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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2902004" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 136, “Summons from Earp”, Wednesday, March 22nd , 1882, 8:00 A.M. Time goes by, Ruby is unsure of how much actually passes. Eventually she climbs out of the bed. She picks up the rose and places it on the small table near the window. Then she sits in the chair next to the table, lost in her thoughts. There is a knock on the door and Ruby startles out of her thoughts. Morning light has come and she is still sitting in the chair. Jake is still snoring fitfully. She wraps herself in a robe and opens the door to see one of the hotel staff with his arms overflowing with flowers, all of them some shade of red. She blinks a few times before she finally says, "Oh, yes bring them right in." The man quickly places the bouquets of roses, red yucca, mixed wild flowers and a dish of cactus flowers around the room trying hard to pretend not to notice the mess or Jake sleeping on the bed. He also tries not to stare over long at the parts of Ruby the robe does not hide. "Where... who ordered the flowers?" She asks him, still not fully aware. "The man ordered them." He replies quietly and then quickly leaves not waiting for a tip. Jake starts to stir at the sound of the closing door. Ruby looks at him and then seems to come out of her morning stupor. Moving quickly to the door she opens it and calls to the man going down the hall. "I've changed my mind, have them make the breakfast now and send it up when it is done." Ruby heads back in the room and quietly sits back in the chair, pulling her feet up underneath her. She looks to Jake, then around at the bountiful flowers. A small smile comes to ger lips, then she looks back to Jake, watching him slowly wake up. The noise of the door opening and closing twice was enough to make Jake aware of the dull throbbing pain in the front of his head. "Ugh." He rolls onto his side and when his stomach doesn't protest he thinks, good sign. I wonder if there is any of that bourbon left, hair of the dog and all. He cracks his eyes open and in his blurred vision he sees splotches of red. "Mierda," he mumbles, "I've drunk so much my eyes are bleeding." He rubs his eyes and attempts to sit up, but the dull throb protests and he lays back down. "Ugh." Finally he opens his eyes again and they slowly come into focus. "Flowers? Right, flowers." He reaches over with his arm to find Ruby but she is not lying there. Of course stupid, somebody answered the door. He turns his head around and sees her sitting in the chair, with her legs tucked underneath her. He smiles at her, which makes his head hurt too. They just stare at each other for a while. Jake finally says, "Do you like them?" The small smile comes back to her face as she looks around at each bouquet in turn. "Yes, they are very pretty." Jake does not notice her glance at the single red rose. Again they just stare at each other for a while. "You will probably not be surprised when I tell you my head hurts." Jake tries again to sit up and succeeds. Ruby starts to speak but there is a knock at the door. She accepts a tray from the man and puts it on the end table. "Steak and whiskey for you. Cake for me." The smell of the freshly cooked rib-eye causes some parts of his brain to wake up and his stomach to grumble. The newly awakened parts of his brain also throb dully in concert with the rest. "The steak smells good, but I think I need the whiskey first. You are just too good to me." Ruby says nothing, but rises from the chair and reaches for the large glass of whiskey. She carries it over to Jake and sitting on the bed next to him, passes it to him. Then she notices her other hand, the dried blood still there. She stares at her hand for a bit before taking a napkin off the tray and, dipping it in some water, wipes her hand clean. Ruby's eyes widen slightly as she notices the wound is not only still bleeding lightly but it's in the shape of a heart. Using the napkin she covers it quickly as she shakes her head. "Drink your whiskey, Jake, it'll make you feel better." She wished she had ordered some whiskey for herself but had the feeling that whiskey wasn't going to be the cure for this problem. He asks, "What's wrong with your hand?" She looks Jake in the eyes for a long moment. She starts to speak but then stops herself. "I...uh..." she looks down at her hand and closes it tight. "I just scraped it," she lied, "It's nothing, it's fine." And there is no way you would believe me if I told you the truth... Jake nods and pulls on some pants. It takes a few sips of whiskey before he is ready for the