Previously:

Kitty pulled the cot away from the wall to use as her seat, and gathered up the deck of cards while Granger set up their 'table' and seated himself. Figuring it best to give him the illusion of control, she only briefly shuffled the deck after she gathered it up, then handed it to him to deal. She made sure to let their fingers touch as she released the cards, and gave him her best 'oh you big strong man' look.

Slightly flustered, he almost dropped the cards, but he recovered and made a passable attempt at shuffling them. Definitely NOT a professional, Kitty assessed. So far, so good.

He paused and looked up, his fingers on the top card. "You okay with 5-card draw?"

"Fine with me. Whatever's your pleasure." Kitty smiled and subtly licked her bottom lip.

Granger's eyes unfocused for a second, then he shook himself slightly and dealt.

Kitty fanned her cards. Pair of eights, King high. Good enough to do some bidding. She smiled to herself. Time to start seeing what Deputy Newt was made of...

Dodge City, KS ~ same afternoon

"I'm going over to the bank, Sam. If the marshal comes in, ask him to wait, will you?"

"Sure thing, Miss Kitty." He frowned as she walked out of the door. She hadn't even looked at the books since she'd been back. It wasn't like her. And the whiskey drummer was due. Sam sighed. He decided to make up the order and pass it by Kitty when she returned – even if Matt Dillon was waiting for her.

Micheline walked up to the window at the bank. "I'd like to make a withdrawal, please. But first I'd like to know my balance."

The young teller gaped at her. "Gosh, Miss Kitty, usually you just go right on in and see Mr. Bodkin. He's in his office. You can go on back."

"Of – of course. I wasn't going to bother him, but…" Micheline glanced around the bank, and the teller hurried around the partition to knock on Bodkin's door and guide her inside.

"Miss Kitty wants to make a withdrawal – and to know her balance," he announced. Bodkin straightened and stared at the woman.

"Usually you tell me what your balance is supposed to be, Kitty."

"I know. I just want to make sure you're on your toes," she laughed. "Let's see how far off you are."

Bodkin frowned and then opened the ledger on his desk, flipping pages until he came to one labeled "Russell, Kitty – Long Branch Saloon" and ran his finger down the long columns. "You have four hundred thirty-eight dollars in the Long Branch account, and," he flipped two pages to one labeled "Kitty Russell – personal account" and peered at the bottom of the page, "another nine hundred and twenty seven dollars – and fifty cents in your personal account." He scribbled on a piece of scrap paper. "That's a grand total of thirteen hundred sixty five dollars and fifty cents. Do we agree?"

Micheline's mind was whirling. She'd never expected so much – add in the receipts of the last couple of nights at the Long Branch and with that much money she could – she could go anywhere – become anyone. Yes, indeed, it had certainly been her lucky day when she'd caught sight of Kitty Russell.

"Kitty? Miss Russell?" Bodkin's voice brought her back to her surroundings. ""Is something wrong? Do our figures disagree with yours? Of course, we'll be adding interest in a couple of days..."

"No. No – you're… As always, Mr. Bodkin, you're absolutely accurate." She smiled at him. "Now I'd like to make a withdrawal."

"Yes, indeed, Kitty. Which account?"

"Oh, both of them. I'd like the thirteen hundred."

"What?" Bodkin half rose out of his desk chair and stared at her.

"What's the matter? Is there a problem?" Her smile had vanished and a frown now marred her pretty countenance.

"N-no, of course not. It's just – that's a lot of money…"

"It certainly is." She climbed to her feet. "Will you tell the clerk to gather it up for me?"

"Kitty, you know better than that. That much money – well, it'll take time to get it together – and there's paperwork – I'll have to create drafts that you'll have to sign – I – how soon do you think you'll need it?"

She glared. Her lips were pressed tightly together. "That money belongs to me, Mr. Bodkin, and I want it. Now."

"I can't give it to you now." Bodkin was annoyed. Usually Kitty Russell was a joy to deal with. This unreasonable demand was outside of his experience with her. "You'll have to come back tomorrow morning. That's the soonest I can give it to you."

