False Witness

by J7339

Henry Williams has employed someone to ensure that an important timber contract comes to him rather than the Cartwright family. Joe is about to find himself in a dangerous situation with no way of escaping.

3. CHAPTER 3

FALSE WITNESS



Adam stood by the stair case banister, worriedly running his hands through his black hair. He had been impatiently waiting for Paul Martin to examine his unconscious brother. He had gone into Virginia City at a frightening pace after the family had found the prone Little Joe in the closet.

By the time Paul arrived, Ben and Hoss had managed to carry Joe to his room. The boy still didn't make any movements or signal that he was regaining consciousness. The darkening bruises stook out in stark contrast to his pale skin.

Ben was still with the Doctor in Little Joe's room.

The only thing that was going around in Ben's mind at the moment was the few words that had been written on the piece of paper found on Joe. The words not only seemed to echo in his mind tenfold, but they shouted at him and reminded him of how he had failed his son. He had left the boy virtually alone and the unthinkable had happened. Somebody had broken into their house, locked Hop Sing up so that he couldn't help and then proceeded to torture and assault the boy some more. The burden of guilt was almost too much to bear.

Ben found himself asking the What If's and the If I had only. Adam and Hoss, and even Hop Sing had come to tell Ben that there was no way he could have known that somebody would be waiting to come and hurt Little Joe again.

Ben had wanted to be in the room with Little Joe as Paul tended his new injuries and checked the older ones, but Paul had seen the harrowing look on his old friend's face. He had wanted to examine his patient alone but didn't dare ask the question at the moment as he glanced briefly at Ben again. Paul could see the shadows of guilt and the hint of doubt cross Ben's dark brown eyes. He just hoped that the evening's tragic events hadn't made the psychological scars on Little Joe any deeper than before.

Paul now emerged from Joe's room with his bag in hand, and descended the stairs. He could feel two sets of inquiring eyes in front of him as he reached the first landing and Ben's coming from behind him. He waited until he reached the bottom before giving his full diagnosis.

"He's going to be alright Ben" Paul said, putting a firm reassuring hand on Ben's shoulder. "He has a couple of new bruises to add to his collection and the skin around his wrists is a little red and chafed from his bonds. I have rubbed some moisturising cream into them and they should be fine in a day or so. The bruises will fade in time."

"Has he come to yet Doc?" Hoss said, deeply concerned that Joe had been knocked unconscious again.

"Briefly Hoss, but then went back to sleep. I checked him over carefully. The blow he received doesn't seem to caused any lasting effects so I let him go back to sleep. He is mentally exhausted. When he did wake up he was immediately looking around the room to see who else was in the room. I am afraid to say that whatever good work we were able to do over the last day or so, all of it has just been undone and we are back to where we were when he was first brought home. It is going to take even longer now to coax him out of his shell and get him gaining some self-confidence again."

Ben saw Paul to the door and bid him goodnight in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Should one of us stay with him tonight Pa?" Adam now asked as they all prepared to retire for the night.

Ben sighed loudly and thought hard for a moment. It took every ounce of gumption he had to say "No son. As much as my heart says to, we have to try and keep to the doctor's advice. All of my body tells me that he shouldn't be left alone tonight, but then there is this little voice talking in my head that says we need to do what's best for Joseph in the long run. If we get too close to him and smother him then we are likely to push him away and he will withdrawn into himself like before." he explained.

"I don't mean that we don't check on him during the night and be there at a minute's notice though" Ben added knowing that if Joe needed him during the night he nor his brothers would hesitate in being there to help him through his fears.

Hoss and Adam watched their father walk up the staircase with dejection in his posture. They both knew that the next couple of days ahead before the trial were going to be rough. Especially on the eldest and youngest in the household.

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The next morning, Ben was seated at the table early as usual, but this morning he had two reasons for being up. One was the imminent arrival of Fred Harding on the stage. Ben and he would need to spend most of the day going over the steps and procedures of the trial the day after tomorrow. Once they had worked out a strategy, the biggest hurdle would be explaining the need to testify to Little Joe. That was going to be the toughest of all jobs.

Secondly, Ben had laid awake most of the night anyway, listening for the slightest noise to come from his son's room and give him and excuse or alibi for going into his son's room and carry on a night long vigil.

On the couple of occasions that Ben had gotten up and check on Joseph, the young man was sleeping soundly enough. There was some minor moans and tossing of his head on the pillow indicating that he was dreaming of something. But other than that, there was no thrashing about or shouting by Joe.

Ben turned around and was about to exit the bedroom when he run into his eldest son, who was coming into the room. Both of them smiled at each other sheepishly but Ben continued back to his bedroom and Adam satisfied himself that his brother was okay and then headed back to his own room. Both of them heard the larger, more distinct footsteps of the larger Cartwright not more than half an hour later doing some checking of his own on his younger brother.

All four Cartwrights then slept the remainder of the night away without interruption.

Ben was sipping at his coffee when Adam and Hoss came down to the breakfast table. He was determined to talk to Joseph about what had happened the previous night before he left for Virginia City to meet with Fred Harding. He glanced up at the closed bedroom door and knew that he would probably have to disturb his slumbering son in order to talk to him. Joe wasn't likely to wake on his own for another hour or so and that would leave things to late to meet the stage.

Adam and Hoss had both offered to and meet the attorney instead of Ben, but their father had made it clear that he wanted to meet the solicitor first and get first hand knowledge about just how the trial was going to take place. He also knew that Fred would need to be told about what had happened to Joe since the telegram.

Ben drained what was left in his cup and now made his way to the stairs and climbed up towards his son's room. Adam and Hoss both watched their father go to their brother. Neither of them said a word as they both tried to contemplate what their brother's demeanour would be that morning.

When he first entered the room, Ben had opened and closed the door very quietly so as not to wake Joe. He admonished himself quickly though and wondered why he was doing such a thing when the whole purpose of him coming into the room was to wake his sleeping son.

Ben felt a lump rise in his throat and had second thoughts about his little talk as he gazed down at the bed and saw Joe laying facing him. His features were completely relaxed at the moment and he looked impossibly younger than his 16 years. Ben told himself that he couldn't delay it any longer.

"Joe" Ben said quietly at first as he rubbed the back of his hand gently against his son's cheek. Joe didn't respond at first so he repeated the process and was rewarded with a soft mumble and Joe turning his head slightly at the voice talking to him.

Ben gave his son a few minutes to continue waking on his own. Joe moved his head a few more times and brought one of his hands up to his forehead. It was at this stage that his mind registered that his hands were no longer restrained. His eyes flew open and he tried to sit up in a hurry and look about the room.

He put the hand to his head again to stop the giddiness that he immediately felt. After the spinning had stopped, Joe looking down intently at his hands again. Turning them over back and forth, trying to comprehend that they were tied up with ropes still. There was a slightly red ring around each wrist and a chafing feeling to them but otherwise they looked unharmed. Joe stared at the rings and knew that they represented the torment that he had been forced to live through once again.

He was lost in his own thoughts for a minute and only acknowledged his father's presence as he brought his hands up to the bruise on his jaw line and looked directly at Ben at the same time. For what seemed the longest time, both of them looked at each other without saying any words. Both of them spoke what they were feeling with their eyes. Joe's emerald green eyes spoke of fear and of being afraid. Ben's spoke of sadness for his son but also of the love he felt and understanding.

Joe's emotions then started to overwhelm him and he turned his head away and bit on his lip and he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. Ben brought his hand gently up to the opposite side of Joe's bruised jaw and turned the saddened face towards him again.

The tears now began tricking down his face and as they fell Joe felt himself lean into his father's chest and reach out for the security that he so desperately sought. Ben could scarcely hold back his own emotions, but was determined to be strong for his child in his time of weakness. He held his son with an embrace that displayed warmth, strength and power. Characteristics that Joe found himself lacking at the moment and relying on others to give him.

"I'm sorry son" Ben said as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through the back of Joe's hair in a soothing gesture.

"N-n-not .... not your fault Pa" Joe said as he tried to get himself under control and regain his composure.

"I would do anything to turn the clock back and stop that man from coming back in here Joe" Ben now said. "I promise you that I won't let anybody hurt you again".

Joe didn't say anything in reply to this. He heard his father's words and knew that his father believed in what he said. Unfortunately Joe couldn't believe in such things at the moment. He didn't even feel safe inside his own house at the moment. Thomas had proven that by literally just waltzing into his room in the night and taking him by force from his bed and tying him up. The torment hadn't stop there. After he found himself bound and gagged, Joe had then become Thomas's victim of terror again as he was placed in the darkened closet. Darkness was one of Joe's worst fears. Almost everybody that knew Joe also knew about his phobia. Being forced to face it in such terrifying circumstances had only made the fear seem more real to Joe.

"I have to go now and meet the stage Joe" Ben said as his mind kept track of the time. "I won't be gone long. I will make sure one of your brother's is here with you and helps you get breakfast and anything else you need".

Joe was tempted to say a few things to his father like "how about a gun to protect myself if he comes back" but refrained and just gave his father a wan smile in response.

"Thanks Pa" he said, the words almost feeling like a lie.

Ben still didn't feel right about getting up and leaving his son, but as he got up from the bed and looked back at Joe's forlorn expression, a noise behind him caused him to turn and come face to face with his eldest son Adam. Apparently Ben didn't need to worry too much about alerting his two eldest sons to look out for their younger brother or Hop Sing it seemed as Ben spied the tray of breakfast that Adam now set down on the bedside table.

"I will make sure he's okay until you get back Pa" Adam now said noticing his father's hesitation in leaving Joe to meet the stage.

"Are you going to bring Mr Harding back to the house?" Adam now asked changing the whole topic of conversation in the room.

"Who is Mr Harding?" Joe asked in a small voice as he wiped away the remaining tears from his face and tried to look stronger in front of his older brother. With all the happenings over the last couple of days and the blow to his head, the name Harding escaped Joe for a minute as to who he was. Joe found himself being cautious about any name he didn't immediately recognize.

"Fred Harding is the attorney who I have hired to be our lawyer when the court case starts Little Joe" Ben started to explain but saw his son immediately turn his head away as if not to hear anything about a court case. Ben sighed inwardly as he knew that this was probably the same ignorance that Fred was going to face when he started to question Joe about what happened when he was kidnapped.

"I will be back soon son" Ben said noticing that it was already getting too late to meet the stage on time. He gave a curt but grateful smile at Adam in appreciation and quickly walked down the stairs towards the front door.

"I saddled your horse for you Pa" Hoss said as he met his father at the door. Ben took his gun belt from the credenza and his hat from the rack behind the door. He opened the door and was about to step out when he glanced back up towards his youngest son's room again.

"Thanks Hoss" Ben said genuinely. "Make sure you keep a good eye on him for me while I am gone" he added already knowing that he didn't need to say such things.

"You bet Pa" Hoss said in reply. "I won't let anything happen to him". All three Cartwrights were feeling guilty that they hadn't been there for Little Joe when he needed them. It was also evident with Hop Sing too as Hoss turned and notice the man peering out from behind the kitchen doorway.

Adam sat talking to Joe for a while trying to entice the younger man to get something into his stomach. He tried not to focus his attention on the new bruises that marred Joe's handsome features. Those bruises were the result of him not being there for his younger brother. None of them had ever thought the man responsible for Joe's kidnapping would be so brazen as to break into their house in the night and attempt to take him again. The idea was almost beyond comprehension that there were men so callous and cruel out there. Adam silently promised himself that he wouldn't allow anybody to hurt his younger brother again.

Adam tried to make the conversation non intrusive and just routine chit chat at first. He tried to talk about anything else but what had happened to Joe last night.

Joe played with the scrambled egg on the tray for a few minutes. When he saw Adam watching him and almost hanging on to the thought that Joe was eating he managed to force two spoonfuls of the mixture into his mouth. He told his brain not to taste it as it went down and sat uncomfortably in his stomach. He was not about to take a third mouthful. Instead he now picked up the coffee on the tray and sipped at the hot liquid. It actually tasted quite good but the swallowing action made his jaw hurt and brought a grimace to his face at the pain that was hard to avoid.

"Sorry Adam, I guess I am just not very good company at the moment" Joe finally said. "Thanks for staying but you really don't need to. I think I would rather be alone with my thoughts for a while. I still feel a little tired and I can feel a headache starting."

"Do you want something for the pain?" Adam asked as he got up from the bed.

Joe shook his head in a negative response.

"Are you sure you want to be alone buddy?" he asked before exiting the door. He didn't think it was very good for Joe to be left alone with his thoughts. Left alone to brood on what had already been a harrowing experience for him. But he respected his brother's privacy enough to understand Joe wanting some time to think through things himself. Hopefully Pa wouldn't be too long anyway and he might be able to talk to Joe again about what happened.

"I am not really sure about anything anymore Adam" Joe said in a disinterested voice and turned away from his brother to hide the tears that threatened to spill again. He cursed himself for his weakness but couldn't help the overwhelming fear that was still very real in his mind.

Adam noted his brother's words sadly but didn't say anything in return and closed the door to go downstairs.

Hoss was just coming in from outside when Adam was descending the stairs.

"He alright up there?" Hoss enquired.

"No, and I really don't blame the kid after what he has been through" Adam said in defeat. "I think you and I need to sit down before Pa and Mr Harding get back and talk about what's going to happen at this trial."

"What do you want to talk about?" Hoss said as he watched Adam walk over towards the fireplace. Adam's normally dark brown eyes clouded over with thought as he put the words together in his head before answering the question. Hoss sat on the settee and waited for his brother to speak.

