by L D Marr
Jonah couldn’t stop his eyes from widening. But Roz went on with her story.
“Yes. Someone saw me talking to my cat Buttons and said I must be a witch. Luckily, I found out in time, and I was able to leave town before the hunter got there. First, I went to New York, but I had very little money and no place to go. The saloon job was advertised in the newspaper. I took it because it was far away, and I heard there aren’t any witch hunters out here.”
Now she looked at Jonah as if waiting for his response. Her story was shocking, and he didn’t hold it against her. But Jonah was slow to answer. He noticed that his brain was kind of muddled. Instead of formulating an intelligent response, his thoughts kept telling him other things.
And he couldn’t remember feeling so relaxed and even euphoric ever in his life.
She’s so desirable. I must get closer to her, circled around and around in his mind.
Roz’s head tilted to the side, and her stare became curious.
“Did what I just reveal bother you?” she asked.
Stop that musing and say something! Jonah ordered himself mentally.
The fog cleared a bit, and he was able to speak.
“It only bothers me that you were run out of town for such silliness. That those ignorant people would have killed you just for talking to that little guy.”
Roz sighed as if she was relieved by his answer.
Did she think I might send a letter back east to the witch hunters? he wondered.
“I think it’s a crime that all those innocent women are killed just because they do something that’s different. Or someone has a grudge against them and wants them dead. That’s murder in my book. Those witch hunters and the people who bring them in are murderers. I don’t believe in witches. And anyone can talk to a cat. That doesn’t take any magical powers.”
To demonstrate, Jonah turned to the window and said, “hey cat” to Buttons.
Roz laughed.
Jonah noticed that his thoughts sharpened when he broke his eyes away from hers to look at Buttons.
Weird, Jonah thought. I’m feeling so different tonight and even thinking different. Could I be falling in love? I’ve heard about that. People going darn near crazy. No. I only met her last night. Besides, she’s way above me. Anyway, I’ve got to stop thinking like this and answer her, or she’s going to think I’m a numskull.
“Well Roz, there’s no church in this town, so witch hunters don’t have anyone inviting them here. You don’t have to worry about any witch hunters out west. Just whoever murdered that young woman last night.”
“We’ll find out who that was, and then none of us will have to worry,” said Roz. “So now that I’ve told you why I’m here, maybe you can tell me the same thing. You don’t seem exactly like the rough western types around here either.”
The inquiry flustered Jonah for just a moment.
“I’m flattered that you’re interested, ma’am, Roz,” said Jonah. “You’re right. I’m not from around here either. I came from the place you just left, New York City.”
“Oh!” said Roz.
Her eyes widened, and she seemed impressed. Jonah felt encouraged to go into more detail about his past. But he didn’t want to bore Roz with too many details. Looking into her large, compelling eyes again, he felt an intense desire to please her.
“It’s kind of a long story. Do you want to hear it?” he asked.
“Yes. Please tell me,” she said.
Now Jonah had to comply.
“I grew up in New York, and I always wanted to be a policeman,” he began. “I practiced shooting when I was a kid and got pretty good at it. I was hired on the force, and I was known for my good eye—a sharpshooter. That was useful, but things weren’t as simple as they are out here—or used to be out here. So, I had to do some more learning.”
“Oh? What do you mean?” Roz asked.
She smiled, and his concentration broke for a moment. Then she toyed with the buttons at the top of her dress without breaking her gaze into his eyes. Jonah blinked and then continued.
“Around here, the outlaws take out their guns and start shooting. All I do is take out my gun and shoot them first. But it’s not like that in New York. It’s not that simple. Bad guys plan their crimes ahead of time. People work together, committing crimes that are a lot more complicated than straightforward shootings. That’s why I got some training on solving murders, conspiracies, and premeditated crimes. And on my own, for a little extra learning, I read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes.”
“I love Sherlock Holmes!” Roz said.
In her enthusiasm, she flattened a slender-fingered hand just above her chest. Now Jonah noticed that the top buttons of her high-necked dress were all undone, and he felt warm again. Even though he’d seen her in much more revealing clothing the night before.
Jonah sat speechless for a moment, staring at the smooth, lightly freckled skin on Roz’s neck. She put her hand back on the table, and his eyes followed it down.
“So how did you end up here, Jonah?” she asked.
“Oh, that happened a few years ago,” he said. “The police department got a request for an officer to transfer out west. The bank in this town put up good money for the salary. They’d been robbed and robbed again. And miners were getting robbed before they could even take their gold to the bank. The outlaws were getting better at shooting, and one sheriff after the next was gunned down before their first year on the job. Not to mention deputies.”
“How shocking!” said Roz. “I didn’t realize it was that dangerous here.”
Now Jonah watched her hand rise and cover her mouth. He stared at the luscious red lips beneath the hand. He felt a drop of moisture forming in the corner of his own mouth. Jonah lifted his napkin off the table and wiped his mouth before it had a chance to drip out.
Jonah felt flustered, but he kept talking.
“It was dangerous, ma’am, Roz,” he said. “The bank was about to pack up and leave unless they got some protection. They needed a sharpshooter, and I was recommended for the job. So here I am.”
