He noted her gaze brushing across his face, and upon doing so, her lips curled into the faint hint of a smile as if she was pleased to see him. The former preacher had to admit, the encounter was not unpleasant because, despite her reluctance to speak of Anna, Josiah sensed there was something in her that wanted to admit knowing the girl. Was it fear that held her back?
Josiah was convinced if he could pursue the matter, she might tell him the truth, whatever it was.
After the music finally stopped and she took her bows to her audience amidst the applause, Salome addressed them with a bright smile. "Please explore the rest of the cavern folks, there's plenty to see other than little ol' me, and don't forget, if you haven't already got your tickets, there's still time to see our big show under the big top. I promise you, it's a show stopper! "
With that prompt, some of the crowd began to dissipate, and Josiah stepped forward to greet her.
"That was sublime Miss Salome," he smiled at her.
"Why thank you, Josiah," she beamed, appearing genuinely pleased by the compliment. "I'm so glad you came back."
"Well you did say that it was worth the price of admission."
"And was it?" She crooked a brow in his direction.
"Absolutely," he flashed her a grin. "Do you have time to take a walk before your next performance?"
"Yes," she nodded and glanced over her shoulder at the silent musician who was watching Josiah with hawkish eyes. "Sanjay, I'm going to take fifteen minutes. You might as well take a break too."
"Yes, ma'am," he nodded and seemed to retreat into the shadows that gave the place its atmospheric mood.
As Sanjay retreated, Salome excused herself for a few seconds, stepping into the rear of the tent away from the public. Shortly after, she returned to Josiah, minus Mortimer and his smaller counterpart. Covering her shoulders with a long cloak, she seemed pleased to see Josiah. The preacher wondered if it was because he was genuinely interested in her (which he was), and not as some sexual object to leer at. Of course, Josiah couldn't admit to being completely devoid of an agenda, he still wanted to learn the reason for Anna's warning, if there was one to take heed of, and more importantly the present whereabouts of the girl herself.
Emerging into the night air, Josiah was surprised by how fresh the air felt after being inside the canvas surroundings. Now that he had time to make the comparison, the air inside felt musty and stale, the product of so many bodies crammed together he supposed. Overhead, it was a clear night and with the coloured lights hanging from the tops of tents and stands, the place looked as vibrant as intended with the folk of Four Corners enjoying the evening immensely.
"Your neighbours are certainly getting into the spirit of things," Salome smiled at him.
"Entertainment is pretty thin in these parts, they take what they can get."
"I suppose that is true," she swept her gaze across the fairgrounds as if she could see past the circus into the landscape beyond. "So tell me, Mr Sanchez, what do you do to occupy your time when you aren't saving the prairie from the dregs of the world?"
"Oh, not very much," Josiah admitted. "The lawlessness keeps my friends and me busy and when we're not defending the prairie," he gave her a little smile, "I'm working on a project of my own, restoring the town church. It's seen hard days and its something a man with idle hands can occupy himself."
"Now that is a noble undertaking," she stared at him in mild surprise. "As the daughter of a former pastor, now fallen into disrepute, I'm impressed."
"I wouldn't call your circumstances disreputable Miss Salome," he countered. "Unusual perhaps, but certainly not disreputable."
"I have sinned," she said, facing front again, "and some sins cannot be forgiven."
"That's for the Almighty to decide, you do not have to be so harsh a judge," Josiah said kindly.
"You are a sweet man Josiah," she blinked and gave him a look that showed sincerity. "Much too nice to be consorting with the likes of me. I'll bring ruin to you."
"We're just taking a walk, Miss Salome," he pointed out and noted there was something in her eyes that wished to say more but could not. "Besides, I've already ruined myself. There's nothing you could do that I have not already done."
"That remains to be seen," she sighed. "But it is how I feel."
They walked almost to the edge of the circus, leaving behind the fanfare of the showgrounds for a more remote location facing the woods. The noise of the carnival diminished and for a short time, it was just them and the moon above. She glanced over her shoulder, scanning the area for a minute before she faced front again. Her look was pensive and Josiah sensed she was working her way to something. Although she had been adamant about not knowing Anna, Josiah knew she was lying and perhaps she guessed it too.
After what seemed a long pause, she exhaled loudly as if dispelling the remaining restraints that held her conscience at bay.
"You have to keep an eye on your flock, Mr Sanchez," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. "Everything isn't what its meant to be. You have a nice town, and I don't wish to see you hurt, but you need to let us do what we must and then allow us to move on. If you fight, you'll get hurt."
"What do you mean?" Josiah questioned and knew he couldn't press to hart. It was genuine fear he saw in her eyes, not just for him but for herself.
"I can say no more," she shook her head refusing to elaborate, already terrified at having spoken out of turn, but this man and his kindness reminded her of another whom she had cared about, long ago before her life had been blighted into the twisted parody it was now. "I can't end up like Anna."
Josiah did not react to that, but her words confirmed the unspoken fear Ezra had tried not to speak when Darvell and the others had denied Anna's existence or her presence among them. The girl was dead.
They were too late.
***********
After his meeting with Madame Esmerelda, JD Dunne could think of nothing else but Casey.
Even now as he sat under the big top, waiting for the performance to begin, his mind was not on the fact Buck and Nathan were planning to conduct a search of the premises for Ezra’s missing girl, but rather on the one sitting next to him.
Casey with her Aunt Nettie, was watching the parade of the show’s performers, marching into the big top amid a show of colour and music played by a small band of musicians. She hadn’t noticed his mood, mostly because he’d done everything he could to hide it from her, and the spectacle around them was distracting enough to occupy her attention. At present, Casey was watching with excitement, the entry of a pair of elephants, complete with howdah and feathery plumes strapped to their bodies.
The procession of jugglers, clowns, acrobats, tightrope walkers and animals walked along the inside of the main ring, allowing the audience to see them up close but JD hardly notice them. Yet even when he was preoccupied, he couldn’t help stealing glances at Casey and remember what a difference a year can make in regards to his feelings for her. When they first met, JD had found her irritating until he realised her animosity towards him, masked deeper feelings. It took time but eventually, he realised the line between love and hatred which he and Casey occupied, was narrower than he thought.
Even though the words ‘hooey’ uttered in the voice of Buck Wilmington echoed through his head, JD couldn’t shake the prophetic words spoken by the fortune teller that someday he would lose Casey. She would be his wife because there would be children and though he looked at her through the eyes of youth, unable to imagine that distance into the future, the idea of losing her felt too close indeed. He remembered his own childhood with only one parent and wanted no part of it. Yet he couldn’t give Casey up for anything either.
Madame Esmerelda had to be wrong. She just had to be!
Getting up to his feet abruptly, his sudden rise immediately drew Casey’s attention.
“JD, where are you going?”
JD thought quickly, noticing even Nettie turning an eye on him in curiosity. “I’m just going out for a little private,” he said feebly and immediately drew resigned looks from both women, like this was one of the things one had to put up with when being around men. Within seconds, he had pushed his way past the rest of the folk on his row of seats and reached the open flap where the latecomers to the spectacle were still arriving for the show.
Leaving behind the music and the noise, he knew where he was going and quickly navigated the steady flow of bodies moving past him. With the lights and garish signs hanging against the tents and semi-constructed buildings, circus folk in colourful and bizarre costumes and the balloons gathered in clusters of decoration, JD was almost disoriented by the visual overload. He bumped into one or two people, earning scowls of irritation in the process.
After what seemed like a great deal more time than it had actually taken, JD reached the brightly coloured caravan and saw the amber light through its window. Not that he needed to enter the place because Esmerelda was sitting on the short ladder steps leading to the door, enjoying the night air with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. When she laid eyes upon him, JD saw no surprise in her eyes and knew with the instinct Ezra Standish told him to rely upon on numerous occasions, she was expecting him.
“Hello there,” she said nursing a cup of coffee in her hands. “You came a great deal sooner than I expected.”
JD bristled at being considered so predictable but brushed his annoyance aside because he was here for a reason. “I’m just here to tell you everything you said to me is hooey! You can’t tell the future. That’s not a crystal ball,” he indicated the orb painted on her side of the caravan, announcing her trade to those gullible enough to buy the lies she was peddling as truth. “Casey’s fine and she’s going to stay fine. You’re just trying to get into my head.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
JD felt his hands ball into fists as he stood in front of her, wanting her to recant her ugly words and once again questioned why he was so bothered by this. He knew why because he’d lost the only other woman he loved, his dear ma, to sickness way too early. He never knew his father who had died before he was born, leaving his mother to raise him on her own. Even though she had loved him and worked every day of her life to see to it he had a future, he knew things had been difficult for her alone
He never wanted that for himself and even the remotest possibility of it happening stabbed at a fear he had not realised existed until now. As much as he loved his ma, he did not want to live her life.
“Even if it is true,” JD finally replied to her obvious taunt. “You can’t do anything about it. If Casey is going to end early,” he couldn't bring himself to say die, the idea was too awful. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“That is true,” Esmerelda nodded, more than capable of seeing the barely concealed terror beneath his eyes. It would not take much to consume his soul just like so many others being taken tonight, elsewhere in the carnival. They were all being confronted with their fears and the desperation to escape it made them exploitable. “ I may not be able to, but I know someone who can.”
