A/N: Sorry it took so long. I have been out of town. I hope you like it and keep reading. I love hearing from you. Sheila
Chapter 5
…
Sam work early as was his custom. He liked to shuffle off to Delmonico's for a coffee and some eggs. Then he would sit in the Long Branch and sip coffee and wait for Miss Kitty to rise. He sat down in his favorite chair and worked at managing the hot cup. The eggs had settled in him, and it was about this time that Miss Kitty would come down in her dressing gown. She always made her own coffee; a special blend he particularly enjoyed. As he was relaxing, he noticed a piece of paper on the bar. The fastidious Sam knew that it had not been there the night before. He got up, abandoning the hot cup, and picked it off the bar. It was addressed to him and written in Miss Kitty's neat cursive. He blinked at the contents and groaned.
"What's going on, Sam?"
He turned to see Louie at the doors. Sam was still getting used to a sober Louie. Sober Louie still spent much of his day at the bar sitting as solemnly as he did when he was drunk. Mostly, he sat studying the contents of whatever abandoned paper he could find. Once he absorbed everything, sober Louie would lean forward and impart the news of the day to him. Sam was beginning to think of him as the town scholar.
"Miss Kitty left me a letter," Sam said holding up the note.
"May I inquire as to its contents?" Louie said as he sat down in a chair and opened the pages of the St Louis Dispatch.
Sam thrust the note at him. "Here you read it. I'm not quite sure what to do."
Louie pointed it at the light streaming through the doors and cleared his throat. "Dear Sam, By the time you read, I will be two hours gone on the stagecoach to Middleville. With the exception of you, all of my favorite boys are gone, and I am left with little information as to what's happening. I am not the delicate creature you think I am. I don't know how long I will be gone but I know you will take good care of my saloon while I am gone. Please tell people I am off to Wichita to visit friends. Kitty Russell." Louie shook his head. "I'm worried that they're all in trouble."
"Don't think bad thoughts, Louie."
Louie nodded.
"You read the part where Kitty wants us to say she went to Wichita. Can you do that? If she wants us to keep her cover, we need to do that, okay?"
Louie smiled. "I can do that, Sam."
Sam slapped him on the back. "Alright, Partner. You and I are holding down things here in Dodge City."
….
The fire burned in his side. A bullet had creased his ribs so he was lucky in a sense; there was no bullet that needed digging out. Outside of that, every step his horse took was pure agony. Stupid ranchers. They'd stuck some child in the hay loft with a gun, and the boy shot him before he could reciprocate. He'd taken a piece out of pa, and he could've made the mission work for him if it wasn't for the bullet. But the bullet quickly drained his energy and he was forced to bid a hasty retreat.
Any ordinary man would park himself next to a creek, lay out bedding, and let his body take time to heal, but Andy didn't have that kind of luxury. The family would've sent someone into town by now. There would be a posse, and he wasn't riding nearly fast as a man oughta' to outrun a situation like that. The only thing to do was to keep pressing his horse forward until he could get back to Middleville.
…
Newly woke to a rising sun after a mere two hours on the cot they put up on the porch for him. The whole night was a blur. He spent half the time trying to convince the family he knew doctoring, and then the other half of the night digging a bullet out of the father with the rest of the family hanging over his shoulder. Once he got the bullet out and the wound cleaned, everyone started feelin the terror that had settled within their bones. He tried to get a good description of the killer, but everyone's memory pictured him so differently. It was almost impossible to get a good picture; people even disagreed on the horse.
The boy who had been in the hay loft and shot the killer seemed to experience the memories in a different way. He was more calm and less emotional. He'd also had a good view of the man. When he gave Newly his description of the man, it seemed like it was coming from a more studied place. Newly wrote down the boy's description and decided to focus on searching for a young man wearing a hat, a buckskin vest, and black pants on a sorrel horse.
"You doing okay, Mr. Obrien."
