The Deceiver

Chapter 4

The Marshal finished shaving, combed his hair and found a clean shirt. He had been gone for about a week and while somewhere out there on the trail home, decided he was definitely missing the red headed saloon girl named Kitty. He really couldn't say what it was that drew him to her. She was definitely the prettiest woman he had ever seen in Dodge. She was smart, witty, and just a delight to be around. He had held brief conversations with her many times since she had arrived in Dodge, mostly standing at the bar enjoying a beer, but had never plucked up the courage to really talk to her. Besides, a lawman had no business getting involved with any woman – but this woman, somehow she had a hold on him that he couldn't deny. He had even gone so far as to buy her a little trinket while he was in Wichita, he just couldn't get her out of his mind

"I'll see you later Chester," he called out as he headed out the door. He walked down the boardwalk. Several people acknowledged him, glad to see him back in town.

He looked over the swing doors into the saloon, but did not see that red head anywhere. Casually he went up to the bar. Bill Pence and Freddie were working there.

"Nice to see you back Marshal, would you like a beer?" offered Pence.

"Thanks." The tall man continued to look around the crowd. "Is Kitty not here tonight?"

The saloon owner heard the disappointment in his voice. "She should be, but she never showed up this evening." He hated to tell the man that he had seen her go off with that city boy this afternoon. Maybe they were just late getting back and she would show up after a while.

The Marshal looked dejected, but put a smile on the situation. He finished the beer.

"If you see her, Bill, just tell her I'll drop by later."

He left the Long Branch and walked along the street to check on the other saloons. His fingers strayed to his pocket and found the small gift he had there. He was going to really talk to her tonight. Maybe invite her to go fishing. Why had she chosen this evening of all times to not show up?

Everything seemed to be quiet on Front Street. There was a slight chill in the air after the heat of the day. This time of year there were no drovers, just the local population and a few outsiders passing through. The town was much quieter than the spring and early summer had been.

He headed back towards the jail. A young boy approached him and bashfully handed him an envelope. "The clerk over at the Dodge house asked me to give you this Marshal."

He did not recognize the kid but gave him a coin and thanked him.

The envelope had his name on it, he put it in his pocket and continued on towards the brick building at the end of the street.

When he was seated at his desk he opened the envelope. There was a piece of quite expensive notepaper in side.

Marshal Dillon

I need to see you. It is urgent. I have Miss Russell with me and she would appreciate your presence also. No harm will come to her, but you need to be here by midnight. You must be alone. I do not like to harm a woman, but if you do not show I will have to.

This is followed by a brief description of the location of the old dilapidated buildings that lie a few miles off of the trail going west out of town. He is familiar with the location and knows that he can be out therein under an hour. He was not sure what was going on, he had never handled anything like this before. He could only think of one reason why anyone should try to get him off by himself. He had no choice but to go, he could not let anything happen to Kitty – especially because someone was out to get him. The thought of her getting dragged into his problems was the very reason he could not get involved with anyone. How did this happen? He had been so careful up till now, its like someone knew how he felt, someone had read his emotions. He had told no one – not even Doc – how he felt about Kitty.

He left the note on his desk knowing Chester would find it there in the morning. Taking a rifle from the rack he headed off down to the livery to get his horse.

The man returns from freeing the horse, he did not want to leave a quick escape route for the young lady. After he had done what he came here for, he will loosen the ropes enough that she could work herself free. He had left water for her on the table; she would be all right for a day or so until somebody found her. By the time that happened Carl Singleton would have vanished.

He got his old cowboy clothes from a box in what seemed to have been an old storage room. He had the water and soap that he had left here a few days ago. The eye patch was abandoned and the dye was gone from his hair leaving it a dirty straw color. He had worn it longer and smoothed down as Carl, now after a few minutes with the scissors it was shorter and almost clipped along both sides of his head. The city clothes came off and Spence Bader the cowboy began to re appear. These were all skills the old drifter had taught him so long ago. How to change your voice, how to take on the persona of another being were all things the drifter could do with ease. He had told Spence that at one time he had been on the stage and travelled with a troupe of players but there were too many complaints of valuables vanishing from towns where they had been playing and quietly he had faded away from the group before the law caught up with him.

Now it was just a matter of time. The lawman would be here, he would kill him and then be gone. A thousand dollars would be his. Even though he felt no pain or conscience about killing, he could not shoot a man in the back. That was not an honorable thing to do neither was shooting him from hiding in an alleyway in Dodge City. That would not be a fair fight. This way the Marshal would have his pistol drawn when he entered the building, the brief distraction of seeing the saloon girl would give him the edge he needed to outdraw him.