Paradise (closed)

[thepoeticmaster2121]

The sun was setting casting the dusty dessert like town in a golden hue, the men and women of paradise walked to their houses chatting with each other happily as they went to retire from the night and get out of the hot dessert sun. The town was still growing but right now it was nothing more than a quaint collection of houses situated right against a few mountains. A few farms laid nestled a couple miles out and as the night began to grow the farmhands worked to get the animals ready for a good nights sleep.

Of course not every thing was quite in Paradise

“Here she is boss”

Alex Tiberius Stone led his horse to a stop and jumped off, his boots creating small plums of dust as he dropped onto the ground he ignored the dead girl a few feet away from him and turned grabbing the leather handle on his saddle and tying his horse up. He made sure she was secured before finally turning and stepping into the small light of the lanterns his deputy had set up. Most of them stepped away giving the intimidating man a wide berth as he knelt down to examine the body.

Alex was an intimidating man, at 6 feet he towered over most and also was a hulk of a man from his time spent farming. Strong and defined was a running theme with his body and every thing from the cut of his chin to his shaved black hair spoke about how serious and handsome he was. He currently had on a simple pair of cowboy boots, black riding pants, and a white shirt, a brown duster hung from his body swishing against the sand as he took off his hat and studied the dead women.

She was from the bordello in town a nice young girl he had seen plying her wares when he passed the simple building. Since he rarely frequented the bordello he didn’t know her name but he could tell that she had been killed with a hunting knife. Whoever had cut her up didn’t leave it with the body which meant they had either tossed it or kept it with them, of course some body with a knife didn’t narrow it down at all and any one in this town could have done it.

Which meant he needed to find out who her client was tonight

“Have Doc come take a look” Alex said to one of his deputies as he straightened up and went back to Shadow his horse “One of you stay here and keep detailed notes of what he says just like I taught you”

“What about the rest of us Sheriff?” One of his deputies asked

“I’ll go see the madam alone” Alex explained putting his hat back on and turning to look at them “the rest of you go back to your families this can keep until morning”

But the Mayor said?”

“I know what the mayor said” Alex growled his hands tightening on the leather handle “but there isn’t nothing more we can do tonight and he already wrestled you all out of bed I’ll handle him”

He turned and nudged shadow forward sending her barreling down the road before they could argue with him any more, the worse part was the Mayor probably would get angry he had sent them home he and the madam had some kind of “Arrangement” together which meant that when word first came of the murder the Mayor had ordered the entire department to get up and figure out who did it. He usually had to beg and plead to get more manpower and funding from the conniving snake but of course the madam got whatever she needed from him.

It made his blood boil so he put a stop to that thought and instead focused on finding out who had killed the young woman, he was a lawful man and the thought of innocent blood getting spilled was enough for him to grow serious. He would find out who killed the girl and he would get his justice no matter what her profession.

Alex reached the simple house that functioned as the bordello and tied his horse up, he ran a hand against her neck and smiled when she snorted and inclined her head towards the door. He shook her head and stepped up to the door entering it and telling the girl at the door he was here to see the madam. Alex sat down on one of the couches and took his hat off waiting like a gentleman.

Just like his mother had taught him to be

 

[slippedhalo]

They called the Madam Miss Red. It had begun as a nickname and conveniently enough had evolved into her business pseudonym. Her long waves of fiery red hair inherited by her Irish mother had been the reason she was called Red. But, it was her sharp, emerald green eyes which missed nothing. The smokey room was full of regulars, playing cards in the lounge, having a drink at the bar, making acquaintance with one of her early shift girls. She had two shifts of eight. The cleaning staff, cook, and bartender included meant she employed twenty two people. The Mayor Tom Brent, sent a plain clothed man to keep an eye on the downstairs areas when Red herself was off on her own personal time or, on rare occasions, taking on a client herself. By now, only very wealthy, old friends, or the mayor himself could request Red's private company. All others were welcome to make use of the rest of her staff instead.