Newly whirled around to see the matriarch of the family in her dressing gown. "I'm good, ma'am. How are you?"
"I feel like we lived a whole year in the last 24 hours." She folded her arms tightly against her chest. "I feel bad for the young'uns. They cried most of the night. I gave up on sleep. Came down here to watch the sun."
"I should get going, Ma'am. I have a lot of tracking to do." Newly gathered up items and shoved them in his knapsack.
"You'll eat first. Who knows when you get another homecooked meal." Without waiting for a reply, she headed into the kitchen. Newly could hear the distinct sounds of pans and pots moving about and then the sizzle of lard skating across a hot pan. He couldn't ignore the feeling in his belly once those kitchen noises started.
He got up and went inside. She was right about him needing food on his stomach. He'd be able to beat off the sleeplessness if he had a full gut.
….
Marshall stood on the porch and watched the Tompkins boys try to finish plowing a field before dark took them. These kids impressed him. John Henry, Louis, and Maggie were working harder than most farmers he knew in an effort to make this work. The little girls needed more parenting, but then they all would benefit for an adult in their lives.
A man rode up to the boys as dusk was descending. Matt fingered his gun. He'd felt an active sense of danger since riding into Middleville and he was just waiting for it to reveal itself. The man got off the horse and took an authoritative stance with the boys. Matt could see the tension in how the boys stiffened. John Henry's body was showing Matt that he wanted the man to live, but the man was persistent. Finally, after minutes of arguing, John Henry pointed at Matt on the porch. The man got back on the horse and galloped in his direction.
He felt a presence behind him and turned. A weary Doc Adams was there. "Doc, is he okay? Do you have news?"
"No," Doc said. "He's breathing. Not much else to say. That surgery took three hours. That's a long time without the proper equipment. I'm just waiting for him to wake…if he can."
"Festus is a fighter. My money is on him."
Matt then looked back on the farmyard and pointed at the approaching rider. "I suspect this one is from the Stevens Ranch. I wonder how they would react if they knew that Festus Haggen was alive."
Doc growled. "I don't like Middleville."
"Me neither."
The rider rushed up and slowed at the porch. "Are you the Marshal?"
Matt nodded.
"Why are you staying with these kids?"
Matt took a breath. "Let's start with who you are and why are you here?"
"I'm Tom Stevens of the Stevens Ranch. Middleville is a close-knit community. We care about our citizens. I want to make sure you're not taking advantage of this family."
"Well, you don't have to worry. The kids are fine."
"The younger boy told us that there's a sick man in the house. Who is he?"
Doc started to say something, but Matt held him back. "Whoever is in the house is not your concern."
Tom got off his horse. "I think I'm going to go check on the girls."
Doc moved to catch him at the door, but Matt grabbed his arm. "We haven't asked these kids to lie. They have to live here long after we're gone. They need to make their own choices."
Tom started to open the door, but John Henry and Louis jumped the stairs and held him back. John Henry yelled, "Stay out of our house, Stevens!"
Matt intervened. "John Henry, if you don't want him in the house, I'll take care of this."
Stevens strained against Dillon's grip. "I got a right. If you can't make a go of it, but Pa has a first right at your property."
"Seriously," Doc said. "That's unethical. It's in your best interest to find problems in this house so you can have the property."
John Henry blurted out. "That's what Sheriff Dixon said. He told you and your Pa to stay away from us."
Stevens was still pulling at his restraints. "I didn't come here to check up on you. Louis, you told me that there was a wounded man in the house. I want to make sure you all are safe."
John Henry glared. "We don't need your help. We got the Marshal. We're just fine."
"Okay, that's it." Marshal pushed him off the porch and followed him, goading him on until he mounted his horse. Matt slapped the horse on the flank and it took off.
"There's going to be more trouble," Doc said.
Matt nodded. "I know. I can feel it in my bones."
John Henry approached. "Thanks for the help."
"The Stevens have always wanted your land?"
