Chapter 5
Damon
The normally quiet area behind the House of Eternal Moonlight was crawling with half-dressed doves rubbing sleep from their eyes while huddled together in nervous groups.
Madam Roulette was also present, wrapped in an expensive silk kimono and glaring down from the porch at the nosey neighbors drawn out by the commotion.
Dead bodies are bad for business.
“Oh, thank goodness! Damey, I was worried sick…”
So much for avoiding notice.
Pearl clutched her shawl closer and practically threw herself into my arms. “Oh, it’s simply awful.
Some miners were cuttin’ through the alleyway when they stumbled over a body!
I ran upstairs to find you, and when you weren’t there, I thought…
” She buried her face against my chest and let out an unladylike—unPearl-like—sob.
Oh, no…
I suddenly felt terrible for not telling at least one of the doves that I was going out with Max. Not that I normally needed to share my whereabouts with anyone—aside from the Madam when I was expected to be working—but I’d also never stayed out the entire night before.
In someone else’s bed…
“I, um…” I cleared my throat, already feeling my cheeks heat. “I may have spent the night with Ma—with Mr. Luna…”
Pearl’s head snapped up, tears magically drying before my eyes as a devilish grin stretched across her face. “Ohhh? You’re allowing him to woo you?”
“He’s not—” I snapped before sighing, my lips twitching with a smile. “Yes, I suppose I am.”
She clapped her hands excitedly, drawing unnecessary attention our way. “I knew it! I knew it was meant to be the instant I saw the Two of Cups on your bedroom floor this morning—”
“Damon.” Madam Roulette’s stern voice interrupted Pearl’s dramatics. “A word.”
Here we go.
Bracing myself for a scolding, I trudged to the back porch, assuming she’d overheard my conversation with Pearl and was looking to collect her cut for my “authorized” transaction with Max.
“Forgive me for not confirming my business with you first, Madam. Mr. Luna said he would finalize the exchange of money with you directly…”
I trailed off as she gave me a bewildered look. “Mr. Luna has already paid for your services, Damon. In fact, he has paid off your debt.”
My… debt…?
Pearl—eavesdropping, of course—produced a high-pitched sound behind me, but my brain was still catching up. “W-what do you mean?”
Madam Roulette huffed. “He called it ‘buying your freedom,’ as ridiculous as that sounds, and I gladly accepted. Heaven knows, one less mouth to feed is appreciated ‘round here. Exactly where he acquired such a bounty is beyond me, but who am I to turn away authentic Spanish doubloons?”
Max paid for my freedom…
With doubloons?
It shouldn’t have come as such a shock. He’d made his intentions clear—and paying in pirate treasure certainly fit with his flamboyant character—but I’d still half-expected him to never return, despite the note he’d left.
Which you tucked into your pocket like a romantic keepsake.
“When did he pay you?” I croaked, needing to say something to disguise how mixed up I felt.
The Madam frowned, clearly wanting the conversation to be over. “He brought the chest over early this morning. Rang my bell before first light, which is the only reason we knew this…” she gestured toward the alleyway in annoyance, “had occurred.”
My blood ran cold as a chilling thought occurred to me. “Have they identified the body yet?”
What if it’s Max?
He doesn’t carry a gun…
Roulette eyed me curiously. “Marshal Wallace only just went back there with his men. None of this should concern you as I assume you’ll be packing up to leave us today.”
What?!
Who will protect the doves?
I was saved from answering by Pearl draping herself around me from behind and sneaking in a comforting squeeze. “Don’t we think Damey should stay with us for a little longer, Madam? He only just met Mr. Luna and it would give you time to find a new faro dealer.”
Pearl knew what she was doing, as the Madam immediately nodded curtly. “Yes. As I am being inconvenienced by this sudden development, that would be an acceptable compromise.”
Inconvenienced by a case of Spanish doubloons…
Of course, I was grateful for Pearl’s quick thinking. “Thank you,” I murmured as she led me back to rejoin the others. “I… like Max—more than feels natural—but it is a bit sudden.”
“Damon, I am gonna slap you silly!” Pearl hissed.
“This fine, wealthy gentleman has taken enough shine to you to whisk you away from here and you’re acting a damned fool about it.
You like him ‘more than feels natural?’ That’s called love at first sight, you dunderhead.
You would know that if you’d ever put down your boring books and read a dime novel instead. ”
This wasn’t the first time I’d been on the receiving end of Pearl’s loving tirades, but before I could attempt to calm her, Mattie cut in.
“And if you read anything aside from dime novels, you’d know the dead don’t always stay dead.” She caught my eye and nodded meaningfully. “And that the only thing to appease them is blood and souls to claim as their own.”
What the hell is she talking about?
