Chapter 12
Josh tossed and turned while he had another dream.
In Josh's dream, it was in the middle of the night, and Josh broke out of his jail cell when he realized his small barred window on the back wall was loose.
Josh climbed through the small window and hit the ground with a thud.
He got up and ran down the back alley and headed in the direction of the mansion.
Josh was able to sneak past all the cowboys while he headed to the mansion.
Josh ran to one of the sides of the mansion and pushed up on a wooden framed window. The window opened, and he cautiously climbed inside the dining room.
Inside the mansion, Josh stood up in the dark dining room, and he looked around the area.
"No!' he heard Jenny cry out from the upstairs rooms.
Josh ran out of the dining room like a superhero and bolted up the stairs.
He raced down, and body slammed the closed door at the end of the hall.
The bedroom came crashing down to the floor with Josh. He quickly sprang up and stood in the doorway in a superhero stance. He saw Marshall Fisher naked on top of Jenny and forcing himself upon this fair lady.
"Let go of that young lady!" Josh yelled at Marshall Fisher.
Marshall Fisher just turned and grinned while he played with his handlebar mustache, then he returned to forcing himself on Jenny.
"Please help me, Josh!" she screamed out while Marshall Fisher forced his lips upon her lips.
"Never fear, Josh is here!" he replied in his superhero voice.
Josh moved to rescue Jenny, but something grabbed his arms and flung him backward and slammed him down to the floor.
He looked up, and twelve cowboys were glaring down at Josh.
"Take him to the gallows!" Marshall Fisher yelled out from the bed.
Josh tried to fight to free himself, but the cowboys were stronger and took him down the hall.
Josh was now on top of the gallows where the noose hung before his eyes.
Marshall Fisher walked up and looked at people in the street. "Josh will hang for stopping me from having sex with my beautiful Jenny," he told all the town folk that cheered and clapped.
Josh looked and saw Jenny was in the street where she blew Marshall Fisher's kisses.
One of the cowboys placed the noose around Josh's neck, and the faint sound of a bell was heard coming from the air.
Josh looked up, and the bell ringing got a little louder.
Nobody heard that bell but Josh as everybody watched the noose around his neck.
Josh heard the lever being moved while the bell ringing got closer.
Josh heard the trap door open, and the bell got louder.
The second Josh dropped into the hole, and the noose got tighter around his neck, the bell ringing was loud and in his face.
Back to Josh's reality in Paradise, it was 5:00 a.m., Sunday morning, and Josh jumped up in bed in a panic gasping for air, and his head slammed into the bell that Maggie was ringing above his head.
"It's time for breakfast and then church!" Maggie yelled at Josh.
Josh looked around the room and was dazed and confused.
"I said it's time for breakfast and then church!" Maggie yelled again.
"Church?" Josh asked, still a little confused and still dazed from his dream.
"You heard me. Everybody goes to church every Sunday morning immediately after breakfast," she said, then turned around and rushed off to the door.
Josh got out of bed, used the stinky outhouses, and had to wait his turn for the bathroom.
Josh joined James at breakfast in the Dining Hall, and he still couldn't find Jenny and was really concerned.
After breakfast, Josh and James walked down the far end of Paradise Lane, where the Paradise Holy Church was located next to Doc Holloway's Office.
It was a stand-alone building painted white with a large cross on the steeple.
Inside the Paradise Holy Church, it was packed with all the residents of Paradise, and the cowboys all stood around the walls keeping a watchful eye on everybody.
Preacher Stan, another good friend of Marshall Fisher, stood at the podium with a hymn book and bible in his hands while he watched everybody pile inside the church and sit in the pews.
Jason and James entered the church from the rear door and sat in the end spaces in one of the pews at the rear.
Josh looked around for Jenny, and she wasn't seen in the church at this time.
More people poured into the church, Josh looked for Jenny, and she wasn't anywhere in sight.
After a few minutes, all the town folk was sitting in the pews in the church. The preaching was about to start.
Bob Jackson entered, sat down at one of the last pews by the rear door, and he showed no emotions of life.
Josh's eyes widened when he saw Marshall Fisher enter through the side door with Jenny by his side and Charlie trailing.
They sat down in the front pew reserved for the Marshall and his guests.
Josh didn't know what to think about Jenny spending the weekend with the Marshall.
"Good morning, my Paradise flock," Preacher Stan called out from the podium.
"Good morning," everybody called out except for Josh.
Preacher Stan opened up his hymn book. "Let's sing hymn number one," he said while he looked at a page.
Everybody grabbed hymn books from the back of the pew and opened it to that page.
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," everybody sang out except for Josh, who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, so he quietly sang out the words.
