"Joe! Joe! Damn it, Joe!" The voice seemed about a million miles away - it sounded a little like Hoss sounded when he was trying to shake him out of a sound sleep…"Joe, I said stop!" And suddenly he was dangling over the earth in some strange fashion, suspended in space. He was having none of it, though - had set out to do something and, by God, he was gonna do it!

"Let go 'o me, Hoss," he raged, squirming to loosen the grip Hoss had on his shirt, kicking at air. "He's gonna pay for what he did! You stopped me once, but you ain't stoppin' me this time! He's gonna pay!"

"Now, Joe, you jest simmer on down!" Hoss gave him a little shake, keeping him carefully at an arm's length to avoid Joe's flailing fists and feet.

"He's crazy, that's what he is!" broke in a familiar voice and it set Joe off again. He yanked ferociously against Hoss's clutch and almost broke free.

"Let me go, Hoss," he bellowed. "Damn it, let me go!"

"Now, your brother's right - you just settle down there, Joe, or I'm gonna havta lock you up until you cool off and I figger your Pa's had his heart broke just about enough for one week, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't make me!"

The mention of his father cooled Joe's ardor somewhat and he sagged in Hoss's hands. He cleared his vision enough to make out Roy standing behind his adversary, keeping him in check. "You don't understand, Roy," he sobbed. "You don't get it. He didn't just kill Adam by setting the fire - it's worse than that - he just out and out killed him somehow and then left the body there. It's out and out murder. He had his sister lure Adam up to her room - played on his sympathies - then he - he - " His voice broke.

He saw Roy take a deep breath. "Joe, these are just accusations, son, not facts. I need facts to accuse anybody of anythin'. Now what do you say we all go over to my office and stop makin' a scene in the street here and then we'll talk about - "

"I ain't goin' nowhere! I ain't done nothin'! All I done is try to get on my horse and head for home - "

Joe threw himself against Hoss's hold. "You're a liar! You killed my brother and if it's the last thing I ever do, I'm gonna see that you pay - "

"You hear that sheriff? He's threatenin' me! I ain't done nothin' ta him and still he's - "

"Ain't done nothin'!" Hoss gave him another shake, bidding him to hush, but nothing could stop Joe now. "My brother's dead! And I don't know how you did it, or why even, but I know it was you - you and that spooky sister of yours - and you're gonna hang for it, Fairchild! You're gonna swing - that is, if you get real lucky! 'Cause if I get my hands on you first, you're gonna wish you'd had the chance to die nice and peaceful with a rope around your neck!"

"Joe Cartwright!" Roy's voice was stern. "You stop this kinda talk right now! Now, I want all three of you in my office this minute or I'm havin' you all thrown in jail fer disturbin' the peace!"

Joe watched with satisfaction as Fairchild struggled against Roy.

"Yeah, that's just the way it is in this town, isn't it sheriff?" Fairchild taunted. "Innocent man can't even get on his horse to go home if a Cartwright don't like it! Cartwright attacks him and he's the one what gets throwed in jail! Cartwright makes an accusation and everybody takes it serious - no matter how far fetched it is! Cartwright says jump and everybody asks how high, don't matter how unreasonable they're being er how crazy they are! They don't gotta prove nothin' and they don't gotta make a lick o' sense - they just gotta call out and what they say is done! You'll have me with a rope around my neck without them havin' ta prove anything - swing me fer a murder I didn't even commit - don't need no facts - don't need no proof - hell, don't even matter that his brother ain't even dead!"

Joe abruptly stopped struggling. Roy stilled, tilting his head as if testing his hearing. Hoss dropped Joe unceremoniously back onto his feet and he had to scrabble for a minute to gain his footing. The words hung in the air, almost visibly.

Then Hoss gently moved Joe aside and took a step forward, closer to Fairchild and Roy. Fairchild was a tall man, but he seemed to shrink in Hoss's looming shadow. Hoss stood close, but didn't touch him.

"What did you say?" Hoss's voice was very soft, but it made Joe shiver. There was a note in it he had never heard there before and never needed to hear there again. He dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve, suddenly nervous.

Fairchild seemed to echo Joe's sentiments because he just stared, open-mouthed. "Um…" he managed after a minute.

"I ast ya," Hoss repeated with patient menace, "what that was you jest said. About my brother," he clarified.

Fairchild swallowed, looking uncertain and suddenly worried. "I - uh - "

Hoss reached up with one massive paw and delicately adjusted Fairchild's collar. "Mister, I ast ya real nice. Now you tell me and it better be the truth and it better be now or what Joe started ain't gonna be nothin' compared ta what I finish."

Fairchild seemed to find his nerve and shook off Roy and straightened himself. "I just said the truth," he answered fiercely. "Don't know whats got inta you folks - it's jest common sense. Course he's still alive, or there couldn't be no ransom, now, could there?"

Hoss squinted at him. Behind him, Joe wiped nervously at his mouth, suddenly dizzy.

Hoss dropped his hands. "I don't know what yer talkin' 'bout. Ain't nobody ast fer no ransom. Far as we know we buried my brother yesterday. Now you be right careful about yer next answer, cause if ya lie to me about this then I promise ya, dead is about the nicest thing that's gonna happen to ya."

Fairchild looked honestly perplexed. "I heard somethin' 'bout a funeral but I didn't - I mean - hell, mister - yer brother's alive. Cain't get no money fer a dead man."

Hoss stared at him, then hooked one hand in the back of Fairchild's collar and pulled. "I think Roy is right," he agreed, walking and dragging Fairchild in his wake. "I think we all gotta have a little talk in his office."