Like the rest of the town, the Assay Office is quiet when Cooper steps inside, the only noise inside the building is that of a soft series of clicks, the sound of Mike Kibbee setting type on his press, coming from an adjacent back room.

From behind a battered desk, Jorge Gomez, Lincoln’s assayer, looks up from the stack of papers he is examining and removes his spectacles. ”Mister Cooper?” he asks with a friendly tone, ”What brings you in this afternoon? You and your uncle stumble across some silver on that ranch of his?”

Albert gives Jorge a friendly smile. "Howdy, Jorge. No silver yet, but that sure would be somethin'. Uncle'd make me turn in my lasso for a pick, I think."

Albert looks over toward the back, then shifts his gaze back toward Jorge. "I'm just here ta chat with Mike. He in back?"

Gomez nods and points to the open doorway behind him. ”Sure is. Been here since early. Working like crazy. Go on back.”

Cooper enters a large room with numerous shelves that likely once served as a storage area, but now has been converted into the working office of The Lincoln Independent. A battered desk occupies one corner, a kerosene lamp on one end of its surface, piles of papers on the other. A pair of old cabinets, blackened by smoke, take up another corner, and a maps of the county and the town of Lincoln have been mounted on the wall opposite the doorway.

The center of the room is taken up by a well used printing press. Almost every surface of the machine is smeared with ink and crates of unused paper sit in front of it. Bent over the press, inserting a row of type, is a dark haired man in spectacles, the sleeves of his stained cotton shirt rolled up. He glances up as Cooper enters, the dark circles under his eyes betraying the fact that he seen little, if any, sleep in recent days.

”Albert?” Mike Kibbee says, managing a smile, ”What brings you in? You and your uncle have some stray steers to sell?”

Albert smiles at Mike as he approaches. "Steer? Don't think so, though I've been outta town a bit. Was in Roswell fer a spell and just got back. Stage contained a Reverend Allgood, I expect he'll be by ta see ya fore too long."

Albert raises an eyebrow as he considers what he saw when returning to Lincoln. "When we came inta town, we saw that the school was locked up? What happened ta cause that?"

Kibbee’s face falls immediately at Cooper’s question. ”Albert...well, you’re going to hear about it soon enough if you don’t hear it from me. The school isn’t safe anymore. A couple of days back, several of the children disappeared from there. They’re still missing.” He pauses, letting out a haggard sigh. ”Michael Junior is one of them.”

He puts his ink stained hands in his pockets. ”Miss Perez has been holding class at the San Juan Catholic Church since. Everyone figures it’s safer. Father Narvaez and others can keep an eye on the children there.”

Albert's face falls almost as far as Mike Senior's when he heard the news. "I'm so sorry ta hear that, Mike. There anythin' I can do? When ya say disappear, was they kidnapped? Or...it almost sounds like ya don't know? I can get together some riders if ya have any idea where those youngsters might be."

Albert could feel a profound sadness and a bit of panic tugging at the corners of his consciousness and making his heart ache. "I ain't never told ya before, but I had a boy once. Kidnapped while I weren't home. I'll do whatever it takes ta get Michael Junior back."

Kibbee nods at Cooper, his eyes reflecting a genuine respect for the man’s words. ”Albert...I appreciate that more than I can even say. But, you’re right...I don’t honestly know who took them. It happened in the middle of the day. And...I’ve heard the stories some of the children that got away have told. Lyle Baxter. Ella Gehrig. But...well they were scared, Albert. Terrified. And some of what they described didn’t make much sense. Although...”

He shakes his head. ”One thing is certain. This morning, when I managed to get myself here, Manuel Segovia, one of Jesse Evans’ boys was waiting on me. He hinted that if I stopped some of my talk against Lawrence Murphy, James Dolan, and the rest of The House, that Michael Junior might just find his way back to me, safe and sound.”

Albert frowns deeply at what he hears from Mike. He slowly curls his fingers halfway, then interlaces them and moves them slightly so several of his knuckles crack at once. "Segovia, huh? Might just need ta have a conversation with 'im. Any idea where I might find the fella? And before I do, tell me whatcha heard from them kids. I know it don't make sense ta ya, but just gimmie it straight."

Kibbee frowns. "The Evans Gang tends to wander all over Lincoln County, no doubt taking care of James Dolan's errands in many instances. I have it on good authority that several of them are being sought by the group of John Tunstall's cowhands that Judge Wilson recently deputized." He shakes his head. "Another storm waiting to happen," he mutters.

"Those that are here in town will either be Murphy's residence, The House, or at Wilson's Saloon. But Albert, I'd recommend great caution should you choose to pay a visit to either place. It would be akin to stepping into the lions' den."

He takes a seat on a pair of stacked crates, pausing to gather his thoughts. "As for what the children saw, there are a few common elements..."