While the entire church sang the hymn, Josh eyed the back of Jenny's head and looked worried.
After a few minutes, the church was finished with the Amazing Grace hymn and Preacher Stan dove into his sermon about loyalty to others who try to give you a better life and then betraying them.
Ten minutes later, Preacher Stan was finished preaching, and most of the folks fought to stay awake.
Marshall Fisher got up and walked over to Preacher Stan. "Thank you for a wonderful service with a powerful message, Preacher Stan," he said while they shook hands.
Marshall Fisher looked at Jenny in the front pew. "Will Jenny Burns, please come up here," he asked her.
Josh's ears perked up when he heard Jenny's name, and he craned his neck to watch.
Jenny looked worried while she walked over to Marshall Fisher and stood by his side.
Fisher placed an arm around her. "I am so happy to announce that Jenny Burns will be my wife," he told the audience with a huge smile.
Jenny looked stunned, overhearing this news for the first time.
All the town folk clapped, except for Josh, who looked upset.
Marshall Fisher grinned from ear to ear and waited until the clapping ceased. "We'll have our wedding in a few days, and the whole town is invited!"
The audience clapped again, and it was louder.
"Church is dismissed!" Marshall Fisher called out during the clapping.
Everybody stopped clapping and got up from their pews and started piling out of the church.
Josh stood up with James, and he saw Preacher Stan congratulating Marshall Fisher and Jenny.
He moped out of the church with James.
A little while later, Josh walked into the Paradise Saloon and headed over to the bar.
"Whiskey, please," Josh told Wendell the bartender.
Wendell spat out some tobacco into a brass spittoon poured Josh a shot of whiskey.
While Josh drank it, he saw Bob Jackson over at a table all by himself with five empty shot glasses. Bob looked lifeless while he held his sixth shot glass in his hand at stared at the whiskey.
Then Josh saw Doc Holloway passed out drunk at a table at the other side of the bar.
Josh gulped down his shot of whiskey. "Another shot," he told Wendell.
While the shot glass was being filled, Josh saw Bob sway in his chair while he gulped down his shot.
"Why, thank you. Miss Burns is a beautiful woman and will be a dedicated wife," Marshall Fisher was heard outside the saloon talking to one of the townfolk.
Bob eyed the saloon doors with looks that could kill when he heard the Marshall's voice. He saw five cowboys drinking whiskey at the bar, and they all were stinking drunk.
Bob got up from his table.
He walked over to the cowboys at the bar with a smirk on his face.
"Whiskey," Bob slurred out the words while he handed Wendell the shot glass.
Josh gulped down his second shot of whiskey and headed to the door.
Josh walked out of the saloon and saw Marshall Fisher talking with four couples in the middle of the street about the wedding.
Josh moped down Paradise Lane to get away from that talk.
He eventually moped by the Paradise House of Pleasure and saw Linda standing on the front porch looking lifeless.
Cowboys Dale and Jesse entered the Paradise House of Pleasure looking horny.
Cowboys Mitch and Saul exited the Paradise House of Pleasure and looked satisfied while they smoked a rolled-up cigarette.
Josh looked over at Linda.
"Help me, Josh!" she mouthed the words.
Cowboy Wesley walked out on the front porch and grabbed Linda by her arm. "I don't have all day," he yelled and pulled her into the building.
Josh walked down the street, passed by Sidney, who hobbled on crutches with one leg, and he looked depressed.
Josh saw the mansion, turned around, and walked back toward the saloon to get drunk.
Meanwhile, Anita, in an old western blue dress, rode one of the horses that belonged to the Indians into town. She was able to obtain the horse from the Indians for a bottle of whiskey.
Josh walked to the saloon and saw Marshall Fisher still chatting about his upcoming wedding with those couples.
Bob bolted out of the saloon with a pistol that he lifted out of a holster of one of those drunken cowboys. "Fisher!" he yelled out in anger.
Marshall Fisher turned around, and saw Bob in the street, swaying with the pistol in his hand.
All the town folk on Paradise Lane ran to a safe distance and watched the show.
Anita stopped her horse and dismounted by the Marshall's Office. She looked in awe at the town her father built.
"Marshall Fisher, you bastard!" Bob yelled out while he swayed and tried to aim his pistol.
Anita looked down the street and saw Bob aiming his pistol at her father.
Josh stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Bob aiming his pistol at Marshall Fisher.
Jenny stepped out of Doc Holloway's Office and saw Bob with a pistol aimed at Marshall Fisher.
"You and your goons raped my sister Mindy. That's why she killed herself!" Bob yelled out in anger.
