I left the sobbing Joe behind and decided to read Zodiac’s letter first.
[As I mentioned before, I killed a little girl.]
[Shooting a tiny child’s heart gave me immense pleasure.]
[But this one was too easy.]
[Next, I will kill the gunslinger of this town.]
The letter, still written in that crooked handwriting, foretold that the next target would be the town’s gunslinger.
‘Gunslinger… that’s a pretty broad category.’
This is no ordinary place—it’s a town in the American West.
With the Western frontier at its peak, most men carry a gun around these days.
‘Or maybe he’s specifically referring to those who make a living with guns?’
If so, the targets for the next murder would be Sheriff Jet, the deputies, and… me, the town’s bounty hunter.
By the way, thanks to me hunting down outlaws like a rabid dog, there are no other bounty hunters left in Justice Town. I’ve pretty much monopolized the business.
Maybe Zodiac’s next target is… me.
‘Honestly, I hope he comes for me. It’d be easier for everyone.’
If he comes after me, fewer people will die, I’ll make some money, and we’ll both be happy.
I actually found myself wanting to meet Zodiac sooner rather than later as I approached Joe.
And then…
“…Hey, Joe. Are you… okay?”
“Waaaaaah-!!”
…I stopped myself from asking if he was okay.
It was pretty obvious Joe wasn’t doing well.
Our kind and friendly neighbor Joe, who’s nice to everyone, was actually as much of an outsider in this town as I was when he first arrived.
Joe’s family were the only Mexican immigrants in Justice Town.
But Joe always greeted the townspeople with a consistent smile, and gradually, people began to warm up to him.
On top of that, Joe had to support his large family all by himself, working tirelessly every single day of the year, which earned him everyone’s respect.
I also had a soft spot for Joe.
Even though he’d grumble sometimes, he’d stop his daily routine to pick me up in his wagon when I was drunk.
In fact, Joe was one of the very few NPCs I’d opened up to.
“Waaaaah! Lauraaa…!”
Seeing Joe clutching his dead sister’s body and crying like that was hard to watch.
As I clicked my tongue and pulled out a cigarette…
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The sound of hooves came from the distance.
It was Sheriff Jet, the deputies, and Sophia.
“Everyone, step aside! We need to preserve the scene!”
Sophia immediately pushed people away upon arriving and began examining the body.
“…The previous victim was stabbed, but this time it’s a gunshot.”
“Didn’t you say Zodiac’s main weapon was a gun?”
“Yes, actually, except for the last victim, Zodiac has always killed with a gun.”
As she said this, Sophia pulled out a pair of tweezers from her pocket and extracted the bullet lodged in the victim’s heart.
“.45 Colt round.”
The .45 Colt round was compatible with a wide range of guns.
It could be used in a Single Action Army, a Schofield revolver, and even rifles, as long as they weren’t lever-action.
Sophia carefully pocketed the recovered bullet and turned to Joe, who was presumed to be the first witness.
“…Are you a family member of the deceased?”
“…Yes, I’m… I’m Laura’s older brother…”
“Can you tell us how your sister ended up like this?”
At Sophia’s calm question, Joe wiped away his tears and answered.
“L-Laura started working at the grocery store last month. So, I’d give her a ride in my wagon on my way to work. But I had to pick up some supplies, so I parked the wagon here at the tavern and told Laura to wait while I went inside…”
“You went inside… and then what?”
“About five minutes later, I heard a gunshot…”
Bang.
Joe’s vivid testimony made it feel like the gunshot was ringing in my ears.
Everyone else seemed to feel the same way, wincing momentarily before looking at Joe with pity.
“…Waaah, when I ran out, Laura was… Laura was…”
“Did you see who shot your sister?”
“…When I came out, there was no one there. Ah…! I think I heard someone running toward the back alley…”
Swish.
Everyone’s gaze followed Joe’s gesture toward the back alley.
“Let’s check it out.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Jet’s command, the deputies rushed over and began a quick search.
And then…
“Here’s a discarded gun-!”
“What?”
One of the deputies soon returned with a discarded revolver.
It was a Colt Single Action Army.
Click.
Sophia took it from the deputy, opened the cylinder, and…
“…There’s only one bullet missing.”
She confirmed that the .45 Colt rounds were only loaded with five bullets.
“So, it’s clear Zodiac dropped this. He must’ve been in a hurry to escape.”
“……”
Sophia stared at the Single Action Army Zodiac had left behind, silent for a moment before speaking.
“The gun’s in good condition. And the Single Action Army is a relatively new model of revolver.”
From a modern perspective, the Single Action Army might be the iconic gun of the Wild West, but by current standards, it was a brand-new model, only a year old.
Being the latest model, it was also more expensive than older revolvers.
“A Single Action Army in this rural town… and in top condition at that…”
At first, I couldn’t understand what Sophia was getting at.
But then…
Swish.
‘Ah.’
The moment her eyes met mine, I realized she had me in mind as Zodiac.
“…Zodiac is likely employed in a gun-related profession.”
“Zodiac makes a living with guns?”
Jet muttered to himself as he considered Sophia’s reasoning, glancing around.
“…The people here who make a living with guns are…”
Jet, the deputies, Sophia, and…
Me.
Swish.
For a moment, Jet’s eyes landed on me.
But then…
“I guarantee it. None of the people here would do something so horrific.”
He spoke to Sophia with confidence, clearly believing I couldn’t possibly be Zodiac.
“…If the Sheriff says so, then it must be true. But we still need to be cautious.”
