Chapter 11

Hicks stopped the buggy outside the only stable in Kenton.

"I want to ask you something." If she hadn't known him better, she'd have thought he sounded like a bashful young boy. "Would you have supper with me tonight, Ada?"

The young woman thought for a moment to come up with a suitable reply, she really didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Mr. Hicks, I'm just a saloon girl - are you sure you want to be seen going out with me?"

"It's not exactly going out. There's a small cafe at the back of The Whit Buffalo Pool Hall. It's not fancy but the food is pretty good. I know you don't have a job right now so I thought you wouldn't mind."

"In that case I thank you, Mr. Hicks, and I'd love to come to supper with you."

The gambler smiled a little. He wasn't a handsome man by any means but he wasn't as much of a tough guy as he made out.

She couldn't help but wonder what Matt would think of a US Marshal accepting a dinner invitation from a not so smart crooked gambler like Hicks.

()()()

The food was pretty good considering the place where they were eating and surprisingly Hicks turned out to be easy to talk to. She kept the conversation light and focused most of it on him.

They were getting up to leave when she saw the back of a familiar tall, muscular body facing away from her at the bar.

Ada gripped the gambler's arm and hurried him outside.

"That's him!" she said in a whispered voice. "That tall man at the bar - that's Clay Griffin."

Hicks stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

"I'm gonna take you home. You'll be safe there. Wait till I come back to get you later."

Ada was sure Matt had seen her, but according to the plan they'd made a few days ago he wouldn't show it. By the same agreement she would leave town and head back towards the Cimarron the moment she'd pointed him out to the gambler. It would be solely Dillon's assignment from then on.

Hicks dutifully escorted her to her room and more or less ordered her to lock the door and not open it to anyone else but him. She thanked him for his concern and secured the door before sitting on the bed to think.

Ada had no intention of obeying either of the two men.

()()()

Matt ordered a second beer and stood waiting for the froth to go down. He'd watched Ada leave with the man he recognized as the gambler. Now he stood patiently, sipping slowly on his drink waiting for Hicks to return. He was almost ready to leave and find another saloon to hang out in when the man appeared. Matt didn't look up or turn to face the man he'd been expecting. He was much shorter than Matt, probably no more than five foot six or seven. His hair was a nondescript brown and he had a scraggly growth of beard outlining a non-existent jawline. The most noteworthy thing about him was the gold brocade vest that he wore over a white silk shirt adorned with a black ribbon tied neatly around his neck just as Ada had described.

Hicks ordered a beer and slid along the bar to stand closer.

"Howdy there stranger," he said in a low voice as a way of a greeting. "I haven't seen you around town before."

The marshal looked at him then took a slow swallow of his beer before answering. "Maybe that's because I haven't been here before." He carefully set his mug down on the bar and turned to face the newcomer. There was no welcoming smile on Dillon's face and Hicks was acutely aware of cold blue eyes staring through him.

"I…er.. thought I recognized you from somewhere."

The marshal looked the gambler up and down and gave no indication that he was in any way interested in getting into a conversation.

"I don't think so," he said at last. He finished the last mouthful of his beer, then reached in a pocket and threw a coin on the bar before turning to head for the street. Hicks seemed stunned for a moment then gathered his wits and scuttled after the tall man.

The lawman walked calmly towards the stable where about 30 minutes earlier he'd left his horse. As he'd figured, the little gambler wasn't too far behind him.

It was darker in the stable than in the dusk of the street outside. He could see well enough to find the buckskin and check that he'd been fed and watered as requested. He tapped the horse on the rump and ran a hand down the rear left leg. After a little additional pressure the animal lifted his foot. Matt pulled a knife from his pocket and started carefully picking out the hoof. He was in the perfect position to keep an eye on the doors leading out to the street and as he'd predicted it wasn't long before Hicks entered cautiously.

Matt had the advantage of being able to see clearly because his eyes had already adapted to the lower light levels inside the barn. He watched as the newcomer looked around trying to find him.

"You following me?" he called out.

Hicks continued to look around trying to locate where the voice was coming from. The marshal set the horse's foot back on the ground and straightened up, taking time to fold the knife and put it back in his pocket.

The movement caught the gambler's eye and he came running over.

"I need to talk to you. I know someone who'd like to meet you. Maybe he has a job for you."

Matt studied the man carefully. "I already have a job," he said calmly. He turned away to check his saddle, which was on a nearby rack.

Hicks moved forward to step in his way.

"I know who you are, Mr. Griffin. I can introduce you to a very influential man."

Dillon tried to give a look of surprise at the use of his supposed name.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Someone told me you might be headed this way. I'm serious about knowing a man who'd like to meet you. Have you heard of Yarborough's gang or a man known as The Maestro?"

