17. Case closed completely

1 day later…

Melonee was getting ready for the evening time in the saloon. She sat in her room of the hotel in front of the mirror and powdered her face. She hummed a melody, but suddenly she stopped. A movement behind the folding-screen let she froze.

The shadows seemed to see, he had awakened her attention at him and left his hiding place.

She looked behind. Silently their eyes met. She forced a smile.

"You are a bad boy."

Unsurely she stroked a hair out of her face while the Gila-monster made a few steps closer at her direction.

"I missed you last night. Where have you been?"

Bill crossed his arms. "Reason enough to come back."

"But not because of me, right?"

"Yes, because of you."

Her smile disappeared. Not because of his words. His face impression said he didn't want a flirt.

She turned back, took a lipstick and stroked with it over her lips.

Meanwhile, Bill came closer until he stood very close behind her.

"Alister McNelly."

She froze.

"Does that name mean anything to you?"

She closed the lipstick and put it away. "Why do you ask?"

His cold hands on her shoulders, let her froze again like an ice sculpture. The lizard nails stroked gently her skin.

"In his house," Bill continued with slow dark voice. "I saw a picture. And on this picture stood an old lady. With the Faberge collier around her neck. Including a brooch on her dress. And I know only one person who has that brooch in her jewelry box."

He constricted his grab around her shoulders.

"And I counted one and one together."

He interrupted his stroking. Seconds of silence fell.

"Where is it?"

"What is where…"

The saloon lady cried hoarsely when Bill dragged her up and squeezed her against the wall.

"I know you hide it," Bill growled. His eyes scanned her body. "And I could imagine where."

Melonee kneeled her fingers nervously.

"I don't…"

A warning squeeze on her arm interrupted her.

"I was a gentleman for you, every time, every day, to you. But I could lose my genelemenness if you don't be a nice girl and do what I say. How long do, we know each other? I think long enough to know me well enough."

He reached with his hand on the backside of his pants. Melonee knew, he was touching for his knife.

"Show it to me."

With a deep sigh, she let disappear her fingers under her underwear and pulled something out. It came out the glittering jewels of the Faberge necklet.

For a moment, Bill became speechless at the sight. The diamonds blinked flashed in the room light. He touched one of them and rubbed it between his fingers. The cold fire seemed to burn. He didn't want to image how much money he could earn with that.

"The lady was my aunt," Melonee said. "You're right. She gave it to me and I promised her to take good care of it."

Bill said nothing. He just stared at the shining stones, as if they had paralyzed his mind.

The lady said nothing. She waited until Bill lifted his head and looked at her again.

"I advise you," he started to whisper inquisitively. "To search for another hiding place."

He released the diamond. "Before I get appetite to steal it."

With these words, he loosened his grab around her arm. Then he walked to the door and left her.

After the door had closed, Melonee took the diamonds closer.

"Thank you."

"EH? You let the necklet to her?"

Chorizo couldn't believe what Bill had told them.

They sat in a corner of the saloon around a little table and had waited for Bill's return, after he had said, he wanted to do something.

"What's your problem?" Bill muttered back and poured his glass.

"But why?" Stump asked more.

"That's my concern! Alright?" Bill growled.

"You have secrets?" Kinski chaffed him. "Lovely."

"That's not what you think," Bill grunted between his teeth.

"And what instead?"

"Enough already!"

They silenced. Just Chorizo sighed with disappointment. "Adiós riqueza."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, shut up."

"Hey! Look." Kinski ducked a little and pointed with his head ahead. "Recovered green object in 12 o`clock position."

The eyes of the others wandered back to the saloon door where the familiar figure of the sheriff came through the swing doors. He wore his town clothes again and seemed to have hurdled the bad events of the last night. His steps were lazy, but the gunslingers realized a little unsureness in his movements.

The chameleon didn't see his four "lifesavers" yet and walked over to the counter, where Buford poured him a glass of cactus juice.

The gunslingers exchanged glances. Then Bill stood up and went over to him.

A cold shiver went over the chameleons back when Bill's cold reptile hands touched his neck.

Slowly he turned around. Bill chuckled when he was seeing the fear again in the chameleon's eyes. Gently he rubbed his reptile nails on the green lizard's skin.

"We still have to chew the fat with you."

With that the Gila monster pulled Rango to their table, where Bill pushed him on a chair.

"Ouch!"

With pained face, the chameleon rubbed his back.

"Still the bottom?" Stump asked and chuckled.

Rango narrowed his eyes and wanted to stand up, but in the next second, the two rabbits placed their hands on his shoulder, Kinski on the left, Stump to the right.

"Put your hands there where I can see them," Bill commanded and put Rango's hands on the table surface.

Rango took a deep breath, before he got the courage to ask a question.

"What do you want?"

"Your clothes," Chorizo answered and threw a bounded cloth bunch on the table. "You forgot them."

Carefully Rango took them. "Thanks."

"Well, well!" Bill said and sat down on a chair next to Rango. "After our little tour, because of you, I seemed to remember, in your trade, it is the custom to give someone a little reward."

Rango sighed and sent a look to the wooden sky. "What do you want?"

Bill smiled. "Oh, not much, at the moment. We only want to have the ability to go and leave the town whenever we want."

"And more?"

The Gila monster grinned. "Free wish. I will think about it."

With that, he stood up and waved to the exit. Kinski and Stump released the befuddled chameleon and left the saloon to the dark street.

"Hey, Bill," Stump asked after they crossed the street.

The big lizard had crossed his hands on the back of his head and stared at the stars. "What is it?"

"Well, after that green grass gave us the confession that we have an ability of combination…"

"What's your point?"

Stump scratched behind his ear. "Do you think we should… Well, our investigation work wasn't bad, was it?"

"No, not at all."

"Don't you think we could… repeat?"

"No!" Bill cut.

"Never again." Kinski added loudly. "I will never go undercover again."

Chorizo chuckled and got a light slap.

"Alright," Chorizo apologized and gave Stump a wave. "Forget it, dude."

"Yes, we are outlaws," Bill finished the discussion. "Such kind of work is for us a no-go."

Stump stopped and rubbed his head. "Maybe… who knows."

Epilog follows...