DERAILED: CHAPTER 10
Matt Dillon
US Marshal
Dodge City Kansas
"Peter J Duncan STOP Union Pacific Executive STOP We can look him up when you are here STOP"
Charles Cole
US Marshal RET
Denver Colorado
More than grateful for Charlie's help, Matt walked to the railroad depot and priced the freight of Duncan's buggy from Dodge to Denver. Seventy dollars seemed like a bargain for a buggy and harness worth almost four times that. It was almost laughable that the Pacific executive would have his property riding on the Santa Fe, but such was the expansion of the frontier. Once that Kansas Pacific line connected from Hays into Denver, they'd be able to haul the entire country into Colorado and then on into California. Four in the afternoon, he headed to the Long Branch to find Kitty. He found her at their table under the stairs, enjoying Doc's company.
"Hey you two!" He squeezed Kitty's hand, one of the few public displays he allowed himself, even in an almost empty Long Branch. He tossed his hat on the vacant chair.
"Doctor Adams, you're in here kind of early."
"Business is slow, Marshal Dillon. It's too late to head off to go fishin', so here I am enjoying this beautiful woman's company."
"Slow says it all, Matt," Kitty joined in. "Do you realize it's mid-September?"
"We all got through it. A couple more herds and we're done till spring. See what you think of this."
He slid the telegram in front of her.
"Charlie!" She brightened. And then, soberly, "Who's Peter J. Duncan?"
"The guy who owns that buggy we've got at the house, Kit. Remember I wired Charlie about it?"
"Wow. Charlie just says he's another Union Pacific guy."
"Yeah. Still don't know how the buggy ended up here. I'm going to put that buggy on the train with us in October, haul it to Denver and give it back to him. You okay with me fronting seventy dollars for the freight?"
"Oh, stop! Of course I am! Why don't you wire Charlie again and ask for more information? How does Duncan fit into all this?"
"I thought about that. But I want to keep Charlie out of it. Denver has two federal marshals now. When we get there, we can let them handle it. Charlie's done his time, he doesn't need to get mixed up in this. What he did for me identifying Duncan is more than I should have asked."
Doc couldn't sit still any longer.
"Matt, have you heard anything from Frank?"
"You need to give up medicine and work the law, Doc. No, I haven't. And he has all the missing information we're looking for. He has to come up with something in the next three weeks or Kitty and I aren't going to Denver."
"Matt!"
"You heard me, Kitty. We're not going to Denver until this thing is under wraps."
"Maybe you should ride up to WaKeeney, Matt," Doc said softly.
"No, Doc. I'd blow Frank's cover. I trust him. He'll come through with something."
"I can picture it now. Martha and I out shopping while you're working with some marshal in Denver to catch those guys. Sounds like the perfect vacation, Matt."
Thankfully, the heat of the moment was interrupted when Festus walked in and joined them at the table. Matt picked up his hat and tossed it on the table for fear it'd be sat on.
"How about a beer, Deputy?" Kitty was back to her big smile for Festus.
"Yes'm, an' much obliged. I can go git it, you need ta' jes set still now."
Kitty smiled at him and stood immediately. "Actually, I enjoy the walking. Feels real good. Let me do it while it still does." She headed for the bar. When she came back with the beer, all eyes were on her. It was Doc who spoke up first.
"Mrs. Dillon, is that another new dress?" He had that special gleam in his eye, the one he reserved only for Kitty.
Kitty put Festus's beer in front of him, then twirled slowly around, modeling her dress for the table of admirers.
"Miss Kitty," Festus grinned. "Yer jes' th' purdiest woman I ever laid a eyeball on."
When Doc stopped chuckling, he agreed. "Kitty, it's more than pretty. And perfect for a fall day in Denver, too. But I'm with Matt on this one. If he says the trip is off, the trip is off. Never wanted you to go anyway. You know that."
And with that, the argument was back in full swing.
"I've made all the reservations. I will ONLY be five months along. And we're staying with Charlie and Martha, not in some big hotel. It'll all be perfect." Kitty wasn't budging.
"I'm the lawman here, Kitty. Doc's right. I'll make the decisions."
"You're not just being a little over-protective again, are you?"
"Get used to it. You have responsibilities now." Matt was short with her, and dead serious.
"Miss Kitty," Festus started in. "You an' Matthew wantin' a boy or girl what's comin?" The hill man had an almost childlike ability to thwart an argument and bring people back to a cheerful place in an instant.
