Juicy Secrets Forbidden Tales of Lesbian Love

by Purple Les

The Tequila Kid awoke to the smell of coffee. She’d fallen asleep on the sofa again, after one drink too many. With her eyes still closed, she felt a tender kiss on her lips.

Opening her eyes, The Kid saw the angelic face of Andromeda smiling down at her. Ann’s hair was down and she wore a robe. Bet she’s bare-ass naked under that, The Kid thought.

“Good morning,” Andromeda said, as she knelt next to the sofa running her fingers through The Kid’s hair. “You look so good with your hair loose like that. I could just gobble you up.”

“Mornin’, Ann,” The Kid croaked out. “Well, I sure don’t feel like eatin’ right now. What time a day is it, anyway?”

Andromeda took note of the tequila bottle on the coffee table, now a third empty. “It’s almost eight o’clock. I let you sleep long as I could. Coffee’s all ready. Can I bring you some?”

“Yes, please,” The Kid answered.

A moment later, the clock on the mantle struck eight. The chimes sounded like cannons going off to The Kid. “Oooouugghh,” she groaned, struggling into a sitting position.

A moment later Ann was back with two mugs of strong black coffee. She set a steaming mug down for The Kid and then sat down with hers.

They drank in silence, and when finished, Ann silently returned to the kitchen to get them each a refill. After The Kid had downed half of the second mug, her head seemed to ring somewhat less than before. “Thanks, Ann,” she sighed. “I feel ‘bout halfway human now.”

“You drank a lot last night,” Andromeda said, glancing again at the bottle on the coffee table.

“I reckon I needed to clear my head some.”

“Is it nice and clear now?” Ann asked without much sympathy.

The Kid let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, gettin’ there.”

“What’s that?” Ann asked, pointing to a contraption on the coffee table.

“This? Oh, I took it off a card cheat last night,” The Kid said, taking another swallow of coffee. Setting her mug down, she picked the device up and explained how it worked to Andromeda.

“See, what I done here, Ann, is fix this derringer to it, ‘stead of a playin’ card. Might be handy someday to have a gun up my sleeve.”

“Let me see how it works,” Ann said.

“All right,” The Kid said. Rolling up her sleeve, she carefully attached the device to her arm. “So if I’m in a tight spot, I flex my lower arm muscle and the gun springs right into my hand. Watch.”

Grinning, The Kid flexed her arm. The unloaded derringer slowly moved a half inch forward on The Kid’s upper wrist then fell to the hardwood floor with a dull thud.

The room filled with Andromeda’s laughter as The Kid scratched her head, wondering what could have gone wrong. After her fourth drink last night, it had worked just fine. Andromeda kissed the top of The Kid’s head and said, “More coffee?” The Kid nodded her head yes.

Returning from the kitchen with a refilled mug, Andromeda said, “So you drop the gun on the villain’s foot, and as he’s jumping about in pain, you push him over? Is that how it works, Kid? Perhaps a brick up your sleeve would do better.”

“You got a sassy mouth on ya, girl,” The Kid murmured, but with a sly smile. “Bet I could think of somethin’ else you could be doin’ with it.” She took a slug of coffee, then said, “Got anything on under that robe?”

“Nary a stitch,” Andromeda said innocently as she bent to kiss The Kid’s cheek.

“That a fact?” The Kid asked, her nostrils flaring slightly. There was a growing warmth between her legs that made the throbbing of her head seem like less of a big deal.

“See for yourself,” Andromeda said as she stood up and faced The Kid.

“No. You show me,” The Kid replied, a note of hunger in her voice.

Andromeda opened the robe, shrugged it from her shoulders and then let it slide to the floor. She loved displaying her bare body to The Kid. She watched her lover’s eyes travel up and down, taking it all in.

The Kid reached to place her hands on Ann’s hips. “Now that’s a fine sight. Reckon I’m in a mood for eatin’ breakfast after all.”

Ann pushed the eager teen back further on the sofa. “Oh, I’ll buy you breakfast, Kid,” she said. “You’ll need something more substantial in your stomach than my love honey.”

