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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3217137" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter One-hundred-sixteen, “Return to the Ordway Mine”, Saturday June 10th, 1882, 3:00 P.M. Nakomo finishes his lunch and returns home, At 3 o'clock he goes to the stage but getting there realizes that he is late and the stage has already arrived. He hurries to the Lucky Lady to discover that it is empty also except for Jeff, who is washing glasses behind the bar. "Excuse me, Do you know where Miss Florencia has gone? I was supposed to meet her here." Jeff nods toward the stairs and Nakomo climbs them two at a time, following the sound of voices. He knocks on the door and enters the room when it is opened. Minerva, smiles at him but continues to listen to the others as they reveal what they know.  "Perhaps, it would be wise to secure the room?" she says to Katherine.They are now all in the private room upstairs at the Lucky Lady.  Harker says, "First of all, we confirmed that Mortimer Turner was still among the undead. He had moved back in on his widow and had her under his power. He was periodically feeding from her, not enough to cause death, but to sustain himself. During the day she was under his hypnotic suggestions, and didn't even remember his nighttime visits. She's safe now, and Job Kane insisted on bringing her back here." Tomlinson says, "We saw and attacked him once, but were careful not to get too close. He fled and we followed. We tracked him to an abandoned mine outside of town where he joined up with another vampire, a blue-eyed bearded one. We had another fight and they fled again, but we found and destroyed four caskets in a side chamber, two of which we assume were theirs." Harker says, "We stuck around for another few days in case they made another appearance, but they laid low. Hopefully with their caskets destroyed they will be as well." Tomlinson says, "Job wanted to get his woman away and I felt it was time to return. Job's cousin Al stayed back in Wilcox to keep searching."Kate asks, "Some of that sounds very familiar. My friends destroyed two vampires while you were gone. We have reason to believe they knew the two in Wilcox, and that both had prepared secondary resting places for the others. Most likely, your two came here to hide."  Father Harbrace looks towards Harker and Tomlinson and says "Well, I'm planning to work with you guys to find them. I have the tools to do the job and you both know what this pair looks like, so between the three of us I'd say these creatures days are numbered."Kate's eyes went a bit wide and she shot a glance toward Father Harbrace and their other visitors. "I'm sure it would be." She got up, walked over to the door, and locked it. "There, no uninvited guests."    Jake just shakes his head at Harbrace's misplaced confidence. Fool, he thinks, damned crazy fool. After the door is locked, "I might as well tell what I know." Jake relates to them who the other vampires were, the facts as he knows them about the deaths at Ordway's mine, and the events in the cave as the vampires were slain. Jake leaves out what happened afterwards with the goddess, leaving that for others to tell if they wish. He then relates the same conversation he had with Katherine about what he is speculating and what he cannot figure out. "I have no way of knowing if the two you are chasing are linked to the gangs here. If they are, it is likely there is a wizard involved as well." Jake shrugs and gives a sideways glance to Harbrace. "No worries though, easy as apple pie." "If my previous experience with these creatures is reliable, then Beatrice Turner is not safe in a public place like a saloon or hotel. Especially since it would appear that Mortimer Turner is likely to come after her again. His companion," Jake pauses and narrows his eyes towards Tomlinson, "do you suspect that was Colin Turner?"Tomlinson says, "No, I've had descriptions of Turner before, he resembles his descendent. This man looked rather different in build and facial shape. If I see him again I would recognize him. As for the woman, I have provided her with an elixir that the Watcher's Council has developed to wean her off from the influence of her late husband."Kate says, "But that won't keep him from physically being near her, which I think is what Jake is getting at. We discovered back in late March that places like hotels, or this saloon won't keep vampires out. They can't come in a private residence, but since the saloon is open to the public, they can. Probably my house is no longer immune either, since I run the school from the downstairs."Tomlinson says, "Job offered his house but she said it wouldn't be proper and she didn't want to be in there alone. Perhaps one of the five boarding houses in town would work, they are technically only open to tenants and not the general public."  