Matt looked around and saw that the men were gone and the women, sans Kitty and Phoebe, were sitting in a group looking out the window. Matt looked at Thomas who had just entered the car. "Why aren't you out helping the men?"
Thomas gave him a puzzled look. "I came back in to help take care of the body. The passengers are my responsibility."
Matt glanced at the women sitting by the window. "I can see to the body, it is my responsibility. Once you check on the women it would be helpful if you could make sure the men continue to remove the snow. I'll join you as soon as I get the body to the baggage car."
Thomas touched the bill of his hat as he nodded to Matt, "Alright Marshal, I'll see you outside."
Matt looked at Kitty, "Kitty, you and Dr. Stewart are coming with me."
The trio entered the baggage car and Matt placed the body next to the other two, moving out of the way so Dr. Stewart could examine the body. As Phoebe started examining the dead woman, Matt took Kitty by the elbow and moved her away from the doctor so they could speak without being heard.
"Kitty, tell me everything you can remember."
"There isn't much to tell, Matt. I went to the water closet, opened the door and found her sitting on the floor holding her chest where she was bleeding."
"Was she awake when you found her?"
Kitty looked towards Phoebe and then back at Matt, "She tried to talk, but all she said was help."
"Did you or Dr. Stewart talk to her before this happened?"
"No, Matt, we pretty much kept to ourselves."
Matt caught Phoebe coming towards them out of the corner of his eye, "What did you find out Doctor?"
Phoebe stood next to Kitty. "Knife wound, same as the other two. The only difference this time is that the killer nicked her heart, so she didn't die immediately like the other two. Her reticule was still on her wrist." Phoebe stated as she handed the item to Matt.
Matt looked through the bag and found the woman's ticket for the train. "Her train ticket says her name is Eliza Sanderson from Boston."
Phoebe ran her hand across her forehead. "Do you have any idea why these three people were targeted?"
"Not yet, Dr. Stewart."
After Matt took Dr. Stewart back to the passenger car and the security of being with the other female passengers, he took Kitty to their private sleeping car where they could have complete seclusion. After Matt locked the door he sat down on the bed. "I need you to tell me about New Orleans and Richard Stephens."
Kitty stood next to the bed looking at Matt before giving her head a slight nod. She sat down next to him, but not touching him. She liked feeling his nearness, but needed the distance in order to do the telling.
"I was working as a poker dealer at Julie Blane's Bayou House. Stephens was a gambler who frequented the place. One night he lost very heavily at the table I was dealing at, and ended up losing close to twenty-five hundred dollars. At the end of the night I went up to my room on the third floor." Matt gave Kitty a perplexed look. "The Bayou House had a few working girls and their rooms where on the second floor and looked out over the gaming floor. The third floor had a small suite of private rooms for Julie and her family. I was sixteen when Julie hired me and she didn't want me walking home on the dark streets of New Orleans after work, so she gave me a room on the third floor away from the working girls, where she could keep a close protective eye on me."
Matt gave her a small nod of his head to prod her to continue. "That night I was in my room about to get ready for bed when Richard Stephen's picked the lock on my door and walked in. Kitty's eyes became unfocused as she lost herself in the memory of that night.
"Oh there's been no mistake, Kitty. I'm exactly where I am supposed to be." Stephens smiled as he saw the fear on Kitty's face. Stephens watched as her eyes darted to the closed door, then to Stephens, and back to the door again. Stephens took a few steps away from the door moving closer to Kitty's bed.
Kitty had been hoping that Richard would move away from the door, and that's when she made her move, with all the speed she could muster, Kitty lunged for the door only to make it a step or two before Richard caught her around the waist with his arms.
"Uh, ah ah, you may have been in control at the poker table, but I control everything now." Stephens laughed.
Kitty started kicking and punching Richard's back in an attempt to free herself. When her shoe made contacted with his shin, he yelled out in rage and threw Kitty on her bed. She landed with a soft thud on her back, but before she could react, Richard was straddled atop her on his knees.
