Ch 11

Jimmy stirred as the coolness of the early dawn touched his skin. He cracked open his eyes. He was laying in hay. He pushed up and looked around groggily. He was in a horse stall. His head hurt and he was dizzy. He couldn't fully focus. He went to sit back. He gasped as pains ran through his hands. He held them up shakily. His vision was blurry but he could see the deep cuts across his palms. His head was pounding now. He leaned back and felt something. He slowly turned around. He tried to focus. There was a girl behind him. Blood covered her dress. He fell away. He was cold. He realized that he didn't have a shirt on. He felt around the hay when he felt something hard. He picked it up. It was a big shard of glass covered in blood. He looked at the girl then at his hands. He dropped the glass and started to panic. What the hell was happening? He pulled himself up. He had to get out of here. He staggered into the aisle where he saw another man laying on the dirt. Jimmy saw the blood on him. He needed to get away. He saw a horse tied in the back. He clumsily climbed onto the horse and urged him out onto the plains confused as to where he was.

Teaspoon, Noah, and Kid hurried back to town in the early morning hour. Cody stayed to get ready for his ride. Buck and Lou stayed to feed the stock before going to help.

Barnett ran out to meet Teaspoon before he got off his horse.

"Teaspoon!"

"Ya ain't got to yell Barnett, I'm right here."

"You got to get over to the livery. Now."

Teaspoon didn't ask any more questions. He turned his horse and ran in that direction with Noah and Kid on his heels. There was a crowd already gathering. Teaspoon pushed through. He saw Doc Barnes kneeling beside a man in the aisle. He stood when he saw Teaspoon. Kid and Noah started pushing the people back outside.

"What ya got?"

"One man dead in the aisle from a stabbing. Got a girl in the stall, same way."

"Anyone we know?"

"I ain't familiar with the man but the girl is Matilda Matthews."

"Damn. She was at the dance last night. How'd she end up here?"

"We got to figure that out but it didn't end well for her."

Teaspoon walked over to Kid and Noah.

"Keep these doors closed. No one comes in."

Teaspoon looked the barn over. He could see boot tracks in the aisle. It looked like the struggle started in the back. He walked and looked the man over. He was stabbed in the back several times. He walked along. There were bloody handprints on the wall. He eased into the stall. The girl was stabbed also but in her chest. He also saw bruises around her neck where her dress had been torn. He looked at the straw. Someone else had been laying here. He picked up a big shard of glass. The window had been broken at the saloon last night. The glass was red with blood. He could see where someone struggled to get up. He saw where they finally stood. The boot prints in the dirt led him back to the end of the barn. He saw more prints. They seemed to be staggering. They disappeared. There was a horse there.

He walked back over to Kid and Noah.

"What's going on Teaspoon?" Asked Kid.

"Got a dead girl in the stall along with the man. It's Matilda Matthews."

"My God." Whispered Noah.

"I'm going to find her pa in a few. He likes to frequent the saloon. He probably doesn't even know she is gone. Her ma died a few years back. He didn't take it too well."

"I can't believe this." Said Kid.

"Whoever it was, took a horse and either he was sick or he was hurt. The tracks prove that much."

"Where the hell is Jimmy?" Asked Noah.

"Don't know. He ain't in town that's for sure. We got witnesses saying they saw him with that dead saloon girl. Noah, get Buck. See what y'all can track. I'm going to try to keep the peace here. Won't be long afore people start jumping to conclusions."

"What are we gonna do?" Asked Kid.

"I'm gonna need you here in town. Once word gets out, it will spread like wildfire. The town will be out for blood."

Noah rushed out the back of the livery and back to the station. He found Buck and Lou just finishing saddling their horses to head into town.

"Noah, what's going on?" Asked Lou when she saw his face.

"It's bad. We got another man and girl dead in the livery."

"My God!" Yelled Lou.

"Yeah and we can't find Jimmy. Seems he is the prime suspect. Teaspoon has witnesses saying he was hanging with that dead saloon girl. Buck, I need your help. Lou, Teaspoon probably will need you in town. Where's Cody?"

"Getting ready to meet Ike. He should be here soon." Said Buck.

Noah and Buck mounted to ride back into town. Lou saw Jesse talking with Cody on the far side of the bunkhouse.

"How much did you put on his food, Jesse?!"

"I got scared. I might of dumped it all out. I don't know."

Cody leaned back and sighed.

"We're in it deep now. Don't you dare say a word to anyone."

Cody walked back to the porch while Jesse ran over to the barn. Lou watched Jesse climb up in the loft. She turned as she heard Rachel yell. Cody mounted to meet Ike and was soon on his way. She looked back up to where Jesse went. She climbed the ladder to find him sitting in the back, looking scared.

"Jesse, you ok?"

"Yeah."

"You don't look it. Jimmy will be fine. Teaspoon will figure all this out."

Jesse wouldn't answer. Lou climbed back down. She was going straight to Teaspoon with her suspicions. Jesse was the weak link.