JD was still wrestling with his worries for Casey when the lady’s words snagged his attention as she intended it to do. “What?” JD stared at her. “What did you say?”
“I said I may know someone who can help her,” Esmerelda stated, dangling the baited hook in front of the young lawman. “Someone who can ensure no illness ever harms her, that she will live on as long as you wish.”
The young Sherrif uttered a laugh of derision, partly because he knew he was being played but also because all reasonable sense told him if Casey was doomed to die, a meeting with a mysterious someone would do nothing to prevent it. “What do I have to do?” He stared at her. “Sell my soul?”
Esmerelda’s eyes became black coals. “Not quite.”
Nathan Jackson didn't like circuses.
After he escaped the plantation and joined the Union, he'd encountered one that was putting down stakes near the hospital he'd been assigned to as a stretcher-bearer. During his years on the plantation, he heard about circuses from the Master and the overseers. Even though as a slave, it was something he would never likely experience himself, Nathan had been curious. So when he was free, he didn’t waste the chance to see a circus for himself.
While the colours and spectacle had initially impressed him, it was when he wandered inadvertently into the area where the animals being kept for the performance, that the experience soured. He saw magnificent creatures, lions, tigers, bears and elephants held in bondage, forced to perform for supper, trapped behind bars. The parallels to the life he'd left behind were too much. It was even worse when he saw the freakshow. Poor souls deformed or afflicted by one thing or another, were forced to eke out a living displaying their severe disfigurement for pennies, it made him sick to the stomach, and he found what joy that was to be had in the place, drained with that realisation.
As he moved through the makeshift pathways created by the collection of caravans and wagon, Nathan maintained his anonymity, sticking to the shadows to remain unseen. Most of the crowds were beneath the big top now, with only a handful of people taking in the few stands still left open. Nothing he saw fascinated him, and he headed towards the caravan homes of the circus folk to begin his search for Ezra's missing girl Anna. Seeing the gambler so concerned for the girl told Nathan, she was in mortal danger because Ezra rarely got involved unless he had to.
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Aside from Ezra, none of them had laid eyes on the girl, so what she looked like was a mystery to them. Ezra had said she stood out, by not standing out at all and it took a second for Nathan to understand what the gambler meant. In this sea of colour and smiling faces, Anna would be the one who was trying to slink into the background, to go unnoticed. As someone who spent his youth trying to do just that, Nathan knew what to look for.
It would be in the eyes.
As he moved through the place, it crept up along his spine like the encroaching dark on a moonless night, that it felt eerie without as many people. There was something subversive in all the colour, reminding him of a venus flytrap, a plant on first glance appeared rather harmless, with supposedly pink petals on display, a powerful attractant to the prey who would wander across it. The girl had claimed this was a trap and he postulated the idea that is she was indeed truthful, a carnival would seem like the perfect place to set one.
He continued his journey through the winding paths and claustrophobic collection of caravans and wagons, feeling as if the walls were closing in around him and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Nathan didn't scare easily, what he saw in his life made that an impossibility, but there was something here, an atmosphere of dread that was swirling around him in a dark mist that was getting into his head. He was wearing his irons at his hip, and yet they didn't feel like protection enough for some reason.
He was far away from the big top now, almost to the edge of the campsite. In the distance, he could see its peak peering over the whole place, like some a place of worship sitting in judgement over them. Honestly, when Nathan looked forward again and saw the trees in the distance, he felt somewhat relieved. The fresh air from the open landscape before him beckoned him to safety, inviting him to clear his head from the musty thoughts settling over his usually astute mind.
"I think you've taken a wrong turn, friend."
The voice broke the night so suddenly, Nathan actually jumped startled. Swinging around immediately, his hand instinctively went for his gun until he recognised the well-dressed man standing behind him to be the owner of the circus, Sebastian Polidori. Nathan had seen him in town the day before when he and his partner August Darvell had spoken to Mary Travis. Sebastian did not at all appear threatened by Nathan's reach for his weapon. If anything the circus owner looked rather amused as Sebastian took in the sight of him, studying him from head to toe like Nathan was an impressive specimen.
"I just needed some air," Nathan explained feebly, his voice like the rest of him was tense.
"I suppose being a man of colour in this land, any sort of confinement would not be easily tolerated for long, am I right?"
"Confinement?" Nathan stared at him.
If not for the lights from the campsite, the moonless night would have plunged them both into pitch-black darkness. Yet when Sebastian stepped forward, Nathan could see the man's eyes fixed on him and flinched for some reason under the scrutiny. There was something almost hypnotic about his gaze, something that made Nathan unsettled yet incapable of pulling away as Sebastian resumed speaking. He sounded a little like Josiah in one of his reflective moments. It swirled around Nathan like a mist, making everything vague and malleable.
"Yes, confinement. The land of the free is anything but that to your people, isn't it? I remember when the first ships sailed into England, carrying your brethren who were just so bewildered by the world they had entered. How terrible it must have been to be surrounded by the vastness of the savannah, to never know the touch of cold steel until their arrival in Europe. I surmise it must have been the same for all of your ancestors who arrived in the so-called New World."
The first ships... Nathan blinked hard, clarity returning to him briefly as he fought to draw back the curtains of fog in his mind.
"They took so much from you Nathan, didn't they? They put chains around your mind since birth and even though the shackles are no more, you still feel them."
Nathan wanted to look away from Sebastian's gaze but he could not, and as he listened to the man's voice rolling over his skin like treacle, he became lost in Sebastian's truth about him.
Yes, he felt them. Sometimes in the dead of night, Nathan woke up thinking he had dreamed it all, that he imagined his freedom and his friends, and daylight would reveal the plantation called Avalon and the cruel reality of his life. What was worse than that wasn't even the bondage. No, he could overcome his memories of his life as a slave, he'd done that quickly. Being a slave was the least of it because it had become scar tissue for Nathan. No, the shackles that bound him were because of something still raw.
A new scent swirled around Nathan, and this time, it wasn't some fog in his mind, it felt real because when he drew in a deep breath, it felt familiar to him. So lost in trying to identify it, Nathan did not notice what was happening to the ground on which Sebastian was standing. If he had, he would have seen the field was turning, as if the earth itself was in revolt. Tiny piles of soil appeared as insects and worms began to writhe and scramble out of the dirt, driven into the open by a force they were desperate to greet.
Nathan noticed none of this because he remembered why the scent was so familiar.
Orange blossoms.
When the memory finally surfaced, it provoked an immediate reaction tearing him away from the safety of the present, back into the past kicking and screaming. For a second, Nathan did not think he could breathe, feeling the anguish he learned to live with years ago but was never able to overcome making a sudden resurgence. Chasing the pain just as relentlessly was the black well of rage that still had the power to choke him.
He remembered lying next to her in a quiet spot in the fields away from the slave quarters, able to smell the light whiff of orange blossoms from the grove nearby. They would lay against the grass, watching the night sky and talk about what it would like to be free, to take a walk to the creek because they wanted to, not because they had to draw water. She had so many beautiful dreams, and to this day, his heart ached to know that none of them would ever come true for her
Her dreams had died with the first brutal thrust of a white man's cruelty.
"You still feel her, don't you?"
"Yes." The admission escaped him through a strangled sob. "She was taken from me, and every day I feel the hole in my heart where she ought to have been. Every day I live, every joy I feel, I can't appreciate it because she deserved it more than me. She believed we could survive, we could make it through, but there was never going to be a tomorrow for her. It was just a dream, a dream that ended when..."
He couldn't go there, not without becoming paralysed with fury. Even now, years after the fact, he'd sometimes forget when he looked at his hands, stained with blood and forget it was not that of a patient's, but of her blood after he found her that night.
"You are so tormented but you hide it well," Sebastian said almost kindly taking another step towards Nathan until he was only inches away from the healer. "You are a righteous man, one who has suffered, one who does not take for granted the freedom you have and yet you are bound, bound by your past, bound by your fears. Let me help you Nathan, let me set you free, truly free."
His senses made one last-ditch attempt to restore clarity to his mind, and Nathan blinked, overcome by this feeling of dread like the bug that crawled across the open plains of a flytrap's mouth. Dropping his gaze to the ground when he heard the low scratching noises from underfoot, Nathan's stomach clenched seeing worms, centipedes and insects, squirming around the man's feet like worshippers who found their new god. Nathan retreated almost on reflex when he should have gone for his gun, but it was too late.
Sebastian grabbed his wrist, the one that would have made the journey to the butt of his gun if he were not so muddled. As both men's eyes locked onto each other, Sebastian's jaws widened, and as Nathan saw what was in store for him, the healer knew he was the bug.
And he was caught.
***********
Buck knew people.
Four Corner's very own Lothario often attributed this talent to his youth growing up in a bordello. He learned about women from his mother and the lovely ladies who helped to raise him, who treated him kindly and adored him because to him, they weren't soiled doves but family. Through their eyes, he saw the world from a feminine perspective, and though he knew his empathy was sometimes considered a weakness, Buck didn't regret it one damn bit.
At the bordello, Buck also learned a great deal about men.
The men who walked through the door did so exposing the basest part of their psyches. Within the walls of the place, they shed the demands of society, forgot they were fathers, sons, businessmen or pillars of the community. Their naked desire allowed Buck to see them at their most exposed and he was a quick study. Watching from the sidelines, Buck understood what drove people, what lay beneath the surface and how fragile a thing the heart could be, even in the most hardened of men.
