Love Gun

1

A heavy pounding on the door is what had finally awoken the town's sheriff. He sat up groggily in his bed, a buzz of both excitement and dread coursing through his body. It came as a surprise; he lived in a rather peaceful town, and he was never usually awoken to such banging. He had begun to see his work as almost pointless, but he supposed now there was reason for second thoughts. 

He made his way downstairs, yawning. He grabbed his pistol before he opened his door, and found to be greeted by the mayor's messenger, holding a note. He thanked the messenger and took the note, and then closed the door. He looked at the small piece of paper in his hand before opening it.

'Many reports of robberies have occurred overnight. Sort it Stanley.
Mayor Simmons'

He sighed, and made his way back to his room to change into his uniform. He took his pistol with him, and set both gun and note on his bedside table. He began to change, and kept glancing at the note as he did so. He grew more and more anxious as he pondered upon what damage had been done. He picked up his gun and placed it into his holster, and retrieved his badge from his bedside table. 

'Sheriff Paul Stanley' it read, in gold lettering. He pinned it on his shirt, before putting on his hat, and picking up a notepad and pencil. He left his house, twirling his pencil in his hand as a result of his current nerves, before he began knocking on doors and taking notes.

Some of the townsfolk only recalled seeing one man break into various buildings, while others claim they saw two, on horseback. Some described a short man with grey, shoulder-length hair, and others described a taller man, with darker and longer hair. However, their descriptions always had the same similarity. The men they saw were in a full face of make-up. The taller man was described to wear a silver, spiky mask of make-up around his eyes, with black lips and white cheeks. The shorter of the two was described to have a cat-like design painted onto his face, both of which descriptions confusing Paul greatly.

Paul eventually left for his home after collecting up information on what seemed to be a pair of thieves. The information weighed heavily on his mind, and so he decided that later that night he would steak-out around the town, both for his mental clarity and his towns safety.  

The sheriff returned home by sun-down and sat reading over his notes as he ate a tin of beans. He noticed that many witnesses happened to be around the area of the town pub, and decided it would be best to begin his investigations there.

He left his house soon after his meal, and went to the stables to retrive his horse. He rode a mare, originally bred to be a racing horse, providing with an advantage with both speed and stamina. He mounted her and slowly began trotting around the vicinity of the pub.

For hours, he didn't come across anything, and he began worrying for the sanity of his horse, wandering around the same area for hours. He could tell by the moon that it was now early morning, and his chances of finding the culprits had become slimmer and slimmer. He decided he would be on his way home, however as he passed the pub, he noticed a previously unopened door, and sounds from the inside.

He got down from his horse, and his hand instinctively traveled down to his pistol as he slowly pushed the saloon door open. He immediately noticed a short man rooting through cupboards in candle light. One arm held a variety of bottles, while in the other held a bottle that he was drinking out of. Paul lifted his gun up and the man, and cleared his throat.

"Ace?", the shorter man said as he turned around, expecting to be greeted by his friend, rather than the gun of the town's sheriff. Paul watched as his face dropped underneath his cat-themed face paint, and smirked to himself.

"Stick 'em up, buddy", the sheriff said triumphantly. He didn't expect to catch them so quickly, and felt rather proud of himself.

The small man didn't stick his hands in the air though, but he instead clutched onto his bottles harder. Instead, he turned to the window at his side, and once again called for his friend.