Welcome to the third chapter of the first book of the Golden Shawn blog, your source for weekly serialized fiction.
THIS WEEK'S CHAPTER: "Pink Eye", Part 3
RECAP: Pink Eye, the nickname of Charles John Mitchell, is a Pinkerton detective in the wild west. As our story began, we found him in the company of five other people in a stagecoach, with two brothers, the Morris brothers, as notable passengers. Pink Eye has been on the trail of the infamous outlaw Lonesome Rita Marlowe, whom he has chased across the west for three years. In last week's installment, as Pink Eye was trying to guard the passengers during a stop at a way station, Lonesome Rita appeared, trying to kill one of the brothers, Harold. Although he managed to chase her away, she has returned. When we last left off, Lonesome Rita and Pink Eye had their guns pointed at each other, with Harold looking on in terror...
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PINK EYE - PART 3
Suddenly, after two minutes of dead silence and stillness, Lonesome Rita made a move. She moved her arm, knocking the rifle off target, and making a bolt for the door in the following melee. She quickly bolted out the door without stopping. Pink Eye and Harold then stood there, looking out the screen mesh of the door, into the darkness.
"No matter what you do, I'm not safe." said Harold.
"Don't say that. As long as I'm here, you're safe." said Pink Eye.
"For how long?!" said Harold as he then headed back to the male bedroom.
"The mystery keeps getting more curious. I wonder why she's tryin' so hard to get him." said Pink Eye as he took back his chair and resumed his watch.
Time passed as Pink Eye continued his guard. Outside, the sky in the east was beginning to brighten as the new day neared. In his chair, Pink Eye stared out the door. By now, he had put the rifle down and was basically sleeping with his eyes opened, a trick he learned in his life. He looked weird, as such.
By the time a curtain of yellow filled the eastern horizon, Pink Eye had been like that for two and a half hours. His hand ready by his gun, his stare full of iron, and his mind off on some dreamscape with one foot in reality, Pink Eye was ready. As the first hints of the sun showed itself, Serena again emerged from the female bedroom. As she took in the sight, she slowly walked over to him.
"Mr. Pink Eye, are you all right?" she asked him, causing him to come out of his self-imposed state for the first time in two hours.
"Of course I am. I was just watching the door." he replied.
"You looked weird just staring out the door with your hand on your gun." she said, having a giggle as she said it.
"Do I amuse you? I must, since you laughed at my attempts to keep one man alive." he said.
"I'm just saying, you've been up all night. How do you sleep?" she said.
"I just was. I've trained myself to sleep with my eyes open. That way, my enemies are fooled, even Lonesome Rita." he said.
"I think it has worked. Now, do yourself a favor and go to bed." she said.
"Then who would guard the door and, more importantly, Mr. Morris?" he asked.
"I will. I think I can pull this off." she said, picking the rifle off the floor.
"Wait a minute. I'm not sure a girl like you can even lift that gun, let alone fire it." he said as she tried to hold onto the heavy gun.
"You protected us during this night. I think it's time one of us protected you." she said as Pink Eye rose from his chair.
"If you insist. I shall tire to my bunk and hope for a hour at best." he said, starting towards the male bedroom as Serena took a seat in his chair, pointing the rifle at the door.
"This actually feels a bit nice." she said to herself as Pink Eye reached the door.
Back inside the male bedroom for the first time in hours, Pink Eye took a good look at the darkened room, his gaze able to pierce the darkness. He looked at each of the bunks and found a body in each one, except one right across from Harold. Without thought, he walked over to it and made himself at home. With his eyes closed for the first time that night, a thought now entered his tired head.
It was a thought that hadn't occurred to him upon his entry into the room but was now there nonetheless. As his dreams began the pondering of that thought, his ears heard a noise out in reality. With his usual quick steps, he jumped from his bunk and ran out the door. Once outside the room, he saw that Lonesome Rita and Serena were locked in the same kind of duel as he had with her during their last meet.
"Mr. Pink Eye is having his rest. Leave him and Mr. Morris alone." said Serena.
"What makes you think I would listen to a little girl like you." said Rita.
"Why do you want to kill Mr. Morris for, anyway?" asked Serena.
"My reasons are mine alone." Rita replied.
"No, tell me why." said Serena.
"Miss Souther, are you all right?" asked Pink Eye as he walked over to the scene.
"You stay out of this, Pink Eye!" said Rita as she now pointed her gun at him.
"You leave Miss Souther alone." said Pink Eye.
"I will, if you let me at Mr. Morris." said Rita.
"You know the answer to that." said Pink Eye.
"Then I guess Miss Souther is in trouble." said Rita as she re-pointed her gun at her.
Serena stared down the barrel of the gun with fearful eyes. Suddenly, an idea entered her head. In quick order, she remembered Pink Eye's trick with the gun from earlier and tried her best to do it again. She switched around ends of the gun and quickly swatted Rita, knocking her down. Pink Eye then pointed his gun at her head.
