Disclaimer - I don't own or profit from these characters or stories. I just like to make stuff up.

They were a sorry looking quartet as they slowly made their way towards Dodge. Matt Dillon, unshaven and trail worn, held the reins of the grim man riding on his right. The man, Jack Caton, was handcuffed and gripping his saddle horn tightly. As unhappy as he was with his plight, Caton appreciated the fact that he was a lot better off than his two partners. Dillon had followed the three of them to their cabin, and now Larry was dead and Jerry seriously wounded. Caton turned his head to look back at the travois being dragged along by his horse. Jerry was tied on top and groaning in feverish pain with every little bump. Caton almost wished the man would die already; his pathetic moans were getting annoying. As he turned back he glanced over at the woman riding to the marshal's left. Dillon had a good grip on her reins too. Her face was smudged with dirt, and her tangled hair hung down around her somber face. Jack Caton smiled to himself, glad she'd be the one who'd end up swinging on the end of a rope, not him.

Dodge

It was getting late and the two remaining customers in the Long Branch felt the eyes of the tall craggy bartender and the beautiful saloon owner boring into them. The men looked around, and seeing that most chairs were already set upside down on tables, quickly downed their beers and left. Once the men were gone Kitty pushed through the bat wing doors, and cross her arms as protection against the cold night air. She stared down Front Street but saw nothing but a lone, mangy dog wandering around no doubt seeking a warm place to settle for the night. Sam, head bartender in the Long Branch, knew exactly what or rather who she was hoping to see. More than two weeks before Marshal Dillon had set out after a trio of men who'd committed a string of robberies, then kidnapped and murdered two boys. With each passing day, Kitty had grown more nervous and worried. She managed to hide it from most, but to those who knew her well her growing anxiety was painfully palpable.

Kitty came back inside and tried to manufacture a cheery tone, "Well Sam, business wasn't too bad for a Wednesday night. We might have even made a profit. I'm going to my office to do a tally. You go on home, we 'll finish cleaning up in the morning."

Sam nodded but decided to stay to wash and dry the remaining dirty glasses. He didn't want to leave anything undone in case Kitty came in before him. The last thing he wanted was to make more work for her.

He was setting the last glass on the shelf when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hello Sam. You're working late for the middle of the week."

Sam turned around and smiled, "Welcome back marshal, it's good to see you. I'm just about finished. Miss Kitty's in her office."

A look of understanding passed between the two men, and Sam left and locked the door behind him.

Matt tapped lightly on Kitty's office door. She called out, "I'm almost finished Sam. Go on home. Just lock up behind you."

Matt quietly opened the door. Kitty's back was to him as she stared down at her books. "Maam, I know you're closed, but is there any chance a weary cowboy could get a beer?"

Kitty smiled broadly and jumped to her feet, "Matt, you're back. Are you all right?"

He pulled her towards him and held her close, "Now I am." She closed her eyes and relaxed against him, relishing the feel of his arms around her. After a minute she stepped back to make a quick assessment of his condition, as only she could. It looked like he wasn't hurt, but probably hadn't had any real sleep or rest since he'd left, and there was uneasiness in his eyes. Something was gnawing at him.

She put a hand on his arm, "Well Cowboy, how about we grab a pitcher of beer and a couple of glasses and go upstairs?"

A short time later they were enjoying their beers and Matt was quickly devouring the three sandwiches he had insisted Kitty not bother to make for him.

She smiled as she sipped her beer, "Good thing you weren't hungry Cowboy."

Matt laughed, "Thanks Kitty. I didn't want you to go to the trouble, but I admit I sure am glad you did."

Kitty studied Matt's face. He hadn't said what was troubling him, and now that he had eaten and looked a bit more relaxed, she decided it was time to probe, "Matt, did you get the men you were after?"

Matt took a sip of beer and nodded, "Yep. It was tricky though. There were three of them and they were clever. They kept splitting up and circling back. I knew they'd try to ambush me at night, so I had to try to stay awake and we ended up trading gunfire a few times. Finally I followed them to a cabin. It must have been their headquarters. They were almost inside when they saw me coming, and started firing. Fortunately I was able to take cover quickly behind some rocks. When it was over one man was dead, another wounded and the third surrendered. I buried the dead man, and brought the other two in along with the woman. The wounded man's up at Doc's. The other man and the woman are in jail.

"Woman? How is a woman involved in all of this?"

Matt set down his glass and recalled the scene. He had handcuffed Jack and was tending to Jerry's wound when Jack snorted, "Marshal, Jerry there's too tough to die. What you ought to be doing is arresting the woman who's inside. She's the murderer."

Jerry's wound had stopped bleeding and Matt was tying a bandage in place as he answered, "What are you talking about Caton?"

"Marshal we did some robberies, we admit it, and we kidnapped those two little boys for ransom, but she was the one who planned everything and she was the one who murdered them boys. You see, once we picked up that nice big ransom we went back to the cabin to release the youngins. You know what we found?"

Caton paused and gave a little chuckle as he shook his head, "We found two dead little boys. She didn't want to risk them little kids identifying any of us so she stabbed them to death. She said she did it herself, because she didn't think us men would have the stomach for killing little kids. Don't that beat all?"

Jerry was weak with blood loss, but managed to whispered, "He's right lawman. We never killed anybody, she's the killer."

Matt decided to check out their story so he drew his gun and went into the cabin. A slender woman of about 5 ft. 2 stood looking out the window. She turned and faced him when he entered. He immediately noted that her dress was worn and patched, but even he could tell it had once been elegant. She looked up at him, "I'm not armed."

He holstered his gun, "The men out there say you planned all the crimes they committed and you murdered the two boys."

Stony faced, she continued to stare at him. He returned her gaze, "I'd like to know what you have to say."

"I have nothing to say."

"I'll have to take you in."

The woman nodded and stepped outside the door.

Coming back to the present, Matt looked at Kitty, "That's all there is to it. I brought her in with the two men, and she's locked in a cell."

"Matt, that's so very strange. Didn't she say anything in her defense?"

Matt shook his head, "No she didn't. All she told me was her name, River Cassidy."

Kitty's heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. She stood suddenly and looked at Matt, "I have to see her. I have to see her now." Kitty rushed out the door with a stunned Matt following close behind.

TBC