The big man pushed through the swinging doors of the Barlow Saloon. "Peg, Peg Barlow. Get out here. I need a drink and companionship." His loud voice carried to the second floor.

A tall spindly woman, wearing a blue dress and glasses appeared from a door behind the bar. "Josh Creekmore, is that you? I haven't seen you in six months. I was wondering when you'd be back to see me."

He walked to the woman and hugged her close. "Peg, I just finished a job down in New Mexico. I figured I'd stay in town for a month or so before I pull out for the next job."

"Glad you made it back in one piece." She glanced at the short balding man behind the counter. "Charlie, get a bottle of my personal stock and send it to my room, and send one of the girls down to Mama Dolores place and get two steaks and all the trimmings and have it brought up stairs." She glanced at Josh. "I imagine you're hungry."

"Truth to tell, Peg. I could eat an ornery old jackass that died of old age and not complain." He snatched a bottle from the bar and pulled the cork, guzzling a huge amount. "Whowee, that stuff tastes like sheep dip."

"I wanted you to wait for the good stuff. That's the cheap stuff for the bummers and dregs." She playfully elbowed him in the ribs.

"Tell me, did you get some new talent?"

A coy smile touched Peg's face. "I have. I've got three new girls and a new girl playing the piano."

Josh frowned. "A female piano player. Only time I ever heard a female piano player was in one of them opera houses in Saint Louie. That girl played some sad tunes. Is this girl any good?"

"She's the best piano player I ever heard."

Josh scraped his fingernails through the thick beard covering his face. "Which one of the girls is mine while I'm here? I want a top-quality girl."

"You can sample them all if you're a mind to. But take it easy on them. They're new to the trade." Peg elbowed him gently in the ribs.

"I need a bath. I've been in the saddle for a solid two weeks. I smell worse than an old Billy Goat." Josh lifted his arms and sniffed his underarms.

"Soon as we finish a bottle of the good stuff and eat a big steak. I'll arrange for you to go over to the Swede's bathhouse." Peg grinned. "That man can get the water just right. I don't know how he does it. Every time I heat water, I get it scalding hot or lukewarm. Never can get it right."

"You go visit this fella, do ya?"

"At least once a week. I try to get there early in the morning and get the fresh water. He's got a man working for him that gives a fancy haircut and shave." She leaned in close and whispered. "Ain't nothing like a nice hot bath after a night of dealing with the gents that come in here."

"Let's get started on that bottle." Josh grinned.

A short woman wearing a green dress came through the front door. "Miss Peg, Mr. Hollister at the General Store said that material you wanted came in today on the freight wagon. He said you could pick it up tomorrow if you wanted."

"Thanks. Trudy Sherman, this gent here is Josh Creekmore. One of the last of the genuine hellraisers." Peg grinned. "Josh, this is Trudy Sherman. My piano player."

Trudy froze, her eyes widened briefly. She recovered quickly and moved forward. Her hand extended. "Any friend of Peg's is a friend of mine."

Josh licked his lips and grinned. You're the piano player?"

Trudy nodded.

"You look familiar. Where have I seen you before?"

"Best of my knowledge, we've never met." Her attention shifted to Peg. "If t's all right, I'd like to practice some of the new tunes the ranch hands have been asking for."

"Sure, go ahead. We can stand a little music in here." Peg smiled.

"I've seen that girl before. I know I have. Where's she from?" Josh asked.

"Hell, I don't know for sure. She came here from a wide spot in the trail up in Kansas." Peg shrugged. "I don't care where she comes from. She helps draw in the customers. You'd be surprised the number of cowboys that come in here just to drink a few beers and listen to her tickle those keys." She gave Josh a hard look. "She's off limits to you. She's not in the business, so you leave her alone."

"Fine." Josh nodded. "Let's drain that bottle. I hope the steaks get here quick. My belly thinks my throat's been cut."

Peg laughed at his tired joke. "Don't forget the bath. Like you said, you smell worse than a Billy goat. Some new clothes wouldn't hurt either."

"You're right, I need some new duds." Josh followed her into the office.

