A/N: Most guest stars have a backstory that somehow links them to Dodge City or the people that live in or near there. Why is that? Takes place around the 1969 season.

Five to Seven Degrees of Separation

"There they go now." Deputy Festus Haggen peered out through the front window of the Marshal's Office of Dodge City into the street beyond. His feet shuffled in slight agitation as he watched the hustle and bustle of the main thoroughfare.

"There who go?" asked Marshal Matt Dillon as he looked up from some paperwork he was going over at the desk.

"That new couple that showed up a few days ago. Their wagon just went by."

"Would you rather they rode the long way around the town to avoid passing by?"

"Of course not, Matthew. But you know as well as I do that new faces almost always mean trouble."

"You only say that because you're scared of new things."

"Am not! Just yesterday I tried a new drink at the Long Branch."

"And?"

"Didn't care of it. But at least I tried it! Besides, tell me the last big trouble we had that didn't involve a stranger with some connection to us."

"Festus, Dodge City is growing fast. There have to be a lot of new people for that to happen," Matt explained patiently. "At some point even people who have lived here a long time have a connection to a stranger that shows up."

"Yeah, well what about kids? They's new, but we know the parents at least."

"Do you see a lot of kids running around buying houses or starting a business of their own?"

"Shucks Matthew, I was just sayin' is all. I still think there's trouble comin' - I can just feel it," Festus said resolutely.

"There's always trouble, or they wouldn't need us. But it doesn't mean it has to come from everyone new to town. Don't you have something else to do besides watch for strangers to ride by?"

A glint appeared in the deputy's eye. "I reckon I do at that."

…

Quickly, he gathered his things and headed out the door, making a sharp turn in the direction he saw the wagon going. It wasn't long before he saw their wagon pulling away from the Land Office. He walked behind a horse to be hidden from view and then entered the office after the wagon had disappeared.

"Can I help...oh it's you Deputy," Elvin Mott said as he turned around to greet his visitor. "What brings you in today?"

"Business."

"Decided on buying that old Dooley place, finally?" asked Elvin.

"No, not land business - law business. I'm doing a bit of in-ves-ti-ga-tion," he said as he drew out the word "on that new couple that was just in here. They have business with ya?"

"They certainly did. The Ashfords are buying a property to the west of town."

"Ashfords, eh? Catch their first names?"

"Now Deputy, what kind of legal documents could I file without first names? It's Hickory and Kay - Kay is the wife if you're curious," Elvin said with a smile.

"I figured that. What kind of name would Hickory be for a woman anyway? What are they paying for the place?"

"Seeing that the information is public - or will be anyway when it's properly recorded - I can tell you that they paid twenty dollars."

"Just make it a point to check with the bank to be sure their credit is good. We don't know these people."

"No need. They paid cash on the barrelhead."

"Cash? Where'd they get that kind of money?" Festus asked, shocked.

"You know, some other people are able to save money."

"Maybe they're speculators. Maybe the railroad is going to put in a new spur line and they got the information first. They might be buying up land cheap and selling it back to the railroad for a killing."

Elvin hesitated. "You could ask them yourself, you know. Do you think the railroad is going to expand? What about the town? The stage line?" His mind started racing at the chaos that sudden growth could bring.

"I was just thinkin' out loud is all. I will ask them, but not yet - I've got to talk to some more people first. When a lot of money changes hands I get worried."

"Like during a bank robbery," Elvin joked nervously.

"Bank robbery? Now that's not a bad idea there, Elvin. I've got to git," Festus said as he squinted and turned to go.

"I was just kidding..." Elvin tried to say, but the deputy was already halfway out the door before heading out into the street again.

…

Inside the bank, Erik Johansen looked up from his teller's drawer to see a rough character walk into the lobby. The man's clothes and manner set him apart from the other customers inside, but Erik did know the Deputy of Dodge City by sight even if he didn't know him personally. He quickly left his station and went through a back door to get the bank manager Jenson Bodkin, who immediately came out and escorted the deputy to the manager's office. "Is there something I can help you with?" Bodkin asked. Officers of the law were certainly entitled to bank like normal citizens, but everyday folk might get the wrong idea seeing such a person inside.

Festus let his curiosity win out over tact and asked "Has the bank been robbed lately?"

Suddenly alarmed, Bodkin stammered "No – do you think we're going to be? When? Have other banks been hit? By whom?"

To his credit, Festus did notice the mounting panic in the bank manager. "Now I didn't say you was! I'm jus' lookin' into a new couple in town – the Ashfords."

"The Ashfords are going to rob us?" Bodkin asked as he wrung his hands. "They seemed like such nice folk, too."

"No, I didn't say that either! I was jus' a wonderin' where they got the money to buy up some land is all."

"Well," the manager said as he started to calm down a bit "Mr. Ashford told me he sold his business in Philadelphia and moved out here with his wife."