"After what happened last night, you and I need to think of an alternative strategy for security in the courtroom" Adam now said. "I know Sheriff Roy Coffee and Pa will be there as well as two lawyers and a packed public gallery. But after this man's obvious brazen efforts last night to Little Joe, I don't really trust any of them to be there in case Joe needs help again. I don't want to put a dampener on the whole thing. It is a court of law after all, but I don't really think that such a place would be a deterrent to somebody who wanted to get to Joe during the trial."

"What do you suggest we do?" Hoss asked plainly not really thinking about the court room being a place for threats to take place. "We can't take guns in there. Roy will be the only one with a gun in the whole place."

'I know. I know." Adam replied. "That's a hurdle that is going to be hard to get over. But somehow we have to come up with something. Even if we just make sure that we take note of everybody coming in and out. We need to keep a close eye on the whole procedure. Joe's safety has to be number one priority, no matter what Mr Harding and the Judge think."

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Ben had tried to get to Virginia City as fast as he could once leaving the house but was still enough to notice that the stage coach had already arrived and allowed the passengers to get out.

He hitched his horse at the railing and went to the stage coach to ask the driver about Mr Harding.

"Hi Stan" Ben greeted the driver who was busy unloading luggage and boxes from the top of the stage.

"Hi Ben, what brings you to town today?" the man asked in casual conversation.

"Looking for one of your passengers actually" Ben replied. "A Mr Fred Harding" he added hoping that the driver had kept a list or made a mental note of the passengers names.

"Yeah I seen the man you are looking for. All dressed up like a prize turkey" Stan said. Out here in these parts, any person dressed in a pin striped suit with vest and coat immediately became memorable. Virginia City folks were not usually as flash with their attire, especially when travelling by stage coach. "He walked over towards the hotel Ben".

"Thanks Stan" and turned away quickly, trying to catch up with his elusive passenger. It wasn't that he wanted to be rude to the driver, but he had more important things on his mind at the moment like the welfare of his youngest son and the trial that he was expected to give evidence about in couple of days.

Ben entered the hotel through the two French doors and waited for his eyes to adjust from the sunshine outside to the darkened lobby of Virginia City's International Hotel.

There were two gentlemen standing at the front reception desk inside the hotel. One was Fred Harding, the lawyer that Ben was looking for. The second man, unbeknowningly to Harding or Ben was the defence lawyer for Griffiths Mr Eugene Simpson. He was a little balding man with beady eyes and short in stature. Mr Simpson was unaware that the man standing beside him was to be his formable rival in the courtroom. He had heard of Harding's reputation as a very good prosecutor but had actually never laid eyes on him personally.

"Excuse me gentlemen" Ben said as he approached both of them, "My name is Ben Cartwright and I was due to meet a Mr Fred Harding at the stage." Ben had dealings with Harding in the past, but due to the distance of travel involved, had only met the lawyer on a couple of occasions. Those times had been quite some time ago as well so the recognition wasn't so forth coming.

The taller of the two men now turned and faced Ben "I am Fred Harding" the man replied and held out his hand towards him.

"It's been a long time Fred" Ben said as he tried to take in Harding's features and jog his memory. "I apologize for not being able to meet you at the stage"

"It's quite alright Ben, I was just arranging a room here at the hotel" Fred now said.

"I have had my hands full since sending you that telegram because we have had some major trouble with Joe back at the house last night" Ben said. It was now that he could see the shorter man at the reception desk becoming increasingly interested in what he and Fred had to say.

Fred turned at the frown on Ben's face and noticed Simpson immediately turn away as though he had not been interested in the reunion of the other two men.

"Let's go back to the Ponderosa and I will explain what has happened" Ben now suggested, hoping for more private surroundings.

"I will be back later on this afternoon clerk" Fred now informed the man behind the desk and took possession of his room key.

"There is plenty of room at the Ponderosa for you to stay Fred if you wish" Ben now offered.

"Thanks Ben, but during these sort of things I like to keep a room in the town just in case. You never know when you might need it. Thank you for the invitation. Let's go and meet this family of yours and talk about what is going to happen at the trial." Harding explained.

Ben went about hiring a mount for Fred from the livery stable once they left the hotel so that they could travel back to the ranch.

Most of the ride home was done in silence. Ben's thought were about what might be happening back at home and Fred's attention was focused on the landscape that they were riding through. He didn't get the chance to travel away very much and never to such remote townships like Virginia City. He couldn't help but think that sometimes the beauty of these small places was lost because people in the bigger towns and cities never knew about them.

Hoss and Adam heard the sound of horses approaching outside and went outside to greet their father and the lawyer. "Can I take your horse Sir" he asked in a respectful tone of Harding.

"Thank you kindly" Fred said as he dismounted and handed the reins to the overly large gentlemen in front of him. He had descriptions about the Cartwright boys over the years from Ben and his various communications, but those never did any real justice to the people he met in person.

"Fred Harding this is my middle son Eric, or as we like to call him "Hoss" Ben stated as he went through the formal introductions. Hoss looked sheepishly away at his real name being used. He was rarely called Eric by his family.

"Hoss it is then" Fred said in a friendly tone as he shook the large hand.

Adam now walked forward "Fred this is my eldest boy Adam" Ben now said as Adam shook Harding's hand in a firm but friendly manner.

"Mr Harding" Adam returned whilst looking the lawyer up and down and trying to gauge just how much assistance he was going to be able to give to his younger brother and his whole family during the difficult days ahead.

"A pleasure to finally put faces to the names I have heard all these years Ben" Fred said as he, Ben and Adam now walked towards the front door of the house.

"A very nice looking family you have Ben" Fred now said in general conversation as they entered the house and he gazed about at the sparse but tasteful decoration. It was obvious to anybody who walked into the main room of the house that this was a home occupied by all men. It wasn't messy or untidy, Hop Sing saw to that on a daily basis. But folk couldn't help but notice the lack of femineity with objects such as flowers in vases, and various other trinkets that could be normally seen on the mantel piece above the fire place.

"You haven't met my youngest son yet." Ben now said to Harding. "He is the whole reason I asked you to come out here. He has been through some very difficult times and we thought we had just turned a corner with his injuries healing when there was another incident last night."

"Little Joe was asleep last time I checked Pa" Adam now informed his father. Joe had been awake for most of the time Ben was away, but as the morning wore on his strength had been eroded away by fear. With his fresh injuries still causing him some discomfort and his older ones still reminding him of what he had been forced to endure, it didn't take long for the tiredness to creep back up on him again. He had been asleep for about half an hour when Fred Harding and his father rode into the yard.

"Leave him sleep Ben, I can meet him later and talk about what is going to happen at this trial" Fred said not wanting to disturb Joe for the time being. "While we are waiting for him to awake again, why don't you tell me about how much you know about what happened to him and what happened last night. We don't have very much time to prepare. The trial is only the day after tomorrow and we need to be ready"

Ben and his two eldest boys now seated themselves in the living room along with Fred Harding. Hop Sing was soon at their side serving hot cups of coffee and serving a various assortment of small sugar coated biscuits.

"Well this is what happened as far as we know Fred ...." Ben began. Fred slowly listened to his friend give a detailed description about the morning Joseph had left for school and not returned. He told him about finding the horses along the road to Virginia City and even showed him the contents of the ransom note. He finished up with telling Fred about the search that had been conducted and how they had found Joe and in what condition they had found him. They told him about Roy Coffee detaining Griffith's in Virginia City when he had possession of Joe's hand carved saddle bags and his denial of knowing who they belonged to.

"Little Joe is it?" Harding now asked, using the nickname that he had heard the family use in loving tones during the whole conversation.

"Yes, short for Joseph. I am afraid old habits die hard" Ben chuckled as he thought about how long Joe had that name. It seemed he had received it the very first day he was born into this world and probably would still have when he was a grey old man.

"Little Joe, how is he coping with what has happened to him. Has he sat down and had a heart to heart talk with any of you about what he experienced at this abandoned shack?" Fred asked turning the conversation back to a serious matter.

"Up until yesterday we thought he was doing pretty well" Ben began to explain. "He didn't blurt out the answers to our questions if that is what you are asking. But he seemed to be doing relatively well considering all. It was our family doctor Paul Martin who suggested that we let him find his feet on his own a little and let him regain some of his lost independence."

"Now tell me in detail what happened yesterday?" Fred asked, knowing that all the recent events were painful enough for the family to relive. He had been taking careful and accurate notes during the whole conversation in preparation for his trial.

Ben then proceeded to tell Fred about leaving Joe alone for the night with Hop Sing and having to meet the defence lawyer in Virginia City. He was quick to point out that the defence lawyer didn't turn up at the arranged time either. Ben then continued the story and included as much of Hop Sing's words as possible as he was the only one who had real first hand knowledge about what happened.

Fred Harding had been professional enough to keep his feelings to himself during the conversations. He shuddered inwardly at what the Cartwright's youngest had apparently endured. But now on hearing the account of what had happened only the day before with Thomas returning to scare his victim once more, his bones were chilled to the core about just what the boy had been put through. He could scarcely imagine how anybody could cope with the multitude of emotions that would have been the result of such harrowing experiences. He could see that he would have to use very gently hands with Joe during the trial.

"Do you think Joe might be awake now so that I can talk to him Ben?" Harding now asked. Ben looked at his watch and saw that what seemed only minutes during their conversation had actually been about two hours. Where did all the time go Ben asked.

"We can go and see Fred" Ben replied and they both got off their chairs and headed towards the staircase. Adam and Hoss remained seated in the living room. There would already be too many people in the room when their father and Fred got there. They were sure that Ben would alert them if they were needed later.

Ben went first and knocked lightly on the closed door to his youngest son's room. When he didn't receive an answer, he cautiously and quietly turned the door knob and opened the door, fully expecting that Joe was still asleep. He was a little confused and slightly alarmed when he could see the bed empty. He opened the door fully and walked into the room to make sure of things before he panicked for no reason. He gave a huge sigh of relief when he spotted Joe sitting on a chair by the window.

The window itself was still fully closed. After Thomas's break-in, Joe was ever more aware of having doors and windows locked. Just in case Thomas came back again. After the incident itself, Ben had gone to great lengths to ensure that there was always hands in the yard itself, ready and armed with their guns in case Thomas decided to try to get to Joe again. Despite all these genuine efforts of his father, Joe couldn't help but not feel safe in his own home. The curtains were drawn apart a fraction. Just enough to let some light into the room.

Joe now turned and jumped slightly at the sound of footsteps behind him. He had been lost deep within his own thoughts to hear anybody approach his room or knock on the door.

Ben saw the flinch and regretted not having given sufficient warning to his son. Joe's eyes were now squarely fixed on the stranger in the room. Fred could not help but feel that he was adding to the young man's anxiety. He could see Joe's eyes darting around the room. It took all of his willpower for Joe to finally look at Fred, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Joseph this is Mr Harding. He is going to be the prosecutor and your attorney for the trial in a couple of days" Ben now informed his son. His gaze never left Little Joe's face as he tried to gauge the boy's physical and mental state.

"Nice to meet you Joseph" Fred said as he stepped forward and offered a handshake, "I just wish it we were meeting under better circumstances," he added.

"Hello Mr Harding" Joe said in a quiet voice as he gave a somewhat evasive handshake "Please call me Joe."

"Joe, Mr Harding wants to talk to you about what is going to happen at the trial. He may need to make some notes about what you can remember..." Ben left the sentence incomplete. He didn't want to add words like kidnap and ransom at this stage but they couldn't delay the process much longer.

"There's not much to tell" Joe said and then turned back towards the window, turning his face away from his father and the attorney. He didn't want to give his true feelings away by having them written all over his face. "I didn't see a real lot." he finally added. He knew that Harding would need more than those few words as to what happened.

Ben was about to say something to Joe about co-operating as much as possible when Fred silently held up his hand to halt him for a moment. Fred knew that Joe was a very scared and possibility angry young man right now no matter how much he tried to hide it. He would need to take a different approach to get any information and he would have to tread incredibly carefully.

Fred walked over towards the window and stood beside Joe for a minute looking out the window. He didn't say a word. He wanted Joe to try and make the first move.

"Nice weather we are having at the moment" Fred now commented as he gazed out the window. He knew that the weather outside was the furthest thing from Joe's mind at the moment but it was meant to get the boy to open up, even just a little about the world around them.

"I suppose so" Joe replied in an uninterested voice. "What difference does the weather have with anything?"

Fred knew from that statement that his young client was not in the mood for small talk and so changed his tactics again. He now turned towards Joe to speak.

"I am going to try and help you as much as I can at the trial Joe" Fred said. Joe now turned towards the lawyer with doubt in his eyes. "But I need you to help me to do it" he said in a very gentle voice. He placed a hand on the boy's slim shoulders for reassurance.

Joe now looked over towards his father as if to verify what Fred was saying to be true. He wanted to believe, he really did. But the demons that plagued him at night and the memories that haunted him during the day prevented him from having faith in the people that wanted to help him the most.

Ben took no time at all to nod his head in acknowledgement to Fred's statement and now walked over to his son and placed a comforting arm around his shoulders. "We are all here to help you Joe."

Joe now sighed heavily, and walked over towards his bed. He sat on the foot end of the bed and looked up at Fred and asked "What do you want to know?" Deep down inside all he could hear was the sound of Thomas's words echoing about what would happen to him if he revealed his kidnapper's identity.

