“The Wild West medicine man, they take all your money, and they steal your land.
The Wild West medicine man is here.”
- Kally O’Mally, “The Wild West Medicine Show”
April 26, 1875 - 6:10 PM
Dusthaven town square
Cole finally decided that, since the only thing in town to do right now seemed to be the medicine show, that he may as well go. Besides, Geneviève would be there, and he really wanted to see her again. So he paid for a hot bath and a shave, and then exited the hotel for the town square.
The medicine show was quite a spectacle, putting to shame even the best mountebank of old England. Before the real show began, there were a mix of entertainment acts, including music, juggling, magic tricks, skits, and even exotic dances, all to draw in a crowd. Unfortunately for Doctor Ezekiel, it seemed that despite their quality, and the festive atmosphere, the acts were not enough to entice many of the people of Dusthaven out of their homes.
Cole was surprised to see the low turnout, but he does notice Orin Owley among the crowd, with a dozen roses in hand. “What are you going to do with those?” Cole asked him.
“They’re for Geneviève,” Owley told him. “I’m going to see her after the show.” Cole didn’t say anything, but he wondered how someone who looked like him would ever compete with the handsome and debonair railroad man for Geneviève’s affections. While he was thinking about this, Geneviève’s portion of the show came up, and suddenly he could not think at all.
Geneviève’s acting was, he thought, superb, and the saloon dancer dress she wore that showed of her shapely knees didn’t hurt either. She did a wild can-can dance that he found totally intriguing, and he noticed that Owley seemed of the same opinion. The rest of the meager crowd seemed less enamored.
When the time came to sell Dr. Ezekiel’s “patented Korean water snake oil”, it appeared that few were buying, even though Dr. Ezekiel was a very smooth talker. Cole asked Owley why the crowd didn’t seem very excited about the show, since it seemed good to him. Owley thought that over for a moment.
“Could be trouble in the mines,” he said. “Or it could be that preacher around here. He’s got all the people riled up and suspicious of everyone, including the railroad.”
Dr. Ezekiel didn't demonstrate much emotion towards the locals not buying his patent cure-all, although Cole couldn't imagine he'd be very pleased by this either. As the show ended, Cole noted that some of the crew were already packing up to move towards greener pastures. He didn't pay much attention to that, though, as he was trying frantically and unsuccessfully to beat Owley to Genivive's dressing area. Owley noticed the intent, and did his best to prevent it too.
The two arrived to Geneviève’s dressing area, at the same time. Although Cole had not seen her leave, she was not in her dressing room. Everything appeared to be in place. The only unusual thing was a wanted poster for Rhett "Viper" Callahan on her dressing table. There were no signs of a struggle that Cole could discern.
Owley picked up the poster, and snorted derisively. “A train robber.” Cole remembered seeing this same wanted poster on the bulletin board at the train station. Callahan was indeed wanted for train robbery according to the posters. There was nothing in the dressing area to indicate what Geneviève’s interest in the wanted poster might be, although there was a substantial reward for Callahan's capture.
Owley left the dressing area, and hunted up as many of the other performers and roustabouts as he could find. He obviously wasn’t keen on sharing information with Cole, but he did manage to overhear several of the conversations. None of them had seen Geneviève since her performance, but one of the roustabouts mentioned seeing her talking to someone named Weston Kane before she went on.
The roustabout told Owley that Kane was a bounty hunter, a rakish sort of chap, and he and Geneviève had become quite the item in recent weeks, as well as a rich source for gossip among the medicine show performers. This obviously disappointed Owley and he left looking somewhat dejected, apparently having accepted the explanation that she had gone off with the bounty hunter.
Cole, on the other hand, still wanted to make sure Geneviève was safe, particularly with someone like Viper Callahan lurking about in the shadows. He asked around a bit on his own - but the performers could tell him little more, until one of them pointed out Weston Kane standing near the dressing area. Geneviève was not with him, and he looked about frantically.
“Have you seen Miss Geneviève Starr since the show let out?” He asked Cole, before Cole could ask him anything. When Cole shook his head, the bounty hunter started questioning the performers even more strenuously, completely ignoring him.
Cole went back into the dressing area. It bore some signs that Kane had looked through a few things, and he had tossed aside the Callahan wanted poster, but it didn’t look like he had uncovered anything that Cole and Owley had not seen last time.
Finally, Cole was forced to accept that he was not equipped to find Geneviève by himself. Dejected, he went back to the saloon, half expecting to be the only customer with the sparsely-attended medicine show. When he entered, he saw only one other person, an older man wearing a cleric’s collar. He could only guess that this was the preacher Owley had spoken of before.
Cole sat down, hoping to be left alone, but the preacher got up, and sidled over to Cole’s table, bringing a bottle of rotgut firewater with him. “Well, stranger,” the preacher began, “What did you make of that circus of quackery and deception?”
“Never seen anything quite like it,” said Cole.
The reverend brayed raucous laughter. “I bet not.”
“Seemed a bit sparsely attended, though. I heard those affairs were always a big do out here.”
The reverend poured himself another glass of rotgut. “Mmm. Well, people around here are suspicious, especially with all the folk going missing.”
“People have been vanishing?” Cole asked, interested now. “Have there been many?”
“Yep. Some people blame the railroad. Can’t blame ‘em. That railroad done this town dirty seven ways to Sunday when they came through here. I imagine they’re fixing to hurt the Apaches now, and maybe even you. But I don’t think they’re behind this.”
“Who do you think it is?” Cole asked.
“Let’s just say, it’s somethin’ that old Doctor Ezekiel’s medicine won’t protect you from. It’s those devils in the canyons.”
“Devils?” Cole was not quite sure of what to make of that.
“Always lurking about, on the edge of the light. Waiting for you to put your guard down. Ready to drag you off and do God knows what to you under the dark of the moon.”
“Maybe they came out of that bottle.” said Cole. The preacher frowned at him.
“There’s all manner of things out in the canyons,” he said. “Coyotes. Injuns. Outlaws. Railroad regulators. These are worse than all of them. The Devil’s own.”
“Well, thank you for the warning, good sir.” Cole stood up. “But I suddenly find myself rather exhausted. I think I will turn in.” He walked away, leaving the reverend still muttering about the strange goings on in the canyons.
Going back to his hotel room, Cole drew back the quilt and spread the bedbug remedy he had purchased earlier in the day. Then he settled in, regrettably alone, and wondered yet again what had really happened to Geneviève. Alas, the remedy didn’t work.