John Henry nodded. "Even before Pa died. We have a real good fishing creek. Those Stevens want it for their cattle."
"Well, you boys go get ready for supper. I haven't seen anyone working as hard as you two."
The boys disappeared into the small house. Matt turned to Doc. "I got a wild bad feeling about that Stevens family."
"Me too." Doc peered into the haze of dusk and pointed at the road. "I think there's a rider coming. You figure Stevens is coming back?"
Matt pulled out his gun and squinted. "I can't make him out. Something is off about the shape of him. Almost seems that there's two of them on that horse."
For a couple of tense minutes, they stood and watched the rider come their direction. Then the horse hit the yard and Matt relaxed. "It's Sheriff Dixon."
"Who's that on the back of his horse?"
Matt squinted and then his heart dropped into his belly. "By golly Doc, I think that's Kitty."
….
He crawled into a cave in the canyon after hiding his horse in a grove heavy with trees. It wasn't ideal, but that crease in his side was burning hard. He lay on the cold, clammy ground and stared at the rock above. If he'd been feeling right, he would make a fire and then check the crannies of this cave for snakes and other varmints, but that was not his situation. He was just going to have to hope it was an empty cave.
Lying on the ground, staring up, gave him time to think on the last few months. Killing people had always been his destiny. He didn't care for the valuables other than grabbing one for a souvenir at each homestead. Killing made him feel like a king- a King of the world. It gave him huge feeling of power. He knew better than telling anyone about these thoughts. People had been thinking he was strange his whole life. Early on, he learned to keep his thoughts to himself.
For a long time, killing animals satisfied him. Domestic animals went to a place of fear quicker than the wild ones. They didn't anticipate death in the same way that a wolf might so killing them satisfied him plenty. Pa put a stop to that. The thirst for killing people grew when Pa sent him off East, thinking it would cure him of his urges. As crowded as it was out there in Pennsylvania, there were still plenty of opportunities to crowd a man or woman into an alley and take a knife to them. He boasted a total of 5 dead before school officials sent him packing for home. He wasn't sure if they knew about his missions or were just disappointed with his grades. The truth of it didn't matter to him. He was a rich man's son, and Pa did a lot to protect him.
Killing on a prairie was a new thrill for him. For the first time, he had opportunity to kill children. Their terror was as exciting as he'd ever experienced. It was these memories that he accessed when he took time to think on his work and enjoy the results. Nothing yet was as satisfying as riding in and shooting just as people got up to greet him. He took his time with these missions, making sure he left the children for last.
If he could beat the posse, he was heading back home to where his Pa could make the earth move to keep him safe. There was another reason for heading back. He knew of a farm of orphaned children that were ripe for the taking, and he'd been dreaming about those children since he'd heard the story of their Pa dying.
….
Newly was always learning something from the Marshal and Festus. Those two men could ride beyond losing all feeling in their backsides- sometimes for 24 hours, without doing more than watering their animals. Festus told him once that the trick was to care for the horse before yourself and to focus on the satisfaction of getting the bad guy. Newly was a good learner, riding his horse easy so that he could travel longer, and eating hardtack from his pocket like the Marshal did while he rode. His muscles had finally stopped screaming at him when they became too numb for feeling. He knew that once he got off the horse, he was going to be in a world of hurt.
The tracks weren't as good as he hoped. He came to an area in the trail where there was a number of different tracks, and he didn't have the expertise of either Festus or the Marshal to untangle them. He made the best choice he could, leaning on the feeling that the killer was moving north. The family said he was hit, but he didn't seem to be moving like no shot up man.
The Marshal was telling him just a week ago that there was something very off about this killer. He'd noted that the man wasn't interested in money as much as he was interested in hurting people. The Marshal told him he hadn't seen a killer like this in a very long time. Newly knew it was crucial that he follow this man until he could catch him. This man was the kind of killer people would be thinking of for generations. Newly knew to follow tracks until the dark didn't let him. Then he'd set up a cold camp- no fire- and wait until daybreak. In the morning, he would get up at first light, and follow again until he was close enough to grab this killer.
