At first, Festus was too stunned to react, but then Matt clapped him on the shoulder. "Festus, get the horses! I'm going to get Newly and ask Sam to come along as well."

Festus could only nod as he headed toward the Livery to get the horses and Ruth ready to follow the bank robbers.

Kitty followed Doc and Harry Bodkin back to Doc's office. As the physician lead the way upstairs, Kitty stopped Matt before he went into the Long Branch.

"Matt, you got to find her!" Kitty said her blue eyes large and pleading. "I know what men like them are capable of."

"We will, don't worry," Matt said grimly, remembering how Kitty had suffered at the hands of Bonner and his dog soldier sent shivers down his back.

Festus mounted Ruth and then took the reins of Matt, Newly and Sam's horse and lead them out of the Livery.

Once the three men took to their horses, Festus headed over to the bank, found the tracks and spurred Ruth forward as he followed them.

His only hope was that having Abelia with them might slow the riders down and give him a chance to catch them before anything happened to his wife.

Abelia had been chatting with Mr. Bodkin one minute and next thing she knew, three man had stormed the bank from the back door.

Harry had reached for a gun that he kept behind the counter but the youngest of the gang had kicked it out of his hands before he could even get a shot off.

Then as Abelia stood as still as a stone statue, two of the men brought Mr. Bodkin to the safe and proceeded to empty it as the third man snatched the Long Branch's deposit from her hands.

"Quite a bit of money you got here honey," he said snidely. "What you do here in town?"

"It's not mine," Abelia replied tersely. "I'm just making a deposit."

"Well, ain't that a coincidence," he said as the other two joined him. "We're making withdrawals."

"Then why don't you take what your going to and leave!" Mr. Bodkin said curtly.

"That's a good idea old man," the one who had taken the Long Branch's deposit said before reaching for Festus wife.

Abelia turned to run as the man grabbed her from behind and stifled any scream she may have had by putting his hand over her mouth while he dragged her to the back door.

Mr. Bodkin went at the youngest member of the outlaws, struggling for control of the robber's gun had caused it to go off and Harry dropped to the floor as the bullet pierced his shoulder.

Matt raced after Festus as the hill man's eyes keenly followed the tracks left behind by the bank robbers. Hell bent on finding the ones that took his wife, he barely noticed the men behind him until he stopped.

"What is it?" the Marshal asked when Festus suddenly stopped.

"Looks like they headed fer the river, Matthew," Festus said climbing back onto Ruth.

Matt clinched his jaw as he nodded. If the horses went into the water, they could come out any where along the bank which could cause Festus to lose their tracks long enough to allow the riders to get away.

"Let's go," Matt said spurring his horse to head for the river. "We have to find them before they reach the water!"