The Promise

24. Nobody knows

"Can I give you something to drink?" Doc asked after they had left the patient's room.
Jake licked his lips and felt the first time that his mouth was dry.
"Water."
Doc nodded. "And what about you, Beans?"
Beans stood in front of a window and stared outside.
Doc cleaned his throat. "Uh... Beans?"
Beans winced when the doctor tipped her shoulder. "Yes?"
"I asked you whether you need something to drink."
"Uh... no thanks, I'm not thirsty at the moment..."
She moved her face and looked again outside.
Doc shrugged his shoulders. "As you wish. If you need something other..."
"Doc, can I do anything?"
Doc looked at her with surprise. "Why do you ask?"
"Can't we do anything?"
"For whom?"
"Dear, I need something to do for..."
She stopped herself. "I want to make it easier for you. Your work for them."
Doc scratched his head and sighed with pity. She really wanted to do something for Rango, but Jake was still in near, and she couldn't speak it out.
For a few seconds, Doc was deep in thoughts. They really could do nothing for Rango at the moment. Just waiting. But Beans would be restless the whole time if she got nothing to do.
"Well, you could wash the clothes of them. Bill wears still his pants, but you could wash his shirt and Rango's clothes. Would that be..."
"That's okay," Beans interrupted him. "It's really okay for me."
She looked at Jake, who watched her the whole time.
"Uh... is it okay for you, too?" Beans asked unsurely.
Jake snorted. "Do what you want."
Doc took the clothes from a table and handed them to Beans.
"Well, you can wash them in the bathroom. Do you need help?"
"No, no. I can do it myself. Thank you."
She gave him a thankful smile. When she had no chance to be in Rango's near, it was better than nothing to make something for him indirectly.

Beans filled a bowl with hot water and soap. Then she took first Bill's shirt, which was much damaged. It would take a time to repair it.
She sniffed at the cloth and wrinkled her nose. "He should really take a bath regularly."
She decided to wash Bill's cloth later and to clean Rango's first, which were less dirty.
She put the shirt aside and took Rango's shirt. Silently she held her eyes on it. She looked around, then she pressed the cloth on her chest and petted the stuff. It hurt her so much to see Rango in this state. The worst was, she could do nothing, not even to be in his near to give him a feeling of safety.
She shook her head. Rango would say that she should be strong. And she wanted to be strong.
She took a deep breath and put her hands in Rango's pants to take out things before she washed it.
All were empty, but one...
She stopped in her movement. Something was inside the pocket. She pulled it out and held a paper in her hand.
She unfolded it. "M-1-N-3," she read.
It wasn't Rango's hand writing. She read over the other symbols. "2 - L – # - R-..."
Beans didn't understand what that should mean. Then she remembered some phrases.
"He gave me a paper... something valuable... you can get the gold..."

Jake let slither down the cold water his throat. It was a benefaction after a long walk in the hot desert.
Beans knocked against the door frame.
"Jake?"
Jake moved his head in her direction. "Yes?"
"Look. I found that in Rango's pocket."
She handed the paper so that Jake could take a look at it.
After he read the first signs, he looked at her.
"What's that?"
"I'm not sure, but could that be the thing what Rango meant?"
Jake thought a few seconds. "Hmmm... possible. The paper from the train."
There was silence a moment.
"Jake?" Beans asked. "Should we make inquiries about it?"
"Why should we?"
Beans swallowed. "Bill said that Roscoe could make an attack on the town because of this."
Jake wrinkled his forehead. He knew what Bill said. "Something valuable. But what? He talked about gold."
He looked at Beans. "Do you know something?"
Beans shook her head. "No, I never heard about that."
Her glance wandered to Doc, who sat quietly on his desk.
"Doc, you have been living a long time in town. Do you know something which could be here what could be very valuable?"
Doc scratched his head. "Uh... I... don't know. The most valuable thing was water."
"There must be something different. Bill talked about gold."
"Gold?" Doc thought a moment. Then he shook his head. "No, never heard about anything... Uh... wait..."
Beans and Jake lifted their heads. "What?"
"I'm not sure. But... it has been a long time... maybe... how many years? 20 or 30? There was something with gold."
"What was it? What was it?"
"I didn't hear a lot, but other people could tell more about it."
"Who?"