…
The first thing Matt Dillon wanted to do when a disheveled Kitty Russell slid off the back of the horse was to scold her. Having her here when the stakes were so high just felt like trouble. He was about to let her know that when Doc slapped his arm. "Don't screw this up," he hissed.
Matt had no chance to set the tone as Kitty started in with hands on her hips, "You two thought you could run off without giving me any idea of what was happening. You thought it would be fun for me to sit at the Long Branch with half the town coming in and asking me for news when I didn't know anything. It felt like every other day I was losing another member of my family. It's been agony for me."
"Don't say anything," Doc said to Matt. "I got this."
He reached for her hand and led her up the stairs of the porch. "We have something to show you."
She followed him as he led her into the house. Matt heard a cry and he knew she would be more than okay. He turned back to Dixon. "How did you find her?"
He shook his head. "She came on the stage. Walked five miles into town. Rip found her standing there on the boardwalk sticking out like a sore thumb. Lucky that Rip met her previously. He got her off the street and we hid her at my farm until I could get her out here. I didn't really know her motives so I didn't tell her anything."
"It's okay. She is one of us. Bringing her here was the right thing to do."
Dixon tipped his hat back. "You sure about that?"
"We'll make it work."
"Stevens is watching everything like a hawk right now. He's got those reporters coming in on tomorrow's stage."
Matt nodded at the hills. "His son, Tom, was just here trying to get information on an injured man in the home."
Dixon let out breath. "That ain't no good."
"I don't know where the danger is. Should we be riding out after the Farm Killer or are we fighting the Stevens family? Dixon, I need to understand more about what's happening."
"I wish I had answers for you, Marshal."
Matt kicked a post on the porch. "Please stay on Stevens. If I can get a sense as to his next move, it would help. Can you do that for me?"
"I got you, Marshall. I'll stop out tomorrow and we can make some decisions."
Matt nodded and headed for the door as the Sheriff rode off into the night. Inside, the room was bright with good feelings. Kitty had already found the littlest and she rode Lucy on her hip while she leaned over Festus. The other kids gathered around Doc as if wondering when the flow of guests would stop. The table was set spare, and there was Maggie at the stove trying to make the stew look more plentiful than it was. She pulled out fine looking biscuits but her brothers' hands immediately grabbed at them so she shoved them back in the oven.
Kitty looked at him with tears. "Thank you for this."
"These kids saved him, Doc operated on him, and I'm merely riding herd over this bunch."
She handed Lucy to him, and then kissed him on the cheek. "You protected him."
Pammy squealed. "Mr. Festus just looked at me!"
Doc hurried over and shooed the kids away. He knelt down before Festus as the man blinked his eyes open. His mouth moved. "I smell Miss Kitty's perfume."
Doc smiled. "You do at that."
"Am I going to make it?"
"Well, you have the best doctor in the West."
Festus choked. "I knowed you was going to say that."
Doc patted his back. "Don't do too much. You need rest."
"Miss Kitty," Festus squeaked. "These is the best kids you're ever going to know."
With Lucy back in her arms, she kneeled in front of him again, stroking his face with her free hand. "I'm going to learn all about them. I want to know everything about what happened. Especially, I need to know how we so blessed as to have you with us again."
He moved his head back and forth. "I got questions too, Miss Kitty. Matthew is worried about things I don't understand."
Doc gently pulled her up. "What if you all have dinner on the porch- like a picnic. I want my patient to get some sleep now."
Maggie's eyes widened at the notion, but Matt patted her on the shoulder. "You're the boss. You just tell me where to put things."
