Matt removed his hat and shook the rain off before he reentered the Dodge House. Howie watched the marshal as he took two steps at a time to reached the room where Howard Massey and Sarah Williamson were meeting. Matt drew a deep breath before he knocked on the door with his knuckle.
Massey opened the door, "Marshal? What brings you up here?" the lawyer seemed a little cagey for Matt's liking. "I came here to talk to Mrs Williamson."
"Oh? About what?" Massey asked somewhat flippantly. Matt's eyes narrowed, "I don't know what's going on here, but I don't like it. There seems to me too many games being played at Doc's expense." Matt towered the lawyer who reluctantly backed into the room allowing the marshal in.
Sarah remained at the window staring out onto the street and completely oblivious to the marshal's presence, "Mrs. Williamson?" Matt walked slowly toward the older woman with his hat in his big hands, "I need to talk to you and it's very important."
Sarah cringed at the marshal's request. "I'm in no mood to speak with you further," she blurted out hoping to sound sufficiently upset with the death of her husband."
Matt nodded, "I can appreciate that ma'am, but I do need to ask you about something that happened this morning during the trial."
Sarah turned abruptly toward the marshal and her insides shook with fear, but she learned long ago having live with Tobias to hide it, "What, Marshal? What is so important that you come up here now?"
Matt was slightly taken back at the barb with which Sarah Williamson snapped at him. He cleared his throat, "I would like to know what Josh Winslow said to you this morning at the trial."
Sarah pretended to be taken back on the question and turned to the window, "Well, Marshal, it seems my late husband owed him some money."
"I see," Matt frowned and then gathered the nerve to asked his next question in front of Massey who was hanging on every word, "Mrs. Williamson, did Josh threaten you in any way to give him the money?"
Sarah turned slowly to Matt, "There's no money to give, Marshal. Tobias kept it with him all the time and there wasn't a note in his pocket according to the undertaker. You tell me where the money has gone..." Sarah thought a silent prayer that at least this was no lie.
Matt pursed his lips and nodded, "Thanks for the information," he said as he spun his hat nervously in his hands and walked to the door. He glanced back to see Massey patting Sarah on the shoulder, and Matt could have sworn he saw the lawyer smiling.
Matt quickly opened the door and stepped through into the hall and pulled the dor behind him. He stood for a moment thinking and the more he thought the worse his thoughts got, he desperately knew something about this case against Doc was wrong but how he could prove it was the biggest question he faced in a long time. Matt swatted his hat against his leg and marched down the hall to the room where Festus had taken Doc.
Matt stood outside the door for a moment to gather his thoughts before he rapped on the door. He could hear murmured talking within the room, "Who's out thar?" Festus asked through the door.
"It's me Festus, hurry up and open the door," Matt ordered and listened to Festus unlock the latch and pull the door open, "Didja find out anything, Matthew?"
Matt looked at Festus and over to Doc, Kitty and Brian, "I can't prove it, but I think that Sarah's been blackmailed out of Tobias' money by those two cowboys, and I think the one named Josh might be the mystery man Doc's been talking about."
Festus leaned forward, "Why don't you bring him in?"
Matt shook his head, "He's a cool as a cucumber Festus and I start harassing him, he could make things more difficult for me. We'll just have to wait him out."
"Wall how ya gonna do that, Matthew? Judge Campbell is likely gonna try and finish this here case against Doc in the next day or so, and ifin that Howard Massey fella has his way he's bound to see ol' Doc done in, as I see it." Festus couldn't be more on the mark with his observations.
Matt nodded, and then moved into the room and sat next to Doc. "How are you holding up, Doc?" Matt placed a caring hand on the physician's shoulder. Doc merely shrugged, "Best as I can, under the circumstances, I suppose," his crystal blue eyes melted Matt's heart. "Listen, Doc. I have a strong hunch that Sarah knows more than she's telling and I think those two cowboys are involved in this somehow too."
Doc looked at Matt and then to Brian Taylor before his eyes rested back on the marshal, "So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I've talked to all of them and they haven't budged an inch with their stories..." Matt said sadly.
Brian stood and walked to the centre of the room and turned to Matt and Doc, "I could ask the one cowboy to take the stand; Josh, isn't it?"
Matt nodded, "Yeah. He seems to be the leader of the two." Matt then stood, "And if you could just somehow slip him up..."
Brian smiled, "I'll do my best, but this could get tricky."
Doc looked up from where he sat, "How so?"
Brain stuffed his hands down deep into his trouser pockets, "If by chance he is telling the truth and we accuse him otherwise, he could come back on us with decimation of character, which of course would just further complicate things by making it look like we're mud slinging."
Doc snorted, "as if that isn't already happening..."
Kitty walked over and stood behind Doc and rubbed his shoulders in support.
"There's one other thing," Matt said.
"What?" Brian asked while everyone else in the room waited to hear what Matt had to say next, "Sarah said that Tobias carried his money on him all the time and she just told me that Percy Crump never found any money one him at all..."
Brian twisted his mouth and looked at Doc, "Did you know about the money?"
"Anyone that has done business with Tobias knew he carried his money with him. Of course I did," Doc frankly stated.
Brian turned away and looked out the window, "This just gets more complicated as the day goes on..." Doc lifted his eyes to Kitty who stood helplessly behind him. Perhaps her lawyer friend wasn't the right man for the job after all.