steak, which he eats slowly at first and then devours the rest. Ruby picks at her cake in a disinterested way. They are both fairly quiet, and chat about nothing. Downstairs in the Grand Hotel a 5' 7" 135 lb man wearing a fringed buckskin leather jacket and matching six shooters continues talking to the clerk at the desk. "Those two always sleep in this late?" The clerk replies sheepishly "Uhh... well they did come in late last night sir." "I know what time they came in, I didn't ask that! Nevermind, I'll just have to keep an eye on things." The clerk is rather shaken as the man walks slowly away from the counter. He thinks about warning the guests in room 21 but since the man didn't leave he figured he was best to stay put. "Buckskin" Frank Leslie was not someone to trifle with. Big Nose Kate had led a long life, several different types of lives in fact since her birth into European aristocracy. Her present life involved running the best hotel and restaurant in Tombstone and brought about interactions with such men as Wyatt Earp and Jake Cook, the current errand she was on concerning both of them. Jake and Ruby's leisurely Wednesday morning in their hotel room is interrupted by Kate's knock on the door, followed by her saying "Mr. Cook, are you there?" Jake answers the door, barefoot and shirtless. "Good morning." "May I come in?" she asks. Jake notes that she looks worried. "Uh, sure." He steps aside to let her in. He looks up and down the hallway before closing the door. Ruby turns her head to look as Jake invites Kate inside. The thought occurs to her that she is still sitting in her bathrobe, but the care is fleeting. She nods hello but doesn't say anything. She states, "Mr. Cook, I have a message to you from from Wyatt. He wants to meet with you and Mr. Cassidy at Brunckow's Cabin as soon as possible. Mr. Cassidy will know where that is. He said for you to not bring Fly, or even tell him about the meeting. Also, Buckskin Frank Leslie is downstairs and asking for you. He's been watching the place since last night and has become bold enough to now inquire directly. Behan deputized him, so he now has a badge and has a right to question you. I have a back door and can arrange to have some horses delivered over to Mr. Cassidy’s saloon." Jake turns to Ruby, "How would you like to take a ride this morning? It won't be as much fun as yesterday's ride, but seems like we ought to." Ruby thinks it over a moment before answering, "I'm not sure I would be welcome on this ride." "I didn't ask you if you were welcome, I asked you if you would come along." Jake watches Kate's expression out of the corner of his eye. "You already know where we are going, you know everything that I do, I don't really like the idea of leaving you for Leslie to find, and I'd rather have you with me than alone. Now if this is a trap or somehow we get followed then I've put you in danger." Jake shrugs. "How can you rescue my ass if you don't come along?" A small smile came to Ruby's lips. "You're right," she says rising from her chair, "Of course I'll ride with you." He says, "Well Kate, seems like we are in your capable hands. Give us a couple of minutes to get dressed and then lead us out of here." Kate steps outside the room to let Jake and Ruby dress. "I didn't bring real riding clothes," Ruby comments. "I'll have to go in a dress." He replies, “Wear some of my clothes if you'd rather. I don't really think it is a trap, just my naturally suspicious nature. I can't think of any reason why Wyatt would try to set me up. Even if he doesn't like me, I should be useful. You know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, or at least someone to be used for a while." Jake talks while dressing, strapping on both pistols, both knives, buttoning up the duster to cover as much of him as possible, and shouldering the weapons pack. She finds a clean napkin and wipes her hand again, still looking in disbelief at the deep but small wound. "Do you think this is a trap? What do you think Leslie wants with you?" Jake says, "Who knows, maybe Wyatt does trust me... I'm not sure that Leslie is just looking for me, but maybe he is. Both of us have been around when lots of Cowboys turned up dead, that is probably enough reason. If what we heard is true, Leslie could have been put on our trail by Ringo. So Leslie could think we could lead him to Wyatt, could think we are just a problem, or might even know we were involved in the ranch and road attacks that thinned out the Cowboy gang's members." Jake pulls his hat down firmly on his head. "Another murderous Cowboy with a badge." He shakes his head, "Judge Isby is really slacking." Ruby laughs for the first time this day at Jake's