Ethan walked down the streets of Paradise in the morning to his office. He hadn't slept very well and when he finally drifted off, the next thing he knew was that Claire was calling him to breakfast. So he had to get up and get dressed to get some food in him before heading off to do some marshaling in town.
Ben and George had done their chores and had accidently let some of the chickens out and it took them a while to herd them back in the coop. Claire had been frustrated with their antics and had given them a mild scolding which had made Ethan smile. She'd be an excellent mother someday; he just wished she hadn't been getting so much practice now. She should be out there not having so much responsibility thrust on her so early in life.
"I saved you some ham," she told him, placing his plate in front of him.
He started eating and promised her that he'd clean the dishes. She just nodded as she went to get some extra work done before heading off to school with the boys. Ethan ate his meal thinking that he must not have been as exhausted last night as he'd thought. He'd lain awake, his mind racing with thoughts about Amelia. He had walked into something in the barn that he didn't understand and had tried to make sense of it. That man was no stranger at least not in the random sense. He had some connection to her through someone else even if she wasn't aware of it. So that meant when he hit the office he was going to try to figure out the man's identity and then work from there. He had a meeting with Darrin over the new men that had come in and the reporter, Ernie Buckley who'd settled in at the hotel and who was asking questions around town.
How people felt about Bella moving in to start a ranch in their midst…and Ethan guessed so far the responses he received hadn't been very positive. He hoped that what the reporter was doing wouldn't stir up the town into another frenzy, it had been hard enough to stanch the last one. Not to mention that he security men were clearly overstepping their bounds and he had to keep them in check.
Claire brushed in again and he helped her get the dishes and clean them.
"So I'll be out at the ranch until late," she said, "I promised I'd help with the books and I've still got to do Axelrod's latest first."
Ethan nodded.
"I'll be over there later myself," he said, "Last night some man showed up there."
Claire sighed.
"One of the town's people…I wish they'd just leave them alone."
Ethan shook his head.
"Someone else…I'm going to see if I can track him down in town."
She smiled.
"Thank you for looking out after them."
"It's my job Claire," he said, "I told the towns people I planned to treat everyone fairly and not favor one faction over another."
Claire made a face.
"Axelrod just complains about Bella nonstop," she said, "I wish he'd just stop talking sometimes."
Ethan couldn't argue with her about that. He considered Axelrod to be a nuisance most of the time. But his mind had been on Amelia and the questions that filled him that what happened last night had only fueled. Most of it had been nice, the nicest time he'd had in ages when they'd gone out to dinner and then when they'd kissed…but after that it had changed when he'd walked into the barn and saw her facing off against a strange man with a pitchfork.
As he rode into town later, he thought about it and where he'd start looking for this man. He had a meeting with Darrin first but it shouldn't last long.
Amelia woke up and started towards the barn to help Clara feed the horses. It felt different than it had last night when that man had come after her. She'd fallen asleep but then she'd started dreaming and she'd been back in San Francisco all over again. Walking with Warrick down a dimly lit street, just talking with him and then… the men had shown up.
She forked some straw into the stall with the same pitchfork she had threatened the man with last night. Clara hadn't heard about it and she didn't want her to know and worry. She had wanted to tell Ethan but she didn't…every time she felt like starting, she stopped because the emotions that had woven themselves deeply inside of her threatened to intrude and take over if she ever let her guard down.
Bella came in to get her horse.
"I'm riding into town," she said, "I plan to meet with that reporter…Buckley remember him?"
Amelia nodded, only too well.
"He's here to get a story on me and I'm sure some of the businessmen are regaling him with tales of my notoriety. I thought I'd give him another perspective."
Amelia watched as Bella led her horse out of the stall.
"You want to come with me Amelia," she said, "Talk to him?"
Amelia shook her head.
"No…he knows too much about me already."
Bella patted her horse's neck and then went to get the tack. Amelia helped her put the saddle on the horse's back.
"He covered Warrick's death."
Bella sighed.
"Amelia, you know who killed him. You saw it happen."
"I don't recall him listening to anything I had to say about it."
"I'm sure he's learned better since," Bella said, "No one wants to go after those power brokers in San Francisco. It's much easier to believe it's an outlaw gang that did it."
"Daggett didn't kill him."
