Robert finally rejoins the group in Santa Fe. He had gone on a long journey in the spirit world trying to figure out if he could get free of the cursed tattoo. The spirits mostly say that it's in his body and he can't get rid of it and keep his body. He opts to keep it. Afterwards, he has had to travel to catch up to the rest of the group or face horrible pain every waking moment.
They decide that it will be much easier to take the train to El Paso and then to Tombstone than make their way across the southwest on horseback. It's spring, and flash flooding is a problem, not to mention the ever present danger of apache raids. The train ride down takes only a day, during which Cady wins some money up in first class and hears some stories about how bad a town El Paso is, and what a rough man marshal Stoudenmire is.
In El Paso they check the coin again and find it pointing straight east along the Bayou Vermilion tracks. They contemplate heading east - there should be a train through late tonight - and decide to have dinner first. Cady wins some money and Tobey talks to some English hunters about beasts they have known. They tell her a story about the Catamount, a huge puma that they think can imitate human voices.
After dinner they see that another westbound train has left the five cars of F.A. Dillinger's Museum Train on a side spur in the middle of town. Cleverly checking the coin again, they find it now points to the "History" museum car. There are also two others - "Animals" and "Art", as well as a private car and a bunk car. The museum train has guards, and they meet the colorful F.A. himself as he disembarks. He tells them he's bringing culture to the West, and that it will be open tomorrow with admission a quarter (and an extra quarter for the art car). Then he pleads having to arrange things for his men and heads to Rose's Boarding House for Ladies, the finest fancy house in El Paso. Everyone suspects he's only arranging things for himself there.
They consider how to break into the train, but it's a tough job - the museum cars are freight cars with ramp doors, big and heavy and loud, and no other visible entrances. They decide to go see the museum tomorrow.
The next morning most of the crew checks out the museum. The animal car has a fine selection of mounted animals and birds, including a baby Utah rattler and a jackalope (whose authenticity can't be determined). The art car has a Greek statue of a woman in the all-together, as well as some paintings of dubious quality. It's completely packed with cowboys happy to be paying an extra two bits. The history car is the most interesting. There's a case of historical coins that is especially promising, but the most striking exhibit is a mummy in a stone mummy case (open for better viewing). There are also some medieval swords and armor.
Meanwhile, Bart notices a disturbance outside of Rose's - a lot of the ladies are on the porch in their silky pajamas. He is able to pick up from the chatter that someone was killed last night - by an animal - but as he is about to ask Marshal Stoudenmire emerges from the fancy house and clears the men off the steps. Bart stands up to him briefly, but is cowed by his fierce demeanor and leaves. He tries to speak with one of the girls when they head to other fancy houses, but he isn't able to get in, it's too early in the morning.
They get together to discuss things and are dropped in on by the flaming red haired reportrix Molly Irving, of the Houston Chronicle. She has overheard them discussing the animal killing and wants to know if they know anything. They don't. Tobey does suggest that they exchange information.
Afterwards, Bart checks on Rose's and finds that the law seems to have left. In fact, everyone seems to have left. He finds the back door unlocked and sneaks in. The house is quiet, and dimly lit through red curtains. Sneaking upstairs, he finds the murder room. There's a bare mattress with a large bloodstain, and the room smells of blood. He also smells another odor, that reminds him of the war, when shallowly buried bodies would be churned up by constant battle, a stench of decay...
Meanwhile James goes to the undertaker and introduces himself as a fellow tradesman. The man is happy to see him and wants his opinion on a troubling body. It's the victim, a whore named "Lucky Kate", not so lucky now. Her throat has been completely ripped out, and the poor undertaker doesn't know what to do. James recommends a scarf, starched to hold its shape. Taking the chance to examine the body, he decides that the throat wound is consistent with a powerful bite. The woman also has extensively bruised arms, as though she was held by powerful hands. He also notes more of a smell of decay around the body than might be expected.
Tobey watches Molly Irving unloading her trunk, and also notes a strange group unloading a huge box from the same train. The group is mixed-race, and the leader is a tall handsome black man: quite unusual for Texas. She talks to Molly a bit more and discovers that these men work for Bayou Vermilion, and traveled first class.
They share this information with the group, and Robert decides to go on a quick jaunt into the spirit realm. There he speaks with the spirit of El Paso, a somewhat sickly steer with bloody horns. The spirit isn't impressed that someone has died - someone is always dying in El Paso. It says that there is a new killer, a dead man... and also that someone else has been speaking to spirits, evil ones, looking for this man.
Cady decides the smell is significant and goes back to the museum to sniff the mummy. It smells spiced, like a Christmas cookie. No one knows what to make of this. At dinner time, Cady and Bart both go to the Texas Star Hotel, the best in town, for their three dollar dinner. It's worth it. Bart is also there to follow F.A. Dillinger, in case he's the killed (earlier speculation about him being a vampire has not been borne out by his behavior, although he was a late riser). Cady is keeping an eye on the tall black man from the railroad.
He turns out to be named Doctor LeChamp, when Cady contrives to bump into and speak to him. He's a little surprised at her speaking to him, but proves to be charming. He claims to be a medical doctor for the railroad, heading west to the railhead past Tombstone.
James and Tobey wait in an alley near the museum train for something to come out of it and kill people. They spot some of LeChamp's minions, including a bandit that James remembers well (a black man vaguely reminiscent of Chris Rock). James decides to bide his time rather than tearing after the man, however.
Dillinger is followed to the second best Fancy House in El Paso, the Green House, and Bart spends a long time downstairs at the Green House pretending to be shy and telling stories to the madam, and buying too many overpriced drinks. Cady decides to do some more vigorous infiltration, with unfortunate results. Putting on appropriate clothes, she infiltrates the house as one of the ladies. She listens at doors upstairs trying to find an empty one, but unfortunately succeeds only in finding one with a customer waiting quietly. He isn't interested in taking no for an answer, and trying to bluff him with something scary ("Well, okay, but I do things differently, and if you want a spanking you'd better just lie down on the bed and wait for it!") Cady ends up as a type of disciplinarian she didn't expect. Luckily for her, the real fancy woman shows up and she is able to retreat, her nerves shot for the evening.
"I warmed him up for you!" - Cady
Eventually Dillinger emerges and returns to his train car, with Bart following afterwards. He joins Tobey and James in their alley, and they wait a long time before noticing that the top hatch on the history car is open. They briefly contemplate sneaking in, but decide that's too dangerous. James tells the guards that the hatch is open, and they are suspicious of him but check it out. They quickly rouse Dillinger when they discover that someone has stolen the mummy! But strangely left the wrappings. They're all clearly suspicious of the ugly gunfighter as well. Still waiting and watching, everyone hears something trying to get into the closed hatch, but by the time any light is brought to bear whatever it was is gone.
Bart and Tobey break into Rose's again trying to get a scent for Ginger to track whatever this is, but the smell there is overpowered by the scent of blood. Suddenly, a deep voice asks them what they are doing there. It proves to be LeChamp, who has come in after them. He tells them that this thing is too dangerous, that they should mind their noses lest they get bitten off. Tobey isn't impressed, and tells him that it was hiding in the mummy wrappings. LeChamp clearly didn't know this. Tobey badgers him to let them help, and despite Bart telling the chicken story as an example of why the posse is great, LeChamp finally agrees to pay them $100 if they can tell him conclusively where the thing is. They ask him how to fight it, and he says it's fast and dangerous and smart and that's why he only wants them to tell him where it is. He does specifically mention that it stinks, and won't come out in sunlight.
It's pretty clear that they're not going to find the thing tonight, so everyone who is still up goes to grab some shut-eye before morning.