“Gimme a taste,” The Kid said as she spread her legs apart, revealing a wet spot in the crotch of her worn Levi Strauss jeans.

“Take your clothes off,” Ann said. She took a step back and fondled her own breasts as she watched The Kid stand up and shrug out of her shirt, exposing her toned torso and erect nipples, then unbutton her fly, pushing down her blue jeans and kicking them off. The only thing she still wore was her ring on its chain.

Ann’s mouth watered at the sight. “I see you’ve given up on underclothes these days,” she said, gazing with purest desire for the naked young woman standing before her.

The Kid drew close to Ann, and they looked each other up and down, then fell into a passionate embrace. Their lips met, The Kid forcing her tongue into Ann’s upturned mouth. Reaching down, she groped her lover’s tight, supple ass, giving the right cheek a firm squeeze.

Ann broke away, gasping, “Oh!” as she explored The Kid’s tight body — one hand caressing her ass, fingers delving between the buttocks to tease her anus, the other hand cupping a breast and stiffening nipple. Andromeda dipped down to suck the tip of the other breasts, giving it a gentle bite.

Her eyes closed, The Kid and let out a soft moan. She found Ann’s left ear with her lips and nibbled, sucked and licked it. The Kid then slipped a hand between her lover’s thighs to find the petals of Anne’s sex dripping with wetness.

The women fell slowly to their knees, bodies pressed tightly together — nipples kissing, tongues tangled in a dance of passion as Andromeda and The Kid found their way to the floor.

The room and the world seemed to melt away as the two lovers parted their legs, each slipping a finger into the other’s juicy cunt like they’d done so many times before. They fucked in a frenzy, hands and wrists moving faster and faster, building into something huge.

“Tell me that story, Kid!” Ann begged as the sweaty upper halves of their bodies pressed together.

The Kid was panting for breath, her face pressing against Ann’s shoulder. “Say what?” she gasped.

“You know what! The story, damn you.” Ann demanded as her finger plunged in and out of The Kid’s vagina. “Please, Kid, please,” Ann added as she felt The Kid’s finger moving inside her, hard and fast.

“’Bout that little Sally Ann girl?” The Kid asked, knowing that wasn’t the one.

“Oh!” Ann said, sucking her breath in sharply. “I love that. But no, you know the one I want to hear.” After a half-second’s wait, Andromeda firmly pinched one of The Kid’s erect nipples. “Tell me!”

“You mean — uhhh — the one ‘bout the time I sheltered at this cabin with that Beth gal, and, and her little girl?” The Kid asked as she added a second finger to the one churning about in Andromeda’s dripping cunt. Wiggling both fingers around for a moment, she continued the story. “How they just had but the one bed they shared? And how they had me g-get in with ‘em? And we was all buck naked?” Withdrawing almost completely from Ann’s wet quim, then thrusting back in rough and deep, The Kid asked, “Is that the one you mean?”

Andromeda moaned and fell against The Kid’s firm young body, sobbing in ecstasy, “Yes, that one… oh.”

“Well, now,” The Kid began. Her fingers kept up a steady rhythm deep in Ann’s pussy, while she began to massage Ann’s swollen clit with the palm of her hand.

With the other hand, The Kid reached around and grabbed Ann’s luscious ass, pressing a fingertip against her lover’s tight rosebud, making Ann gasp and quiver, lost in pleasure’s clutch.

“See, I’d got caught in a sudden snowstorm. Lucky for me, I found a little cabin just before I froze to death.”

Having heard the story many times and knowing where The Kid was going with it had Ann near orgasm already. The pleasure coursing through her sometimes made it hard to recall where she was in the story, but The Kid’s voice alone was enough to keep Andromeda’s arousal sharp.

She heard The Kid’s hot whisper in her ear. “Well, didn’t that little girl say, ‘Me and Ma sleep without no clothes on, Kid. We always go naked when we’re in bed’. And then Ma says, ‘That’s right, we do. I’m sure The Kid won’t mind doin’ the same with us. We’ll even undress first’. She said that to me.”

