Matt
The morning sun was bright by the time Matt was fully awake and realized Daniel was gone. He wondered where his captor went, and more importantly when he'd be back.
Attempting to ignore his throbbing head and parched lips, Matt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to focus on an escape plan. It seemed impossible. With his hands bound behind his back, and legs tied together, he could barely move. In frustration he yanked at the ropes holding his wrists, but succeeded only in rubbing his skin raw. He took another breath and suddenly remembered the small penknife in the back pocket of his pants. Reaching it would be tricky. Even if he managed to pull it out, maneuvering it would be near impossible, but it was all he had. He leaned back and felt the top edge of the pocket with his fingers.
Molly
Molly sat on the edge of her bed fingering Matt's badge. Taking it from the marshal had been a surprisingly good move on Daniel's part.
She set the badge down and unfolded the map. Following maps wasn't on her list of skills, but she'd have to manage. Daniel said it was a 4-hour ride, so she had to get things moving. She walked over to her vanity and stared into the mirror. A plan emerged.
Kitty
Kitty left Doc's office glad she'd shared the news that she was carrying Matt's child, but feeling no less worried about him. Doc insisted that her concern was pointless and premature, because Matt wasn't even overdue. Technically he was correct. Matt had written that if he didn't get back last night, he'd arrive today. The reality, that Doc didn't understand, was that her heart knew that something had gone terribly wrong.
With nothing to do but wait, she went back to her room. It was funny how much the act of waiting had become part of her life, as soon as she became involved with Matt. She had always thought of herself as a person of action. Even as a child she liked taking action and getting things done. Waiting seemed passive, and it ran against her grain. Now, as an adult, her days were busy with running a business, organizing parties, collecting food for the poor and more, but she also waited. She waited for Matt to come back safe and sound whether he was on a long trip or making rounds. Somewhere along the way she realized that there was nothing passive about waiting. It required as much effort and skill as just about anything else she did, maybe more.
She sat by the window and looked down the street hoping to see Matt appear, but not believing he would. In a couple of hours she'd go downstairs to get the Long Branch ready for business. Maybe Molly will be there with some fun stories. It would be a welcome distraction.
Daniel
Daniel headed back to the place he'd left Matt tied up, satisfied with the conversation he'd had with Molly. Their plan was fool proof, and although most of the planning had been Molly's, he was pleased he'd thought of taking the badge.
He took a deep drink from his canteen, and ran a shirtsleeve across his forehead. He hated riding in the heat. It was too much like work and he hated work. He'd never done much of it because dear old dad kept him in money. That was a thing of the past, and the thing he missed most about dear old dad. Right now he was furious at his father. The man had bragged to him, over and over, about how he got his money, but never revealed where it was. Did he not trust his only son? Daniel shook his head in disgust but brightened. Dad didn't tell Molly either, so he didn't trust his wife any more than his son. Good thing or she might have kept it all herself.
Daniel stopped under some trees to rest in the shade for a few moments. Dillon wasn't going anywhere. It was a strange twist of fate that a lawman was the one who knew where to find the money, but Liam McLaughlin was a superstitious Irishman. He would have confessed all on his deathbed, and Dillon was the one who was there to hear it.
Matt
Matt slid two long fingers into his back pocket. He felt the top of the penknife. With one finger on either side he slowly pulled it out. It cleared the pocket and he moved it to the palm of one hand. Now he had to feel for the latch to pop the blade open. He slid a thumb up and down feeling for the small bump and thought about Daniel's father, Liam McLaughlin.
The Irishman fled Ireland for New York City to escape starvation, and found himself in the Union Army, fighting in the War Between the States. He made the best of it. Duplicitous and charming, he quickly ferreted out a traitor in his unit. The next thing he knew he was an official spy. After the war he became a private investigator and came upon some juicy information that inspired him to try blackmail as a road to riches. His victim was John St. John, a man of wealth and political ambitions. If St. John's secrets became public his attempt to become Mayor of Topeka would fail. Liam knew those secrets, so in exchange for his silence, St. John agreed to bury $4,000 at a specified location, 4 times a year. This continued until St. John decided to run for governor and wanted to be free of blackmail. He went to the law in the person of Matt Dillon and told him everything.