remark. "I guess he is. I'll make sure to tell him you said so when I see him next." She chooses some black pants and a white shirt of Jake's, the closest fit she can find, and dresses. She rolls up the arms to her wrists, then pulls her boots on. "Ready," she says while putting her gun in her pocket. "Let's go." Once Ruby and Jake are ready to go they head out the door where Big Nose Kate is waiting for them. She says, "Not the main staircase, follow me. They head into a room at the back rear corner of the hotel to what looks to be no more than a storage closet. She leans over and removes some loose floorboards, revealing a trap door down to the first floor with a ladder. She leads the way, with them arriving in a pantry on the first floor. Kate listens at the door then exits. She motions for Ruby and Jake to follow and they find themselves in the kitchen of the restaurant. "Hurry, out the back," she says, gesturing to a back door. Jake goes first making sure they are not seen out the back door. "Which is the best way to get there without being seen?" He asks Kate. She says, “Stick to the back alleys and cross in the middle of Fourth and Third Streets. That'll get you to the back door of the saloon. I'll arrange for three saddled horses to be there in fifteen minutes." Jake and Ruby follow Kates directions, keeping out of site, and doing their best to keep from being recognized. At the back of the saloon they ask after Cassidy. "What's taking him so long?" Ruby says while looking at Jake. She didn't need to glance around the streets, he was doing enough of that for the both of them. "I wonder if anyone's told him yet that you two were summoned." The three horses arrive before Cassidy does, being delivered by the same hotel clerk who had been answering Jake's requests since they had arrived in Tombstone. He says, "Let me know when you're through with them and I'll return them." Cassidy arrives momentarily, exclaiming "What's the emergency!" Ruby reconizes her horse from the previous day and smiles. She hops up onto the brown stallion and leans forward, petting him gently. "I believe you've been summoned." Ruby lets Jake briefly explain the situation. Once he's done Ruby speaks up again, "And we have a coach to catch later so we'd better be off." They ride south for a few miles while Cassidy tells Ruby and Jake a bit about their destination. Ruby was having a hard time paying attention to Cassidy's story. Not only did she have very little sleep plus a hangover, the distubing dream was on her mind and she continually glances at her hand. He says, "Frederick Brunckow was a German miner, one of the first humans to come to this county after the Gadsten Purchase. I think the only human here longer was Emery Shaw. Anyway, Brunchow found silver in the San Pedro River around twenty-five years ago. Staked his claim and started mining, with visions of being rich. Hired on a mining engineer, a machinist, a cook and several dozen Mexican wood elf laborers. Built a large stone cabin as his headquarters. The machinist needed new parts at one point in 1860 and rode off to Fort Buchanan forty miles away. When he returned he found Brunckow and the engineer dead from rather violent deaths and nobody else around. The cook was eventually found wounded, and said that the Mexicans had revolted and robbed the place. Some of the elves were found and claimed that the cook was the one who killed them. That mystery was never solved and the mine was abandoned. Brunckow was a fool. Not only did he hire unreliable people but he was digging in the wrong place. It never occurred to him that the silver had flowed from further upriver. Ironically, when Ed Schieffelin discovered the main silver lode here in Tombstone five years back he was using Brunckow's cabin to stay in." Finally Ruby looks up, "That's a creepy story. I wonder what actually happened?" she says to no one. Cassidy replies, "I don't know but it gets creepier, they say that the cabin is haunted. And not just the ghosts of Brunchow and his engineer Moss, they say that close to twenty men have died in that cabin. Odd place for Earp to pick for a meeting, but it's safe to say that Behan wouldn't think to look there." Ruby says, "And I was going to make a joke saying I hope the place isn't haunted. How silly of me," she says flatly. "But 20 men? That's a lot." She glances around the desert before speaking again, "Mr. Cassidy, any idea of why Wyatt would ask for you and Jake but not Mr. Fly?" Cassidy replies, “No idea, we'll have to ask him." She says, "Well, Wyatt must have had his reasons. Let's just get there and see what he wants."</blockquote>

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