Deadman

“Courier!” I yelled, keeping my hands up, but readying myself to make a dive behind my cart if necessary.

The group kept their guns on me, but I saw heads turn, and could hear faint words being exchanged. Eventually JD appeared at the top of the gate and eyed me, before exchanging some words with the rest of the group. “Approach.”

I did so, slowly. This was a very different welcome than the last time. I’d had guns on me and been threatened, but this time I could practically taste the hostility in the air. Their guns never left me as I approached, and once I was at the gate, it was opened and a man and woman came out. The woman threw the butt of her gun at my face. I could’ve dodged it, but I could tell people were twitchy and didn’t want to risk getting riddled with holes again so soon.

The blow stung, and I let it put me on my knees. Taking note of the fact that I could grab her and have a hostage in seconds if need be.

JD came out and held a pistol to my head. “Where’s the girl?”

That explained it. A missing person was usually a good reason to threaten any nearby deadman. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He held the pistol closer, pressing it against my forehead. “You were the last outsider here before she went missing.”

I sighed, it’s tiring to deal with this type of thing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been in Boon. Check the cart. I’m certain you’ll see letters and packages addressed to some of your people. I assume a girl is missing? It wouldn’t be possible for me to slip back into Kind after you all watched me leave, take a girl, then still manage to get to Boon and back on the main roads within a week?” I didn’t mention the fact that I’d taken a shortcut, but I didn’t think it would help the current situation.

Doubt clouded JD and the other two’s expressions.

“If you’d just let me grab one of the bags, I’m sure I can pull something out that’ll show you.”

JD took the gun off my head and gestured for me to move back to the cart. I had a fleeting desire to dive behind the cart and start unloading on everyone, but this wasn’t like Porto. I was exposed in broad daylight and everyone knew exactly where I was. Maybe once I got that ability Leah had used on me I’d be able to handle something like this.

I grabbed a bag and hauled it to the top, making sure everyone could see what I was doing. I sifted through for a few moments before finding a letter from Boon to Kind. “Is there a Denise here?” I asked.

The woman that had hit me with her rifle took a hand off it to raise her hand. I walked over to her and handed it to her. She pulled a small knife from her waist and tore open the letter. She read for a few moments before looking up at JD and nodding.

He nodded back, and lowered his pistol. “Alright, you can come in.”

I nodded. I wasn’t surprised there was no apology, just a little tinge of disappointment. I wiped some dried blood from my face where Denise had hit me, noting that the cut from it was already healed.

The gate was opened wider to allow for myself and my cart to enter the town. The people on the walls kept their eyes on me, though their guns were lowered. When I made it to the center of town I unloaded the cart in the same place as last time and watched a procession of people come and go to pick things up. There were no attempts at kindness or smiles this time around, but at least that made things go by quicker.

I looked over to JD “I’m headed to Davis next. You know what to do.”

He nodded. “Stay out of the main stretch. You can go to Tim's.”

I didn’t bother to respond, just walked toward the edge of town where they kept the bar. As I walked I passed by the bald man that had threatened me the first time I came through. He sneered and spat in my direction, only missing because I didn’t stop moving. The settlement wasn’t feeling very kind anymore.

When I reached the bar I saw no regulars piled up outside, and when I entered I didn’t see or hear anyone either. I walked up to the counter and rapped my knuckles on it twice. After a few moments I saw Tim poke his head out slowly, not revealing himself completely until he saw that it was me.

“Donovan?”

I pulled down my bandana and goggles. “No one else with a face like mine.”

He walked the rest of the way to the bar. “I’m surprised they let you in.”

“They were more interested in shooting me at first, but once it was clear I had letters from Boon they let me through. I take it someone’s missing.”

Tim nodded glumly. “Mary Bell. She up and vanished a day or so after you left.”

I picked at my teeth with my nails for a moment. “They stop coming to your bar after it happened?”

“Yeah, guess everyone’s too sad to drink.”

I sighed. “That the reason you came up with to make yourself feel better?”

His face scrunched up a bit. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Listen, I don’t want to fight you. I just want to repeat the advice I gave you before I left. Leave. It’s only going to get worse. Every town eventually turns its deadman mascot into a scapegoat the first chance it gets. I have an extra pistol and Davis isn’t a long trip from here. You give a gravedigger my name and you’ll be all set for a trip to Pott’s.”

Tim showed his teeth. “This. Is. My. Home.”

I shook my head and dropped the subject. If the boy wanted to stay in Kind and die, that was his business. I took out the dead lizards from the bag and tossed them to him. “Found those in a deadzone, thought you may want some more radded meat.”

