Beware the Moon

by FAH3

"Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers at night may become a wolf when the Wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." Things get complicated for Kim and Ron's ancestors John and Miriam.

1. Chapter 1

BEWARE THE MOON

By FAH3

OnE:

The fast pace movement of the train caused the cars to give a small, gentle rocking sensation as they barreled down the tracks. It was actually quite soothing to many of the passengers as they sat spread out through the various cars. Some decided to read a novel as they sat in their seats, other chose to take a nap as the sensation was a reminder of being held in their parent's arms when they were much younger, other chose to watch the scenery outside their windows as they passed by. However, the rocking motion of the train wasn't soothing for one passenger in particular. Detective Jonathan "John" Stoppable of the Middleton Police sat in silence as the train went about its course. He had just finished another entry in his journal and closed its pages as he leaned his head back. In most situations like this, he would be one of the passengers that would be napping right now. At the moment, he was too anxious to nap, too anxious to read, and much too anxious to enjoy the beauty of nature outside.

Almost two years ago at the tri state expo, his best friend and renowned reporter, Miriam Possible, had been accused of a crime she didn't commit. In fact, she had been doing her best to foil the crime and had been labeled a thief for her efforts. John defended her tooth and nail but it was all useless. Without any proof of her innocence, she had no choice but to go on the run. Their correspondence had sadly been few and far between in the months that followed which caused him to worry about her quite often. She was his best friend, and there was nothing he could do to help clear her name. Every time he reflected back on those events, he kicked himself for not heading her advice and doing more to increase security at the expo. So ever since then he had been working non stop to try and find the evidence he needed in order to clear her name. After failing to find the device itself, and the expo being over, John had been doing everything he could to find the woman that had tried to steal the device that Dr. Demins had created. Sadly, he had failed to find any lead.

Her last letter to him had been almost four months ago. She couldn't tell him much except that she was well and safe. Also, she begged him to do one thing for her. Move on. If he hadn't found any evidence of her innocence or the missing machine by now, then there was a strong chance that he never would. So she pleaded with him not to waste his life in a hopeless pursuit and to live his life. Simply forget about her. That would be a cold day in hell before he would ever do anything like that. She was his best friend. Also, she was the woman that he loved. He just wished he could have told her that before all that horrible mess had happened. He had been trying to find another a lead almost a week ago when he finally received another letter from Mim again. It was under an assumed name and the handwriting was different than her usual penmanship as she did her best not to reveal herself. There was still enough for John to tell that the letter was from her. There wasn't much in the letter, but the news in it was alarming. Her extended family in Northern Colorado had taken her in and gave her a new home. For the past month, the majority of the ranchers in the area were currently being terrorized by frequent animal attacks.

Things had grown worse when her young cousin, Jocelyn, had gone missing. John couldn't sit still and had to go and try and help his friend. He had seen too many reports of missing people to be found dead a short time later because the police didn't do anything to help. He had to come up with some plausible excuses for him to head north, but every single one of them sounded like rubbish the more he had thought about them. Finally, John had relented and turned in his resignation to the police. They weren't interested in clearing Miriam's name, and he was tired of having to deal with the pompous bureaucracy of the entire department. If he had to go into the private sector, then that's what he was going to do.

After having the time off he needed, he sent a letter ahead to let Miriam know that he was on his way. Now here he was, both fearful and excited as he stroked the mustache that sat on his face and spread to his sideburns. He was excited that he was finally going to see his friend again. Yet, he was also fearful because he had no good news on clearing her name and wasn't sure if he could be of any help in finding her cousin. He felt that he was a rather poor police detective. In fact, so did Captain Barkin; his now former superior that had left to work on another case some weeks ago shortly before he had turned in his resignation. John just prayed he wouldn't be completely useless to Mim and her family. So for the past several hours he had been sitting in the train with his mind lost in thought. He hadn't felt like this since he over ate at a new Italian restaurant that opened not too long before he left. He was a bundle of nerves and had to do his best to settle himself down. It wouldn't be long before they would pull into the station.

