Chapter 27: Disappearances
'Last time? What exactly did you do, Evelyn?'
Thieving Cat laughed and adjusted her hat.
"Come on, man. It wasn't that serious."
The boy furrowed his brow, looking more carefully at Evelyn. His eyebrows shot up after a second, as though he had just struck gold at the bottom of a mine shaft.
"Papa, she's…"
"She is. Go back inside while I take care of these customers. Help your sister set the table."
The boy nodded.
"Alright, but… is she going to wreck the shop again?"
"You can rest assured she won't," said Adam.
Bonnie studied Evelyn carefully. The confused, suspicious look on her face said more than a thousand words — and Thieving Cat knew it, because she looked away to avoid the embarrassment of having it spelled out.
By the time the boy had gone, Adam was standing in front of the girls with his arms crossed.
"Right now you have two options, Evelyn Crowley: you get out of here without causing a scene, or you tell me what the hell you want. You know the only reason I let it slide last time was because La Señora is your friend — but she's not here with you right now."
"Yeah, I know," Evelyn said at last. "I already apologized for what happened last time. You know perfectly well that fighting off the Sheriff's men isn't easy when you're on the run. Let's just get straight to the point."
'Fighting? She's not wanted in this city too, is she?'
Thieving Cat put her hand on Bonnie's shoulder and brought her a step forward.
"This is my friend Bonnie. She has some jewelry to sell that might interest you. Give her a fair price and she'll be very happy."
Adam sighed. He looked at Bonnie, sizing her up as simply a girl, and gave a brief welcoming gesture with his hand, calling them both over as he moved behind the counter.
"Since this isn't about you, I'll take the business."
"Thank you, Adam. You're a sweetheart."
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say," the man answered, turning his attention to Bonnie. "Tell me, miss — what kind of jewelry are we talking about?"
'Here goes.'
Bonnie set her necklace and bracelet on the counter. Adam's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the luxurious pieces resting on the wooden surface. Pearls — beautiful white pearls that could only be found on princesses or young ladies of the highest society. The bracelet was simpler, with the word "Hope" engraved on its flat face, but the gold looked remarkably pure.
Adam thought it over carefully, analyzing everything. Then he immediately pulled a magnifying loupe from under the counter and fitted it over his left eye. He picked up the necklace and began to appraise it.
"Who did you steal these from, miss? If you're a friend of Thieving Cat's, I'm guessing you're an outlaw too."
"I didn't steal them from anyone. The necklace and the bracelet are mine — but in my current situation I won't be able to use them anymore. Besides, they remind me of a certain unpleasant event I'd rather forget…"
Evelyn knew what that event was, so all she could do was give Bonnie a small pat on the back to lift her spirits. Adam, on the other hand, didn't buy the story right away. In fact, he set it aside entirely, because the business was what mattered to him.
"They're authentic and of the highest quality. Good lord… I've only seen pieces like these in the most upscale jewelry shops."
'This is going to be a tough negotiation…' Bonnie thought. 'The bracelet is worth close to 500 Crowns and the necklace over 2,000. Together they're 2,500 Crowns or more. I hope he doesn't lowball me too badly.'
After a thorough examination of both pieces, Adam arrived at a figure.
"Given the quality and the fact that both pieces are in perfect condition, I could buy them for 800 Crowns."
Bonnie felt robbed.
"800 Crowns? That seems far too low for what they're actually worth. Make it 2,000 Crowns — that's what they'd cost together."
Evelyn nearly choked trying to hold back her laughter at what Bonnie had just said. She turned to look the other way, pretending she wasn't making fun of Adam.
The man glanced at Thieving Cat like he wanted to smack her for struggling to keep a straight face, but he brought his attention back to Bonnie.
"That's too high. I wouldn't make a profit if I tried to sell them to a jeweler at that price."
"But all of this together is worth more than 2,500 Crowns. Selling them for 800 would be practically giving them away. 2,000 Crowns sounds like a fair price to me."
"That's my only offer, miss. You can take the 800 or try somewhere else."
Bonnie tightened her fist. Every buyer was always out to cheat you. The same thing had happened with the bartender at that saloon. It was like everyone wanted to take advantage of the fact that she was desperate. Nothing was ever fair in this world.
"I can't just accept that. I need the money."
"I need money too, miss. Otherwise I wouldn't be working here every day."
"…I can't. Let's make it 2,000 Crowns."
"You're very persistent, you know that? I'll buy them for 1,000 Crowns — and that's my final offer."
"No, no, no. Still too low. 1,900 Crowns and everyone walks away happy."
"You only came down 100… Let's meet in the middle at 1,200 Crowns."
"Still too low. 1,800 Crowns and we close the deal."
"Come on, miss. I have a family to feed. 1,500 — and that's everything I'm putting on the table."
"Add 100 more and it's a deal."