Harker says, "I think we'd better make a trip back to that cave where you fought the vampires and check it out again. You say it belonged to one of the victims?" Tomlinson says, "Well, before we head up there we should find out who owns that land now. Finding out the current ownership is something that I would have access to as the Judge's Assistant, since the executor of the man's will would have to get the will verified by Judge Isby before it could be acted upon. While I'm at it I should look into the wills for both Buckley and Thayer."  Jake says, "Be about it quick if we are to be out and back by sundown."  Tomlinson says, "It's already well into the afternoon, we may have to go tomorrow instead."Kate says, "It stays light fairly late now, there is some time. Waiting would give them tonight to roam freely and hurt others, or make more of their kind. But I have little experience in this, you would know better how to judge the greater risk, waiting or rushing."   Tomlinson says, "Alright. I'll go over and see Judge Isby right now. I'll be back as soon as I can." He heads out the door.At the Marshal’s Office Berg tells Chester, "Eddie still thinks that we need to talk to that wood elf who he thinks wrote the note, problem is he seems to have disappeared."   "He has? Did he get scared or did something happen to him?" Chester blows out a breath. "Since we don't know where he went, we'll have to put him aside for now. If he comes back we'll find him." He checks his watch. "I got a previous thing to take care of. I'll talk to you all later. The lawman hustles over to the Lucky Lady. Jeff is standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Afternoon Deputy. The others are waiting for you upstairs."  Chester asks, "How was your trip, Jeff?"   Jeff replies, "Eventful but unsatisfying. We tangled twice with that unliving Mortimer Turner and the second time with one of his buddies but they managed to escape. At least we came out of it alive as well."  He then gestures over to today's Promise City Mirror which Harry had left and says, "Sounds like I picked the right time to be out of town with the Judge's Assistant as a witness to that fact. Otherwise I'm sure I'd be Sheriff Behan's chief suspect to the shooting of my nemesis Colin Hunter rather than Earp. Can't imagine that Earp actually did it, that's a line I didn't think he'd cross."   While they are talking Tomlinson comes downstairs and heads out the door.Chester tells Jeff, "If you push a man enough, eventually he'll go over the line. Deputy Sheriff Leslie and the other one were poking around. They'll be watching us closely, so watch yourself. If following you was Hunter's personal project, then you need to watch out for Sherrod. But I'm sure you already know that. Take care, Jeff. I'm going up to see the others." Chester pats Jeff on the back and walks up the stairs. he knocks on the door.After finding out who is on the other side, Kate opened the door and let Chester in, locking it again behind him. "Mr. Tomlinson just left to talk to Judge Isby. He's going to see what some of the wills of the recent victims can tell us. You might be going hunting again today."  Jonathan Harker shakes Chester's hand and says, "Deputy, You're definitely welcome to join Kevin, Father Harbrace and myself. Between the four of us those creatures will soon be a thing of the past." They chat for another twenty minutes until Tomlinson returns. He says, "Okay, I have the information. No great surprise here but Fisk was the lawyer for all three wills. Ordway's will left the whole plot on that side of the mountain to Nick Thayer, so since they died almost simultaneously that would leave the mine to Thayer's estate. Thayer in turn has a will that leaves the ranch to his workers and specifically names them. The will was written a few months ago so includes Philemon Grove and Denny Garuin who are both dead without wills. It doesn't include either Bronco Madson and Charlie Villars, as they just joined up a few weeks back. Of the three still living ranchers listed it included Ken Wagner, who is officially listed as the Crazy-8 but apparently previously worked on the Thayer Ranch. That's also why the Sheriff's Office released Wagner as a prisoner, since the only charge they really had on him was his stealing Thayer's possessions, but since he was a beneficiary of Thayer's will they technically became his own items anyway. The two other ranchers who now share ownership of that ranch are Nick Goudge and Lyman Briggston.  Buckley left the Circle-8 to his brother back in Maryland. Fisk told Judge Isby that he would write to the man and will in the interim would manage the ranch himself as the will's executor. He's officially appointed Carson Block as ranch head."While there is still plenty of daylight the quartet of vampire hunters gather up their horses and ride off. Chester takes the lead as he knows the exact destination, with Tomlinson and Harker riding side-by-side behind him and Father Harbrace taking up the rear.  Chester rides over to Harker. "How was the hunting in Wilcox, Mr. Harker. Did you get the big game?"   