Perhaps he could not read faces the way Ezra did, but he knew how the heart worked. Maybe it was why he and Chris Larabee had become friends to begin with.
When the circus first arrived, he was just as bamboozled by it as everyone else in town. Who wouldn't be by the spectacular show the folk had put on for the benefit of the townspeople? The music, the acts, the clowns, the lovely ladies, all of it was a sight to behold, and Buck couldn't help admit he was just as taken with them like everyone else. Even when Ezra put forward the possibility that there was more to the place than met the eye with Anna's warning, Buck was still sceptical. The only thing he was sure of was Ezra's concern for her welfare, and on that basis, Buck would do everything in his power to see a lady safe.
It was only after he started searching for the girl did he begin to see something suspicious in their behaviour. True, they were circus people, accustomed to putting on a facade to entertain the locals but it was more than that. It was as if their goal was not to entertain but rather to distract. While Vin knew how to draw information from outlaws and gunmen who didn't like to talk, Buck knew how to do the same with ordinary people, who didn't always know they knew something, until he got it out of them through simple conversation. The circus folk were neither.
They were a wall of silence even though they said all the things he wanted to hear, that life in the circus was perfect and no such girl existed. Their speech was so well-rehearsed and almost identical word for word that Buck came to the unhappy realisation that it wasn't just a handful of them that were crooked, but all of them. Whatever was going on here, they were in it together, and if Anna had been the odd one out, Buck didn't hold out hopes for the girl's life.
He'd searched the caravans for her, sneaking in and out unseen and finding nothing to prove Anna ever existed. Even if they behaved suspiciously, Buck found nothing in his search, just the belongings of people who lived life on the road, to explain what they might be hiding. If anything, he was rather fascinated by what he saw because it looked like these people had been everywhere, not just across America, but some even farther away. He wondered if Josiah or Ezra were present, they might be able to explain where some of this stuff came from.
Stepping through the door of the caravan belonging to the lovely trio of tightrope walkers whose acquaintance he made the night before, it was his last search before he headed back to meet up with Nathan. At first glance, he was greeted with colourful costumes hung up on hooks, frilly linens such as sheets, curtains and tablecloths covering surfaces and hanging off walls. The place smelled of perfume, which was more or less what Buck expected from a wagon inhabited by three gals named Titania, Lysander and Hermia. Ezra claimed it was definitely their stage names because they were all characters from some old book.
In any case, he'd charmed them all last night and spent a few pleasant hours in their company. They'd gotten up to things no decent woman would put up with, even though that fantasy about having three women at once did not materialise for him during the evening. Surveying the room quickly, he tried to see if there was any clue that might give him an idea of what these people were about and delved deeper into the caravan, wishing to be thorough. If a young lady was in trouble, Buck was not going to do anything but his best to find her.
Buck rummaged through their belongings, trying to see if there was anything of interest when suddenly, he heard a sound behind him. The big man stood upright immediately, his full height made the top of his hat brush against the wooden ceiling while his hand went for his gun. Buck uttered an inward curse at being caught red-handed, knowing there was no way he could explain himself in any satisfactory fashion.
"Now look what we have here," the dark-haired siren, with the full lips, still wearing her skimpy costume smiled at him, her eyes dancing with mischief, not an accusation. Buck remembered she was called Hermia.
"Oh, he couldn't wait to see us," the one behind Hermia peered over her sister's exposed shoulder to cast her blue eyes on Buck with excitement. "Just had to see us again?"
"That's right," Buck flashed them a grin thinking he might be able to talk his way out of his, "I just could stop thinking about any of you, not after last night."
Her name was Titania, Buck remembered and she slipped past Hermia's creamy arm to approach him. There was nothing but seduction in her voice and as Buck saw her exposed cleavage, reminded himself pointedly he was here for business, not anything else when she crossed her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Before Buck could draw away, (admittedly not very hard), he felt warm lips pressed against his mouth. Her tongue snaked past his teeth before he could even think to react, as she more or less devoured him with lusty desire.
Buck felt his head swim at that kiss and distantly heard the third woman in the set, one he recalled was Oriental with sheeny long black hair and skin so pale it didn't look quite real, speak in her soft, small voice.
"You have to share Titania," Lysander whined. "We're all hungry."
Hungry? Buck's addled mind managed to think as he felt Hermia joining Titania in her attempt to lavish all kinds of seduction on him. He felt her arms circling his waist just as her hot breath caressed the back of his neck. The sensation of both of them was dizzying, and even though he was not a novice to multiple lovers at once, there was something about their touch that felt wrong.
However, when he felt her hand slip through his shirt, popping buttons as she made her intrusion, his mind clouded over and the reason why he had yet to succumb entirely to them, remained elusive. Still, despite it all, the word 'hungry' continued to tug at the edges of his rapidly deteriorating focus. Nails dug into his skin, with just enough force for him to hiss at the contact and when he looked down, he saw three lines of red and felt the warmth of blood spilling down his chest.
Buck opened his mouth to say something, but Tatiana's hand suddenly gripped him hard around the throat. Almost exactly at the same time, Hermia grabbed his arms, forcing them back until he could feel his shoulder scream in pain from the positioning. Once again his abhorrence to use any force against a woman kept him from reacting as strongly as Buck ought to have, especially when Lysander joined her sisters and dug her fingers through his hair, yanking his head back. Considering how petite she was, Buck was unable to believe how she managed it, as much as he could believe anything else that was happening at present.
"Listen, girls," he started to say until his efforts to break free came to nothing and their grip was so secure, he could do nothing but remain helpless in their clutches.
"It's okay Buck," Tatiana smiled as her lips parted, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp nail-like teeth. "You wanted to be with all of us, and you will be. We'll have each have a piece of you for ourselves."
***********
After leaving Salome who would go no further into detail about what she'd inferred by telling him to protect his flock, Josiah Sanchez felt suddenly anxious about allowing any of their number to wander about the place alone. Scouring the fairgrounds when the show started and Salome had to leave him to participate in the performance, Josiah walked through the maze of tents and stands, trying to get a glimpse of either Nathan or Buck. When he did not find either, he felt a surge of alarm, unable to determine what was wrong, only that he worried for them.
As he made his way past the big top, he saw Chris Larabee standing a few feet away from the entrance, the gunslinger having snuck out for a smoke, leaving Mary and Billy to watch the show. The Man in Black was raising a lit match to the cheroot in his mouth, the flame illuminating his features briefly. His keen sense of awareness caught sight of Josiah immediately and prompted him to look up, mostly because Chris had a better instinct for trouble than most and could probably see Josiah's tension.
"Josiah."
"Have you seen Buck or Nathan anywhere?" Josiah asked, grasping at the faint possibility the duo might have opted to take in the show after all.
"No," Chris replied, tensing at the urgency in Josiah's voice before stepping to a quiet corner away from anyone's prying eyes.
Josiah followed him into the shadows, preferring to be away from the showgrounds entirely but supposing this would have to do.
"You know what they were planning tonight," Chris reminded.
"Yeah," Josiah nodded, "but this time, I heard from someone else other than Anna, we should be careful around here."
"Who?" Chris asked.
"Not here," Josiah replied. "It might get them into the same trouble as Anna. Chris, I think she's dead."
Chris's jaw clenched and was about to say something further when they sighted Nathan stepping through the space between the Hall of Mirrors and a balloon stand. The healer did not seem worse for wear and sighting him sent a flood of relief through both men. Without wasting time, Chris strode out of the darkness, headed towards Nathan, with Josiah following close behind.
"Nate, you okay?" Chris asked as soon as the healer was in earshot.
"I'm fine, Chris," Nathan said with a smile. "Perfectly fine."
WARNING: RACIALLY OFFENISVE LANGUAGE
Something was wrong.
Ezra Standish didn't know what it was exactly, but he could feel its disruptive machinery in the air. Occupying his place at their usual table at the Standish Saloon, he and the rest of the seven, save Buck, were waiting for their meals as Inez flitted about the room, serving the breakfast crowd. Even though the light rumble of chatter, broken by the customary clinking of dinnerware filled the air, the conversation at the table was unusually quiet. Not that they were positively brimming with discussion at this hour anyway, but still something didn't feel right to Ezra.
Josiah's mood was grim, and it took no clairvoyance to know what was on the former preacher's mind. Like Josiah, Ezra was not at all happy to hear that Anna might be dead, but if the truth were told, he suspected such an outcome when they had gone to the circus that morning and had her existence denied by everyone. Even if Miss Salome's ominous words did not confirm it without a shadow of a doubt, Ezra knew this was the truth.
Chris, who was usually absent from these meals since he moved out of town, had opted to stay over last night. Having taken Mrs Travis and young Billy to the circus, Chris probably felt it less taxing to stay in town than attempting to ride home after dark. Besides, with everything happening last night, he probably decided it was easier to remain in Four Corners. Still, Chris seemed to be in a broody mood. Ezra wondered if his gunslinger's instincts for trouble were screaming all kinds of warning. Still, without direction, they powered unfocused rage that left the man surlier than usual.