Matt would have stationed a guard near St. John's drop-off site, but the man insisted that no one else be brought in. With no other option, he rode there to look around, knowing the chances of showing up when the blackmailer came to dig up his loot were small. He got lucky. As he neared the spot he saw a pot-bellied, middle-aged man digging a hole while humming an Irish tune. Matt was a bit surprised. The man looked harmless and seemed a bit awkward doing physical labor. Matt tied his horse to a tree and moved closer. The man pulled a bag of cash from the hole, walked to his horse and stuffed the money into his saddlebag. He returned to the hole, picked up the shovel and resumed humming as he started filling it in.
"Hold it." Matt stepped out of hiding.
"Top o' the morning to ya." Liam noticed the badge, "Top o' the morning to ya, Marshal."
Matt kept his pistol pointed at Liam. "Your saddle bag seems kind of full. You found a lot of money in that hole."
"Luck o' the Irish, Marshal. I'm sure ya saw the rainstorm last night. Well afterwards I saw a rainbow that ended right here, in this very spot. I knew that's just where a leprechaun would leave a pot of gold."
"You found a bag of cash, not a pot of gold." Matt's gun didn't waiver.
"Ah, leprechauns these days." Liam shrugged and pointed to Matt's badge. "Ya know, I admire a man who carries the terrible responsibility of US Marshal. Tis an arduous and dangerous job. Even so, I hear the pay is not so great." Liam shook his head, "Tis a shame, and one that should be rectified by any citizen with the means to do so."
"Mister, I advise against saying anything that will get you in deeper trouble than you're already in."
Liam was a perceptive man. His gut told him that Matt couldn't be bribed, distracted or cajoled. His gut also told him that the marshal wouldn't shoot a man in the back.
He did the logical thing, turned his back to Matt and ran.
"Hold it." Matt fired into the air.
Liam reached his horse and grabbed his rifle from the scabbard.
"Drop that rifle."
Liam turned to fire, but before he pulled the trigger Matt's bullet hit his leg. Liam dropped his rifle and fell to the ground groaning loudly. Matt ran over and Liam looked up pitifully, "I'm a goner."
"No, it's a thigh wound." Matt examined the damage. "The bullet's not too deep. I'll stop the bleeding and get you to the doctor in Hays. It's not far."
Liam shook his head, "I'm a goner. We Irish know." Liam grabbed Matt's shirt. "Promise you won't let me die alone. It's my greatest fear. Promise."
Matt had the bleeding under control and muttered, "All right, I promise, but this isn't very serious. You'll recover, and when you do you'll face some serious charges."
They reached Dr. Mason in Hays City in less than an hour. The doctor removed the bullet, cleaned the wound and assured Matt that things looked good. Within hours the wound was infected. Dr. Mason did everything he could, but nothing helped and Liam was soon falling in and out of consciousness. Matt felt duty bound to keep his word to not let Liam die alone.
After being delirious and incoherent for 2 days, Liam looked at Matt with wide eyes and whispered clearly, "St. Pete's calling me. I'll be meeting him at the pearly gates."
Matt didn't answer and Liam smiled crookedly, "Ah Marshal, you're wondering how I'm sure about which direction I'll be going, considering all the people I blackmailed."
"You mean St. John wasn't the only one?" Matt was stunned.
"There are 5 others burying money, and I did each and every one of them a great service. You see, I blackmailed people who did bad things and gave them a chance to do penance on earth."
Those were Liam's last words, and the first time Matt knew that there were 5 other places, somewhere in Kansas where thousands of dollars were buried.
Now, as he felt for the latch on his penknife, Matt smiled crookedly. Liam McLaughlin was quite a character.
The smile was brief. Even if he opened the knife, cutting through the thick rope holding his wrists behind him would be no easy thing. And he had to do it before Daniel got back.
Molly
Molly looked into the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her face smeared with mud and her dress torn and dirty. She decided she looked perfect and grabbed Matt's badge. It was time go see Kitty.
TBC