…
Sleeping arrangements were getting to be complicated. It made sense for Doc to stay with Festus, and the kids in their regular spots, leaving Kitty and Matt on the porch. Matt was waiting for calls of impropriety, but everyone was too tired to notice. Matt wrangled a buffalo fur from the closet and spread it down on the porch boards. He lay down next to her and pulled an old Indian blanket over both of them.
She looked at him. "Really? How will it look when one of those sweet kids comes out and sees me in your arms."
"Once I have answered all your questions, I'll move off, and we'll look right proper."
She slid into his arms. "I bet you $10 that we wake up like this."
"I'll take that bet," he said kissing her neck softly. "I am so sorry."
She leaned in. "For what?"
He stopped his ministrations and looked her in the eyes. "For everything, starting from when that kid brought Ruth into Dodge. I was…distant, cold."
She nodded. "Men often can be at times of grief."
"A man still knows when to hold his woman tight and tell her everything is going to be alright. I think I was so full of anger that I forgot about you. I apologize for that."
"How is he alive?" She pushed the hair off his forehead.
"He was bushwhacked. And then this little town killed his bushwhacker. Nobody except us, the kids, and Sheriff Dixon know he's alive."
She furled her brows at him. "The secret is important, isn't it?"
"There is a powerful family. I haven't tangled with them much, but I have a sense that they would go to a lot of trouble to finish the job on Festus."
"This is crazy!"
"I know. This family, The Stevens, have reporters coming in, and they are focused on telling a story of how a small town caught and executed the Family Killer. Having the real Festus show up in the middle of that would be bad."
"Okay, so what do we do?"
"This is where it really gets complicated. The family knows I am harboring someone in this house. I'm worried how far they'll go to know more. I worried about these kids. They're in the middle of our madness, and don't even know the half of it. I'm going to have to make a move soon, and I'm worried about the collateral damage."
"What do you need from me?"
Matt sighed deeply. "I need you to help get Festus on his feet, and I need you to help me protect this little family of orphans who are so busy playing grown-up."
"I know you wish I wasn't here."
"I worry about you." His hands circled her waist. "I don't want you mixed up in this."
She opened his shirt and slid her hands inside. "You can't have everything you want. And don't you dare go selling me short. I will be an asset. Just you watch."
"I can't lose you." Matt said as he settled his head onto her bosom.
She chuckled. "You just rest, Matt. Part of my job is taking care of my man. You just rest."
"I want you, Kitty."
I know, Tiger. You always do," she said patting his face. "But tonight is for holding and being grateful."
He got quiet for a long moment, and then a gentle snore rose from the Marshal. She smiled because she loved that rocky snore and for the first time in a week, she had her guys back.
…
Andy woke hard, blinking into a noon sun. He'd slept way too long. He tried to sit up and his side exploded in pain. Holding it tightly, he got to his knees. The sun told me that he slept more than half a day, and that was bad news. He was surprised that there wasn't a posse on top of him by now. With many grunts of pain, he scrambled the height of the rock and found a safe spot. He would fight it out from here if he had to. He could see most of the canyon floor from here. He studied the landscape for dust being kicked up. It was the best way to spot riders.
There was no big dust which meant there was no posse, but there was a small stream of dust suggesting a single rider, and this rider was only about 1000 yards away. Too far away to shoot, but when the man got closer, Andy would have him.
It felt like it took the man hours to be in range, and when he got him spotted through the scope, he didn't look like much- an average man wearing white. Pa had given him the most expensive rifle on the east coast. It was a beautiful weapon built especially for the long-range work he was doing now.
He loved shooting it especially when he was close enough to see the fear on their faces. He wouldn't have that luxury with this one. He needed to poach him and move. He steadied it and focused on the man's belly. Gut shots were often killers and men took forever to die. He slowly counted to three and squeezed. The man on the horse jerked and then fell backwards off his horse. He didn't know if it was a lethal shot, but there was no time for checking. He shimmied down that rock and grabbed his gear. He wouldn't stop again until Middleville was in sight.
…
TBC