Apparently, they had been closer to his destination than he had thought. He soon heard the squeal of the breaks as the train's momentum began to slow. John glanced out the window and saw a long slender building was quickly approaching with a bustling frontier town he had only seen in various newspapers and heard about from stories of various outlaws and lawmen like Billy the Kid or Wyatt Earp. John quickly grasped his brown bowler hat and his two suitcases from the rack above as the train began to pull into the station. As soon as the train was stopped, John quickly departed. After leaving the train station, he was greeted with the strong smell of not only untamed nature, but the obvious smell of horse manure. He assumed the smell was typical in towns such as this that weren't as refined as the city. The buildings were well built, but the paint and facades were showing signs of being exposed to the elements. The streets, if they could be called that, were nothing but very wide paths of dirt. Down what he assumed was main street were various shops, what he hoped to be a hotel, and what was an obvious drinking establishment given the states of one or two men that walked out while having a hard time keeping their balance. What was it that Moses had said in the Old Testament? I am a stranger in a strange land? Well, that was certain for John at that moment.

"Are you Stoppable?" a loud voice asked.

Turning away from the town before him, John saw a man wearing a worn and faded blue shirt, a pair of very well worn denim pants with the knees looking like they would tear and give way at any moment, and a pair of dark brown leather boots that were caked in small chunks of what he hoped was dried mud. His face was well tanned with a few age lines around his eyes. A wide brimmed gray Stetson hat covered a head of dark hair and at least two weeks growth of facial hair sat across his chin, jaw, and upper lip.

"Are you John Stoppable?"

"I am. Can I ask who you are?" John asked the man in front of him.

"The name is Fritz. I work for Ol' Slim." The man said.

"Slim?"

"Slim Possible, he's Miriam's uncle. He's got a ranch a couple of miles from here. They sent me to come and get you. Unless you want to stay here in town, that is. The Hotel sits right next to the whorehouse." Fritz said.

John's eyes widened slightly upon hearing about the brothel and immediately felt slightly warmer under the collar. From the smile that was on Fritz's face, he could easily deduce that Fritz knew first hand about the brothel's location.

"I think I'll take you up on that ride." John said.

"I got the wagon at the side. Just follow me. Oh, and allow me to welcome you to the town of Blackmoor." Fritz said.

He led John to the single horse pulled wagon that had a fresh supply of various dry foods that could have fed a small army. After placing both of his bags in the back with the provisions, John did his best to climb up onto the hard wooden seat of the wagon with more effort than he cared to admit. As he took his seat, he mentally thanked God that he managed to make climb aboard without his pants falling around his ankles. He swore that this was some sort of family curse. Once he and Fritz were both in place, they were soon on their way. Knowing that it would take some time, John decided to try and find out a little more about where he was.

"So," John started. "How long have you worked for the Possibles?"

"Almost ten years, I think. Not really too sure." He said.

"Not to sound rude, but you do have a rather strange accent."

"My father came from Germany, and my mother came from Romania. I was about two years old when we came to America. We lived in New York for a few years before we moved out west. The fresh air and open spaces suited my parents better than living in a cramped apartment building."

"I can see why. I have to admit that I've never heard of Blackmoor."

"Don't feel too bad about it. It's mostly ranchers up here. Town didn't really start growing until the railroad came through. Now she seems to get bigger every time I come pay Jennie a visit."

"Jennie? I take it that she's a friend of yours?"

"For a price." The man said with a wide smile.

"Oh. You mean she's a – um." John said as he tried to figure out how to ask his question without blushing.

"Yup. She's a whore; and she's pretty good at cards too. Every so often I get the better hand and win a free poke every once and a while. Truth be told, I think she's taken a liking to me." Fritz said and chuckled when he saw John blush like crazy once more.

"What makes you say that?"

"When ever she's playing poker with anyone else, she cheats by hiding a few cards in her garters." Fritz chuckled as he was starting to enjoy how easily he could embarrass this man.