The Kid could tell that Ann was almost ready to spend, so she worked her hand harder, saying, “Wasn’t that a time we had. Seein’ that pretty mom and daughter naked, then them undressin’ me right down to the skin. They took me into bed with ‘em, and then we all started to kiss and touch one another.”

“Keep going!” Ann begged one last time before her climax.

“Lickin’ that little bare slit. Those soft, wet folds of pussy. Her ma saying, ‘Yes, yes, lick my little girl, the way I showed you’.’ That sweet taste of her, like nothin’ I ever knowed…”

The Kid tried to reach the end of the story, but her words were drowned out by Ann. “Ah yes yes yes yes oh dear yes uh huh oh oh ohhhhhh.” This and more came flowing from her mouth, like the stream of nectar that oozed from her love grotto. Ann’s body went tense, and she held on tightly to The Kid as her rapture reached its peak, finally going completely limp.

The Kid helped Ann onto the sofa, then sat on the coffee table with legs spread and said, “Watch me come for you.”

Ann watched with dazed eyes as The Kid masturbated, her fingers a blur as she rubbed her clit. But before she could come, Ann sprang back to life, blurting, “No! Let me do it.” Knocking The Kid’s hand away, Andromeda buried her face between her young lover’s legs.

Ann had immersed herself so deeply in The Kid’s story that she could almost make herself believe she was licking the slit of a little girl. Then The Kid’s hands on the back of Ann’s head brought her back to who she was really pleasuring.

The Kid arched her back, stretched her long legs out and cried, “Yeah, Andromeda. Lick it all up. Lick my pussy,” moaning in ecstasy as she climaxed.

As her rapture began to subside, Ann renewed her efforts, and The Kid soon came again.

Spent, they lay on the floor together holding each other. After awhile, The Kid stirred. “You really want to do the deed with a little girl, huh?”

“I do, Kid,” Andromeda answered with a sigh. “Seems as if I’ve always felt that way. Ever since I knew I liked women, anyhow.”

“And you never did get the chance?”

Andromeda paused before answering, “I almost did once, when I took my tour of Europe. Don’t think I ever told you about that, Kid.”

The Kid listened closely as Ann began her story. “It was in Italy. I speak Italian fluently, though I’d also love to be able to speak French like you, Kid. Anyway, it was in a Tuscan villa I was staying at. There were two sisters there, too. Sixteen and ten years old. The older sister was enamored of me. I was very fond of her, as well.

“It was the custom to take a riposo in the afternoon.” She glanced at The Kid, noting her puzzled expression. “That’s what they call a siesta in Italy, Kid. During that part of the day, the whole town would come to a standstill. Anyhow, one day the ten-year-old came into my room while I was resting and begged me to follow her back to the room she shared with her big sister.

“I wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she asked so sweetly that I agreed. She led me by the hand to their room. Inside, the older sister was lying nude on the bed. She held her arms out to me, saying, ‘Come, be with us… we love you’.

“I was dumbfounded, Kid. Stood there like a fool. Then while I stood there staring, the younger sister stripped naked, then led me by the hand over to the bed.

“I can’t adequately describe their beauty to you, I can only try. Both of them were raven-haired, olive-skinned beauties. Large brown eyes the color of chocolate, and faces like angels. The ancient Greeks and the Renaissance artists must have used them for models somehow, hundreds of years before they were born.

“I compared their bodies. One just beginning to ripen into womanhood. The other, still a child in all ways but one — she was sexually aware. I watched them make love to each other, and then they both made love to me. As I licked the older girl, I knew I wanted very much to make love to the ten-year-old as well. But before I could, our time ran out. We heard the others rising from their naps, and I was afraid of being caught, so I quickly got up and dressed. The girls didn’t seem concerned at all. Like it was some sort of lark to them.

“The next day we continued the tour, and I never saw the sisters again. My one chance to love a little girl, and I missed it. My only regret of the tour. Or of my life.”

The Kid asked, “Would you, if you got another chance?”

“Yes.” Ann whispered. “Oh, yes, I surely would.”