Jonathan replies, "Tried to, it managed to get away from us twice. But we found and destroyed it's Wilcox resting place."Chester states, "The fewer bolt holes these things have, the easier it'll be to hunt them down. I don't know if Jake told you, but we killed two of them the other day. They were both from the area, so we don't know how long they've been dead. We also destroyed their coffins. The place is just up this mountain."It takes almost an hour to reach the spot, with the group being cautious the whole way. They spend around fifteen minutes looking over the area where the three men perished. They ride the horses as far up the mountain as possible, then secure them and move on by foot. They cautiously enter the first caves and soon crawl their way through the narrow passageway, eventually reaching the room with the bats. The tarp and remains of the casket are still there. Chester and Tomlinson both check for tracks, concluding that there are several fresh sets of tracks in the room, the most recent less than a day old.Chester says to the others, "Looks like someone's been back to check on this place. It could be the vampires you were chasing in Wilcox or more members of the Cowboy Gang. Seems like they're a part of all this. If I remember right, vampires often have more than one coffin, just in case?"  The floor is covered with bat guano but there do not appear to be any bats in the room at the moment. Tomlinson says, "I'd say that the absence of bats indicates the vampires are long gone. We should probably be going ourselves to be on the safe side."  "You're right. It'll be getting dark soon. Are there any places around here that a vampire would go? There are probably some abandoned mines where they not likely not be disturbed."  Tomlinson says "I'm not sure. We might want to check the records at the County Claims Office." They head back out and start to head down the mountain. As they near the horses they see that they are not alone, as three men on horseback are blocking the road between them and their mounts. Two of the men are the Sheriff Deputies he saw earlier that day, Frank Leslie and Dave Nagle. The third isn't wearing a badge but Chester recognizes him from the mob scene two weeks earlier as one of the men who wanted to lynch the Indians.Chester waves to the group. "Good afternoon, deputies. Fine day for a ride, don't you think? I was just saying to Judge Isby's assistant, Mr. Tomlinson here, that afternoon constitutional was just what the doctor ordered."   "You're trespassing upon private property," Nagle states. Leslie says, "And interfering with a crime scene. Are you hard of hearing Deputy, your Marshall said you guys are off this investigation.""We are?" Chester looks back to the others. "Did you hear that boys? We must have gotten our paths crossed." He turns back to Leslie. "Sorry about that, Deputy. Who owns this place? We didn't know. We weren't out here about Claude Buckley's death, so don't be worried about that. If you don't mind, we'll be on our way."  Chester starts walking toward the horses. He tries to keep an eye on the hands of the men in front of him.The three men continue to stare at Chester and his companions and they mount up and ride off. The two Sheriff's Deputies and their friend follow the quartet from a distance until they have ridden a good mile away, then turn and ride back towards the mountain.  Tomlinson tells Chester "That other guy with them is Charlie Villars, one of the Thayer Ranch workers. He's also running against you for Marshall on Fisk's Liberty Party as Colin Hunter's replacement."Chester watches the trio until they disappear from view. "That was close. Charlie Villars, eh? Wonder what he's doing with the deputies. Probably pointing them toward the cave. Alright, let's get back to town. There's not much more we can find out here with them around."  Tomlinson replies, "A safe enough assumption. He worked for Sheriff Behan before as part of the posse that initially went after Earp so I'm not surprised to see him helping them to that again."Chester replies, "Something tells me that they won't be so neighborly if we meet out here any time soon. We've found as much as we're going to in the cave. Mr. Tomlinson, is there anything you found in Wilcox that might shed some light on what the vampires are planning?"  Harker says, "Only that there were four caskets that we destroyed deputies. You indicated that you killed two of them and we know that Mortimer Turner is another." Tomlinson states, "They would have only arrived in this area last night at some time so it would be at least a few more days before they could sire others unwillingly. If a person voluntarily wishes to become a vampire and goes through a 'wedding' ritual prior to death they will rise the next day, but most vampires are unwilling victims in which case it takes three days before they rise as members of the undead. Obviously the sooner we can locate this pair the better."Chester spits. He says, "Damn them. Did the pair have family in the area. The creatures wouldn't be able to stay away from them. Wasn't Turner married? We'll ask his wife if she's seen him recently."  