Kitty fell for it right away. It was a mother thing.
"I think either would be just perfect, as long as he or she looks like Matt." She smiled up at her husband.
"Matthew?" Festus looked at Kitty with his eyes wide in disbelief. "Yer sayin' you'd be wantin' a GIRL ta' look like MATTHEW?"
Matt slid off his high horse next.
"She means no freckles, Festus." Matt couldn't help a soft smile.
"Ya' had me wonderin' thar. I mean not thet YOU ain't purdy an' all but . . ."
"Festus, how about a boy or a girl with thick curly hair and no freckles." Kitty was having her way.
"Girls with freckles are my favorite."
"Oh, Matt! You can't be serious! You don't know what it's like to have these freckles!"
Festus saw the conversation headed back down the hill again. He'd saved his best idea for last, so he turned to Doc, looking for support.
"Ya' know Doc, ya' can tell Miss Kitty if'n it's gonna be a boy or a girl ahead a' time!"
"Oh I can, can I?" Doc knew a Haggen story was coming, and he was right on the money.
"Yessir. 'Course ya' can! My Aunt Torrey Haggen warn't no high-falutin' sawbones or no such, but she had a way what never failed. See, ya' jes take Miss Kitty's weddin' band and you tie it on a piece a' string." He was gesturing with both hands, pretending to tie it on.
"Then see whatcha' do is, ya' dangle thet band up above her belly like this. 'Course you bein' a doc an' all, why she'd be a-layin' on yer table an' not sittin' in th' Long Branch." He was holding the imaginary wedding band on the imaginary string over Kitty's side of the table.
"Now if'n it swings clockerwise it's gonna be a girl. But if it swings contrary clockerwise it's gonna be a boy." Then he lowered his voice. "Course if it jes' goes backards n' forwards, it's gas."
Kitty's eyebrows shot up. "Gas! No, Festus, I don't think it's gas!" And she punctuated her comment with a big smile.
"Thanks, Festus. I think I'd rather it be a surprise."
"But Matthew, what with Aunt Torrey's way ya' cud figger out names ahead n' such."
"Festus Haggen, the next time you come up to my office with one of your imaginary ailments I'm gonna sew up your mouth! That's the most RIDICULOUS thing I ever heard! Nobody can possibly tell the sex of a baby like that!"
"Oh, you ol' quackity-quack! I wouldn't figger you'd know nothin' about such happy stuff. Yer' all the time a faunchin' an' a bellerin' about how much fancy doctorin' ya' do cuz of all yer' high-class schoolin' an' such an' so forth, an' ya' jes' don't have no idea a'tall about what stuff really matters ta' folks what's gonna have a young un'."
Doc scrubbed his mustache in mock frustration. "Matt, Kitty, thank you for the beer and the delightful company. Now excuse me, but I need to head over to the office. Kitty, you and I have a date at ten tomorrow morning. Don't forget me."
"I'll be there, Doc. So long."
They watched Doc pick up his bag and head out the door. Then Festus lowered his voice and turned to Kitty.
"He's gonna try Aunt Torrey's test on 'ya. Mark my words!"
XOXOXO
"He needs to see you again so soon?"
"Once a month, Matt. You weren't around for the last two. Will you come along?"
"I wouldn't miss it for anything, Mrs. Dillon." He pulled the sheet up over them and snuggled into her. It was their favorite time of day, alone together at last. Quiet, cool, peaceful, all things wonderful in the privacy of the big brass bed.
"Your new dress is beautiful. Shows off our handiwork perfectly! I'm sorry I got short with you this afternoon."
"What?"
"You know. At the Long Branch. 'I'm the lawman here.' Wow, that was lame."
She giggled and gave him a soft tickle so he'd have half a chance to join her.
"No, seriously. That was mean. I don't run your life and I had no right to say that in front of our friends. I feel like a big jerk. I love you Sweetheart. I'm sorry."
She pushed back just far enough that she could look into his eyes.
"No apology necessary. I DO want to go to Denver! I've been counting on it ever since we found out about the baby. This is my last vacation for a long time, and my last vacation with just my husband! That's a big deal for a woman. But you know what? You're right. If you decide we're not going, then we're not going. And I'll be just fine. Because I have you, I have your child on the way, I have the cool fall weather, I have our beautiful house . . . I could go on and on! I'm the luckiest woman in the world, Matt!"
"I guess you were right again, Kit."
"About what?"
