OCTOBER 29, 1861

Stone was starting to get suspicious of Daniel. He had seen the doctor from a far lately, but every time he got the funny feeling as though Daniel knew him. But when Daniel noticed Stone staring at him, he would quickly turn and walk off, which made Stone even more weary of getting too close to him.

Over at the jailhouse, Daniel was blowing his lid. "I can't take it any longer, Teaspoon. I need to confront Stone. He hypnotized me and made me give away my child, not to mention Meg's babies."

"If ya do that Daniel, you'll spook him. He might take off, and I have no proof that he hypnotized ya, so I can't hold him." The sheriff hoped he could convince Daniel not to do anything rash.

"Stone? Why do you need to confront Stone?" Lou inquired because she had overheard them speaking before entering the jail.

Daniel shook his head and collapsed in a chair. He was tired because he couldn't get any sleep dreaming about a redheaded gal with beads and that evil Stone hypnotizing him.

"Lou shut the door." Teaspoon ordered and his command was obeyed. "Daniel here has gained some of his memory back. We think that Stone was behind Daniel's disappearance with the babies."

"Then why don't you arrest him, Teaspoon?" Lou asked.

"Because I don't have any proof, but I think we can get it if we can only find the lady that Daniel keeps seeing in his dreams." He replied. "I've started writing some letters, that I'd like for you to deliver to some of the sheriffs in nearby towns. Maybe we can get a lead on her."

Curiously, Lou asked, "What's she look like, Teaspoon."

"She has flaming red hair and beads around her neck that she constantly rubs with her hands." The sheriff stated and then continued to finish up a letter.

"Teaspoon, I think I know her." Lou exclaimed.

"What?" Both him and Daniel said simultaneous as they looked up sharply.

"I know a saloon girl by that description over in Medicine Bow. I've seen her. It could be the same one."

"This is a stroke of luck. I'll ride over and get her." Daniel shot up out of his chair.

"Daniel, stop!" Teaspoon yelled. Daniel froze. "You'll do no such
thing."

"But-" Teaspoon held up his hand, and the doctor shut up.

"Lou I want you to go over to Medicine Bow and talk with this gal. See what you can find out. See what she knows about our Mr. Stone, and then report back to me." Sheriff Hunter ordered.

Lou waited for Teaspoon to continue, but when he didn't, she asked what was on her mind, "Do you want me to bring her back here?"

"Only if she seems cooperative, otherwise come back here and let me know what she told you. She might not be willing to talk about it. If that's the case, we'll have to get her to talk."

"How?" Daniel wanted to know.

"I'll think of something, but I may not have to depending on what happens with her and Lou. Lou, do you want another rider to go with you? I'm awful short on riders, but I can probably spare another one since Medicine Bow is not that far."

"I think I can handle it, Teaspoon." Lou replied.

"I'll go with her, Teaspoon." Daniel was tired of sitting around doing nothing. He wanted his nightmares to be over with as soon as possible.

"No Daniel, I don't want her seeing you right away. It might set her to running or hiding and we'd never find her."

"But how will Lou know that she's the right gal?" He protested.

"I doubt there are too many gals around with red hair and is always playing with the beads around their necks. I'm sure it's her. But Lou will see what he can find out." Teaspoon handed Lou a letter. "Give this to the sheriff there if you need to. You might need his help." Lou nodded and left. But before heading to Medicine Bow she went by the bank and then swung by the way station and bundled up a dress just in case she needed it.

Stone had seen Lou hurriedly leave town. He wondered what was going on. He stood in the alleyway and watched as Daniel left the jail and headed back home. Daniel had been visiting Sheriff Teaspoon a lot lately, and it was making Stone very nervous. After Daniel retired to his home, Stone went back to work at the bordello still asking himself what Daniel was up to.

Once Lou arrived in Medicine Bow, she went into the saloon, dusting
herself off and ordered a shot of whiskey. Normally she would only drink sasparilla, but she had to let the redheaded saloon gal think that she had money. Otherwise she wouldn't give Lou the time of day, much less a confession.

This was Lou's lucky day because the saloon gal with the flaming red hair was working and it being a weekday; there weren't many fellas in the establishment. So she sauntered over to the bar and gave Lou a wink. "Ya care to buy a pretty gal a drink, mister?" Lou nodded and called to the bartender to bring her anything she wanted. They got to talking and drinking.

Her real name was Helen Gardner, but her saloon name was Raspberry Red. She rarely responded to Helen any more. Most everybody called her Red. Lou noticed while they talked and drank that she tended to rub the beaded necklace in between her hands numerous times.

"So what do you do, Lou?" Red asked.

"I do a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Anything to earn money." Lou took a wad of bills out and flashed them in front of her and then immediately returned them to his pocket. It was all the money she had in the world. She had been saving since she had begun working for the Pony Express. Someday she hoped to bring her sister and brother to Dreamville to live, and now that everybody in town was adopting orphans. It made her miss her siblings even more.

"Why don't we get us a bottle and take it up to my room?" Red inquired as she ordered the bartender to bring them another bottle. She was thinking about having Lou part with some more of that money in his possession. Lou nodded, but she grabbed another bottle from the bartender, too. "Oooh, you are thirsty, aren't you?" She smiled and then led Lou to her room.

Several hours later and not a drop of booze left, Lou came stumbling out of Red's room. She had learned all she needed to know. She hadn't drunk as much as the redheaded gal; instead she had only pretended to drink a lot, saving most of the liquor for the hired lass. The Pony Express rider floundered over to Lightening, and after the third try, she eventually sat her bottom onto the saddle. She headed her horse slowly out of Medicine Bow. But after going about a mile, she decided she had enough of being jarred around, and she pulled her horse to a stop, fell off and onto the ground and lie there, falling asleep under a tree.

It was late that night before Lou awoke. She groggily rubbed her eyes and sat up, trying to remember where she was and why she was there. Realization dawned on her and she found Lightening grazing nearby, so she mounted and headed to Dreamville. She arrived at Teaspoon's office early the next morning, and told the sheriff all about Miss Raspberry Red.

Lou's arrival didn't go completely unnoticed because Stone saw her entrance to town. Curiosity overwhelmed him, and he snuck up to the jailhouse and listened into Lou and Teaspoon's conversation.