Micheline thought suddenly of what he had said. "…drafts that you'll have to sign…" and realized that her signature might betray her. She had to find something of Kitty's with her signature and practice. She frowned. Writing was hard for her, but she'd forged a bank draft once before and she could do it again – if she had to. "All right. Tomorrow morning, but that's as long as I'm giving you." She turned on her heel and left the office without even saying good bye.

She bit her lip and thought hard on her way back to the Long Branch. Surely Mantley wasn't planning on robbing the bank before the morning. Now that she knew how much money she was going to get, she could buy a train ticket all the way to St. Louis, even if she got off in Kansas City and took a train to San Francisco. They'd never find her. A smile of triumph lit her face.

She was humming by the time she swung into the saloon.

"The marshal stopped by and said to tell you he couldn't wait, but that he'd be by to check on you a little later. Seemed to think you weren't feeling all that good, Miss Kitty."

"I'm not. I'm going to lay down for a bit." No time like the present to practice Kitty's signature, and surely there would be something in her room that had the necessary words.

"Miss Kitty, before you go up, that whiskey drummer is coming by soon. I've got an order ready to go if you'd care to go over it??"

She frowned. "You're the bartender. I'm sure whatever you worked out will do." She hurried up the steps to her room, leaving Sam open-mouthed behind her.

~~*~~*~~

Great Bend, KS ~ same afternoon

Kitty slipped her hand through the bars and laid her cards on the chair seat that was serving as their table. Newt's eyes lit up as he fanned his cards opposite hers – three Jacks, beating her Kings over sixes. Kitty allowed a rueful expression to cross her face. She sighed dramatically. "Oh dear, it seems you've beaten me again, Deputy! You really are quite the card shark!"

Newt chuckled. "Yes'm, you gotta get up pretty early in the morning to beat ol' Newt Granger. You shore do."

Kitty batted her eyes at him. "You know, Deputy, your talents really are wasted sitting around in a jail like this. With your skills and my looks, we could be pulling down a hundred bucks a week in no time in a big town like St. Louie." She looked off thoughtfully. "Of course, I suppose an important job like Deputy Sheriff probably pays pretty well too... It's a shame, really..." She sighed and gave him a very warm look. "We get along so well. I'm sure once we got to know each other... better..." Kitty fixed the hapless deputy with her sultriest stare. "...we'd make an unstoppable team."

Sighing again, she looked down and picked up the cards, pretending to concentrate on shuffling them. She'd seen the gleam of greed and lust in Granger's eyes, and she let him dwell on the possibilities. Ready to deal, she leaned forward, giving him another good look at her cleavage. She looked up at him smolderingly. He swallowed hard. "Another hand, Mr. Granger? Or is there something else you'd rather do?"

As if in a trance, Granger rose from his chair and opened the door to the front of the jail. Breaking eye contact for just a moment, he reached out and plucked the large key ring from its hook on the wall. As he turned back to her and closed the door, Kitty summoned her strength, willing herself to give him her best come-hither look. Just a little bit closer, and she could surprise him and make a run for it.

Fumbling slightly in his excitement, Granger sorted through the keys. "Aha!" He held up his prize, and then immediately moved to the door. Kitty moved back, both to keep him from thinking she might try to bolt, and so she could drape herself artfully against the side of the cell. "Hurry." Her voice was low and sultry. Tearing his eyes away from the vision of heaven that awaited him, Granger shakily inserted the key in the lock and turned it.

"Granger! Where are you?! Dammit, can't I go down the street and come back without you leaving your post!

"Goddam bastard!" Granger swore under his breath, turning the key back the other way to relock the cell door. Kitty didn't have to pretend disappointment as she met his frustrated gaze. She'd been SO close! Damn responsible lawmen – why couldn't he have stopped for a beer or something? She sighed as she watched her ticket to freedom return to the front of the jail.

Kitty pushed the bed back to its normal position and retrieved the deck of cards. After a moment's consideration, she quietly pushed the extra chair away from the cell bars. She didn't really want Liebling to know what they had been doing. She could hear Granger in the front insisting that he had been there the whole time, and had just that moment been checking on the prisoner. Good. She figured the Deputy would keep his mouth shut about the card game. She was sure the sheriff wouldn't approve, but what he didn't know would definitely help her.