"Okay Peg, I want a look at them new gals." A freshly scrubbed Josh Creekmore, wearing clean clothes pushed through the swinging doors. It was early in the evening, three cowboys leaned against the bar, nursing drinks. One younger fella chatted up a young redhead. A low piano melody played in the background. Josh glanced over and saw Trudy's back as she played. A young cowhand sat close to her, tapping his toe to the music.

"Well get over here." Peg answered. "Come here, girls. I've got a special friend I want you to meet."

Three young women approached Peg. The redhead left the cowboy sitting alone at the table, she was joined by two thin blondes, obviously sisters. Josh looked them over critically as they approached.

"Josh Creekmore, this is Dolly and Daisy Meadows." The two blonde girls nodded. "And this one here is Melody Johnson." The redhead smiled.

"So, this is the famous Josh Creekmore." Melody's hands settled on her hips. "Peg's told us stories about you."

"Good or bad stories." Josh returned the smile.

"They were the good stories, Josh." Peg answered.

"Melody's gonna be my companion for the night." Josh licked his lips. "I plan on keeping her busy."

"Okay girls, go back to the other customers." Peg jerked her head toward the cowboys in the saloon. "See if you can scare up some business."

"The fella I was talking to earlier wants to do some business on the credit," Dolly said.

"If I extend him credit, he'll have to pay double price on payday." Peg grinned. "I have to get a little interest on the loan."

"Hey Trudy, You got any of that special drink?" Daisy asked.

"Sure." She pointed at the bottle on top of the piano. "Get you a glass."

Daisy grabbed a shot glass and filled it to the brim with the amber liquid.

"What's that?" Josh demanded.

"This stuff is smooth." Daisy sipped from the glass. "Some of the best sipping liquor I've ever had."

"What is it?" Josh repeated.

"Peach Brandy. I brought a case with me when I started working here." Trudy smiled. "I've still got a few bottles left."

"I ain't had any peach brandy since the war." Josh licked his lips.

"Since you're a friend of Miss Peg's, I'll give you a glass, if you like."

"What about me?" Melody asked.

"Okay," Trudy nodded. "Dolly, get enough glasses for you and Peg as well." She took the bottle from Daisy's hands. She refilled her own glass and those of her co-workers. Josh downed his shot in a single gulp, the others sipped at their glass.

"Boy, that stuff is smooth." He licked his lips, hoping to find a stray drop of liquid. "That reminds me of my time in Georgia, before I came west. I had good friends there once."

"Once?" Trudy said. "Where are they now?"

Josh grew quiet and cast a sullen look at the piano player.

"Come on, girls. Drink up. You've got a job to do." Peg lifted her glass and drained it in a large gulp. The other girls followed suit. "Melody, take Josh up to room thirteen."

"Really, Miss Peg. Do you mean it? Room Thirteen." Melody smiled.

"What's so special about Room thirteen?" Josh asked, his mind focused now on the mysterious room.

"That's the best room in the house." Dolly licked her lips. "Only the special customers get to use that room." She cast a sideways look at Melody. "I hope I get to entertain in there one day."

"You'll be in there before you know it." Peg grinned. "Melody, get him on up there. You can't do business down here." She glanced over to Trudy. "Keep playing, maybe we can get these fellas interested."

Trudy's hands moved across the keyboard. A beautiful ballad came from the piano. She turned to watch Josh and Melody as they hurried up the stairs. Josh caught her eyes. His glare sent shivers up Trudy's spine.

She knocked on the door to Room Thirteen. "Melody, are you awake?" Trudy asked.

"Who's out there? What in the hell do you want?" Josh growled. He ran to the door and yanked it open swiftly. The hall light showed a naked man standing in the threshold with a pistol gripped in his fist.

"It's me, Trudy." Her voice quivered. "I upset you with my question tonight." She glanced toward the side wall and not at his genitals. "I brought you up a bottle of brandy for you and Melody to enjoy. My way to apologize."

"Damn girl ain't got any stamina. She had to get some sleep." He glanced at the darkened saloon. "What time is it?" The pistol barrel dipped toward the floor.

