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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2835828" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Thirty-one, “Nakomo’s Story”, Saturday May 27th, 1882, 3:00 P.M.Nanuet and Minerva arrive at the Marshall's Office shortly after Berg and Rodriguez have relived Barker and Martin with guard duty. Marshall Berg welcomes them both. He gestures to the five prisoners and says, "They've been very closed lip with us, not sure if they'll talk to you either."  "Well, we'd like to try if that's OK with you."   Nanuet heads to the cell and looks for his cousin, he motions for him to come over to the cell door.His two cellmates, Nasemkeag and Pakkesso both move to intervene. Berg walks over and says "Okay you two, back up." They are reluctant until Deputy Marshall Rodriguez draws a knife and gives them a steely look. After they finally back up Berg gets out his keys and unlocks the cell. They pull the boy out and relock it. Berg turns to Rodriguez and says, "We're going for a short walk. If any of these Indians give you any trouble you have my permission to kill them." "Will do boss," Eduardo says as he give the Marshall a wink that the prisoners don't see. Before they leave the Marshall takes out a pair of handcuffs and fastens the boy's right arm to his own left arm. Once they have steeped outside Berg says, "Let's take the back alley over to the Alhambra, it's probably the closest place for some privacy."Nanuet replies, "I really appreciate this Marshall Berg. I didn't expect you to take him out of the cell, this will help. I am not sure if you realize this or not, but this boy is my cousin. I think he was bullied into working with the others and I think we will have the best chance of getting the truth out of him. You will have to be careful when you bring him back though, I do not trust the others and would almost expect them to be violent if given the chance." Minerva states, "Gracias, Marshall. We do appreciate your understanding in this matter. Nakomo, is just a child. I am sure that he would be too fearful to speak in front of the others. They have not been kind to him." she says giving him a meaningful look.  Nanuet and Minerva follow the Marshall and the boy to the alleyway.  They reach the Alhambra Saloon. Despite it being dinner time the place is empty as the focus of the place is lunch for the local miners rather than dinner and the evening crowd won't be coming in to drink for a few more hours yet. The only people present are owner and bartender Steve Lord and the newspaperman Chumbley, who rents a small room in the back. The halfling appears to be on his way out with a stack of newspapers, apparently having just stopped in for a bite. Berg asks "Any word from your old boss?" Chumbley replies, "Yes, he'll be here tomorrow with the town's fire wagon." The halfling departs. Berg gestures for the four of them to be seated. "What can I get for you?" Lord asks. Berg hands him a silver dollar and says "How about a pitcher of lemonade, four glasses and a half-hour of complete privacy." Lord gets the requested item and then leaves, locking the Alhambra behind him.Nanuet thanks Berg for the lemonade and then turns to his cousin. He looks him straight in the eye and shakes his head. "I am not sure where to start, or what to say, but this is not time for a lecture. You need to tell us what was going on in that cave and what your part in the whole thing was."Nakomo takes and drinks the entire glass of lemonade, apparently rather thirsty....or else he was stalling. He says, "After Prescott we returned to the reservation at San Carlos. The Indian Agent had gone on ahead of us and spoken to the Elders. They banished us from the tribe for what we had done." Berg interrupts "The Indian Agent...you mean John Clum?" Nakomo says, "Yes, the one known as Nantan-betunnykahyeh" Nanuet translates the name as "Boss-with-the-high-forehead", a reference to Clum's receding hairline."I must say that I am not surprised that you were banned from the tribe. Did you really think that you could get away with what you were doing? I can't feel sorry for you for that honestly."   Nanuet turns to Berg. "You know John Clum of whom he speaks? Is this an important matter or should we move on to discussing the current thefts?"  Minerva sits quietly, her posture not threatening and waits for Nakomo to continue.Berg says, "Clum was Tombstone's Mayor until a few months back and then became Postmaster. He also owned the Epitaph, Chumbley's old paper. He just took the job of their Deputy Marshall. But before all that he served as the Indian Agent for the Office of Indian Affairs. He had full authority over the San Carlos Reservation from 1875 to 1877. The first thing he did was force the Army off and let the Western Apache and Yavapai police and manage themselves. He gained great respect from the elves there. The humans who have managed the Reservation since then have not done nearly as well. So when the Deputy Secretary of the Office of Indian Affairs was coming out to meet with the Territorial Governor and the tribal elders to discuss grievances Clum was asked to join them. He personally knew most of the tribal elders, that structure doesn't change much over five years, and immediately knew the Indians who arrived in Prescott weren't them."  