Ben sat on a chair beside Joe, ready to support his son wherever he needed it. Fred now sat on the other chair in the room a little away from both Ben and Joe. He pulled out a note book from his briefcase and a pen to make his notes.

"How much do you remember about what happened to you Joe?" Fred asked firstly.

"Not much. They knocked me out when they took me from the road and I didn't wake up until I was at the shack. I was hit on the head, so I don't remember very much at all after being taken to the shack." Joe answered. This sounded like a most plausible reason for the lack of information he was willing to give to the attorney.

Fred's mind though was already taking in certain words that Joe said and turning them into questions "You said "they" do you mean more than one person took you from your family Joe?

Joe silently kicked himself a little at the man's quick intellect "Um, well when I was at the shack, they keep me in a little room so I couldn't escape but I heard more than one voice" Joe said as his brain tried to come up with the evasive answers.

"Okay, so there was more than one" Fred confirmed. "Are you able to tell us anything about their description Joe. What they were wearing, what they looked like, any distinguishing marks?"

Joe's face paled slightly at the mention of 'distinguishing marks" as his mind took him back to the shack when he had been face to face with Thomas. The scar. He would never forget that scar as long as he lived.

Ben saw his son's colour pale and was immediately concerned, although he couldn't figure out what had caused such a reaction in his son. Maybe Joe remembered the men who took him more than they all thought.

"Are you okay Joe" Fred asked before continuing any further.

Joe couldn't find his voice as he battled to control his fear and regain his composure, so he simply nodded his head to say that he was okay. It was far from true but he nodded anyway.

"Um.... I can't really tell you anything about them because I was blindfolded when I woke up in the shack" Joe finally said. Ben handed him a glass of water from the bedside table to get his voice back.

For the next twenty minutes, Fred tried a number of other questions to try and establish what Joe knew or didn't know about the men who took him. Especially about the man on trial, Danny Griffiths. But Joe was just as determined to be evasive about the questions as when he started. He didn't want to deliberately lie to the lawyer or his father, but he knew he couldn't tell them anything about Thomas that would identify him.

'You know what will happen if you tell' Thomas's voice kept reminding him over and over again.

By the end of the time, Fred gave Ben a look that signalled he was finished with the interview for the time being. Both men knew that Joe was trying his best not to remember what happened. Neither of them blamed him for not wanting to relive the horror of his entrapment. But neither of them wanted to go into the courtroom unprepared either. Griffith's attorney wasn't going to be lenient towards Joe no matter how much or an ordeal the boy had been forced to endure.

By now Ben could also see that although the interview had only taken a few minutes, the strain of such an array of emotions during that time had drained Joe's already depleted energy levels and fatigue was beginning to show on the young man's features.

"I will let you talk to Joe alone Ben and I will meet you downstairs." Fred now said as he got up and prepared to go back downstairs. "Thank you Joe. You did very well. Don't worry about a thing. Everything will run smoothly at the trial."

Once Fred had left the room, Joe looked at his father expecting to see disappointment on his face. He was surprised though to see his father looking at him with love and understanding.

"I tried to remember Pa. I really did, but there are a lot of things that just aren't clear in my mind" Joe lied.

"I know you tried your best Joseph. But right now you need to rest again. The trial is only in a couple of days and is not going to be a very pleasant experience. You leave the courtroom stuff to Mr Harding and me for a while. You just concentrate on resting and healing yourself."

"Thanks Pa" Joe said genuinely. Somehow even when he felt rotten inside, his father had a way of making him feel a little better.

Joe could also tell that his body was still very tired and demanded rest. Without protesting, he now moved back fully onto the bed. A little awkwardly because of his injured leg but finally he managed to lay down and rest his head on the pillow. He had the beginnings of a headache and the softness of the pillow seemed to soothe the throb just a little. He sighed loudly again and wondered how he was going to get through all of this.

He closed his eyes whilst he pondered the question but drifted into a fitful doze before the answer came to him.

Ben stood there for a moment, his own emotions in turmoil about how to help his young son. He wanted to wrap his arms around the boy tightly and make him understand that everything would be alright, but right now that would probably only serve to drive the boy further into himself. He caressed the boy's forehead gently for a few minutes until he was sure that Joe was asleep and he then quietly left the room.

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Fred Harding had patiently waited downstairs to talk to Ben and his boys together about the trial. Whilst Ben had been tending to Joe, Fred had told Adam and Hoss about the small questions they had asked Joe about what he remembered about the incident. Fred told Adam and Hoss that he knew Joe was being evasive in his answers and really not wanting to retell his tale to anybody.

"He's asleep." Ben informed them as he descended the stairs to questioning looks. Ben now looked directly at Fred and hoped his learned friend had some answers about what they were going to do at the trial.

"Try not to worry too much about Joe's answers to my questions, Ben" Fred now said, trying to ease the concern he saw on Ben's face. "Joe went through a terrible ordeal, more than most of us probably could possibly endured. It is only natural that he doesn't want to be forced to remember things he would rather forget. He will be able to tell us his story in his own good time come the trial. Nobody will rush him. He can take his time and have his friends and family around him to support him when he does relay his story to the court."

"I hope your right Fred" Ben said with a little doubt in his mind that Joe would speak at all once in the courtroom. "I just don't want to put him through any more hurt than is absolutely necessary. He is in a very fragile state of mind at the moment with both attacks. We all need to help him regain his confidence and self-esteem."

"That's why I was going to suggest to you for all of you, including Joseph to stay at the International Hotel in Virginia City tomorrow before the trial begins Ben" Fred now suggested, changing the topic of conversation a little.

"Do you think that is necessary Fred?" Ben now asked. Ben thought that being at the Ponderosa with his family would help Joe before he was forced to face the court.

"Yes I do. Joe is going to need to rest during the trial both mentally and due to his physical injuries. I noticed that his leg is still causing him a great deal of discomfort. I have that room at the hotel, it's not going to get much other use other than from myself. You three could bring Joe there tomorrow afternoon. Give him a little chance to relax and have a decent meal and some much needed rest before the trial day."

"How do you boys feel about the idea of staying in town tomorrow night?" Ben now asked Hoss and Adam. Whatever the decisions were over the next couple of days, Ben was determined to make them joint decisions that involved all of the family's opinion. What was happening was affecting them all so it was only common sense that any arrangements made, be ones that included Adam and Hoss as well.

"I don't mind at all Pa" Hoss said immediately. Adam on the other hand thought for a minute. His mind going over the advantages and disadvantages of such a move. His first concern was like that of his father towards his brother Joe and how he would feel about staying somewhere else before the trial.

After carefully considering all of the options available to them he now gave his well thought out answer. "I don't have any objections to the move. I can see where the room will be useful just like Mr Harding says. But how are we going to convince Joe that it is a good idea?" he now replied with a question of his own.

"Maybe you could help explain it to him Adam" Ben now said. He of course was quite willing to attempt telling his son about the need to move closer into town before the trial. But sometimes the relationship between his eldest and youngest son proved more powerful than any words a father could think of. Adam had become the master of persuasion at times on the ranch, knowing where to say the right thing in situations that most people walked away from.

"Gee thanks Pa" Adam said good-naturedly. He knew his father wasn't forcing the task upon him but he knew that he would need all of his skills to try and convince Joe.

"I will talk to him after supper" Adam now suggested, not wanting to deprive his brother of whatever meagre rest he was taking.

"I will see you in town tomorrow then Ben" Fred said, giving a wink towards Adam as if to say that he knew Adam would already have won his brother by that time.

Ben now followed Fred out to his horse and waited until the man was out of sight before coming back into the house.

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Little Joe had woken up later that afternoon but continued to remain withdrawn and non-responsive at their attempts to bring him out of his sullen mood. Hoss had taken measures into his own hands about trying to cheer up his little brother and taken the checker board and pieces to Joe's room hoping to at least have some one on one contact with him.

Hoss was a little disappointed however to see Joe obviously more distracted about other things than playing the game. Joe really hadn't wanted to play in the first play, but didn't have the heart to turn away from his big brother's grinning face. He knew Hoss was trying to make a genuine effort to cheer him up so he told Hoss that he would play only a couple of games. Right from the outset though, even before Hoss had set the pieces up on either side of the board, Joe's attention seemed to be elsewhere but right in front of him. Normally Joe wouldn't have any trouble beating his brother at such a simple game, but today after two games, Hoss found himself winning easily on both occasions. He even scratched his head silently at a few of the moves Joe had made. The moves where one not even a novice player would normally make without knowing that it would result in his piece being captured by his opponent.

Joe had kept his promise of a few games, no matter how badly he played. After four games though, Hoss decided to see if he could get Joe to tell him what was bothering him so much. In the past, Joe had always come to his father Ben or Adam to confide in them, but there was also a very close relationship between the two of them.

"You okay Joe?" Hoss asked honestly. He didn't have the fancy words that Adam learned from college or the soothing ones that his Pa often uttered to Joe when he was upset about something. Hoss just spoke things as plain as he saw them, but hoped that Joe would still see the offer of help in the same way. Hoss just wanted to be there for his brother Joe when he needed it.

"Sure Hoss" came the dull, uninterested reply from Joe. He was staring out the window again and didn't even look at Hoss when he said the words.

"Is there anything you want to talk about Joe?" Hoss now asked, the words feeling like an uneasy lump in his throat as he spoke them.

Joe did turn to his brother this time. He knew that Hoss only meant well. "There is nothing to talk about" he said firmly.

"Joe, I don't know how else to help ya boy" Hoss now said. "I don't want to upset you but whatever is on your mind is eating up inside. We all want to help you Joe."

"I'm okay Hoss" Joe replied and then started to move about stiffly on the bed to change his position. "I am tired" he added and now turned on his side as closed his eyes, appearing to be wanting to sleep.

Hoss sighed as he knew this was Joe's way of saying that he didn't want to discuss it anymore. He picked up the chess pieces and the board and walked out of the room.

"How is he son?" Ben asked from his desk as he saw Hoss's slumped figure walk down the stairs. He could see from his large son's expression that Hoss hadn't managed to cheer his brother up like he wanted to.

"He's down right upset Pa." Hoss answered as he placed the chess board and pieces back in their normal position on the coffee table. "I tried to talk to him and ask him if he wanted to talk. He just said that there was nothing to talk about and then lay down saying he was tired. He's not really tired Pa. He's just avoiding us all."

"I know son. I know" Ben said as he got up and placed a firm but comforting shoulder on his son's broad shoulder. "It's going to be a tough road for us all. We just have to be there for him when he is ready to talk."

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After supper that evening, Adam was trying to prepare what he was going to say to Joe to convince him about moving to the International hotel in the morning. Although Joe had only feigned sleep initially to avoid Hoss's questions, in the end he had fallen into a fitful doze.

Ben had wandered up to his son's room just before the family sat down to the evening meal, but upon seeing Joe asleep, decided not to disturb the young man. He told Adam that he could take a tray of supper up to the room when he went to have his little talk with Joe.

Adam now sighed as he grabbed the tray that Hop Sing had prepared for Little Joe. The words were no clearer in his mind now then when he first tried to work them out. He was just going to have to talk to Joe about going to the hotel without the rehearsal.

He walked up the stairs and headed towards the door. He knocked on the door lightly and then looked down briefly to see his father and brother looking back at him, hoping Adam would know what to say.

"It's open" came the quiet voice from inside. Adam now walked inside with the tray in his hands.

"Hi little brother" he greeted Joe. Joe looked at him and gave him a wan smile but didn't say anything. He looked at the tray of food that Adam had brought with him. Just like the checkers and Hoss, he really didn't want to but didn't say anything to the contrary.

Adam seemed to relax a little when he saw Joe pick up a fork and play with the food on his plate. Not much was being eaten but at least he was trying.

"So why did Pa sent you up here?" Joe asked, knowing that Adam had been sent for one reason or another.

Adam was a little taken back that Joe suspected why he was there in the first place but quickly regained his composure and hide his shock enough so it wasn't noticed. "What makes you think I was sent up here to talk to you?" he now asked, genuinely interested.

"Well lets see, Pa and Mr Harding were up here this morning asking a bunch of questions and wanting to know what I knew before the trial. After I said I didn't know very much Hoss came up later in the day and tried the same ploy after a few games of checkers. Now you're here after Hoss. I am just wondering when Hop Sing will appear at my beside with the same questions." Joe now said. He didn't really mean the words to sound as sarcastic as they did.

"You know we are all just trying to help you Joe" Adam now said, noting the slight resentment in his brothers voice.

"Yeah, that's the same line I have been hearing all day too" Joe replied and put a spoonful of food into his mouth before he said anything else.

"Well, if you put it like that, I won't beat around the bush then." Adam said. "I came up here to tell you about the arrangements that have been made for tomorrow morning." he added and left the sentence unfinished. He got the desired result though as Joe now looked up from his plate.

"What arrangements?" he asked plainly.

"Mr Harding suggested that it might be better if all of us stayed tomorrow night in Virginia City. He just wants to make sure that you get enough rest before the trial starts. It is not going to be an easy experience for you. At least with the room, if you get tired during the day you can go and have a lay down if it all gets too much."

"Whatever" Joe said in the same uninterested tone of voice as before and now shifted his gaze once more to his plate of barely touched food.

"You mean you don't object" Adam said a little surprised that Joe wasn't shouting and yelling his list of reasons why not by now.

