Sam and Doc were standing outside the Long Branch when Matt and Festus rode up, Kitty sitting behind Matt. Sam smiled at the sight of his boss. Doc walked over to Matt's horse and grabbed Kitty's hand to help her down.
"Thanks Doc," Kitty said as she moved to the Long Branch's entrance.
"You okay Miss Kitty?" Sam asked as he held the swinging doors open for her.
"Yeah, I'm fine Sam. Just need some rest." Kitty answered as she went through and headed for the stairs.
Doc turned to Matt after Kitty was out of earshot and asked, "Matt, did she?"
"No Doc, I did." Matt said as he grabbed his bedroll.
"Yeah, and the dern knothead fell and died right on me!" Festus replied with a hint of resentment still in his voice.
"On you? Well, why didn't you just jump out of the way?"
"Real funny Doc. I was already on the floor when it happened!"
"Well what were you doing on the floor?"
"Well you see, Meechum jarred his elbow into my innards and..."
"On second thought, maybe I don't want to know," said Doc, his hat askew as he rubbed his mustache.
"You always do that! Inner-upting me when I'm trying t' tell a story!"
"Go ahead then, tell your story. Then I'll buy you a beer."
"As I was a'saying, I fell..." Festus said then paused as he realized what Doc said, "A beer Doc?"
"That's what I said. I'll buy you a beer."
"Buy me a beer first and then I'll tell the story." Festus said with a smile.
"Well, as long as you're buying, Doc, I'll come along."
"Hold on now. Did I say I was buying you a beer?" Doc said as he looked at Matt. "I told Festus I'd buy him one."
"Yeah Matthew. Doc's gonna buy me one!"
"You know Doc, you're creating a monster here."
"Well Matt, he won't be any worse than he already is." Doc replied with a snicker.
"On'ry old scudder. I can't believe I'm gonna let you buy me a beer."
"Well then, I'll just buy Matt that beer. Come on Matt."
"Hold yer taters now Doc. I didn't..." Festus paused as he looked at someone in the distance riding into Dodge on a spotted horse. Matt and Doc also looked the same way and saw the rider as well.
"That looks like..." Doc said when Festus interrupted almost in a whisper, "Quint Asper. Golly bill, what's he doing back in Dodge."
Quint smiled as he trotted up to Matt, Festus, and Doc and pulled on the reigns stopping his horse.
"Quint Asper," Matt said, "It's been a long time."
"Too long. How are you Festus? Doc? Matt?"
"Oh fine Quint. It's good to see you again," Doc replied with a wink.
"You scudder you. Where you been hidin' all these years?"
"Oh here and there. Everywhere mainly."
"I heered that. Been there myself a time or too."
"Come on Quint. Get down off that horse and let me by you a beer."
"What happened to my beer Doc?"
"Well, you don't expect me to by you all beers now when an old friend appears, do you?"
"Doc, I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Festus has been teaching you how to get out of spending money."
"How, Festus never has any to spend," Quint said with a laugh just like it was old times.
"I don't know if I should resent that or not since it's true," Festus said and each of them chuckled as they entered the Long Branch.
Miss Kitty was drinking her coffee when she saw who walked in with Matt, Doc, and Festus. She smiled and headed to the table where they were going to sit.
Quint smiled and said "Kitty."
"Hello Quint. You're a sight for sore eyes."
"Only if you stare at me for too long."
Laughing, Kitty said, "You've still got it, Quint. You haven't changed a bit. Sam, four beers."
Sam nodded and Matt said, "Well Doc, looks like you'll keep your money."
"Yeah. Quint, you need to come back to town more often."
"'Bout that. What are you here fer anyway, Quint." Festus asked.
"Does a man have to have a reason to come back and see old friends?"
"Well, no, I reckon he don't." Festus said with a squint.
"Finally, I made it to the old friends category."
"You mean you were young once Doc?" Quint said and laughed. So did Matt and Festus.
"Oh, so you all think that's funny huh? Kitty's right. You haven't changed."
After having a few drinks and catching up with each other, Matt stood and said, "Well, I better make my rounds. Quint, it was good to see you again. See you in the morning?"
"Yeah," said Quint then leaned in to Matt and quietly continued, "Matt, we need to talk. Think I can come by the office in a little while?"
"Sounds serious. Everything alright?"
"Will be after I talk to you. I'll explain exactly why I'm back here."
"I'll be back in the office in a few."
"Sure thing Matt. Oh, and it needs to be alone."
Matt snickered and said, "Don't worry, Festus is happy here now. He'll be here a while."
Quint looked back at Festus and smiled then back to Matt and said, "Yeah, he will, won't he."
Matt tipped his hat and walked out the Long Branch and down the walkway looking both ways.
Quint finished his last beer and told them he was going to turn in at the Dodge House. They did not need to know he was going to the Marshal's office. What he had to say was between him and Matt.
Matt was not there when Quint entered, so he sat at the table and waited. He looked around the office and it was pretty much the same as when he left. The same old checkers game sat on the table and he laughed at the thought of if Doc ever won a game yet. As Quint was smiling, the door opened and in stepped Matt.
"I knew you'd beat me here. Found Louie passed out in the alley."
"Old Louie… still drinking as usual."