"I don't suppose he said what kind of business it was?"

"Why - do you think it might have been something…illegal?" Worry was starting to show on Bodkin's face again.

"Don't know. That's why I'm asking around."

"Why not ask them about such matters? Or do you think they'd lie to you?"

"I'll ask in good time. Meanwhile, just keep this between us while I do some more lookin' around."

"I will Deputy, I will."

"'preciate it.

…

Festus had to ponder where to look next. Even if the Ashfords had just bought a place, they still had to be staying somewhere in the meantime. Figuring they had money, he went with his best guess about which hotel they might be staying in and struck gold.

"Oh yes, they're staying here alright." Howie Uzzell held his head up while stating the fact – he was proud of being the hotel's clerk and considered it one of the best in Dodge City. "Very nice folks. Good tippers too. They're polite and don't raise any fuss by being out late or having noisy visitors."

"So they're keeping a low profile you say," Festus said as he rubbed his chin. "Keep to themselves I reckon. Silent types."

"Oh, they've asked me a lot of questions about the town, the people and of course this hotel. Real respectful. I was afraid I might be boring them, but they seemed real interested."

"Probably lookin' to buy the place – or start one of their own," Festus muttered out loud as he thought of possible motives.

"What? Buy this place? Or start another place and run us out of business? We'll lose our jobs…our livelihoods…"

"Now hold on, I didn't say anything about them doin' any of that – I'm just looking at the whole thing, you know?"

"No, I don't know. He didn't say he was gonna go into the business – but he didn't say he wasn't either, come to think of it." Uzzell quickly excused himself to go talk to some others about the news and Festus considered his next place to check out.

…

Charles Lathrop was bent over a display in the general store, setting the items just right when he heard the front door open. "I'll be with you in a moment," he called out.

Festus waited. People new to town needed things, so they must have bought something somewhere. His impatience got the better of him and he cleared his throat with a loud "Ahem…"

"I'm sorry, I…oh, hello Deputy. What can I do for you?"

"Just wonderin' if a new couple shopped in here the last week or so," the lawman asked.

"I've had a few new faces come in. Always good to see the town growing, I always say."

"This couple is from Philadelphia by the name of Ashford."

"The Ashfords? Why, I did have a couple by that name stop in here recently. Nice people, if you ask me. Charming even. They said they were new to town and they needed to pick up a few things."

"I imagine they probably bought some normal stuff," Festus asked surreptitiously. "Food. Clothes. Maybe some eatin' utensils. Dynamite. A big load of ammunition. That kinda stuff."

"Yes, of course…wait, dynamite? Ammunition? None of that, Deputy. Why would they…is the town going to be attacked? Are the war drums sounding? What have you heard?"

"I ain't heard nothin'. I was just wondering if they bought anything unusual is all," the deputy explained.

"Let me think…" Lathrop said as he wracked his brain for anything unusual. Nothing that could be used in a fight, unless you counted some knitting needles. He got lost in visions of hand-to-hand fighting and had to be brought back to reality by the deputy with another clearing of the throat. He wiped his mind of the imagined carnage. "Not really. They did buy an old silver bridal that Quint made before he left. I kept it polished hoping someone would buy it one day and they took one look and fell in love with it. But dynamite…" he fretted.

"I suppose they paid with cash."

"They did."

"Were any of it counterfeit?"

…

Early that evening, Festus returned to the marshal's office while he continued to think about the Ashfords. Everyone he had talked to thought they were nice people and there wasn't a lick of evidence that they had done anything wrong in town or in their lives. Neither one had relatives in town, or former loves, business partners or anyone who had even heard of them before. "Maybe," he said to himself "they are just plain folks." He opened the door to look inside and see the marshal talking with a seated couple who were none other than the Ashfords themselves.

"Ah. This gentleman is my deputy Festus Haggen. Festus, meet the Ashfords. This is Hickory and his wife Kay," Matt said in way of introduction.

"Howdya do," Festus said as he shook the hands of the now standing Hickory and his seated wife, but he did so a bit confused with the sudden confrontation. "What did you call 'em in for, Matthew?" he asked.

"I didn't – they came in to introduce themselves."

Hickory addressed the deputy. "Sorry we haven't been in sooner, but we've been really busy getting things set up with our new home."

"There must be a million things we couldn't bring with us," Kay added. "We've been all over town."

"I know," Festus agreed.

"Pardon?"

"I mean I know you musta…" he stammered "it ain't easy getting' set up in a new town."

"New town, new state, new way to earn a living. I sold my candle business and we're looking forward to starting fresh on a farm out here. I always wanted to try my hand at a farm, and we're not going to get any younger."

Matt chimed in. "I was just talking to my deputy this morning how nice it is to have new folks move in. We like to think Dodge City is a wonderful place to raise a family."