"About me being scared. Maybe it's more than just a little. This time it's not just ME some punk with a grudge is after. I've gotta' get after this and get Powers and whoever else is in on this with him. It's gonna happen again after this, Kit. You married a high-risk guy. I've been good enough to keep myself alive all these years but now I've got to get real good at keeping all three of us alive."
Kitty's answer was her touch. She pulled his face into her and covered him with gentle kisses, her lips wiping away the soft tears that had rolled gently down under his eyes. Finally, she spoke.
"I married the guy I love more than any woman could ever love a man, Mister. We agreed to take this one day at a time, remember? I'm in this with you forever, but please, let's take this one day at a time. All three of us are right here in this bed, safe and secure. The future doesn't belong to anyone. It's only our dream. Both of us are working on that dream!"
"Just think I should be doing more."
"Well, I have an idea. You could stay right here with me and hold me in your arms all night tonight. You could talk to me all about this child of yours and whether you want a boy or a girl, and the life you see ahead for him or her. I think about those things every day and I know you do too."
"My most private thoughts," he whispered. He pulled her closer. As usual, she was right.
XOXOXO
Kitty and Doc walked out of his back room together, both with big smiles.
"Kitty's doing real well, Matt. All her nausea has stopped and she's eating well now. The measurements are all just fine, too. You have a healthy, growing baby coming along right on schedule just like we hoped. We all have a lot to be thankful for."
Kitty took Matt in her arms and gave him a reassuring hug. Doc busied himself with some unnecessary shuffling of bottles in his apothecary cabinet, then turned back toward his favorite couple.
"Matt, you come in here and talk with me for a minute." He gestured toward his back room. Matt rolled his eyes at Kitty, but he complied, and let Doc close the door.
"I don't have a lecture all ready for you, if that's what the eye roll was for."
"Not your first day, Doc. Sorry about that."
"Are you scared about having this child?"
"She told you that?"
"Of course not! She doesn't share what you two talk about privately! But you see, Marshal, I noticed that eye roll and I can read between the lines of a private conversation between a doctor and a patient, too. And without quoting a single word, I just want to ask you to show her all the confidence you can muster. This isn't my first baby, but it sure is hers, and you need to know how special that is to a woman. She has two loves now, you and that little one. Don't you let her think for even a minute that you don't trust her to do her part to take care of that child. By thunder, just don't!"
"I made a fool of myself in the Long Branch last night, didn't I?"
"No, Matt, you didn't make a fool of yourself. But you were a different Matt Dillon when you snapped at her in front of everybody about the trip and it really surprised all of us. Stupid me, I got pulled right into that argument. I don't want her to go, either. But I've backed off after talking with Kitty just now, and you should too. I trust you, Son, and I always have. More important, Kitty feels secure and happy with having this baby. This responsibility is all new for you. Suck your unease inside and deal with it there. Let her see that same confident lawman she's loved since she met you. You've been the best at that all the time I've known you. Don't go insecure on either of us now, you hear?"
"I need to hear something from Frank. I feel like a fifth wheel just sitting here in Dodge letting him do my work."
"Matt, the great English poet John Milton once wrote "They also serve who stand and wait." You think about that brilliant line. You've surrounded yourself with talented people who want nothing but the best for you and Kitty. You stand and wait for now, Matt. If Frank is half the man I think he is, he won't let you down."
"Kitty reads about having a baby. You read poetry. Maybe I should start reading too."
Doc grinned as he thought about that.
"Well, whatever you do, read Kitty's book. Don't read Milton!"
XOXOXO
"Tip, saddle our horses. You're gonna ride out to Emmett's with me this afternoon."
"You bet, Marshal!"
Dooley was more than glad to get out in the country. He'd heard a lot about Emmett Bowers and an excuse to look at his horses was more than welcome after working so hard on the house all these weeks.
"Only two herds left in Dodge, Tip," Matt started as they rode along. "You've done a great job on the bedroom and the extra plumbing, but that's all finished too. Fall's on us and winter's right around the bend. You given any thought to what you want to do next? It's time to look for a job."
"No Sir. I mean, well, no sir I haven't put thought to what I want to do. Cause you see I figure that's up to you."
"I don't own you, son," Matt smiled.
"Course not. But I mean you're my work release officer for at least another year so wherever you tell me to work is where I'll work. Putting that bedroom on the house for you and Mrs. Dillon has been the best deal I could ever have got. Anything else you want me to do is just fine. There's only one thing I'd really like to do, Marshal, and that's bring my mom up here from Colorado before it snows. Mrs. Dillon said I should talk with you about it."
