Middleville

A/N: This is my first Gunsmoke. I did a lot of Bonanza writing years ago on Women's Writers Block. The first chapter certainly looks dire, but I love me some Festus so I think you'll understand that I'm not eager to get rid of him. Sheila

Chapter 1

Doc Adams bothered his mustache again. "Do you know how many days it's been?"

"Thirteen," Kitty sighed as she reached for the coffee.

"By thunder, he's fishing again, I tell you. Or hunting. Or staying at a farm, helping out some poor widow.

"Most likely," Kitty had played out this conversation countless times with Doc over the last week and there wasn't much left to do but let the old man rant.

"He's got responsibilities!" Doc thundered, rattling his cup as he brought it to his mouth. "Did Matt send out the telegrams?"

"You know he did," Kitty said, her patience burning thin.

Doc went back to brushing his mustache with his hand. "Plain irresponsible!"

"I'm actually worried, Doc."

"Nonsense! He's the slipperiest man I ever met. Somehow, Festus always wriggles his way out of a mess and ends up back here trying to get free beers out of me."

"This is different, and I know you are just worried as I am."

Doc started to protest, but Kitty put her hand up. "If I'm lying I'm dying."

He huffed. "Now, you're going to treat me to Festus talk."

"I just know I'm going to sleep better when he gets back."

"So, you miss all the begging for booze, the tall stories, the crazy logic?"

"Yes Doc," she said softly. "I miss all of it."

He stared at her a long minute. "If you ever tell anyone, I'll deny it, but I miss him too."

"Then you admit that this is odd?"

Doc stared down at this coffee. "I'd sleep better too when he's back."

…..

Matt sat in this office restlessly studying his wanted posters and drinking stale coffee. He threatened Barney to get every response to him as soon as possible. The telegraph man had grumbled protests, but he finally agreed, trotting responses to Dillon every hour of so. Matt didn't expect much from these telegrams, but he knew that Festus stood out in a crowd and tended to leave an impression wherever he went.

Matt had stopped going in for morning coffee at the Long Branch. Kitty and Doc always wanted more information than he had, and the tension at the table had become palpable. The prevailing theory around the townsfolk was that Festus had gone back to the hills. Matt knew better. Festus was a man of eccentric ideas. He once rode all the way to Abilene, Texas to give a woman eleven dollars and it wasn't unusual for him to stop off from a trip to do some hunting or fishing. But he lived by a code when it came to marshaling, and if he left on business, he wasn't going to leave people worried, certainly not thirteen days worried.

The only thing keeping him steady was the fact that Festus was one of the most resourceful men he'd ever known. He seemed to weather situations that most other men couldn't navigate. On the trail, he was one of few who could ever keep up with the Marshal. Matt had seen Festus get himself out of any number of predicaments and that was what he was counting on here.

Dillon valued him immensely as a deputy and a good friend. Festus holding up his back was the best way to go into a bad situation. Still, the thing about Festus that Dillon cared about the most was his kindness. Festus could be as hard as needed when the time came, but he really shined when he had the chance to show off his big heart with people in need. Dillon knew plenty that had one quality or the other, but he didn't know anyone that could authentically claim both.

Newly popped his head in the door, breaking Matt's reverie. "Marshal?"

"Newly, if I knew something, you would be amongst the first I'd tell."

"I know." Newly eased in slowly. "Work is slow, and I just keep thinking that maybe we should do another search."

Matt nodded. "Been thinking the same. Let's go over exactly what he said when he left again. I keep thinking that there was something we might be missing."

"Okay. We were all anxious about that family killer that hit that farm out near Cripple Creek. You were in Hayes. A wagon came in and said that the family killer hit a farm out by Pantown which was in the opposite direction. Festus said that he wanted to do a little scouting in that direction to see if he could pick up a trail. Pantown is to the west so that's where he went. He expected to be gone no more than three days. Instead of planning to meet up like we should've, I just said I would watch the jail. It was a terrible mistake. That was the last I saw him."

"Okay. What's done is done. We have to think like Festus now. Where would he go?"

Newly shook his head. "He had Ruth. Those two can get up and down hills that no horse would try. We could try caves. There are some up near Icola that he might've searched."

"Maybe." Matt narrowed his eyes. "Festus also likes to follow creeks. And with Ruth, he can get up and down those banks. I'm thinking we focus on the creeks due west."

"We did that."

"Not thoroughly. I think this time, we follow them for three days instead of two."

"Right. Let me get my gear."

"Meet me back here in ten minutes."

Newly nodded and went through the door. Matt got up to gather his own things when Newly backed into the office again, eyes glued on something out in the street. "Marshal?"

The quality in Newly's voice was off and Matt straightened up. "What is it?"

"There is a kid that just rode in on a horse pulling a mule- a very familiar looking mule."