"That's mighty kind of you Marshal," Hickory said as he helped his wife rise to her feet. "We best be getting back to the hotel before it gets completely dark. Thank you again, it was good to meet you Deputy and we'll stop back in when…we're…what's that noise?"

"Better stay inside," Matt told the couple as the noise continued to grow from outside. Matt stepped to the front door and opened it to show a crowd of people gathered in the street. He stepped out and closed the door behind him to examine the group. They all faced the Marshal's Office and seemed to be angry, but the number of voices made it hard to hear any single person speak. Finally, Matt yelled "Quiet!" and the crowd hushed. "What's this all about?" he asked the throng. Many started talking at once and he had to call for quiet again. He pointed at Howie Uzzell and asked "What is this…mob…about, Howie?"

Suddenly on the spot, Uzzell balked for a moment but got his courage up. "I hear you got the Ashfords in there and we come to take care of the troublemakers." Many in the crowd murmured approval of the desire.

"Troublemakers?" Matt asked, perplexed. "What trouble have they ever caused?"

"I hear they're buying up property and are gonna put a whole of people out of work by starting new competing businesses, like a new hotel!"

"Yeah, and a big store that has everything!" Charles Lathrop chimed in.

"I heard they know about an Indian uprising coming this way!" another shouted from the back. "They're in cahoots, I tell you!"

"Right after they sell all their land to the railroad for a killing!" Elvin Mott yelled, shaking a shovel. "I even heard Percy had to order more handles for his caskets like there was gonna be bodies stacked up like cord wood."

"Caskets? Percy, you out there?" Matt asked the crowd. A voice from the middle replied, the town's undertaker Percy Crump. "Yes, Marshal."

"You expect a lot of killings soon?"

"Er, no. I just done run out of handles. Jake was supposed to order more last month but forgot." Some of the crowd began to murmur a few faint doubts of the veracity of the mob. Everyone knew Jake would forget his head if it wasn't nailed on.

Matt picked out another townsman. "Elvin, did the Ashfords buy any other land besides that one farm?"

"Um, no Marshal."

"Big land grab, huh?"

"What about them starting a horse racing track?" Hank Miller asked. "That was a mighty fine pair of horses he paid me to stable."

"And how many horses was his wagon set up for?" Matt questioned.

"Well…two."

Other objections about mysterious telegrams and expected freight turned out to be a shipment of a dining table and chairs. Even Louie Phetters' panic over the town suddenly becoming dry was unfounded.

The Marshal had had enough. "Now I don't know where you all got these crazy ideas about the Ashfords, but I'm going to tell you right now that they're just ordinary law-abiding citizens. I'm going to go back in and bring them out so you can meet them for yourselves. They're just a nice new couple looking to start a farm and make Dodge City their home. If you'll excuse me a couple of minutes," he said as he opened the door and went back into his office.

"Is everything okay, Marshal?" Kay asked with some concern. "Is there a problem? We haven't offended anyone, have we? Or broken a law accidentally?"

"Oh, It'll be fine. Some rumor got started and some of the town's citizens got worried. Why don't I introduce you to them and you can get off on the right foot?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Hickory said as he put his arm around his wife. "We've met a few informally up to now, but I guess this is as good a time as any for a proper introduction."

"That's the spirit," Matt said happily. "Once you get to know them and visa versa I'm sure you'll fit right in. If you both will follow me, please." He waited at the front door for the Ashfords to gather themselves and then opened the door before stepping outside again.

Outside, the street was deserted in front and immediately to either side of the Marshal's Office. People could be glimpsed distantly hurrying away from the scene, dust in the air. Matt turned to apologize to the Ashfords only to find Hickory laughing while Kay smiled. After his guffaws subsided, Hickory explained. "You don't have to apologize, Marshal. I kinda like the idea of townspeople watching out for one another – just never been on the other side of it before. It sounds like Dodge City is a perfect place to raise a family."

Matt offered his apologies anyway and bid the couple a good evening. After they left, Festus stepped up alongside his boss. Matt shook his head. "I wander who got 'em all riled up in the first place?"

Festus scratched his head before shaking it. "You knows what I said before – there's usually trouble when strangers show up. I jus' knows something was a gonna happen."

The End

A/N: So I guess we see why having some "history" with Dodge City is so important to guest stars - without any complications nothing could possibly go wrong.

Well, mostly anyway.

It's been decades since I watched any full episodes of Gunsmoke, but it is often on the TV when I take a break at work so I get to see four or five minutes of the show (the color years) along with seven or eight minutes of commercials. *sigh* But I wanted to throw in some names of the recurring bit parts from that era just to give 'em a moment.

The cover art is a statue of Ken Curtis that stands in the city I lived in before leaving California. Ironic that his BACK is to the bank...