"Well, it seems that everybody else is deciding what is right and what is not for me lately." Joe replied still not looking while he spoke to Adam. "I don't say I like the idea, in fact I really don't want to. But at the end of the day I really don't care. If you and Pa and the others want me to stay somewhere else, so be it."

Adam could still hear the slight bitterness in Joe's voice and knew from his body language that Joe was correct when he said he didn't agree with the arrangement. From past experience though Adam expected his brother to be jumping up and down and shouting at the top of his lungs about his protests. The fact that he didn't made Adam worry all he more about his self-confidence and the short fiery temper that just wasn't there like it used to be. He didn't press the issue though. Joe had said he didn't want to go but would if he was told to. He just hoped that Joe would be in a better frame of mind by tomorrow once they reached the hotel.

"It really is to help you Joe. And don't worry about the court room because Hoss and I are going to make sure that everything is secure. You won't have to worry about anything but answering Mr Harding's questions. When it is all over we can all come back home and get on with our lives once again. Sleep well little brother" Adam finally said as he got off the bed and left his brother's room.

Yeah, everything will be okay once it's over Joe thought to himself after Adam had left. He knew that it wasn't going to okay like everybody said. None of them could hear Thomas's threats running through their heads like he could at the moment. Nobody could remember his face and the scar that almost wanted to make him retch at the sight on it. Joe knew that things were going to be far from okay once he reached the courtroom. He put the plate of food aside knowing that he didn't need to keep up that little charade anymore either.

"How did it go son?" Ben asked before Adam had even reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Okay, I guess" Adam said a little cautiously. "He said he didn't want to go but would because everybody was making the decisions around here for him anyway" he said as he relayed Joe's opinion to his father.

"Well I suppose half a battle won is better than none at all" Ben said, the concern for his son's attitude clearly displayed on his face and in his speech.

"He really is determined to shut the whole world out Pa. He trying his best to ignore the problem and thinks it will just go away if he doesn't talk about it. I really don't know how he is going to cope when he is forced onto the witness stand." Adam now said, voicing his own observations.

"We will just have to be there to support him as best we can Adam" Ben now said, having almost the same conversation with his oldest son as he had done with Hoss a little earlier.

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The morning came around quickly enough and it was now time to start preparing to move to the International Hotel in Virginia City.

Ben and the boys worked to make sure that the ranch hands knew what to do over the next couple of days. The ranch foreman, Charlie had promised that everything would run just as smoothly with the Cartwrights in town.

Each of them had gotten together a small amount of clothes to last them the duration of the trial. As soon as Adam had finished his own packing, he moved quietly about Joe's room to do the same for his brother. Adam looked over towards the bed and noted that his brother seemed to be sleeping quite deeply at the moment. A couple of times, Adam had inadvertently drooped some items on the floor with a thud only to hastily look over and see that the noise hadn't disturbed Little Joe in the slightest.

Adam would not know that Joe had lain awake for many hours last night thinking about what he was going to say when he was placed in the witness box. He had to think hard of answers to give that would not be lies but also wouldn't give Thomas's identity away. He had only fallen asleep shortly before the rest of his family awoke to start the day.

By lunch time Joe was now awake and used his crutches together with the steady support of his brother Hoss to descend the stairs with his injured leg and climb into the back of the wagon that had been suitably prepared. Hoss had gone to great lengths to ensure that although the trip to Virginia City was a relatively short one, it was also to be as comfortable as possible for Joe. Hoss had lined the bottom with a spare mattress and then covered the mattress with arm loads of blankets and quilts. He just hoped that all the padding would be enough to absorb the bumps and knocks from the road.

Ben had half expected Joe to have a change of heart this morning about going to stay at the hotel and announce that he wasn't going anywhere. But, Joe had not said very much at all that morning about anything. Every time his father looked towards him to see if he was alright, the boy seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and day-dreaming the time away.

Joe's silence remained for the entire trip to Virginia City as well. Ben sat beside him whilst Adam and Hoss sat on top of the buck board and guided the team along the dirt road. A few times Ben had asked Joe if he was feeling okay but all he got in reply was a curt nod or the words "just fine". He was very worried about how his son was going to cope over the next two to three days.

Fred Harding had greeted the Cartwrights inside the hotel after they had pulled up outside and helped Joe down. Adam and Hoss guided Joe up to the room Fred was occupying. Once inside, they could see two distinct areas to the room. There was the living area where Fred was currently working on his plan for the court room the next day, and then there was the sleeping quarters. All was very spacious and the Cartwrights genuinely thanked the lawyer for allowing their indulgence in such luxury.

Fred had been generous enough to respect the Cartwright family's privacy and so rented the adjoining suite next to the one he had already rented on the day of his arrival. There was a doorway between the two suites, but both remained completely separate. Fred would spend as much time with the family as they requested, but thought that there would be times when Little Joe or the other boys would rather have each other for company and support rather than that of somebody who wasn't part of the family group.

When they first arrived there had been a few words spoken between Fred and Ben about who was paying for the accommodation. Ben thought it only right that the family pay since they were using his services. Fred on the other hand was just as determined at his counterpart and insisted that he pay. At the end of the day, they came to an agreeable compromise and the bill was to be split completely down the middle to satisfy everyone. Ben smiled a little to himself at the tough battle of words he had briefly with Fred in a friendly way. He just hoped that Fred was just as inept with such determination and tenacity when it came to the trial tomorrow.

Ben had ordered room service to provide lunch in the room itself. He had asked Joe if he wanted to eat in the restaurant downstairs, but Joe told his father that he wasn't very hungry anyway. Once the food came, Joe picked at his plate whilst everyone else ate their lunches. He then declared that he had a headache and was going to lie down on one of the beds for a short while. Ben checked on him after finishing his meal and found Joe to be sound asleep.

Adam and Hoss told their father that they were going to go and check out the set out of the court room for tomorrow and make sure the security was adequate. Fred continued to work on his case against Griffiths.

Towards the latter part of the afternoon, Adam and Hoss were still out of the room and Fred was still working at the table in the living room. Ben had tried to follow Fred the best he could, but after about two hours, the legal jargon and matters of law were a little beyond his comprehension. He felt he was being more of a hindrance to Fred by asking his endless stream of questions rather than trying to assist the man in preparing for court. He decided to take himself into the other room to check on Joe.

Ben walked into the room and saw Joe was still asleep so he decided to pick up one of the books on the bedside table left by the hotel management and do some light reading until Adam and Hoss got back. He hadn't read but a few pages when he looked over and saw his son beginning to awake from his slumber.

Joe opened his eyes and rubbed at them tiredly for a moment. He looked about the room and had to get his bearings and remind himself of where he was at first. Once he remembered he was at the hotel he started pulling himself up into a sitting position on the bed. It was now that he noticed someone else in the room. He looked over and now saw his father intently watching him from the other side of the room.

"Feel a little better son?" Ben asked once Joe seemed awake enough.

"Yeah, sort of " Joe replied and to prove it got off the bed and walked over to the two French doors leading out onto the balcony. He felt like the room was closing in on him and opened the doors to allow some fresh air to come inside.

He didn't walk out onto the balcony, but remained just inside the room looking out at the streets of Virginia City and seemingly lost in his own thoughts again.

Ben's concern for his son got the better of him again as he walked over towards his son and stood behind him. "Do you want to talk?" he asked, deliberately not selecting a topic for the conversation.

Joe wasn't fooled however as he felt his father's hand on his slender shoulder. He knew all too well what his father wanted to talk about. The frustration level in him had been building up for days now. He had been suppressing it and suppressing it until he almost couldn't bear to keep his feelings in anymore. He felt like running out onto the balcony and screaming at the top of his lungs just to release some of the anger and bitterness that was inside of him.

He shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and now turned away from the window entirely and walked across to the other side of the room. Now he turned and faced his father.

"I know your scared son" Ben now said gently as he looked at the accusing look on Joe's face. He could see his son struggling with his emotions and trying so hard to keep control.

"It's going to be okay Joseph " Ben started to say. He was unprepared for the violent reaction that he would provoke from his son.

"How can you stand there and say that?" Little Joe now accused his father. The tension in the room was very thick. Joe looked at his father with fear and anger in his eyes and scolding words on his tongue. "How can you sit there and tell me that everything is going to be okay? We all know darned well that it is not."

"I have got to go into that court room tomorrow and get in that witness box. Every body keeps telling me that it will okay. I am the one who is scared to open his bedroom window at night or leave the house I grew up in. So why do I feel like I am the one on trial here?" his voice was trembling slightly and his emotions were on the verge of betraying him.

"Joseph, we are only trying to help you" Ben said with a little sadness in his tone. He knew that they were handling the boy with kid-gloves and wrapping him up in cotton wool. The only thing that they were getting from it all was an angry young man who felt like he was suffocating from all the attention. Joseph often hid his true feelings away at the best of times and with something like this happening, it only made the kid build his barricades around him that bit higher.

"Your brothers and I and the will be there to back you up all the way. We won't let anybody bully you ." Ben added, trying to reassure his son. "I know it is going to be difficult for you, but when you go in there, all you need to do is tell the truth.

"Truth..." Joe spat. "The truth is that there are things that are going to come out in that courtroom that you may not way to hear Pa" Joe said as he thought about his family and friends hearing about what had happened to him in the abandoned shack.

Tears now welled in his eyes as Joe fought against his frustrations. How could he tell them how scared he was? Didn't they know that he laid awake most nights remembering Thomas's face as he shot at the chair? Didn't they see the palms of his hands that were sweating from his nervousness. His hands were clenched so tight at times that his fingernails dug into them and left marks.

Every time he felt a twinge of pain from his injured leg or felt one of the fading bruises on his ribs he was taken back to the exact moment that he received them. Taken back to the abandoned shack. He could almost feel the rope around his hands again and the chafing marks around his neck. The memories never seemed to go away. Never.

"I just need to be alone right now Pa" Joe finally said in a quiet voice.

Ben nodded his head and fought against the urges that hold him his son needed him to stay with him. He had just been telling himself about how much they were all suffocating him. Without saying anything else, he made himself be strong and do as his son asked of him.

When he reached the living room he could see Adam and Hoss standing just outside the door. The looks on their faces told him that they had heard most of the conversation between him and Joe. There was one question that stood out the most for all three of them. What where those things that Joe spoke about when he said there were things they didn't know about?

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The next morning, there was no mention of what had transpired the night before. Nobody tried to drag up anything about the harsh words that Joe had said to his father.

Ben and his boys all reminded themselves that they were there to support Joe, no matter what. In the back of their minds though, they couldn't help but wonder what things Joe had been talking about when he said it was better that they didn't find out about them.

Joe had eaten a small amount of food at the encouragement of his family. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to last the day without some nourishment in his stomach.

By 8.30am that morning, they had all made their way down to the courtroom to prepare for the beginning of the trial at 9.00am. Joe sat in the front row of chairs, lost in his own thoughts for a few minutes while Fred went about getting his paperwork in order and making sure he was ready to proceed.

Joe looked around the room. This was the room that everybody was saying he could feel safe in. That it was a place that was respected by most people. The only thing he could sense from the cold hard wooden surfaces and the plain, undecorated desks and chairs. The atmosphere was almost as cold and hard and there was the feeling of unfriendliness all around to Little Joe.

A few minutes before the trial was due to begin, Danny Griffiths was brought over from the jail house by Sheriff Roy Coffee. He was still in handcuffs when placed in the dock. He did his best to glare at Little Joe and try and unnerve him.

Joe diverted his eyes and tried to look somewhere else to stop the well of emotions that were starting to multiply within him. Every time his eyes were drawn back to Griffiths, the only memories he had were the ones where he had been laughing at Joe's torment and torture. Joe had to bury his head in his hands to stop himself from getting to upset. He remembered how Griffith's had taken aim at one of the chair legs as he was helplessly suspended by the rope around his neck.

Adam and Ben had noted the paleness of Joe's face and saw him struggling with his emotions. Although they both knew that Joe wouldn't appreciate a public display of concern, they walked over to were he was sitting and sat down either side of him. By this time, Joe had averted his eyes from Griffith's so as not to give away the cause to his distress. Ben and Adam both assumed that Joe's nervousness was his impending time in the witness box and being forced to relive events he would rather forget. The part about him reliving past events could not have been more correct at the moment.

"Are you alright son?" Ben asked in a gentle voice.

"I don't know if I can do this Pa" Joe said in all honesty.

"I know you can Joe" Adam said, trying to reassure his brother with positive words.

Joe looked at his father and brother but left the comment unanswered. Fred Harding had motioned for Ben and Adam to join him briefly at the bar table were he would conduct the trial. He was delivering some last minute instructions to the older Cartwrights as to how things would proceed in just a few minutes.

No matter how hard he tried to fight the feeling, Joe found his gaze wandering back to Griffith's in the dock. Griffith's knew that he couldn't afford to make any noticeable gestures at him. But he wanted to give him a warning all the same.

Thomas had been careful enough to ensure him that everything was taken care of and that he had taken care of things in relation to Little Joe Cartwright. All messages and instructions had been delivered through either Griffith's lawyer Eugene Simpson or through Henry Williams so as not to arouse suspicion.

Griffith's had taken confidence in the threats that Thomas made towards Joe Cartwright and about what would happen to him if he identified any of them. Hell, Griffiths himself had enough nous about himself to be a little afraid of Thomas. There had been something about the way the man conducted himself, especially back at the abandoned shack after they had kidnapped Cartwright.