Vin was always quiet, wearing the stoic mask that revealed very little unless he was in the company of a particular doctor or had his moral sensibilities outraged beyond control. JD who should be regaling them with more of those terrible jokes he acquired from that accursed publication Buck had threatened to burn, seemed distracted. In fact, now that Ezra thought deeply on the subject, JD had seem preoccupied for some time now, and Ezra made a mental note to mention it to Buck when the big man appeared.
Nathan, on the other hand, was unreadable. Ezra tried not to stare as the healer took a sip of coffee, ruminating in its dark depths, some unspoken thought he was sharing with no one. As a student of human behaviour, Ezra had taken on the challenge of interpreting most of his associate's manners and right now Nathan was a cipher Ezra could not unravel. He wondered if it had to do with the search conducted at the circus last night and immediately discounted it. If there were something there, Nathan would have told them.
After all, if not for that assurance, none of them would be happy by Buck's absence at the table. However, Nathan's search revealed nothing suspicious at the circus, even if Anna's fate seemed grim. No doubt Buck's own search yielded similar results, and the man was nursing his disappointment in the arms of a lady since there was nothing unusual about Buck staying out all night. After sharing the same lodging house with the man, Ezra knew Buck rarely spent his nights there.
As Inez once described it, his ability to charm his way into the beds of most single women in town was akin to witchcraft.
Almost on cue, Buck Wilmington stepped into the saloon through the batwing doors, wearing the same clothes they had seen him in the day before, a clear indication of what he had been up to all night. Buck looked bleary-eyed and somewhat exhausted. It prompted Ezra into wondering what lady had stamina enough to reduce Buck to such a state before recalling Buck intended calling on a trio of tightrope walkers as his excuse for nosing around their caravan. If that was where Buck had been all night, Ezra did not know whether to feel impressed, envious or appalled by the debauchery.
"Well look what the cat dragged in," Vin remarked, tossing the newest arrival to the table a look of amusement. "Damn Buck, the racoon I once saw torn up by a bunch of coonhounds don't look as bad as you."
"Very funny," Buck didn't look Vin’s way before planting himself in one of the empty chairs, his limbs flopping like the ears of a big dog upon landing.
Chris however, was not that amused by Buck's state, even if it was in keeping with the man's character. "You were supposed to be searching for Anna, not balancing tightrope walkers on your pole."
Ezra gave Chris a look, uncertain if the gunslinger had intended the comment to be funny. "Charming Mr Larabee," he frowned.
"There wasn't anything to find Chris," Buck said breezily, unaffected by Chris's terse tone. Instead, he leaned back into his chair, stretching out as if he were ready to fall asleep again, without a care as to where he was. Pulling his hat over his face and allowing his neck lolled back, Buck muttered through the felt. "I looked everywhere. If the girl was there, she ain't any more."
"Josiah has some grim news to report on that front," Ezra sighed, recalling what the preacher suspected following his encounter with Madame Salome. As much as Ezra loathed to think their efforts to help the girl had failed, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the worst had come about and they would never find Anna alive.
"Like what?" Buck paid enough attention to raise the brim of his hat to eye the preacher.
Josiah let out an exhale as if repeating the statement left a bad taste in his mouth. "Salome didn't say it, but I think the girl's dead."
"That's too bad," Buck shrugged dismissively before retreating beneath his hat again. His manner was so indifferent it was becoming increasingly hard for everyone at the table to ignore it.
"You okay Buck?" Vin was the one to finally ask.
Like Ezra, Vin studied behaviour just as astutely, albeit for entirely different reasons. Since Buck's arrival in the saloon this morning, Vin had noticed something odd about Buck's manner. Whenever Buck strode out of a bedroom, wafting with the musky scent of conquest, he was nine kinds of swagger and had no trouble describing in avid detail to his comrades, everything that transpired whether or not they wished to hear it. The fact he was keeping silent right now, after what looked like a hell of a night, was just not him.
Understatement was a foreign concept to Buck.
"I'm fine," Buck said lackadaisically, not bothering to look at Vin as he answered.
"You don't look fine," Chris spoke up, agreeing with Vin because he knew Buck the longest and he could tell something was off. "What do you think, Nathan?"
"Maybe you ought to leave the man alone. You don't gotta know his business if he don't mean to tell it."
All eyes, excepting Buck, turned to Nathan. Even JD snapped out of his silence to join his comrades in their reaction to the healer's sharp statement. Not only because he snapped at Chris for no good reason, but under normal circumstances, he would be the first to react if he thought anyone of them was feeling poorly. The man could spot a cold or a touch of fever from a mile away and allowed nothing to get in the way of treating it. Not even Chris was foolish enough to argue with Nathan when the healer decided you needed healing.
Chris's shock lasted only a second before he returned just as pointedly. "I'll leave the man alone when I'm sure he's alright. I'm asking you to make sure of that."
"He looks like a man who's spent all night in a cathouse," Nathan snorted. "Nothing a bath and some coffee couldn't fix."
"I'm fine," Buck grumbled from under his hat and even Inez walking past him, carrying a tray of food, did not engender his slightest interest. Usually, whenever the lady bartender was in sight, Buck pranced and preened around her like a horny jackrabbit. Today, however, he seemed indifferent to her and everything else.
"You look sick," JD pointed out, thinking the same thing as Chris now that his attention was entirely focussed on Buck.
"The man said he's fine!" Nathan barked, making JD jump and adding another layer of astonishment to his friends' stunned reactions. "What, just because it don't fit how the rest of you think, mean it ain't true?"
Chris straightened up, restraining his temper and no longer worrying about Buck's condition because he sensed something even worse on the horizon and it rested entirely with Nathan Jackson.
Of all the seven, Nathan could be the one counted on to keep his head and this kind of behaviour, especially when someone might not be well, was absolutely not the man they had come to know. In fact, the suspicions Chris had been harbouring all morning seemed to have justification with the overt changes in the behaviour of his two friends. As Chris looked into Nathan's eyes, often the most expressive thing about him, he felt his blood ran cold because in them, was nothing.
"Nathan, that's not what we're saying. You know that." Josiah broke in, having the best chance of making Nathan see reason due to their long-standing relationship. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong," Nathan said abruptly. "Is that I'm leaving."
"Leaving?" Vin burst out first. "Why?"
"Mr Polidori offered me a job," Nathan replied, his eyes fixed on Chris. "He and his people need a healer."
"So do we," Ezra reminded. "Mr Jackson, you have a place here among us, you are...."
"... a token nigger who says what you want me to say when you want me to say it."
The words felt like a physical blow, and they all felt it.
Chris's eyes flared, and this time he stood up, filled with a rare moment of outrage at being accused of such a thing, or worse yet at having Nathan believing it. At no point had Chris ever saw Nathan as anything but a man. Sure he was coloured, but that didn't mean squat to Chris. If anything, the gunslinger always admired Nathan for being the man he was, being able to rise above the horror of slavery to teach himself how to heal others.
"Nate, we ain't never seen you that way," Vin stated, just as outraged as Chris but more capable of holding back his temper because he could see by the look of him Chris's rage was about to hit volcanic. "You're our friend, we need you."
"You don't need me," Nathan spat back. "Miss Alex is here now. She's a proper doctor, not some quack that's good enough in a pinch."
Alex's name being brought into this provoked Vin a little, but he knew these were insecurities the healer had harboured since Alex got to town, but Vin also knew next to him, Nathan was the person she cared for the most. "Nathan, you know Alex thinks the world of you, not just as a healer but as her friend. She cares for you, and she would never want you to go on account of her."
"It don't matter," Nathan dismissed the explanation as if it were worthless. "It don't change how things are."
"How things are?" Now Josiah started to get angry because of all of them, he was the least deserving of Nathan's vitriol, unfounded as it was. Their history went further back to this town, further even than the goddamn war they just left behind. "Nathan, we're brothers."
"I ain't your brother," Nathan shrank back from the table. "And you don't know anything about what I been through. All I am is another to you is a nigger."
"If we thought that way, we would never have saved your ass from a lynching." Chris hissed.
"Only because Miss Mary shamed you and Vin into it."
"The hell we did!" Chris snapped back, unable to believe Nathan had marred the act leading to their brotherhood with such a stain of prejudice when neither he nor Vin had ever hidden their respect or their admiration for him.
"Gentlemen," Ezra stood up, seeing things spiral out of control even if he, like the rest of his associates, were at a loss to explain how they had gotten here. "Let's calm down. Mr Jackson, I'm sure Mr Larabee did not mean...."
"I don't need anyone to explain it to me," Nathan snapped, stepping further away. "Least of all you."
The icy look shot in his direction made Ezra tense, and the gambler knew without the healer having to say it, Nathan was reminding him most pointedly of his attitude at their first meeting. Anything Ezra could say died with that withering glare and the gambler fell silent, stepping back because right now, he could be the spark that ignited this whole situation. To this day, Ezra’s behaviour towards Nathan still appalled him, and he'd hoped he proven to the healer that his viewpoint had changed. Meeting Nathan had made him a better man, but it seemed Nathan did not see the difference.
"ENOUGH."
Josiah's voice was hard and loud. Enough so the other patrons of the saloon, even Inez had stopped to take in the minor storm brewing in their midst. Josiah paid no attention to any of this and instead stood up from his chair, meeting Nathan eye to eye, even if he was a little shorter. Josiah had no idea what was running through Nathan's mind at this time but knew he would not stand for it going any further.
