Chapter One: Lucy
It was early evening when Ed Carfax rode into Dodge City. Most people hated Carfax on sight mainly because of his looks and general bad attitude. He took his horse to Hank Miller's stables.
"You got a stall I can use?" Carfax asked though it came out more like a demand.
"Right over here," Hank Miller said indicating a stall next to the ones used by the marshal and his deputies.
"I'll pay you when I leave."
Carfax headed off to the Dodge House. Howie Uzzell studiously avoided looking at Carfax while he checked in at the hotel.
"You know its bad manners not look at people you're talking to," Carfax snarled at Howie.
"If you don't like it here go somewhere else."
"You won't get rid of me that easy!"
Carfax put his saddlebags down in room 5 then left locking the door behind him. Downstairs he handed the key to Howie saying he would be back later. He headed for the Long Branch. He looked over the batwing doors to the bar and headed over to it.
"Whiskey, barkeep and make it quick," Carfax snarled.
"Just as soon as I deliver these drinks," Sam said lifting a tray of beer.
"Make it quick means now."
"Sorry," Sam said. "I do have to take this tray to the folks that asked for them."
Carfax felt like shooting Sam but he was sure that the barkeep would have a shotgun behind the bar. Sam took the tray over to Kitty's table. He returned to the bar.
"What'll it be?" Sam asked.
"Whiskey like I told you."
Sam poured the whiskey wishing he could throw Carfax out.
"That'll be a dime."
"How much for the bottle?"
"A bottle sells for a dollar."
"Here's a dollar you leave the bottle here."
Sam left the bottle and went down the bar to serve other patrons. Carfax made his way to a table. Lucy Honegger was paid to fetch drinks from the bar and to take them to the patrons already sitting there. She was passing Carfax's table on the way to the bar when he grabbed her.
"Sit down, bitch."
Lucy slapped him. Carfax shoved her then slapped her back. She ran to the bar. Festus and Newly walked over to where Carfax was sitting.
"We don't cotton to men roughing up the girls thet way," Festus said indicating the door. "You got somewhere to stay in Dodge?"
"Yeah!" Carfax snarled at Festus.
"Right!" Festus said. "You go there but tomorrow you get out of Dodge and don't you come back."
"You ain't got the authority to order me, whiskers."
"Wael now thet's where you're wrong. I'm a Deputy US Marshal here."
Newly could see Festus bristling at Carfax's attitude so did some of trail hands. Amos McKee came over.
"Festus where's Matt?" McKee asked.
"He's taking a prisoner to Leavenworth. Should be back tomorrow sometime."
"Who are you to be horning in you Texas trash?"
"Boys show this scum where the door is," McKee said.
Six of the toughest trail hands grabbed hold of Carfax and hustled him out of the door. He landed face down in the dust of the street.
"Hey, my whiskey I paid a whole dollar for the bottle."
"Yeah! Thanks! Consider it payment for letting you off without making you bleed some."
"Sam give Amos and the boys their next drink on the house," Kitty said.
"Well now Miss Kitty that's right kind of you."
Carfax returned to the Dodge House grabbed his saddlebags and checked out much to Howie's relief. Then he got his horse and hid in the alley across from the Long Branch. Waiting in the shadows as he watched the Long Branch. He intended getting even with the girl and Whiskers if he could. He watched as the Long Branch closed and Lucy came out to head for Ma Smalley's Boarding House. He grabbed her and hustled her into the alley where he knocked her on the head. Emptying the money from her cloth purse into his pocket. He used his knife to cut open her dress. She opened her eyes and tried to scream as he raped her then started stabbing her repeatedly.
Carfax waited in the shadows as Festus made his rounds. The deputy saw Lucy's body and ran up to her his gun drawn. Carfax shot Festus three times in the stomach, mounted his horse and left at a gallop heading west.
Hearing the shots Newly ran from the jail. He found Festus and Lucy as men ran up to him. O'Brien checked Lucy but she was already dead. Now he checked Festus.
"He's alive. Some of you get him to Doc. You others get Lucy to Percy Crump."
Men moved to do as he asked. Newly looked over to where Kitty stood with Sam in front of the Long Branch. He crossed over to them.
"Who is it Newly?" Kitty asked.
"It's Lucy Miss Kitty. She's been stabbed to death. Also Festus was shot three times. He probably disturbed Lucy's killer."
"Is Festus…?"
"He's alive. I've had some men take him up to Doc."
Kitty nodded and went up the steps to Doc's office. Doc's smile seemed a little forced as he greeted her.
"How is he Doc?"
"Not good Kitty. Still we'll do all we can."
"I wish Matt was here."
"So do I. But he'll be back tomorrow and then by thunder we'll see some action."
Both Kitty and Doc stared down at Festus knowing that the hill man was going to need all his wiry strength to fight his way back to the people who loved him.
Out on the prairie Matt, who had camped as soon as it was too dark to go further without endangering himself and more importantly Buck, sat bolt upright from an exhausted sleep. A feeling of dread washed over him. Suddenly he knew he needed to get back to Dodge. Matt saddled Buck by the light of the campfire.
"Sorry Old Son but I've got a real bad feeling," the lawman whispered in his horse's ear.
Matt poured the remains of his coffee on the fire making sure it was completely out before mounting Buck and heading towards the nearest stage road. Once there he urged the buckskin into a gallop towards home knowing it was a matter of life or death to get there as quickly as possible despite what it might mean to his horse. Matt burst into the jailhouse mid-morning startling Newly.
"Matt! Didn't expect you so soon."
"Where's Festus?"
Newly busied himself pouring coffee while he figured out how to tell Matt about Lucy Honegger and Festus.
"You know Lucy Honegger?" Matt nodded. "She was murdered last night. I figure a man called Ed Carfax did it; she had a run in with him earlier. Festus must've caught him."
"Newly what aren't you telling me?"
"Carfax shot Festus three times in the stomach."
"Are you telling me Festus is…?"
"No. He's up at Doc's. Kitty's doing what she can to help Doc out."
"You better tell me. Everything."
Newly told his boss what he'd pieced together from the moment Carfax arrived in Dodge until an onlooker on the street saw him ride out fast.
"Which way did he go?"
"West."
Newly could see Buck out of the window his head hanging low.
"Right! I'm going up to Doc's. Can you see to Buck and saddle me a fresh horse?" Matt asked. Newly nodded.
Matt left the jail to head up Doc's stairs. He knocked dreading what he'd find. Kitty opened the door.
"Matt we weren't expecting you till later."
"I know. Last night I woke up with a feeling something was wrong."
"Newly told you?"
"Yeah, how is he Doc?"
"Well Festus is holding on. He's going to need all his strength to come through this."
"Matt what are you going to do now?" Doc asked
"Me I'm going hunting. I'm gonna track Carfax down if it takes the rest of my life to do it."