“I’m glad you’re here protecting us, Jonah,” she said, and he felt a warm glow. “But I haven’t seen any shootouts since I got here.”
“That’s right, Roz,” he said. “Like I was telling you last night, no gunslingers have come near this town in the last six months. Just about that time, the last saloon owner was shot down. Then Cowboy Bob came here, and this town went from a wild, dangerous place to a peaceful community almost overnight. That’s the mystery I’ve been trying to solve. I know he’s pretending to be from Texas, so that’s suspicious. That’s why I’m wondering if he’s connected to this crime.”
Jonah watched Roz for her reaction. What did she really think about Cowboy Bob? He was a tall, handsome man that women would appreciate. He noticed a strange feeling that he identified as jealousy.
Could Roz be attracted to Cowboy Bob? Is that why she was defending him? he wondered as he waited for her answer.
“I agree with you that there’s something strange about Cowboy Bob,” she said finally. “And I’ll tell you straight up that I don’t trust him either.”
Jonah heaved a silent sigh of relief.
“But I don’t think he killed Gertie,” she went on. “From what I’ve heard from the other women, they used to get roughed up by the customers at times before Cowboy Bob got here. The owner before Cowboy Bob never did anything about it. But when one of those miners tried something rough with Loretta, Cowboy Bob rushed over and threw him against the wall. And everyone’s behaved themselves since then. Until last night.”
“Hmm. He must be strong and fast then,” said Jonah.
“Sure. But I think that shows he’s protective of the women who work for him. I don’t see why he’d want to kill any of us, even if he’s kind of strange. He could have a background he’s trying to hide like I do. And I’ve never seen him carry a gun. So, I don’t think he’s the reason outla
ws aren’t coming here anymore. Maybe you’re the reason why they stopped coming, Jonah,” Roz suggested.
“Me? What do you mean?” Now Jonah was confused.
“I mean you’ve been here for a while, and you’re still alive. That must mean you’ve been killing a lot of outlaws. All of them. Don’t you think the others would hear about that and stop bothering to come here?” she asked.
Jonah felt stunned. He put his hands flat on the table in front of him.
Is she right about that? he wondered.
“Well, Roz,” he said. “That’s one possibility I never thought of. I’ll have to consider that. Maybe you should be a detective too.”
“I’m glad you agree because I’m going to be a detective, although unofficially,” she reminded him.
“That’s right,” he said. “I’m still not completely comfortable with it, but we’ll give it a try. I’m done with my dinner if you want to get started with the play acting. How are we going to go about that?”
Roz leaned forward and started to whisper her idea. Jonah leaned forward to hear her better and just to get closer.
⌛
“How dare you even suggest such a thing!” Roz said in a near shout.
She scooted her chair back and stood up. Then she glared down at Jonah, who was still seated on the other side of the table. Roz felt the eyes of everyone in the diner focused on her and Jonah, even though she wasn’t looking in their direction.
“But ma’am! You misunderstand me!” Jonah said in a voice of theatrical innocence.
He placed a hand across his well-muscled chest.
“I swear I never meant to suggest anything improper. But you work at the saloon after all, so what was I supposed to think?”
The diners broke out with a mixture of snickers and loud guffaws.
“You were supposed to think with your brain and keep your hands to yourself!” said Roz.
More laughter erupted around her. Roz spun on her heels and stomped her pointy-toed ankle boots toward the door. She heard Jonah rise from the table behind her and the sound of his own boots thudding across the diner’s wood floor.
“Let me at least see you down the street, ma’am. It’s dark tonight, and it’s not safe for a lady out there alone,” he said to her retreating back.
That wasn’t part of the plan, but Roz didn’t answer him or stop. She pushed the heavy oak door open and then slammed it hard in Jonah’s approaching face. Somehow, she heard more laughter inside the diner through the closed door.
I’m sure I’m imagining that, Roz told herself, as she began a fast walk down the street.
The sound of small padding feet next to her told her that Buttons had joined her.
“You’re the only protection I need,” she said to Buttons out loud.
But she heard Jonah’s tread at a distance behind her.
Why does he think I can’t protect myself? she wondered in exasperation.
And then an even more disturbing thought entered her mind.
Why do I believe I can protect myself from a murderer or other criminals that might be out on the street tonight?
Chapter 11
Later that night, Roz was wide awake in her room. But it was only past midnight, and she was used to working till after two in the morning. She sat on her bed with Buttons snuggled up asleep next to her. Like most cats, he slept at all hours of the day and night.
As usual, the bedroom window was open just enough to let Buttons slip out to go prowling in the night. The room was high up on the second floor, but a tree branch extended conveniently near the window.
There’s not much to do, and I’m bored, she thought. Maybe I’ll read that book again after all. Now I’m sure it wasn’t responsible for Cowboy Bob’s strange appearance. Oh wait! He said he would come back tonight!
Roz got up from the bed and turned the lock on her door. She’d never felt like that was necessary until tonight.
That should do it, she thought.