"So what kind of person is Slim? I never had the pleasure of meeting the man." John said, wanting to change the subject.

"He's tough when he needs to be. When you live out here, you need to grow a thick skin in order to survive. But he's fair when it comes to the things that matter. If he sees you as a friend, he'll give you the shirt of off his back if you need it." Fritz said.

"And it you're not?" John asked.

"Then you better start running and don't stop until you're in the next town. Have you ever read the Bible?"

"A little." John said, unsure if he should mention his faith.

Too many friends and family had been met with harsh treatment when people found out they were of the Jewish faith and he couldn't stand it. He was proud of his faith, but for safety reasons he had to keep his lips shut. He had lost count at how many times he had been called cruel and vulgar names when he was growing up. When will people ever learn?

"There's a passage in the book of revelations that used to scare the living piss out of me. 'Behold the pale horse. The man the rode atop of him was Death, and hell followed with him.' After seeing Slim in action, I'm pretty sure they had him in mind when they wrote it." Fritz said.

John couldn't help but gulp after hearing that remark.

"Has there been any progress in finding Jocelyn?" John asked and saw Fritz's face grow rather solemn.

"I'll let Slim and the others to fill you in. It isn't my place to talk about that." Fritz said and focused n the road ahead.

The rest of the trip was mostly in silence. There wasn't much for John to talk about except the frequent attacks on the other ranchers. Several heads of cattle had been killed, along with a few other animals. The only thing Fritz had to say was that each attack was a real mess. The only real detail he would go into about the attacks was that whatever had killed them was vicious. After what felt like a few uncomfortable hours, they soon approached the wide Possible ranch. In the distance, Ron could see the massive herds of cattle as they grazed in a pasture of green grass that it made John wonder if it just went on for all eternity. As they passed by what almost seemed endless fence line, they soon came to the main entrance of the Possible ranch. It was a rather large iron gate that was fully opened with a wide but simple arch way that was composed of the same materials as the wooden fence that kept only a small part of the ranch fenced off from the rest of the territory. At the top of the arch was a rather large circle with a P inside of it with the name of "Possible" beneath it that was also made of wrought iron.

They proceeded down the dirt road way after passing through the gates for what seemed a little over a mile until John finally saw the main buildings pass a grove of trees as they rounded a curve. The first thing that he saw was a rather large barn that looked like its construction was completed not too long ago. The scale of it was massive in John's eyes. If it were converted to house people, he speculated that it could possible fit everyone in the train car he rode if not possibly two more. Not too far from it was the main house itself. Its design was simple and rustic, just like everything else he had seen. However, it also seemed to have a rather elegant style to it at the same time. It was like it had been modeled after some of the older homes in the large cities but with a frontier twist. It stood three stories tall with fine tin roofs and a tall weather vane at the top with a coat of white wash covering its exterior.

Fritz pulled the wagon to a stop at the front of the house as the front door opened. John made his way off of the wagon, slipping a little and almost falling off as he did so. As he regained his footing and planted his feet on solid ground, he looked up to see a smile he thought he would never see again in his lifetime. Her mane of red hair was tied in a bun at the top of her head while she wore a simple white blouse and a green dress that complimented her darker green eyes while a gray shall was draped around her shoulders. As she walked down the steps from the large front porch of the large house, her smile widened and made her way to John at a fast pace. Miriam almost leapt as she wrapped her arms around John's shoulders in a tight hug that felt like she didn't want to ever let him go. He returned the hug in kind and couldn't help but inhale the lavender scent of her perfume. The same kind she had always worn for so many years. The warmth of her hug was like that of a blanket on a cold freezing morning that brought so much comfort.

"It's so good to see you again." John said to her.

"It's good to see you too, John." Miriam said as they broke their hug and looked at each other. As they did so, John could see something was wrong. The energy, or spark, that Mim always seemed to have was rather dim. He could easily see that was pain in her eyes where there used to be a passion for life.