Tomlinson replies, "She has seen him recently but doesn't actually remember, he made her forget. She came back here to Promise City with us. She is currently at the Lucky Lady.""If Turner finds out that she's here, he'll come looking for her. I heard that vampires can't enter private house without an invitation. Does that include the Lucky Lady if his wife doesn't live there?" Chester snaps his fingers. "Maybe she can stay in my room, while I take a different one. That would work. Let's go to the Land Office to see if there are any abandoned mines in the area."Tomlinson says to Chester, "There are three abandoned mines. When the election committee was taking the census of ranches, farms and mines we were unable to find owners for five mining properties, two of which it appeared had never been started but the other three had and were later abandoned.  Plus there are also closed shafts of current mine properties. There's even one right in town, the Liberty Hill Mine is operating from its second minehead, the first having been closed and boarded up after they struck water."Chester scratches his chin. "Let's start at the Liberty Hill, then. It would be very convenient to locate their base there. Close to their prey and easy to run to."  Chester and his companions arrive back in town and get both Deputy Eduardo and Marshall Berg. They head up to the Liberty Hill Mine's closed up mineshaft. They discover that one of the boards covering the abandoned minehead appears to have been removed and replaced several times. They remove that board and another and make their way inside. Eduardo and Chester discovers tracks made by three distinctly different individuals, two that appear to have been made by elves and the third by a large dog or wolf. Based upon the various different tracks it appears that one elf only visited here once while the other and the canine have been here multiple times. The tracks are not fresh. They also discover a small stone fire ring filled with ashes and pieces of burnt sticks although there is evidence that the last fire was several weeks if not months earlier."Hmph. Could these tracks have been made by our mystery elf, the one who wrote the note? I don't recall to many people around here with a big dog like this, except... well, my friend Nanuet. Simplest explanation is that these were his, but why come to this place? He left town before this latest event. I can't imagine he'd be in cahoots with the vampires. At Thomaswell, he did as much as any of us getting rid of Colin Turner and the other vampire. Anyway, I don't see any caskets here. What's the next abandoned mine on the list."   The vampire hunters decide to spend the remainder of the afternoon and early evening investigating the three abandoned mines. After the vampire hunters had left Kate sat with Jake and Minerva for a few more minutes, then went outside. It was odd to have time to herself. Not able to think of anything she absolutely had to do, she headed back out toward the field where the girls had gone with Conrad.  "How's everything going?" she asked walking up beside him.  He smiles and says, "Just wrapping up for the day. Each girl was able to get in a solid twenty to thirty minutes of riding." Conrad asks "Ginnie, could you three see to it that the carriage gets back to Drovers and the horse to the El Parador stable?" She replies, "Sure." The three girls head off with the horse and buggy. Once alone, Conrad pulls the telegram out from his pocket and with a wide grin says, "He's coming! Edwin Booth will be here Friday to watch my stage performance as Romeo!""You really did invite him?" Kate looked over the telegram. "And he's coming. This is amazing, and you'll be nervous," she laughed and squeezed his hand. "Is he arriving on Friday, or earlier?"  Conrad replies, "He says that he expects to be here on Thursday. He is arriving with one of the Player's Club sponsors, Edward Julius Berwind, a Philadelphia financier who is involved with many coal ventures. Berwind is coming to play in the poker tournament at the Lucky Lady next weekend.""Well, with all these fine people coming I'm going to need a new dress," she smiled. "I wouldn't want to embarrass my fine escort. Mr. Booth isn't staying through the tournament, is he?"  