Chapter 5
The sun rose precisely at 6:30 a.m., Wednesday morning in the land of Paradise.
Josh was sound asleep in the bedroom of Doc Holloway’s Office.
“Ahhhh!” Sidney screamed from the examination area, and Josh heard that and bolted up on his sleep.
“Ahhhh!” Sidney screamed again from the examination room, and his screams filled the entire office.
Josh got curious and got out of bed.
He walked out of the bedroom and headed into the main area.
“Ahhhh!” Sidney screamed louder while Josh walked through the main area and headed to the examination room.
Josh walked to the doorway of the examination room as saw Sidney Daily, a sixty-five-year-old man with a head full of white hair on his back on a wooden table.
Doc Larry Holloway, a sixty-year-old man with a rough complexion and red swollen drunkard’s nose, sawed on Sidney’s leg below the knee.
“Ahhhh!” Sidney squirmed while he screamed and was held down with a rope tied around the table.
“Let’s give him something to knock him out,” she told Doc Holloway.
Lubberly grabbed a nearby whiskey bottle then he took a swig. “Here, Sidney,” he said while he poured whiskey in Sidney’s mouth, causing him to gag.
Jenny felt Josh’s presence in the doorway, and she smiled when she saw him. “Good morning, Josh,” she said with a warm smile.
Doc Holloway turned and saw Josh in the doorway.
Josh nodded while he stared in shock at the sight before him. Josh looked sick, then he rushed away before he vomited.
Doc Holloway laughed at that sight.
Jenny looked bothered with Doc Holloway’s attitude.
Josh rushed into the bedroom, grabbed his cowboy hat, and rushed out of the room.
Josh rushed out of Doc Holloway’s Office and stood in Paradise Lane. He could still hear the screams of Sidney from inside the building.
Josh rushed away down Paradise Lane dodging the numerous piles of road apples left from the horses.
Josh looked in awe at the town of Paradise while he walked down Paradise Lane and felt like he stepped back in time.
“This place looks exactly like the train set,” he said while he saw the bank.
Joe and Wendy, a middle-aged married couple, approached Josh while they took their daily stroll down Paradise Lane.
“Hello,” Josh said in a warm, polite tone.
“Hello,” Joe replied, and Kathy gave Josh a warm smile while they walked past him.
Josh walked down Paradise Lane and passed by the Paradise National Bank that was on his right, and he looked to his left and saw the Paradise General Store across the street.
Josh walked a little farther down Paradise Lane and saw the Paradise Marshall’s Office to his right, then looked to his left and saw the Paradise Dining Hall across the street.
Josh walked a little farther down Paradise Lane and saw the Paradise Court House to his right, then looked to his left and saw the Paradise House of Pleasure across the street. Josh thought it was some type of nightclub.
Josh walked farther down Paradise Lane and a horse stable to his right where the stagecoach was housed. He looked across the street and saw the Paradise Main Hotel to his left across the street. This hotel was a two-story hotel with thirty-four rooms only for the cowboys.
Josh glanced over at the front porch of the hotel, where he saw more cowboys that wore black shirts. There was Kirby, Hal, Frank, and Paul, who stood on the front porch like they owned the hotel.
“Hello,” Josh said while he tipped his cowboy hat at the four cowboys
Kirby, Hal, Frank, and Paul didn’t respond and just kept a cautious eye on Josh while he walked down the street.
“Not very friendly,” Josh quietly said to himself while he walked down the street.
Josh turned around and walked back down Paradise Lane and saw Mindy Stone, a thirty-year-old beautiful pregnant woman who moped depressed down the street, staring at the dirt.
“Hello ma-am,” Josh said and tipped his cowboy hat at Mindy.
She just stared at the dirt while she headed in the direction of the hotel and ignored Josh’s greeting.
Josh shrugged her off as he walked down the street.
Josh got back down Paradise Lane near Doc Holloway’s Office and stopped. He looked down the street and saw a saloon, Western Clothing Store, and the Paradise Undertaker building on the right side of the street. He looked at the left side of the street and saw the Paradise Holy Church and the Paradise Laundry past the doctor’s office.
Josh remembered the goose egg on his forehead and decided he had some business to attend. He turned around and walked down Paradise Lane and headed back to the Marshall’s Office.
The Marshall’s Office was your typical office with wooden floors, a potbelly stove with old fashion coffee pot that always contained strong coffee, two desks, two small six-foot by five-foot jail cells with small barred windows, and no wanted posters on the wall.
Charlie lounged in one of the desk chairs with his cowboy boots kicked up on his desk. His cowboy hat was tipped forward and covered his eyes while he took a nap. He also had a deputy’s badge pinned to his shirt and wore a holster with two Colt 45 pistols.
Josh walked up to Charlie’s desk while he snored.
“Ah, excuse me,” Josh said.
Charlie continued to snore in his chair.
Josh knocked on Charlie’s desk.
