Matt and Doc strolled up Front Street toward the Long Branch when Matt noticed Wilbur Jonas working in his store, "I though you told him to rest," the marshal nudged the doctor on the arm.

"I did," Doc grumbled. "I swear he's got a harder head then Festus," Doc sighed. Matt chuckled, "Well, I do hope his ill luck of late changes," he said and Doc nodded in agreement. "I guess we all have a run of it at times," Doc added. Matt grunted at the doctor's comment. By now they were in front of the saloon.

"Let's check in here and see if Clarence is around," Matt looked over to the doctor who then pushed past the marshal and into the establishment. Doc, sage in his years, figured by the time in the day, Kitty would offer to buy him a drink. Matt followed the doctor to the bar.

"Well, hello," Kitty chirped from behind the bar.

"Kitty," Doc said followed by Matt. Both men leaned on the bar.

"You look like you are looking for someone," Kitty mused.

Doc looked up to Matt, "She's a clever one, ain't she," the doctor quipped. Matt smiled and looked at Kitty, "We are. Have you seen Clarence Cox?"

Kitty nodded and pointed across the room. "He's been sitting there close to two hours nursing the same drink," she stated.

"Well, I'm sure this has been hard on him. I can imagine that he is wonder why all this has happened and who killed his friend," Doc said looking down at his hands.

Kitty set two glasses on the counter and fill them, "Here you go. Now go and talk with him," Kitty shooed the two away from the bar. Matt and Doc picked up their drinks and crossed the room.

"Mind if we join you?" Matt asked the trapper.

Clarence looked up at the men, "Not at all," he tried to smile."

Doc sat across from the trapper and Matt sat between them. Cox's eyes shifted from one to another, "You look like you have something to say," he noted.

Matt nodded and pulled the two playing cards from his vest pocket and placed them on the table in front of the trapper, "Playing cards?" Cox said while picking them up to look at them.

"They were in Isaac's pockets," Doc stated. Cox's eyes lifted to the doctor and narrowed, "He was cheating at cards?"

"It would seem so," Matt added. "Was he known to cheat?"

Cox shook his head no, "He liked playing cards though," he smiled and remembered so of the long nights of playing poker with his friend. "He was always very good at cards, So I don't understand why he would have started to cheat," Cox shrugged his shoulders and handed the cards back to Matt.

Doc sipped on his drink before leaning forward, "I noticed that Isaac had a large scar across here," he indicated on his own face. "It appears to have healed itself without any sutures," Doc stated.

"Oh, I remember that one, all right," Cox took a drink from his glass, "We had a good week trapping and we bought ourselves some booze. Isaac got plenty drunk and said that he was going to try and ride Sparky," Cox smiled.

"Sparky?" Matt asked.

"My mule," Cox answered. "Oh," Matt stated and waited for Cox to continue with his story. "Sparky doesn't like just everyone, and Isaac was teasing him something fierce and Sparky took exception to that and kicked him square in the head!" Cox laughed. "Isaac went done on his behind and lay flat out. I thought he was dead," Clarence shook his head as he remembered the event.

"I'm surprised it didn't kill him," Doc said before he sipped from his glass again.

Kitty had made her way across the room with a bottle, "Clarence, would you like another drink?" she smiled trying to ease his pain.

"That would be very nice, thank you, Miss Kitty," he moved his glass over so that Kitty could top it up. "Doc?" she looked at her dear friend, "Don't mind if I do," he set his glass down in front of Kitty. "Matt?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks Kitty. Some of us are on duty," he said looking at the doctor who ignored the comment. Kitty smiled and left the men to continue to talk.

"Did Isaac appear to have changed after he was kicked?" Doc asked.

Cox narrowed his eyes, "I'm not following you, Doc," he said.

"With a blow to the head like that, he may have suffered a brain injury which may have altered his judgement and thinking," Doc stated. Cox twisted his mouth in thought, "Well, I can't say that I noticed anything at the time, but he did seem to change over time. He grew more quite and secretive but I just attributed to the fact that he might have been jealous over Lucy and me," the trapper noted.

Matt sighed, "Do you think in that state he could have cheated at cards?"

Cox shrugged, "I guess he could have. After all he did steal my money," the trapper said.

"Now we just need to find out who he was playing cards with," Matt frowned.

"That will be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Doc huffed.

"Maybe so, Doc, but I can't have people getting shot and left to die. It's against the law, you know!" Matt said as he stood. "I'll be asking around the other saloons and bars," the marshal said as he left.

"Do you really think he's going to solve this?" Cox looked over to the doctor.

"Matt is one of the most tenacious men I have ever known," Doc quipped. "If there's a guilty party out there, he'll find him," the doctor said before he took a drink from his glass.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Festus, Newly and Harvey Miller had reached the edge of town. Miller was getting anxious and began to squirm. His eyes darted around like he was some crazed caged animal, "That marshal better not lay one hand on me!" he growled.

"Ifin he don't I jist might," Festus replied. "So keep yer trap shut," the lawman warned.

"I told you I needed those things from the doc and he wasn't there," Miller tried to weasel his way out of meeting with Matt.

"Mr. Miller. You best do as Festus says. The marshal will listen to your story. Whether Doc and Mr. Jonas want to lay charges against you is yet to be seen," Newly advised the farmer.

"Charges! What the hell are you talking about!?" Miller bellowed.

Matt had just rounded the corner and saw the three men. "Festus. Newly. Harvey," he greeted them in a flat tone. He really didn't want to deal with Harvey Miller right that moment, but it seemed that now was the time. "I'll meet you at the office," he said as the men rode toward the marshal's office. Miller continued to bellow all the way. Matt shook his head as the farmer made a spectacle of himself.