"It's nearly two. The last customer just left. I'm going home." She turned to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Creekmore."

"Yeah, tomorrow." He pulled the cork free with his teeth and took a large drink, his Adams apple bobbled up and down. "Where are them other girls?"

"They're in rooms eleven and ten, but they're entertaining customers right now. Let Melody sleep for a bit and she'll be ready again." Trudy walked down the stairs. "Have a good evening, Mr. Creekmore." She crossed the floor to the front door and departed.

"Josh, Josh." Melody shook his shoulder. "I'm going back to my own room. You fart too much, smells worse than a hog pen in here." She wrapped one of the blankets around her shoulders.

Josh opened his eyes and rolled to a sitting position. He grabbed his stomach, his face wrinkled in pain. "Feels like I've got two racoons fighting in my belly." He glanced over to Melody. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel good." Melody edged toward the door. "You want me to get Miss Peg?"

"Get the chamber pot. I think I'm gonna puke my guts up." Josh mumbled. One hand went to his head. "What did I eat last night? Those steaks, maybe the steaks were bad. Maybe the meat was tainted." His teeth gritted together in agony. "What's wrong with you, get the chamber pot like I said." He bent over holding his stomach. Hot bile spewed from his stomach and splattered on the floor.

Melody screamed and ran from the room down the hallway. "Miss Peg. Miss Peg, come quick. Something's wrong with Josh. Miss Peg."

"Land sakes, girl." Peg yanked her door open. "What are you going on about?"

"It's Josh. He's sick. He's in the special room and he's spewing vomit everywhere." Melody dropped the blanket and ran the hallway naked.

"Get your clothes on and get Doc Stevens up here." Peg fastened her housecoat and hurried to Room Thirteen. She found Josh Creekmore laying on the floor, surrounded by his own vomit. "Josh, are you alive?"

"I'm still kicking," he mumbled. "Help me get back in the bed."

She hurried to his side, stepping around the massive slick spots on the floor. "Give me your hands. We must get you out of that fifth."

"Peg, I can barely move." He reached out his hands. "I'm so light-headed, ain't ever had my belly cramp like it is now. Feels like every muscle I have is trying to bind up." He caught her hand and squeezed.

"Come on, Josh, get your feet under you. I sent Melody after the doctor. He should be here in a few minutes." She strained under his weight and succeeded in getting him back on the bed. She rolled him to the center and held his hand.

"I'm freezing, but I'm pouring sweat." Josh sucked in a deep breath. "Get me a shot of whiskey. Maybe that'll settle my stomach."

"No whiskey, that might make things worse. I want Doc Stevens to get a look at you." Peg ran her hand over his forehead. "You ain't got a fever. You skin feels clammy."

"Miss Peg." Melody shouted. "I've got the doc. I had to wake him up and he's nursing a terrible hangover, but he's here."

"Get him up here quick, then wake Dolly and Daisy. Have them fix a big pot of coffee."

Footsteps banged on the stairs. "Slow down, woman. I can't run anymore." A high-pitched voice protested. "It's not dignified for a man of my years."

"Being a rummy isn't dignified either." Peg glanced toward the door as he entered the room. "Get over here, Josh needs some help."

"I need some light, Peg. It's too dark in here for a proper examination." Doc Stevens walked into the room. "What is that stench?"

"Josh had a rough morning." She glanced at Melody. "Get the girls like I said, then round up every lamp and lantern we have."

"Yes Ma'am." Melody nodded. She ran down the hallway. A loud banging vibrated the walls. "Dolly, Daisy, Time to get up. Get rid of them shifty no goods. We need coffee on the stove."

"Be quiet, Melody." Dolly opened the door and stared at her with one eye closed. Her hair stood straight on one side. She closed one eye and focused on Melody. "Patrick kept me up most of the night. I didn't get much sleep at all. I'm going back to bed."

"We need some coffee made, and Miss Peg needs help in the special room." Melody stamped her foot.

"So, you and Creekmore dirtied the special room." Dolly shook her head. "You can worry about it then. I'm sleepy."