Kitty sat down on the bed. She was sure she had Granger on the hook. Now all she had to do was wait for her next chance. Leaning forward, she lowered her head into her hands. Wait. All she did was wait. Wait for Liebling. Wait for Granger. Wait for the judge to arrive so she could be tried. Wait for somebody to please figure out that she wasn't who they thought. Wait for Matt to show up and make things right. Where the hell was Matt?

~~*~~*~~

Dodge City, KS ~ the same afternoon

"Marshal Dillon, could I speak with you?" Bodkin crept inside the jail door and looked around cautiously. "Festus?"

"Festus took the day off to go fishing," Matt replied looking at the banker. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, this is very confidential and under normal circumstances I would never… That is if word got out that I had… And then there are the resources of the bank to consider… But most of all I'm concerned. There is absolutely no reason… Why she could buy out Sam Milligan or even Fraser Hobbs with that kind of… Do you think she could be – well, I suppose we have to consider blackmail – that's why I came to you."

Matt had been waiting patiently for Bodkin to come to some kind of point, but at the word "blackmail" he sat up. "Blackmail," he exclaimed. "Who do you think is being blackmailed?"

"Why, Miss Kitty, of course."

"I think you better start at the beginning, Bodkin, and tell me what's going on."

"I thought I just did, Marshal."

Slowly Matt took him through the entire story. With Bodkin's protestations about confidentiality and the bank's rock solid resources, it took about twice as long as it should have, but at last he had the whole story. "I think you better send her a note that you can't fulfill her demands until tomorrow afternoon. That'll give me some time to try to figure out who's blackmailing her. Tell her it will have to wait until after the 3 p.m. stage. It's always late, so it'll be close to closing before it gets in. I don't like Kitty walking around with that kind of money. I'll have a talk with her. Thanks for coming to me, Mr. Bodkin."

He ushered the still protesting banker out of the office and sighed. He'd been putting off going over to the Long Branch all day. Maybe he was catching the flu or whatever it was Kitty had. Usually he couldn't bear to stay away from her for more than two or three hours when he was in town. The last couple of days, it had felt more like a chore to go to the Long Branch than anything else. He blew out a breath and planted his Stetson on his head. Best get over there.

He ducked around the corner and hastily climbed the steps to the second floor of the Long Branch. He glanced around before inserting his key. Thank God the street was deserted. He slipped inside and breathed a sigh of relief. He hated going to her room in the afternoon. There was always the chance of being spotted. He walked as softly as his boots could manage down the wooden corridor and tapped on her door. There was no answer and he unlocked it, expecting to find her asleep.

Instead she was sitting at her desk, head bent over a task and her concentration so total that he was able to come up behind her and kiss her neck before she realized he was in the room.

"Matt!" She screamed, jumping from her chair and whirling to meet his startled gaze. "Oh, my God, you scared me. How did you get in?"

Mutely he held up his key. "I knocked, but…

"I – I…" Micheline thought fast. "I was just working on some letters and the whiskey order." She wrapped her arms around his neck and backed him away from her desk before he could see exactly what 'letters' she'd been 'writing'.

"How are you feeling? I thought you were gonna lay down."

"I was. I am. I just – you know how it is, you're laying there half asleep and you think of something and… I couldn't go back to sleep." She began to kiss him, hot kisses that made his senses reel. She managed to unfasten his gunbelt and drop it to the floor before opening a couple of buttons on his shirt and sliding a hand inside it. She tugged at his long john shirt until he could feel her fingertips on his bare skin, then her hands were stroking up and down his back while her mouth fastened on his, demanding hungry kiss after hungry kiss.

"I – I – Kitty…" Panting, he pulled away from her enough to fumble with the fastenings of her bodice.

Suddenly there was the sound of gunshots in the street and cries of "Marshal Dillon! Marshal Dillon!" echoed through the window.

"Damn." He pushed away from her and reached for his gunbelt even as he began to fasten his shirt and stuff it into his pants. "I have to go, Kitty. I'll – I'll – I'll try to come by and see you tonight." He snatched his hat from the hook and ran out the door, deciding at the last moment to go down the inside steps of the Long Branch. Fortunately Sam was the only one in the saloon at the moment and he carefully ignored the marshal's rush for the street.