Danny now looked directly at Joe Cartwright as he sat in the front row of chairs and silently mouthed a message to him from Butch Thomas.

"He will be watching"

Joe saw and could understand the lip movements that Griffith's made. He was also very sure of who "He" was.

From the moment he had arrived, Joe had anxiously waited to identify any of the people coming into the courtroom. He was forced to make himself relax again as he recognized one of Virginia's City own citizens. With the gossip running rife around town about what had happened to Little Joe the first time and the fresh events over the last few days, there wasn't a person in the town that wasn't at least a little bit curious about what would happen at the trial.

By this time, Eugene Simpson had now arrived and had been taking instructions from his client Danny Griffiths, or had the truth been really known, giving them to Griffiths from Thomas. Both knew that Thomas would make his appearance at some stage during the trial.

Thomas was the type of person who had to see the results of his own handiwork. That was one of the main reasons he had made the second attack on Joe Cartwright at the Ponderosa. He revelled in his own glorification and the fact that he caused such fear in people. His appearance though would be at a time of his choosing. He wanted to see the knife driven in just a little further before he put his own hand on the handle and twisted it that little bit more.

Fred Harding tried to reassure his witness again that everything would be okay. Joe never acknowledged that he heard the words. He was again lost in his own thoughts. The whole courtroom was then told to rise by the court Bailiff "All rise, his honour Judge Collins to preside over these proceedings".

All eyes watched the little balding Judge that appeared from one of the back rooms. The judge then sat down and looked about his bench to ensure that all of his writing equipment was laid out before him.

"You may all be seated" the Bailiff now informed the packed public gallery. Everyone compiled with the oral instructions.

"Good morning gentlemen, this is the matter of the People versus one Danny Griffiths" the Judge said as he began his little introduction speech.

"Stand up Mr Griffiths" the Judge now demanded of the defendant. Griffiths compiled.

"You stand before me charged that on a date unknown you kidnapped one Joseph Francis Cartwright and caused him actual bodily harm. You also stand charged before me that you stole two saddle bags, the property of the said Joseph Francis Cartwright and tried to gain a benefit namely cash for the said items when you were not the lawful owner thereof"

Joe inwardly gulped when the Judge had said the words "bodily harm" and involuntarily, his hands moved to his still injured leg and rubbed at the ache that was present.

"Sit down Mr Griffiths" the judge instructed Danny.

"Counsel will you announce your appearances for the purposes of these proceedings please." Judge Collins asked as he continued with the formal aspects of the trial.

"If it pleases the court your Honour, my name is Frederick Harding and I represent the people of Virginia City in this matter," Harding said as he introduced himself first in accordance with court room protocol.

"If it pleases you your Honour, my name is Eugene Simpson and I will be representing Mr Griffiths, the defendant in these proceedings" Simpson now said in reply, introducing himself in turn.

"These proceedings may be conducted by way of trial with or without a jury. The election solely rests with the prosecution Mr Harding, which method do you choose here today?"

"Your honour, the prosecution elects to have the matter heard solely before yourself and without the use of the good citizens of Virginia City in a jury."

"Very well then, begin the proceedings Mr Harding, you have the floor."

"Your honour, the prosecution calls it's first witness Doctor Paul Martin to the witness stand."

Doc Martin was seated in the row behind the Cartwrights and now made his way towards the witness stand which was positioned to the left of the Judge's bench.

The Bailiff approached the Virginia City doctor and placed a bible in his right hand "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I swear" Doc Martin replied and then sat down on the hard wooden seat.

Fred now walked around the other side of the prosecution table and stood in front of it to examine the doctor. "Doctor, do you remember the events that we are here about today?"

"Yes I remember."

"I want you to relay to the court in your own words what you have come to know about this case. Take your time, but please be specific as you can and leave no detail out even if you think it's not relevant."

"Well, I am not able to give you too much information about the kidnapping of Little Joe Cartwright. I wasn't brought into the matter until after he was found by members of his family and brought home for medical attention."

"I'll stop you there doctor. What contact had you had before he was brought home from the shack?"

"Well, Ben Cartwright, his father had me take a look at him after he had been on a camping trip with his brother Hoss. Seems there was a slight accident with a bear cub and Ben thought it would be better if I take a look at the injury the next day."

"So before he was taken away from his family, Joe Cartwright seemed in relatively good health to you doctor?"

"Yes, apart from the scratch on his arm, I'd say he was in perfect health."

"Okay, continue what you know about after Joe was brought back to the Ponderosa."

"Well, when I first saw him, he was in grave condition. He was suffering from exposure in addition to the numerous injuries he had sustained one way or another."

"Are you able to tell the court what those injuries were?"

Joe struggled hard to keep his composure during this description. Why did the doctor need to repeat the injuries. He had felt the pain every day. He didn't need to be reminded about how bad he was hurt. The bandage on his leg at the moment was still very painful and he still needed to use the crutches to walk properly. Joe failed to see the sense in dragging up information that was already known. He turned his head away as the doctor spoke and tried to think about something else to help clear his mind.

"Joe had a very badly injured ankle as the result of it becoming entangled in a trappers rusty trap. The wounds were very deep and required a lot of attention to clean them out. The wounds needed stitches and it will still be another few weeks before Joe can put full weight back on his ankle. His ribs were very badly bruised. I was surprised that none of them were cracked or broken. He had innumerable cuts and abrasions on other parts of his body, his feet, his hands. There was a slight gash to his head where he had been struck with a blunt object. Although I am not able to tell you what sort of object it was."

Ben and his family could hear the gasps and whispers of shock and surprise as the list of injuries were read out. He was barely able to contain his own emotions about hearing of his child's torment and pain. He looked over to where Joe was only sitting next to him and knew that the boy was struggling to deal with it as well.

Fred Harding inwardly winced at the doctor's description, but kept up the professional image of the court room. "Were there any other injuries on Joseph Cartwright when you firstly examined him doctor?"

Doc Martin thought for a moment before answering the prosecutor's question "Yes, there was a very distinct rope impression around his neck. But there was also another injury. Only a slight one. I showed it to his father when I found it because neither of us could work out what it was caused by."

"What was it Doctor Martin?"

"A small perfectly round bruise on his right temple. Too small to cause any major discomfort or pain."

"And you are still unable to say what caused the bruise to Mr Cartwright's temple?"

"No I am not able to say."

"Did Mr Cartwright ever confide in you as his physician and tell you anything about the person or persons who might have done this to him?"

"No he never did. I was willing to be a third party for the boy if that's what he wanted. In case he felt unable to go to his family, but he never told me anything about the persons who might have been responsible for these injuries."

"When was the next contact you had with Joseph Cartwright after that night?"

"Well, for a while there I had contact with him every day, several times a day because his injuries were so severe and needed constant medical attention."

"How long would you say that you attended Mr Cartwright on a daily basis?"

"On a daily basis, I would say for a week. After that it became more scattered, every two days or so. That was until the latest incident a few days ago."

"Tell us what you know about that incident Doctor."

"Well, it's not much different from the first occasion. I came into it once the injuries had taken place. They weren't so much life threatening this time but still required some attention and would be extremely painful for the young man."

"Do you expect Mr Cartwright to have any lasting effects from these incidents Doctor?"

"In terms of physical injuries, I doubt it. His leg is taking a little longer than I would have liked to heal and it still bothering him to a great degree. But if you are talking about emotional or physiological scars, then I am not qualified to give evidence on such matters here today. Those types of matters require a specialist's opinion, well out of my league."

"But surely as the young man doctor you have made an informed opinion based on the medical facts before you about how the boy is doing emotionally."

"Well, I have to say that from my past experience and knowledge of Joseph Cartwright over the years, he had definitely become more withdrawn from his family. He seems to still hold some fears about what happened to him...."

"Objection your Honour" Simpson now said, jumping to his feet and moving in before Doc Martin could finish the sentence. "As the doctor says, he is in no professional capacity to give evidence on matters dealing with emotional or physiological injuries that may have been suffered by the complainant in these matters."

"Yes Mr Simpson. Mr Harding, you will have to refrain from asking such questions of this witness and move onto your next question." the Judge said in ruling on the objection. Simpson sat down with a satisfied look on his face of a small battle being won by his side.

"I withdraw the question your Honour" Fred said respectfully. He knew that Simpson would be right there to object to anything that didn't suit his client.

"I have no further questions for this witness your Honour" Fred said as he shuffled through his papers to make sure that he had finished the examination.

"Your witness Mr Simpson" the Judge now said to the defence lawyer.

"Doctor, you stated in your evidence that there was an unusual mark on Mr Cartwright when you examined him that first night. Are you able to make an educated guess as to what or who might have caused such an injury. I realise you have already said that you do not, but I will ask you again anyway."

"No, I am still very puzzled to this day as to what or who may have caused such a perfectly round circle to the boy's temple. Even if he had fallen, the mark is not consistent with being caused by something such as a rock, or a protruding stick. I do not know what caused the mark."

Ben looked over at his youngest son, he saw a look on the boy's face that told him the boy knew exactly what had made the mark. He saw the boy's face was a little pale but still looked okay for the moment. Joe kept looking at his feet. The doctor's descriptions and the questions being asked by both lawyers seemed to be echoing in his head. He was certain that the noise level inside his head was going to cause him to have a headache by the end of this long day.

"What makes you say that the mark around the boy's neck was made by a rope? Couldn't it have been made by something other than a length of rope?"

"No" Paul said with affirmation in his voice. "There was no mistaking what caused the chafing mark on the skin around his neck."

"Why do you say that doctor?"

"Because I could see the individual rope fibres marked into his skin. The rope had been so tight around his neck at some stage that the mark took quite a number of days to fade away. I could see the plaiting of the fibres and the twist of those plaits that made the piece of rope."

Ben clenched his fists in to tight balls at the doctor's words. He had been angry when he first seen the marks and knew them to be made by a rope. Now Doctor Martin was giving explicit descriptions about how tight the rope was and how it caused such painful chafing to his son's young tender skin. He could see the same look of anger in the brown eyes of Adam and the blue ones of Hoss.

Joe was trying to block out the memory of how the rope felt as it was tightened. He could almost feel it now like it had been when Thomas had lifted him off the ground so his feet wouldn't touch. He could still feel the knot at the back of his neck that formed the knot of the noose itself. His throat became incredibly dry now as he remembered painfully what it felt like to not be able to breath because the rope was so tight.

"What do you say caused the gash on his head that you described earlier?"

"Like I said before, I don't know. The pattern of the injury suggests that it was a blunt object of some kind. Could have been anything. The wound itself wasn't too deep but might have caused Joe to loose consciousness when he received the blow."

"But you are not able to confirm here today that he lost consciousness due to that injury are you doctor?"

"No I am not."

"Thank you your Honour, I have no further questions for this witness" Simpson said as he completed his cross- examination of the Doctor.

"Thank you Doctor, you may step down from the witness box." the Judge now said to Paul.

"Your Honour, if it pleases, the family has specifically requested that the Doctor be allowed to stay in the court room in an official capacity today. As you can see, Mr Cartwright still has difficulty walking without assistance and with his additional injuries, may require the doctor to administer certain pain reliefs and other medical attention during the course of today."

"Request allowed. Let it be noted that the doctor may speak out if he believes Mr Cartwright is becoming unwell during the course of his evidence or at any other time during this trial" the Judge now said.

The Cartwright family collectively sighed in relief at this request. At least Joe could any medical attention if he needed it. Paul had planned to stick around anyway but was glad to be able to monitor Joe more openly. He had noticed how pale the young man had appeared when he first came into the court room today. He was afraid that Joe wasn't getting the correct amount of rest to heal his injuries.

"Your next witness Mr Harding?" the Judge now asked.

"Yes your Honour, the prosecution now calls Sheriff Roy Coffee to the stand."

Roy now made his way to the stand. His deputy stayed beside the defendant Danny Griffiths just to make sure that he didn't try and flee the court room whilst Roy was giving his evidence.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God" the court Bailiff asked as the bible was placed into Roy's right hand.

"I do." Roy answered and now took his seat in the witness box.

"Could you please state you full and correct name for the court and your occupation please?" Fred asked as he began the examination of the law enforcement officer.

"My name is Roy Coffee and I am the current Sheriff of Virginia City."

"Can you please relay to the court in your own words, the events that led up to you having to arrest the defendant?" Fred said, asking his first question.

"Yes. I was patrolling the town like most other days and just happened to walk past the second hand store that Mr Perkins owned. I could hear two people talking inside. The discussion became a little heated and that's when that fellow over there grabbed at Mr Perkins, threatening to hurt him. I told him that he was under arrest for attempted assault and battery on Mr Perkins and then forced him to my jailhouse until I had time to make some further inquiries into the matter."

During the whole time Roy was talking, Eugene Simpson could be seen to be taking some notes at a furious pace.

"When was the next time you saw the defendant Sheriff after he was released form custody?"

"The next time I saw him was when me and Adam Cartwright followed him to an abandoned shack up by Pine Valley."

Fred asked the next question, but fully expected Simpson to be on the ball and object even before the question was finished being asked. He decided to take a punt and see how far he got anyway.

"Did Danny Griffiths ever admit anything to you that would tie him to the kidnapping and assault of Joseph Cartwright?"

"Yes. Yes he did. He started to torment Joe's brother Adam once we was at the shack...." Roy started to say.

"I object strongly your Honour" Simpson said as he now jumped to his feet once again. He also gave a scowling look towards Fred Harding as if to say, the prosecution should know better about allowing the answer such a question.