Nakomo nods and says, "Yes. Pakesso became very angry about the humans discovering that."Nanuet interjects, "Mr. Clum sounds like a good man, and he did what was right. Pakesso should have known better, realized that his plan would never work. He did not have the best interest of the tribe on his mind when he made up this plan. Still, I don't see how this leads to your group becoming thieves. You could have found work somewhere I am sure. I know it is hard, I have already walked that road."Nakomo says, "There is more....Pakesso planned to kill the white men in Prescott. Upon questioning by the Elders the details were told. The Elders were furious. Eskiminzin said that he would alert the whites and that we would be hunted down. We were banished without possessions but Pakesso and Kemo had friends. They got the two of them their horses and some supplies. We left then. We rode south, towards Mexico. We needed to get out of the reach of the soldiers. But we ran out of food. We saw the farms and then the cave. Pakesso said we should stay a short while, get enough dried meat and boiled eggs to sustain us for several week while we crossed the desert to either California or Texas."Nanuet exclaims, "He was going to kill them? Kill them because they figured out that he was trying to trick them?”  Nakomo replies, "No, his plan was to kill them if they didn't agree to all of the concessions that Pakesso wanted. That was the plan from the onset. They would have except....I remembered what you said to me at the train station." Nanuet asks, “Why do you stay with these men? You must realize all this is wrong.”  The boy answers, "I do now. I had to stay with them, the Elders made them my guardians".   Nanuet says, “Now you are in a lot of trouble, I don't know what will happen next. The Marshall might now a bit more about that."   Berg interjects, "Hold on Nanuet, this situation is now a whole lot bigger than a stolen pig and a couple of chickens."Minerva speaks up for the first time. "Marshall Berg. I do not believe that this boy has acted on his own free will. When we saw him in Tombstone, The other two were treating him as one treats a slave."Berg asks Nakomo, "What did you mean when you said they would have killed the men except for what Nanuet had said to you?" Nakomo pauses and states, "I was the one with the weapons. Pakesso said they wouldn't search me as thoroughly. I had the guns wrapped inside the basket of blankets and trinkets we brought as gifts. I was to bring them when Pakesso called for the exchange of presents, although what he would give the men was death. I remembered what Nanuet said...and made sure that I got lost inside the Governor's mansion. I wasn't with them when Pakesso decided to act. I heard him yelling for me and the 'presents', and left the building. I later told him I had lost my nerve. But I hadn't, I had found it, through your words....the strength to do what was right. You showed me that Nanuet."   Minerva smiles broadly. "You are a man of courage Nakomo. It took a lot of nerve to stand up to those ruffians. What did they do when you told them?"  "They beat me," is the boy's reply. Berg says, "Okay, what we have here is a conspiracy to commit murder against the Governor and several Federal officials. We have to keep this boy away from those other Indians until Isby can hold court on Monday morning. He's the chief witness and what he did to prevent the massacre will go a long way towards Isby going easy on him. We need to keep what we know now between just the four of us and find somewhere safe for the boy to stay. And since both the thievery crimes and this conspiracy crime are outside of the town's jurisdiction I will see if Isby will allow me to represent the boy at the trial."Minerva states, "Marshall Berg, would you trust Myself and Nanuet to take responsibility for the boy? I will take him home with me if you are willing. He is not one of them and should not be held responsible for what those murderous thieves have done. He should be commended for his integrity and courage. I am certain that he will not run."Berg replies, "You may be trusting of him but I'm not. He has every reason to run. But I know that the two of you aren't going anywhere." He gets out the key to his handcuff and unlocks the one on his wrist. Berg then looks to Nanuet and says, "Put this on and you can take him." Nanuet reluctantly agrees. Berg suggests that he and Minerva use the back alleyways with Nakomo to get back to her house unseen if at all possible.She says, "Marshall Berg, How long do you expect them to stay handcuffed together. Nanuet has to work at the Luck Lady tonight. He cannot be shackled to this boy. It is not right. You are correct when you say that Senor Nanuet and myself are not going anywhere. We will make sure that Nakomo does not go anywhere either."Berg hands her the key to the handcuffs and says, "I can't take any chances. That'll make sure he doesn't try to bolt until you get him to the safety of your home. You can fasten him to something sturdy in your home instead of one of you if you wish, but I cannot allow him to just wander around freely. Keeping him contained is for his protection too, that Cattlemen's Association don't think too kindly of him at the moment and their building is almost next door to yours.""Si, I understand. Gracias Marshall Berg." She takes the key and turns to Nakomo. "You are a very lucky young man Nakomo. "She says sternly. "Do we have your word of honor as a Yavapai that you will not try to run and that you will do as you are told?"  