Chapter 13 – Nightmares

Pauly returned with Smithson Talbet trailing behind. Once again Doralice answered the door and took Smithson upstairs to talk to Bart. They didn't waste any time. "I understand we have a judge on the way. Tell me what you've remembered since we last spoke."

One more time Bart reiterated the whole story, including the part about Belle seeing Bart fire the shot that killed the marshal, and when he was done the attorney shook his head. "Clearly self-defense, but the fact that he was a marshal with a valid, if incorrect, arrest warrant is the sticking point. That's where we're gonna have trouble. When I return to my office I'm going to wire the current sheriff in Silver Creek and get him to verify that Logan Duran was killed at the time of the fire and not later, the way the warrant reads. If he can confirm that we can have the warrant invalidated and the case will be dismissed."

"It can't be that easy," Bart stated.

"It can and hopefully will be. I'll be in touch tomorrow morning." And with that Smithson gathered his materials and left.

"That was quick," Doralice remarked after the attorney was gone.

"If things work out right, it might be."

XXXXXXXX

One more night spent on the settee, shivering under the afghan. She heard him in the night once, with a scream so piercing it made her jump up and run to comfort him. She knew what was happening; he was reliving the hell of that jail cell in Montana. All she could do was shake him awake and hold him until he calmed down. She sat with him while he found sleep again and then returned to the sofa downstairs, almost drifting back into slumber herself until she heard him a second time. There was no screaming this time, more a whimpering sound, and again she ran to him, holding him while he sobbed on her bosom. When he finally stopped she wiped his tears and lay down next to him, taking him in her arms and crooning to him like she did to the baby until he fell back asleep. She spent the rest of the night with him and he remained relatively still.

"Well, hello blue-eyes. When did you move back in?" He questioned her the next morning.

"Last night," was her reply.

"Is this just a visit or are you here to stay?"

"Here to stay."

Her answer made him smile. "Did I wake you last night?"

"No," she lied. "I was just missing you." If he didn't remember the nightmares, she wasn't going to remind him.

There were lines on his face that hadn't been there before, and a tremor in his voice that told her he was afraid of what was to come. They wrapped their arms around each other and drifted back to sleep for another hour, when the noise from their girls playing woke them for good.

"I love you," he whispered softly.

"Not as much as I love you," she replied.

XXXXXXXX

By the time Smithson Talbet arrived at the front door everyone was fed, bathed and dressed. Bart was able to move around more by this time, and he had installed himself on the sofa downstairs to read. Which was almost impossible with the noise from the children playing, since it was raining outdoors.

"What kind of news do you have for us, Smithson?" He asked once the lawyer had gotten settled.

"Not very good at the moment, I'm afraid. They've had four different sheriffs in Silver Creek since you were there the last time. The one we're looking for, the one that took over when Travis Cole disappeared, is currently somewhere in the hills fishing. Meantime, the current sheriff is looking through the old reports to see if he can find one that covers the fire and Dunbar's death. He's also sent somebody out after the sheriff, to bring him back to town so he can verify Logan Dunbar's death at the time of the fire as an act of self-defense. Looks like we may have to face the judge after all."

"That's what I was afraid of," Bart commented. "Do you need to talk to Belle?"

"For just a minute. I don't want to upset her if I don't have to. I just want to ask her four or five basic questions."

"I'll go get her," Doralice volunteered, and you could hear her in the kitchen. "Belle, can you come in here for a moment?"

Belle was introduced to the attorney and to Bart's surprise Smithson began a conversation with his daughter about horses and her pony. Her father was confused at first and then he realized the lawyer was trying to make the young girl feel comfortable. Once they seemed to have established a rapport, Smithson explained he had a few questions for her about the shooting, and she seemed much more at ease with him. When she'd answered everything for him he sent her back to the kitchen and turned to her parents, waiting anxiously on the sofa.

"She'll do fine. Got a good head on her shoulders; she's determined to tell the truth, and fortunately that's in our favor. I'm still hoping we can get through this without a trial. We'll have the answer to that in a couple of days, I guess. Don't worry about this. No matter who he was, he shot you with malice aforethought. He had no intention of taking you back to jail, and we have plenty of witnesses to substantiate that claim. If ANYBODY comes out to talk to you or take you back to see the judge, don't say a word to them. Sit tight and send for me. Even if it's your friend Dave. Understood?"

"Understood," Bart answered, and Doralice nodded.

Smithson made his exit and the Mavericks looked at each other. "Let's pray that's all there is to it."

"Amen."

XXXXXXXX

That wasn't all there was to it, of course. That night she joined him in bed and they held each other tightly, praying that no more nightmares would plague him. Some did, but they seemed to be minor, and he slept through them. She could feel him tense up once or twice and she was awake instantly, to calm and comfort him. She was afraid to imagine the hellish scenes playing out in his head, and she refused to do anything that would make him remember what happened in Montana. From now on she would keep him as close to her as she could and hope that would be enough. Her love and support were all she had to give.

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