Abelia stopped and turned around. "Festus," she screamed as Will grabbed her arm and spun her back around.
"He's dead," Will yelled. "Now tell me where my gold is!"
"Gold " Abelia said softly. "What gold?"
"My Ma's old trunk, I hid it inside before the posse caught up to me," Will explained. "Where's the trunk! You took it with you when you left town and moved to Dodge!"
"Yes," Abelia said crying almost hysterically. "You never came back! I thought you were dead! So I took the children and left to start a new life!"
"Where's the trunk Abelia," Will asked shaking the woman.
Abelia started to laugh then as Will looked at her. "Have you lost your mind," he said angrily. "Why are you laughing?"
"The trunk was in the house," Abelia said slowly. "But the house burnt! If that gold was in there it's long gone."
Will pushed the woman away so that he could take a minute to think.
Abelia stumbled over to where Festus had fallen, a crimson stain already blanketed his side. She smiled when she watch the steady rise and fall of the hillman's chest.
"He's not dead," she said as Will started for them.
Abelia turned around as Will raised his gun. "No!" She yelled pushing Will off balance. "I won't let you kill him!"
Reaching for Festus gun in Will's belt, she pulled it free as the man regained his footing.
Abelia squeezed off one shot and Will stopped and looked down at his chest in disbelief before he fell to his knees.
"Abelia..." he said before collapsing.
Abelia dropped Festus gun as she scrambled back over to his side.
Ripping a portion of her petticoat off, she pressed it to the wound and held pressure on it as Festus started to stir.
"Everything's alright," Abelia said soothingly. "Will's dead. We got to get you back to Dodge."
"How bad is it," Festus asked grimacing as Abelia peeled back the cloth.
"Looks like the bullet went right though," she said noticing two wounds. "Can you make it to the buggy, I can't lift you by myself."
"I think so," Festus said sitting up with Abelia's help.
"How much longer to Dodge," she asked as Festus struggled to his feet.
"We just in crooked creek," the hillman said holding his side. "Another couple of hours we'd be in Dodge."
Abeila put her arm around Festus and let him lean on her as they slowly made their way to Doc's buggy.
"I'm gonna go as fast as you can handle," Abelia said smacking the reins once Festus was comfortably inside.
(Dodge)
"Now that was a good dinner," Doc said stepping out of Delmonico's with Matt.
The lawman watched the quiet street for a moment before walking with the doctor down toward the Long Branch.
"Uh huh," Matt said tipping his hat back as he looked up when he heard a ruckus coming from down the street. "Isn't that your buggy Doc?"
Doc looked up and swiped at his mustache. "Sure looks like it," he said angrily. "I don't know why Festus would be driving it like that!"
Matt's eyes narrowed at the buggy got closer. "Festus isn't driving," he said waving at the Doctor to follow him. "C'mon!"
Matt ran down the street and stopped the horse as Abelia jumped out.
"Marshal, Doc," she said running up to the men. "Festus has been shot!"
Doc moved to Festus side as Matt turned to question Abelia. "Who shot him?"
"Will Johnson," Abelia said a tinge of color gracing her cheeks.
"Your husband," Matt said as the woman started to sob.
Newly and Kitty walked up just as Doc turned to Matt. "I need you and Newly to get him up to my office."
"How is he Doc?" Abelia said nervously.
"He's unconscious at the moment, he's lost a lot of blood," Doc said.
"Abelia," Kitty said gently stepping up to the sobbing woman. "What happened?"
"I did this," Abelia said following Matt and Newly up to Doc's office. "This is all my fault!"
"Put him here," Doc said pointing to the table as he opened his medical bag and took out a pair of scissors.
"He's going to be alright isn't he," Abelia asked as Doc took the bandage off and then cut off Festus shirt to expose the bloody wound.
"Kitty," he said without looking up. "You need to get her out of her!"
"No please I need to stay," Abelia said as Kitty took her arm.
"Come with me!" Kitty said firmly. "Doc don't need a hysterical woman hanging around when he's trying to work!"
Abelia nodded as she turned back to look at her husband one more time before Kitty ushered her out the door.
Matt waited at the bottom of the stairs as Abelia came down. "You'll find Will at a place called crooked creek Marshal," she said in a daze. "I killed him with Festus gun and the missing gold is in a trunk in the barn at my old property. You'll find it in a hidden compartment."
"Alright," Matt said looking at Kitty. "I'm headed to crooked creek, keep an eye on her."