She'd worked hard to get to the point in life she had was in now. One of the primary investors in the town. Her early seed money for the brothel had been inherited through a wealthy husband three times her age. A prospector for gold, she'd gotten rich by marrying the old prospector. He'd met her when she was an actress and he'd recently struck it big early on, but his health was poor and cancer took him just sixteen months into their marriage, leaving his young widow of just seventeen years old quite rich. Investing in this town, she was able to afford a seat on the board of directors, the only woman there and essentially, one of the people who paid the mayor his salary. This made him and most of the townspeople beholden to her. The more sexist of the bunch couldn't stand knowing a woman was so successful at the top if their financial food chain. Women came later, wives and families of the prospectors, railroaders, and founders...those women usually hated her or pretended not to know she and her girls existed. But, they owed her too. Without her kind these men would have driven themselves crazy. No women for miles around besides whores for almost ten years. Her brothel had opened up and served to aleve these men's loneliness far before the church now trying to shut her business down with their guilt and false morality.

Red looked up from the table where she'd just poured Colby Baxter a whiskey and saw the sheriff enter looking weary and more than annoyed. With an apologetic smile to Baxter and a tilt of her chin to Sara from across the room to silently order the long legged brunette to take her place and keep this client happy while Red moved to glide across the lounge, meeting the sheriff just inside the entryway. "Well, Sheriff. To what do I owe the honor of your presence?" She said with a friendly, professional smile. " Let me get you a drink. Come, have a seat."

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

He paused surprised at her smile and calm nature, did the mayor not tell her? He had assumed the Mayor would have sent word to her before him but maybe he was wrong. If she didn’t know that meant that he was going to have to tell her which was scary enough to make even the hardened Sheriff shiver. He may be annoyed with the amount of pull Ms. Red had on the small flourishing town but even he knew how powerful she was and how dangerous it was to get on her bad side.

It was still his job and even though informing the next of kin was some thing he utterly hated he still had to do it, so the cowboy turned Sheriff got up and after thanking the women who took his duster and hat went over to the table Ms. Red gestured to and sat down with her. He watched her closely as one of his girls got them both whiskeys trying to figure her out like he did with so many others. Being good with people was one of the reasons he was the Sheriff (and why no one ever played poker with him to boot) but Ms. Red was too difficult to read. He could tell she was a hard women and judging by her current profession, knew how to handle men and every one else who came into her house.

“Thank you for the drink” Alex said always the gentleman “I uh thought you knew but one of your girls was just found dead in a alleyway by the general store the Mayor requested for me to drop my other cases and to give this one my full attention so I would like to ask you some questions about her” he explained draining his whiskey and leaning back to study her.

“Do you know the girl?” He questioned before smiling” I mean do you know what girl I might be talking about blonde hair blue eyes petite and pale?”

 

[slippedhalo]

Red blanched, instantly, her gut clenched. "Oh God! One of my..." She looked around the room. All of the early shift was in the house working. This meant late shift, "Petite blonde...oh no...Eloise! But, she's our little angel! Everybody loves Ellie...loved, oh God, she's...who could have harmed Ellie?" She felt close to sick. "Please, could you help me to my room? I think we need to talk more privately... and I don't want to risk fainting, vomiting or crying in front of my people here."

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

“Of course Miss” Alex said standing up and quickly helping the woman to her feet. He escorted her up the staircase and into the room she pointed out. He wasn’t surprised by her reaction it was well known how much Ms. Red cared for her girls and wanted them to be okay. He supposed it was some thing they had in common in a way since both of them were loyal to their people and wanted to make sure they were okay.

He closed the door and locked it before pulling a small silver flask out of his pockets, it was one of the few things his father had left him and it was more or less his good luck charm or his pick me up whenever the situated warranted it.

“Here” Alex said handing it to her before sitting down in one of the chairs “so her name was ellie?”

 

[slippedhalo]

"Ellie...Eloise Hamelin. Fresh off a Wisconsin farm. She hadn't even been here a half year yet." Answered Red, taking a big swig from the flask offered to her. She thanked him, handing the flask back before digging a handkerchief from out of her ample décolletage to wipe the tears she felt escaping her eyes. "Young, you know, a singer...her whole life ahead...She mentioned problems with her step father back home before moving out here. Like so many of us, prostitution was paying the bills to hopefully lead her to a brighter future."

The anger boiled over through the sorrow and she threw her haurbrush across the room in the opposite direction from the sheriff. It slammed against the wall loudly and fell harmlessly onto the bed. "We're treated like garbage! It's not fair!...I can't believe Tom never said anything. He was just here this afternoon." By the familiar Tom, she referred to the town mayor.

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

“I am sorry for your loss” Alex said watching her closely as she showed both sadness and anger, he knew what it was like to lose some one. Just last week he had been attending one of his deputies funeral a poor young man who was shot while they were raiding a bandit house, bandits were becoming more and more of a problem as they tried to make a profit off of the growing town nestled in the outskirts of the frontier.

