Stagger Inn PM

Trixie turned to face Evangeline, the predatory grin becoming more prominent. "While I am touched that you find me interesting, Evangeline, I still don't care to speak with you. But since I can see that you will behave like a small child and pester me all night, I will give you some quick answers." Trixie took her blackberry from her clutch, checking the time before setting the two items next to her emptied glass. "The fact that you are a federal agent does not scare me in the slightest. I have done nothing wrong, and would appreciate if you learned how to behave politely. I am Miss Trixie Carlson. You will treat me with respect. That is not a choice from you." Trixie had an anger in her voice, a frustration at what she had already been through in the night. She waved her hand, and in moments Isaac had brought her another drink. She sipped it calmly. "So let me put it to you this way. The only thing I know about Rebekah Curran is that she is missing, and that her husband is distraught. As far as Brianne Montgomery, she went missing some time ago after a long fight with her husband. Nice enough sort, but not my type. Does that answer for you?" She glanced at her phone, taking another drink. "Make it quick. I've got trains to catch."

Isaac leaned in between Wren and Niall, looking between both of them. "Let me ask you something. If..." He prodded Niall with a finger roughly, thumping it against his chest. "...If you could go and get your wife back, you would, wouldn't ya?" Isaac looked at Niall intently for a moment and leaned back, his gaze turning to Wren. For the briefest of instants, his face seemed impossibly old and he carried the air of someone ancient and well-respected, seeming to debate his course of action for a few moments. "Wren, little birdie, I know where you could do the most help in your life. Come now, little songbird, and I will show you where you could help this town the most." Isaac smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small cigar box marked for Baron brand cigars. He opened it, revealing a few well made cigars, then pulled two tickets out from it. Setting it in front of Wren and Niall, he spoke quietly. "These are powerful gris-gris. But if you want to help people, and if you want to find your wife, it's best to follow her. Just travel slowly. The ghede will help you, will guide you, but be polite. Take them if you want. Fate has brought you all here. None of you will leave until at least tomorrow. And this will let you know what you are against far better than talking to us will." He turned his attention on Wren. "Your car ain't gon' go anywhere anytime soon, and this is a town that needs serious healing. So come on, songbird, take the ticket."

Evangeline kept her face completely neutral, still only smiling, but inwardly she was screaming. Trains? Trains? This girl wanted her to make the connection...but did that mean she was involved, or that she simply knew something more? Was she working with whoever was responsible for the disappearances? She made a mental note to look up Trixie Carlson in the databases - any prior run-ins with the law, any records at all would help her piece together this girl.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Carlson." She drained her drink and stood from her seat. "That's all I really needed to know. I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot - I truly didn't mean to disrespect you, it's just that people here in this town haven't been too helpful, and I'm at the end of my wits a little bit. You understand. People not giving you the proper respect. Be seeing you around, Miss Carlson." She turned on her heel and walked primly away from the fireplace and Trixie, depositing her glass and some money on the bartop before heading back outside into the cold. She needed to talk to Crenshaw. As far as she knew, this was the first real lead there had been on the case at all. And it was all hers.

[-exit scene-]

Niall jolted back, surprised at Isaac's touch. He listened to the man's words, struggling to stay skeptical. What he was saying couldn't be true. Banshees, ghede, magical ghost trains - those things didn't exist. Rebekah had probably just wandered out into the woods, still mad about their argument. She wasn't in some town under the ground. Things like that didn't happen.

But still...supposing they did...

His resolve cracked.

He snatched the ticket from the bartop, looking it over. Same as the one that had had Rebekah's name on it, entitling Niall to one trip on the 309. "So this will take me to Rebekah?" he asked in what was almost a whisper, barely believing that he was actually going to do this. But he had to. If there was even a chance that he would find Rebekah, he had to. And from what Trixie had told him, and from what Isaac was telling him, it was likely that he would.

Wren's hand took the ticket at the mention of healing the town. Her mind was busy trying to remember if she had ever heard of a gris-gris or a ghede in all of her life.

"Well, I have wasted many a day sitting in a bar drinking while interesting things happened else were. I guess fate could have had a hand in me breaking down next to any town at all."

Don't offer to help unless you really mean it.