"Fair enough. 1,600 Crowns," said Adam, extending his hand to seal it.
Bonnie accepted with a composed expression. The man crouched below the counter to open his safe, while behind Bonnie, Evelyn was dying of laughter, pressing her hand over her mouth so nobody would notice. Watching Bonnie negotiate that aggressively was something entirely different from anything she had seen from this girl over the past few days — and it was genuinely hilarious.
'At least I got a decent price. There was no way I was selling these for 800 Crowns. That would've been a massive mistake. Fortunately, I know the ancient art of haggling. Being a college student with an empty wallet most of the time has its advantages. Over time you learn to hold on tight to the little money you have — and to bargain the price down on a hot dog in the park…'
Samuel's life… was really boring.
Evelyn took a breath, composed herself, and draped her arm over Bonnie's shoulders.
"See? Told you you'd sell them for a good price here."
"Sure, but it cost us half a day just to find the place."
"Next time you'll know how to get here on your own."
"Here's your payment," said Adam, setting a small leather pouch on the counter. "Count it yourself."
Bonnie nodded and checked the contents. There were small-denomination bills, gold and silver coins of specific values, and a few Crowns.
"Yes, it's all here," said Bonnie.
"Pleasure doing business with you. Come back anytime you have more to sell," said Adam — shooting Evelyn a look that very clearly meant get out.
Thieving Cat read between the lines and sighed.
"If that's everything, let's go meet Lady. We already passed through the center of the city, so we just need to head back."
"We could pick some things up on the way," Bonnie suggested.
"I love shopping. Let's go."
Adam watched them leave — and then the little boy reappeared.
"Hey, Papa. Neira still hasn't come back from the market. I looked all around the house and couldn't find her."
"Are you sure? She should've been back by now…"
Bonnie caught that on her way out of the shop — but she didn't pay much attention to it. A slight delay on the way home could happen to anyone. Maybe Adam's daughter had stopped to watch the acrobats and clowns promoting the circus, or maybe she was secretly meeting with some boy. Anything was possible, and other people's problems weren't hers to carry.
Bonnie and Evelyn went back to the horses. This time, Bonnie took the lead — because she remembered the way to the city center, unlike Thieving Cat, who would have gotten them lost again.
Along the way, Bonnie bought herself a new pair of boots and two changes of clothes similar to what she already had. She also decided to pick up a few accessories — an outer corset similar to the one Evelyn wore, some wound care supplies, a box of rounds for the revolver, and a handful of small everyday items.
Later, back in the center of the city, Bonnie noticed that the photographer from before was no longer there. Someone else had taken his spot. A man with brown hair and red eyes — somewhat pale, but well dressed for the kind of work he was doing.
For a split second the photographer's eyes met Bonnie's — but then both of them went back to what they were doing, passing each other off as strangers.
Stopping right near the photographer's spot, Lady appeared with her horse's saddlebags stuffed full. The girl had clearly spent every last coin she had. She raised her hand to wave at Bonnie and Evelyn.
"I'm honestly impressed you both made it here without Evelyn getting the two of you hopelessly lost."
"Bonnie made sure we didn't get lost again."
"I guess I just have a good memory," Bonnie added.
"I see. That comes in handy. Vicky should be showing up any time now."
Lady scanned the street for the woman. The roads were still a restless jungle of people, but since it was a little later in the day, things had settled into a slightly more orderly rhythm. There were more carriages and horses than pedestrians on the sidewalks now.
Victoria appeared faster than any of them expected.
"Guess who's rich?" said La Señora with a faint smile that brought out the quiet authority in her face.
Evelyn and Lady answered in unison:
"Us?"
"Oh, right. You too," Victoria answered.
'I didn't know she could make jokes like that. She seemed so serious when I met her. I suppose I'm still the newcomer in this group.'
Maybe the person she had gotten to know best since fleeing home was Evelyn. She was so spontaneous that getting to know her wasn't a surprise — it was inevitable. She might have a complicated past, but her present was bright and clear.
Bonnie watched them talk about the money in silence, but then — out of nowhere — a faint headache pressed in. On instinct, she looked back. Her eyes landed on the photographer again. He gave her a friendly smile and a small wave.
A chill ran up her spine, though she couldn't understand why. With a trace of suspicion, she pulled her gaze back toward Evelyn.
"Hey, Bonnie — we're going to stay at a modest hotel nearby. Do you want to come with us?" Thieving Cat offered. "Tomorrow afternoon we'll be heading to a neighboring town, and I'm guessing that'll be our goodbye."
"A full night of sleep would do me a lot of good," Bonnie answered.
"Then follow us," Lady added. "The sky's already getting dark and it'll probably rain. Maybe we can share some map knowledge before we part ways."
"I have no problem with that," Victoria concluded.
'Seems like everyone's happy because they have money… Same here.'
