Chapter Twenty Eight: Coincidental
The old wooden sidewalk squeaked underfoot as Jubilation Lee walked in to town. She could hear several wagons being pulled by horses through the adjacent streets.
"Excuse me." The man's voice was impolite and demanding. She cast her eyes over her shoulder. He was taken aback by the sight of her tattoo, and he gasped despite himself..
The man wore the black garment and collar of a clergyman.
She stepped aside and made a sweeping motion that indicated he should pass her by.
He huffed once and hefted the wooden crate he was carrying before scurrying on past.
Jubilee felt one of the corners of her mouth curl at the man. There was something about him she didn't like.
"That was the Reverend Craig."
Jubilee turned to look just a few doors down. A tall man wearing an apron was making use of a handmade broom on the wood plank sidewalk.
"What's his dysfunction?" She crossed her arms and leaned a shoulder against the front of an unopened general store.
"I could make a list." The bartender smiled. "But all you'd need to know is that Rev. Craig is convinced that God is a White Man." He raised a questioning eyebrow to see if he had said enough.
"Funny." She said curtly, before relaxing just a touch "I always thought SHE was a Chinese-American."
The idea seemed to amuse the barkeep as he finished sweeping off the walk. "Lucas probably wont be around until late tonight." He cast her a glance and saw that she was deflated. "Or maybe this afternoon." He said at last.
He saw her brow slowly cloud with questions.
"We don't get many young, female, Chinese gunfighters through these parts." He took a few more swipes at the walkway. "Specially right after Mr. Logan Senior comes through telling me he's sending one by."
She smiled and nodded twice. "So there's no idea where else he might be, like right now?"
"Can't predict the weather either." He shrugged and shook his head slightly from side to side. "But you're welcome to wait." He pushed open one of the small wooden doors.
Jubilee looked around the street. Shops were opening and people were beginning to appear around town.
"Why not?" She shrugged at him and slipped in to the bar behind him.
It was dark inside and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. The bartender swept around her and crossed the room. A moment later she followed him and sat down at the bar.
"You mind if I ask about that?" The bartender motioned to his own face, making an 'm' over one eye.
Jubilee shrugged. "Went to jail."
"Jail?" The man barked, obviously never having heard of such a thing.
She nodded as she sniffed at, then wrinkled her nose at, a jar of cigars. "Yep." She looked attentive and far more alert than his normal customers. "Some times they mark you for life when they don't mean to let you go."
Ray felt the floor begin to sink away as she spoke. He had seen a lot of things and heard a lot more talk since he had arrived here from Boston. But this girl was something else, like a stick of dynamite, exploding slowly, and all the time.
"And now, just how do you get out of a place like that?"
Jubilee was suddenly struck quiet. "Good friends I guess." She said at last.
"Friends like Luke Logan?"
"Yeah." She was quiet. "He saw me in there and tried to get me out." She paused. "And when he couldn't, one of his friends did."
"Called in some favors did he?" Ray smiled. This story was getting familiar.
"I guess he did, in a way." She shrugged.
"My name's Ray, by the way." He stuck out his hand and a congenial smile.
"Jubilee." She shook his hand.
He leaned in conspiratorially close. "Can I ask you a question?"
Jubilee looked around. A few stragglers had been wandering in, and taking seats. No one seemed to be listening.
'Sure." She nodded once. "What is it?"
"Is Luke planning something?" He searched her eyes for an answer. "A heist maybe?" He saw no reaction. "Organizing a posse?" Still, there was nothing.
"Why would you ask that?" She studied him carefully.
"Well, you and Mr. Logan Senior, if you don't mind my saying so, you're strictly talent. And hired talent is the only kind we get around these parts. You've both mentioned doing some time too." He seemed to consider something else and then he didn't speak it.
"We're just passing through looking for Lucas." She paused. "I mean Luke."
"Lot's of people are just passing through lately." Ray nodded. "Just sees a little coincidental is all."
"You got anything back there that isn't totally poisonous?" Jubilee peered behind the bar.
Ray smiled. "Something that Logan Senior wouldn't drink, right?"
"Exactly." She was surprised that he had understood so quickly.
"Here." He slipped a small corked bottle of wine across the bar. "You can sip on this, no charge." He smiled at her incredulous look. "I've got a whole case of it from some Frenchmen who couldn't pay their bill. I thought you might give some of my regulars the idea to try it on their tabs."
"Free advertising, hunh?" She seemed less critical of it now. "That's one way to move drinks."
"I do know a few." He wiped his hands on his apron and scurried off to deal with a few customers.