Lonesome Rita, however, fought back, as she swatted Serena with her gun. Serena was slightly knocked back, which allowed Rita to make another quick escape. Serena, however, recovered enough to follow Rita out the door. As Rita made off toward the beginning dawn, Serena aimed the gun and, with all her strength, pulled the trigger. The bullet, however, went through Rita's hat before she vanished again.
"Good shot, Miss Souther." said Pink Eye as he followed after her.
"Thanks. I've never fired a gun in my life." she said.
"There's always a first time." he said.
"Now, Mr. Pink Eye, get back to bed." she said.
"No thanks. I have a job to do." he said, taking the rifle from her hands.
"If you insist. Since it's too late to go back to bed, I'll just wait for breakfast." she said as she then turned and headed back into the house.
"Wait in the living room." he said to her as she went inside.
Pink Eye, after a moment to observe the sunrise, walked back into the house and took back his chair one more time. He watched as the darkness was swallowed by the light of a new day. As the sun completed his rise over the horizon to greet the day, the other people in the house stirred from their slumber and greeted the day themselves.
Mr. Ryan and Mr. Colin were the first to emerge from the male bedroom, still dressed in their bed clothes. The two were greeted by the sight of Serena, now asleep on the sofa, and Pink Eye, still staring out the door with rifle in hand. The sight alone caused the two to emit a giggle of laughter. The two then recovered enough to offer comment.
"I wonder what those two did." said Mr. Colin.
"I don't know, but I think it's best we don't find out." said Mr. Ryan.
Mrs. Gable has gotten up earlier, while Pink Eye had been sleep-watching, and had started on the breakfast, not bothering to alert Pink Eye, lest he reacted badly. The smells of cooking filled the air and stirred Serena from her slumber. She breathed in the smell, as did Pink Eye. To Pink Eye, this meant his ordeal, for better or worse, was now over and he could relax truly at last.
"Good morning, everyone." he said to those in the room as he took time to stand up and stretch.
"Nice to see that we're still alive, thanks to you." said Mr. Ryan, grinning a bit.
"Well, after the trouble I went to last night, you're welcome for it." replied Pink Eye, turning to face Serena.
"And the way you kept Lonesome Rita from killing Mr. Morris, Mr. Pink Eye." she said, righting herself on the sofa.
"And I can't think you for it." said Harold as he emerged from the male bedroom, him dressed in his day attire.
"Just remember I kept you alive despite feelings in me." said Pink Eye, throwing out a hint even Harold could catch.
"Well, it's morning. I better get the stagecoach out." said Mr. Gable as he descended the stairs, all dressed for the day.
"Say, where's the driver?" asked Mr. Colin.
"He slept out in the barn with the stagecoach. He has a room special for him at these stops." said Pink Eye as he watched Mr. Gable leave the house.
"I hope Lonesome Rita didn't try to kill him." said Serena.
Pink Eye didn't respond, as he was staring out the screen of the door as Mr. Gable unlocked the door to the barn and removed the stagecoach, where he placed it the night before. He saw as the driver joined him in the removal of the stagecoach. Before Pink Eye turned away, his eye noticed something. He took a second look quickly and then turned back to the now-assembled passengers.
"I wonder what for breakfast." said Mr. Colin.
"I know no matter what it is, you'll eat." said Mr. Ryan.
"I know you're right on that." said Mr. Colin.
Pink Eye took a look at the assembled masses and he got the same feeling he had just gotten from his look at the stagecoach. This, along with the feeling from earlier when he was laying in his bunk, began to add things up in his mind. It was a state he enjoyed, as he allowed him a moment to himself. The additions he was making, however, were nothing like he had made before in his life.
"Okay, breakfast is ready!" shouted Mrs. Gable from the dining room.
Pink Eye followed the assembled passengers and sat down to a breakfast of sausage, pancakes, ham, and a boiled egg. As he ate his breakfast, he continued the additions in his mind, how the answers he was getting were most unusual but couldn't be rounded in the least. Finally, he finished his meal and watched as those who hadn't dressed retired to the bedrooms to do so before the stagecoach departed.
"There's a strange case abounding here." he said to Serena after she emerged from the female bedroom, as he stood across from the door.
"Is that so?" she replied.
"Yes. The events of last night are most in my mind. I've been going over things and I feel that the answer to them is most unusual in its bearing." he said, sounding very vague and nonsensical in his speech.
"I think you need to sleep some more. Perhaps you can nap on the stagecoach." she said as she took him by the arm and walked him towards the door as the others emerged from their room.
"It's nice to feel all dressed up." said Mr. Ryan.
"Me, too. I feel ready to conduct business." said Mr. Colin.
"If you two are dressed, then let us leave." said Harold, being impatient.
"You need to rest. You're beginning to lose yourself." said Serena to Pink Eye as the two were the first out the door.
As the two stood on the porch with the others exiting the house, they spotted Samuel, standing on a board attached to the stagecoach, fiddling with the luggage on top. The sight, to Pink Eye, seemed to answer the final question in his mind. The others, however, didn't know that, not at all.
"Well, it's nice to see you, Samuel. You're quiet, that's for sure." said Harold as he rushed to his brother.