~~*~~*~~

Dodge City, KS ~ the next morning

"Wael, I'm here to tell you that thar's somepin' mighty pekewlyer goin' on. Why, just the other day, I saw her over ta' the general store lookin' at derringers, Doc. Now what call would Miss Kitty have for a new derringer?"

"Festus, if you're gonna go snooping and spying around, you're bound to see things that don't make sense. F'r'instance, mebbe she was looking for a present for somebody."

"Now, Doc, that don't make a lick of sense. Who'd she be buying it for? We all got guns – and no little biddy derringers neither – less'n maybe she was thinking of buying you a derringer – carry in your bag. Is yore birthday coming?"

Doc frowned. "Oh, hush up, and eat your breakfast."

"Wael, Matthew, whadda you think? Ain't Miss Kitty acting not like herself ever since she got back from St. Louis? And what call has she got to buy a new derringer?"

The big lawman stared at his eggs. He'd tuned out most of the conversation between Doc and Festus, but when they'd started talking about Kitty, he'd focused a little more closely on what they were saying.

"I don't think she's been feeling good since she got back," he muttered, buttering a biscuit. "I know she was under the weather yesterday. And before you go hurrying over there to examine her, Doc, I already suggested that, but she thinks it'll pass and she doesn't want to bother you. Says you look tired."

"Well, sure I look tired. Up all night with old man Greeley till he died, and then seeing to the widow Newsome, and then, of course, the Johanssen baby. Doesn't mean I can't take a look at Kitty though, especially if she's feeling poorly. Have to admit, though, buying a derringer is an unusual symptom of sickness."

"I didn't mean…" Matt's voice trailed off. As usual, Doc had hit the nail on the head. Kitty was acting oddly, and he was more worried than he wanted to admit. He sighed deeply. "She isn't acting like herself, Doc. I – I'm wondering if something happened – something in St. Louis? If – if, maybe she met somebody – or – or something. If she's not happy here in Dodge anymore."

Unspoken were his true thoughts. Was Kitty unhappy with him? With Dodge? She sure was acting oddly – and more than that, he was confused by his own reactions. When he'd passed by the Long Branch at the end of his late rounds, he'd actually felt relief at the sight of her darkened window, no lamp inviting him up to finish what they'd started that afternoon. What was going on with him? And with her? Abruptly he stood, pushing away the remains of his uneaten breakfast. "Gonna ride out to Mose McGovern's. He's been complaining that someone's been cutting his fences and stealing cows."

"Ahh, foot, Matthew, you know he puts up such scraggledy ol' strings of wire, it only takes a cow nudging it to knock it over."

"See you later, Festus, Doc," Matt nodded to the two men, tossed down some coins, clapped his Stetson on his head, and left Delmonico's.

There was silence at the table for a moment, then Doc tugged his mustache. "He's right worried about Kitty."

"Foot, Doc, so am I – and so are you. Admit it y'ol' scudder."

~~*~~*~~

As he left Delmonico's, Matt headed for the livery stable to get Buck. As he strode along, his thoughts were troubled. Abruptly he turned and entered the Long Branch. "Mornin', Sam. Kitty down yet?"

The elderly bartender glanced up and a smile lit his craggy face. "Just took her coffee into the office." Both men glanced at the closed door. "Didn't seem to be in a real good mood, though," he warned the marshal.

"I've got to ride out to see to see about some straying cows, but I thought maybe… Is there a bottle of champagne back there anywhere?"

"A picnic, Marshal?" Sam's face lit up. "Want me to go get Miss Kitty's buggy?"

"If you don't mind. And, Sam, maybe you could stop by Delmonico's and order the basket for me?"

"Sure thing, Marshal Dillon." Sam shucked his apron and hurried from the barroom as Matt took a deep breath and headed for the office.

He tapped lightly and then opened the door. Kitty sat at the small table, a cup of coffee at her elbow and stacks of money piled in front of her. He crossed quickly and dropped his hands on her shoulders. "Kitt…" he began, as she screamed and jumped beneath his grasp, spilling the coffee onto the bills and turning over the table. Wads of dollar bills and the piles of coins scattered across the floor. "I'm sorry, honey," he muttered. "I didn't mean to startle you…"

"What the hell did you mean to do, dammit?" Micheline was on her hands and knees snatching up the packets of bills as Matt righted the table. He helped her to her feet and then bent over to gather up the remainder of the money.