His voice trails off as his gaze travels to the door. Turning, Cooper sees that Reverend Allgood has entered the room. "May I help you, sir?" Kibbee asks.

[Posted by The Marshal]

Allgood introduces himself, briefly discussing the letter of introduction he had received from Thomas Benton and his willingness to serve as the minister at the Lincoln Methodist Church in Benton's absence. He explains that he sought Kibbee out as he understood that the newspaperman served as the church's deacon.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:55, Fri 23 Mar 2018.

Kibbee stands and shakes Allgood's hand. "I'm thankful you're here, Reverend," he says, "You've come at a time when our town is in dire need of spiritual guidance." He gestures toward Albert. "Mr. Cooper and I were just discussing...some of the difficulties Lincoln has faced in recent days."

"You are certainly welcome to any advice or guidance that I am able to provide, Mr. Kibbee."

Albert nods at the Reverend's offer. "Seems summa the children of the town have been kidnapped, Rev. Possibly fer the purpose of bein' used ta keep folk from speakin' against the Dolan faction." The cowhand raises an eyebrow. "Looks like I'ma be gettin' involved in this mess sooner 'n' later. Like right now."

Kibbee nods solemnly. ”My son is among them, Reverend. As I’m certain you can imagine, a number of us are...deeply shaken.”

“As Albert says, I received a visit today from a man associated with Lawrence Murphy’s ranch, who suggested that if I quietened down in my criticism of Mr. Murphy, his assistant Mr. Dolan, and those in their employ, Michael Junior would eventually be returned to me and my wife safely.”

"What of the local authorities? Can't they go to these people and demand the return of the children? Surely the law still runs in this country."

Albert raised both eyebrows at the Reverend's question. "You ain't read many dime novels 'bout life out this way, have ya Rev."

Al took a slow breath as he looked over at Michael, then back to Earnest. "Sure there's some law. But the sheriff only has so much at his disposal. And if he's on the take...well...then ya gotta turn somewhere else. And if that somewhere else is a judge that wants ta send some armed folk out ta get at the miscreants, well, there'll be bloodshed. Plus there ain't a smokin' gun yet. Mike here's trustworthy, but court'll only see it as one person's word against another's. And of course the only fella Mike can point to ain't one of those what're that important."

"You said several children are missing? Have you talked to the parents of the others? Who are they?"

”Reverend, when these recent troubles began in Lincoln, and it became clear to many of us that Sheriff Brady was not inclined to take any action, we did not give up on the law. A number of us wrote to Governor Mosby about our concerns, hoping that perhaps the Territorial Government might send some representatives from the military, or a Ranger, here to intervene. I know that Renata Montaño has been especially diligent in her correspondence, but thus far, we haven’t received any kind of answer. Alexander McSween, an attorney here in town, is traveling to Santa Fe in hopes of speaking with the Governor directly.”

He frowns. ”Judge Wilson, our Justice of the Peace, took it upon himself to deputize some cowhands, men that were in the employ of John Tunstall, a rancher who was recently murdered. Many suspect that Lawrence Murphy ordered the killing. Wilson charged them with tracking down a group of individuals suspected of being involved in that shooting but...I fear those men may simply take Wilson’s charge as express permission for them to exact revenge as they see fit.”

“Aside from my wife and I, the other families with missing children are The Ramseys, who own a restaurant here. The Shaw and Fernandez families, both who have farms not far from Lincoln. The Sanchez and Gilmartin families, both who work for Susan McSween, Alexander’s wife, who’s now operating the Tunstall Rance. Dr. Wood, our local physician, and his wife, And the Thomas family, who run the Tunstall Store.”

“I’ve talked to most of them over the last day or so. All but the Shaws.”

"Damnation. Had no idea it were this bad, Mike. And nobody saw nuthin? What about the other kids, you said they were sayin' stuff what didn't make much sense? What was it they were sayin?" Albert was having a hard time restraining himself from just up and leaving to go shoot some people he thought might be involved in this. But a little more info gathering seemed wise.

Kibbee sighs, looking from Cooper to Allgood and back again. ”Keep in mind that I’m only telling you what the children have said. Although...I’ll confess that I believe that there’s some truth to it, strange as it may sound. Looking at the schoolhouse convinced me of that.”

“The way I’ve heard it told, Miss Perez was gathering the children for their afternoon lessons. I probably don’t have to tell you what a chore that can be. There’s a lot of other things most young ones would rather be doing than schoolwork. She had rung the bell and was in the process of catching a few of the stragglers, but many of the students had already started to go inside.”

He looks down at the floor. ”Supposedly, when the children entered the school, they saw that these...vines had grown all over the far end of the classroom. All over the back wall and around Miss Perez’ desk. They were thick, dense, and not like any plant that the children were familiar with. The stems were covered with thorns. Obviously, such a strange sight frightened them, but before they could make an escape, the front door of the schoolhouse slammed shut. I’m not sure if any of the children saw who closed it.”