Of course the Mayor hadn’t let him recruit any more manpower

Her casual mention of the Mayor and calling him by his first name angered him, and he used his own considerable strength to force the anger back and focus on helping her. Getting angry was going to help avenge the poor girl who had lost her life and the faster he dealt with her the faster he could move on with his investigation.

“I understand your anger” Alex said speaking calmly “but I won’t let the person who killed your worker get away with this no matter what her profession is murder is still murder and last I checked it was still illegal so I will be bringing them in”

 

[slippedhalo]

"Maybe you might want to see her room." Red offered. "Ellie's room is just at the end of the hall, room six. I honestly believed she was in there this evening, preparing for her late shift which starts around eleven pm...Oh God, she probably hasn't been at home all day! I have no idea what her room could look like. What if it was her last client? He could have been here, right under our noses! What if she was here calling for my help and help never came?! Poor Ellie!" At this idea, the thought that one of her girls might have needed her, dying while waiting for someone to come help her, Red dissolved into tears.

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

“Why don’t I go check the room?” Alex asked getting up and putting his flask back into his pocket “Which will give you time to compose your self I am sorry for your loss but I’d like to focus on bringing her killer to justice not mourning her right now” He explained before turning on his heel. He walked down the hall ignoring the girls smiling at him and instead going to the girl, Ellies room. It was a simple room with simple furnishings and a nice bed it looked like it could have belonged to any girl and their was no hint about the women’s true profession or her final client.

He searched the entire room but came up with nothing, some one had to have seen some thing though! If every one thought she was getting ready for her shift than that meant she had to have been home when she was taken which meant the girls had to have seen some thing. He needed to question them, all which meant putting a stop to the “services” being performed tonight.

“I need you to close the house tonight” Alex said walking back in to Ms. Red’s room and leaning against the door “No clients until I am done questioning all the girls”

 

[slippedhalo]

Red was distraught. It did take a moment for her to compose herself before she gritted her teeth in an obviously restrained grin and questioned the sheriffs' sanity. "Are you crazy? And what will the police department do to recoup my losses? How will you explain this to clientelle? If word gets out not only is my business in danger but so is the investigation. Rumor travels fast around here, sheriff, and the killer will skip town faster than Miss Millie gets down on her knees if you tell any of the clients, or even my girls why you're here."

She wiped her face once more for good measure and pulled his lapel to bring his face closer to hers', "Play it cool. Act ad if you're interviewing about a petty thievery but say nobody leaves or enters until you've gotten the information you're here for. And...you also act as if you're buying some service on the side from me in the meantime. My people understand corrupt officials. We rarely trust law and order types who act all sanctimonious and clean...take my advice here. Play this smart, Sheriff."

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

“Don’t tell me how to do my job!” Alex growled gently taking her hands and removing them from his lapel before walking over to the door “I don’t give a damn about your losses odds are that the killer is some one who lives in this town some one who has been listening to the reverends ranting’s and come to believe them he isn’t going to just up and leave because he probably has a family” He said leaning against the door frame and watching her his eyes narrowed in frustration “besides plenty of people were already at the crime scene I wouldn’t be surprised if some of your clients saw the women and came to see if their favorites were being well protected”

“I want to catch this killer frankly I could give a damn about your bottom line” He said pinching the bridge of his nose “so either you find a legitimate reason to close the house for clients or I tell them to leave as sheriff it’s your choice”

 

[slippedhalo]

"You're an idiot." Red retorted. "Tom will have both our asses for this. Be prepared for a bill." She said, walking away from him to gently break the news to patrons one by one in hushed tones but with an expression which belied her inner worry. Outside she looked calm and only slightly annoyed.

Once the last man had left and bewildered staff waited in the main lounge she turned to him, " ...your show now, sheriff. Don't fuck it up too badly. I'll be in my room if anybody needs me."

The remaining ladies and staff watched their boss lady leave then all eyes were on him.

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

“I am sure you will” Alex said rolling his eyes and ignoring her other comment about the mayor, she was technically right the Mayor would be angry that he had shut down the house for the night but frankly he did not care his deputy was the political one and he could handle the Mayor better than Alex could. He waited in the lobby until every last man was out, he ignored the don’t fuck it up comment and instead got to business. The girls were all upset about the murder but after he calmed them down they all were more than ready to help.

