Lechance

Jon was sitting outside his office trying to enjoy the weather. He was smiling, but despite that he looked worried. He was now a married man and he toyed absently with the black leather band around his wrist. The week had been absolutely amazing. Ben was perfect and he couldn't have been happier.

Except.

Except for an odd occurrence on Friday night when muted voices had distracted the newlyweds from being..well, newlyweds. The voices got louder in the basement, but neither of them could find anything causing them. Jon had tried to play it off as someone poking a bit of fun at them, but something about it had set him on edge. He wondered if he should talk to someone about it. Maybe the Sheriff?

When someone walked by, Jon smiled and nodded his head. "Good morning," he said politely, "How are you this fine morning?"

Mercedes tucked the basket she was carrying under her arm as she walked down the street toward the Sheriff's office. She hoped Jonas wouldn't mind her stopping in for a surprise lunch. The last few times they'd seen each other had shown that the chemistry between them wasn't a figment of her imagination and even though Mercedes continued to fret silently about her attraction to him, she hadn't stopped seeing him either.

Pausing outside the door, she smoothed her skirts and made sure the braids in her hair were still in place, worrying over her appearance as if it would affect the outcome of the lunch. In the basket was food she herself had cooked, fried chicken, potato salad, hand pies. She was by no means a gourmet, but she was handy in the kitchen and moreover, she liked feeding people.

Her stomach gave a nervous flip as she forced herself to push the door open. She greeted Ms. Andrews graciously and smiled when the woman just nodded and led her to Jonas' door. Mercedes knocked once because it felt rude to just walk in, then opened the door slightly. "Mr. Wilder?"

Jonas had had a rough night's sleep, when he had finally found some that is.

He'd spent the the night at the stables, bunking down in the hay loft, a saddle for a pillow, to keep an eye on Ginger, and had awoken with Digger stretched over his legs. Not the most comfortable of positions to sleep in, he was stiff and sore, and more than a bit worried.

The noise he'd heard last night when he was in the stables hadn't repeated itself, but it had been unnerving as hell. The low noise, which had sounded all the world like steam hissing had gone on for a good twenty minutes before stopping as abruptly as it had started. The animals had kicked up an enormous fuss unsurprisingly, and it'd taken a long while to settle them again. He'd looked around but hadn't been able to locate a source for the noise, and that was somehow worse than the noise itself.

Looking around this morning, he'd still been unable to find anything, but he moved Ginger, and the chickens and ducks to the far side of the field to be on the safe side, making a makeshift fence to keep them there.

By the time he'd finished, he was tired, stressed and fed up. There'd been no eggs laid this morning either unsurprisingly, so he'd had to forgo his normal boiled breakfast egg.

Consequently, he ended up settling for a cup of coffee and a cigar, choices that Mrs. Andrews had been most annoyed about. He'd managed to eventually shoo her away on an errand, persuading her that yes, he would get a decent lunch, honestly.

He took a chair out front of the Sheriff's office onto the porch in order to drink his coffee, and smoke his cigar, respecting Mrs. Andrews' wishes that all smoking must be undertaken outside. 'Sides which, this way he could potentially eavesdrop on useful conversation, whilst looking nonchalent. Digger was sound asleep at his feet, snuffling occasionally, no doubt chasing rabbits in his sleep. Jonas twitched a small grin at the dog's own twitches.

Eventually he saw a figure approaching and called out to them, raising his hat in greeting. Mayhap they might have heard something this past evening that may help to explain things.

"Good mornin' to you, hope you are well?"

Missy was sat at the table outside the front of the Hotel, frantically writing and drawing in her journal. She had her monocle up to her right eye, and looked to be completely in her own little world, muttering occasionally to herself. 

She'd gotten quite used to some of the chaperones at the Hotel already. Mrs Sheedy had done an excellent job of matching her up with some of the gentler, quieter ones. Mrs Sheedy herself still unnerved her slightly though. The two chaperones that she was currently out front with had been very gracious about leaving her with her own space, setting up on two chairs a small distance from her with their needlepoint, and Missy was quite relaxed about their presence.

She was therefore fairly startled when a shadow passed over her journal, and she dropped both her pencil, and the monocle to the floor. "Umm.. good day to you,  just hang on one moment. Ah, yes, got 'em. Good." 

She polished off the dust on her monocle with her sleeve, and pocketed it quickly before her visitor could see before looking up at them.

Leonora was still stiff from the train. She'd disembarked and asked the porter for directions to the sheriff's office. She showed up early in the evening, baggage in tow; it wasn't like she'd brought a whole lot with her anyway. The walk had done her good and her muscles had eased slightly. She'd sleep well tonight.

She knocked on the door frame then entered the outer office.

"Evenin'," she said. "Forgive the intrusion but I'm lookin' for the sheriff?"