“Cautious?”
Sophia, unwilling to let it go, kept her eyes on me as she spoke.
“Look at Zodiac’s letter here. He says his next target is a gunslinger.”
“…A gunslinger.”
“So, for safety, it’d be best for the gunslingers in town to pair up and always move in twos. …And keep an eye on each other to make sure no one’s Zodiac.”
Sophia suggested pairing up for safety…
He made an excuse, but it seemed the main reason was the latter.
“Alright, then let’s pair up the gunslingers here into teams of two.”
“Yes, then…”
“Hey, you, let’s team up.”
Under Jet’s lead, the security team members started pairing up.
And then…
“…Mr. Kid.”
“Yes?”
“If you don’t have a partner, why not team up with me?”
Sophia naturally asked me to be her partner.
As expected, she had planned from the start to team up with me and monitor my every move.
If I teamed up with Sophia, it was clear that my actions would be severely restricted.
‘…I really don’t want that, but I have no reason to refuse.’
While I was pondering how to reject Sophia’s offer, her hand was slowly reaching towards me.
Thud.
“……”
“It’s alright, detective. I’ll team up with the boss.”
It was Emma who stepped forward then.
Emma swatted away Sophia’s approaching hand and stood right beside me.
Seeing Emma like that, Sophia smirked as if she had expected them to be in cahoots.
“Ha! Ms. Emma. You’re not a gunslinger, are you? Know when to step in and when not to…”
Swish.
“……”
At the mention of not being a gunslinger, Emma lifted her coat to reveal a holster.
Inside was a revolver.
Of course, Sophia wasn’t about to let that slide.
“If carrying a gun makes you a gunslinger, then most people in this town would be gunslingers.”
“I may not be a professional gunslinger, but due to the nature of my work, I’m often with the boss. I’m the perfect match to team up with him.”
“No, that’s…”
“Enough, enough!”
As the argument between Emma and Sophia escalated, Jet stepped in to mediate.
And Jet…
“Emma’s right.”
“Sheriff…!”
He was on our side.
“Kid and Emma usually stick together like glue, so let’s have them team up.”
“…But what if they’re suspects?”
“Suspects? Are you talking about Kid? I’d stake my life on it; Kid is not Zodiac. Sure, he’s got a nasty personality and drinks like a fish, but he’s not the kind of scum who kills innocent people.”
“Thanks a lot for that glowing endorsement.”
With Jet’s not-quite-defense, Sophia couldn’t insist on teaming up with me anymore.
Sophia had no choice but to team up with Jet instead.
“Sheriff, how many weapon shops are there in this town?”
“Just one.”
“Then I’ll go to the weapon shop and see if anyone recently bought a single-action army. The rest of us will look for more evidence at the scene.”
“Alright, got it.”
With that, the security team dispersed to their respective positions, wrapping up the situation.
Swoosh.
Sophia shot me and Emma a sharp glare before heading to the weapon shop.
“Let’s get to work.”
“Hey, take it easy.”
The onlookers also threw a few words of comfort to Joe before heading back to their jobs.
“Hey, Joe.”
I also approached Joe to say a few words before leaving.
And then…
“…Huuu, Mr. Noah.”
Thud.
Joe knelt down and desperately cried out to me.
“…Please, catch the bastard who did this to my brother. Huuu… catch him and kill him…”
“I’ll catch him, I’ll kill him.”
Zodiac’s bounty is $12,000.
With the two murders in Justice Town, his bounty will surely go up.
Not just for Joe’s sake, but for my own, I was determined to catch Zodiac.
And…
‘…I can’t wait for Sophia to find Zodiac.’
I decided to take a more proactive approach from now on.
Sophia seemed to think I might be both Kid and Zodiac.
It would take her a long time to find the real Zodiac.
“So, Joe. You need to help me.”
“…I’ll do whatever I can.”
“There’s something you’re perfect for.”
I asked Joe, who had once helped me take down the Redbeard Gang, for help.
“Find everyone in this town who uses…”
“…Huh? Why…”
“There’s a high chance Zodiac is among them.”
Driven by his desire for revenge for his dead brother, Joe nodded immediately, even though my request might have seemed absurd.
“…Yes, I’ll definitely find them all.”
“Good, come find me when you’ve got a rough idea. …Your brother is in a better place now.”
“…Huuu, th-thank you.”
After that, I patted Joe on the shoulder a few times and stepped aside to let him gather his emotions.
“…Boss.”
“Ah, Emma. You did well just now. I think I’ve cooled off from yesterday.”
“That’s good. …So, what are you going to do now?”
As Emma asked what I was going to do next…
Swoosh.
I felt an intense gaze, far stronger than Sophia’s earlier one.
When I turned my head…
“……”
There was Rize, staring at me with a blank expression, as if scrutinizing me.
I had no idea how long she had been there… or how long she had been watching me.
Even after our eyes met, she didn’t look away…
Swish.
Then she turned and walked away.
“…As I thought.”
I wasn’t mistaken.
That Rize girl who just got a job at the Deaf Man’s Tavern…
Despite her young age and small frame, she’s dangerous.
…My instincts as a gunslinger are screaming it.
Then, I suddenly remembered a line from Zodiac’s letter, hinting at his next target.
[Next, I will kill a gunslinger in this town.]
“…I’ll kill him before he kills me.”
“…Huh?”
“Let’s go catch Zodiac.”
I started walking in the direction Rize had left.
Very slowly… very leisurely, so it wouldn’t seem like I was tailing her.