Before I could ask the Irishwoman to elaborate on what was surely obscure old country lore, the doves started frantically whispering among themselves. Craning my neck, I saw Marshal Wallace had exited the alleyway, followed by two men carrying the body, hastily covered by an old sheet.
What if…
Catching sight of Madam Roulette, the marshal told the others to set down the stretcher and wait before making a beeline for the porch, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the corpse.
“…There’s too much blood to determine cause of death just yet…”
“…Well, I don’t want word of this scaring off my customers…”
“…Move, Clara, I can’t see…”
“…Ain’t nothing to see! He was prolly shot in the neck and knocked himself out…”
“Shot in the neck, my arse,” Mattie scoffed, as if it were unheard of that a drunk should die in an alleyway of their own vices. “Though someone should check his neck…”
Enough of this.
The thought of waiting until sundown to learn whether Max was alive or dead was more than I could bear. Moving swiftly, I circled the cluster of doves and strode toward the body before crouching down and ripping the sheet off its face.
“Damon!” Madam Roulette hollered from the porch as the doves gasped. “What in heaven’s name are you doing?”
I didn’t pay her any mind. My attention was fixed on the dead man’s face—or what I could see of it through the crusted blood.
It's not Max.
I was relieved. Immensely so. In fact, I was glad I was so close to the ground already, as I felt close to collapse.
If it had been Max, I don’t know what I would have done…
Now that my fears had been disproven, I took a closer look, noticing it did appear as if this man had fallen and cracked his skull on the way down. Recalling Mattie’s words, my gaze dropped to his neck—to what looked like puncture wounds.
Was this caused by an animal?
No… the entry points are too clean…
I’d heard of cougars attacking cowboys in the mountains, and I’d occasionally spy a pack of coyotes on the outskirts of town, but both were a rare occurrence in these parts.
Opalite was bustling enough to keep the wild at bay, with train cars full of prospectors and other thrill-seekers arriving nearly every day.
My guess was a piece of mining equipment was used to bash the victim upside the head and he landed on debris on the way down.
Whoever did this is probably long gone by now.
“I wouldn’t touch the evidence if I were you,” one of the marshal’s men muttered out of the corner of his mouth. “They’ll be looking to hang someone over this. That’s the mayor’s kin.”
Rising to stand, I stared down at the dead man, vaguely recognizing him from around town.
Was he one of the drunken revelers from last night…?
“Alright, girls! Everyone inside!” Roulette called out before pointing at me. “You too, Damon. And not a word of this to your clients tonight.”
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of the continued “wooing” promised by Max. We would need to talk about his paying for my “freedom” at some point, but tonight, I simply wanted to be with him.
Perhaps this is love at first sight.
I had no frame of reference for such a concept. Dime novels were not my preferred reading material but, more than anything, I’d simply never assumed romance was in the cards for me.
The cards…
Jogging into the House after the doves, I caught Pearl’s arm before she could disappear into the dining room with the others.
“What does the Two of Cups mean?” I whispered, hoping no one else would overhear.
Pearl smiled slyly. “Well, it depends on how you look at it.”
I huffed, unsure if the ribbing I was about to receive was worth the information. “Never mind… I’ll just—”
“What I mean is that tarot has different meanings depending if the card is upright or upside down, silly.” She smoothed a piece of my hair behind my ear before continuing.
“Upright is a good omen for a blossoming relationship, foretelling connection, balance, compatibility—possibly even your soulmate.”
Her eyes were sparkling with excitement but I couldn’t ignore the feeling of dread in my gut. “What about when it’s upside down?”
Pearl grimaced. “Disharmony, arguments, resentment, a partner who has taken you for granted… but I can’t imagine that happening with Max! He truly does seem to have genuine intentions toward you.”
I sighed, wishing I could be as optimistic. “We don’t know him, Pearl—not really.”
Even if I feel like I’ve known him my whole life…
She squeezed my arm reassuringly. “Well, now you have time to get to know him before you leave us. Make that man work for your hand in matrimony.”
I laughed, playfully shoving her toward her breakfast before heading up the service stairs to the attic, intending to eat later. The last thing I needed was to be seated in the middle of a gaggle of doves famished for fresh gossip.
When I reached my bedroom, I panicked to find the tarot card missing from the floor, but then I spotted it leaning against the candlestick on my chest of drawers.
Pearl must have picked it up for me.
While that was kind, it made it impossible to know which way the card had been facing when it fell to the floor. I also couldn’t clearly recall how it had looked when I first turned it over in Pearl’s room.
It doesn’t matter anyway.
After hanging up my hat and duster, I sat on the edge of the cot to remove my boots, shivering once again at the memory of Max on his knees in service to me.
I hope he allows me to return the favor soon.
Then I laid on the bed, intending to only close my eyes for a moment. Instead, I fell into a deep sleep—as if the lid of a coffin had been closed, sealing me off from the rest of the world while I dreamed of two cups circling each other for all eternity.