Chapter 10: A Discovery in the Dresser
"First thing tomorrow mornin', we stop by Sun Valley Town to stock up on supplies, send a message to Miss Stoneheart, and remember to stay cool if suspicious folks such as the lawmen start askin' us questions concernin' the bovine," Sam reminded the gang as he took a lighter to light up a cigarette from his vest pocket. "Although I doubt any simpleton in this state would care so much for a missin' cow, we'll just tell them we're on an important business to send this misbehavin' runt to the meat market for a good price. Then they'll see her as a wild, untamed cow explaining why we had to restrain her so much." Smoke flared out of his mouth like a steam from a chimney as he glanced over his shoulder gazing at Grace. The young heifer appeared to be shuddering from what he believed were the effects of the cold weather from this afternoon. "Heroic bovine indeed, ha!" He scoffed. "Of all the nerve."
Grace bit her lower lip to avoid thinking about spitting this plate of scraps at the bandits as she chewed harder. She had actually been quivering with fury instead of cold as Sam thought she was. First they lied to the rancher about her being hunted game, and now she might as well be known as an untamed animal everywhere she is taken. Lies, lies, Grace couldn't stand to think about what other lies the gang would tell about her next. Then again, maybe not everyone would believe them. That's what she had hoped.
"Careful of what you say," whispered Carl lowly, with a sly smirk. "Wouldn't want to get her all steamed up now would we?" He watched Grace tremble, believing that she might have been thinking of trying to attack them.
I'm going to pretend I didn't hear what you ruffians said! Grace thought angrily as she kept her gaze to the wall on her side. She was trying hard to keep her dignity under control. So she made no reaction to what they said.
That was when Gene interrupted as he spoke to Sam. "I wouldn't think of underestimatin' her too soon now. I reckon that she didn't put up much of a fight cause o' how yah threatened her with that pistol. As long as yah point it at them, the hero can't do nothin' bout it. They're afraid of gettin' blasted."
"True," agreed Sam, nodding his head and taking another puff from the cigarette. "There was however that one fight she tried to put up with us out in the rain."
"Yah mean how she wouldn't move off from the wet ground?" Tom questioned. "That didn't seem like much o' a fight. The lightenin' n' flood musta scared her stiff."
"Well whatever she was tryin' to pull on us, we still gotta take the proper precaution of havin' her tied down each night and by usin' complete force enough to make her feel weary of wantin' to disobey our commands. To break an animal's spirit is how you keep them in a straight line. And it makes the job easier said than done."
Sam rose up and went over to check and see if Grace was done with the plate of scraps. The captive bovine had already fallen asleep by the time when the gang had been talking amongst themselves about her. She just couldn't keep her eyes open, especially not after the scraps left her yawning with fatigue. Her stomach churned as she kept her eyes closed, but Grace ignored the pain to get some sleep. She had hoped it would soon be gone by the crack of dawn. In her dreams, Grace could see her future as being forced into a life of hard work by her old enemies and possibly other bad men of the west. She would slave day and night without pay or thanks. Of course, Grace thought that was a silly thing to think about, knowing that animals had no use for money; except maybe when the time came to save their farm from auction. In Chugwater perhaps, but in this state, there was no such thing as heroic cows and Grace might have been mocked at if she told any folks around here what she and her friends accomplished. Grace sobered in misery and from the pain in her bound ankles, knowing that more unknown events were yet to come. The only food she got to eat was the distasteful scraps from the bandits' meals. And she was still hungry. But her doubt in escape troubled her more than the pain in her stomach and legs. Still, Grace refused to believe that she would never see Patch of Heaven again.
"Hmm," she mumbled, easing her neck left and right. "Where is a small companion when you need him?" But then Grace remembered that she was already grown up and on her own without the help of small companions. "I don't think I'll ever find a small companion in this place tonight, even if I wanted to. But Maggie and Mrs. C were right. My old friends don't want me to be sad about missin' them; they want me to be strong. So I'll have to be. Now I just need to send a message and hope that my friends will hear from it soon. I already know the name of Coal Mine Canyon, but I don't know where exactly. I should pay more attention to their conversations without them knowin' what I'm up to."
