MURDER IN CACHE CREEK ## Episode 1: The Arrival The stagecoach rumbled to a stop in front of the Oasis Saloon , kicking up a cloud of dust that settled on the weathered wooden buildings lining the main street. It was the summer of 1866, and the small town of Cache Creek was bustling with activity as prospectors, merchants, and adventurers made their way to and from the goldfields of the Cariboo. Among the passengers disembarking from the coach was a tall, broad-shouldered man with piercing blue eyes and a neatly trimmed beard. He introduced himself as Buck Thornton, a businessman from San Francisco looking to invest in the booming gold trade. The hotel owner, a jovial man named Tom Sullivan, greeted him warmly and offered him the best room in the establishment. As Thornton settled into his room, he couldn't help but overhear a heated conversation in the hallway. Two men were arguing about a recent gold shipment that had arrived from Barkerville. One voice, gruff and impatient, in...