"Oh she did, did she?"
Dooley didn't answer, he just smiled. He knew Kitty was his ticket to success when it came to getting along with Marshal Dillon.
"Well, I did tell you we could talk about it after you got out. And out you sure are. You plan to stay in Dodge after your probation?"
"Yep! I got the best friends here a guy could ever hope to have. My mom would like it a lot here too."
"Then you'll both need jobs."
"Yes Sir. But she's a great cook and I know she could get work at the Trail Dust or even at Delmonico's or Ma Smalley's cause they're always so busy. Other thing is, she went all the way through the eighth grade so she could teach some school, I reckon. She's real good at reading and writing and ciphering and so forth."
"Can she get up here on the train by herself?"
"Oh heck, sure, Marshal. The train is safe and fast. Wouldn't want her on the stage. I saved enough money I can send her for the train fare. She'll have to get a boarding house room. I can help her with that till she gets paid. I could give her some money for food for a while, too. She's a good woman. You'll like her a lot."
"All right. You've got your mom's future figured out. Now we've got to work on yours. What about the new saddle shop? Can you repair leather goods?"
"Heck yeah, I can. Be glad to work there."
"John Hoyt's looking for an extra man. He can't keep up with it all by himself anymore. I've got it set up for him to talk to you tomorrow, so we'll see him first. What about merchantile clerking? You ever thought about working for Mr. Jonas?"
"No sir."
"What does that mean, Tip? You don't want to work there?"
"Sorry. Just meant I hadn't thought about it. I'll work anywhere. I don't know anything about a general store or all the stuff they sell. I could learn if Jonas would want to try me out. I've done construction and a little cowboyin' and most everything to do with horses, but I never worked in a general store, that's all."
"Your favorite?"
"It's gotta be horses. Anything to do with horses, Marshal. Maybe someday when I'm on my own I'll go to Kentucky or Virginia or someplace like that where they have miles and miles of just horse farms. I've seen pictures in magazines. It sure looks different from the west."
"Next time you get a chance, get a magazine with pictures of California in it. Kentucky and Virginia are the old frontier. California's a brand new game, just ripe for young talent. They've even got racetracks now, and breeding farms too. You'd love it out there."
"Really? Is that why Mrs. Dillon says the railroad is headed out there?"
"It's one of a hundred reasons, Tip. Save your money. Mrs. Dillon is an expert at teaching you how to do that. Save until you can pay your way out there and spend some time looking for a good job with horses. You won't be disappointed. For now, the harness shop would be a great start. After all, it smells like horses!"
Seemed like they'd just left Dodge, but they'd talked about Tip's future all the way and the time went quickly. Before he knew it, Matt was knocking on Emmett's door.
"Hey Matt! Good to see you! You come to turn in that black gelding?"
"Nope. I came to pay for him. He's a real nice horse."
"I don't want money for the animal. You keep him until you find that buckskin you want. You ridin' him just makes him a better horse all around. Who's the boy?" Emmett gestured toward Dooley, who had stayed mounted at Matt's instruction.
"I've got him on probation. I'm his officer. He can't leave Dodge without me or a deputy."
"Well, bring him in the house, we'll give him a beer!"
"No. Can't do that either. No alcohol on probation. Let me pay you for this nice gelding."
"I said no, Matt, and I meant it. I owe you more over the years than I could ever repay. Now water those horses and bring the young man in and we'll give him some tea. Dorcas and I want to talk to you anyway."
His instincts in full gear, Matt knew what was coming. He accepted Emmett's offer to water the horses. Seated in Emmett's parlor, Dorcas brought beers for the men and a tea for Tip. She wasn't cheerful the way she'd been that day he and Kitty had visited. Emmett put the short note in Matt's hand, and that explained it.
"Your Dillon friends are going to die. And you're next, Santa Fe lover!"
"I know all about this," Matt said softly, mostly to reassure Dorcas. "That dude from the Union Pacific wrote it. Kitty and Doc and Mr. Bodkin got one of these, too. Frank and I know who he is, and we're on his trail. We'll get him, Emmett. Nothing's going to come of it. The guy is as good as caught. We're on it. Trust me on that."
Instantly, Dorcas Bowers let out a sigh of relief.
"Kitty's fine, then, Matt?"
"Indeed she is."
"Matt, what's this all about? That guy who came here was just a salesman. Why would he want to kill people just because they didn't invest?"