With part of her confidence returning, Grace went to sleep. Life isn't always so easy or fair, but her old friends often told her that the important thing was to not give up hope or let difficult times bring you down. No matter how lonely or difficult this situation felt to her, Grace had to keep her faith alive.
That morning in Chugwater
The new singer Miss Shirley was busy admiring her beautiful face in the mirror while powdering her cheeks with rosy blush. She was dressed in a purple, glittering, dancing dress, purple tapping shoes, and a violet hat with black feathers.
"Today I'll sing a song that isn't about life in Texas," Shirley murmured, straightening her hat. "That darn Sheriff Brown is already gettin' mighty nosy lately with askin' me questions bout the robbery or if I'm really a famous singer." Her voice sounded worried as she opened one of the drawers filled with her small black notebook and the newspaper article of the three heroic cows. Only this time, an inked circle had been drawn around the figure of Grace smiling in the photo. Picking up the article, a smirk crossed her red lips as she locked her eyes onto the blond heifer.
"Oh why should I worry bout bein' caught?" she snickered. "After all, I'm still just a young Texas gal lookin' for a job to save my dear ol' papa." She shoved the paper back in the drawer to lock it with a small key. Then Shirley rose from her chair and danced excitedly around the dressing room. As long as she kept those items locked up with everything else, then she would have nothing to fear. "I have other plans to think about when I leave this town, such as findin' a way to get my inheritance."
Unexpectedly, a knock on the door interrupted Shirley out of her daydreaming. "Uh, who is it?" she asked whoever was knocking, trying not to let her voice quiver.
"Someone here bought a bouquet of flowers for yah Miss Shirley," a manly voice spoke from the other side of the door.
"FLOWERS!?" Shirley stiffened in her spot as if an oncoming train was heading straight for her, but she did not lose her composure. "What kind of flowers are they?"
"Garden flowers of course, why?" the voice answered curiously.
"Oh nothin' really," Shirley replied sweetly, remembering to act cool. "I'm just glad that they're not wild flowers, because I'm allergic to those. But I don't mind folks bringin' me the kind that grow in a garden."
"I understand. And I'll let the boys know so they don't make a mistake."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Patting her dress, Shirley opened the door to allow the man to hand her the bouquet. He wished her luck before walking back out to the audience. She tossed it onto the sofa like a pillow. That was too close for call. For a moment, Shirley thought it might have been Sheriff Brown coming in to ask her the same questions about the day of the robbery. "Blast it, if I shout too much bout my plans out loud, someone might hear and my reputation will be ruined for me. So I gotta say it quietly if I wanna keep my prized heifer safe at home. I already have a much better plan for her rather than take that coat of hers. But I won't say it here now, not while it's time for me to go up."
Taking one last admiring look at her reflection in the mirror, Shirley burst out the door and on stage to sing a different song about the cactus valley. Unbeknownst to her however, two unlikely witnesses had been hiding themselves in the closet while she had been rambling on about her mysterious secret plan. Out popped Rusty and Lucky Jack as they looked surprised from what they overheard the diva say. One thing for sure was that Miss Shirley was involved in this whole scheme and in Grace's sudden disappearance. Rusty had somehow talked Lucky Jack into going with him to Chugwater to spy on Miss Shirley to find out what she was really up to. Buck told him that the rabbit was an expert in sneaking in unexpected places and picking at locks. All they needed was at least one piece of evidence that was most important. Taking everything would stir up suspicion in Shirley if she found out everything was missing and possibly start accusing a few folks of theft. Rusty did not want to take that dangerous risk too soon.
"Did yah hear what she said?" Lucky Jack blurted in bewilderment. "A female crook is in our town distractin' everybody with her singin'."
"Which is why we need to see what's in that notebook," added Rusty seriously. "There has to be somethin' in there that'll help us find out where they've taken that cow."