He stared at me angrily for a few moments, but he eventually took the food and went to the back, then came out and poured me some hooch before sitting behind the bar and sulking.

I drank, and sat. This kid was going to die of stubborness because any town with a problem always blamed the other. It was stupid and there was nothing I could do.

Except… there was something I could do this time. I brought up the R.A.S. and thought through the Marshall menus until I found what I was looking for.

Open an investigation on the disappearance of Mary Bell? Y/N

I hit yes and the investigation was added to a log of sorts at the bottom of my sheet. I looked up at Tim. “Tell me what you know about this girl that disappeared.”

He looked up at me. “Why do you care?”

I double checked that the bar was empty. “I’m a Marshall. I’m going to solve this one for Kind. Better than another deadman hung for something he didn’t do.”

Tim’s eyes widened. “A Marshall? A deadman Marshall? Never heard of such a thing”

“I’m new to the job. Just tell me what you know. I’m sure you’ve heard some things even with the few regulars you have.”

His expression grew thoughtful. “Well, she’s a bit younger than me. Maybe seventeen? Her parents farm on the west side of town. Jeremy, you stepped over him on the way in last week, he mentioned she’s a hell of a dancer. They do dancing in town once a month.”

“Any idea who she hangs out with? Who her friends are?”

Tim looked sad. “I, uh, wouldn’t know.”

I sighed. I was going to need to do this the hard way. “Where’s the mayor?”

“Boss? He’d be at the cantina about now.”

“Thank you.” I stood up, took the silver Marshall star I’d taken from my predecessor, and pinned it on my chest. Then walked out of the bar.

“Where are you going?”

“To let people know I’m taking charge of the investigation.” I pushed my way out, leaving Tim behind and making a beeline for the bisected cesna that sat at the center of town. I got a few looks, but with my goggles off the stare I returned their way kept anyone from objecting to me walking through town. When I reached it, a hush fell over those gathered there. There were people eating at long tables laid out with food for the entire town and on the top level of the cantina sat an enormously fat man looking down at the crowd. I wondered how they could possibly tithe enough food to the Iron Horde while supporting a man of such enormous girth.

I saw JD and a few other stand, he approached me with his hand resting on his pistol. “Can we help you Postman? I believe I told you this part of town is off limits.”

“You can call me Marshall from here on.” I brushed my hand against the badge freshly pinned to my chest and dropped my Under Cover ability. “Your Mayor can confirm it.”

I could see a flash of annoyance on the fat man’s face, but he looked closely at me for a moment and corrected his expression to something more affable before standing. “Well I’ll be. A deadman Marshall.” The man’s voice was vaguely musical and reminded me of Tim’s.

“I’m taking on the investigation of your missing girl.”

That caused a stir and for a moment the hush was broken by exclamations until the mayor stood and held out a hand for everyone to stop talking. “I appreciate you offerin, but we can take care of our own here in Kind.”

“I wasn’t asking. I’ll be taking over. Clearly you don’t know what you’re doing.” I kept myself steady. I’d never addressed this many people before and I felt the heat of all their eyes on me in a way that I was unfamiliar with.

Boss stared at me. I could see a kind of mental calculation playing across his face as he did.

Denise, the woman who’d brained me earlier stood up. “I say we give him a shot. Never heard of a Marshall not getting their man. ‘Sides, he brought our mail back and forth without dying. That’s gotta be worth something.”

I heard some muttering in the affirmative from the group, but an almost equal amount of dissension.

One man stood, "The letter I got from my brother that said he saved a bunch of the people in Boon!"

The bald man stood up. “We should just drive this filthy cannibal out of town!”

I placed my hand on my pistol and looked him dead in the eye. “You can try, but I’m gonna find that girl whether I’ve killed you or not.”

That quieted everyone down again. This was a gamble. I was relying heavily on my appearance and my status as a Marshall, but at the same time it felt good. I was used to shrinking down, it was nice to put it all out there for a change.

Boss spoke up. “Alright Marshall. Have it your way. We don’t want any trouble. JD, lead the man down to the Bell farm. Help him bring that girl home.”

JD nodded at Boss and walked over to me. The noise of the cantina slowly grew back to the level it was at as he did so and I watched Boss lean over and whisper in the ears of a couple men sitting next to him.

“Bell farm's on the west end of town. Best let me introduce you before you ask them anything.”

I pulled my goggles down and began following him. “You gonna pull a gun on them? That’s usually how people introduce themselves to me.”