"You know none of us thinks that way. We've ridden together, fought alongside one another and even bled the same for almost two years. You and I have been friends for even longer than that. Are you going to look me in the eye and tell me you believe we did that, thinking you were nothing more than a coloured mascot?"
The words penetrated and the red haze that gripped Nathan’s mind, allowing him to think the worst of his friends, vanished as if he had been splashed with icy cold water. With a sudden start, Nathan blinked and stared at the friends at the table, the one looking at him with shock and dismay, who had no idea what had brought on such an accusation. The truth be told, Nathan didn't know either. This whole morning, his mind had been addled, trapped between anger and confusion, manifesting in the terrible words he flung in Chris Larabee's face.
"I'm sorry," Nathan whispered, shame overcoming him so completely, he was almost sick to the stomach. "I don't know what came over me. Mr Polidori said things last night and I..."
"What Nathan?" Chris insisted, his anger waning at seeing the remorse in the healer's face and then realising, Buck had not even bothered to look up to see what was happening. He continued to remain indifferent, oblivious to the incendiary discussion before him, the source of which was his uncharacteristic behaviour. Something was happening, something they had wholly misjudged, and it was affecting not just Nathan but Buck too, though the mechanism of it was still beyond Chris's ability to explain.
"I'm not sure," the healer seemed dazed, rubbing his forehead. "He said things to me, true things and I can't seem to think straight. All I know is I want to go with them, that it feels right to leave with them ."
"If that's what you want to do," Josiah put a hand on his shoulder, "then we won't stop you but just don't do anything rash okay?"
"Yeah," Nathan stammered and retreated, suddenly needing air to clear his head. "I won't."
Yet as he pulled away from them, his face etched now in confusion when only minutes ago, there was nothing but resentment and anger, none of them could be sure about anything. No one knew what to say, the exchange was altogether too strange and unexpected.
When someone did have the presence of mind to speak before Nathan vanished through the batwing doors, it was Vin.
"Nathan!"
Vin recognised the look of a man about to run. Lord knows he'd worn that same face enough times himself during his earliest days in Four Corners, when just about everything felt too crowded for his liking. However, before he could say anything else, Nathan had turned tail and run, leaving them behind at the table, reeling.
***********
"What just happened?"
This came from JD who looked at his older companions for guidance since he still couldn't believe what had just transpired at this table. Minutes had ticked by, and only Buck seemed unaffected by what had happened. Without answering JD, Chris moved over to Buck and grabbed by the shirt, forcing him to sit up straight. The gunslinger grabbed the man's hat off his head and shoved it at Josiah who was next to Buck to hold onto for the minute.
"Chris, what are you doing?" JD demanded not liking the gunslinger's rough handling of Buck.
Chris did not answer him and only with the hat pulled away from his face, did Chris really get a good look at Buck. He didn't just look exhausted, he looked sick. His skin was grey, and there were dark circles under his eyes that was more than just the ladies' man having a long night out. Nathan hadn't been able to see it, but then again, Chris suspected Nathan might be having a similar problem, although his trouble was manifesting itself quite differently.
"What the hell, Chris," Buck grumbled, but he did so with almost no fight, as if the response was obligatory, not steeming from any real outrage.
"Vin, tell Alex I'm bringing Buck over for her to look at," Chris said glancing at the tracker.
"Okay," Vin nodded, getting to his feet to do just that. He wasn't sure what was in Chris's mind at this moment, but there was no mistaking the urgency in his voice. In a few seconds, he was out the door, leaving the rest of his friends to deal with Buck.
"I'm fine, Chris," Buck assured him, wearing the same feeble grin that only served to infuriate Chris more.
"What happened last night, Buck," Chris ignored his attempts at assurance.
"Nothing, I told you. I searched and found nothing. Then I ran into those three gals, and you know the rest."
"Do I?" Chris challenged. "Tell me about it. Tell me every nasty detail."
"Mr Larabee is there some reason why you are subjecting us to what will be a rather lurid tale of lust and acrobatics? Could this not wait until we have at least have breakfast, or in a more private location?" Ezra had no desire to hear the sleazy aspects of Buck's evening, even under these circumstances.
"Quiet Ezra," Josiah ordered, aware of what Chris was attempting to do. Something happened to Nathan last night, and if it happened to Nathan, then chances were good, Buck might have been similarly affected. There was no other explanation for what was going on this morning.
"Chris," Buck gave him a weak smile. "A gentleman never kisses and tell, remember?"
"Yeah, but what's that got to do with you," Chris replied quickly and asked again. "Tell me, Buck!"
"I DON'T REMEMBER ALRIGHT!" Buck snapped and got up abruptly, having enough strength left in him to shove the gunslinger against the table. Chris didn't quite topple over it, but he hit its edge hard enough to ensure anything standing on top of the table, fell over. A glass shattered across the floor. The entire saloon went silent, with all eyes fixed on the drama unfolding in the centre of the room.
"The last thing I remember was seeing those three ladies when I met them in their caravan before I woke up the next morning in their bed. That's all!"
"You didn't talk to Polidori at any point?" Josiah asked, guessing where Chris was going with this.
"No," Buck nodded, "just those three girls. Now if it's okay with you, I'm going to get some sleep."
However, he didn't make it that far. His long legs gave way beneath him, and before anyone could reach the lawman, Buck collapsed face-first against the floor, unconscious.
As they moved in to help, Josiah looked up at Chris. "What the hell are we dealing with here?"
Chris had no idea, but he guessed this was just the beginning.
When Alexandra Styles stepped through the divider separating her treatment area and her waiting room, the three men impatiently awaiting answers rose immediately to their feet.
When Vin had arrived at her clinic telling her something was wrong with Buck, neither had any idea that report would soon be followed by the sight of Chris, Josiah, JD and Ezra bursting through her door a short time later carrying the unconscious ladies' man. While Josiah had lingered long enough to ensure Buck was in good hands, rushing off to deal with some other calamity he did not care to elaborate, the others remained in her waiting room.
From Ezra's usual colourful description, Alex learned Buck's behaviour, before the episode warranting a visit to her clinic, was concerning enough was it was. Unfortunately, her examination of Buck didn't produce any satisfactory answers, although there was no doubt in her mind, something was wrong. As a doctor, she could spot symptoms that most people dismissed, and from what she was able to see, Buck was definitely suffering some unknown condition.
During the examination, Alex wondered where Nathan was. When any of the Seven was unwell, the healer was never far away. She wished he were here now because she could have used his opinion on what might be ailing Buck. Due to his insecurities about his lack of knowledge as a 'real doctor' as he put it, Nathan made sure he noticed every symptom in a patient, resulting in his becoming one of the best diagnosticians she had ever met, even without the credentials.
Nevertheless, Alex had given Buck a thorough examination and found nothing that would assuage the anxieties of the men awaiting news of their friend's condition.
"How is he?" JD, who wore his worry more nakedly on his face than any of his older comrades, was the first to ask. "Is he going to be alright? Do you know what's wrong with him?"
"Let her talk JD," Vin said gently although he could tell just by Alex's manner, they weren't going to like the news she was about to deliver.
Alex gave VIn a look of affection before she turned to Chris and the others. Chris would have little or no impatience with delay or obfuscation when it came to the welfare of his men, so she got down to it.
"He's still unconscious. I examined him the best I could, and I will say I can see something wrong with him, but I can't figure out what exactly. I mean I saw Buck yesterday, the same as all of you and overnight, he's looked like he's lost weight, he's pale, and his pulse is sluggish. Not to mention his breathing is laboured. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he'd suddenly acquired some kind of blood disease, or perhaps even been bitten by a snake."
"A snake?" Chris looked at her dubiously and saw his scepticism was shared by the others.
Being in the Territory, they all knew what rattlesnake bites could do, but dying took days, and they'd seen Buck last night. Besides, the man would have sense enough to get fixed up straight away if such were the case. Nor were they out in the middle of nowhere, where he would be forced to attend to something like that on his own, but in a town where there were at least two healers who would have patched him up fast.
"It's not a snake," Alex stated quickly before that throwaway suggestion was given any real consideration. "I've looked him over, there are no bites, nothing. Unfortunately, I can't get a fuller picture of his condition until he wakes up. You said that when you saw him, he was displaying weakness. Did he mention any lightheadedness or blurred vision?"
These were questions she would have asked Buck if here were conscious and was annoyed she was unable to determine what was wrong with him.
"We couldn't tell," Chris admitted. "He just looked weak, like he didn't have any strength to him. Usually, after Buck's been chasing tail...." the gunslinger stopped himself from elaborating, reminding himself he was not just talking to a doctor, but to a woman. More specifically, Vin's woman. "I mean when he's been out all night, he ain't that quiet."
"Yeah, he can never shut up!" JD threw in. "He's always talking about how many times..."
"Mr Dunne," Ezra stopped him before the kid went into too much detail. "I don't think Doctor Styles requires that much information."
"Yeah," Vin gave JD a look.
"It's fine," Alex assured them all, thinking it sweet they were trying to spare her delicate sensibilities even if it was unnecessary. "But thank you anyway."
