Besides, people visit old Fort Sumner to see this grave site.
They come to our museum for side trips, before they spend their money on souvenirs and lunch.'
'And nobody cared that it suddenly was gone?'
'Anyone who asked, I told 'em some rich collector bought it.'
I asked, 'How long ago was it stolen?'
Rex stared at the ground.
'You know Billy built this town,' he said, nodding at the grave site. 'That man was a goddamn hero. Most don't look at it like that. But he fought for good.'
'I bet the twenty-some-odd people he killed would disagree.'
'Any war, man, you have to spill blood to do what's right.'
'Said like a true patriot,' I said, biting.
'You don't understand.'
'Enlighten me.'
'When he was young, Billy was hired by an Englishman named John Tunstall. Tunstall was a rancher, in a territorial feud with two men named Lawrence Murphy and James
Dolan. John Tunstall aimed to take Billy under his wing, turn a troubled youth into a good man. John Tunstall was murdered by Dolan and Murphy, who'd paid Sheriff William Brady to
carry out the crime. After that, Billy and his boys united to form a band called the Regulators. The Regulators killed
Brady, and because of that, the governor of New Mexico sccked the hounds of hell on Billy and his gang. But somewhere along the line, the Regulators traded places with the devil. The Regulators wanted to kill those who'd done wrong, folks who were contaminating everything that was good.'
'There's a man in New York,' I said, 'using Billy's gun to kill people. There's no doubt in my mind he stole that gun from your museum. A witness said the killer looked young, in his early to midtwenties.'
'Just like the Kid,' Rex said. Then he cocked his head.
'How old are you, Henry?' I looked at him. And didn't answer.
'Someone is looking to carry on Billy's legacy,' I said.
'You say Billy meant to create order. He wanted to kill those who'd done wrong.'
'That's right.' Rex thought for a moment. 'You reckon this killer of yours is some screwed-up kid, wants to play cowboys and Indians?'
'I doubt it. This isn't just some kid who wasn't loved enough by his mommy and daddy,' I said. 'This guy has a motive. He thinks he's doing good.'
We stood there in silence, staring at the grave site of one of the most legendary murderers in history. A man who died at the age of twenty-one, having ended one life for each of his years. And yet over the years the Kid had become immortalized as a hero. An icon worthy of legend. How could a murderer incite such passion? How could a man seemingly deputized by the devil himself be remembered as an angel?
A beeping sound broke the silence. I plucked my cell phone from my pocket, opened it. It was a text message from Jack.
It was two sentences. When I read them, my blood ran cold.
There's been another murder. It's David Loverne.
I couldn't speak. Mya's father.
The last time I saw him was at his daughter's side at the hospital, where…
I called you, Henry. I remembered Mya's voice on that terrible day.
'I have to go,' I said to Rex, shutting the phone. 'I need to get home right away. I appreciate the help.'
'You gonna be, you know, telling the police about this?'
'Yes, I am.'
'Figures. Anyway, you'll want to look at Brushy Bill.
Dollars to dineros if it's Billy's legacy you're investigating, it's something to do with ol' Brushy.'
I nodded at Rex, then half-walked, dazed, back to the hotel. I threw everything in my duffel, jumped in the rental car and headed toward Albuquerque.
The drive seemed to last for days. Visions in my mind reminded me of that night, seeing Mya's father there, holding her hand. Me not being able to apologize because words were useless. Knowing Mya had been hurt, and that I hadn't been there for her.
Athena Paradis, Joe Mauser, Jeffrey Lourdes and now
David Loverne. Somehow Mya's father fit in the killer's demented pattern. But how?
I'd heard rumblings about David Loverne's misdeeds. That his marriage wasn't as rock-solid as the facade he put on in public. Many felt that at some point scandal would hit, and hit hard. It was only a matter of time. I thought of Mya, how she was so damaged, how she'd been reaching out to me and
I'd been slapping her hand away. If she ever needed a friend, someone who used to know her better than anyone, now was the time for me to be there for her.
I tried Mya's cell phone. It went right to voice mail. I couldn't leave a message. I had to see her. Then I remembered her text message.
I'm sorry. Forgive me.
I was numb when I arrived at the airport. They charged a hundred bucks to change my flight. I paid it in cash.
I called Amanda and left her a message. Then I called Jack and told him I would get to the office that night. He told me to read the Gazette and the Dispatch before I saw anybody in
New York. His voice had both an urgency and sadness to it.
My stomach turned over.
On my way to the terminal, I stopped by a news kiosk. I grabbed a bottle of orange juice and went to the newspaper rack. Thankfully they carried both the Dispatch and the
Gazette. I paid for the drink and papers and took them to the gate. Sitting down, I took a long gulp of juice and then laid the papers out on my lap.
The Gazette' s headline read:
Ballistics Sheds New Light On Murders
Killer possibly using 'Gun that won the West' by Jack O'Donnell with additional reporting by Henry Parker
Then I looked at the Dispatch. There were two stories competing for dominance. The first headline read:
Athena Paradis's Greek Boy Toy Speaks Out
Tells why murdered heiress was second to none in the bedroom
Then I read the second headline. I didn't hear the juice bottle hit the ground when I dropped it. Or the announcement that my plane was boarding. All I could see was that headline:
'He Left Me Bleeding On The Street'
Mya Loverne, David's daughter, comes clean about the relationship that nearly ended her life by Paulina Cole
27
Just months ago, voters looked at congressional candidate
David Loverne as a man who held family above all else.
A beautiful wife, Cindy. An ambitious daughter, Mya.
But all this is gone after a series of revelations that have shocked New Yorkers and destroyed a family that seemed indestructible.
David Loverne is being accused of perpetuating a long affair with a former aide, Esther Margolis. Ms.
Margolis claims she is pregnant with Loverne's child, and that Mr. Loverne paid her sums totaling nearly ten thousand dollars in order to keep quiet and raise the child alone. Mr. Loverne refused comment for this article, but