They laid together for a long while, holding each other, enjoying a moment of perfect bliss. Finally, the two lovers mustered up enough energy to get up, then filled the round metal tub in the kitchen with water from the hand pump. The day would be a hot one, and the cool water they’d drawn was quite refreshing.

It was a lovely way to start the day. Bathing together, washing and rinsing each other’s bare bodies, sometimes masturbating one another. On this day they finished their toilet instead, donned fresh clothes, and headed out of Ann’s house into the morning sunshine.

Ann wore a white blouse and black skirt that went just below her ankles, with black boots laced high. The Kid wore black men’s trousers, a black cotton shirt, her green corduroy vest, boots and new Stetson hat. The outfit made her pair of pearl handled colts stand out in their black leather gun belt.

They walked arm in arm on the boardwalk, where Ann said, “My, how fine that new hat looks on you. It makes me want to see you wearing just the hat and nothing else.”

“Maybe later,” The Kid replied with a smile.

Their first stop was the Highland Cafe. The Kid had coffee, two donuts, and scrambled eggs. Andromeda had a poached egg, toast and tea, and paid for breakfast as promised.

Next they went to the bank, where The Kid made her mark on the receipt to collect her Ranger pay — an outlined drawing of a raven.

That task accomplished, Ann and The Kid made their way to the livery stable. A large black man somewhere in his thirties had just finished shoveling out the stalls and was filling the last of them with fresh straw. The horses were out back in the corral.

“Howdy, Nate,” The Kid said with a nod. “I come to pay what I owe you, and then some.”

Nate Lincoln finished forking straw into the last stall and, pausing to hang the pitchfork by its handle from a ten-penny nail that jutted from the wall, said, “Mornin’, Kid, Miss Purdy. Well, then, c’mon into the office, and we’ll get you squared away.” He paused to mop sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.

They followed Nate to a little sleeping room that also served as his office. There was a grizzled old white man stretched out and dozing on an improvised pallet made of hay. As Nate passed the old-timer, he aimed a light kick against the bottom of his worn boot and said, “Git a move on now, Mac, and bring them hosses in outen the sun.”

Mac slowly rose up off the hay on the floor, then reached into the pocket of the coat that hung on his lanky frame. Pulling a pint bottle out, he studied on the last of the amber liquor inside, then slipped it back in his pocket and shambled out back to begin bringing the horses back to their stalls, one by one.

Seating himself at the desk, Nate opened a drawer, taking out his faded blue receipt book. “It’s a dirty shame, what happened to Bob and Roy. They’s both gettin’ buried tomorrow. You and Sheriff Gus any closer to catchin’ the killers?”

The Kid said, “Yep, real close, Nate. I can’t say no more about it for now, though.” The Kid laid a twenty dollar bill on the desk, saying, “I reckon this oughta take care of past, present and a little bit of the future.”

“‘Deed it does, Kid,” Nate replied with a nod. Slipping the bill into the strongbox, he opened the blue book and slowly made out a receipt for The Kid, his brow furrowing as he worked. Laying his pencil to one side, he reached for a rubber stamp and applied it to the paper with a satisfying thump. He handed the receipt to The Kid, now stamped PAID in red ink.

“There you go,” Nate said. “What you paid, that’ll cover what you owed an’ then the next three weeks after, I reckon.” The Kid in turn handed the receipt to Ann, who glanced at it, then slipped it into the pocket of her skirt while Nate noted the payment in his ledger.

Closing the leather-bound book, he rose and glanced through the window. “I see Mac’s got your horses back in. You ridin’ out today? I can get ‘em saddled or harnessed up.”

“No, thank you, Nate,” Ann said, “We just came to visit them. I’ve not seen The Kid’s new horse yet.”

“Oh, you’ll like her,” Nate said with a grin. “That sure is one fine animal you got there, Kid.”

“Thanks, Nate,” The Kid said, a hint of melancholy in her voice.

Leaving the office, The Kid and Ann made their way to Pegasus’ stall. Button’s was next to it.

Button raised her head up and down excitedly as The Kid approached. She hugged the horse’s neck and head, then gestured toward Andromeda.