He interviewed every one of them even the ones not on the job or “occupied”, he didn’t learn that much except that Ellie had been receiving letters and flowers from a mysterious admirer. The girl was new to the business so when the man started talking about taking her away and marrying her, the naïve girl had been swept off her feet by him. The last time any one had seen her she was running off to meet him before her shift.

“Thank you” Alex said getting up and putting away his notebook “I’m going to put another deputy in the lobby but until this is cleared up travel in pairs and never go any where alone” He said waiting until the girls all nodded before turning on his heel.

He walked up to Ms. Red’s room and knocked before entering “I finished my interview turns out Ellie had a secret admirer and she ran off to meet him before her shift do you know any thing about him?”

 

[slippedhalo]

She'd gone to her room, filled the wash basin with boiled water, and removed her things. A sponge bath seemed like just the thing to soothe her freyed nerves. She tried to think of good things while washing herself and not dwelling on the sweet, nearly iinnocent, Ellie but the girl kept popping into her thoughts. The tears flowed freely now that she was alone to shed them.

The knock was followed by the knob turning before she could do much to cover up. Red looked up with annoyance in her features as Alex stood there telling her the update about the lover of Ellie. "You could have waited to be invited inside. But, whatever, come in....No, I had no idea she fancied herself having a beau."

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

Alex ignored the fact that she was in the tub averting his eyes as he sat in the chair next to the basin “I am sorry Ma’am” he said keeping his eyes on the roof “I thought you said I could come in I figured you wanted a update before I left”

“I’m going to see if I can find a letter he wrote to her” Alex said scratching the back of his neck and ignoring the image of her naked body in his mind “If I can get some thing that he wrote I can compare it to the handwriting of the people in the town but so far I haven’t found a single letter in her room and I’m afraid the killer might have taken them all

 

[slippedhalo]

"Alright. I'll let you know if I find or hear anything else. Now, unless you plan on plunking half your paycheck on my night stand the peep show doesn't continue for free. Get the hell out of here. I'll see you tomorrow." Said Red.

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

Alex eyes narrowed and with great restraint he got up and turned towards the door “have a nice night Ma’am” he said forcing the words out a civilly as possible, before going to the door and closing it. Once out of her sight he quickly left all but stomping out of the house and to Shadow. She could tell he was upset but he climbed on and guided her away from the house before she could give him a curious snicker.

He ignored the anger he was feeling for Ms. Red and instead focused on what he had learned of the girl, it was well known that not every citizen of Paradise approved of the Bordello. The church heavily opposed it and the Reverend especially was known as a person who preached about the evils of prostitution every Sunday. Was he the one behind it? He was a man of god and killing was a sin that didn’t mean he was completely above it but some thing in his gut told him the straight laced preacher wouldn’t stoop so low.

Which still left him nowhere

He decided not to go home and instead brought Shadow back to the police station, he busied himself all night reading the corners report (nothing exciting just her time of death and cause) there wasn’t a single letter on her but one of the old men coming back form the bar said she was traveling with a suitcase. Was she about to run off with him? If so then she would have taken most of the letters as a keepsake and the killer probably took the letters to keep him self from getting caught.

“Sir?”

The deputies voice shook him out of his state of semi sleep and he turned looking and blinking at the sudden sunlight that filled his office, he had been here all night palming through the evidence and trying to come up with a suspect. Without the letters he was nowhere which meant he needed to find a letter or else he would get nowhere.

“I’m going back to the house” Alex said getting out of his chair and grabbing his hat “I want you to go question our good Reverend and see if he knows any thing about it”

He didn’t bother waiting to see if the deputy nodded and instead walked back outside and went back over to the bordello. He reached the house just as the sun finished rising and hung in the sky above them, he walked in and put his hat down nodding at the girls walking and looking for Ms. Red.

 

[slippedhalo]

The morning in the brothel had been terrible. Too many girls to counsel, reassure of safety, too many questions Red couldn't really answer. It wasn't even eleven yet and with no clientelle to distract her from the aftermath of Ellie's murder and its harsh realities and all she wanted to do was climb back into bed and dream of better times.

The sheriff was back. She looked at him from across the room warily. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" She asked politely, ever the hostess.