"I said I was sorry, Kitty. Where did all this money come from?"

"Oh – I – I haven't been able to get to the bank for a couple of days. I – was just counting it so I could make a deposit," she stuttered.

"Oh. Well, I was wondering… we haven't been out to Silver Creek in a long while, and since I have to go out to McGovern's place today, I thought we could – uhh – combine errands. You could drop the money off at the bank on our way." He looked at her eagerly.

"Combine…" she stared at him. "Silver Creek. You mean…"

"I thought we could go on a picnic. Sam went over to get a basket for us and if you'll supply the champagne…"

Micheline thought furiously. She needed to be in town to get her money from the bank and also to talk to Shep, but she didn't want to arouse Matt's suspicions. "What do you have to do at McGovern's place?" she asked slowly.

"His fences keep getting knocked over and his cows get to straying. He rode in and asked me to look into it. I thought maybe we could…" he looked at her face and sighed. "Not good timing?"

"Oh, Matt. I've got two drummers coming in today."

"Leave your order with Sam."

Micheline didn't say that that was exactly what she had planned to do in any case. In fact, she'd only just remembered Sam's question from the day before when she was grasping for an excuse.

"Honestly, Matt, a picnic?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm just not up for all that fresh air. And, I remember Mose McGovern when he was in here two nights ago. He smells." The expression on her face said it all. "And he's stingy to boot," she added.

Matt stared at her for a moment and then he nodded. "Sorry I scared you. And sorry my timing was bad." He sighed. "See you later, Kitty."

"Sure, Matt."

He met Sam on the boardwalk as the bartender hurried back to the saloon. "You can pick the basket up in fifteen minutes, Marshal. I figured it would take Miss Kitty that long to change, and…"

But Matt was shaking his head. "Never mind, Sam. Thanks anyway. She isn't up for '… all that fresh air…' and she has to meet two drummers today."

"But she told me…" Sam clamped his lips together. No point in making the marshal feel worse than he already did. "I'll stop back over to Delmonico's and cancel the order."

Matt nodded and went on to the livery stable. He felt as though a very large part of his world was starting to dissolve around him.

~~*~~*~~

Around ten Micheline emerged from the office and went straight to her room. Once there she concealed the money in the small traveling case to which she had already transferred all of Kitty's jewelry. Then she changed clothes and returned to barroom. "I'm going to step across to the bank, Sam," she said casually. "Keep an eye on things here, okay?"

"Of course, Miss Kitty."

At the bank, she went straight to Bodkin's office and knocked quietly on the door. She smiled at the banker as she sat in the chair beside his desk. "Well, Mr. Bodkin? Do you have my money?"

"I – Kitty, I can give you five hundred now. The remaining eight will have to wait until this afternoon. I thought it would come in on the evening stage, but I guess it got delayed." He swallowed hard and waited for her temper to rain down on him. Today she surprised him.

She sighed. "Well, if you can't, you can't."

"Do you want to wait and get the entire sum later?" Bodkin asked hopefully, but the red-head shook her head.

"Oh, no, I'll take the five now." She looked pointedly at the safe behind the banker, and opened her large reticule.

Bodkin bit his lip, and pushed a document at her. "Sign this while I count out the money, please."

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the bank and stopped by the stage office. "I need a ticket to Partridge, Burke, if you don't mind."

"Sure thing, Miss Kitty. Round trip, of course."

"Of course."

"Who you going to see, Miss Kitty?" Burke always liked to know the details of his passengers' trips.

Micheline smiled at him again. "An old friend. She hasn't been feeling too well lately and wants me to come for a visit. Things are kind of slow right now, so I thought I could squeeze it in."

"That'll be three dollars and thirty five cents, Miss Kitty."

She dug a twenty dollar bill out of her bulging reticule and stuffed the change and ticket back in. Burke watched her eagerly. "On your way to the bank, Miss Kitty?"

"Yes. Yes, Burke, that's exactly where I'm headed." She smiled one last time and left the depot. He watched her go with a grin that turned into a puzzled frown when she headed straight for the Long Branch.