"What's happened?" he asked and saw her look down in response. "Is it Jocelyn?" Miriam could only nod her head yes as she closed her eyes and her lips began to tremble and pout. "Mim, I'm so sorry." John said as he held her in a tight hug again which she gladly accepted.

"W-we'll talk about that later." Mim said as she straightened herself and tried to put on a smile for her friend. "I am still glad that you're here. Let me help you with your bags and I'll introduce you to everyone." Mim said and made her way to the back of the wagon. "Only two bags?"

"I brought the basic necessities." John said.

"It better not be snacks again." Mim said.

"Believe it or not, I have grown wiser in the time we've been apart." John said.

"We'll see." Mim said as she tossed one suitcase to John and took the other.

The interior of the house looked as massive as the exterior. There were polished hardwood floors and the walls of the main hall were decorated with a faint pink wallpaper. A large staircase stood in front of him that lead to a landing and a large window at the top that over looked a good portion of the back property as well as the wooded wilderness around them and the mountains in the distance. That's where two separate smaller stair cases split to the left and right but each leading to the second floor above them. The walls were decorated with various paintings of both family and various landscapes. There was also a massive chandelier above John that housed several candles that at one point had been a large wagon wheel. Besides the paintings, there were also several stuffed heads of various animals that were known to roam the wilderness of Colorado and a few beyond. There were various hand crafted tables and cases that contained various things from expensive vases to other trinkets and books that were here and there. There was also a rather large and ornate grandfather clock that kept a steady rhythm of tick-tock as its brass face and bronze arms kept track of the time as the inner gears stayed in almost constant motion. From what had seen so far, the entire interior of the house looked like a combination of a rustic hunting lodge and one of the homes of the upper class.

He followed Mim up to the second floor where there looked to be a small parlor in between the all the rooms. The walls were covered in the same wall paper of down stairs with pictures of family on the walls. There was also a another large window, though not as big as the one on the landing, that overlooked the other side of the property with small table and kerosene lamp sitting on the top with two leather sitting chairs on either side.

"The room on the far right is uncle Slim's. I have the old servant's quarters on the third floor, and you have the guest room on the left corner. The room in the right corner is – was – Joss' room." Mim said and took a shaky breath.

"Is there anything I can do?" John asked her.

"Just being here is enough for now. Why don't you get your things put away and join us downstairs? Dinner will be ready in a little bit." Mim said.

"That's great to hear. I was starting to get a little hungry." John said with a smile.

"John, your stomach is a bottomless pit." Mim said and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you in a few minutes." Mim said as she made her way back down stairs.

John quickly took his bags and went into the guest room. He was greeted with walls that were covered in a simple green wallpaper with a full sized four poster bed. There was a table with a large ceramic bowl and large water pitcher in the corner to the left of the bed, On the left hand wall was a small window that looked outside while a five drawer dresser and attached mirror on the opposite wall next to the closet. Upon hearing his stomach growl, John quickly placed his suitcases next to the dresser and did his best to make himself look presentable in the mirror. He removed his coat and placed it on the bed and loosened his collar a bit. He also quickly scratched at the large mustache on his face as he had been doing his best to ignore the itching it caused for the past several minutes. The thing was more trouble than it was worth and he was so tempted to shave it off completely. The only reason he grew the stupid thing was just so he would look more like an adult and be taken seriously by his fellow police officers. Now that he was no longer with the police, there wasn't any real reason for him to still have it.

"Maybe later." John whispered to himself and exited the room.

John made his way downstairs and easily found his way to the dining room since all he had to do was follow the aroma of food that was starting to fill the house. The dinning room was quite large with red walls that were covered in faint floral designs. A long and smooth rectangular table sat in the center with its top polished to where you could almost see your reflection in it. Various candelabras were mounted on the walls that illuminated the room while cabinets stood behind the head of the table and to the side. The interior of the cabinets were filled with various dishes and silver sat behind glass cabinet doors. To John's right was a large portrait of Slim who stood tall in a finely tailored suit with a narrow face and a large and rather thick mustache resting on his upper lip. His dark brown hair was long and stopped at the bottom of his ear lobes while a small smile graced his face. Standing next to him was a very beautiful woman with auburn hair that was styled in a rather elegant bun while she wore a flowing dress of violet and white. In between them was a young girl of around six years old with her dark brown hair done back in a rather simple ponytail while wearing a blue dress that looked similar in style to the one that the woman wore. The child looked like the woman, but had Slim's eyes. No doubt this was Slim and his family but had been painted some time ago. Ron couldn't help but feel sorry for what Slim must be going through.

