"Oooweee, Matthew, I tell you, I never saw anything like it. The man had a pocket full of bills just ready to be spent. Ol' Doc's eyes was'a popping out his noggin when he slapped the wad on the counter in front of Sam."
"Festus, just because the guy has money doesn't mean he is a hired killer. There's a lot of men that are rich you know."
"Uh, I don't know Matthew. I wouldn't trust him with my life."
As Matt and Festus sat, Doc came through the marshal's office and adjusted his hat.
"Hey Doc. How about some coffee?"
"Did you make it?"
"No, Festus did."
"Well, it couldn't be any worse than yours."
"You ol' scutter, don't appreciate nuttin'," Festus said and gave Doc a glare.
"Uh huh. And I suppose Matt, this codger here, has already filled you in on Wes Kimble?"
"As a matter of fact, he did."
"You better watch him Matt," Doc said and sipped his coffee.
"Not you too, Doc. Festus here already has him sized up as a hired killer."
"See Matthew, what was I a'tellin' you. Kimble's got the wind blowing up his front and not his back."
"Festus is right Matt. If Wes is not a hired killer, he's definitely something," Doc said and stood up.
"Well I'll be," Festus said with a smile.
"I'll be what?" Doc turned and looked at Festus with a crooked eye.
Festus went to answer Doc, but the door opened quickly and Kitty stepped inside. "Matt, you better get down to the Longbranch."
"What is it Kitty?"
"Wes Kimble's going to get killed if you don't hurry!"
"I told you Matthew," Festus said as Matt put on his hat and headed towards the Longbranch.
When Matt entered, Quint was standing between Dell Franklin and Wes. They were standing beside the card table and Sam stood behind the bar with his shotgun drawn.
"Put the gun up Sam. Quint, what's this about?" Matt asked as he approached the men.
"Dell here accused Wes of cheating. They were about to kill each other when I stepped between them and told Kitty to get you."
"Well Wes, is it true?"
"It's true marshal. He's hiding cards. Check his sleeves," Dell said and pointed.
Matt grabbed Wes's arms as Festus kept him in check. Sure enough, cards fell out of his sleeve.
"Kimble, you've been spooking everybody in Dodge since you arrived. I want you out of Dodge in the morning."
"A man has a right to be in any town Marshal. I like Dodge. I think I'm staying," Wes said with a smile.
"I don't think you heard me Kimble," Matt said again and Festus shoved the gun barrel a little more into Wes's side.
"Oh, I heard you loud and clear, Marshal," Wes said and finally turned to the door. Slowly, he walked out. Everybody watched as he exited.
"Alright, it's over. Get back to what you were doing," Matt said to Kitty's patrons.
"Believe me now Matthew?" Festus asked, and Matt just gave him that look.
"How about a beer Matt? Festus?" Kitty asked.
"I thought you'd never ask," Matt said with a smile and tilted his hat back.
"I'll have one too," Doc said.
"Sam, three beers," Kitty motioned.
"Yes Miss Kitty," Sam said and passed them full glasses.
All four of them had just sat down at a table and barely set their lips on the edge of the mugs when Moss Grimick came running through the Longbranch's doors.
"Marshal, you better come quick. Doc, you too," Moss announced.
"What is it Moss?" Matt said as he stood.
"This guy's lying out in front of the Dodge house in the street. He's been stabbed."
"Stabbed?" Matt said and rushed out into the street to where the man lay.
Festus and Doc were right behind him. As Matt kneeled down to observe, Festus looked over his shoulder and said, "Why Matthew, that's Wes Kimble."
"Yeah."
"Is he..." Festus began.
"Dead," Matt interrupted as he checked Kimble's pocket. The money was gone. "And nobody saw it happen?"
"I was just walking outside the livery stable to get some air and saw him lying there. That's when I came to get you," Moss said.
"I could have saved him if we'd had been sooner."
"Doc, whoever did this didn't want him saved. Gave him enough time to die before someone found him. Take care of him will you, Doc."
"Come on, get him up," Doc said to a few guys that were standing around wanting to see for themselves.
"Matthew, I can't believe no one saw anything."
"Yeah, me too Festus. Come on, maybe Howie knows something."
Matt walked inside the Dodge House and Howie was standing at the clerk's desk. As Matt approached, he saw a young woman climbing the stairs. Festus saw her also.
