Case MO70

Marshal: Please state your name for the dictaphone.

Witness: Marshal’s Assistant Oluchi Okese. And welcome back, Marshal.

Marshal: A good welcome, if a dark one. It’s hard to believe that everything went so out of control the minute I let 19 take over.

Witness: You squeeze a rock too hard, it’ll draw blood. And 19 had a vice grip.

Marshal: I know you’re busy, so I won’t keep you long. I just need to know what happened with Matilda Walstead.

Witness: We had her on watch 24/7, six hour rotations. Handcuffed at all times, gagged unless she was being fed; she didn’t eat without four rifles aimed at her. We didn’t know the extent of what she could do with her voice, so 19 erred on the side of caution every time. Felt wrong, really. We’d given indicted wizards more decency.

Marshal: 19 didn’t like loose ends. That’s why he was in Milwaukee in the first place. Still, under those conditions, it’s not surprising that she tried to escape at the first opportunity. The question is-

Witness: How she got one. I wouldn’t have signed off on those conditions if I thought she’d find a way to escape anyways; I didn’t hate her enough to torment her for fun. Somehow she managed to ally with a colony of ants. They suck onto Fairbanks’s uniform while he was on-duty, and the minute he stepped outside to take a leak, they rushed in and bit him. By the time he smushed enough to sound the alarm, she was gone. He insists it was three minutes at most.

Marshal: She was gagged, handcuffed, and running through town at…was it 2 AM?

Witness: Two-thirty, and no, we don’t know how she got away with it. We traded theories during lunch. 19 demanded an explanation, and the one we gave him that he accepted was that she gave commands to some crow or raven before she was captured, like a captain giving a lieutenant orders in case they’re captured.

Marshal: And your best theory?

Witness: At the time? You helped her, and Fairbanks was covering for you. But I wasn’t going to be the one to sell you out to the Marshal.

Marshal: You’re a good friend, Okese.

Witness: And you’re soft. I just know well enough that soft’s good for you. Of course, I had to throw that theory in the trash because of this.

Marshal: What-

Witness: She left you a goodbye note, Lew.

Marshal Twenty-Four,

I wish I knew your real name. Feels wrong to write this without it.

You said a very nice thing the last time we talked, but the truth is I’m not all that brave. Not about love, or pride or anything. Never saw the use of bravery. All the handsome boys in my hometown went to go be brave during the war, and the ones that came back regretted it.

My father, whom I have not seen or spoken to in a decade, had very firm views on discipline, the fairer sex, and the sort of childish merriment that daughters may enjoy. His standards were unreachable, his punishments inevitable. So if I was bound for the cane or the closet or the soap in the mouth, why bother trying to follow the rules? Turns out you can ignore quite a few of them without much fuss - provided you have the right friends or a heavy enough coinpurse. Theaters and minstrel shows got me those friends and weighed down that purse. Do what you want, say what’s funny, take what you can, ignore anybody who disapproves, and hope God doesn’t damn you when the time comes. That was my life.

Then, of course, I came to Henshaw, and suddenly lives were at stake, lines were drawn, and choosing wrong meant people died. For the first time in ages, people expected me to do something more than say the right thing at the right time, and now I’m embroiled in this interstate fiasco and I have special government training and command over the animal kingdom and I’m pretty sure the new marshal wants me declared an enemy of the state.

I did talk to Lilith. I didn’t lie about that. She called me a dilletante. She said I couldn’t commit. She said that on her authority as the single oldest person on the planet, and I can’t say that she’s wrong, not for certain. Freestone challenged me once on whether I would lynch him to stop him and I was insulted at the time but did I foil Campbell because it was the right thing to do or because I liked you and hated her? Would I have betrayed you if it was the other way around? I’ve spent all this time acting like you or Geraldine could do all the hard work of teaching me how to be good, and now you’re disgraced, Geraldine’s missing, and I’m not sure if there’s a decision I can make that’d help either of you. I can’t even hope for my own happiness.

So, in my old age, I must adopt the conviction of the youth. Marshal, you are a good man somewhere under all that rubble and I wish you well. You are a man who loves mankind and I am never going to forget that candor and helpfulness. I’m glad you saw something in me you appreciated. But ultimately, the world you live in is the same one this new marshal lives in, one of order and control and discipline. You cushion its weight but you can’t remove it; I was never going to be able to thrive here; I was always going to be trouble for you. I don’t know what I’m going to do next, but I know I owe Freestone and Geraldine my life, and I might at least try and pay it off before all is said and done. If nothing else, I’ll be home among misfits.

P.S. Don’t go after Oscar Hicks. Forget I even mentioned talking to Lilith. If she strikes back in revenge and you die, I will never forgive myself.

Witness: Marshal?

[Silence]

Marshal: [Quiet] Hah. Couldn’t save her again. At least she could save herself this time.

witness: Lew?

[Silence]

Marshal: Sorry. Forget you heard that. I assume that we did go after Oscar Hicks?

Witness: We…did, and he’s still in custody. We’ve since dropped all charges relating directly to the ‘Mad Cutter’ business, but he did still shoot a lot of people from the government.

Marshal: And were there consequences?

Witness: Hicks certainly thinks so. He’s asked to be on the record about it.

Marshal: Then I’ll see if I have room open in my schedule tomorrow.

Witness: Of course. Marshal…we should be up for leave once we finish clean-up. Maybe go do something for yourself?

Marshal: I’m always doing something for myself. I’m living, aren’t I?

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