"It is not simply his physical condition Alexandra," Ezra continued speaking, glad that his relationship with Alex was on the mend and they could talk to each other with some civility now. "His mental state was also exceedingly out of character. He had no interest in whatever was taking place around him. We had a rather nasty confrontation with Mr Jackson, and he did not react in the slightest, to what was taking place. In these kinds of arguments, Mr Wilmington is the first to offer an opinion."
Alex blinked in surprise at the mention of Nathan, remembering once again she'd wondered where he was.
"Nasty confrontation? Why what happened?"
A sudden awkward silence filled the room, with none of the men including Vin, being able to meet her eyes as she waited impatiently for any of them to respond.
"Tell me, what happened?" She insisted once more, feeling a rising panic at Nathan's welfare.
When it was apparent they would have to answer her, they looked up again but not before glancing at Vin, as if deciding unanimously in silence it was up to the tracker to explain because she was his girl. Vin tensed, his normally stoic expression showing the cracks of his discomfort as he was forced to tell her what had happened and how it involved her directly.
"Alex, Nathan said he was leaving Four Corners."
"Leaving Four Corners? Why?" Alex burst out, her mind instantly rejecting the suggestion as anything but ludicrous.
She and Nathan talked often and one thing she had come to learn through their friendship, was his love for Four Corners and in particular, the six men he rode with. Their bond of friendship transcended description, even Alex who loved Vin, understood its importance and where it stood in regards to their relationship. Aside from his place with the Seven, the town saw Nathan Jackson as its healer, even after she arrived and respected him as one. While she was still considered the outsider, the community had embraced Nathan as their own. Alex couldn't imagine what possible reason could induce him to leave.
Once again, she saw the look of hesitation flooding Vin's eyes and this time, the emotion it provoked made her chest tighten. "What?
Chris, seeing Vin's difficulty in trying to tell Alex she was the reason for Nathan's apparent departure from town, decided to spare his friend the effort.
"Alex, he says there isn't any use for him in Four Corners now you're here. The circus has offered him a job, and he plans to take it."
Alex's jaw dropped in utter disbelief. "That's absolute horseshit."
All three men stared at her in shock, startled by the uncharacteristic display of profanity from the usually refined woman. Who could blame her when Nathan's accusation had left them just as stunned when they heard it? As always, Ezra chose the most inopportune moment to ask.
"Which part?"
Vin shot Ezra a glare of exasperation aware of what that question was going to provoke, while Chris's hand flew to the bridge of his nose as if he were suddenly developing a headache. Even JD, who didn't have that much experience with women knew it was never wise to ask dumb questions when they looked like they were angry enough to spit.
"All of it!" Alex exploded, unable to believe Ezra could even ask such a thing.
Her outburst made all four men, including Vin flinch, and they stepped back as if they were getting clear of dynamite about to go off.
"I couldn't provide medical services to all of Four Corners on my own! Nathan of all people should know that!! It's not just the town, it's the homesteaders, the Indian village, the bone-headed idiots who still won't let a woman treat them because they think I'm a witch who's going to hex them, not to mention patching up you men whenever you get shot up, which happens a lot!"
"Darlin' just take it easy," Vin tried to calm her down, aware of just how incendiary her temper could be when she got going and threw a look of ire at Ezra for setting her off. Not that he could blame her outrage, especially when he knew how much she cared for Nathan.
"Don't tell me to take it easy!" Alex bit back angrily, incensed Nathan could even think such a thing.
Since coming to Four Corners, Alex treated Nathan like a colleague because she knew he thought himself less because he had no formal qualifications when anyone could see he was an exceptional healer. She recognised his struggles were similar to her own as they were both people with a fierce desire to heal but almost barred from it because they were considered outcast by decent white society. Her in England and Nathan in America. Furthermore, Nathan reminded her so much of her father, that in knowing him, she knew what it felt like to have a brother.
"I'm going to talk to Nathan," she was prepared to storm out of her clinic to settle this matter once and for all. If Nathan really thought like this, then Alex was going to put him straight.
"Alex wait," Chris spoke up before Vin could, and the tone he used was one that halted her in her step before she could leave the waiting room.
Looking up, she forced herself to settle down, aware she was letting her emotions run away with her, something Alex hated doing, especially in front of a room full of men. When she did, however, she realised this was more than just some attempt to keep her from acting impulsively. Chris's worry, reflected in his face and in the faces of the others, allowed Alex to realise there was more going on here than Nathan's strange behaviour and what was happening with Buck.
"What's going on?" She asked finally, a good deal calmer.
"We're not sure," Chris admitted, "but something is going on with this circus."
"Like what?"
"Alexandra," Ezra spoke up trying to make up for his earlier faux pas. "You must be aware as the rest of us, this behaviour from Mr Jackson is both uncharacteristic and completely unexpected. We all know from our association with him, for Nathan to undergo such a radical change of personality overnight, something strange must have taken place. He gave no indication of any of these thoughts before he went to the circus last night, but it appeared one conversation with Mr Polidori was enough to alter his opinion of Four Corners and all of us."
"Sebastian Polidori, the man we met?" She glanced at Vin to be sure.
"Yeah, that's him," Vin nodded. "Seems Nathan spoke to him last night, and whatever he said was good enough for him to turn on us."
"And Buck was at the circus too," Chris reminded.
Alex fell silent for a moment, thinking that Polidori had a quality about him, something that made people sit up and pay attention, but whether or not Polidori was commanding enough to make Nathan doubt all the people in his life was another matter. Nathan wasn't someone who was easily swayed, and while the healer didn't often show it, he could see through a con a mile away. It was why he and Ezra got along so well because they saw each other as precisely what they were, without the benefit of layered defences.
"Well he's certainly charismatic enough and charming," Alex commented, thinking about the man like a cipher to be unravelled. "But I cannot imagine Nathan being tricked by him."
"Neither can I," Vin agreed and then added, "and he weren't that charming."
"Don't be a child," Alex chided him with a look, having no impatience with his jealousy. "But what has this got to do with Buck? This didn't happen to him by simply talking to Polidori. Whatever he's suffering is real, it's not psychosomatic."
"What?" Vin stared at her.
"It's not in his head," she explained quickly. "Those symptoms are not fake."
"Even so," Ezra sighed. "Mr Wilmington did not encounter Mr Polidori last evening. He was conducting a search of the place and remained in the company of a trio of tightrope walkers."
"Maybe it's not just Polidori," Chris suggested. "maybe it's all of them."
"All of them?" JD exclaimed, prodded out of his silence because he had been thinking about Madame Esmerelda and how she'd gotten into his head about Casey, promising to change the fate she'd claimed was in store for the young lady if he spoke to Polidori. Would he have ended up behaving just like Nathan if he had?
"Yeah," Vin thought that made sense even if the how remained elusive. "Ezra did say Anna warned us not to believe anything they said. Maybe this is what she meant."
"Something you like to tell us, JD?" Chris asked, having not missed how distracted JD had been since he returned from the circus. The gunslinger assumed the kid would tell them in good time because JD could seldom keep anything to himself, but now that he gave it a little more thought, he realised there could be something deeper plaguing the younger man's mind.
"It's stupid," JD exclaimed, honestly embarrassed that he allowed himself to be duped, in light of what he heard right now.
"JD, what is it?" Alex asked gently, giving Chris a look to not be so ...well, Chris. The kid looked somewhat troubled.
JD blinked slowly and looked up. "When I was there, I ran into Madame Esmeralda, the fortune teller."
Chris did not like where this was going. JD was impressionable, and one of these grifters could easily get into his head if they knew the right trigger. If Buck were with him, the big man would be taking extreme exception to JD being manipulated.
"What did she say?" Ezra asked, able to see whatever omen the woman had delivered to JD, it was affecting.
"She told me," JD said quietly. "That Casey and I would get married someday, and we'd have kids, but she wouldn't live long enough to raise them with me."
"Son of a bitch," Chris whispered under his breath, feeling his own anger flare up even if the prophecy was a bunch of nonsense in his opinion. Still, as a widower who had never really gotten over the death of his wife and child even if he was starting to move on, the idea someone had filled JD's head with such an ominous possibility provoked his utmost contempt.
"JD, there's no way she could know that," Alex immediately declared, understanding why JD might be taken in by such a lie. He was young, and Casey was probably the first girl he had ever fallen in love with.
"I know that," JD replied exasperated that he had not rejected the woman's statement outright but the way she said it felt so real, that for a moment, he could almost see Casey's death in his mind's eye. "But it felt real, and when I went back to her, to ask her more about it, she said she couldn't do anything for Casey, but maybe Polidori could."
"How could Polidori keep Casey from dying?" Vin asked, not expecting an answer because like the rest of them, he knew there was no way to cheat death when it came calling for you, and that whatever solution Esmerelda offered, it would be a lie.
"I don't know," JD admitted, "I just knew that I was going to see him and talk to him. I know it sounds crazy, but I don't want to be raising children on my own. I saw what it did to my ma, having to bring me up herself. I didn't want the same thing to happen to me."
"Mr Dunne, you have no reason to feel badly," Ezra assured him, though inwardly, the gambler was seething at how JD had been manipulated and using such a cruel ploy. He knew how to play a con like a master, but even Ezra had a code of honour in how far he would go. Using the death of a loved one to achieve one's end was a line he would not cross.