"Mebbe," Matt replied, as if he wasn't really interested.

"If you want, I can take you to meet him."

"Suppose I were to agree, what then?"

"It's too late tonight. Meet me here in the morning and I'll arrange it."

Hicks hurriedly left the barn and Matt smiled to himself. He made his way to the back of the stable and passed the big bay belonging to Ada on the way. The horse looked to be in good shape. He couldn't stop himself from patting the animal on the croup as he went by. The marshal left the building by a small door at the back of the barn and from there he walked without hurrying to the only hotel in town.

The Kenton Hotel was nowhere near as clean as the Dodge House, but it did provide a place for Hicks to look for him. He had no intention of meeting the gambler at the stable in the morning. He thought it would be more appropriate that a man with a reputation like Clay Griffin would expect someone like Hicks' to come looking for him.

Before turning in for the night he meticulously cleaned his Colt revolver and checked the rifle he'd brought with him. Then he made sure his gun belt was full of spare ammunition. Feeling that he'd done everything he could to prepare for tomorrow's meeting he lay on the bed to sleep. He did give a thought to Ada Boothe. He hoped she'd leave town soon so that even if things went wrong tomorrow she'd be safely on her way back to Dodge City.

Thinking of Dodge made him wonder how Kitty was doing. Was she thinking of him tonight? Ada had given him a lot to consider. She was putting off any relationship to pursue a job she wanted desperately to do - and he had to admit that she was good at it. He thought of her friends Tom and Miranda. They were planning to be married soon, but Tom was dead, lying in the ground somewhere near the Cimarron. Deep down he wanted to be with Kitty, to provide her with a home and maybe children one day. How long could he put that off before she gave up on him or they both passed the point of ever settling down. He turned from his back to his side and purposefully closed his eyes. Sleep eventually came but Kitty was there too. He saw her enjoying the few private moments they shared and then suddenly he was no longer with her. She was alone and tears were rolling down her face.

Next morning he made no effort to hide his presence in town. By now rumor had spread that the infamous hired gun was around. Matt could take advantage of that. The clerk at the desk gave him directions to the only cafe in town that served breakfast. There was a line outside because the place was crowded - but when he showed up they couldn't wait to find a table for him. He'd only just finished eating when he saw Hicks enter and look around desperately. A sigh of relief came over the gambler when he saw Dillon sitting there.

()()()

Ada sat in her room after Hick's left. She knew Matt was concerned that if anything went wrong, Yarborough's men would come after her. She on the other hand wanted to make sure that the Kansas marshal got all the help he needed. If anything went wrong he wasn't going to have to deal with it by himself if she could help it. That was where Tom had miscalculated.

She changed back into her "work clothes" which were more suitable for riding than the skirt and blouse she'd been wearing. She stuffed the rest of her meager belongings into saddlebags. After placing a few dollar bills on the washstand to cover the cost of her stay, she left her room and headed quietly for the back door. Ada was careful, she didn't want anyone to see her leave. She knew Hicks would be by to check on her later so didn't want to make it easy for him to follow her.

She saw Dillon's horse in one of the stalls that had been vacant earlier so she guessed he was going to stay in town tonight to wait on Hicks to contact him. She had no problem saddling the big bay in the dark of the stable. Her nimble fingers tightened the cinch, then she slipped the bit into his mouth and the bridle over his ears. After checking to see that no one was about on the street she led him quietly through the double doors and mounted up. Then with as little sound as possible took the road west out of town.

Ada was on the ridge overlooking Yarborough's compound. She positioned herself so she had a good view of the house and its surrounding buildings then settled in to wait.

There was quite a chill in the air for a late spring morning and she shivered slightly as her hands came in contact with the unusually damp and cold earth beneath her. Maybe it was a heavy dew, or maybe it was her own inner excitement and anticipation mixed with a little fear. This could be the day she'd been waiting for ever since she'd found Tom and held him while life gradually left his body.

At last daybreak arrived with the sun coming up behind her and she felt the first warmth of its rays. Ada could begin to make out the buildings in the small valley below. Everything was the same as it had been when she first came across it. This time she was waiting to see Matt Dilllon ride into the "lion's den". She had no idea how he planned to arrest Yarborough, and to be honest didn't think he'd thought about it much either. He was a lawman whose only mission was to bring the man who'd been responsible for so much killing to justice. To her it seemed as if he was blinded to everything else. She knew he was highly regarded as a marshal but she saw the toll the badge had taken on his life - and the lives of people around him.

Ada was still pondering on the lifestyle she'd chosen and what effect it would have on her future when in the distance she could see riders approaching on the only road into the valley. There were two of them - and one was a big man on a big buckskin horse.

TBC