"You know that and I know that," Bella said, "but it was too easy to put the bounty on Daggett for that murder."
Amelia knew that already and she knew why. Some men were truly untouchable in this world and so were their hired help if they did their dirty work.
"Everyone was so happy to blame Daggett and his gang," she said, "Even he benefitted because it added to his image."
Bella chuckled.
"A true outlaw that one."
"I just don't know who that man was last night and how he knew…"
Bella started leading her horse outside.
"He found out somehow," she said, "and tried to make trouble for you…and that's another reason why you have to tell Ethan. He's the marshal. He's here to protect the people in this town and that includes you."
Amelia sighed.
"Who'll protect him when he finds out?"
Bella paused and swung aboard her horses.
"That person can't be you Amelia not if it's costing you this much."
Amelia didn't have a response and she didn't think Bella would understand. It could get ugly real fast and she'd lived through enough ugliness already. She wouldn't be the first person to keep this kind of secret nor the last.
She watched as Bella galloped off towards town and then returned to cleaning the barn.
Ethan saw that Darrin didn't like the reporter who'd shown up at the bank while they'd been in a meeting.
"Mr. Buckley…"
"Call me Ernie…"
Darrin was quickly losing patience.
"Ernie…can't you see I'm busy with a meeting here," he said, "I'll talk to you later and answer all your questions."
Martha walked up to them smiling.
"Come with me and I'll take you to the saloon where you'll find the best food this town has to offer…"
Ernie frowned.
"I didn't see too many other restaurants."
Martha's smile dimmed.
"Well, we're working on that and you'll see a definite improvement soon," she said, "Are you staying for our Founder's Day celebration?"
Ernie shrugged.
"Maybe…depends on the story," he said, "I've been interviewing the town's people to see how they feel about having the illustrious Bella Rogers in their midst."
Martha made a face.
"Well don't make it too negative," she said, "the town's trying so hard to come out from under its dark cloud and she…"
Ernie interrupted her.
"Bella's one of the classiest, most courageous women I've ever met in my career."
Martha's mouth dropped open and that caught Ethan's attention.
"What…how…why would you say something like that…?"
"Because she threw herself into helping women back in San Francisco who had nowhere to turn, who had been working in the saloons for the powerbrokers."
"The what?"
He sighed.
"The power brokers, the movers and shakers in any city and town too," he continued, "They publicly keep their hands clean but everyone knows who really runs the saloons in San Francisco. Bella certainly found out and exposed it."
"How did she do that?"
"She told me and I wrote about it…after checking it out of course but everything she told me turned out to be true."
Martha looked dismayed.
"Even when there was a murder…right after one of her parties, she refused to be cowed."
Now Martha looked confused.
"Who was murdered?"
"Warrick…I don't remember his last name," Ernie said, "He was just some businessman who was found shot to death outside a party."
Ethan looked at Ernie.
"Did they ever find out who killed him?"
Ernie shook his head.
"No, they tried to pin it on Dylan Daggett and his gang but I don't believe that…even though the outlaw himself bragged about it. He ran a couple saloons but he was working for someone else."
"Who…?"
Ernie just shrugged at Ethan.
"There are rumors that it was one of the big shots who ran the city but no one could prove it. No one wanted to talk about it…the trail's gone cold and so has my story."
Ethan knew that Warrick tied back to Amelia and she'd been with him when it happened so she might know. But she certainly wasn't talking to anyone except maybe Bella and the killer still walked free.
"Why Warrick…if he was just a local businessman…?"
"I don't know…he had come from Chicago where some of these powerbrokers originated but there are no obvious ties. It's not clear he was the target or just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Meaning that he might have been killed as a witness and that left Amelia but why would anyone target her? So many questions, so little answers which frustrated him. But how could he talk to her and get her to reveal them? Whatever kept her silent had a powerful hold on her and yet it mattered if that man who dropped in on her was tied to the man who killed Warrick.
Darrin smiled at them.
"This is all well and good but Ethan and I have a meeting to discuss about my security men…"
Buster and Simon walked in with a couple of others including a new one.
"I've got another man who's busy now but Burke arrived yesterday and I'm putting him to work at Axelrod's. There was a rash of vandalism there last night but nothing stolen."
Ethan hadn't heard anything about that and his suspicion level rose…what was going on in Paradise and how would he get to the bottom of it?