"Yeah, well you know he'll never change. No matter how many times Doc tries. Now, What's on your mind Quint?"
"Matt, do you remember Ridley Perkins?"
"Ridley Perkins? Now there's a name from the past. He tried to kill me once for killing his brother.
"Well he's trying to do so again."
"How do you know this Quint?"
"Because Matt, he's hired me to kill you."
Matt looked at Quint with a blank stare. Then he got up to check for coffee. While Matt walked back over to the table, he said, "Well, you haven't tried yet Quint."
"Oh come now Matt. Do you really think I'm that foolish? I may have been gone for some time, but I'm not that stupid. You know me better than that. I still consider you a friend. Always will."
"Good to know."
"Look Matt, here's the money. Well half of it anyway. I don't want it."
Matt looked at the stack of bills Quint put on the table. He finally picked the stack up and counted. "Two hundred dollars to take the job? Four hundred if you finish it. He really does want me dead doesn't he."
"Matt, Ridley doesn't know I know you. That I used to live here. It just so happened I was in a saloon in El Paso and heard him talking and your name came up. So I moved a little closer to the table."
"So your keen Comanche ears could hear everything."
"Half Comanche, Matt."
"Oh forgive me. How can I forget." Matt said and took a sip of his coffee.
"Then he said he was offering a bounty of four hundred to anyone willing to match up against you."
"And you just had to answer him."
"Well Matt, I couldn't see anything happen to you."
"Quint, have you thought about what Ridley will do when he finds out I'm still alive?"
"He'll know you are when I walk out. He followed me here. You know, you can't hide from an Indian." Quint said and leaned back in the chair.
"Oh, I see. Ridley wants to make sure the job gets done."
"Trust issues I suspect." Quint said as he got up and headed for the door.
"Quint, who's to say he won't try and kill you when you step out the door? Have you thought of that?"
Quint smiled as he reached for the door handle and said, "Don't worry Matt. I'll be fine."
As soon as the door opened and Quint stepped out, the shot missed him by an inch. He ducked down and crouched on the walkway as Matt came out with his gun drawn.
"Fool! I knew you couldn't do it! You lied to me!"
"It's not a lie when I didn't tell you anything and just took the money!"
"That's all you wanted. That's all you Indians ever want. Money and our women!"
"Ridley, I have the money!"
"Oh, so now you're a murderer and a thief too, huh Dillon? I should have known. You're not fit to be a marshal!"
By now, the crowd had extended into Dodge's street. Festus was standing beside Doc and Kitty looking at Ridley. Festus had his hand on his gun and was about to draw when Kitty said, "No Festus. Don't."
"I'm not goin' t' shoot him Miss Kitty, although I kin take him out quicker than a prairie dog can blink." Festus whispered to Kitty before going on. "Hey now, Matthew ain't no murdering thief!"
"Stay out of this Festus!" Exclaimed Matt.
"Dillon, do you always let your deputy fight your fight? No wonder the Indian couldn't kill you. You've got them trained. It's a wonder you killed my brother. You're weak Dillon! A coward!"
Doc tipped his hat that already sat askew his head and said, "Oh, he did it now. Now my services will be rendered for sure."
"You don't know that Doc," Kitty said in his ear behind him. Doc just turned and looked at her with that ornery look he always had with Festus.
"Give it up Ridley! I didn't want to kill your brother. He left me no choice. I don't want to kill you either. You're already going to go to jail. Don't let it be the other."
"Oh Dillon, there goes that weak side. Why don't you come out here and face me like a man instead of standing there by your door!"
Matt took one step out onto the street and had to pull the trigger, but his Colt jammed during Ridley's first shot. Fortunately, Ridley missed. Ridley was about to take his second shot when he keeled over suddenly and landed face down.
Doc ran out to him and turned him over only to see the Bowie knife sticking out of his chest. By the time Doc stood back up, Matt and Quint had made it there.
Doc walked to Quint and said in his ornery tone, "You mean to tell me that you threw your knife from over there!"
"Well, yeah," Quint said with no reservation in his voice.
"Did you not think about the others around here? What if you had missed, Quint!"
"But Doc, I didn't. Would you have rather been treating Matt instead? Give me some credit Doc."
"Well, I can't argue with that. You did save Matt's life. But, and listen to what I'm telling you, Quint. If you had missed, it could have been me or Kitty or even Festus!"
"Doc, let me ask you, have you ever seen an Indian miss? With a gun maybe. Not a knife."
"Need I remind you Quint…" Doc started then was interrupted.
"Okay Doc, that's enough. We know. Some of you men get Ridely up and take him to Doc's office," Matt said.
A bunch of men picked Ridley's body up and carried him off. Doc scampered off behind them to do what he needed to do. Kitty had made her way back into the Long Branch. Then Festus came strolling up.
"Matthew, he could have killed you."
"Yeah, but thanks to Quint, he didn't. I guess in a way, I need to thank you for saving my life twice Quint."
"Don't mention it Matt. What'd you say we go to the Long Branch for some drinks. I'm buying," Quint said and slapped Matt on the back.
Festus smiled and said, "Finally, someone is buying me a beer!"
And just like Quint had never left Dodge, all three of them walked into the Long Branch. It was good to have the old times back, if only for a little while.