"Dolly, get rid of these fellas and get your sister out of bed. I want that coffee brewing inside of five minutes or someone's gonna be scrubbing floors tonight." Miss Peg stuck her head out into the hallway.

"Yes, Miss Peg." Dolly rushed to the next door and pounded on the wood panel. "Daisy, get up. You need to get to the kitchen and start a pot of coffee."

"What are you talking about?" A lazy voice mumbled.

"Get your ass out of bed. Miss Peg wants coffee." Dolly hurried back to her room. "Come on, Patrick. Get up, it's time to go."

"What the hell? What's going on?" A male voice asked.

"Get up. Get moving. Go down the back staircase, you can put your clothes on in the alley." Dolly pushed him from the room. "Come back tonight, we'll have a fun time."

"Hell, I'm not sure if I want to come back." He staggered down the hallway and out a narrow door, his clothes and boots gripped tightly in his arms.

"Come on, Bill. Get moving." Daisy stood in the hallway, staring into her room. "You need to get back to work anyway." She managed to put her underwear on before she hurried to the kitchen. "I don't know why we couldn't wait for Edna to get to work for coffee."

"Don't let Miss Peg hear you complaining. She needs coffee for Doc Stevens. She wants him sober when he examines Josh." Melody hurried down the hallway to Room Thirteen.

"What did you do to him?" Dolly whispered as she hurried to Melody's side.

"Nothing, he was fine when I went to sleep." Melody stopped at the door.

"Get the chamber pot." Josh screamed. "Hurry, I can't hold it for long."

Miss Peg crossed the room quickly. She grabbed a white enamel bucket and returned to the bed.

"Help me up. Quick now." Josh ordered.

They pulled him from the bed and placed him on the pot an instant before his bowels released. A foul odor filled the room. "Oh, my Lord." Doc Stevens mumbled.

"Daisy, get this bucket out of here and clean it up." Peg ordered.

"Miss Peg, I need to go help dolly with the coffee." Daisy edged away from the doorway.

"Daisy, get in here and get this bucket, or you'll find yourself without a job." Peg snapped. She cleaned Josh and helped him return to the bed.

"Yes, Miss Peg." She came into Room Thirteen. She took care to avoid the vomit and carried the bucket at arm's length, her head cocked to one side.

"Where's the coffee?" Stevens asked.

"One of my girls is getting it ready right now." Peg's hands landed on her hips. "Look Josh over, while we're waiting. Do you have any ideas?"

Stevens rubbed his temples. "Tell me, have you eaten or drank anything out of the ordinary in the last few days?"

Josh sat on the edge of the straw mattress. His arms wrapped around his middle. He rocked back and forth. A sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. "I ate some beef jerky and rabbit the day before yesterday. After I got into town, I drank some whiskey and ate a steak, and drank some more whiskey."

"I ate the steak too." Peg scratched her head above her ear. "You drank some peach brandy."

"Miss Peg, we all drank some of Trudy's peach brandy," Melody said.

Peg nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"She brought a bottle for Melody." Josh moaned. "Where's the chamber pot. I might need it again."

Peg turned to Melody. "Get a pot out of the girls' room." She glanced around the room, spotting the bottle lying on its side under the foot of the bed. "Here it is?" She held the empty up to her nose. "I can't smell anything."

"What are you trying to smell?" Trudy leaned against the doorway. "What happened here?"

"Josh got sick." Miss Peg walked toward the piano player. "Why did you bring him this bottle. This is your special stuff. You don't share it very often. Sharing the glasses yesterday was strange, but you give Josh a full bottle, why?"

A coy smile crossed Trudy's face. "I was trying to show Mr. Creekmore that I was sorry if I said something yesterday that might have hurt his feelings."

"You're lying. You little bitch. You're lying. You poisoned me." Josh hugged his sides.

Doc Stevens took the bottle from Peg's hands and held it to his nose. "I can't smell anything."

"Josh said that brandy reminded him of his time in Georgia. Said something about friends." Peg turned to the sick man. "Who were your friends, Josh? Do you remember any names?"

His body shook as he inhaled a deep breath. "I can't remember."