Marshall Fisher looked pissed with being threatened by Bob. "Now Bob, it's best you go sleep this off. We'll talk about it in the morning," he said.
Bob swayed, closed one eye while he aimed his pistol at Marshall Fisher. "You don't deserve to breathe our air," he yelled out while he continued to sway with his pistol aimed.
Josh had a smile, thinking that Bob would take care of his problem with the Marshall marrying Jenny.
Then a pistol was fired from behind Bob, and his forehead blew open when the bullet exited. Bob dropped face-first into the ground dead.
Cowboy Tony was the meanest cowboy in the bunch, and he fired the fatal shot into the back of Bob's head. He blew across the barrel, twirled his pistol and dropped it into his holster with a smirk.
Everybody in the street looked stunned while Bob lay with blood oozing out of his forehead into the dirt.
Josh looked again at cowboy Tony and tried to remember why his face looked so familiar but couldn't.
Marshall Fisher walked over to Bob's dead body.
Tony walked over to Bob's dead body.
"Thanks, Tony," Marshall Fisher said with a pat on his back.
Tony looked proud at Bob's dead body. "My pleasure, boss."
Anita ran over to Marshall Fisher and looked down at Bob's dead body. "Daddy, what happened? He said you raped a woman?"
Marshall Fisher looked at Anita then at Bob in the dirt. "He was drunk and acting stupid."
Cowboy Tony walked away and headed back into the saloon.
Marshall Fisher looked bothered with Anita. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't worry. Everything's secured at the mansion, and I put up a closed for two weeks' repair sign. I just had to see this place," she replied while she looked around the town in awe.
"I'll have one of my cowboys escort you back to the cave later today. I need you there, guarding the train house."
Anita looked excited. "Daddy, I have a new idea to run by you. Plus, can't I stay for a few days? I want you to find me a husband," she asked with pleading eyes.
Marshall Fisher looked at Anita's pleading eyes. "Sure thing, darling," he replied with a warm smile, as she had him wrapped around her little finger. "I need some drinks," Marshall Fisher told her. "By the way, I'm getting married, and her name is Jenny. She's the town nurse, and I'll take you to the doctor's office later to meet her," he told Anita while they walked to the mansion.
A wagon rode down the street from one of the side streets and was driven by cowboy Sam with cowboy Jimmy sitting next to him.
Sam stopped the wagon by Bob's dead body.
Sam and Jimmy got down off the wagon and picked up Bob's body. They tossed the corpse into the rear of the wagon and climbed back up to the seat.
Sam drove the wagon down Paradise Lane and headed down the street to the Undertaker's building.
Josh saw Jenny while she walked back inside Doc Holloway's Office.
Josh walked away and headed to a side street.
A little while later, Josh walked down an alley and went to the rear of Doc Holloway's Office. He tapped on the glass of the rear door window.
The door opened, and Jenny appeared. "Can we talk?" Josh asked with pleading eyes.
"Come inside," she said, then stepped aside.
The second Josh stepped inside the doctor's office, he started pacing. "I can't believe my luck. I meet a beautiful woman, and she's forced to marry the town Marshall."
Jenny wiped away a tear. "I don't want to marry that old goat. He makes my skin crawl at the thought of him lying naked on top of me. Plus, his breath is horrible from cigar smoke, and those brown stained teeth make you want to vomit."
"What about Bob? He said Fisher raped Mindy."
Jenny's eyes welled up as she started pacing. "I heard those claims from some of the women."
Josh looked bothered by something. "That guy that shot Bob. He looked very familiar," he said while he tried to recall why.
Then after a few seconds of pacing, it dawned on him. "I saw him on a TV show that hunts down fugitives. He's wanted for rape," Josh told her.
"That's Tony, and his main job is to stand guard outside Fisher's bedroom when he's in the mansion," Josh told her, then he paced around some more. "What the hell is going on here?"
"You said the magic word, hell," she replied.
"There was Sara who came the same day I did. She was kidnapped and given to the Indians to the Chief's bride."
"I heard of another woman, Diana, was also given to the Indians a little while ago," she told Josh.
"I can't take it anymore. We need to get out of here," he told her.
"He pays the Indians in booze to guard the cave. And that's the only way out of here. And you know he'll hang us for trying."
Josh continued to pace circles around Jenny while he pondered their situation. "That's the risk we'll have to take. Or you can live the rest of your life as his wife," he told her.
Jenny thought about his comment for a second. "I'll rather risk a noose around my neck than that creep crawling all over me for the rest of my life," she said.
Josh walked over to her and gave her a hug. They kissed; it turned passionate, and then they started undressing each other.
Within a few minutes, they were both naked and fell on top of her bed.