Spoons grew pale when Jake stood in front of his house door.
"Good heavens," the old mouse cried and kneed himself on the floor of his house. "Why does the devil stand at my door? What have I done to deserve this? I swear, I will never say a bad word when I hurt my fingers."
A loud knocking let him freeze.
"Open the door immediately!" Jake's voice called.
Spoon crossed himself before he opened the door with trembling fingers.
"Why so long?" Jake asked annoyed.
Spoons took a deep breath. "You found me and you can take my soul. But do me the benevolent favor and give me a painless death."
With these words, Spoons closed his eyes and stretched his arms.
Jake narrowed his eyes. "Don't waste my time. I have questions and you have to answer me."
Spoons opened his eyes with surprise. "So, you aren't here to kill me?"
"Not yet," the rattlesnake answered darkly.
"Don't worry, Spoons," Beans intervened. "It's okay. We just need important information."
"From me?" Spoons asked more surprised.
"Yes, you are one of the oldest city people here. Do you remember something about gold in town a long time ago?"
Spoons scratched his head. "Gold? Here in town? Never heard about..."
Suddenly he jumped a step back. "OHH... yes, yes, yes... I remember! Now I remember again. There was something."
"What was it?" Beans asked curious.
"It was 1978," Spoons continued excitedly. "I'm sure, absolutely sure. Summer, 1978. It has been a hot day. Somewhere in the mountains, robbers robbed a stagecoach. They fled and robbed gold. On the run they came here to our town."
"And they hide it here?" Beans asked and looked at Jake with hopeful eyes.
Jake only shrugged his upper body. He had no idea.
But Spoons also shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Nobody knows it. I only remember they came with loud noise in town on their roadrunners with their big prey. First, nobody knew what they transported on their chickens. They went to the saloon and took a drink. Mayor John managed it to have a talk with one of them. We don't know what they talked about, they spoke in a private room. Well, the robbers stayed one day and one night. In the next morning, I don't know why, nobody knew, there was a shot fight. When we ran out on the street, the robbers were found shot dead on the road. One of them, maybe the leader, escaped. But on the same day, we found him dead outside of town. A few days after that, we never know why and how, but one night, Bill drank too much in saloon and mumbled something that they had hidden gold."
Spoons took a break. Jake became impatient. "And? Did he tell where?"
"No, sorry. He fell from the chair full of alcohol before he could speak on. Well, that's all what we know. No one knows where the robber hid the gold until today."
"And Roscoe wants to have that gold," Jake muttered to himself.
Spoons raised an eyebrow. "Roscoe? A bad guy. Why? Will he come here?"
"None of your business," Jake cut him off. The rattlesnake turned around and slithered down the street. But in the same second he looked back. "Was it all, or do we have to know more?"
Spoons shook his head. "No, that's all what I can say."
"I hope so," he said and crawled away.
Spoons looked at Beans nervously. "So, it that all? Can I go now? I need a drink."
"I think, that's okay," Beans said and followed Jake.
"Jake!" she cried. "What are you going to do now?"
"Maybe Bill knows more. He said that he would be the only one who could tell where it is."
"But maybe it was just a lie," Beans said.
"What if not?"

Doc stood with shock in the door when he saw Jake in front of his house.
"Uh... so fast back. Was your way successful?"
Jake didn't pay much attention to him and crawled into the house.
"I have some questions for that ugly guy."
"Who do you mean?" Doc asked unsurely.
"That bastard!" Jake hissed annoyed. "Is he still in the room?"
"He is still sleeping. But you shouldn't wake him up."
"Why?"
"Sir, he collapsed. I think he will sleep until tomorrow."
"That's too long."
He turned around and slithered into the patient's room.
"Sir! You can't harm him again. Even not with questions in his state."
"Is he dead?" Jake asked sarcastically.
"No, not that I thought..."
"In this case, we can wake him up."
"But Mister Jake, he is totally exhausted.... He really needs a rest."
"He will be more exhausted when I will lose my patience."
Doc winced when Jake looked at him with fire filled eyes and he nodded. "Of course Mister Jake."
He wiped a cloth about his nervous head. He looked to the entry door where Beans had appeared. Doc took a deep breath and opened the door of the room. The rabbit entered first, followed from Jake.
"Good God!" Doc jumped inside the room.
Beans stood still in the corridor. Her heart stopped when she heard Doc's cry.