"Yes, it's nice to see you again." said Samuel, meek as ever.
"You know, with all that happened last night, you sure slept soundly." said Harold.
"That I did. I guess I didn't care much for all that happened." said Samuel.
The six passengers soon boarded the stagecoach and it pulled out, bound for the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Inside, Pink Eye resumed the same thing he was doing the day before, looking over the passengers. However, he seemed to look at Samuel more. The meekiest one of the passengers, whom Pink Eye had ignored, was now the center of his steely gaze. An hour into the trip, Pink Eye finally spoke.
"The events of last night are interesting, to say the least." he said.
"That they were. One of those outlaws tried to kill me." said Harold.
"That they did. The question is why would one of them do so?" said Pink Eye.
"How would I know? I don't live out here." said Harold.
"That's the point. The only reason you're out here is because someone out here keeps sending you money. If someone wanted to kill someone, why not that guy?" said Pink Eye.
"Perhaps she confused us." said Harold.
"How can that happen when no one knows who sending you the money?" asked Pink Eye.
"Good question. How can that be?" said Serena.
"What do you think, Samuel?" asked Pink Eye.
"I think it doesn't matter why Lonesome Rita was trying to kill him. All that matters is that someone tried to." he replied.
"That's good, except... no one said who was trying to kill your brother." said Pink Eye.
"You said 'she'. Who else could it be?" said Samuel.
"How about Belle Starr? Calamity Jane? The list goes on." said Pink Eye.
"Well, someone mentioned it at breakfast." said Samuel.
"You're right, it was mentioned at breakfast." said Pink Eye.
"I knew it." said Samuel.
"However, I seem to recall that you weren't at breakfast." said Pink Eye.
"Then I guess someone mentioned it here, on the stagecoach." said Samuel.
"Nope. Everyone's been quiet for the past hour, just thinking things and letting breakfast digest. So, I ask you where you heard that it was Lonesome Rita that tried to kill your brother." said Pink Eye.
"I just... guess. That's all." said Samuel.
"Really? I just mention her and she appears and tries to kill your brother?" asked Pink Eye.
"Yes, so who cares how many times she tried to kill him?" said Samuel.
"No one has mentioned that she tried more than once." said Pink Eye.
"I just... guessed again." said Samuel.
"Really? How could you guess that an outlaw like her would try to kill your brother more than once?" asked Pink Eye.
"I just did. That's all." said Samuel.
"It does sound weird that Mr. Samuel would just guess like that." said Serena, with curiosity in her voice.
"It does sound, Miss Souther. However, it's not as weird as something that I've been thinking about all morning." said Pink Eye.
"And that would be?" asked Mr. Ryan.
"That Samuel here just went for a walk and didn't return until the next morning. How do you explain that, sir?" said Pink Eye.
"I like to take long walks." said Samuel.
"At night? In the desert? That's seems odd." said Pink Eye.
"I have good night vision." said Samuel.
"Passengers, I have thought over the events of last night and the answer for them all has been confused a bit. I never thought that, of all the answers, that this would be the one." said Pink Eye.
"So, what's the answer for last night?" asked Harold.
"Let me explain. It all started when I took Miss Souther's advice and went off for some sleep in my bunk. I did as I was done and laid down in my bunk." said Pink Eye.
"How's that an answer?" asked Harold.
"However, I had given my bunk to Samuel upon his return from his walk. The fact that I was laying in my bunk caught my mind. Later that morning, I watched as they removed the stagecoach from the barn and that's when I noticed it." said Pink Eye.
"Noticed what?" asked Mr. Ryan.
"That there were only six suitcases on top. There were supposed to be seven of them." said Pink Eye.
"Wait... there's only six of us. Who brought an extra one?" said Serena.
"According to Mr. Morris, his brother Samuel. Mr. Morris mentioned that he found his brother with two suitcases and thought that was weird." said Pink Eye.
"It does seem weird for a person like him to have two suitcases." said Harold.
"Not really. You see, I contend that, right now, there are seven people in this stagecoach." said Pink Eye.
"But I know for a fact there are only six people here." said Mr. Ryan.
"That's true. Right now, there are six passengers on this stagecoach." said Pink Eye.
"Make up your mind. Is there six or is there seven?" said Harold.
"I don't know. Ask your brother." said Pink Eye.
"Why should I ask him?" asked Harold.
"Because he's the one who tried to kill you last night." said Pink Eye.
"You mean he hired Lonesome Rita? That's impossible!" said Harold.
"You're right. Samuel is the type that would unable to even talk to her, let alone hire her to kill you." said Pink Eye.
"Then how is he responsible for what happened last night?" asked Harold.
"You won't believe this, but he was the one trying to kill you." said Pink Eye.
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How can that be? With what we know about Lonesome Rita, how can that be the truth? Next week, the answer to those questions and more will finally be answered as our first story here comes to an end. Can you wait seven days to learn the answer?
Until then, this is John Maxwell, your Fellow Traveler, telling you to light one tomorrow and, because it's also Easter, think about God and your experience will be better than the usual churchgoing one. Trust me.
Yours truly, John Maxwell.