"Your Honour, the witness cannot answer the question because he will be giving hearsay evidence. The Sheriff cannot be expected to repeat someone else's words in court."

"Mr Simpson has a valid point Mr Harding." the Judge said, ruling in the defence's favour. "Sheriff, you cannot give any evidence here today about what somebody else said or did that the person didn't say direct to you. Such talk is called hearsay and is not permissible in a court of law. Now, did the conversation that the prosecution is asking about take place between you and the defendant?"

"No, it was between Danny Griffiths and Adam Cartwright." the Sheriff answered, a little frustrated that he had the necessary information to give the court about Joe's kidnapping. Somehow he was being gagged by legal jargon and being prevented from repeating what he had over-heard.

"Then I am afraid you will have to answer differently Sheriff, or you will have to rephrase your question Mr Harding" the Judge now said, giving the prosecution a stern look of his own. Fred knew that he had overstepped the boundaries so to speak, but he was trying to get a spontaneous response from the witnesses that the defence wouldn't be able to rebut in anyway.

"Since these events Sheriff, have you made any attempts to try and take a statement from Joseph Cartwright?"

"Well, I have made some attempts before the latest incident. At first, the family thought that he needed some time to recover from his injuries and overcome his insecurities. After the second attack on him, Joe just seemed to clam up to everyone, including his family. I haven't been able to get too much information out of him at all about what happened."

"Thank you your Honour, no further questions for this witness." Fred said with a little frustration creeping into his voice. That examination had not exactly gone as smoothly as he would have liked.

"Your witness Mr Simpson" the Judge now said. So far they had not heard a great deal of evidence pointing any blame towards the defendant's involvement in this matter at all. They had a lot of medical evidence of injuries and so forth, but no solid concrete evidence to tie Danny Griffiths to being responsible for any of them.

Simpson now rose from his table and make his way over towards the witness box. He had quite a few questions to ask the lawman, some of them more invasive than others. He wanted to be right there to gauge the Sheriff's reaction to them: to see him squirm so to speak when the spot light was focused on him.

"Sheriff Coffee, before the incident at the second-hand shop, did you know my client at all?"

"No not at all. Until I saw him with Mr Perkins, I have never seen him before in my life. I had not even seen him in Virginia City at the saloons or anywhere else."

"Do you believe yourself to be a vigilant lawman Sheriff?. By that I mean do you make it your business to keep tabs on the comings and goings of various people to the town?"

"Yes, I do. When the stage comes into town and leaves again, I try to get as much information as possible as to the newcomers and the leavers to Virginia City. Sometimes I don't even have to ask. Most of the people in this town know my routine and often give me the information before I have to ask for it."

"So on the morning that you arrested my client, what made you single him out in particular about being a stranger in Virginia City?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, nothing at first. I didn't even notice him until I was walking past Mr Perkins's store on my daily walk. I happen to hear voices inside and just thought I'd say howdy to whoever was inside."

"You mean you decided to play nosy."

"Nosy no, alert to the goings-on in my town, yes" Roy answered getting a little annoyed at the implied accusations that seemed to be being hurled in his direction by the defence lawyer.

"What did you see or hear when you walked into the second-hand store?"

"I heard your client over there talking to Mr Perkins about purchasing some saddle bags that he had in his possession."

"Sounds like a harmless enough business transaction taking place Sheriff. Why did you decided to intervene?"

"I only intervened when the conversation turned a little nasty. Mr Perkins started asking questions about the ownership of the saddlebags. Griffiths over there got a little bit hot under the collar about the whole thing and started to raise his voice at Perkins. I introduced myself and told Griffiths to calm down a little bit. That is when your client seemed to get even more agitated. He demanded Perkins buy the saddle bags no matter who owned them and grabbed the front of the store-keeper's shirt and threatened to assault him. That's when I took a hold of your client and told him that he was under arrest for the attempted assault and battery of Mr Perkins."

"Sounds like you have worked out an airtight alibi for your actions doesn't it Sheriff?"

"I don't know what you mean" Roy now asked but his facial expression gave him away, just a little.

"Oh come now Sheriff. You didn't arrest my client because he tried to threaten the store-keeper did you? And please remember that you are under oath."

Roy looked nervous all of a sudden but decided that he didn't see any point in not telling the court the whole story. Joe was now home safely so it should be okay to reveal the real reason behind why he had arrested Griffiths.

"The attack on Mr Perkins wasn't the sole reason for arresting Danny Griffiths." Roy answered. He could hear a few mumbled comments from the rear of the courtroom at this admission.

Simpson grinned like a Cheshire cat with this little piece of information. He decided to probe into the real reason even more while the coals where still hot so to speak.

"What was the other reason Sheriff?"

"The other reason I arrested Danny Griffiths was that when I got a look at the saddle bags he was trying to sell, I recognized who those saddle bags belonged to."

"Who did they belong to Sheriff?"

"Little Joe Cartwright".

"Even so, why did you assume that my client had anything to do with Mr Cartwright's abduction and disappearance?"

"Well at that stage, Joe Cartwright was still missing. The family had had threats of harming the boy if they involved the law. We still didn't have any leads as to who took him or where they were keeping him. They had received a ransom note by that stage but no clues as to where the boy was being kept against his will. We needed some answers in order to try and find him before he got hurt."

"How did you know that those particular saddle bags belonged to the missing boy Sheriff?"

"Well, the thing that made me look the hardest when I first found them was the fact that there were initials carved into the leather on each of them. Also, I had seen Ben Cartwright give him saddle bags that looked just like those ones. The initials were J.F.C. so I acted on a hunch that Mr Griffiths there might know more about the boy's whereabouts."

"The initials you say were J.F.C. Sheriff? But those initials could have belonged to quite a few people, couldn't they?" "There could be other people out there with those very same initials?"

"I suppose so" Roy said truthfully "But I don't remember anybody else in town with those initials lately. They just looked so distinctive to me at the time."

"Okay, so you agree with me when I suggest that although you thought the saddle bags belonged to Joe Cartwright, it is possible that they belonged to someone totally different altogether?"

"Yes I would have to agree, reluctantly. But I suppose the possibility is there."

"And isn't it also possible then, that because somebody else could have owned the saddle bags that day, that it was also the case that Mr Griffiths came into possession of those very saddle bags by legitimate means. That is, he was the rightful owner of them and had every right to try and sell them to Mr Perkins in the second-hand store if he so wanted to?"

"I guess that is also possible, but I doubt it."

"I am not after your personal opinion Sheriff, just a yes or no would suffice!"

"Yes" Roy answered sternly but made sure that the lawyer saw the look of displeasure on his face.

"What were your intentions with my client after you wrongfully arrested him and took him back to your jailhouse?" the lawyer now asked, knowing that the Sheriff was getting a little annoyed at the cynicism in his line of questioning.

"My intentions were solely to see if Griffith's did know anything about Joe's disappearance. I wanted to be sure that he might know where the boy was being held. If Joe had had the saddle bags with him when he was taken, I logically assumed that Griffiths might have been involved with his abduction. Where would he get the saddle bags otherwise?"

"You seemed to have made a lot of haphazard guesses and hunches during this whole investigation haven't you Sheriff?" Simpson asked, laying it on thickly.

"No, I just looked at the clues and information I had before me and made short concise decisions as to how to approach finding Joe Cartwright alive and unharmed for his family. At no time did I do anything that was illegal or underhanded. Your client was arrested lawfully for the attempted assault on Mr Perkins. Mr Perkins chose not to press charges and Danny Griffiths was released almost as soon as that happened."

"Were you with Griffiths the whole time he was in the jailhouse Sheriff up until the time he was released?"

"No, after I had attended to the paperwork for the jailhouse, I left my deputy in charge of the prisoner and continued my daily routine."

"And where did you go after that Sheriff?" Simpson asked, already guessing at the destination in mind at the time.

"I rode out to the Ponderosa ranch." Roy answered truthfully.

"Why did you ride out there." the lawyer started to ask. "No wait, let me put it to you this way: You intentions for going out to the Cartwright's ranch was to tell them that you had somebody in custody you suspected of having something to do with their missing family member, is that right Sheriff?"

"Yes. I went out there to tell Ben that I had arrested somebody that I had found with Joe's saddle bags. I told him that once Griffiths was released from the jailhouse, I intended to follow him to see if he could lead me to Little Joe."

"What was Ben Cartwright's response to this plan?"

"To tell you the truth, at first both Ben and Hoss Cartwright were about to tear me limb from limb when I suggested letting Griffiths go. They wanted to go over there and beat the stuffing out of him to get Griffiths to tell them where Little Joe was. I told them that I thought he wouldn't tell them anyway, so I suggested that we follow him without him knowing."

"So you decided to play a little game of deception, isn't that right Sheriff."

"If that's what you want to call it. I just wanted to see Joe Cartwright returned to his family, safe and well."

"What did you do after you let him go from the jailhouse Sheriff?"

"I waited for the search party to arrive and then we give Griffiths a few hours head start before we started following his trail."

"Who was in that search party Sheriff Coffee?"

"Ben Cartwright of course and his two sons Adam and Hoss plus me."

"How long do you estimate that you and the search party followed Griffiths up towards Pine Valley?"

"I guess we followed for a couple of hours but then Adam Cartwright and I split up from Ben and Hoss. They took a different trail while we continued on after Griffiths."

"Why did the four of you split into pairs?"

"Because the tracks showed signs of Griffith's slowing up some and we thought that maybe he was getting wise to the idea that he was being followed. We wanted to cut off his escape route in case he tried to make a run for it. So Ben and Hoss took a rougher trail that would make sure Griffith's couldn't double back to town on us without us knowing. As it was Adam Cartwright and I waited another spell to give Griffiths a little more distance in front of us."

"I won't be much longer Sheriff. One more question though." Simpson, now indicating that he was almost finished the cross-examination.

"When you got to this abandoned shack that has been spoken of here today, was there ever any indication that Joseph Cartwright had been there at any time? Where there any signs that if he was there that it had been against his will?"

"No there wasn't anything at all to indicate that Little Joe had been there recently. There were two rooms to the shack. It was a place that was probably used by trappers a long time ago during the trapping season. There was a living room with a dirt floor and then a small, pokey little room off to one side. Just outside the shack there was evidence to suggest that a fire had been there in the past few days. Maybe used for cooking food or heating coffee or such. In the small room there were some pieces of timber that had been broken off the bottom of the far wall. In the main living room there was only a couple of chairs, and even one of those had broken legs."

Simpson read back over his notes one more time to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything.

"Thank you your Honour, I have no further questions for this witness."

"Okay Sheriff Coffee, you are free to resume your normal duties of guarding the prisoner." Judge Collins now said as he dismissed Roy from the witness stand.

"Your Honour, if I may have a few minutes before calling my next witness." Fred Harding now said to the Judge.

The Judge nodded his head in acknowledgement and said that the prosecutor could have as long as was necessary.

Fred now walked over towards his next witness who was still sitting between his father Ben and brother Adam. It wasn't until the prosecutor was standing right in front of him that Joe even looked up to the man. Fred frowned a little as he saw the nervous and apprehension etched in Joe's facial features. He looked a little pale but not overly so. He motioned for Doc Martin to approach them for a minute.

"How does he look to you Doc?"

Doc Martin bent down in front of Little Joe and tried to be as gentle as he could but still show a little air of professionalism whilst being in the courtroom. "How are you feeling Joe?" he asked simply.

Joe looked at the doctor but took a few seconds to answer the question. "I don't know if I can do this," he whispered and then let his gaze fall back towards the floor boards once more. Ben didn't hesitate to put a reassuring arm around his slim shoulders, despite the fact that they were in public and in a court of law. All Ben knew was that Joe needed his reassurance and guidance during this difficult time and he was only too happy to provide it no matter where they were.

Fred now turned back towards the Judge. "Your honour, looking at the time it is now getting on towards the luncheon break. I wonder if I might indulge the court's lenience and be granted an adjournment to enable my next witness to prepare his case. Mr Joseph Cartwright is the only witness left here today but his testimony is going to take some time I would think. Rather than have him start giving his evidence and interrupt him half way through...." he left the sentence unfinished, hoping the Judge got the general idea of his request.

Judge Collins was alert however and had seen the family doctor called over to take a look at the pale figure sitting in the front row. The young man really did look as though he needed some fresh air before giving his evidence. He made a mental note to make the experience as easy as possible on the young man, especially seeing as how he was still in pain from the injuries he had received.

"I think that's an excellent idea Mr Harding" Judge Collins now answered aloud for everybody to hear. "This court will reconvene at 2.00pm. Court is now adjourned." and struck his gavel on the desk to emphasis his decision.

Joe couldn't help but sigh in relief at the Judge's words. He now slumped back against the chair and allowed his body to relax a little. His leg had begun aching somewhat badly halfway through Doc Martin's testimony but he didn't want to cause his family any unnecessary worry. Hopefully by the time they returned after lunch, the leg wouldn't be aching so much. And maybe by then, the voices in his head would stop talking to him.

**************************************************************************** *************

Ben waited together with Doc Martin, Fred Harding and his family for everyone else to leave the court room before they worried about going anywhere.

There were a few brief discussions as to where to eat. The final decision rested on the International Hotel where they were staying. They all wanted to avoid a few of the other establishments in Virginia City in case they ran into the Judge proceeding over the trial. It wasn't against any law or anything, but was considered protocol not to be seen together whilst such events were taken place. After the trial was over, it wouldn't matter if they were seen in public together too much.