"Have you got it yet, bitch? I am in total control here, and we are going to play my game now."
Kitty tired frantically to think clearly, wondering how she hadn't seen this coming. "Get off me!" Kitty screamed.
Richard backhanded her hard splitting Kitty's lip, "You do as I say now, whore, and keep that mouth of yours quiet."
Kitty balled her fist up and quickly swung at Richard's face. He just as quickly caught her wrist, and instantly grabbed the other wrist leaning over her face.
"You are a feisty whore. You must like it rough." Richard sneered. "Well, fight all you want, I am still going to collect."
Kitty continued to put up a struggle, trying to throw Stephen's off balance. "I AM GOING TO SCRATCH YOUR EYES OUT! GET OFF ME!" Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs hoping to attract the attention of John, Julie's hired muscle.
Richard let go of Kitty's wrist to backhand her again, but Kitty was quicker, and raked the nails of her free hand across his cheek causing him to release her other wrist as he cupped his injured cheek. Kitty wasted no time pushing Richard backwards, throwing him off balance and tumbling to the floor. Kitty leaped off the bed and over Richard towards the door, but before she could make it to the door, Richard grabbed hold of her ankle. Kitty lost her balance, and reached for the side table causing the table and its porcelain washbasin to go crashing to the floor with her.
Kitty fought like a wild cat, as Richard scrambled up her body to trying to pin her to the floor. They rolled back and forth as Richard continually tried to pin Kitty to the floor, and Kitty attempted to free herself. She had just managed to throw Richard off balance enough to roll on to her stomach and started to crawl out from under him, when Richard grabbed the hair on the back of Kitty's head slamming her head against the floor. He then pulled Kitty's head back leaning his head close to hers, his lips almost touching her ear. "All that arrogance, well you aren't so tough now are you whore? I'm about to break you good and proper." Richard threw his head back and laughed, spittle covering his chin. Stephen's was still straddling Kitty as he rose up on his knees spinning Kitty on to her back quickly pinning her arms under his knees.
Kitty's head was still throbbing from the blow against the wood floor as she struggled helplessly under Stephen's bulk. Kitty's eyes went wide when Stephens produced a knife in front of her face. Kitty turned her head to the side as he brought the knife close to her face, gently touching her cheek with the tip. Kitty squeezed her eyes shut as Stephens lightly dragged the knife tip down her throat and chest and stopped at the low cut neckline of her dress before slipping the knife into the neckline and pulling it downwards, the fabric easily cutting against the sharp blade. "JOHN HHELLPP ME!" Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs.
Richard quickly put his free hand over Kitty's mouth. "No one is going to help you, whore. We are going to play my game now. It's one you are well used to I am sure." He mocked dropping his eyes to Kitty's chest.
Stephen's cut the fine material away until Kitty was exposed almost to the waist. She saw the gleam in his eyes as he looked her over, causing Kitty to internally shiver.
Richard licked his lips, "The bottom end is sure to be even more inviting, eh?" Richard reached back with this hands gathering Kitty's skirt and up around her waist. "I prefer my whores with their skirts bunched up around their waists."
As Stephens placed the tip of the knife under the waistband of Kitty's bloomers, Kitty took a deep breath and screamed, "NNNNNNOOOOOO!"
Kitty's blinked her eyes several times before coming back into focus and her mind coming back to the present. "If it wasn't for John coming in at that moment, he would…he would have-"
Matt placed his hand on Kitty's shoulder stopping her in mid-sentence. "I know it was hard for you to tell me that." He leaned in and kissed the side of her head. "If he wasn't already dead I'd kill him with my bare hands." He whispered.
Kitty looked at Matt giving him a soft smile. "I know and I thank you for that. I'm just glad that he won't be able to prey on any more women."
Matt's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked with concern.
"After Julie had John throw Stephens out, I overheard her talking to the local law. Two woman had recently been brutally assaulted and Stephens was accused of being the attacker."
Matt's eyes narrowed at the new information. He stood up. "Come on Kitty, I need to find Stephens personal belongings and look through them."
TBC
