After Doc stumbled into his office, Matt went to the gunsmith's shop and woke up Newly before heading to the stables's.
The first thing he noticed when he walked in was the empty space where Doc kept his buggy. The second thing was the empty stall where Festus normally housed Ruth.
"You wait till I catch up ta them youngin's," Festus said angrily waving his hands as Newly cleaned up Doc's wound. "Taking Doc's buggy wasn't enough, they had ta take ol Ruth to."
"How bad is it," Matt asked ignoring Festus outburst."
"Not bad, Marshal," Newly said as Doc winced.
"Your only saying that because your not the one that got your head cracked open!" Doc yelled pushing the younger man's hands away. "I'm fine! Now go after those two and find out what all this is about!"
Matt nodded as he looked at Newly. "Festus and I can track them if you can stay here and keep an eye on things?"
"Yes, sir," Newly said with a nod as the Marshal nodded at Festus.
"Let's go," Matt said heading out the door.
"Right behind you, Matthew," Festus said climbing onto Newly's horse.
Eddie stopped the buggy at the abandoned cabin before sliding out and coming around to the passenger side.
"I don't think anyone is following us," he said putting an arm around his sister's waist. "How's your leg?"
"Hurting," Liza said quietly. "It'll be alright in a bit."
"You can lay down inside," Eddie exclaimed. "After I found this place on my way to Dodge, I cleaned it up a bit before coming to get you."
"Well," Liza said looking around the tiny one room shack. "It's better than sleeping on the ground."
"That's right," Eddie replied leading her to a cot.
Festus scouted an area outside of town looking for any sign of Doc's buggy.
"Right here," he said pointing to a hoof print in the dirt. "That's ol Ruth's tracks, I'd know em any where."
"Alright," Matt said with a clinched jaw. "Looks like they're headed west."
"I'll build a fire," Eddie said once Liza was comfortably lying on the cot. "And I got food to!"
"You stole it?" Liza asked as Eddie nodded slowly. "Ma wouldn't like that."
"Well, she wouldn't like us starving either now would she?" Eddie replied angrily.
"I wish she hadn't died," Liza said as Eddie took a blanket from the cot.
"Don't think about it," he said covering her. "We'll settle down out west and start a new life, like she wanted!"
"I think we're getting close, Matthew," Festus said stopping his horse. "It looks like they slowed down here."
"Yeah," Matt said looking at the tracks. "I thought so to but where would they hide out?"
"A cave maybe," Festus said looking around. "Not much around here fer shelter."
"Maybe there is," Matt said suddenly spurring his horse into a gallop as Festus followed.
Eddie took the empty bowl from Liza and placed it on the table. "That wasn't bad," Liza said evenly.
"It sure wasn't Ma's cooking," Eddie stated sadly.
"It was fine, really it was," Liza said with a grin before a noise outside made her sit up. "What was that!"
"I don't know," Eddie said drawing the pistol before slowly approaching the door. "Stay put."
Liza watched apprehensively as Eddie opened the door and slowly crept out into the night.
Festus waited from the side of the cabin as the boy past him before sliding along behind him and grabbing the gun.
"I got him, Matthew," Festus yelled as Matt came though the back door.
"Marshal," Liza said sheepishly as Matt looked around the small cabin.
"Let me go!" Eddie yelled as Festus pushed the boy inside before handing the gun over to Matt.
"It ant got no bullets," Festus said as Matt put the gun in his belt.
"Course it don't," Eddie exclaimed. "I didn't have none!"
"Wal, what did ya think ya was gonna do with a gun that had no bullets?" Festus asked.
"I wasn't gonna use it unless I had to," Eddie said looking at the Marshal.
"Like you did with, Doc?" Matt asked quietly.
"That was an accident," Eddie said looking at Liza. "He surprised me! I was just trying ta get my sister out of there."
"Well," Matt said looking at the pair. "You both got some explaining to do back in Dodge so let's get going!"
"That's the whole story," Eddie said from the table in Matt's office a few hours later. "I just couldn't let that woman adopt her and take her away! Not when I promised my Ma that I would look after her."
"How old are you?" Matt asked with a sigh.
"Twelve," Eddie stated proudly. "Liza will be ten on her next birthday."
"And this woman back east wanted to adopt your sister but not you?" Doc asked as Eddie nodded.
"So we ran away from the orphanage," Eddie said slowly. "I can't let them take Elizabeth away, she's all I got!"
"Well, now tell me how you got tangled up with those people and the wagon that Festus found your sister under?" Matt asked meeting the boys eyes.
"We didn't have nothing ta do with that Matshal," Eddie said frightened. "We just happened by when we heard the shots but we hid after those men were gone, we was just gonna take the wagon and head out west but then it tipped over penning Liza under it."
"And you couldn't get it off of her," Matt said as the boy nodded.
"I tried for more than a day and when I saw Festus coming, I hid and let him do it!"
"If you saw those men again," Matt asked gently. "Could you identify them?"
"Well, yeah!" Eddie said with a nod. "I sure could!"