Hopping upward, Jack grabbed a thin piece of metal from behind one of his ears and started picking at the lock since Shirley had taken the real key with her. After a few struggles, a small click occurred and Jack used his feet to push it open and drop the notebook down to Rusty. He told the rabbit to go to the door and look out for Shirley while he examined the notes:
Things to do in Chugwater
Enter the saloon and play the act of a needy woman lookin' to find a job to help her dear dyin' papa.
Gather as much information as I can bout the so-called heroic cows from the sleazy cowpokes.
Blow the audience away with my singin' n' dancin' enough to distract them while the Yeller Gang robs the bank and kidnaps the blond heifer on Patch of Heaven. However they do it, she will be mine.
Board the 9:00am train back to Texas on Saturday. Ride to Coal Mine Canyon to have a look at my new and valuable prized cow. Then find a way to snatch the will to my uncle's ranch where I hope to raise her for a new life of workin' under the sun.
"Holy smokes, we gotta tell the girls about this right now!"
"What is it, what'd yah find?" Lucky Jack glanced over his shoulder, still standing by the door.
"I found a note that proves Miss Shirley is behind the scheme and tells the exact place where Grace has been taken to."
"Let me see," Jack rushed away from the door to snatch the notes and examine them. The first three options had been checked out. "The Yeller Gang; I ain't ever heard o' those hooligans. But at least we know what name to call them." He flipped over the last blank pages until some other folded squared paper slipped out and landed beside his peg-leg. "What's this?" The moment Jack unfolded the paper; he found it to be a WANTED poster with Miss Shirley's face on the cover smiling sinisterly. The reward for her capture was $1,000. Her real name was Shirley Stoneheart, the Texas bandit queen wanted for bank robberies and cattle rustling.
"We got her, we got her!" Jack jumped for joy.
"Shh, not so loud," Rusty shushed him. "Someone will know we're in here. Besides we ain't got her yet. All we need now is a plan on how to catch her before she leaves."
"Why not try the same technique the girls had once used to capture Slim?" Jack suggested.
"That would work," Rusty agreed, and then continued in detail. "But we would also have to take that full plan and be back here an hour before nine on Saturday. Let's see, Miss Shirley says that she's allergic to wildflowers. But what good would that be against her?"
Lucky Jack then got an unusual idea in his head. "I know, why doncha let me go out n' find some. Then maybe once we got her, we'll take that bundle and show it right in front of her face. If we do that, she'll be beggin' to have it taken away until she reveals the truth to everybody."
"Lucky Jack, you are a real genius!"
Rusty was about to give the peg legged rabbit a high five, but both turned to attention when the echo of footsteps drew closer from the outside. Thinking quick, Lucky Jack tore the informative page out and threw the black notebook into the drawer before hiding back in the closet with Rusty to listen and wait. The doorknob turned and opened as the humming of a woman played in the room.
"Hmm, that's strange," she whispered. "I coulda sworn I locked this drawer up good and tight before I performed." Looking into the drawer, Shirley just shrugged her shoulders believing that she might have forgotten, but she was feeling too proud of her performance to care for even a moment. Everything was still safely stored up the way it was. "From now on, I'm goin' to keep on singin' and pretend that nothin' happened. Who in the right mind would ever suspect dear, sweet Shirley?" she boasted.
"We would," Jack whispered.
"Shh," Rusty whispered back. "Listen."
"I can't wait to get outta this town," Shirley maintained, spraying herself with a pleasant perfume. "Once I'm gone, no one will ever know that it was me who planned this whole scheme out by hirin' the gang to abduct that bovine and to take the money from on stage. With her as my pet, she'll be worth more than what I earned this past week." Adjusting her dress, Shirley walked out.
The two animals barged out of the closet and escaped through the small open window. Racing to the Patch of Heaven farm, they were determined to not let that fraud get away with this.
I re-edited this chapter because for some reason, it felt incomplete to me. And I thought there needed to be a better explanation to the discovery.