“That there is Ann,” The Kid said to the mare. “I reckon you and Pegasus introduced yourselves already.”

Pausing to greet her own horse, Andromeda fed Pegasus an apple, then went to the next stall, gazing at the mare in frank admiration. “Nice to meet you, Button,” she cooed. “What a lovely creature you are.” She gently patted Button’s nose, stroked the horse’s muscular neck, then produced a second apple from her pocket, which Button eagerly took from Ann’s hand.

Button nodded, giving a soft whinny to let The Kid know that she approved of this other human.

The Kid said to her horse, “I said you’d like Ann… didn’t I, girl?”

After a short visit with the horses, the two women walked back out into the sunny street after giving a brief farewell to Nate Lincoln.

“Now what, Kid?” Ann asked.

“To the telegraph office, so I can see if I got any replies to a couple wires I sent out yesterday.”

The office was a small shack with a slightly bigger shack attached to the back of it. In the front was a large window with Knuckle Ridge Telegraph Office printed on it. Joshua Hartley, the telegraph operator, lived in the shack behind the office.

Ann and The Kid entered. Inside was a counter, with pencils and paper on it for composing messages. Behind the counter was a desk, next to a table that held several glass tanks with chemicals and metal in them that served as batteries. The telegraph key rested near the edge of the table with a chair, a pad of paper and pencils close by.

Seeing that no one was around, The Kid rang the bell on the counter. She liked the sound it made, and hit it several more times with the palm of her hand.

A husky, smooth-shaven man in his twenties came strolling in from out back. He wore a white shirt with garters on the sleeves, black vest and pants, a tie, starched collar, and a visor on his head. A pair of spectacles rested on his nose. “Hello, ladies,” he said, giving the two women a small bow.

“Howdy, Josh. I come to see if you got any wires for me yet,” The Kid said.

He nodded. “Sure ‘nough. In fact, I got two of ‘em for you… though we still need to collect for the ones you sent yesterday.”

“What do I owe ya?” The Kid asked.

“Two dollars and two bits.”

The Kid counted out three dollars, laid the crumpled bills on the counter and said, “Keep the change.”

“Much obliged.” Moving over to the left side of the office, Josh peered into a small cubicle, reached inside and withdrew two small envelopes. He glanced at these, then handed them to The Kid. “The top one’s your reply from the federal judge in Austin. The second one’s from Ranger Captain Deek Richards in Austin. Thanks, Kid. Nice seeing you, Miss Purdy.” Opening a drawer, Josh slipped the money inside.

Seating themselves in the outside chairs in front of the office, The Kid handed the telegrams to Ann. “Can you read these to me?”

Andromeda opened the envelope of the first one, withdrew the message and unfolded it, pursing her lips as she studied the words. “Request for warrant granted. Stop. Will have on next stage. Stop. Yours, Judge Grissom.” Ann gave The Kid a questioning look. “Guess I oughtn’t to ask who that warrant is for.”

“Nope,” The Kid replied with a shake of the head, but smiling. “Ranger business. Read me the other one?”

Ann made a face. “I swear, you Rangers… not one iota of respect for a woman’s natural curiosity.” Opening the other telegram, she read, “Will have flyers on next stage. Stop. I expect a report from you. Stop. Captain Deek Richards.” She glanced up at The Kid. “More of the same?”

“Maybe… maybe not,” The Kid said with a grin. She plucked the telegrams from Ann’s hands, folded them, then slipped them into her vest. “Let’s go.” Entering the street, they crossed over to the post office.

As they entered, a short gray-haired, bone-thin woman wearing spectacles, aged somewhere between fifty to ninety years looked up and said, “Mornin’, Ann, Kid. I’m sure I know why you’re here.”

The Kid touched the brim of her Stetson. “Howdy there, Edna May. That package from yesterday we talked about… you still got it here?”

“Yes, I still got it here. Should of been on the stage this morning, Kid. The mail is a sacred trust, y’know. But I held it for you, just like I said I would.” She fixed The Kid with a determined look. “You got the legal work to keep that package from going out? If you don’t, it’ll be on the afternoon stage, y’know. The mail is a sacred trust, not to be trifled with. Why, if I didn’t–”

“I got the legal work comin’ on that afternoon stage.” The Kid protested.