Her father's voice popped into her head as the memory of him handing her a knife and guiding her as she gutted her first deer. She had been 14 and had offered to help her father hunt. She had thought that meant a day of having her father to herself for once. She had never thought they would actually get one or that her father would even think to let alone make her gut an animal. She had done the deed without complaint knowing that she had indeed gotten herself into it.

Now what have I gotten myself into?

Wren smiled at the thought and the fact that she was really getting excited to help.

"Speaking of my car, have you seen Thomas? Before I go a traveling anywhere I need to get into my luggage."

"Thompson cleaned the car out for you and brought the luggage here. I had it set up in your room for when you were done here at the bar." Isaac looked between them, grinning wide. "Them tickets will get you far, but the ghede will tell you where to go from there, if you treat them with respect. And I don't know where it takes you or what the ride is like, but it'll be like nothing you've ever known." He bowed his head slightly, stepping back. "The ghede will meet you at the crossroads and guide the way. I have done what I needed to, and your train leaves the yard soon." He moved down the bar silently, walking to fill Trixie's glass once more. Outside, the storm began to pick up slightly. Isaac watched it through the window, turning his back to the patrons and humming to himself, slightly off-key.

Wren downed the rest of her drink, laid six buck under the empty glass, and stood up to leave.

"If you still want my help, Niall, wait here and I will be right back."

Wren ran up to her room, passed it the first time, and was glad to see all her stuff was there. She took the time to put on a pair of long johns under her jeans and shirt, put an extra change of cloths in the hiking pack she used as a day bag on the slopes, and her purse. She also put the gun case she pulled from the bottom of her largest suitcase into the bag.

What else?

She dug through the suit case she kept all her shoes in and decided to add a pair of tennis shoes with extra socks stuffed in them to the bag. The last thing she did was double check that her first aid kit that took up the other back pack pocket was all there. As an after thought she attached a couple of hair twisties to the zipper pulls and added a package of bobby pins to the pack.

That should do it.

Wren gave her room one more look over before heading back down to the bar.

"I am ready, Niall."

Niall didn't have much to take with him. His mobile phone, his laptop in the bag slung over his shoulder, and his trusty hand lens. So he stayed at the bar, turning the ticket over in his hands. The rational part of him was saying that there was no way this was going to turn out well, that even if Rebekah was down there, from what Trixie said there was no way he'd even make it in the door.

But he had to try. He couldn't just sit here while she was out there somewhere, all alone...and while he was alone here without her. Because Niall needed Rebekah much more than she needed him, and he knew that was selfish, but he was long past caring. He loved her more than anything in the world. They had promised to be together, until death did they part, and Niall was a man who kept his promises.

He looked up as Wren reentered the bar, standing from his seat. "Me too," he replied ruefully. "Ready as I'll ever be, anyway. Shall we?"

Wren gave Niall her best supportive smile, the one that she gives to the dying patients' families. She hoped all the ghost story stuff was just that stories,and she would be treating the lost wife for frost bite or a sprained ankle.

"As ready as I can be to investigate a ghost story."

Wren said with a shrug. That is when the thought of the mine town popped into her head. She swung her bag off her shoulder and double checked that she still had the led flashlight and extra batteries her dad had added to the first aid kit last Christmas. After turning it on twice and making sure it was off Wren put it back in the bag where she had found it, grabbed her phone out, and threw the bag back on her back.

"Let's head out. I am just going to give my sister a call just in case we are lost as well."

Wren said rearranging her winter gear, opening the door, stepping out into the night, and dialing her sister.

"You have reached the voice box of Robyn Springer, please leave a message after the tone."

"I see you have left your phone in the room again. It is better I leave this in a message anyway so that I know you will remember in the morning. I have offered my help to find a very nice gentlemen's wife while I am stuck here. If you don't hear from me in a day or two than the ghost stories here might be true and I have been sucked up in them. I just thought I would let you know I love you and Dad. Yes I am a bit tipsy, but I am speaking the truth as I know it. Have fun and I hope this is just the alcohol making me paranoid."

Wren hang up feeling kind of silly, but slightly safer now that there was record else were about what she was about to do. Wren slipped her phone in the side pocket of the hiking bag and turned to Niall.

"So, do we go straight to the train or do you want to start searching else were?"

[--Exit Scene--]