Sagehen Mesa Season 2 Episode 4 - Sam Says Howdy

 Howdy,

My parents named me Samir after a friend of theirs, but that name has never suited me. Everyone calls me Sam. I grew up with Reuben Roland and his little brother back in Appaloosa Plains, but we all grew up and went our own ways after high school. I recently reconnected with the Rolands a few years back. Jolene was knee-high to a grasshopper back then, always following me around like a shadow askin' me questions about police work and being a private investigator. I guess she's all grown up now and off to college. College was never for me, and I knew it from the start. I took some law enforcement training, and tried working as a beat cop for a few years, but I really prefer to work for myself. So I recently earned my PI license and started looking around for a place to put down some roots.

Appaloosa Plains was just getting to be too much of a city for my taste. The Rolands and I have been exchanging Christmas cards and such, and I learned that they were now living here in Sagehen Mesa. Roland said it was a lot like Appaloosa Plains used to be, and offered his barn loft for a time if I decided to come and check out the place. I help out where I can, mucking the stalls, taking out the trash, and fixing the plumbing when pipes break. I believe in earning my keep. 

Reuben and I have reconnected, though it was his little brother Jude that I ran with the most when we were kids. 

Reuben's wife Hilary is a real peach. She's obsessed with gardening and has a pretty decent greenhouse to grow her vegetables. She can't wait until the weather warms up and her fruit trees start to blossom. 

As much as I appreciate the Rolands' hospitality, I really need to get my PI agency up and running, so I don't wear out my welcome. 

I took out a lease on a small office space at the police station, . . . 

. . . and it was there that I met Rae and Rita. Rae and I have been working together on some minor cases, mostly so she can focus her energy on locating Cliff Mahon. I've been keeping my ears to the ground, so I can report any sightings of the scoundrel. 

Rita and I are sweethearts. I took one look at that little filly and I was lost. 

Man, I love law enforcement! I'm glad I've got my foot in the door with the police here, because so far the jobs I have found on my own are not going to float my boat of get me my own place. The "big case" I'm working currently involves a little kid and his fixation on who has been using his mouthwash. 

The kid's name is Nick, and his family are neighbors of the Rolands. I guess they are new to town. It seems to me the simple thing to do here would be to ask the parents about the mouthwash issue, but I've tried, and it's not as easy as it seems. I approached the woman of the house, introduced myself, and began to state my business, but the minute I mentioned Nick had enlisted my help, she blew her stack!

"What is it with all these grown men interacting with my son?! He's just a child! First I hear from him some 'doctor' told him it's okay to eat ice cream out of a fridge at the junk yard, and now I've got a 'detective' claiming my child hired him! It's like a bad movie! Stay away from my boy mister! You're a little too old to be Encyclopedia Brown!"

Well, I turned tail and ran from that rabid woman. Hopefully the kid's father is more reasonable. If only I can locate him. It's too bad Jolene isn't in town. We could work together. She would appear less threatening in cases like these. 

Jolene isn't around, but her little sister Kathy is. I've enjoyed getting to know her. She was just a baby last time I saw her. She's getting to be quite the horsewoman. 

She told me about the fishing hole and the hot springs in the area.

I suggested she and I go check out the hot springs sometime, but she said she's afraid of water and can't swim. Even taking a bath makes her cry. 

It's okay, I'd rather take Rita anyway. I called Rita, but she had to work late, so I just took myself to the hot springs. 

It was a cold night, and a light snow had fallen. It made the hot water feel all that much better. I met a fella named Anton, who said this is one of his favorite places in town, and it's not far from his house. 

We were later joined by his step-son Clancy. Clancy is Rae's boyfriend if I understand things correctly. 

I guess he's the biological son of the buzzberry perp that Rae and Rita are trying to track down. I guess that's life in a small town - everyone is connected to everyone else in one way or another. 

It was a pleasure to meet ya.