When I finally got Bret loaded back into the buggy, he looked like he was about ready to collapse. "Head hurt?" I asked, already knowing the answer just from the look on his face.
"Like Noble danced an Irish jig on top of it."
"Then you won't give me any trouble when I take you straight to the doctor, will you?"
"No. I'll go willingly." Now that's an answer I never expected to hear from my brother. We made the trip back into town considerably faster than we did on the way out, and Bret rode most of the time with his head in his hands. When we got to the doctor's office I hurried around to help get him out, and that was no easy task. Unsteady is about the best way to describe his stance and gait, and I just barely got him into the office and down in a chair without falling.
"Doc!" I yelled, unwilling to leave Bret sitting there alone.
In just a minute Doc Shandley came running out, took one look at him and told me, "Let's get him in back. He needs to lie down."
We got him on his feet and into the back exam room, where a bed stood up against one wall. "In bed," I was told, and that's where we went. The doctor rolled up his sleeves and grabbed his bag, and in just a minute was in full exam mode. "What happened?"
"We were out at Billy Sunday's ranch, and he just got worse and worse lookin' on the way back. I told him I was bringin' him here and he didn't even argue."
"Grab that towel for me, will ya?" and Doc pointed to a clean towel on the exam table. He applied it to the back of Bret's head and when he pulled it back away in just a minute or two it was wet with blood. "Stitches came loose. Help me get him rolled towards the wall – I'm gonna have to get this stopped and stitch him up again. I told him to stay in bed for at least three or four days. And you had him out at Billy's ranch?"
"I didn't know, Doc. He never told me, and when I was here last night you didn't say nothin' about keepin' him down. I'd a never let him go out there if I'd known." I think the doctor must have heard the desperation in my voice, because his attitude softened noticeably.
"Let's just be glad he's passed out – fixin' this isn't gonna be pretty. You stay here in case I need you?"
"Yes, sir, right here."
The bleeding must have been less than it first appeared or the stitches hadn't broken free. Either way, it only took a few minutes to get everything back under control, and I was considerably relieved. Shandley stood up from the bed and rolled his shirtsleeves back down. "You leave him here with me, at least until this evening. He needs to rest and let that scab back over before he does any moving around. Come back here after six and we'll decide where he spends the night, alright? And I apologize for the tongue lashing I gave you. I'm sure this wasn't your idea; he seemed to be the restless sort."
"We both are," I told him. "No need to apologize. You keep him down, I'll be back before six to make sure he hasn't run off on you."
The doctor chuckled then. I had the feeling he'd dealt with men bigger than my brother and had no trouble holding on to them. I wasn't happy that Bret needed additional medical attention, or that he hadn't told me what the doctor advised him about resting. But I was pleased that Doc Shandley had him more or less settled down, and that I could do the rest of my nosing around without explaining to big brother where I was going.
By this time it was close enough to three o'clock that I could go see Aiden Carmichael. His office was only two doors down from Doc's and the scrawl on the window read 'Aiden Carmichael – Land Developer.'
I walked into a nicely furnished office and a bright and efficient looking young lady out front. I tipped my hat and announced myself. "Bart Maverick, ma'am. I have an appointment with Mr. Carmichael."
"Yes, sir, he's expecting you. Someone dropped in right before you got here but I expect them to be through shortly. Please have a seat."
I tucked my coattails and did just that, picking a chair that gave me an excellent view of the young lady. She was quite attractive and appeared very well versed in her job, whatever it was. Watching her made for a pleasant few minutes and reminded me of the lovely woman back in Little Bend. I hadn't had much chance to think of Doralice Donovan since we'd been here, but right now she was the dominant thought in my mind, and I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms.
The door to Aiden's office opened, interrupting my reverie about Doralice, and someone I hadn't expected to see emerged from the room. Miguel Campos. He seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see him. "Miguel."
"Senor Maverick. How is your brother today?"
Not wanting to give anything away, I simply said, "Doing fine." Campos left, and Aiden beckoned me into his office.
"Sorry, Bart, Miguel just showed up unannounced. How is Bret, since you brought him back from Billy's?"
I shook my head. "To tell you the truth, Aiden, not well. He's over at Doc's right now. By the time I got him back to town there was some bleedin', and I think Doc re-stitched part of his wound. He didn't bother to tell me he was supposed to rest and take it easy for a few days before he went gallivantin' around."
"Doc Shandley won't let him get away with anything else, now. I assume you wanted to ask about my finding him in the alley."
I sat down in front of his desk. The office was relatively small but pleasant. A solid wood desk, bookshelves, two chairs and a small table that served as a private bar, with whiskey, water, and glasses.
"I did, Aiden. Billy said you left about five minutes or so after Bret did. What did you see and hear when you got outside?"
"Heard nothing unusual, at first, but I noticed that Bret's horse was still tied up front. That made no sense; he said he was going back to the hotel. I looked up and down the street but didn't see him. Then I heard something – some kind of a noise. Maybe a moan, not sure, but I followed the sound. That's when I saw somebody on the ground in the alley. I got over there and found your brother. There was a lot of blood, but I couldn't see anything but the head wound, so I yelled for help. Billy and Lee came runnin' and we got him across the street to Doc's office. I just stayed until I knew he was alright."
Not much new there, it was just about like I thought. "Did you see anybody else around?"
"That time of the morning? Nope, not a soul. But I did find this under your brother." He pulled something out of his pocket and laid it on the desk in front of me. It was a coin, a Mexican Dollar.
"Probably most everybody around here has some of these, wouldn't ya think?"
"I would expect so." We sat there for a minute in silence, both of us trying to figure out just what the coin meant. If anything. "Could have been there all along," Aiden added.
"Or his attacker coulda dropped it." Finally I looked up at him. "Anything you can tell me about Miguel's visit today? That's not confidential, I mean."
"No. But I was surprised to see him, and more surprised by the subject he wanted to discuss. I told him I wasn't interested."
I took a chance with my next question. "Did it have anything to do with the largest rancho in the territory?"
Aiden looked startled. Whether he answered me or not, I had guessed correctly. I stood, wanting to get back to my brother's side quickly. I was worried about another attempt on his life and I didn't want to waste any more time. "No answer required, Mr. Carmichael." I extended my hand, and we shook. "Thanks for your help. And thanks for helpin' Bret." I tipped my hat and turned to go.
As I reached for the door I heard Aiden say, "Watch your back, Bart."