Charlie slowly lifted his hat out of his eyes and glared at Josh. “Why did you wake me up?” he said, a little pissed.
Josh’s eyes widened with surprise when he recognized Charlie. “It’s you!”
“Yep, Paradise recruiter and deputy,” he replied with a cocky smirk.
“Then you know I got robbed and beaten last night,”
Charlie chuckled while he recalled yesterday’s incident. “That’s how you make your payment into Paradise. We thought that it would add to the old west feel,” he said.
“By robbing, then beating us?” Josh snapped out, pissed.
Charlie saw the goose egg on Josh’s forehead. “I’m so sorry one of my cowboys hit you. He had a little too much to drink. It happens with cowboys in the old west,” he said.
“I want to press criminal charges,” Josh said and looked determined.
Charlie looked irritated while he got up and walked over to Josh. He placed a hand on the top of Josh’s shoulder. “Listen, son, it would be best if you forget about everything. And I mean to forget,” he said with a quiet, threatening tone while he tightened his grip on Josh’s shoulder.
Josh cringed in pain while Charlie’s fingers dug into his shoulder.
“Now don’t worry, that cowboy will be fired and send away from Paradise, as soon as the Marshall returns,” Charlie said.
“I’m satisfied with that,” Josh replied only to get out from under Charlie’s painful grip.
Charlie released Josh from his threatening grip and walked back to his desk. “There’s a room for you at Fisher’s Lane Hotel number three over on Fisher’s Lane. Now leave me alone,” he said, then sat back down in his chair, kicked his cowboy boots back up on his desk, lowered his hat over his eyes, and returned to his nap.
Josh looked upset while he walked out of the office but figured it might be in his best interest to forget about his beating.
Josh walked down Paradise Lane and noticed that everybody had smiles on their faces, an indication they were happy living here.
Josh walked around Blaine Lane on the other side of town and saw seven hotels. While he walked the streets, he saw more and more people that appeared very happy. That sight gave him a good feeling that he made the right choice, and yesterday’s beating was just a fluke.
A little while later, Josh walked down Fisher’s Lane and walked up to Fisher’s Lane Hotel #3.
Josh removed his cowboy hat the second he walked into the small lobby that had a front desk, a couch, and four chairs.
The lobby was quiet, where Sidney stood behind the front desk and waited to assist a hotel guest.
Josh walked up to Sidney. “My name is Josh Bryant. Charlie Fisher told me you should have a room for me. I just arrived in Paradise yesterday,” he said.
Sidney spotted the huge goose egg on Josh’s forehead. “What happen to you?” he curiously asked.
“One of those cowboys beat me after I went after him for forcing a kiss on a young lady,” Josh replied.
“Oh, I see,” Sidney replied and appeared concerned with Josh’s story while he opened up a reservation book and flipped through some pages. “Ah yes, we have you in room six,” he replied, then annotated in the book that Josh showed up for his room.
Maggie was a bully of a woman around fifty-five years old who dusted the lobby. She looked over at Josh and saw the goose egg on his forehead. She shrugged off Josh’s story about being beaten and continued with her dusting.
“You’ll be eating breakfast at six in the morning, and dinner at six in the evening all served in the Paradise Dining Hall located on Paradise Lane. The bath is at the end of the hall, and you’re allowed fifteen minutes. Outhouses are located outside by the rear of the building,” Sidney instructed Josh.
“What about lunch?”
“Lunch will be explained later,” Sidney explained then waited for Josh to leave the front desk.
Josh looked curiously at Sidney. “Do I get room key?”
“We don’t have locks on the doors in Paradise, as there’s no crime in our beautiful town,” Sidney replied.
“I can vouch for that,” Josh replied while he lightly touched he goose egg that was still a tad painful.
Josh walked away and headed down the hall to the rooms.
Josh walked down the hall that was lit from the outside light that shone through the large windows.
He entered Room 6, his new home, and saw that it was small with a single bed, chair, dresser, stand-up closet and two windows that provided light during the day.
Josh looked and saw his cloth suitcase was already placed in his room.
Forgot about my suitcase. He thought to himself while he looked at his watch and realized he missed breakfast and lunch.
He looked up at the ceiling and saw they built a water sprinkler system for fire into the building. “I guess this place isn’t 100 percent true old western,” he said while he looked at the sprinkler heads.
He got on his new bed and decided to relax until it was time for dinner.
His stomach growled, and he was starving since he hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning.
His eyes closed, and he drifted off to sleep.
Josh napped for two hours, then woke up and felt dirty and gritty from being in Paradise and decided to take a bath.
Josh walked down to the end of the hall to the bathroom. He didn’t notice Maggie inside her room.
He went into the bathroom and only saw a small counter with a sink and a bathtub.
Josh turned the hot and cold knobs and noticed that the water wasn’t that hot. Buy the time the water filled the tub; it was tepid.
Josh stripped naked and hung his clothes on the hook on the wall.