"I'm guessing you must be John Stoppable?" a firm voice asked behind him.

John turned to see Slim himself. His hair was cut short while the mustache had a fair share of gray in it now as well at his temples. He wore a simple pair of denim pants, a faint yellow buttoned shirt, and a simple brown vest. The man offered his right hand to John which the young man took and noticed how firm the man's grip. He could tell the old rancher wasn't squeezing, but his grip still felt like he was grasping an iron vice.

"It's an honor to meet you, Slim." John said as they shook hands.

"That's just a nick name everyone calls me. You can call me Tim. Please, have a seat." The man said as he broke the handshake and made his way to the head of the table. John took his place at the side of the table to his right while Tim took his place at the head of the table. They were soon joined by Mim who took her place opposite of John and folded her hands in her lap.

"Is it just the three of us tonight?" John asked.

"No, we're supposed have some company. But I see their late again." Tim said.

"Fashionably late, Uncle Tim." Mim said.

"I don't care what they call it in the city. Late is late, and I still think it's rather rude." Tim said.

As soon as he stopped speaking, the front door opened as Fritz entered and removed his Stetson hat. He was also followed by a young man with blonde hair and a rather thin nose as he wore a light gray suit of clothes and removed the bowler hat he had been wearing as well.

"I just put the horses in the stables when I saw this fella ride up." Fritz said and pointed a thumb to the young man.

"We were just talking about you." Tim said in a pleasant tone of voice that still had a hint of annoyance that John noticed but not their newly arrived guest. Mim quickly stood with a smile as the young man quickly joined Mim and kissed her hand before the two sat down. "John, this is Miriam gentleman caller. Mister Joseph Mankey. Joseph, this is John Stoppable."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Mim won't stop talking about you." The young man said in a soft voice and a cheerful tone of voice as he offered his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, sir." John said as he tried to be civil but couldn't help but feel part of his heart sink at hearing the words 'gentleman caller.' In other words, he was courting her. Upon shaking Joseph's hand, he couldn't help but notice that he had a rather weak handshake.

Fritz took the seat beside John as several glasses were brought out as well as two bottles. The tall bottle of navy blue glass was a finely aged red wine while the other, and rather robust, large bottle was Tennessee whiskey. While wine was poured into the majority of glasses, Fritz was filled almost to the brim with whiskey.

"So, Mim tells me that you're a police officer. I guess that's a rather exciting line of work." Joseph said in an effort to make conversation.

"Not as exciting as you think. More often, the job involves more paperwork than anything else. But that's no longer my concern."

"Why's that?" Tim asked him.

"I resigned recently."

"You did what?" Mim asked him. "I thought you like your job."

"Too many things have become more about politics lately. My superiors cared more about their image and reputation than trying to actually do their jobs." John said and tried to keep his curtness on the subject under control.

"So you came here for a fresh start?" Joseph asked.

"No, I came to – um." John said but stopped himself.

"He came to help look for Jocelyn." Mim said as the air in the room grew rather heavy.

"Oh." Joseph said and cleared his throat rather awkwardly.

After what seemed like several moments of silence, several dishes were finally brought out that were filled with steaming hot food. There were mashed potatoes, collard greens, yams, and even dinner rolls. The main course was a well seasoned and rather large beef brisket. As all the smells filled John's nostrils, he had to do his best not to drool.

"Some feast, isn't it?" Fritz asked John as he began to fill his plate with rather large portions.