She nodded to confirm. The group moved out toward the hotel. But that uneasy feeling from before hadn't gone away. As they moved away from the center, Bonnie glanced back at the photographer — but the man was busy with his camera, photographing two women. Even so, that strange feeling lingered in her chest and the headache was still there. She figured she was just too tired and strung out from overthinking everything to make sense of what she was feeling.
They kept moving — but Bonnie began to feel watched. At one point she saw a woman standing at the corner of a shop, staring at her with a shadowed expression. Then a small boy appeared out of nowhere, offering her a newspaper with a cheerful smile. A horse passed close by with a handsome young cowboy in the saddle who tipped his hat to her.
All those eyes, aimed directly at her…
'Something is wrong…'
The sky had darkened, steam from the machines kept rising without pause, and the unsettling sensation of being watched was growing stranger by the second. A pulsing feeling inside her head, knocking against her skull and making the pain worse…
She pressed her hand to her forehead, shook her head, and kept walking.
The group stopped to pick up a few things and Bonnie went with them, but she barely said a word — she didn't feel safe. She stood alone in a corner, watching out the window, keeping an eye out in case anyone else was looking at her in a suspicious way.
"Hey. You okay?" Evelyn asked.
Bonnie blinked a couple of times before answering.
"Uh… Yeah, I'm fine, but… I don't know what's gotten into me. I feel really paranoid all of a sudden."
"That's probably your senses developing slowly. It's annoying. The headache and that feeling that anything could come at you at any moment are right around the corner. Brace yourself, sweetheart — because it's going to hurt."
'I hope that's all it is…'
They came out of the shop with a paper bag full of dried meat. They mounted up to finish the trip — but just then, small drops of water began to fall in steady succession as dark, heavy clouds had completely filled the sky. The wind picked up, sending people around them hurrying toward wherever they were going.
Through the crowd, Bonnie spotted the same girl she had collided with outside the restaurant. She was standing still, staring into space, as though waiting for someone. But then she looked at Bonnie — and bolted.
'That girl… It's been a while since I saw her. She could have walked this far in that time, so I'm probably just reading into things.'
The headache was worse than before, but Bonnie pushed through it and kept going.
A little further ahead, a carriage stopped sharply at the corner of a shop and Adam's son climbed out. Both Evelyn and Bonnie recognized him. The boy looked frantic, scanning the faces of people around him with a desperate expression. He was clearly looking for something — but what?
While searching, the boy spotted Evelyn and Bonnie. He raised his hand to flag them down and crossed the street until he reached them.
"Excuse me, ladies. Have you seen a girl with curly hair and a red ribbon, wearing an orange dress? She's my sister."
"Your sister…?" Evelyn looked at Bonnie.
Victoria and Lady held back behind them, exchanging glances as if wondering how these two knew the boy.
"Yes… She went out to the market a long time ago but she hasn't come back. My dad was really scared when he told me to help look for her. That's bad, right? Something bad happened to my sister and that's why my dad was so scared."
Bonnie swallowed, a knot of anxiety forming in her chest, and asked:
"Just to be sure — how old is your sister?"
The boy hesitated, then answered.
"Neira just turned 15. Why do you ask? Does it have something to do with the missing girls in the newspapers? They're all the same age as Neira…"
Bonnie tightened her fist. She didn't want her earlier paranoia steering her thoughts — but what if that girl had just been taken by the bastards of the Devil's Cult? God forbid it — but if that was the case, what could Bonnie even do? Did those stares she had felt earlier have something to do with it?
She didn't know. But she had to act now. She extended her hand toward the boy.
"I'll help you find her."
"What? Are you sure, miss?"
"Not miss. I'm Bonnie. What's your name?"
"Robin. I'm Robin McGarden."
"Alright, Robin. We're going to find your sister — so climb up."
The boy hesitated again, but he took Bonnie's hand and she pulled him up onto the saddle behind her. At that moment, the Sisters of the Horizon watched in silence. They knew exactly what this was and what Bonnie was about to do — she had made it perfectly clear that she wanted to investigate the Devil's Cult, and if this was connected to it, there was no question she was about to dive headfirst into the mystery.
'Right… They told me this was insane. But I've already made up my mind.'
There was nothing left to argue about.
"I'm going to help this kid find his sister. You all go on to the hotel. I'll find you on my own afterward."
"Hotel Mississippi — three blocks from here, girl. Don't come too late or the rooms will fill up," said Victoria.
With that, La Señora rode toward their destination, and Lady — as she had shown on other occasions — followed Victoria without hesitation. But Evelyn stayed back a moment and looked at Bonnie with a nervous smile.
"See you on the other side, Bonnie," she said, and caught up with the others.
"Alright, Robin. Do you know where the market is? Can you guide me?"
"Oh — yeah. It's not too far."
"Perfect. Let's go."
Bonnie urged her horse forward and rode toward a road with no way back.