“Just after that, something came out of the vines. A figure. Lyle Baxter, who seemed to have the calmest head on his shoulders said it was tall, with arms and legs that were unnaturally long. Regardless, all the children tried to flee. Lyle and Ella Gehrig got out of a window. A couple of others made it out of another. But most...including Michael Junior, were trapped inside.”

“Miss Perez heard the commotion and was trying to get through the front door. Finally, she was able to force it open, but by then, all that was in the schoolhouse was the vines. The children had vanished.”

Albert frowned. "Double damnation. Wish I could say it were just a lot of imagination, but I heard stuff like this happenin' before. And seen it. Sounds like the folk what wanted those kids've got some dark power at their disposal. You weren't wrong 'bout summa those places bein' like a lion's den. Might be more like steppin' right inta a witch's, er, cauldron? I think that's what they call 'em. That...changes things. Like the speed with which I'm gonna go about gettin' back at those folk what stole yer boy." He paused. "Don't change the fact I'm gonna do it, though, Mike."

Albert squinted and looked in the general direction of the church for a moment, then back at Kibbee. "Is there anything else you seen or heard that might be helpful?"

"That is indeed prodigious," says Earnest, "Has anybody gone into the schoolhouse since? Are the vines still there?

"I take it nothing about the figure seemed familiar to young Lyle or to Miss Ella. It would be interesting to ask them to further describe the strange figure, perhaps even to draw it."

He steps toward the door.

"Just now, I need to get my living arrangements squared away. I am at your disposal, gentlemen. I would like to present my credentials to the deacons of the church, Mr. Kibbee, at their convenience."

He checks with Mr. Ellis about his belongings being delivered to the boarding house and then heads over there.

”I know that several of the families involved have spoken with Desiree Thornton at the Thornton-Curry Saloon,” Kibbee replies, ”It’s likely that she knows of the most recent happenings surrounding the disappearances. Miss Thornton is a singularly courageous young woman. Seemingly unafraid to speak out against Murphy and The House. She’s offered help and support to many of those whose children are missing, including my wife and me.”

“I think that many were hoping that Mr. Tunstall’s cowboys might be the ones to finally stand up to The House. While those men certainly aren’t fearful of opposing Murphy, I fear their priority is bloodshed. Avenging Mr. Tunstall’s murder. Not bringing order to Lincoln.”


”Lyle Baxter attempted to sneak back inside, but was intercepted by Father Narvaez, as I understand it. Since then, several townspeople have volunteered to keep an eye on the place to ensure that no one else loiters the property, at least for the time being. But yes, the vines are still present. I have it on good authority that they’ve actually grown outside of the school, overtaking much of the back wall.”

“Lyle probably wouldn’t hesitate to speak about what he saw, through I’m sure his parents would want to be present when he did. His father, Reed, insisted on keeping him at home from school today, primarily because of him trying to enter the schoolhouse again.”
 
Kibbee nods. ”Certainly, Reverend Allgood. I will let the congregation know and see about setting up a meeting very soon. I’m sure that number of people will be very thankful for your willingness to serve our church.”

OOC: Earnest, I’m going to move you back to the Patron House thread.

Albert nodded at all Mike had to say, then moved toward the man to give him a friendly pat on the back. "We'll get yer boy back, Mike. Hang in there, okay? I'll go talk ta Desiree and then see what sorta plan we can hatch."

He waved at Earnest as the reverend left. "See ya 'round town, Rev. Lemme know if ya need somethin'"

With a thoughtful look on his face, Albert looked back at Mike and gave him a nod before taking his leave.

OOC: Albert would like to walk behind the school to see if the vines are truly growing there, then he'll head to the saloon to catch up with Desiree.

”Thank you, Albert. Truly,” Kibbee says, his voice thick with emotion. ”Anything you require from me, just ask. Most hours of the day, I’ll be right here.”

Outside the mist has grown heavier, bringing an early dusk to the late afternoon and keeping the Capitans concealed behind a watery, gray curtain. Drops of rain have begun to mingle with the light drizzle as Cooper ventures down the street toward the schoolhouse.

As the whitewashed structure comes into view, Cooper sees two figures standing in front of it, conversing. One, he quickly recognizes as the scout he shared the stagecoach trip with, Jacinta Castillo. She is speaking with another woman who is dressed for the range. Her boots and chaps show signs of persistent use. Her hat is pulled down against the elements, but it only conceals a portion of her freckle sprinkled face and long, red hair. A gun belt encircles her waist, a Colt Peacemaker secured in the holster. She is holding a saddle propped on one shoulder which appears brand new.

OOC: I’m going to move you over to Castillo’s thread so you can join the conversation there.