"Ready to go and get something to eat son?" Ben now asked Joe. Joe had sat through all of the discussions about lunch without saying a word. He had also remained silent as the others discussed the morning's events and what was to come in the after when they returned.

"Yeah" Joe said in an uninterested tone. He even let his father help him fumble with his crutches and everybody in the room knew this was a particularly worry sign in the young man's demeanour. Joe looked as if he was willing to go along with anything someone else said just so he didn't have to make a decision on his own. If he didn't say anything or challenge the decisions being made for him, then he didn't have to face the battles within him.

They just hoped that some food would help perk up Joe's mood before he was required to give evidence later on. If he was in a similar frame of mind and was prepared to agree with everything that the defence lawyer suggested to him, their case wasn't looking very promising.

Joe gnashed his teeth together as he felt a shooting pain up his leg when his foot touched the wooden floor. He had stumbled slightly and felt three or four hands suddenly rush out to prevent him from falling. He gave a wan smile in return for their concern but inside he just wanted to crawl into a hole where nobody could find him and he could be left alone in his pity.

Once Joe and his family reached the hotel, he did make it his business to choose the table at which they were to have lunch. He made sure that the table was positioned away in one of the back corners of the room. He sat in the corner of this table with his back to the wall. There was a window he could see out of if he turned his head to the side.

Nobody else said anything about the choice of table but Ben made sure that himself and his other two sons sat either side of Joe. They knew that Joe was feeling very vulnerable and afraid at the moment. Ben was determined to make sure that Joe knew he could count on the support of his family.

It didn't seem to matter how much he tried to emphasis that at the moment, the more they moved in closer to protect him, the more he pulled away and put up the defence walls to drive between them. He wanted to shut the whole world out and ignore the pain and memories, hoping they would go away.

Doc Martin now passed menus out around the table as they started to look at the various meals available. They would have to choose relatively simple meals due to the time restraints they were being held to.

Ben pretended to keep reading his own, but he also stole glances towards his youngest son, trying to gauge what he was going to choose from the menu. Whatever it was to be, he hoped that it would be enough to give the boy some much needed nourishment to make it through the rest of the afternoon. If the morning was anything to go by, he knew that Joe was going to need a substantial amount of energy and courage to endure those proceedings. Probably even more than just food would provide.

"I'll think I will have me a nice big juicy steak Pa" Hoss said, trying to interject a little light heartedness into the room. The atmosphere was very tense at the moment.

"Just one Hoss" Adam said in mock surprise. "You mean you don't want the rest of the cow?"

"Naw Adam, I am just a little bit peckish. All that legal talk in there has plum taken my appetite away. Maybe you and the cook there could put the rest in a paper bag for me to take home though." Hoss replied jokingly. Everyone at the table was suddenly laughing at the remarks between the two brothers.

Ben felt a little relief as he looked over and could see the beginnings of a grin tugging at the corners of Joe's mouth. He wasn't exactly laughing, almost looking like he was trying to hold it in or hide the laughter altogether. But it was a start Ben reminded himself. Probably the first real grin they had seen in the last few days any way.

"I think I will just have a ham sandwich with tomato Pa" Joe now said before he was formally asked.

"Are you sure that's all you want son?" Ben enquired.

"Yes Pa. My stomach is already twisting and churning inside too much without being too full. I guess I am just too nervous about the trial to eat that's all." Joe admitted.

"You'll do fine this afternoon Joe." Fred said intervening into the conversation.

The speech was interrupted by the waitress coming to the table and asking for everyone's order. Ben promptly ordered for Joseph first and then himself and then they proceeded around the table in a clock-wise direction.

Once the waitress had taken the orders, everyone around the table except for Joe started to include themselves in idle chatter whilst they waited for their lunch orders to arrive.

Joe's gaze wandered towards the window and what was going on outside as he became lost in his own thoughts about the day. He hadn't even being taking any notice of who or what was going on outside. His mind was telling him that he was looking towards the main street of Virginia City. He could see people walking by the hotel and on the opposite side of the street. His attention wasn't enough to recognize the faces as they walked by.

Briefly Joe took his gaze away from the street outside to survey the table he was sitting out. He looked back but could see his father talking with Fred Harding and Doc Martin. Adam and Hoss seemed to be talking amongst themselves. He again looked back out the window, but this time things seemed a little altered.

Months later when he was asked, Joe told people that it was like watching a scene in slow motion. He could see things happening on the street, people walking by, horses being ridden down the street. But the more he looked the stranger the scene became. Then all at once, there was nobody walking down the street, nor riding horses. It was if the street had suddenly been abandoned.

Joe looked across to the other side of the road and found his brain warning him of eminent danger. His eyes scanned the area and saw a large dark figure standing by the lamp pole outside the barber shop.

Joe could scarcely hold back the scream caught in his throat when he finally did recognize the face staring back at him. The face was staring back at him. If was as if the eyes were burning into his very soul. It was Butch Thomas looking back at him. Somehow Joe knew that Thomas had seen him looking out the window.

Joe quickly turned his face away from the window and looked back at the others seated at the table. His face had now lost all its pallor and he was trembling slightly with the fear that was coursing through his body. He couldn't help it. The more he thought about Butch Thomas, the more afraid he became.

Ben had been talking idly with Fred when he saw his son's face. Joe was deathly pale all of a sudden and looked as though he might faint on the spot. Ben reached for Joe's hand with one of his own and felt the small tremors that were present.

"Joseph are you alright?" Ben asked and moved his chair out slightly so he could move closer to Joe. He didn't like the way the boy was looking one bit. He was sweating profusely and seemed to be very scared all of a sudden. His eyes were full of fright and kept darting back between the people at the table and the window beside them.

Ben took a brief second to look out the window, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary that might have Joe to react so badly.

Joe tried to answer his father, but the fear that was multiplying by the minute prevented the words from coming.

Hoss also saw the naked fear on his brothers face and got off his chair to kneel in front of his distressed brother. All of a sudden, Joe could feel the eyes of everybody at the table on him and probably a few from other nearby tables. All of the scrutiny only seemed to escalate the problem.

"Tell Hoss what's got you so scared boy" Hoss said as he spoke to his brother in a soft and caring voice. "You got us all plum worried about you Joe."

"Do you need to go outside and get some fresh air Joe?" Fred Harding now asked, unaware of what Joe had seen but a few minutes ago.

"NO" Joe shouted back hurriedly without even realising he might have been giving away the real reason for his fear. He couldn't let them know about Thomas being outside, no matter how scared he was. He knew that Thomas was there to ensure that he kept his word about not revealing his identity or involvement in his abduction.

"Calm down Joe" Adam said, now voicing his own concern for his brother's sudden display of emotion. "You don't have to go outside if you don't want to. We just want to make sure you are okay."

"I'm sorry Pa. I was just thinking too hard that's all about what happened. I think I must have been dreaming again about what happened" Joe said, thinking that his excuse would at least pass for partly true.

"I am sorry I interrupted your conversation" Joe now said in remorse. "I will be okay now."

Ben gave his son a good looking over with his eyes and doubted this to be true but didn't voice his concerns for fear of distressing Joe further. "As long as you say so." he commented.

Before anybody else could speak, there was a clunking of china plates on the table as the waitress delivered the luncheon meals. Joe took one look at the ham sandwich placed before him and knew that his stomach wouldn't be in the mood for food.

"Can I have a drink of water please Pa?" Joe asked, trying firstly to divert his father's attention away from him and to draw attention away from the fact that he didn't feel like eating. His throat felt so dry from his fear it wasn't funny. He was grateful for the cool refreshing liquid as it touched the sides of his throat on the way down. It was soothing and thirst-quenching at the same time.

The discussion at the table soon dissipated as everyone tucked into the food before them. On two occasions when he felt the stares from his father and brothers, Joe had picked up one of the sandwiches and nibbled at one of the corners to show them that he was at least trying to eat his lunch.

"Gentlemen, I think it is almost time to start heading back to the courtroom" Fred Harding announced as he looked at his pocket watch and noted it to be ten minutes to two o'clock.

Ben and Doc Martin sighed in defeat as they looked down at Joe's plate and saw his meal almost untouched.

Joe tried to hide his apprehension about leaving the safety and security of the International Hotel. On the way back to the court room, his eyes darted back and forth along the street of Virginia City looking for signs of Thomas lurking in the shadows. He was scaring himself silly but couldn't help but feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise as though Thomas was standing right in front of him.

He inwardly sighed in relief when he reached the courtroom without seeing Thomas again. His sense of alert was at it's highest and his reactions were based mainly on pure adrenaline as they had been when he was escaping from the shack.

Before too long the court Bailiff had come back into the court room and announced the recommencement of the proceedings and Judge Collins took his usual place at the bench.

"Will you please call your next witness Mr Harding" the Judge now instructed the prosecutor.

"Your Honour, if it pleases the court I call Joseph Francis Cartwright to the stand"

Joe got slowly up from his seat and walked as calmly as possible to the witness stand. Inside his stomach was all tied in knots and he could barely keep his composure. His crutches seemed to be loud as he made his way over, but it was probably more to the fact that nobody else in the courtroom spoke a word. They all had their eyes firmly fixated on the young, pale looking young man heading towards the front of the court room. Joe really hoped this was over real soon.

Joe remained standing for a moment while the Court Bailiff address him. "Do you swear to tell the whole truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

'Truth". That was the word that kept echoing in Joe's mind over and over again. Like he had told his father only a day earlier, he didn't know what the truth was anymore and had even less of an inclination to face it.

"I do" he said in a soft voice and sat down on the hard wooden seat. It took quite a few attempts to manage to manoeuvre his body and the crutches in such a small, confined space. Finally he placed his crutches on the other side of the witness box. A little further away than he would have liked, but at least this way he could stretch his aching leg out just a little to ease the constant throbbing that existed.

Judge Collins could see the nervousness and apprehension in this next young witness. He put his hand up towards Fred Harding so that he could have a private chat with Joe before the questions began.

"Joe, if you think you need a break at any time or are hurting too much from your injuries, just let me know and I will have a recess until you are able to go on. Okay?"

Joe nodded his head, grateful for the Judge's compassion but he really didn't want to delay this any longer. He just wanted to answer the questions thrown at him and then go home and forget any of this ever happened.

The Judge now looked back towards the lawyers and the public gallery and gave a slight nod of his head indicating that the prosecution could proceed.

At the back of the courtroom there was a set of windows. They were very dusty, both inside and out, so nobody really took any notice of them. When Joe had walked towards the witness box, he was unable to see the shadowy figure of Butch Thomas walk down the alley way and peer through one corner of one of the windows.

Although Thomas couldn't hear what Joe was about to say very well, he could tell what was happening by the boy's body language and gestures. He made sure that his presence remained undetected by anyone in the courtroom.

"Joe I will get to the main part of your evidence in a moment, but firstly, due to the questions that were asked just before the luncheon break, I will start with what you remember about those saddle bags." Fred Harding asked as he began his examination of Little Joe.

"When was the last time.... no wait a moment. Do you own a set of saddle bags?"

"Yes" Joe answered.

"Is there any distinguishing characteristics on those saddle bags?"

"My Pa gave them to me for my fifteen birthday. They have my initials carved into one corner of them."

"And what are those initials Joe?"

"J.F.C."

"Okay, now that we have established that you have had possession of a set of saddle bags resembling the ones that the Sheriff confiscated from Mr Griffiths when he was arrested. Do you use those saddle bags all the time?"

"Yes, whenever I saddle my horse Cochise, they are always there."

"And up until today Joe, when was the last time you saw those saddle bags?"

Joe looked cautiously at his father before answering the question. His father gave him a reassuring smile and the look of encouragement to help him go on. "The last time I saw those saddle bags was on my way to school that day."

"And what day are you talking about Joe?" Fred asked, knowing that Joe was trying to avoid saying it all at once.

"The day that I was taken away from my family." Joe said in a small voice. His gaze immediately went to the floor in front of him and he tried to slow down his breathing and regain his composure.

"Did you see what happened to those saddle bags when you were abducted Joe?"

"No"

"Have you seen those saddle bags since being returned to your family?"

"No"

"Okay Joe, we can come back to more of those questions later. Now let's start with what you remember about that day, before you left for school."

"You mean when I was still at home?" Joe asked, not really being sure about why the prosecutor would be asking about things that happened before he was taken.

"Yes, Joe. Lead us into what happened. Take your time and stop when you need to but try to be as specific as you can and leave nothing out."

"Well......" Joe said and paused looking at Fred with a confused look. He looked towards his brothers and father for their help.

Fred Harding could see that Joe was already reluctant to give his story willingly on his own.

"I know this is difficult for you Joe. So I will help you as much as I can okay, with your Honour's permission of course" Fred added, looking towards Judge Collins for his approval. The Judge just nodded his head in agreement.

"What time did you wake up that morning, do you remember?"

"About normal time. I can't be sure, probably about 6.00am. We kinda get up early at our house. Pa makes sure that all of our morning chores are done before breakfast time." Joe said innocently. Both Adam and Ben both had to hide their smirks to this answer. At least the boy was being honest about his home life.

"Did you eat any breakfast that morning?"

"Hop Sing made scrambled eggs I think, but I was already running late for school and so I only had a few mouthfuls."

"So then you left the house and what happened next?"

"I went to the barn to saddle my horse Cochise. Adam came after me and handed me my books that I had forgotten."

"So you rode alone to school that day Joe?"