Conrad replies, "I imagine that he might if his friend is playing. As you heard earlier, I'm planning to play as well. It's a bit pricey to get in but it should go a long way towards helping to clear my reputation. It means that I will probably have to miss the Saturday night performance of the play but Estaban Fuente has been understudying the Romeo part and now that he's running for Town Council I think he's looking for a chance to get added attention from the town.""Why is this all on the same weekend?" she said, shaking her head. "I was looking forward to seeing you act more than once, but perhaps that's not to be. So, how will we celebrate your good fortune? I've had a busy few days myself and some things to tell you."He says, "Well, I can join you this evening for whatever you have planned. Kate Higgins is closing the Long Branch as the Freedom Party is holding a big rally at the Palace Saloon and since she's on that party's ticket she feels an obligation to not only attend but also not draw people away from it. This is probably the first night in two years that she's closed up the place and quite frankly, the Palace isn't where I plan to spend my time, although if I want to stay employed I should probably make at least a short appearance there."Kate says, "Why? I hardly think she requires her employees to agree with her politics. Would she really fire you for not showing up at that repulsive rally?"  Conrad replies, "Probably not, but I should do what I can to stay on her good side as she's offered to put up half of the tournament entry fee for both myself and Wendell Spaulding. She thinks the high profile nature of it will help bring future business in if they see the Long Branch gamblers there. She offered to help front Norman Wilkie for the tournament too but he declined, feeling it would be a waste of his money given the caliber of gamblers there. Of course, if either myself or Wendell win we'll have to share half our winnings with Mrs. Higgins, but I find that prospect very unlikely."Kate sighed and pushed back the pout that wanted to form on her lips. "You're more accommodating than I could be," she said finally. "One of my many faults, I'm afraid. It's Saturday night so I'm supposed to work, but I can probably manage to get the night off. Unless you'd like to have dinner and then go to the Lady.""That sounds good. How about this, I'll treat you to dinner at the Silver Dollar, followed by a visit to the Lady where we can watch Stanley Barker play. Then when he's done you can work for a while and I will pop over to the Palace. I'll then come back for you and we can head over to El Parador where Estaban is throwing what I suspect will be the best of the four candidate rallies taking place tonight. Another one of Pedro and Dorita's parties is not something to miss, although I suspect it will probably be around 10 O’clock or so before it really kicks into high gear!""That sounds wonderful, it will be nice to be among friends." Kate squeezed the hand that she had not yet released. "Maybe we'll even find a few minutes of privacy. I've missed you, my dear. Give me a little bit to go home and dress and I'll meet you at the Silver Dollar in an hour." Minerva had watched as the hunters left, followed by Katherine and then Nakomo. She stands looking out the window as they descend into the street below. "Well, I guess they don't require my assistance." she says ruefully. "I'm not so sure the gods would answer my prayers after the things I voiced to Costa in the church, anyway." she says aloud without meaning too.From behind her she hears, "If it was convenient to them to answer your prayers, they sure would. On the other hand if what you asked for did not interest them, whether you opened your mouth or not, you might as well be praying to yourself." Jake chuckles, "I suppose if you were truly blasphemous you would get the wrong kind of attention. In which case let me say here and now, it was nice knowing you."Minerva states, "I guess I'm doomed then." she says with a sheepish smile and then blurts out. "Nanuet is not coming back. The Goddess told me that I should cherish his memory."   "What?" Jake is startled by the outburst. "Did something happen to him?" He composes himself and then says, "You know I am distrustful of the gods motives. Does telling you that server some purpose of hers, even if it is true?""No, I do not think that anything bad has happened to him. I mean she did not indicate that he was hurt, only that our paths have diverged." she says sadly.  Si, I am sure that what has happened, has served a purpose greater than my own, for I do not see any personal benefit in the pain that I am feeling. Costa says that they sent the boy, Nakomo, to me so that we could fight this evil together, but I do not understand why they would take my Nanuet from me and then leave me with such a cruel reminder. Every time I look at Nakomo, I will only be reminded of what has been taken from me. She puts her hand to her breast. "The pain is more than I can bear. I find it difficult to breath, when I think that I may never see him again.”  