I returned to our ranch just outside of Tombstone with my daughter while the boys decided to stay back in California for another month or so. It was desperately lonely back home without them and I found it difficult to go into town. I knew that if I attended dances that there would just be other families and couples that were happily enjoying each other's company while I would feel alone in a crowded room. I spent most of my time studying a new field that interested me, anthropology. There had been so many cases in Tombstone where a skeleton or bones were involved and I felt ill-equipped to study such cases with my limited knowledge in the medical field. Therefore I decided to further my education and hopefully be of more use to the field.
As it so happened, my studies would not be unused. This afternoon while walking into town, since I felt brave enough to go out on my own, US Army Lieutenant Amara approached me and informed me of some strange happenings over in Pearce. She explained that a skeleton had been recovered from Widow Lake, close to where I once had lived in Pearce. I knew the lake well; I had often sat in a tree near the water and worked on case files there. It was a peaceful place, and I didn't like the idea of one of my favorite locations being tainted with such grizzly activity.
Amara and I headed to Pearce as she explained, "Aly found human bones in Widow Lake and put them in the coroner's office in Pearce." She was talking of course about the Pearce Sheriff, and my long-time friend.
"Any idea who it was? Or how they got there? I'll have to see if she needs my help then."
"No, I was hoping you would come back and take a look at them."
"I can head over to Pearce, sure. Ain't terribly good with bones but I can do my best."
"Well I can tell you something else..." she said then.
"I'm listening."
"Tina came to Annie's one night a few weeks back carrying a shovel. And she had dirt all over her clothes."
"Oh yeah? She say what she needed it for?"
"No, and she acted like her and wes were hiding something."
"Hmm... Heard they were together now."
"Yes and no hide nor hair from her husband Lex," Amara said, mentioning Tina's former husband.
"Always liked him," I said with a frown. Anything else I should know before I head over to Pearce, Amara? Thank you for telling me bout this."
"Well there was a huge right over the rights to Widow Lake."
"A fight? Between whom?"
"Cas and Tina and Wes."
"Oh Cas was involved eh? That's rare. Must be really serious then." I tried to remember the last time that Castion had been involved in a town argument. I couldn't think of any instances, as the man was generally found spinning records at the saloons, teaching kids at the school, or doing performances at the Birdcage Theatre. "I'll see what I can get out of him and Aly.... And I'll ask Paisley about Tina comin' to Annie's too. How long ago was that?"
"A few weeks back now," she replied as we reached Widow Lake.
We looked around the lake and Amara told me that the bones had been found when Aly was waist deep in the water. She pointed to the area and I asked how many bones were found. We went over to the town and walked to the undertaker's office where US Army Brigadier General Wedge soon joined us. He informed us that his wife had moved the skeleton to her desk in the sheriff's office and we headed over there to take a look.
As soon as I saw the skeleton on the desk, I blinked and had to step back a bit from the shock. It had been a long time since I'd seen a real skeleton or dead body in front of me. Memories flooded my mind back to a certain undertaker's office in a town I used to reside where the place smelled like opium and glass jars filled with human body parts sat on shelves as if on display. I swallowed back the memories and tried to focus on the present.
"Any bullet holes?" Amara asked.
"Good question," I said with a nod.
"I don't know. I haven't gotten close to it," Wedge put in.
"What can you tell me about how she found it?" I looked between them, wanting more information.
"She was at the lake and something caught her eye, if I recall correctly," Wedge replied.
They informed me that Wes had burned down the bank not long ago either and that he clearly had a grudge against the people of Pearce for some reason. Wedge explained that Wes had wanted to make a withdrawal, but Aly had neglected him the ability. We talked about how there was tension between Cas, Tina and Wes over the ownership of the lake and Wedge wondered if we would be getting more bodies piling up soon in Pearce.
Knowing that I should examine the bones more fully when I had my equipment on me, I suggested that we catalog the bones and put them somewhere more secure so that they weren't so out in the open. As Amara continued on with her patrol, Wedge and I boxed and catalogued the bones and put the boxes in the back room of the undertaker's office. I had to clear my mind of the memories once again and focused on the present task. I explained to Wedge about how I had been studying anthropology more deeply and how I was grateful now for the education I'd learned. It would appear that my timing couldn't have been more perfect.
After an evening of catching up with Aly and Wedge at their new home in Pearce, I went home to my daughter feeling renewed and excited. It felt good to be hot on the trail of a case again, and I knew that this investigation was only just beginning.
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