"Our cook is from down south. I do have to admit, they won't be calling me Slim for much longer if she keeps cooking like this." As he and everyone else began to fill their plates.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you do for a living Mr. Mankey?" John asked.

"Joseph is an aspiring writer." Mim said.

"That's how Mim and I met. When I heard that Mim used to be a reporter, I came to her for advice on how to refine my writing technique. From there, our relationship evolved." Joseph said.

"I still say he looks like one of them dandies you see and hear about over in San Francisco." Fritz whispered to John in between bites of brisket.

"Have you published anything?" John asked.

"Not yet. Until then, I work at the Chaney's General Store." Mankey said.

"How is old Chaney? I heard the old goat got himself a case of the clap down at the brothel again." Fritz said and chuckled as Joseph choked on some of his food. "Always said you got to be careful at what you stick your pecker in. Never know when one kooter is as bad as a hornet's nest. That's why I always see Jennie because she always takes precautions."

"Fritz!" Mim scolded at the ranch hand while Tim chuckled to himself.

"As much as we would all love to hear about Fritz's exploits in town," Tim said. "I think we better address the elephant in the room. I appreciate your manners about my daughter, John. If you have questions, you might as well ask them now." Tim said.

"I guess I'll start with the obvious. How did she die?"

"She was found in a ditch not too far from here. She was mauled to death." Mim said.

"Mauled?"

"You can bet dollars to cents that whatever has been killing everyone's livestock is what killed her too. I just hope I'm one of the people that gets to skin the bastard when someone finally fills its guts full of lead." Fritz said.

"What was she doing when she went missing?"

"I told her to check on the horses in the stable. She wanted to go to the town fair instead, but I told her she couldn't go until her chores were done." Tim said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Maybe if I had let her go then she – I don't know anymore." Tim said.

"Uncle, it's okay. We couldn't have known what would happen." Miriam said.

"I'm so sorry." John said. "Where's her mother, if you don't mind me asking."

"Out of state. Her sister is ill and she left to take care of her before the killings started. I can't imagine what she's going through right now." Tim said. "The funeral is tomorrow afternoon. We'd appreciate it if you'd be there."

"Of course. Anything I can do to help." John said.

"Now that's out of the way, we better eat this food before it gets cold." Tim said.

Dinner progressed with a bit of chit chat here and there. How things were progressing in town, the weather, the state of things in the big city before John had left. However, there was still heaviness in the air due to the fact that it seemed that John's trip had been for nothing. After dinner was finished, they all moved into the study to continue their talk. Mankey took a seat at the piano and began to regale them with a rather sweet and slow song that he had heard on the phonograph not too long ago. As Joseph and Miriam chatted while Mankey continued to play, Tim cleared his throat to gain John's attention.

"John, would you care to join me in the lounge? I think I could use a cigar." Tim said.

The trio were soon in the lounge that had a rather decent fire going in it's ornate fireplace while various stuffed and mounted Elk heads overlooked them. There were at least two cabinets that contained various cigars, pipes, and various brands of tobacco while three uniquely design leather chairs were positioned around the fire. Tim opened one cabinet and retrieved a gold box from the top shelf and placed on an end table that was in between two of the chairs to revel finley crafted cigars while their sweet scent seemed to fill the room as if they were freshly made pastries.

"Care for one, John?" Tim asked as he took one and Fritz took another.

"No, thank you. Smoking never really agreed with me."

"That's a shame." Fritz said as he cut the end off of his cigar, bit the tip off he placed in his mouth, and then lit and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling a faint blue puff of smoke. "There's nothing like a hand made Cuban cigar. Unless it was rolled on the thighs of young Cuban beauty."

"Keep it in your pants, Fritz." Tim said as he took a seat in the center chair and waved for John to take a seat next to him. John sat in the leather arm chair and noticed how comfortable it was as Fritz took a seat next to him. As John was beginning to relax, he was surprised to hear a rather frustrated growl to his right. When he looked, he saw a rather large German Shepard looking at him with large brown eyes. "Don't mind him. That's Rufus."

"Does he bite?"