"Yeah, Pa has been letting me ride to school on my own since I was about thirteen or so."

"Okay, so you start to ride to school and then what happened?"

"Well, about half way there I came to a bend in the road. Somebody was lying in the middle of the road. I got off my horse and started to walk towards him."

"Could you see this person's face from your horse Joe?"

"No, he was laying down and turned over as if he was hurt, so I couldn't see anything but the back of his shirt."

Ben and Adam both found it very difficult to hear the explicit details about how these men lured a very innocent and naïve teenager in the path of danger. Joe was always the one to stop and ask if somebody needed help, it was just in his nature.

"What happened after you walked towards him?"

"I put my hand on his shoulder, ready to turn him over to see if he was alright." Joe's voice was getting softer with every question and answer.

"Did you say anything to him Joe? I am sorry, but you will have to try and keep your voice up a little for everyone to hear."

"No. He didn't give me a chance. As soon as I touched his shoulder he turned over on his own and that's when I knew he was faking being hurt."

"How did you know that he wasn't really hurt Joe?"

Joe looked at this father again, knowing that his family had yet to hear any of these details. He could see Hoss's normally placid, calm looking blue eyes, start to swirl as the emotions within him began to consume him about what these men had done to his little brother.

"I knew he was lying because he had a gun pointed at me" Joe said hurriedly, thankful to finally get the words out. There was a few muffled voices and whispers amongst the public gallery after this comment.

Adam's face had turned into a mask as he too tried to hide the turmoil of emotions that were threatening to overtake him. He was trying to think of all the things he could do to these men if he ever got his hands on them.

Ben's gaze never diverted from Joe. Inside he was anger and full of guilt as his two sons were, but he knew that Joe was looking to him to provide the reassurance and the strength to carry on. He needed to remain strong for his son.

"Did you think you could describe this person for the court Joe?"

"No, I don't think so. Everything after that happened so quickly. I don't remember very much at all after that."

"Do you know the defendant in his matter Joe?"

"No" Joe said with firmness. He knew that he could safely say that he wasn't friends or even distance acquaintances with Danny Griffiths.

"I want you to take as much time as you need to answer this next question Joe. Think very carefully. "Have you ever seen the man sitting in the dock before?"

Now Joe really did have a large lump caught in his throat. He knew that he didn't want to reveal that he knew Griffith's was involved in his kidnapping. Thomas had told him what would happen if he revealed their identities to anybody.

Joe found himself nervously playing with his hands. He was clenching them into fists so tight that the knuckles were turning white. He did think very hard about how he was going to answer the question without outright lying.

"Ummmm.... I really can't be sure of that. I got hit on the head a couple of times after that and some things about that day are still a little bit fuzzy."

Joe looked at the prosecutor to see if could see through the half-lie at all. The walls all of a sudden seemed to be closing in around Joe. His fear and nervousness were more than beginning to get the better of him. He was beginning to feel claustrophobic.

He was the only one who couldn't see his face getting awfully pale. On the contrary, Joe couldn't feel anything else but the blood beginning to rush to his head.

Judge Collins noted the sudden change in pallor of the young man and decided to intervene "Are you alright young man?" he asked gently.

Ben was about two steps away from making a path directly to Joe in the witness box. He could see his son struggling to get himself under control. Even though the questions hadn't been entirely harrowing, just the fact that Joe was being forced to remember such a terrible ordeal was obviously becoming to much for his son all at once.

"Could I go to the outhouse please?" Joe asked in a soft voice. Although his family was ready to support him, Joe felt as though he couldn't deal with anybody at the moment, least of all his family. He wanted to be alone for a few minutes and try and deal with the guilt and shame that was becoming overwhelming within him.

"Sure son. Do you want one of your family to go with you?" the Judge replied noting Joe's slight immobility with the crutches.

"No, I be just fine on my own if that's alright with you. I won't be long" Joe said as he started to fumble for his crutches. He looked briefly over at his brothers who were almost on their feet, ready to help him across the short distance to the side exit to the courtroom. He shook his head slightly indicating to them that he didn't need their help just yet either.

All eyes seemed to be on Joe as he made his way slowly across the wooden floor. It took all of their will-power for Ben and his boys not to rush over to him and help like they wanted to. They all respected the fact that Joe had said he could manage on his own. It didn't make it any easier though to watch his painful and stiff progress to the side door.

Joe had been careful about where to place his crutches at the doorway. There was a large step from the floor of the courtroom to the dirt ground. He made sure that he had a solid foot hold before proceeding any further. His concentration was largely on his footing and his crutches so he didn't see Butch Thomas's figure come closer to him from the back of the building.

Butch Thomas made sure that the kid was all the way out the door and away from prying eyes before he made a grab for the teenager. The outhouse was about twenty feet to the right side of the courtroom. The people inside wouldn't be able to see him again until he was almost back inside the doorway again.

Once Joe had almost made it to the outhouse door, Thomas made his move.........

Butch Thomas made sure that when he grabbed the boy, that the kid wasn't able to scream for help or signal to anyone about what was going on. He put his hand over Joe's mouth tightly, cutting off the scream was caught in his throat.

Joe felt a hand on his shoulder momentarily and then felt the rough calloused hand go around his mouth, keeping him silent. His assailant was stronger, despite his constant struggles to get away. The crutches he had been holding onto had fallen away to the side as he used his hands and arms to try and free the arms encircling his chest and upper body.

It was only after he had subdued his victim sufficiently and dragged him into a darkened corner of the alley that he turned the kid's body around to allow him to see who he was. Butch Thomas couldn't suppress the grin on his face as he saw the look of recognition on Joe's face.

Joe could feel his heart pounding so hard in his chest that he thought it would burst. His eyes were wide with fright and his face had paled considerably as he found himself looking into the cold, calculating face of his worst fear: Butch Thomas.

Joe tried to scream through the hand over his mouth but all that came out was muffled squeak. Thomas knew that he couldn't do anything physical to the kid out here. He had to make sure that the kid wasn't missing long enough for anybody to start worrying about him and come out looking for him.

Instead of the harsh slap that Thomas wanted to deliver to Joe's frightened, pale face, he proceeded to shake the kid roughly and issue a fresh warning:

"Hello again my young friend. Didn't expect to see me here today did you. Oh but I know you already saw me earlier didn't you, outside the hotel. Didn't think I had gone away completely did you kid, after my last visit. Like I told you before, I aim to make sure that you don't open that mouth of yours and tell the law what really happened at that shack. I want to make sure that you don't say anything about me or young Griffiths in there being involved. If you tell them about him, then he just might squeal on me and that ain't good for your health kid."

Remember I'll be watching you" Thomas added finally. He quickly released his grip from around Joe's chest and removed the hand over the kid's mouth and disappeared down the opposite end of the alleyway before his young victim even realised that Thomas was gone.

Joe had his eyes closed whilst his body was being shaken by Thomas. It was only after he had felt the iron like grip around his arms and chest release that he could take a breath again. It was now that he heard the sound of running footsteps.

Joe nervously opened his eyes and looked around, not knowing what to expect. He couldn't believe it when the alleyway was completely empty. The sound of his shallow breaths seemed to echo off the walls of the nearby buildings and then circle back at him, enhancing the fact that he was all alone.

He didn't know what he should do for a minute. He was scared that this was all some sort of evil game from Thomas. That he was somewhere nearby, waiting for Joe to make the next move before he pounced on him again. Joe stood where he was, trying to regain his composure before re-entering the courtroom.

Joe had no idea if the people inside the courtroom had heard the skirmish outside between him and Thomas. He looked around the alley way and soon spotted his fallen crutches still laying in the dirt nearby. His legs were threatening to betray him and he didn't even know if he could make it the short distance to them without collapsing.

After a few shaky seconds he managed to walk gingerly over to his crutches and retrieve them. He had all but forgotten about his trip to the outhouse. His next challenge seemed to be making it back to the side entrance to the courtroom. All of the blood seemed to be pooling in his feet making them feel extremely heavy to move and the rest of his body feel very wobbly and dizzy.

Inside the courtroom, Ben was starting to become a little anxious as to the time Joe had been gone. In the scheme of things, it had only been a few minutes, but he hadn't like the paleness in Joe's face before the break in proceedings had been granted. There was something in the way that Joe had been answering the questions that the prosecutor asked. It was almost as if Joe was trying to avoid them or tell an untruth, he couldn't work out why his son would do such a thing.

Adam was the first to see Joe's figure lurch into view near the doorway. At first, for a brief second his heart had begun beating again after worry he had caused himself about how long Joe was taking. He too had seen the concerning signs in his younger brother as his father did. He didn't necessarily draw the same conclusions, but was worried for Joe's safety nonetheless.

Adam lightly tapped Hoss on the shoulder as he spotted his brother, but the gesture almost hung in mid air as all three Cartwright's now watched Joe intently as he walked through the doorway awkwardly with his crutches to aid him. Something wasn't right.

The look on Joe's face told the on-lookers that the kid was down right scared. Of what they didn't know. He hadn't seemed that scared in the witness box a few minutes ago. Something was very wrong.

Joe swallowed hard as he first of all looked towards his family seated in the front row of chairs. He then slowly and deliberately turned his head towards Judge Collins. He wanted to shout out what had just happened outside. He wanted to run to his father and hide behind him, hoping his two brothers would run outside and catch Butch Thomas before he could get away. For the time being, his voice seemed to abandon him and he only heard a croaky gurgle when he opened his mouth.

Adam could see Joe struggling with his emotions and wanting to tell them something. The fear on his face was so naked that he was truly worried for his brother's ability to cope with the whole trial situation. He focused on Joe's lips, hoping to at least lip read the words that Joe couldn't get out.

"He's back" Adam thought his brother had mouthed silently. He didn't know who Joe was talking about. He was hoping Joe could supply some more information about what was so terribly wrong. He was about to take a step forward and talk to Joe on a more one on one basis when he saw his brother's step falter.

All of a sudden, Joe's energy that had been fuelled by pure adrenaline, seemed to be waning and ebbing away very quickly from within him. As the adrenalin left his body, his injured leg began to ache as though it was a warning of some kind.

Joe's legs seemed to be made of jelly and he knew that it was only the crutches in his hands holding him totally erect. That soon came to an end though as the crutches fell to the floor with a resounding crash. His arms no longer had the strength to hold onto the wooden appendages that he had been holding.

The blood that seemed to be in his feet only a few seconds ago now coursed through his veins and rushed into his head. His head began swimming and his mind began to spin together with the ceiling of the courtroom. Without any further warning, he crumpled to the ground in a dead faint. He didn't hear the cry of anguish that came from his family as they had seen what was going to happen but were unable to prevent it in time.

Immediately, Ben was at his son's side, along with Adam and Hoss. Doc Martin had quickly recovered from the shock enough to gather his medical bag before joining the hovering crowd over the unconscious and unmoving youth. Judge Collings was also standing on his feet, leaning over the desk in front of him with a concerned expression on his face.

"Mr Harding and Mr Simpson, I believe that now is the right time to adjourn these whole proceedings until 9.00am tomorrow morning. Hopefully by then we will be able to make a decision of what is to happen based on Mr Cartwright's physical health and the doctor's diagnosis. Sheriff you may take the prisoner back to his cell in your jailhouse. Court is now adjourned" the Judge said, knowing his speech fell mainly on deaf ears. Everybody in the courtroom was rightly preoccupied with the health and condition of the young man laying in front of him.

The Judge now came out from his desk and offered what little if any assistance he could to the already growing crowd of bystanders.

"Joseph!", "Joseph can you hear me?" Ben said as he gently stroked his son's pale face, beseeching him to respond to his touch and his calling.

"Do you think this was all too much Doc?" Hoss asked Paul as the doctor prepared to make a more thorough examination of his patient.

"Maybe Hoss, but for now let's be more concerned about getting him back to the hotel and checking him out more thoroughly. We will make him more comfortable and hope that an environment away from here may make him a little more relaxed." Paul explained.

"Okay, Adam you and Hoss carry him, but gently. I will clear the path. Ben you stay by his side in case he starts to wake up and becomes agitated before we get him to the room." Paul now instructed.

The crowd in the courtroom, respectfully stood aside without any hesitation as they watched the two brothers gather their smaller and obviously frailer sibling in their gentle but supporting grasp and carry him towards the International Hotel where his family had been staying.

Fred Harding gathered all of his paperwork and scurried behind the Cartwright's and the doctor as quickly as he could. He was a little guilty about having to put his young witness through such a taxing ordeal. He was also a little intrigued as Ben had been about why Joe was being so evasive with his testimony. He knew his curiosities would in all likelihood, go unanswered tonight at least.

Upon a last minute check of the courtroom, Fred saw that Joe's crutches had been momentarily forgotten with all the chaos. He picked them up and carried them back to the hotel along with the rest of his paperwork.

Shocked staff of the hotel could only watch with stunned faces as the party came bursting into the hotel through the front doors, carrying the inert young man up the stairs and to their suite. Fred Harding stayed behind to tell them about what they had seen and make arrangements for any necessities that the doctor might require like water, towels, fresh bed linen and anything Paul or the Cartwright's asked for. The staff were only too happy to carry out his wishes and promised to have everything he asked for promptly ready within a few minutes at the suite door.

SORRY PEOPLE - HAD TO SPLIT AGAIN DUE TO THE LENGTH - ALMOST FINISHED - ONE MORE POST.

HOPE YOUR ENJOYING THE STORY SO FAR.

JULES