The Wrong Man
Chapter 14Who I Used To BeI have to apologize for being away for too long, but these past four or five weeks have been mandatory overtime at work. I've been logging in some 50 to 60 hours a week and have not been able to write. I do hope that this chapter makes up for my time away. And I will be writing sooner. The hours at work will be easing up some. I also have to say that I've been having trouble getting on to this site due to my antique computer. It's a dinosaur and moving slower each day.
Thank you,
KR
And for any legal purposes, all characters belong to you know who. I am just borrowing them for a little while.
Matt sat dumbfounded by Kitty's side. She had just told him that it was Toby and passed out. Looking up at Doc, he was confused. "Doc, did you hear what she said?" He asked not trusting his own ears.
"Yes, I did and I can't believe it. Matt, Toby is….well, he has the mind of a ten year old child. He couldn't possibly do something like this." Doc said as he looked at Kitty who was unconscious. Gently he took her hand from Matt and checked her pulse, then her eyes. "She's unconscious. Probably for the best anyway." He said gently placing her hand on her abdomen.
"I don't know what to do, Doc. I don't believe that Toby could have done something like this. But she believes it was him, what am I suppose to do?" Matt said as he got up and started to pace the floor.
"She'll expect you to arrest him." Doc said as he motioned Matt to the other side of the divider.
"I know. I know. Could she be mistaken?" Matt asked Doc.
"Matt, she just been through a horrific ordeal. Things may be jumbled up in her mind right now. You should just wait a few days when Kitty's feeling better and then talk to her." Doc said reassuringly.
"I don't think I can, Doc. I don't think Toby has it in him either, he's like a little kid, but what if I do wait and another woman is killed. I have to take precautions to protect this town." Matt said as he stood there looking at the simple divider, wanting so much to just hold Kitty and make it all go away. "To be on the safe side, I'm gonna go over to Moss's and pick up Toby." Matt said as Doc stared hard at him.
"Come on, Matt, you can't possibly think…" Doc said but Matt interrupted him.
"I don't know what I think, Doc, but what I know is that Kitty was raped and almost murdered by some lunatic and Georgie, that sweet kid is lying on Percy's table as he prepares her for burial. Kitty wouldn't lie, Doc, but she could be mistaken. Either way, I've got a job to do and I'm gonna do it." He said putting his hat on and heading out the door.
It hadn't been easy to take Toby in. Many of the townsfolk had gathered about, protesting his arrest, but Matt told them that he was trying to protect them as well as Toby.
"You gonna take the word of some town whore and arrest that poor kid!" Mr. Peters yelled to Matt who stopped in his tracks. Festus was on the other side of Toby and he saw the look in Matt's eyes when Ron Peters called Miss Kitty a town whore. Matt spun around so quick it had startled both Toby and Festus. His grip was tight around Peters' throat as he shoved him against the post.
His voice was menacing and he leaned in so only Ron could hear him. "You ever speak of her like that again, and I'll rip you apart!" He said as he shoved him back into the crowd. "I am doing my job and following every lead!" Matt yelled angrily at the townsfolk. They stopped in their tracks, as they had never seen that look in his face before. Stepping up onto the sidewalk, the three men entered the jail.
It had been a long day, for Matt. He had taken Toby into custody the day before but not without a great deal of animosity from the townsfolk. No one could believe that Toby had attacked and raped Miss Kitty, let alone murdering several women including Georgie in the saloon. Matt had not slept at all last night. Between Toby's crying and the image of Kitty's bruised and battered body, not to mention the look of despair, when he had questioned her about the fact that she had said Toby had attacked. He knew that she was hurting, both physically and emotionally, but she would never lie to him. Yet his mind could not fathom Toby being the strangler. Sure he was big enough, but Toby was like a big kid with the mind of an eight year old, he could not have done such a thing. There was also the fact that he had been in Dodge for quite a while, at least a year. No one knew where he came from, but Matt figured whoever had been taking care of him, just couldn't do it any longer and they left him behind. There wasn't much information on Toby. Matt thought back to last Christmas, Kitty had gone out of her way to give Toby a good Christmas, she had even bought him a puppy, and put a bid red bow on it. He had laughed at her as she tried to keep the bow on that little pup, but she had to give up and just hand the puppy over to Toby, who was unable to talk for a good five minutes. The sheer joy on his face had reminded Matt of a small child, not a full grown man. Scratching his head, he got up from his seat behind his desk and walked around the desk to peak in at Toby. Toby lay sound asleep on his side, facing the wall. Newly had picked that moment to enter the jail.
"Marshal." He said acknowledging Matt. "It's gonna be another scorching night, no sleeping again." He said as he sat down at the table with his newspapers.
"I'm gonna go meet Doc and Festus at Del Monicos for supper." He said walking over to the door where his hat hung on the peg. "We'll be back in an hour. Toby already ate, so hopefully he'll just sleep."
"Okay. You gonna go see Miss Kitty?" He knew that Matt hadn't been to see her this morning and he didn't understand why. Kitty wasn't a woman to lie or make up stories, so when she had said it was Toby, Newly felt no remorse in being part of the arrest.
"She's probably sleeping. She needs her rest." He said as he threw his hat on and left the jail.
Paulie Richardson came riding into town at the speed of light on his bareback pony. He and his Pa had been out clearing the west field for planting when they had come across the body of a woman, lying naked in the weeds.
Matt was crossing the street to head into Del Monicos when he saw the young man quickly riding into Dodge. "Marshal! Marshal!" He yelled as he headed toward Matt who now stood on the sidewalk right in front of Del Monicos. Doc and Festus were walking down the sidewalk from The Long Branch after visiting with Kitty when they heard the galloping horse and Paulie yelling for the Marshal. Both men took off in a slight trot down the boardwalk.
Kitty had heard the commotion from her opened window. She had been sitting in the high back chair by the table as she stood up to look out the window. Paulie Richardson came riding up, heading towards Del Monicos, where she knew Matt, Doc and Festus would be heading for supper. From her window, she couldn't really hear what was being said, but she watched as Matt and Festus headed across to the jail, mounted their horses and headed out of town. With in a matter of minutes she saw Doc's buggy following behind. She knew that this could only mean one thing; another woman had been murdered. Sitting back down in the chair, she closed her eyes to go over the attack again. Had she been mistaken? Covering her face with her hands, she hung her head and cried.
TBC