"Only people he doesn't like. He probably thinks you've got food for him." Fritz said.

"H-hello." John said as he tried to lightly pat the dog on the head. The dog growled one more time, causing John to freeze. The dog took a few sniffs of John hand before letting out a loud snort. He took one more look at John and the others before promptly turning and leaving the lounge.

"Don't mind him. He's been moody ever since he was a pup. Give him some time and he'll grow to like you. Maybe." Tim said.

"Maybe?" John asked.

"Rufus happens to be a pretty good judge of character most of the time. Some of the folks he's taken a nip at usually turn out to be assholes. Like that one hand we hired a year ago. He said all the right things and acted the right way, but Rufus never cared for him." Fritz said.

"Then my wife came to the kitchen for a drink and caught him trying to steal some of the silverware. He tried to run, but Rufus got him by the ankle and almost took the skin off of him. I was tempted to let the dog eat him for his morning breakfast." Tim said. "Speaking of which, what do you think of Mankey?"

"Mim's friend?" John asked as he glanced to the study and could hear the two laughing at some story or joke. "To tell you the truth, there's something about him that makes me feel uneasy."

"I told you I wasn't the only one." Fritz said.

"What does that mean?" John asked.

"I always saw Mim as a daughter. Even more so ever since that rubbish at the fair happened. Her taking a shinning to Makey has me a bit worried. What do you think of him?" Tim asked.

"You want my opinion?" John asked.

"You're Miriam's best friend, John. She trusts you as much as she trusts me. So to me, your opinion matters just as much as anyone here."

"Well," John started and glanced back towards the study as he heard another tune start. The song that Joseph was playing now he knew for a fact had romantic overtones. He had heard it played at many a social event when couples wanted to slow dance. "There's something about him that makes my skin crawl." John said out loud as he turned back toward Tim and Fritz.

"You remember what I said earlier tonight? About Chaney?" Fritz asked and John nodded in response. "I said that to see how Monkey,"

"That's Mankey." Tim said.

"I call them as I see them." Fritz said before turning back to John. "I wanted to see how that fop would react. That look in his eyes? That wasn't him being shocked. That was pure panic."

"You mean he's been to the brothel?" John asked.

"I saw that boy sneaking out of there on two separate occasions. Hair that blonde, he sticks out like a skunk smell in a bed of roses. Not to mention that Jennie told me herself that he's a frequent visitor. Just about all the girls are very familiar with him." Fritz said.

"It's now very well known, but there is a rumor that Mr. Mankey will chase after anyone in town with a dress. Supposedly, he had set his eyes on Jocelyn. Thankfully, she wanted nothing to do with man and kept spurning every gesture he made toward her." Tim said.

As John listened to this, a terrible thought immediately entered his mind. He couldn't help it, but it was a side effect from spending so many years as a police officer. As the thought sent shivers down his spine, he quickly turned towards his two hosts.

"You don't think that Mankey may have,"

"No, John. Mankey didn't kill my daughter. The night she went missing, Miriam was at the fair with Mankey. He didn't leave her side the entire time they were there." Tim said. "I imagine he wants to lay claim to my ranch and the money it's worth. So he thinks if he can marry Mim or Jocelyn, he'd inherit it when I finally leave this world. The joke's on him though." Slim said and took a big puff of his cigar and slowly let the smoke escape his lips. "I plan to leave Mim a small parcel of land. Just a few acres and let her work it however she's fit. The rest I'm going to donate to the town and let them turn it into a park or whatever they want to do with it."

"That's awfully generous, Mr. Possible." John said.

"I respect people who forge something for themselves and have no time for people that think they're entitled to something without putting in the work. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to make this ranch what it is and I'm not going to let some pompous little snot throw it all away."

"Amen." Fritz said.

As they all took a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet, they all had noticed that the piano had stopped. As they listened more closely, they could hear the faint sounds of Mim and Joseph talking. After a few more minutes, they heard the front door open and close reluctantly close. Afterwards, it was followed by the soft footsteps of Miriam making her way to the lounge.