A moment later he returned.
"Can I ask you a few things?" Jubilee cornered him in a quiet moment.
"Provided I'm not getting anyone in any trouble." He eyed her warily.
"Just tell me about Luke. How long has he been here, what's he like to do when he's in town, has he been happy here?"
The questions seemed to be fair and honest ones, the kink Ray might have asked after a relation or friend.
"I guess I first met Luke about nine months ago." He began. "And I take it he had been living with the local tribe for a while before that." He considered. "But I don't think he was around this time last year."
"Close to a year though? I didn't realize it had been so long." Jubilee wondered as her mind toyed with idea's about what time could do to a person.
"Going on a year I suppose." He shrugged. "Because I remember that he was here when Mrs. Kelsey-Jones became the Widow Kelsey-Jones. Everyone in the county turned up to help her bring in her crop. And I swear to you, every man that went there to help said that Luke was there, just a workin' away, day and night."
He smiled, remembering. "Timothy Jones, The Widow's brother in law, he swears that Luke had his friends from the tribe out there, hiding in the fields and helping with the harvest. Says that no one man could do the things that Luke did to bring that field in." He shook his head. "If he did have some help, they were right sneaky about it. Must have been three dozen or so people out there and didn't none of them see anyone." He sniffed once. "Course, the Widow would have joined her late husband if she had looked out the window and seen a few red faces looking back." He raised her eyes to meet hers. "The Widow Jones lost her parents to the arrow on a wagon train." He explained. "Many years ago."
Jubilee smiled a small, sad grin.
"Personally." He leaned his elbows on the bar. "I like to think that they were out there, wearing buckskin, bare-chested, moving quiet, around the field." He looked sadly pleased. "It makes a nice circle out of her story."
"Yeah." Jubilee liked this man. "It does."
"As a matter of fact, I would venture to guess that Luke didn't come in to town before that." He searched his memory. "I guess, what with him livin' with the tribe, he sorta rounded that story out himself, didn't he?" He seemed to be realizing more than he was saying. "Even if he did do it all himself?" His eyes narrowed slowly.
"Well," She balked "How could he have?"
"Yeah." The bartender said slowly. "How could he?" He seemed to be struck by another idea. "You know, there was this one time, when Ol' Doc Stenson came in here, talkin' about pulling four bullets out of Luke. And you know, Luke was in here, the very next night. Without so much as a bandage." He shook his head. "I thought Doc was on the bottle again, confusing his faces." He definitely knew that something was up.
His eyes went wide and he looked at her. "And the one night that Clay Cutler's boy got thrown from his horse. He swore up and down that Luke got stomped after the horse reared. Said he thought Luke was dead for sure."
"But you said yourself, Luke's all right, isn't he?"
"Sure is. Right as rain." He agreed quickly.
"So those things couldn't have happened, right?"
"I suppose not." He said, sounding unconvinced.
"Then don't worry me like that." She smiled playfully.
He was suddenly shy and embarrassed. "Sorry about that. I know you don't need me filling your head with notions."
"Plenty of room." She smiled with her eyes. "So," She asked slowly, "Have you ever known Lucas to have a girlfriend?"
Ray smiled slyly. "I think Lucas needs a special kind of girl. " He smiled. "I know he sets the Wilson girls to giggling and flirtin'. And they're just about the pick of the litter out this way." He gauged her reaction. "Present company excluded."
Jubilee smiled. "You're awfully diplomatic for a bartender." She told him.
"Lady," He told her "When I saw you this morning I thought you were wearing too much gun." He was looking her directly in the eyes now. "And then when I got a good look, I saw the signs of wear on the top of your guns sight, and the shine on the leather, inside your holster, and I knew that those guns were drawn FAST." He held her attention. "And when I look at you now, I know, you give me the same feeling that Luke does." He nodded at her, and leaned back slightly. "Like you almost can't help being dangerous, and the rest of the world is just damn lucky you're minding your own business."
Jubilee definitely liked this man. She smiled, and felt her humor rising. "Why Ray, are you flirting with me?" She asked, feeling a bit like Emma.
Ray chuckled nervously and intentionally. "You." He told her. "You and Luke." He shook a finger at her and swallowed nervously. "You're probably meant to be." He laughed at himself for a moment, as he realized he was backing away. He purposely took two steps towards her again, flushing a bit red at the cheeks. "Both a bit touched I'd wager."
Jubilee shrugged, now bored with her game. "So tell me," She had him cornered in to the conversation "Who else happens to be 'coincidentally' passing through?"
And all the color drained out of his face.
