Trip to Murder 10
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Their flight from the hotel was swift but controlled. The shaken duo swiftly made their way down the hall and the back staircase, to the alley way below. Wordlessly, Matt led the way, guiding her down one alley after another through the dark streets of St. Louis until they were once again at the police station.
Kitty looked up at him curiously. "You sure this is the right thing to do?" she asked. "I mean, from what Sean says, we don't know that we can trust them."
"Kitty," Matt sighed. "We don't know that we can trust Sean. Now I have been a lawman for a long time and I had druther place my trust in the law, than in some cocky patrolman who claims to want to help a woman he doesn't even know."
Kitty watched his face as he spoke seeing what he wasn't saying. "There's something more, isn't there, Matt?" She locked eyes with him as she asked the question. "Is it because of me? Surely you don't think I'd encourage his…"
"No!" Matt protested. "I know you better than that, honey. But I don't know Sean Flannery. At least, not well enough to trust him with your safety and…"
"Matt," Kitty took his hand in hers. "It takes two to tango. I have no desire for any man other than you... No matter how cute and sweet he is." She added with a mischievous giggle.
"Hey!" Matt said before he saw the teasing light in her eyes.
"Just joking." She smirked before her face became serious, looking up at the doors to the police station. "Come on, let's go in and get this over with."
The officer at the desk gave them a curious stare as he took down their report than asked them to wait. Matt glanced about the small room, they were shown to, with an uncomfortable feeling.
"What's wrong, Matt." In the few years she and Matt had been together, she had learned to interpret his moods and thoughts simply by watching his actions. His glance around the room told her he was concerned about something.
"I don't know that anything's wrong, Kitty." He answered in a tone that told her otherwise. "Just a feeling…"
The door opened just then and Captain Owens stepped back into the room. "So, I see you've decided to grace us with your presence, yet again." His tone was sarcastic, as was his manner.
Kitty started to reply but Matt placed his hand on hers. "No," He answered. "We had no desire to be here tonight, no more than we wanted to be shot at. But it just so happened, some one, in this fair city of yours, wants us dead. Good thing they didn't know how to shoot any better than they did or they would've made it."
Owens stood calmly in the face of Matt's rising temper, mutely watching and listening but saying little, till Matt finished. "Did you see these supposed assailants?" He arched a brow at them. "Perhaps you can describe them? Maybe they told you who they were? Gave you their address?"
It was Kitty's turn to grab Matt's hand in warning before he slammed a fist into the officious tyrant's face. "You don't believe this anymore than you believed me this morning, do you?" she accused Owens.
Owens studied her intently for a moment before answering. "What I believe, doesn't matter, Miss Russell. As your friend, the Marshal, here, can attest. I can only go by the facts. I have sent someone to the hotel to verify your claims. Until they return, I neither believe nor disbelieve you."
"What about the wound on Matt's arm?" Kitty pointed to Matt's bandaged limb. "How do you suppose he got that?"
"It would not be uncommon for an angry girlfriend to pull a gun on a cheating boyfriend." He smirked. "Or perhaps you just like making up stories."
"What!?" Kitty was stunned, as was Matt. "For what purpose would we do such a thing?" She demanded, barely managing to keep her voice below a scream.
"I'm sure I have no idea why people would play games with the police." Owens sneered. "How about you, Marshal."
Matt had managed to keep his temper and his tongue in check till this point but it was becoming increasingly harder to do. He knew if they didn't leave soon he'd be losing his badge and finding himself locked up for assaulting a police officer.
"Tell you what, Captain." He said as he took Kitty's hand. "You let us know what you find out at the hotel. It's been a long day and Miss Russell and I, are tired. We're leaving."
"I don't think so," Owens said quickly moving to block the doorway. "You have a filed a report stating you were shot at. Until I have proof of that or proof you lied, you will two will stay here."
"You can't hold us." Matt glared at the man. "We've committed no crime."
"That is still yet to be determined." Owens returned the glare just as a knock came at the door. "Come in." Owens barked.
When the door opened, Sean Flannery stepped in with a contrite look on his face and a piece of paper in his hand. "Captain, Sergeant Roberts said to give this to you. It's about the shooting." Handing the file to Owens, his eyes flicked over Kitty before giving Matt a short nod and stepping back out of the door.
Kitty and Matt exchanged puzzled glances at Flannery's appearance but kept quiet as Owens read the paper handed to him.
Finally looking up at the Dodge City couple, he stepped away from the door. "Report says, they found bullet holes outside the hotel as well as shattered glass in your room, and a bullet hole there as well, Miss Russell. The clerk also confirmed your accounts of events, so it seems this much of your story is true."
Matt wanted to tear the man's head off for implying that anything said by them was a lie. But he held his temper with the greatest of effort. "That mean you're gonna investigate this? Actually take what we say seriously?"
"Oh, we will investigate, Mr. Dillon." He looked at Matt with a glower. "But until that investigation is complete, I must insist that you two stay nearby and not leave St. Louis anytime soon."
"You don't have to worry about that." Matt said as he gently took Kitty's elbow and urged her towards the door. "We're not leaving till this is cleared up."
"Where can we contact you, Mr. Dillon?" Owens asked.
Matt noticed that for the second time he had failed to call him Marshal. "You're the detective, Owens." Matt snapped at him as they left. "You figure it out."
Kitty kept her lips firmly pursed and allowed Matt to lead her out. Once outside on the walk in front of the station she turned back to him. "Exactly where are we going, Matt? I don't think it'd be too good an idea to return to that hotel."
"No it wouldn't," Matt agreed taking a deep breath. "I guess we can do as I suggested earlier and go to that place I rented yesterday. We might be safe there for a while, I guess."
"No, you wouldn't." Sean said from behind them. "You probably wouldn't be as safe. Awful bad types hang around in that part of town. Bad types that'd do anything for a dollar or two."
Matt whirled around on the officer, his irritation clearly visible. "What is it to you, Flannery?"
"Matt…" Kitty tried grabbing for his arm.
"No, Kitty." Matt shrugged her hand off. "I'm just a little tired of the police in this town. That includes you." He punched a finger into the patrolman's chest.
Sean stood still and calm, showing no reaction to Matt's anger. "I told you, Marshal. You and Miss Russell may be my only chance to stop the people who killed my father. And it looks, right now, like I may be your only chance to stay alive."
TBC