"This is ridiculous," Alex snorted, her logical mind unable to wrap her sensibilities around the Polidori Circus having some ability to influence Casey's 'supposed' death in the future, to say nothing about Buck's current state. "Okay, I can believe Polidori having something to do with filling Nathan's head full of crazy ideas, and then trying to con JD, but Buck's condition is not imaginary."
"Alexandra," Ezra declared. "Anna did warn us the Polidori circus was not to be believed and now there is no sign of the girl. Furthermore, it is plain they are acting according to some unforeseen design. To coin an old phrase, there would not be this much smoke without fire."
Alex couldn't deny that, but it still seemed bizarre.
"Okay, assuming that the circus is up to something," Vin glanced at his friends and the woman he loved, "what's their plan?"
That was a question none of them could answer, but Chris did have a way to find out. Turning his high powered gaze on JD, the kid flinched at the sudden focus.
"What?" JD asked self consciously.
"JD, I want you to play along with this Madame Esmerelda," Chris stated. Tell her that you want to talk to Polidori about what he can do to help Casey. I want to see what Polidori wants in exchange for these magic beans of his."
"Magic beans," Ezra snorted, thinking that was indeed an apt description of what the man was peddling in regards to Casey's future. "Mr Larabee, there were a great number of people at the circus last night."
"Yeah," Vin nodded, realising what Ezra was alluding to. "How many of them have been gotten to like JD and Nathan?"
***********
Gloria Potter stared at her children through the window of the mercantile store, thinking about how nice it would be to leave Four Corners for good. She cared little for the store that had taken her husband and left her with a gaggle of children who grew more rambunctious and wilder with each passing day without a strong male influence. She knew she loved them, but lately, the responsibility of giving them a good Christian upbringing was a millstone around her neck, she wished desperately to be freed from.
Last night, he had promised her a new life, one that would take her across the globe, seeing far away lands and even more incredible sights. She could feel the white sands of a beach facing the Pacific Ocean in between her toes, feel the spray from the churning waters of Niagara Falls on her cheeks or look into the grandeur of the northern lights if she only dared to break the shackles around her. Gloria only needed to leave her life behind to embark on this grand adventure.
Yet she knew, staring through the glass, watching her boys playing ball in the empty side street, that as long as they were alive, she would never escape the drudgery of her life.
As long as they were alive...
Something was happening in her town.
Mary Travis wasn’t sure of what it was, but as she walked along the boardwalk, delivering her newspapers to her local subscribers, she felt the air of something undefinable that made her feel uneasy. It was nothing overt that immediately stood out but subtle things, that lingered at the corner of one’s eye, tugging at the mind despite its perceived unimportance. After all, life continued as it always did in Four Corners, and she was not the only one out and about today. People were stepping through the open doors of the various stores, mulling about the street and the walkways. They paused to chat and gossip about local goings-on, while others were on horseback or wagon heading in or out of town, depending on their purpose.
As it was, the day was pleasant, with a cloudless sky above guaranteeing the appearance of folk wanting to take advantage of the sunshine. Still, things felt off, and as she paused a moment to define what it was, Mary wondered if it was just her imagination, when she noted Gloria Potter was standing at the door to her stop. The lady was watching her children, Jamie and Robbie playing, an expression on her face that made Mary pay attention. Usually, Gloria was an animated bundle of activity, but today she looked like a woman who had a thousand things to do but was wondering why on Earth she was doing them.
Elsewhere, Mary glimpsed Mrs O’Leary, Four Corners’ very own moral majority, was barking in the ear of Virgil Watson over some fresh outrage while the man swept out the front walk in front of his store. Virgil was typically capable of holding his own against the matriarch, but on this occasion, her words seem to run over him like water against rock. The duo’s charged debates were worth the price of a ticket, but today Virgil didn’t appear at all interested in picking up whatever gauntlet Mrs O’Leary dropped at his feet. Instead, he seemed blissfully indifferent, and his efforts to sweep were slow and sluggish, much like Vin Tanner when he was doing the job, Mary thought with a little smile of reminiscence.
Disinterested, that’s how Virgil looked, she realised.
Shaking her head because her woman’s intuition had led her on a merry path on occasion, Mary continued her travels and saw Julia Pemberton, owner of the new Pemberton Emporium, approaching her in the opposite direction. As always, Julia was a picture of Eastern elegance in her fancy dresses from the city, her striking copper coloured hair catching the sun and seemed almost ablaze. It was no wonder Ezra was so smitten. When they were together, it was easy to see they were creatures cut from the same cloth.
For an instant, Mary entertained the idea of finding an excuse to cross the street instead of talking to her before she discarded the thought because it was just plain mean. Not that she didn’t have just cause. After all, Julia had hardly endeared herself to Mary after her callous treatment of Alexandra Styles when she first arrived in town and set her sights on Ezra. Even if Ezra were in love with Julia, he would have found an amicable way of ending his association with Alex that would not have humiliated the doctor like Julia had done.
Although Mary was forced to admit things had worked out for the best since Alex seemed much happier with Vin.
And there was the fact that Julia had tried to reform her awful behaviour since that incident. Her emporium was a shot in the arm for local business, providing steady employment to the women of Four Corners who would have otherwise left for one of the larger towns like Eagle Bend and Sweetwater. Furthermore, residents could now buy what they needed locally, and Julia was shrewd enough to ensure her merchandise suited the needs of a rural community.
From all accounts, Julia was trying to fit in, not just with the town but also in Ezra’s life and while Inez didn’t come out and say it, Mary knew her best friend was warming to the woman as well. Deciding she would make an effort for Ezra’s sake, Mary continued the path that would lead to her running into Julia.
“Good afternoon Julia,” Mary offered Julia a friendly smile.
It was a gesture that took the Easterner by surprise and Mary saw her stare for a moment before Julia recovered, in feline fashion.
“Good afternoon yourself Mary,” Julia returned the greeting, not about to turn down an opportunity to mend some bridges between herself and the other women who loved the Seven. She took note of the bundle of papers Mary was carrying with a raised brow. “You cannot be delivering all those papers on your own, surely?”
“Oh, I’m used to it,” Mary shrugged, having to explain this more than once over the years. “I’m surprised to see you out at this time of the day. Isn’t this a busy time for the emporium?”
“I closed up early,” Julia frowned as if the mention of the emporium surfaced some unpleasantness she was trying to forget.
“Why?”
“Well, I wanted to know if the population of Four Corners has somehow struck gold and no one told me about it.” No hint of joking in Julia’s voice as she made that extraordinary statement.
“Gold?” Mary gaped at her.
“Metaphorical gold, or perhaps a real one, who knows?” The woman’s bewilderment was apparent. “I have a great deal of custom today from patrons whom I know do not have the coin to take such largesses with their finances. I was forced to close up early to prevent them from embarking on a spending spree they can ill afford. “
“I can’t believe it!” Mary gasped, unable to imagine her neighbours could be so irresponsible. While people were getting by, they were indeed not able to live lavishly. Even Mary, with the newspaper, made just enough to get by and what profit she did make, she sent to Orin because Mary didn’t feel it right that he bore all the financial responsibility of Billy’s upbringing.
“Me neither,” Julia exclaimed with exasperation. “I honestly don’t know what is worse. The fact that I was forced to close the store early or that I have suddenly developed a conscience to keep the people of this town from drowning in debt.”
Hearing that did make Mary smirk a little. “Well, maybe we’re rubbing off on...”
Before she had a chance to finish that sentence, her words were cut short by the loud boom of what could only be a shotgun blast.
Both women jumped simultaneously with fright, as did most of the folk on the street, even those who seemed more than a little sluggish today. Not that they had any time to process the sudden burst of sound, as it was followed by the din of breaking glass as someone tumbled through a window from the second floor of the Virginia Hotel, recently converted into a lodging house.
The man who tumbled out the ruined window, trailing broken fragments of glass and wood, landed on the awning below him, was dead long before he fell. The crimson stain glimpsed briefly as he fell was explanation enough. Elden rolled across the canopy and then off the edge onto the ground. A murmur of shock and bewilderment rippled through the streets, the more astute among them were already on the move. From across the street, Mary saw Chris stepping out of the clinic, with Vin, Ezra, JD, and Alex trailing behind him. For a fleeting moment, Mary wondered what he was doing there. Was someone hurt?
“Oh, dear lord,” Julia exclaimed. “It’s Sally Reacher.”
“What?” Mary followed Julia’s gaze and saw the lady in question, standing at the broken window, the shotgun in her handheld as if it were something precious. “Oh, God, yes.”
Even though she might have just murdered a man, Sally appeared rather serene as she held the weapon and Mary realised quickly the man she had shot was Elden, her husband. Mary knew that while Sally’s skin was devoid of bruises now, she was sporting scars that did not show on flesh. Elden was a violent brute, and Sally, like most Christian women of the day, tended to do, remained in the marriage and accepted this was her lot in life.
God only knew how long the woman would have suffered in silence before the son of a bitch killed her, Mary thought angrily. The last time Elden had taken his fists to Sally, it was severe enough for Sally to go to Alex’s clinic to seek help for what she claimed was a woman’s complaint. Except the complaint was a miscarriage due to a beating so bad it could end in no other way. Alex’s examination revealed the prolonged abuse and despite her reservations about doing so, brought the matter to Chris.
