The Red Mesa File: An Illustrated Western Noir Short Story

Five people watch the same duel. Their accounts contradict one another. What they agree on is more disturbing.Red Mesa, 1879. A stranger rides into town to challenge Elias Voss, whose speed with a revolver has become a legend. One man is left dead in the dust. Deputy Daniel Mercer begins collecting statements from five witnesses, trying to turn what happened into an honest record.Each account changes the shape of the incident. Details refuse to fit, familiar explanations give way, and the file points toward something an ordinary report cannot contain.The Red Mesa File by William Yard blends western noir, a case-file mystery and quiet supernatural horror. Witness testimony, terse questions and official notes invite you to weigh the evidence alongside the investigator rather than follow an all-knowing narrator.- A complete short story: approximately 7,200 words for one reading session, not a full-length novel.- Five black-and-white illustrations: atmospheric scenes complement the documents and Old West setting.- English-language edition: for adult readers drawn to unreliable accounts, unsettling mysteries and weird westerns.Open the file. Decide whose account you trust.