Ch 13

Kid and Noah rode back into station right before dark. The others were inside eating. They ran through the door. Teaspoon and the others looked at the worry on their faces.

"What is it?" Asked Emma.

"Find out anything?"

Noah looked to Kid.

"We did and it's rather disturbing."

"And?"

"Your friend said that Shannon was the talk of the state. Seems she went crazy one day after her husband claimed to be leaving. She killed him in cold blood and as her sister tried to stop her, she killed her too." Said Kid.

"Dorothy worked for them. She ran with Shannon before the law could get to her."

"That's not all. There was another murder in Alabama. The man resembled her murdered husband. He was shot at least six times." Said Noah.

"People think it is her on her way out west. They say that she lost her mind. He gave us this clipping that he had."

Noah handed the small piece of paper to Teaspoon. He looked at it and looked at all his family. He laid the paper down. Emma and the others gasped. The man in the picture looked sort of like Jimmy.

"She has him." Said Teaspoon rubbing his face.

"And apparently she ain't really a stable person."

"She gave him the gifts then? Why?" Asked Lou.

"To make him feel loved?" Asked Emma.

"In her mind, she was giving things to her dead husband. I saw the way she stared at him. Both of em. I should have known."

"Think they have Cody?"

"More than likely."

"We ain't gonna wait til morning are we?" Asked Buck.

"Hell no. We know the way. Get your horses and the lanterns."

They all nodded and left their meal unfinished. They arrived at the homestead in less than forty minutes. No lamps were lit. The whole house and barn was dark.

"Split up. Be careful."

Buck and Ike went around to the back of the house. Kid and Lou went to the barn. Teaspoon and Noah eased their way up to the front door. They stepped on something on the porch. It was ropes. The door was open. Teaspoon pushed it farther open and held the lantern inside. Shadows casted all over the room. They eased their way further in. They saw light coming from the back of house. Buck and Ike were easing their way in as well. They met them halfway.

"Nothing back there." Said Buck.

"Go upstairs."

Buck nodded as they made their way up. Teaspoon and Noah saw the open door. They walked over and jumped back. Blood covered the walls and floor. There was a young girl laying in the middle of it all. Teaspoon eased over and held the light on her. She had been stabbed too many times to count. He looked at Noah and shook his head. They looked around. Someone or someones had been held here. They walked out the room as Buck and Ike were coming back downstairs.

"It's empty." Said Buck.

"Not exactly." Said Teaspoon as he showed them what was in the other room.

They heard Lou screaming. They all ran outside to see Lou running over to them waving her arms.

"Lou!"

"We got Cody! He's been shot!"

Teaspoon and the others rushed over to find Kid bent over talking to Cody. Cody was awake but in pain. Teaspoon knelt down beside him. Cody looked at him.

"She's crazy, Teaspoon."

"We know. Just take it easy. We are gonna get you help."

"I'm ok. Just hit with a shotgun. She wasn't close."

"We are gonna get you back to the station. Get help."

"Jimmy. They got him."

"Relax Cody, we'll talk more after. Just take it easy."

"Look in the house. Look."

Teaspoon looked to Buck and Ike. They nodded and went for all their horses. Buck mounted up as they loaded Cody on his horse in front of him. Kid set off toward town and the doctor. Teaspoon set off to town with Kid to wake the undertaker. The others followed Buck and Cody.

The next morning, the others sat around the table getting ready to ride back out to Shannon's home once Teaspoon and the undertaker had collected the murdered girl. Teaspoon finally walked into the door.

"Morning."

"When are we leaving Teaspoon?" Asked Kid.

"In just a few. The undertaker got her ok. I ain't never seen anything like that though."

"Me either. I don't think I'll ever forget it." Said Noah.

"How's Cody since I been gone?"

"Doc says he'll be fine. He got all the lead out and cleaned all the wounds. He was lucky that she was so far away. Said he should be up in the next few days."

"That's good news for once. Now he said they were putting this odd looking in Jimmy's arm to keep him down. Let's go see if we can find out what the hell it was."

They nodded and went outside since they had their horses already saddled. They arrived at the house quickly. The sun shone down on it like nothing had happened there.

"Ike and I will take the barn. I think we are gonna skip the house for now." Said Buck.

"I understand. Look for anything unusual."

Teaspoon and the others started searching the house. Teaspoon walked into the room where the girl had been found. He pulled ropes from under the bed and saw the overturned chair. Someone had been tied to it. He looked at the broken dresser. He sorted through clothes. Men's clothes. He found a picture. It was of her real husband. He put it back down.

Lou and Kid went upstairs. They opened a door to a room and it was clearly Shannon's. They looked through the dresser and armoire. A few dresses and also some men's clothes. Lou pulled drawers open and found where she had been knitting a baby blanket. She showed it to Kid who shook his head. The next door they opened was to another girl's room. They looked at the dollhouse in the corner.

"She was completely crazy." Said Lou.

"This is the weirdest thing I have ever seen."

Noah was searching the kitchen. He found nothing odd. He saw a door. He opened it and went into a small room. Clearly Dorothy slept here. He rummaged through some of her things that she left. He found a box under her cot. As he pulled it, an empty bottle rolled out from under the bed. He looked at it. He put it in his pocket. He opened the box and saw an odd looking thing. It had a long needle on it but it looked to be broken. He closed the lid and took the box to Teaspoon who was coming back into the main room. Kid and Lou were making their way down the stairs.

"Teaspoon look at this." Said Noah.

Teaspoon looked at the items that Noah had found. He held them up.

"Let's take this to Doc Barnes. See if he can tell us anything about it. Find anything else?"

"A whole lot of crazy." Said Lou.

Buck and Ike came back in.

"We found where they loaded and left. The tracks are clearly heading into the high country. What's that?"

"Don't know. Lou, ride this into town. Well wait for ya to get back."

"Got it."

"Let's see if we can piece this puzzle together so we know what we are riding into."

Jimmy opened his eyes to look up into the blue sky. His eyes hurt so he squinted. He was being tossed side to side. He slowly came to realize that he was in the back of a wagon. He heard voices talking behind him. He decided to lay quietly and listen. Once all his sluggishness wore off, he might could make a run for it.

"I had to do it. I had to. She attacked Steven then she attacked you. I had to kill her. I had to."

"Stop rambling Shannon. It is over now. It was something that had to happen. It will be ok. You still have Steven. We didn't lose him this time."

"I know. But he will try to leave me again. I can't let that happen. I won't."

"Shannon, look at me. It won't. I have what he needs. We will get more somehow or we will try something else that the doc's out here have. It will work the same. He is yours forever. Ya hear me."

"I do. I just need to not let it happen again. My hands just like to hurt people, Dot."

"They make ya hurt em Shannon."

Jimmy laid still and listened. He had to play this right. This was the first time that he felt he had his right mind somewhat even if his body wasn't sure.

"I left my baby blanket behind. I feel so lost."

"We will knit ya another one. You got plenty of time."

Jimmy tried not to move. She wanted a kid with him. Hell no. He had to play this right and make a run for it.