"Hi Marshal. What can I do you for?" Howie asked.
"Did anyone ask for Kimble tonight?" Matt asked and glanced to the stairs where the woman climbing them paused for a brief moment.
"Why yes Marshal. His wife up on the stairs now," Howie said and Matt and Festus both looked at her stopped on the stairs. "I told her that Kimble wasn't there, but she said she'd like to wait, so I gave her the key to his room. Did I do something wrong Marshal?"
"No, no, you did fine."
"Is Kimble in jail Marshal?" Howie asked.
"Far from it. He's dead," Matt said and looked to the woman supposedly his wife.
"And that she-male there is the one that..." Festus said and was once again interrupted.
"Killed him?" The young lady said. "Deputy, I didn't kill my father. I loved him. He was already dead."
"Your father? But you told Mr. Uzzell that you were his wife," Matt said as he met her on the stairs.
"Marshal, he would not have given me the key to my father's room if I had said I was his daughter."
"But you knew he was dead. You took his money and left him there on the street."
"That was my money Marshal. He took it from me when he left the ranch. You wouldn't understand."
"You're right, Miss Kimble, I don't," Matt said as he began to descend the stairs.
"Marshal, you do believe me, don't you?"
"Why should I? You left your father out on the street knowing he was dead and I find you going to his room. That, in itself, is hard to believe," Matt said and walked out of the Dodge House.
"Golly bill, Matthew, you really don't believe that yayhoo daughter, do you? I swornee, I wouldn't want to be gathering eggs and find her in the nest!" Festus said as he walked with Matt back to the marshal's office.
"I couldn't have said it better myself Festus. I think she's hiding something. I think she was in on it somehow. How can you love your father, but yet leave him lying dead on the street? No, she's lying."
"What you gonna do Matthew? "
"What we are going to do, Festus, is sit right here outside of the office and watch that window up there at the Dodge House. I have a feeling there is someone else in the room."
"Someone else? But how?"
"It doesn't matter, Festus. It's a hunch," Matt answered and sat in the chair outside his office.
"Well if weez'a goin' t' set here all night a'watchin,' I'm goin' t' the Longbranch and finish my beer first! A man's got t' keep warm somehow!"
"You do that Festus. I'll be right here waiting to see if my hunch is right," Matt said and leaned back in the chair.
Five minutes passed and Festus was still in the Longbranch, but Matt saw what he had suspected. There were indeed two people in the room. And they were both women.
Festus was standing with Miss Kitty and Doc laughing at some story Doc had told when they heard the gunshot.
"That came from the Dodge House," Doc said.
"Matthew!" Festus yelled and ran out of the Longbranch and looked toward the marshal's office. Matt was gone.
Festus ran across the road to the Dodge House. He burst through the door and Howie said, "Upstairs Festus."
Festus started climbing the stairs. Matt was coming out of the room and stepping into the hall as Kimble's daughter came out yelling, "Murderer!"
"Look out Matthew!" Festus yelled as he drew his gun and was ready to shoot, but Matt turned around and grabbed Kimble's daughter. He did so in a way that drove the knife she was going to use on him into her side. She fell to the floor in a piled heap.
"Festus, go get Doc!"
"You bet Matthew," and Festus headed out and ran as fast as he could. Doc was already heading from his office to the Dodge House.
"Oh Marshal, I messed up. When my father left and I found out he took my money as well…" Kimble's daughter said through a heaving heavy breath, "My mind went elsewhere. I told mother and…" she continued taking another deep raspy breath, "she said we'd find him; I didn't know she was going to kill him."
"Take it easy now. Doc's on the way," Matt said as he balled up his jacket and put it under her head.
"It's no use Marshal. My mother killed my father, you killed my mother; I have nothing to live for anymore," Kimble's daughter said and collapsed to the floor.
Matt tilted his head back as he stood and turned around just in time to meet Festus and Doc at the top of the stairs.
"She's gone Doc. So is her mother. You'll find her in there," Matt said as Doc and Festus approached.
"Matt, what happened?" Doc asked as he stood with his bag.
"Revenge Doc. It's a killer," Matt answered and walked past both, Festus and Doc, and headed down the stairs back to his office.
Festus and Doc could do nothing but stare as Matt went. They both knew what Matt had done and it was already weighing on him heavily. He had never before killed a woman and he had no choice tonight.
But Matt would bounce back. He always did.