27
The funeral was a sad and torturous affair, attended only by Kitty, the baby, Matt, Wilby and Troy and officiated by Peter.
Grant had asked permission to be there as well. But Troy refused. He wanted the odious man nowhere near the child he had orphaned or the woman he had assaulted. Of course, he also wanted him nowhere near the big US Marshal who loved her. He was quite certain, that would not end well.
As Peter read the 23rd Psalm at the end of the brief service, he glanced over at the pale, grim features of the beautiful woman who'd captured his as well as several other hearts. Any brief flirtation he may have had with the thought of her in his life was destroyed the moment he met the tall, dark haired man who stood beside her. He was relatively naïve when it came to such things, but he knew real genuine love when he saw it. She had no room for any other man in her heart.
Troy stood to the side, watching not only Kitty, but the man with her. He too recognized the love between them and felt a sharp pang of regret that she wasn't free to love another man. And judging by the looks exchanged by the two, she never would be.
As the service closed, Kitty handed the baby to Matt and bent, scooping up a handful of dirt and tossing it onto the coffin. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Peter intoned as she stood and stared down into the awful hole that held the mortal remains of her best friend. She didn't want it to be ashes to ashes or dust to dust. She wanted Charlotte alive and well but she couldn't have that. Not ever again.
With baby Rebecca tucked securely in the crook of one arm, Matt reached over with his other and wrapped it around Kitty's waist, giving her his strength. He'd never met Charlotte Stark, though he'd heard Kitty mention her a time or two. But he didn't need to have known her to see how her death had affected Kitty. She was going to need all the love and support he could give her for a while, and he determined badge or not, he would supply it.
As the small group of people moved towards the cemetery gates, Kitty stopped and turned back to the men surrounding her. "I want to thank you all for what you did and for being here. I appreciate it."
Wilby nodded as he turned to leave. "Tain't nothing, Miss Russell. I really liked Miss Charlotte."
"I wish there were more that we could do, Kitty." Peter smiled warmly at her.
"Well," Troy took a deep determining breath. "There's something I can do. I can make sure the bas…" He paused, taking note of the baby and the woman. "The man who killed her doesn't get by with it, if I have to hang him myself."
Kitty looked appalled. "There isn't any chance of that, is there?"
Troy hadn't wanted to tell her, but she was going to find out anyway. "He has a lawyer, Kitty. The man says there are exigent circumstances and he's going to plead Stark not guilty at trial."
"What?" Kitty was stunned.
"But, you caught him in the act." Peter protested. "How in the world does he expect to get around that?"
Troy shrugged regretfully. "He said Stark wasn't in his right mind because he was so drunk and he was drunk because his wife refused him. It's ridiculous, of course, but I've seen ridiculous things work before."
"What happens if it does work?" Peter answered. "Would he get out of going to jail?"
Troy shrugged. "I don't know?"
Kitty looked up at Matt. "Do you know?"
Matt pursed his lips. "It's possible."
"No!" Kitty shook her head, beginning to tremble. "No! He killed her, Matt. He beat her to death. He was going to rape me. I just can't believe…"
"Kitty." Matt pulled her close to him. "Now, listen to me. From what Troy here has told me, he has a pretty good case against Stark. I doubt any lawyer, no matter good he is, could get him out of this."
"What if he could?" Kitty's unflinching gaze told Matt just how seriously worried she was about this.
Matt shrugged and looked over at the Sherriff. "Troy? Do you have anything else you can charge Stark with?"
Troy looked down for a minute, thinking of all the things Stark had done that he could charge him with. "Well, attacking Miss Russell, of course and…"
"No." Kitty declared emphatically. "I don't have any desire to…"
"Kitty," Matt stopped her. "I know how you feel, but we need to make sure he can't get away."
"No, Matt. Please." Kitty shook her head vehemently.
Matt understood. "Alright. Guess you're right." He looked back over at Troy. "Anything else?"
"Well, it'd be a stretch, of course, but I could try theft for the bottle of whiskey he drank. Of course, since his wife owned the saloon; that could easily be shot down. He hasn't done any gambling since he came back to town and Charlotte wouldn't press charges against him for the first time he beat her."
Matt thought of all the gamblers and outlaws he'd had to deal with over the years and all of the many ways they had gotten themselves into trouble and a thought came to him. "Troy, I think I have an idea. It needs a little work and it's going to require you to really trust me and trust that I know what I'm doing. But it if works, it'll keep Grant behind bars at least and keep Kitty and this baby safe."
Matt looked over at Peter, who had been silently listening. "Reverend, I'm going to need your help as well."
"You have it." Peter responded as he glanced at Kitty. She would never be his, but he would still do anything to help her.
Matt looked down at the hopeful and trusting expression on Kitty's face. "Let's get you back to the saloon and then me and Troy and the reverend here will get to work."
Kitty wanted to protest. She wanted to be in on it, but she saw the look in Matt's eyes and realized he knew what he was doing and had his reasons for doing them that way. "Alright." She agreed as she reached up and took Rebecca from him. "Let's go."
TBC