“Fair enough, fair enough. I’ll hold the package that long then, Kid. I only did that much as a personal favor to you, mind. If that there warrant isn’t on the afternoon stage, that package goes out and that’s all there is to it, young lady. Don’t think you can stall me any longer than that!” Edna May was getting worked up now.

The Kid handed Edna May the telegram from Judge Grissom. Edna May read it several times, then said, “All right, Kid. I’ll hold it till this afternoon. But only that long. You have the legal paper then, or it goes out. You know why, don’t you?”

The three women all said in unison, “The mail is a sacred trust.”

“That’s right, that’s right,” Edna May sternly added as the other two women grinned at her. “Anything else, ladies?” she asked, unable to conceal her own amusement.

“Got any mail for me?” Ann asked.

Edna May poked through the slots on the wall, then handed four envelopes to Ann. “Here y’are.”

“Thank you, Edna May.” Andromeda said, stuffing the envelopes in her skirt pocket.

As they exited, Edna May called out, “You be here this afternoon with that legal paper, Kid. The mail’s a sacred trust, and I don’t mean to violate it for anyone!”

They walked back to Ann’s house, then pitched in to wash clothes. That accomplished, they hung them up to dry on the line in the yard, then mounted the steps to the back porch, seating themselves side by side on the wooden bench.

While they watched the clothes gently stirring in the warm breeze, The Kid turned to Andromeda. “What’s a seance?”

Giving The Kid a surprised look, Ann said, “It’s when a group of people get together and try to summon the spirits of the deceased. What made you ask that?”

“Mrs. Ruggles invited us both out there Thursday night for one.”

“She’s having a seance? How odd. What would she even know about conducting one?”

“Well, this spiritualist gal is stayin’ with her. I reckon she’d be doin’ the seance work. Mrs. Ruggles says she invited the woman there just for that reason. Lady Jane Wyeth-Boton, that’s her name.”

Ann’s mouth hung open in astonishment.

“What?” The Kid asked.

“I met Lady Jane years ago, when I took my grand tour of Europe. She was near eighty then. I can’t believe that she’d be able to make the trip over here… and why on earth would she bother with a backwater town like Knuckle Ridge?”

Now it was The Kid’s turn to look surprised. “Shucks, Ann. This woman I met ain’t a day over forty. Maybe thirty or thirty-five, I reckon. Is there more than one with that name? Or maybe the one you met has a daughter?”

Ann shook her head, puzzled. “No, Kid. There’s only one Lady Jane Wyeth-Boton, and I never heard tell of her having children. She was a short, squat woman with snow-white hair.”

“Hmm. This one’s about your height, with blonde hair and a nice figure.” A cloud crossed The Kid’s face and she stood up, saying, “I got to send me another telegram, Ann. It’s almost time for the afternoon stage anyway, I reckon.”

The Kid kissed Ann goodbye, then hastened back to the telegraph office.

Josh was busy on the telegraph key, and The Kid was forced to wait until he was finished. Finally, he looked up. “How can I help you now, Kid?”

“I need you to send another wire for me, Josh.”

“Sure, Kid. Who and where to?”

“To Mort Farnum, care of the Pinkerton Detectives, in New York City, New York.”

Josh raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. “And what do you want it to say?”

After The Kid relayed her message, Josh counted the words he’d written out and said, “That’ll be six dollars and fifty cents.”

“Six-fifty! Why that’s robbery, that is!” The Kid glared over the counter. “Hell’s bells, I could train me a bird to fly that message out there.”

Josh shrugged. “You got a lot of words here, Kid. It would cost less if you cut some of them out.”

“Damn it… I need every word I give you, Josh.” With a heavy sigh, The Kid laid seven dollars on the counter and said, “Keep the change. Will you let me know the minute you get an answer?”

“Sure will, but it may take a while. New York’s not like sending a wire to Austin, y’know.”