Matt pushed past Newly and saw a young man climbing off a horse. He focused on the mule, and he knew it was Ruth. The young man tethered both the mule and the horse to the hitching post and pulled a hat out of a saddlebag. It was a very familiar hat, battered and sweat stained. Something caught in Matt's gut. A lot of bad news came with people bringing in another's belongings. He turned to Newly. "Wait here. I'll go talk to him."

….

Sam was standing outside the Long Branch when he saw Ruth come in. He knew that this kind of scenario usually spelled bad news. He looked back into the saloon. Miss Kitty was at the end of the bar balancing the books. He wanted to protect her from this, but he knew her well. Miss Kitty didn't usually appreciate efforts like that. She looked up while he was staring at her and he knew she could see his fear. She closed her books, put down her pen, smoothed her skirts, and headed his direction- head held high.

He pointed at Ruth, and Kitty's breath caught. She saw Matt stride across the dusty street. She couldn't hear them, but she could read his agitation. He was not welcoming this man. He had questions, hands on hips. The young man had his head down as he muttered responses. He must have said something bad because Matt took the hat off his head and threw it to the ground- a move she'd never seen him make. The young man handed Matt a hat and a shiny object. Matt shook his head sharply. Then he bellowed Newly's name. The young deputy sprinted out into the street. Matt pushed the young man in his direction. Newly grabbed him and took him into the jail.

She started to the street when Matt caught her eye. He put up his hand and shook his head. She stopped. She knew he wanted space, but the anticipation was too much for her and she picked up her skirts and started to follow.

He turned. "Kitty, please. I need to know more first."

The anxiety in her gut boiled but she stopped. For a moment she stood there, watching his back. She could tell he was headed to the telegraph office. Her eyes burned and she reached up to staunch the flow of tears.

"Kitty!"

She turned to see Doc headed toward her in his buggy from his morning rounds. She angrily wiped at her eyes and pointed at Ruth. Doc stopped in the middle of the street and got out. He stared at the mule, brushing his mustache absently.

"Oh Doc, I'm scared," Kitty said.

…

The Long Branch filled with people waiting for information. Ruth had been recognized by many. Festus was well liked in town and the surrounding area. A person was always sure to find Festus outside, hat in the air, ready with a smile and a howdy when they came in for supplies.

Kitty and Doc were at a table alone with a bottle of whisky that was being ignored. They weren't inviting anyone to join. Ol' Nathan Burke tried a few questions, but Doc barked at him to go away. Louie about broke Kitty's heart sitting in the corner, tears rolling down his face. She had Sam give him a bottle and he clutched it in both hands, barely taking a sip from it.

Finally, Newly appeared in the swinging doors, his face as flushed as anyone had ever seen. "Miss Kitty, Doc, can you come with me?"

Doc scraped his chair back and got up. Burke looked up at Newly. "We were all friends of Festus. We all deserve the news."

"And you'll get it, Burke," Newly said. "We just need to start with the people who knew him the best."

Talking about Festus in the past tense sent a ripple through the room. Louie stood up. "I was as good as friend as Festus had. He kept me from freezing to death most of last winter and every bad other winters we ever had. He always took of me- treated me like a real person."

Doc shivered. He often wondered how Festus managed the winter in his tiny room behind the stable with no heat. Buying him drinks in those cold months was always easier as it helped assuage his guilt over it. He turned to Louie. "You got a point, Louie. Why don't you join us?"

The old drunk followed them over to the Marshal's office. Matt was on his feet in the office staring at the kid who brought in Ruth. Kitty went to him, wrapping her arms around him, but his body felt stiff and unwelcoming. She backed off. "The news is bad, isn't it?"

"Worse than bad." Dillon's eyes were red but hard. Louie found a corner and settled in. Matt muttered. "Everyone better sit down."

Doc's frustration got the best of him, and he threw up his arms. "What's the surprise! With all the risks he took, did we really think he was going to grow old- sitting in a chair outside of the Long Branch in his passing years."

The room froze. His words were rougher than they'd ever heard out of the older man. Doc felt the stillness and he rubbed his mustache hard. "I'm a beast right now. My anger is taking over. My apologies."

Kitty reached for his hand and urged him to sit down. He let out breath and sat down beside her. "Okay Matt, tell us everything."

Matt gestured to the kid in the corner. "He showed up with Ruth earlier and he has quite a story. He says that Festus was hanged in a little town called Middleville two days ago. The kid is the sheriff's son just returning the dead man's things."

"Hanged?" Kitty said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry, Kitty," Matt said.

"What's the proof?" Doc leaned forward.

Matt picked up Festus' hat. "He brought in his hat, mule, and his badge. Can you imagine Festus willingly giving these things up?"

Doc reached for the badge and looked it over. "There should be a missing point on the badge. Drove him crazy. Remember how he wanted you to order a new one until you told him that the missing point made it the most unique badge in the territory."

Matt nodded. "I looked for the missing point first thing. It's there."

Doc closed his eyes.

Matt sighed. "It's worse than that. I worried over telling you the whole truth of it, but you gotta know. It was a vigilante group. They pulled him out of the jail before any trial could happen. They hung him from the nearest tree."