"I take it your gentleman caller has left?" Tim asked.

"He has. I was also going to retire for the night. John, can you walk me to my room?" Miriam asked him.

"Certainly. I think I'll be calling it an evening myself. Gentleman, I enjoyed the enlightening conversation." John said as he stood and straightened his shirt as best as he could.

"Good night, you two." Tim said as he and Fritz continued to smoke.

"So what do you think of him, Slim?" Fritz asked.

"Good kid, good judge of character. He still needs to grow up a little more. You?" Tim asked.

"I think he needs to learn how to use his wick." Fritz said.

"God damn it, Fritz. When is your head not in the gutter?"

"Even I don't know the answer to that one." Fritz said with a chuckle.

"So, how long have you and Mankey – been friends?" John asked as they walked up the stairs.

"It's not what you think, John. I'm just trying to help him find his voice when it comes to his writing."

"With love songs on the piano?" John asked.

"We're friends. John. It's just some shameless flirting."

"If you say so, Mim. I just don't want to see your heart broken on top of everything else." John said.

He knew Mim was starting to swoon for Mankey, he could see all the signs. Time and time again he had seen Mim fall for someone and most of the time, they were good people. Then fate, life, or what ever you wanted to call it would intervene and the relationship would crumble. It would be a story, a job, or some character flaw one or the other hadn't noticed or sometimes it would be something incredibly stupid. This time, it looked like they were dealing with a chameleon of sorts. If what her uncle and Fritz were telling him were true, he would have to keep a close eye on Mankey. More importantly, he'd have to find a way to open Mim's eyes. They were too distracted with everything else right now.

"How are you feeling, Mim? Truthfully?" he asked her as they paused at the top of the stairs.

"Honestly, John?" She asked as her eyes began to fill with tears and she began to bite her lower lip. "I'm a wreck." She said she began to sob. John didn't hesitate as he held her in a hug as gently as he could hold her while she buried her face into his shoulder and began to cry. "I keep thinking about it over and over in my head, and I still can't believe it." Mim sobbed.

"Just let it out. Don't hold anything back." John whispered to her.

"I just saw her. She wanted to come to the fair with me and Joseph so much." Mim wept. "I-I told her to listen to her father. I should have just let her go with us. I should have," Mim said, but stopped as she became chocked from her sobbing.

"Mim, don't do this to yourself." He said as he rubbed her back. "Miriam, it wasn't your fault. You had nothing to do with this, do you hear me? Jocelyn's death is not on you." John whispered to her.

"I know. But,"

"Don't, Miriam. It won't do you any good dwelling on what could have been and what ifs. You are not to blame, do you hear me? Your hands are clean." John said.

"I just miss her so much." Miriam wept as they continued to hold each other. Time didn't matter at that moment. Nothing really mattered. His friend was hurting and she needed what help he could give her no matter what form it took. He continued to hold her and stroked her back as he continued to let her weep. As she did so, he could feel his own heart breaking at that moment. He wanted to do so much for her; yearned to help her heal from this trauma to her heart and soul. He couldn't help but feel so powerless in that moment as he heard her cries and felt her tears soak into his shirt. "I'm so sorry, Miriam." He thought to himself.

After uncounted moments of what felt like grief trying to smother her in its almost infinite grasp, Miriam finally found the strength to stand on her own and wipe the remaining tears from her eyes. She took a long quivering breath before she cupped John's cheek in her hand and did her best to give him a smile.

"Thank you, John. I didn't realize how much I needed that." Miriam said.

"Anytime, Mim. You know that I'll always have your back." John said with a grin. "You better get some rest. I imagine tomorrow is going to be a long day for everyone."

"I know." Mim sighed and lowered her hand. "Good night, John." Mim said as she turned and walked upstairs to her room on the third floor. As John watcher her walk away, he expelled a sigh of his own and went to his own room.

"That's the story of my life. Always the friend and nothing more." John whispered to himself as he went into his own room and closed the door behind him.

Tomorrow would be a long day indeed.