She went back to bed, pulled down the quilt, and got inside, careful to not disturb Buttons. Then she reached over to the nightstand and opened its small drawer. Roz lifted Dracula out and began reading at the same place she’d stopped the night before.
A chapter or two later, Roz felt movement next to her. Then she heard the heavy thump of Buttons dropping down onto the wood floor. The pad of his paws across the floor. The whispered rustle of the curtains as he passed through them to go out the window. But Roz didn’t look away from her book.
For almost an hour, there was complete silence all around her, and Roz stayed engrossed in the story. She reached a frightening part of the book. Count Dracula showed up in England in the form of a dog that jumped off a ship piloted by a dead man. The captain’s journal told a strange tale. The rest of the entire crew had either died or killed themselves.
Roz shivered.
“I am here, as I promised,” a deep male voice whispered close to her ear.
Roz jolted and opened her mouth to scream, but a large hand covered it. Her eyes opened wide. She turned toward the side of the bed and saw Cowboy Bob in his dark cloak. Again, he squatted in the same uncomfortable-looking, knees-bent position as he’d been in the night before.
“Keep calm,” he said. “You’ll wake the household.”
Then he removed his hand from her mouth. This time, Roz didn’t feel as if she was compelled to obey him. And she didn’t feel calm, but she decided not to scream.
“What are you doing in my room at night?” she asked in an outraged whisper.
“I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I told you I’d be here,” he said back in an offended low voice.
“And I told you that wasn’t necessary,” said Roz.
“Ah. Well, it is necessary because I need to explain many things to you about our new eternal life together. So, I am here,” he said.
Roz pulled herself up to a sitting position and scooted back away from him. She noticed that Buttons wasn’t on the bed.
He must be out hunting, she thought.
She looked to the window and saw that it was open all the way now. Wide enough for a large man to enter.
Roz placed her book carefully on the bedside table and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” Roz said in a whisper that was still offended. “In any case, it’s inappropriate for you to be in my room in the middle of the night! And the way you’re perching next to my bed makes me uncomfortable.”
The man who was Cowboy Bob in the daytime reached a long arm behind himself and pulled the small wooden chair out from under the desk. He said down on it and spoke.
“Do you not remember our time together last night?” he asked in his cultured European-sounding voice.
“I remember what seemed like a nightmare,” Roz said. “Are you saying that was real?”
“Yes. It was very real. And now, your life has been forever changed. I have honored you with the gift of eternal existence by my side. I have taken you for my mate. And given you powers that ordinary humans, such as the author of that book you’re reading, can only dream of but never fully grasp,” said the nighttime Cowboy Bob.
None of this made any sense to Roz. Cowboy Bob sat next to her and stared into her eyes in an intense, creepy manner. Waiting for her to speak.
Could this book be giving me nightmares two nights in a row? she wondered.
But she remembered the strangeness of the day and lost hope in that theory.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” she said. “Eternal existence? Powers? In any case, I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken if you thought I was interested in any kind of romantic relationship with you. That’s definitely not the case.”
Roz felt the importance of making that part clear right away, but Cowboy Bob didn’t seem to give up easily. He increased the intensity of his unbroken stare.
“You are mine. You desire me as all mortal women do! Tell me that you are mine!” he ord
ered in a melodious whisper.
This behavior is getting very annoying! Roz thought. I tried to be polite, but he didn’t take the hint. I’ll have to spell it out for him.
“I most certainly will not tell you any such thing!” Roz said. “And I insist that you leave my room immediately. I’ll remind you that you’re in a lady’s room at night without her invitation!”
At that, Cowboy Bob broke his unrelenting gaze and leaned back in the small chair.
“You resist the power of my enchantment?” he said as if stunned. “How can that be possible? Ah! You must have fallen in love with that mortal deputy even before I turned you. Love at first sight! That can be the only explanation.”
Roz felt herself blush.
Is that true? she wondered. And why is it his business anyway?
Cowboy Bob interrupted her thoughts by leaning back toward her and speaking again in an intense whisper.
“You resist me now, but I’m confident your resistance won’t last. Your passion for a mortal man can only be temporary. Soon the bloom will be off the rose. You’ll grow into your promise as a supernatural being, and you’ll realize that I’m the only man worthy of your attention.”
“Again, I ask you to leave!” Roz said in the most forceful whisper she could manage.
“I’ll leave you soon. For now, yes,” said Cowboy Bob. “Never in all the eons of my existence have I forced my amorous attention on a woman. You will come to me in time, and I am a patient man.”
Roz rolled her eyes and said, “Humph!”
“It will happen!” he said again in an insistent whisper. “But now, there are things I must explain to you about your new physical existence. Before I leave you, you must know what your new life is, and how to live it, or you will suffer. You will be a danger to yourself and the mortals around you.”
This night is almost as crazy as last night, Roz thought.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Have you not noticed a difference in yourself today?” said Cowboy Bob. “Did you eat any food today or drink any liquid?”
“Well, no. I wasn’t hungry or thirsty today,” said Roz. “I probably lost my appetite from the sight of Gertie’s dead body. It’s a quite normal reaction.”
