The Visitor 3

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

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Kitty was in the Long Branch the next day, talking with Sam, when she felt it again. That same disturbing feeling, of being touched on the shoulder, again, from behind. Trying not to show any alarm, she turned and scanned the room behind her.

There was a trio of cowboys and a dealer at the corner table, a drunk and his bottle at the far end of the bar and a lonesome rancher and his girl for the day, Sue, at another table. No one was near her. Other than the dust motes, dancing in the light coming in through the doors, she saw nothing else.

"Something wrong, Miss Kitty?" Sam asked, seeing an odd look cross her face.

Kitty shook her head, and carefully rearranged her expression, before meeting Sam's gaze. "No, Sam," she answered. "Nothing's wrong."

Sam nodded and moved towards the customer that just walked in, as Kitty took another look around her. Ruefully she shook her head. 'My son sees ghosts and I feel them.' She shook her head, with a bit of amusement and a touch of wonder.

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Later that afternoon, Kitty and Benjamin walked briskly down the street to Doc and Margaret's house. It was Army payroll night, and the Long Branch was most probably going to be very busy. Doc and Margaret had graciously agreed to watch Benjamin, while Kitty returned to the saloon to work.

Benjamin, of course, didn't mind in the slightest. He thought of, and in fact called, Doc and Margaret his grandparents. He always thoroughly enjoyed his time with them.

As mother and son walked along, Benjamin looked up at Kitty, an expression of worry clouding his sky blue eyes. "Mama?" he asked.

"What, Sweetheart?" she looked down at her son.

"Would you ever leave me?" Benjamin asked seriously, his small face scrunched up in concern.

Kitty stopped and knelt down beside her son, pulling him into her arms. She could tell the thought was weighing heavily on him. "Benjamin, where would you ever get an idea like that?"

"Just wondering," Benjamin lied. He didn't tell his mama that the Lady, who had moved silently into their home, had told him that, and had made him promise he wouldn't say anything.

Kitty kissed him on the cheek. "Well, you can stop wondering about that, right now. Okay? I have no plans to go anywhere but work, once you're safely at you're grandparents."

"Promise?" He asked.

"Promise," she smiled, gently kissing him again and hugging him tightly. Standing back up, she took his hand and hurried him along to Doc and Margaret's house. She didn't know where he had gotten such a horrible idea, but it had caused goosebumps to appear on her arms. 'Feels like someone walking across my grave'. She thought, wondering where that thought had come from.

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The night had been, as predicted, a busy one and Kitty was grateful when it was over. Though there had been none of the usual gunfights, fistfights or arguments, other things, unsettling things, had made the evening a bit wearing on her nerves.

The persistent cold spot at the end of the bar where she usually stood and the bowl of pretzels that kept moving down the bar, seemingly on its own. And of course the cowboy that had slapped her on the back side and a moment later was tossed unceremoniously onto the floor. He maintained he just lost his balance and tipped over, but Kitty wasn't so sure about that.

Those incidents, as well as the sheer amount of customers, made her extremely glad when closing time arrived. Sam had worked late as usual, helping her clean up, and then had taken his leave. Kitty waved goodnight and went to her books.

Counting the day's receipts, she completed her bookwork and then headed towards her office to place everything in the safe, before she went upstairs to bed.

Benjamin would be staying the night at Doc's, since Matt wouldn't be back till morning. She would reclaim her son in the morning for school since she knew it would be too late when she closed up for the night to pick him up then.

Kitty made her way to the end of the bar, took one last look around the room and blew out the lamp on the end of the bar, heading into her office.

Though she was as conscientious, as always, in her work, Kitty's thoughts, that night, were not really on her business. She kept thinking about the strange question her son had asked her. And the strange woman that, he insisted, inhabited their home with them. Despite some peculiar occurrences and the occasional odd feelings, Kitty was not yet ready to believe in ghosts. But it was still troubling.

After carefully locking up both books and money in the safe, Kitty stood back and stretched for a moment. She was tired and bed was going to a welcome sight. She had already decided to stay there in the Long Branch for the night and she was glad she didn't have to walk the dark streets of Dodge alone. The light from the full moon was not enough to make her feel safe in that walk.

Blowing out the lamp, she stepped out of her office and into the grasp of two men. One of them grabbed her about the waist from behind, placing his hand on her mouth to quiet her screams, and began to drag her out the back door. The other man followed them out of the door, pulling it closed tightly behind him. He didn't see it swing back open, on it's own.

Once outside, the man who held her pushed her towards another man and a waiting horse. The other man pointed his gun squarely at her head. "Get on that horse and be quick about it," he demanded menacingly. "And not a peep out of you."

Kitty was too frightened to do anything else. Pulling up the hem of her green dress she mounted the horse and waited as the men followed suit. In the back of her mind she kept remembering the question her son had asked her that afternoon. "Would you ever leave me?" She guessed now, she had the answer.

Once mounted, the first man pointed towards the south. "Come on," he said. "Mama's waiting."

TBC