She shrugs in resignation. "That is the way of life, is it not? The gods will, will be done. I just wish that I knew why?"Her words of regret and despair strike a chord with the young gambler. The recent events in the life of the priestess as she says them are like a key that opens up a part of Silver Jake Cook that is usually kept private and safe. "Huh," Jake mutters and wiggles a small leather wallet from a hidden pocket in his trousers. It is the wallet that Nanuet had given him for his birthday, which he now carries instead of his old secret one. "You and I are more alike than we seem in some ways, and more different than you might imagine in others." He removes a picture from the wallet and hands it to Minerva. As she looks at the worn photograph he continues, "There is quite a resemblance to Katherine Kale in that picture." In the photograph Minerva sees a slight young woman with dark eyes, long dark hair and a milky-pale completion. "The first time I saw Katherine I was taken aback by the resemblance. Actually not the first time, because I met Katherine and Ruby together and was having a little trouble with my vision that morning. They looked a bit fuzzy and leaving me thinking I met two sets of twins," Jake snorts a little laugh. "Later when my head cleared I was quite startled." While he is speaking she turns the picture over. Hand written on the back is 'I love you Jacob, Virginia'. He answers the unspoken question, "She is my sister." Although Minerva begins to respond, he continues. "I have not seen her in five years by my choice. There was also the minor concern that the Philadelphia Police Department more than likely had something to say to me, but I digress. I could have made arrangements to see her, I am not without skill or resources. I chose to remain away. Up until now I had decided that she was better off without my presence. Call it love, call it duty, call it what you will. Did the gods have a hand in events? Just the opposite; the only time in my life that I ever asked for help I was ignored. Young Jacob Cooke was for many years a tool for the gods and the one time he asked for something for himself he was denied. So I took matters into my own hands and... Here I am." He now speaks quickly to avoid interruption. "Did the gods bring Nanuet here? Did they send him away? What keeps him from coming back? For certain that Indian has a strong sense of duty. What keeps you from getting on your horse to find him? Do you fear the gods will bar you from your horse or strike you down as you ride across the desert?" Jake gives her a little smile. "No, you fear none of that do you, Senorita?" It would be heartbreaking for me to have had someone who looked like you in my life as a reminder every day that I missed you, Jake remembers the words in Virginia's letter to him. No sister, he thinks, you are wrong. "A cruel reminder? Would you not think of Nanuet everyday even if Nakomo was not here? There are times when part of me is fooled, albeit briefly, when Katherine first appears in a room or turns quickly to face me. There is the rush of surprise and elation, followed by disappointment and despair. It passes and I still love my Virginia, I still cherish every minute we ever spent together and I would do again in a heartbeat what I did for her that caused us to part. Though I thought then I would never see her again, I am coming to believe that our parting is just temporary." He holds up a hand, "Wait I am nearly done. It may be different with the loss of a lover that holds the key to your heart. I may yet come to know that despair too. I ask you, if you had once chance to taste ambrosia of the gods and drink the nectar of their wine would you refuse it? Refuse it knowing that you would from there on remember the taste of it upon your lips all the days of your life? Refuse it knowing that no other taste would ever be its equal? Those are the choices that we all face every morning when we wake, Senorita. Each of us makes those choices differently. I will chose to drink from the crystal goblet when I can take it, taste from the golden plate when I can snatch a morsel from it. There are no pleasures too small, no gifts too slight in this miserable world to pass up." The room is silent and Minerva stares at Jake. He breaks the silence. "Listen to me, quite a sermon, eh? Yes, some days it is hard to breath. I will grant you that. Is it the gods will, the way of life?" Jake shrugs. "I would not know the answer to that. Jake will do what Jake will do when he feels the time is right with no regrets. I have never considered asking the gods before living." Jake gives her a smirk. "Whenever you feel the need, my friend, come by and we can toast our wretched lives. Some days it is just better to have a partner in drowning your sorrows."Minerva crosses the room to where Jake is standing. She hugs him tightly for several moments, unable to speak. She backs up a step, kisses him gently and smiling through her tears responds "Gracias, Amigo, you are wise beyond your years."  She hands him the picture and walks out the door.Jake stands there in the empty room holding the picture, his check wet with Minerva's tears. "Heh, I am huh?" With a grin on his face he shakes his head, while putting away the picture and then the wallet. "I will miss you Indian," he says out loud. Hands on his hips looking around the empty room he nods his head up and down, "Skipped out on a vampire forage and made a broken hearted woman feel better; you have earned yourself a drink Silver Dollar." He slowly descends the stairs in search of a small pleasure.</blockquote>

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