"Why?" Louie clutched the bottle and shook his head. "Why?"

"They thought he was the farm family killer. The kid says he showed up with whiskers and blood on his shirt. Apparently, they were on the lookout for a description of a rough looking character with a beard. The blood was a bonus."

Rip continued, "My pa, the Sheriff, approached him, and he got real surly- pulled a gun. Pa had to put a bullet in his leg."

"That's not like Festus," Newly said.

"That's not enough evidence! 5 out of any 10 men ride into town look like that. And Festus probably pulled a gun because he was being threatened." Kitty was on her feet.

Matt softened and pointed at the kid. "Middleville is small according to Rip. They weren't used to strangers, and they were on edge about the killer."

"You're defending this!" Doc's eyes were wet and angry.

"Not for a minute, Doc. But I can just imagine what they thought of Festus coming into town looking kind of scruffy like he does."

"You!" Kitty pointed at the kid. "Did you see him?"

The towheaded young man looked up. "Yeah. He had blood on his shirt when he came into town, and he was coming from the direction of the last family killing. With him drawing his gun, we had more than enough to move forward. We're just waiting for confirmation that he was a Deputy. Thought you might ride up and help us make sense of it, but the wires to Dodge were down again."

"So, your pa let a group of hotheads hang him!" Doc barked.

"It wasn't his fault. He tried to stop it but there were too many of them!" Rip retorted.

Newly looked at Matt. "I checked Ruth like you said. He's got an open wound on the right front forelock. I know how Festus attends to him. I'm sure he was nursing it something fierce. That could account for the blood on his shirt."

"This is unbelievable!" Doc yelled and pointed at the kid. "Your people hanged one of the best men in Kansas- one of the sweetest men too. There is no way he was your family killer."

Rip looked like he wanted to shrink into the chair. "I was only sent to bring his belongings. It's a courtesy that I am here at all."

"Usually done by the Sheriff himself," Matt snorted. "This is not the respect Festus deserves."

Rip straightened. "You all act so shocked, but sometimes a man just goes bad, and I figure that's what happened to your deputy."

Matt was one of the biggest men in the territory and when he leaned into Rip pointing a long finger, the intimidation factor was significant. "Festus Haggen didn't go bad. I'm not going to tell you that again, boy. Festus was a decent, honest man who would never hurt innocent people. Your town went wild and made a mistake- a big mistake. You killed a good man."

Kitty shook her head, her mouth quivering. "This is the worst kind of nightmare."

Doc folded his hand over hers.

"We got to think about what to do next." They all looked at Louie in the corner, still clutching his bottle but looking as clear eyed as they'd ever seen him.

Matt nodded. "I've thought that through. I'm going to ride for Middleville tonight. I need to get a few things straight."

"Bring back his body, Matt," Kitty said. "We need to give him the burial he deserves."

"That's on my agenda."

Doc's brows went up. "What else is there to do? Can you make arrests on the vigilante group? I'd like to see that happen."

"Finding a vigilante group isn't hard but figuring who did what and when and getting folks to testifiy…" Matt shook his head. "I want to do something even better. I want to find the farm family killer. I want to make sure that Festus' name is never brought up in the same sentence as that killer."

Kitty wrinkled her brow, "I didn't think of that."

Rip nodded. "As soon as the wires clear, my pa is going to send out wires to every county in Kansas saying that the farm family killer has been caught."

Doc sighed. "The nightmare is getting bigger."

"Exactly. That's why it's important for me to get up there and clear his name." Matt was already up and reaching for his saddlebags.

Louie nodded. "That would be important to Festus. It would be a fitting legacy."

"Can we keep it from people for a little while?" Kitty was teary. "I have to live in that saloon. This is all people are going to be talking about for weeks. You know Nathan Burke; somehow he'll make this about Festus' character. He'll wonder what Festus did wrong. He'll maybe even buy into the story about him being the farm family killer. Other people will too. I don't think I can take it."

"I wish we could, Kitty," Matt said. "But even without the telegraph, people leaving Middleville will be talking about this with everyone they meet. It will be all over town within a couple of days."

"I'll help out, Miss Kitty," said Louie. "I'll stay sober until everything is settled. I'll make sure that nobody bothers you."

Most days it was hard to take Louie seriously, but Kitty was struck by how his tone was so clear and firm. She didn't believe he could stay sober that long but she knew he would try. "Thanks Louie."

Doc nodded as he got up and extended a hand to Kitty. "We're going to all have to help one another."

Matt caught Kitty's eye. He knew he should ask her to stay behind so he could comfort her, but he couldn't seem to form the words. He'd invested too much of his anger into getting on the trail and making a horrible situation somewhat palatable. He didn't know how to be focused on avenging Festus and being soft with Kitty at the same time. Barely making eye contact, he mumbled, "I'm sorry, Kitty." The words stood for so many things.

…

TBC