Nakomo agrees. Steve Lord returns and unlocks the saloon. The four depart, Berg heading back to the Marshall's Office.Minerva and Nanuet, who is cuffed to Nakomo, head back to Minerva's house. "I shall ready the guest room for Nakomo." She turns to the boy. "I am sorry Nakomo, but you will have to be tied to the bed. I hope that you understand. I gave my word. It was the only way to free you from that cell." she smiles at him reassuringly. "It will not be for long. We shall resolve this matter and you will be free."Minerva is readying the guest room. The windows throughout the house are open inviting the cool evening air inside. She leans out the window to inhale the perfume of the fragrant desert flowers she has planted just this afternoon. Across town, time passes and Kate finally feels less guilty about not joining the Caudell family when she sees them in the company of Nate Caudell's best friend Henry Pleasants.  She approaches them and Pleasants tells Kate, "I finished up in Tombstone this morning and took the next stage out of town. Got here mid-afternoon. I've been helping Nate, Mollie and Melvin get their new place cleaned up to move in to.""Thank heavens," Kate said with a sigh. "I must apologize for not meeting you. There is no excuse. I arrived back at the house to find a bit of trouble and completely lost track of things. I think you'll be very happy where you'll be living. The neighbors a good people. Have you seen Colonel Seawell yet General? I believe he, my father, and a couple others plan on enjoying some good cigars tonight."Pleasants replies, "Don't be so formal, call me Henry, I never actually served as a General so don't use that title except for when it's to my advantage. I've been so busy helping Nate move that I haven't had a chance to find Colonel Seawell or look for lodgings. Did you find me somewhere to stay?""Then you must call me Katherine, sir. I looked into several places, but that was before the fire in Tombstone. Colonel Seawell stays right next door at Fly's, which I had intended to recommend to you, but that room is now taken. Our Priestess used to stay at The Comstock House, perhaps we could try there. I have a house on my ranch about a mile out of town you could stay in if we can't find a room. But I would recommend stopping at Fly's and speaking to the Colonel first. He might have other ideas. I'm sorry, Sir. You had a simple request and I could not fulfill it for you. I should have locked in a room instead of just finding several and leaving the choice open."He replies, "Relax Katherine, how were you to know that Tombstone would burn to the ground. If you could just give me directions over to Fly's Boarding House I'll take it from here." The Caudells pick up their luggage and head over to the house, assisted by Henry and Phillip.  "The Flys are my neighbors. Just cross the yard and you'll be there," she said, opening the kitchen door and pointing out the building. She assured her brothers that she would meet them for dinner and saw everyone on their way. It was blessedly quiet in the house after everyone was gone, and although it wasn't long before dinner Kate took a few moments to sit still and breathe. She looked again at the newspaper, letting it's good news buoy up her spirits again before she dressed for dinner and work and left to meet her family at the Promise City hotel.Kate wore one of the new dresses that had been made for her in Boston. Thankfully they had been shipped before her family came, escaping the fire in Tombstone. The skirt was pale blue with a full bustle, the neckline high but open at the throat, the white blouse disappearing into black velvet that started at the bust and went down to her waist. A shame this dress would only fit for a few weeks.   She arrived at the Promise City Hotel just a minute before six o'clock and looked around for her mother and brothers.  Phillip, Henry and Mrs. Seagram join Kate and Ginnie at the table of the restaurant.Kate looked at Ginnie in one of her new dresses and smiled. They sat down to a quiet dinner together, discussing the lecture and other events of the day. They stayed away from talking about the sign that had been left on her door, partially in order to not be overheard and spread knowledge of the incident. As they talked Kate noted who was in the restaurant that night and kept her ears open for any stray bits of conversation she could pick up.  She overhears some people talking about a small tribe of Indians being arrested single-handedly by Colin Hunter for cattle rustling."I doubt that's true," Kate said quietly to the others. "Colin Hunter couldn't arrest a paper sack by himself from what I've seen. I just hope they got the right people and didn't jump to conclusions."   The meal goes on, with Kate introducing her family to Melissa Smith at one point of the evening. "Well Maman, did the dinner live up to what you heard?" she asked as they finished dessert.She replies, "Well, it wasn't quite up to the standard of Bernard's on Beacon Hill, but it was one of the best meals I've had in weeks."  Kate replies, "One thing you can say for Promise City, there is no lack of good food to be had. We'll have to pay Mrs. Smith the compliment of coming back again. Let's head over to the Lucky Lady and hear Mr. Barker play. His music is lovely, I'm sure you'll appreciate it." Henry paid the check with many compliments to the chef from everyone at the table, then they all made the walk over to the Lucky Lady for the Saturday night concert.</blockquote>

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