"He's bound on revenge, Dorcas. He's not like us. He can't handle rejection, and violence is his solution. I know who he is, I know where he is, and I'm going to get him. He'll never work for the Pacific Railroad again, or anyplace else for that matter."
XOXOXO
It was almost six when Matt and Tip got back to the house and got the horses put up.
"You check the icehouse and rustle up some grub. I'll head over to pick Kitty up."
Tip brightened like a kid on Christmas morning. "You mean I can stay for supper then?"
"Only if you cook it. Guessing you might have learned something from your momma?"
He still wore his big smile. "Yes Sir, Marshal! And I know how to cook Mrs. Dillon's favorite, too!"
Matt gave Dooley's comment a lot of thought while he walked over to the Long Branch. Of course he knew how to cook Kitty's favorite. He'd been gone more than half the time they'd been married, and left Kitty and their friends to keep watch on the young man. Anything Tip's mom hadn't taught him about cooking, Kitty no doubt had. Tip and Kitty had shared more meals than he and Kitty had. He was a good kid, but that was no substitute for having a husband around. Need to get done with this railroad deal and be a husband for the winter. Priorities, Dillon. You promised.
Kitty was sitting at the back table with Festus and Doc, nursing her tea while Lily refilled the men's beers and brought one for Matt. She smiled up at him when he touched her hand and sat down. Some things were never going to change.
"You got some interesting mail today, Marshal." Kitty had that coy smile on her face. "You got a girlfriend in Hays?" She slid the sealed envelope in front of him. The return address simply said 'Johanna MacGregor, Hays Kansas.' Doc and Festus were uncharacteristically quiet.
"Never heard of her." He didn't even look up, he just slit the envelope open and held the letter so that only he could read it.
"Hey Big Marshal Man,
I met a woman up here. Elsie MacGregor works at the WaKeeney Saloon. She travels to Hays every other Monday to visit her mother Johanna so she's putting this letter on the stage to Dodge for me. Told these Pacific bastards I'm from Trinidad and you ran me out of Dodge a month ago over your wife. They're convinced I've got it in for you and Kitty. It's too risky for me to mail anything from here, I might get found out and my ladies might get hurt. So don't write back, not to me or Elsie or Johanna, not to anyone anywhere. You just got to trust me on this.
You said you only put a plug in this mess up here, and you were sure right. These guys are ruthless. So far I've been able to protect the Germans but it's no easy deal. When the Pacific took their depot away, they got real angry. Threats and beatings and gun battles are a way of life. The only way WaKeeney is ever going to survive is if the train stops here and helps these people have a life.
I've been working the line as a guard. Must still have some skills because they think I really am one and they let me work alone. But I haven't killed any settlers yet so it's only a matter of time till I get fired. There's a guy who controls everything for the Kansas Pacific named Peter Duncan in Denver. Maybe you can find out something about him. They say he hasn't been here in person in a long time. He sends money in here with that guy George Powers. Powers is a gutless dude. When hears gunfire he runs the other way. He uses a bodyguard when he's here, a guy named Bing Ross who's pretty good with a gun and runs the whole show cause nobody else has the balls. I'd be guessing Ross is the one who shot at you and Kitty because he never wears anything but keen toed boots. So far, I've got Powers and Ross convinced that I'm their ace in the hole to help them kill you and Kitty. Now you might want to know how we're planning to do that.
Powers is salivating like a mad dog to kill you and Kitty. The guy is crazy with revenge. I don't know how he found out, but he knows you two are on the Santa Fe out of Dodge for Denver on October 2nd. He knows it stops in Pueblo late that afternoon before heading up the hill to Denver. The plan is to have all three of us meet the train in Pueblo to pull one of the link and pin couplers from the first passenger car, so as the train heads up the steeps to Denver the single pin will fail. You and Kitty are supposed to get killed when the passenger cars derail out of Pueblo under the uphill stress. Just head down to the Dodge depot and study that link and pin coupler, you'll see what I mean.
Your part is to get on that train. Be nice to have a little help. You and I can get them when the train stops in Pueblo. The only way we're going to put them away for life is if we catch them in the act of pulling the pin, you know that. You take Powers, you remember what he looks like. I'll take Ross, I've got a score to settle with him. But by God if Kitty's with you, get her off that train in Pueblo in case this whole thing goes stupid!
You were right. This marshaling deal is a whole bunch different than when we chased bandidos in Texas!
This could get a little western Matt, so you'll probably owe me a drink.
See you in Pueblo,
Frankie"
tbc