“Fair ‘nough. So long, Josh.”

Exiting the telegraph office, The Kid sat down outside and rolled a smoke, listening to the clickety-clack sound coming from inside as Josh worked the key, sending her message across the miles. She smoked the cigarette down to a stub, then rolled another. As she finished the second one, the stagecoach arrived, and she quickly got up and strolled over to the office where it pulled in.

“Howdy, boys,” The Kid said to the two stage men, one of them old and the other young. “Sure am sorry about what happened to Roy and Bob.”

“Thanks, Kid. And thanks for all you done for Bob,” the older man said.

The younger man nodded his head in agreement, then climbed up on top to unload the baggage while the older man helped the passengers out.

The one who unloaded the luggage climbed down, took the mail bag out of the stage boot and handed it to Jack, who’d just emerged from the office.

The Kid placed a hand on his shoulder. “Mind if I tote this bag over to the post office for you? I’m expectin’ a couple things, and I need to get to ‘em soon.”

“Of course, Kid. I trust you,” Jack answered, passing the heavy canvas sack to her.

“You sure can, Jack. The mail’s a sacred trust, y’know.”

Jack rolled his eyes heavenward. “I see you’ve been passin’ the time with Edna May. I swear, one day she’s gonna turn that post office into a damn church.” Taking out his pocket watch, he peered at it, frowning. “Got to get back to my desk. Still dealin’ with the paperwork from that robbery.” He sighed. “See you later, Kid.”

“Later, Jack.” Hoisting the mailbag onto her shoulder, The Kid set off.

A couple minutes later, The Kid brought the mail into the post office. “Howdy, Edna May. I got the mail here for you, fresh off the stage.”

“That legal paper on it, Kid?”

“Well, that’s why I brought it right over — so you could check it, Edna May.”

“Yes, yes,” Edna May muttered as she thumbed through the keys on her chain. Finding the one she wanted, she unlocked the mail bag, loosened its leather straps and emptied the contents out on a table.

“Hmm. Here’s a package for you, Kid,” Edna May said as she handed The Kid a large bundle wrapped in brown paper and string.

“How ‘bout that legal paper?”

“Patience is a virtue, child,” Edna May muttered as she glanced through the many envelopes, then began to sort them. “Help me look.”

“Well, now…” The Kid started to say — then fell silent, embarrassed.

Edna May looked up, feeling a little embarrassed herself. “Sorry, Kid. I forgot.”

“Ann keeps offerin’ to teach me,” The Kid said, staring at the floor. “Figure it’s prob’ly too late now.”

“You’re never too old to learn, Kid,” Edna May said, then suddenly snatched an envelope from the pile. “Ah! Here it is.” Opening the letter, she carefully read the contents. Nodding, she handed over the letter and the package, then reached underneath the counter to get another, larger package. “All right, Kid. You can take this over to the Sheriff now.” She produced another document. “Just make your mark on this, Kid. It shows that we did this by the book.”

The Kid drew a small raven on the bottom of the paper, then Edna May wrote something next to it. “There, all legal now. Got to do it this way. Know why?”

“The mail’s a sacred trust,” The Kid recited, along with Edna May.

Edna May lightly swatted The Kid’s arm. “All right, child. You got what you wanted, now get out of my hair.  There’s real work to be done here.”

Bending to give Edna May a kiss on the cheek, The Kid hastened away, saying, “Much obliged,” over her shoulder.

“Be off with you!” the older woman cried, but with a smile.

Moments later, The Kid walked into the Sheriff’s office to find Gus Masters at his desk, writing something. Pausing to take a draw from his pipe, he looked up. “Hello, Kid. What’s that you got there?”

“If you can spare me a minute, Gus, I believe I got the murderer for you. Dependin’ on what’s in this here package, anyhow.” Placing both bundles on the desk, she gave him the legal paper.

Gus read the document, then looked up at The Kid. “I got all the time you need. Sit down, and let’s talk.” Stuffing a generous pinch of tobacco into his pipe, he sat back and listened as The Kid began to explain what she believed had happened.

This way to Chapter Four!