"They were your friends, but you can't remember any names. I can remember my childhood friend's names. They must not have been close friends." Trudy moved closer to the bed. "What about Alice Frazier? Does that name ring a bell for you?"

Josh's eyes widened at the mention of the woman's name, his pale face turned a shade whiter. "Did you know Alice?"

"She had a husband named James." Trudy said.

Josh bent over the edge of the bed as a spasm of pain racked his body. Vomit spewed from his mouth splattering on the floor. Doc Stevens jumped away from the splatter. Josh wiped his mouth and stared at Trudy with sorrowful eyes. "They're dead."

"I know. You murdered them." Trudy took the empty bottle from the doctor's hands. "I dreamed of catching up with you for years."

Daisy appeared in the doorway, holding the chamber pot. "Here you go. I managed to clean this thing up." Melody appeared with two that she had taken from the other rooms.

Trudy turned to the women in the doorway. "Put them around the bed. He may need them again." She smiled. "My aunt made me get an education, but I dreamed of coming west and catching up with you. I'd nearly given up on my dream when I heard your name in Arkansas. A fella was telling how you killed Ambrose Pete." She looked Josh in the face. "You remember Mr. Pete. You ambushed him and murdered him with a rifle from long distance. How much did you get paid for killing him?"

"I know who you are, now. You're Michelle, Alice Frazier's daughter." Josh panted like an overheated dog.

"You're right." Trudy nodded. "When I heard you were spending your free time at this whorehouse, I decided to get a job here, playing piano." She paused for a second. "I put my education to good use. Aunt Lois would be proud."

"Josh, did you murder this girl's folks?" Miss Peg demanded. "I want the truth."

Josh was silent for nearly a minute. His wild eyes went from Trudy to Peg to Doc Stevens and the other girls. "The war was nearly over. I had to get out of Georgia, and her folks had money. I didn't plan to kill them."

"You're lying, Creekmore." Trudy shifted her eyes to Peg. "He hired out to my Daddy to break ground. Daddy had a good team of mules. After two weeks, Creekmore got into an argument with some folks in one of the saloons. They knew he was a deserter. He killed the man in town, then came back to the farm and went after Mom and Dad."

"He was a Yankee, nothing but a damn Yankee. They were going to hang me for killing him. I went to your father. Told him I needed money to run away, and he wouldn't give me any. Said he needed it for you and your mother." He twisted his head to one side. A painful grimace wrinkled his features. He slowly straightened and drew a deep breath into his lungs. "I pulled my knife on your father. He tried to get it away from me. I stabbed him in the leg. He went down, and I started cutting on him. I wanted him to tell me where the money was."

"He wouldn't tell you, would he?" Doc Stevens mumbled.

Josh drew in a deep breath. "No, he wouldn't tell me. When Alice came out and I got hold of her, he sang like a little bird. I found it easy enough then, but he only had seventy dollars." His eyes locked onto Trudy's face. "I looked for you, if I would have found you, I wouldn't be in this fix."

"That was all the money they had." Trudy licked her lips. "I'm glad you remembered them, at least you know why I killed you."

"Should I go for the sheriff?" Melody asked.

"Not yet." Miss Peg turned to the doctor. "What do you think Doc?"

The old man turned to Trudy. "You've been carrying this around for a long time?"

"Eight years, come September." Trudy answered. "I dreamed about this day. All that time I spent trying to find out where he went, what he was doing, was well spent. Now I get to see him die."

"Melody, you and Daisy go downstairs, help Dolly get breakfast ready." Miss Peg glanced at the floor. "We're going to have a devil of a time cleaning this room."

"What did you say, Miss Peg?" Daisy asked.

"Get downstairs, help Dolly with breakfast. I want biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs." Peg glanced at Josh. "I knew you were a heartless bastard, but I didn't know how mean you really were." She laid her hand on Trudy's shoulder. "Stay here if you want, but after this is done, you need to leave town, and don't come back." She walked toward the door, followed by Doc Stevens.

"Thanks, Miss Peg. I'll leave in the morning." Trudy said as the door to Room Thirteen closed.