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

“Sure” Alex said noticing the somber state of the brothel and trying the best to be as polite as her, she could tell they were all upset about what had happened to their friend and him being a jerk wasn’t going to help that. Instead he simply put his hat and coat away and sat down watching her as he sipped his coffee.

“Can we talk?” Alex asked watching her “some where alone and in private?” he asked looking around at the girls.

 

[slippedhalo]

"My room. You can bring your coffee." Replied Red, moving to slide from the bar stool and lead the way up to her room where they shut and locked the door before she looked him in the eyes again, her's silently pleading for an end to the suffering of not knowing...

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

“I’m sorry” Alex said sighing and seeing that look in her eyes knowing what she wanted from him, but he was out of options he searched her room top and bottom and their was no trace of a single letter. He took her hand and looked into her eyes trying to provide her with some comfort.

“With out a letter my hands our tied” Alex said keeping a firm grin on her hand “whoever killed her was smart enough to take them all and with out them I can’t compare hand writing and figure out who did it I’m sorry but were aren’t going to find the killer this way”

 

[slippedhalo]

"What do we do now? " asked Red. "How am I supposed to go about making my girls feel safe now? And Ellie...I telegrammed her folks this morning. I don't know if I can face them...They thought she was out here singing and acting in a successful show. It's bad enough to tell someone their only daughter has been murdered but worse to say we have no leads in finding her killer AND she's been prostituting the past year! I can't do it!"

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

“I am sure uh Tim will be more than willing to pretend like she was performing in the bar” Alex said frowning and trying to come up with a answer that she could use “I don’t think you have to tell them she is a prostitute its your choice but I am sure every one would be willing to pretend other wise”

“As for her murderer” Alex said his eyes narrowing as a sudden thought hatched to life inside his head, a idea that maybe could give them what they both wanted “I think I have a solution a way of catching the killer” Alex said getting up and pacing excitedly “none of your girls have told any one what happened right?”

 

[slippedhalo]

"Uh, no. I don't think so." Said Red. She didn't know if she should mention the letter she'd received that morning, no name, no return address...Just like the anonymous demands of the man who'd forced her into this business and had been blackmailing her since the covered up murder of her husband years ago...

Julia had been on her way back from rehearsal at the local theater when she saw the front door was wide open. The hall was a mess, as if someone had forced their way in. Then, the scandalously young bride entered her front parlor to see a man standing with a gun held to her husbands' bloodied face. Before she knew it, she'd been forced to the floor, raped there with her husband blubbering, tied up and helpless, from across the room.

The rest of the evening had been a blur but it ended with the old coroner signing false cause of death papers at gunpoint, right before the couple, stating heart attack then her Jack being shot in the face. His body taken into the backyard and cremated on the spot by the masked man's goons. Apparently Jack gambled. Apparently Jack owed far more money than he could ever pay up alive. So Julia had been given instructions on what to do to pay off his debts and keep herself and all close to her from ending up like him.

She became a rich widow and used her money to influence town council the way her blackmailer ordered.
She struck up a friendship with the Mayor as per the blackmailer's instructions.
She opened a tavern and inn, later to become a brothel.
Despite her protests, she worked as a whore, then when there were more employees, as a madam. Forty-five percent of her profits every month were sent to an address, a post office box somewhere in North Dakota...no name.

For ten years she'd lived with this proverbial gun to her head, her life not her own. Creating the persona of Red had been a great way for her to keep her true self separate from the dispicable acts she had to perform daily to keep herself and others safe.

Somehow, she failed.
This mornings' mail told her as much.
'50% or more will go and J. shall be the last to know.'

Red buried her fears deep, soldiering on. She sighed, "What do you have in mind, Sheriff?"

 

[thepoeticmaster2121]

I have seen a lot of murders in my time” Alex said not even noticing her inner turmoil in fear; he was in planning mode focusing on a way of catching the criminal and bringing him to justice. If there was one thing Alex had it was a strong sense of justice and he couldn’t……. Wouldn’t let some one get away with murder in his town.

“The man who did this was very arrogant he cut her up in a empty street and raped her” Alex said not even realizing that his words might upset her “So if he thinks he got away with it then I would bet my hat that he would do it again especially if he doesn’t think any of your girls know about the letter thing”

“My idea is to drop the investigation for now” Alex said turning to her “Pretend like we can’t find any thing you already have one of my deputies here and all we need to do is wait for the man to begin again and we can catch him I’ll stay here most of the day “pretending” to buy your services that way I can be here if some thing goes down”