Kitty and Doc remained at the table; she nudged the doctor on the elbow with her's, "There he is now," she said in a hushed voice.
Zach quickly joined Clement at a table on the far side of the room, "What did you need to see the store owner about?" Clem asked and he sipped on his beer.
"Oh, I thought he gave me too much money back," Zach half laughed as he looked around the room. He saw Doc and Kitty looking in his direction so he play with them by turning to look over his shoulder to see what they were looking at, then slowly turned back. By now Kitty and Doc were engaged in a conversation.
Matt was the next one through the door, and he walked directly to the table where his friends were seated; he sat down next to Kitty. "Did you talk to him?" she asked as she tilted her head in the direction of the two brothers.
Matt nodded, "I did. I'm not one hundred percent certain I buy his story, thought," he huffed as he crossed his arms in front of himself on the table. Kitty was already leaning, "Got got the impression that he was really pestering Jane Rose last night," she sighed.
"He claims that she told him that she never wanted to see him again," the marshal stated. "Then he claims he walked back to the hotel," he added.
Doc drew his hand across his moustache, "Well, I guess we get Jane Rose's side of the story, we won't know," he ticked his head.
"What if something horrible has happened to her?" Kitty angrily asked.
"Let's try to keep things in perspective and positive," Doc cautioned.
"Doc's right. We can't go jumping to conclusions," Matt agreed.
"Then where is she?" Kitty snapped.
"Does she have a friend that she may have gone to visit?" the marshal suggested.
Kitty thought for a moment, then shook her head, "Not that I know of," she looked at Matt. "I'm really worried for her," she stated.
Matt nodded, "So am I. Look, I'll go and see if Newly and Festus have any leads," he said while standing. His eyes shifted to the table where the Clanton brothers were enjoying their drinks, "Try to keep and eye on him to see if he does anything suspicious," Matt said as he excused himself from the table and left the saloon.
Newly and Festus met up at the jail house, "I don't know, Festus. I looked everywhere and asked a lot of people if they had seen Jane Rose," O'Brien stated.
"Me too, Newly, but that isn't gonna cut it with Matthew," the hill man shook his head.
Matt saw the two men, "Festus? Newly? Did you find anything?" he asked as he cross the street to meet up with the deputies.
"Matthew," Festus started with his hand flailing out as he talked, "I purty near walked every street in Dodge, and not one person knows or even seem Jane Rose," he said with this left eye squinting.
"It's about the same here, marshal," Newly added.
Matt frowned, "Well, someone knows something," he growled as he hooked his thumbs over his gun belt and looked back to the Long Branch.
Festus' eyebrows popped up, "Matthew, ol' Doc thought he saw some folks out in the alley below his window last night," the hill man stated.
"He did?" Matt asked.
Festus nodded as did Newly, "We thought he was seein' thangs again," he said as he cast a look over to the other deputy; Newly nodded.
"Let's go talk with Doc and start from there," Matt urged and turned away, crossing Front Street again. Newly and Festus followed the marshal closely, "Someone sure does know somethin'," the hill man muttered as he trudged along behind.
Matt, Festus and Newly arrived at the Long Branch, just as the doctor was leaving, "Doc?" Matt called out to halt him from going further.
"What is it Matt?" Adams asked.
"Festus and Newly told me that you might have seem someone in the alley below your window," Matt pried.
Doc looked down at his foot, "I sure thought I did," ht then looked up to the marshal.
Matt drew a deep breath, "Come one," he gently nudged Festus, with Newly right behind as the three men began to look for clues of whether the doctor did see something in fact in the alley or not.
Doc scratched his cheek before he ran his hand across his moustache as hr watched the three lawmen pick their way through the alley. He ricked his head and decided that he need a rest before he checked in on the General. Doc climbed the stairs and continued to watch the three men below as they pointed to the ground and made their way to the door that divided the alley, from front to back. Doc ticked his head as he entered the office, "I'm sure I saw something," he muttered.
Festus' keen eyes spotted a set of foot prints, "Matthew!" he called the marshal over as he knelt down. "What do you make of this?" the hill man squinted his left eye as he looked up at Matt.
Matt adjusted his hat and crouched down, "That looks like a cowboy's boot and a woman's" he looked at the hill man.
"Just as I thought too," Festus said as he stood up and opened the door into the back alley, "Thars more through here," he pointed out as Matt and Newly carefully followed.
"Looks like a tussle took place here," Festus pointed to the scramble marks in the mud.
Matt looked up to the window of the doctor's back room, "Looks like Doc was right," he then looked back at the tracks. "Let's follow them," he motioned.
Festus carefully follow the trial, making sure that he pointed out anything of interest to Matt and Newly; he was be far the best tracker Matt knew.
The hill man stopped, "Looks like the tracks head to that shed by the creek," he pointed.
Matt nodded, "That would be an ideal place for a clandestine ravenous," as they walked to the building.
"A what?" Festus asked as his eyebrows knotted with what the marshal said.
Secret meeting," Newly answered. They looked at the door, "I don't think it was a mutual meeting," he stated as Matt joined him. "I think you;re right Newly. Festus, you have a look around," Matt said as he pulled his gun from his holster and carefully opened the ajar door. The sun shone thought the south window giving both lawmen a chance to look around.
"Sure looks like a struggle happened here," Newly said as he examined the newly un-dusted areas.
"I bet she was here," Matt said as he arched his back and looked around. He wasn't sure what to think. "I don't know Newly. This could have been raccoons or youngster," he tried to process the smudges.
"Matthew!" Festus hollered from behind the shack.
Matt's back stiffened, "Come on Newly," he said as he raced out the door. Festus was knee deep in water what Matt and Newly joined him.
"We have a problem on our hands, Matthew," Festus stated as he pointed to the tarp-wrapped body in the reeds.
Matt drew a deep breath through his nose, "Newly, get Doc," he sighed as he looked down into the murky water.