While Chris had given Elden a warning, since Sally was reluctant to make a complaint, Buck had been a little more vocal on the subject, threatening Elden with more than just jail if Sally was harmed again. Of course, there was no way to know if the threat was heeded when Sally would say nothing to indicate otherwise. Instead, the Seven were forced to keep an eye on the couple, hoping it would not take Sally’s death to untie their hands.
Mary and Julia hurried forward through the crowds of their startled neighbours gathering to watch the incident, heading towards their men who were now dealing with the situation. She caught a glimpse of JD and Vin heading through the doors of the hotel, no doubt to disarm Sally before she did anything unfortunate, like turning the weapon on herself. As they approach, they saw Chris turned the body, with Alex leaning over Elden to examine it, although to Mary the results were somewhat noticeable.
Elden’s chest was a ruin of blood and flesh. Even if the spray of bullets riddling his sternum did not kill him, the fall surely would have. His neck appeared at an odd angle as he lay against the ground, his eyes mercifully close for the sake of those attending his corpse. Alex was doing a cursory examination, probably to see if any embers of life still remained to be healed. As always, the doctor was unoffended by the grisly scene, her hands moving across cold flesh like it was just another tool of her trade.
“Ladies,” Ezra saw them approach, “you should not be here.”
“Oh for goodness sake Ezra,” Julia snorted. “We saw the man fly out of the window, I don’t think we can be shocked any further.”
Chris glanced over his shoulder at both Mary and Julia, frowning at their presence, having sense enough to know that a repeat of Ezra’s caution would not be well appreciated. Mary would be chasing a story, and even if Julia was only an interested bystander, Chris learned over the years, the worst thing you could do to keep a woman away from anything was to tell her exactly that. Instead, he got to his feet to meet them, just so they were halted from coming any closer.
“Chris,” Mary glanced over his shoulder. “Is he...”
“Yeah,” Chris nodded. “The shot killed him, but the fall would have if it didn’t.”
“After all this time, I suppose poor Sally had enough,” Julia glanced at the window through which Elden had fallen and saw Sally was still standing there, admiring her handiwork.
“I would have preferred if the lady lodged a complaint,” Ezra gave the window a similar glance. “It is rather difficult to prove self-defence after shooting an unarmed man with a shotgun at point-blank range.”
“Chris, Sally has been traumatised after years of abuse,” Mary protested, not excusing Sally’s actions but certainly understanding how she could be driven to it. “She might have simply snapped.”
“Yeah, I know,” Chris met Mary’s gaze and once again, revealed his empathy despite his hard expression. “We’re going to have to let the Judge figure this one out.”
Sally remained at the window, looking down on them with an expression on her face revealing nothing. If anything, she seemed to be viewing the proceedings as if she were a bystander herself, not a key participant.
Disinterested, Mary observed, and when the thought struck her, was suddenly revisited by her feelings of unease this morning.
As if the situation could not get any worse, a short scream of pain and fright rang out through the air.
This time, it did not come from the hotel or from Sally, but rather from behind them. The group looked up immediately to see the unimaginable sight of Mrs Leary sprawled across the walk in front of Virgil Watson’s store. Standing over her, Virgil was bringing down the handle of his broom and only when he struck her, did their shock vanish into action. Mary and Julia could only gape as Chris and Ezra broke into a run, watching another incident unfold. This one, with a preventable fatality, it seemed.
As the handle struck her across the face, Mrs O’Leary uttered another frightened cry of pain, but Virgil didn’t seem to be listening. In fact, he continued his battery, oblivious to the violence he was carrying out, only that he had to continue. He swung again, but this time Chris got to him before he could make contact with the prone woman.
“Virg!” Chris grabbed the broom and wrenched it from him. “What the hell are you doing?”
Ezra in the meantime had circled both men and skidded to his knees next to the woman. Around them, a new group of spectators had appeared, watching the proceedings with astonishment. This attack, unlike the one where Sally had ended her victimisation for good, took them completely by surprise and from such an unlikely source.
“Madam, are you alright?” He asked, even though he could see the ugly bruises forming on her face from where the wood had struck her. The skin had split, and there was some bleeding he noted. Mrs O’Leary appeared more stunned than hurt.
“The man is mad!” She exclaimed. “We were ....we were just talking, and suddenly he attacked me!”
“I wanted her to be quiet,” Virgil said in a calm tone as if he couldn’t imagine what the fuss was all about. “She wouldn’t stop talking, and so I made her quiet.”
Chris could undoubtedly understand the man’s sentiments. Mrs O’Leary was a general pain in the ass who had an opinion on just about everything, who made even Chris consider using his Peacemaker once or twice. Still, Virgil taking a broom handle to her would not have been the gunslinger’s first choice, and the state of mind that had allowed the man to do that in the first place was of most concern to him.
***********
Dealing with the other incident across the street, Vin Tanner and JD Dunned had raced up the steps of the Virginia Lodging House, hoping the shotgun blast would not be repeated with similar finality for one more person. Even before they reached the top of the stairs, they could hear the rumbling of frightened lodgers trying to grasp what was happening. When Vin and JD stepped into the hallway, the two lawmen saw those same lodgers, peering out the doors of their rooms, caught between the need to know more and the compulsion to leave since none of them had the view of the people on the street.
“Get back in your rooms,” Vin barked making up their minds for them, not wanting anyone underfoot until he and JD could see for themselves Sally’s current state. Approaching the door to Sally’s lodgings, Vin nodded at JD to ensure the young man didn’t go barging into the room. He didn’t think Sally would take after them with a shotgun, but he did not want either of them to find out the hard way if he were wrong.
Peering past the doorway, Vin caught a glimpse of her first and saw she was standing up, the gun still in her hand, facing the window. Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, exposed because she was clad in her camisole and petticoats. Even from where they were, Vin could see the bruising from fingers marking the pale skin of her bicep. On the unmade bed, Vin’s jaw clenched because he saw drops of blood against the soiled sheets, not a great deal, but enough to know what might have set the lady off.
“Ma’am?” Vin called out because he wasn’t sure if she’d registered their presence.
She tilted her head slightly, and while she noted his voice, she did not deign to turn around and look at them.
“Oh, hello.”
Her voice was soft and docile, so casual it sounded as if she were greeting them in the street. She seemed oblivious to the furore outside her room and down in the street below, choosing to stand stock still. The shotgun used to kill Elden remained in her grip with its barrel aimed towards the floor. Vin wondered if killing Elden had driven her mad, even though he remembered Alex’s outrage at learning how Sally had lost her child. For once, Vin was in complete agreement with Buck’s desire to put a bullet in the son of a bitch for inflicting such harm on a woman, whose only sin was loving the wrong man.
“Ma’am, you think we can come in?” He asked, glancing at JD who looked rather anxious. Vin couldn’t blame him. Sally was not in her right mind, which made her unpredictable.
“Of course,” she nodded, and Vin glanced at JD to hold back while he took the lead.
The tracker stepped into the room, taking the same approach he would if he were closing in on a wounded buffalo. Crossing the floor, he approached Sally who was standing by the window, her chin raised as if she were enjoying the same breeze that was blowing against the curtains making the pink floral print sway back and forth. Floorboards creaked under his boots, and Vin hoped the sound did not startle her because his shooting hand was resting on the butt of his gun and if he had to draw, he wouldn’t have the time to decide where his aim went, only that he’d have to put her down. Vin had never shot a woman before, and he did not intend to start today.
Fortunately, Sally made no reaction to his approach, and when he got close enough, he leaned down and grab the barrel of the shotgun. Once again, Sally maintained her placid demeanour, even when he took the weapon out of her grip. As soon as he did so, Vin gestured for JD to come forward and the young man came quickly, allowing Vin to hand off the 10-gauge coach gun that ended Elden Reacher’s marriage so explosively. JD took the gun and stepped away quickly, while Vn let out of a sigh of relief that things had ended without further violence.
“Sally,” Vin said kindly, “are you hurt?”
Although Alex had loathed talking about Sally’s troubles, citing something she called doctor-patient confidentiality, which she often used to stonewall Chris when he wanted to know more about a patient than she was willing to say, Vin knew enough. The bruises on her arm and the blood on the sheets told a story that would have sent Buck into a fit if the big man were present.
“Not any more,” Sally turned around for the first time, and Vin found that vacant expression on her face more disturbing than anything else. “He won’t ever hurt me again.”
“I guess he won’t,” Vin replied, reaching for her arm.
Before he could touch her, Sally pulled away so suddenly, the tracker was caught off guard. Even faster than that, Sally ran towards the window as Vin made a desperate effort to stop her, but she was too quick for him. Propelled by demons he could not see, or perhaps this was always the plan for herself once Sally ended Elden for good, throwing herself out of the window before Vin and JD’s horrified eyes. She disappeared without the slightest hesitation, past the billowing curtains like the star leaving after the final performance.
Instead of applause, the sound greeting her exit were horrified screams of onlookers. This was followed by the sickly thud of flesh against wood. Both men hurried to the window, hoping that somehow the scene that greeted them, would not be the one they knew they would find. Vin cursed himself for not dragging her away from it when he had a chance.
Leaning out, Vin saw Alex’s horrified expression as she stared at the body of Sally Reacher, lying half across the water trough and the rest of her on the ground beneath it. The fall against the wooden receptacle had broken her back, and though there must have been pain, all he could see was that goddamn expression Mary Travis would have understood.
Disinterest.