He got in the tub, and then his eyes widened when he remembered something. “I forgot to bring soap and shampoo,” he said, then figured soaking in water would make him a little cleaner.
He closed his eyes, submerged his head under the water, and relaxed.
Fifteen minutes passed, and Josh was so relaxed in the tub that he was about to fall sleep in the water.
The door slammed open with a loud bang and caused Josh to almost jump out naked out of the tub.
“Your fifteen minutes are up!” Maggie barked out like a Marine Corps drill instructor.
Josh saw Maggie standing in the bathroom doorway with her arms crossed, and she looked pissed. “Get out of the tub now!” she barked out another order.
Maggie glared at Josh from the doorway.
“If I could have some privacy, I’ll get out of the tub,” Josh said while he started to get nervous about sitting naked in the tub with Maggie in the room.
Maggie chuckled while she left and closed the bathroom door.
Josh got out of the tub, stood naked, and looked around the bathroom. “Ah man, I also forgot a towel,” he said while he stood dripping wet on the wooden floor.
Josh got dressed in his clothes.
A few minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom and stepped in the hall, where Maggie waited, making sure he was out.
Maggie gave Josh an evil eye while she watched him walk to his room.
The wooden floor of the hall creaked, and Josh looked and saw Bob Jackson, a thirty-five-year-old man while he walked up to the next-door room.
Bob lightly tapped on the door for Room 5, which was next to Josh’s room.
“Howdy,” Josh said the second he saw Bob.
Bob nodded with a small smile in response to Josh’s greeting but was more interested in the inside of that hotel room.
Josh thought nothing of Bob’s weak greeting and went inside his room.
As soon as he got inside his room, Josh grabbed his suitcase and walked over to the stand-up closet.
He opened up the closet and saw a “Welcome to Paradise” basket with soap, a bottle of shampoo, a toothbrush and a tube of cheap toothpaste. There was also a Fisher’s Lane Hotel #3 embroidered towel hanging in the closet.
Josh felt foolish for not finding that stuff before he took his bath.
“Oh, my God! Mindy!” Bob’s voice screamed out in a panic from the room next door.
Josh got curious, and he rushed out of his room.
Josh rushed over to Room 5 and saw the door was opened.
He peeked inside and saw Bob sobbing on the bed while he held Mindy’s hand while she lay on the bed.
Josh saw that her throat was slit, and blood ran from the bed covers down to the wooden floor next to a bloody knife.
Sara walked down the hall and was about to open Room 2, which was across from Mindy’s but got curious when she saw Josh with his mouth open in shock while he stood in the doorway.
She walked over to Josh. “What’s going on?” she curiously asked.
Sara quickly covered her mouth in shock, and her eyes well up at the sight of Mindy. “Did she kill herself?” she asked Josh.
“I believe she did,” Josh replied.
Bob continued to sob and didn’t notice Josh and Sara in the doorway.
Maggie came out of the bathroom after cleaning the tub from Josh’s bath and rushed down the hall.
She peeked in Mindy’s room and saw her slit throat and blood all over the bedcovers and floor. “Shit, now I have to clean up that fucking mess,” she said then rushed down the hall.
Josh and Sara looked offended by her lack of sympathy for a young woman who just committed suicide.
Josh and Sara walked away speechless, and both went inside their rooms.
Fifteen minutes later, Josh sat in his hotel room chair in disbelief that he saw a dead woman.
He heard footsteps running down the hall while Charlie and four cowboys ran to Mindy’s room.
Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on Josh’s hotel room door.
He got up from his chair, opened the door, and saw Charlie standing outside.
“Mister Bryant, Maggie, the hotel maid told me you were in the doorway of Mindy’s room. What did you see?” Charlie asked while he stared at Josh’s eyes.
“I heard that guy cry out Mindy’s name like something was wrong. So I went over and saw him holding her hand and crying. Then I saw her throat was slit, and blood was on the bed and on the floor. Then Sara walked up and saw the same thing,” Josh told Charlie.
Charlie glared at Josh for a few seconds making him nervous. “That’s pretty much what Miss Cooper told me. This will be the first suicide we’ve had in Paradise,” Charlie told Josh, then he looked down the hall and watched while the four cowboys, Harry, Jim, Saul, and Wesley carried Mindy’s dead body away. “Well, Mister Bryant, I’m sorry you had to witness two bad events. This never happens in Paradise. Now, don’t forget to be at dinner at the dining hall at six,” Charlie said, then gave Josh a warm smile and walked away.
Josh closed the door and walked over to one of his room windows. He stared outside and saw a wooden wagon and horse pulled up to the front of the hotel. He watched while the four cowboys carried Mindy’s dead body and placed her in the back of the wagon, and covered her with a blanket.
Then from the window, he watched while Charlie walked away with Bob, who was still crying.
Josh sat down in his chair and couldn’t believe what the first two days in Paradise brought him.