twenty-six

Fifteen minutes later, Kitty was sitting next to Matt at the kitchen table while Frankie poured the coffee. A plate of day old sliced bread and raspberry preserves served as their breakfast. She had no appetite but from force of habit, buttered a piece of bread for Dillon and for herself. She spoke directly to Frankie. "Matt said you nursed him during the war."

"That's right, I did." Without rising from his seat, Dillon reached over and pulled a chair out for Frankie and she sat down. "I nearly forgot about that. I met Mr. Wilcox, we called him Colonel in those days, about the same time I met Matt, He thought I might be more valuable working undercover … " She raised a pale eyebrow at Kitty."Before I knew it, I was nursing the rebels … a man in delirium is apt to spill secrets, be it fever or passion induced … I reported my findings back to Wilcox."

"And, you've been working for him ever since?"

Frankie took a drink of her coffee and shrugged her shoulders. "After Appomattox …" There was an unexpected hitch in her voice. Her words caught in her throat, she swallowed hard before she was able to continue, "You see Kitty, the man I was in love with, died. His name was Jacob Schmidt. Jake. We were betrothed. Oh, he was a wonderful man, a lot like your Matt in many ways. In fact Jacob and Matt were good friends. Jake was killed in battle early on. It broke my heart, and those aren't just words, they are the truth, that's why I went into nursing, and it's why I agreed to work for Mr. Wilcox. I know what I do has meaning, a purpose, as it were, so I continue working for him, in whatever capacity he feels is warranted."

"I'm confused … Beau Davis seemed to know you … or know Lilly."

"Lilly was a habitual ten-day girl who died of an opium overdose five months ago. When we found out where Matt was, I took on her persona. Sad, isn't it that no one recognized the difference?"

"Frankie? Your limp … your teeth?"

Her tongue went to fill the gap in her smile, "Part of the hazards of the job, I've been roughed up a few times. I never was picture pretty, like you. I was passable though."

Dillon reached out, "You still are Frankie; beauty takes all forms."

She flushed at his words and covered the embarrassment with a laugh,"Look whose talking like a poet, Kitty. Yesterday we couldn't get boo out of him!"

The saloon keeper, who'd know her own brand of tragedies, recognized true courage when she saw it. Frankie had revealed her broken heart as a mark of trust. But, now it was time to move on and Kitty followed her lead. "Watch out when a man starts to sweet talk you."

"Don't I know it, sure sign they want more than a thank you."

Matt held his hands up, "Hey, don't start ganging up on me." He said.

"Sorry Matt … I imagine you're still a might addled in the head. We'll take it easy on you for a bit." Turning back to Kitty she asked, "Are you with us?"

"Tell me what I need to do."

"That depends. What did Charlie tell you?"

"I'm supposed to keep my date with Beau this afternoon."

"No you're not." Dillon declared, with an uncompromising voice. "She's going home to Dodge City, just as soon as it can be arranged." He set his coffee cup down, and it rattled against the saucer spilling forth the contents. His movements were slightly disjointed, and it was clear while his mind had returned there were after effects of the head trauma that he would need to deal with. He flexed his fingers and stared at them for a moment before rising to his feet. Again, his movements were not completely controlled. "She's not a part of this. "

Frankie stood too, "I'm afraid she is, she knows too much now … we can't let her go." There was a tremor to his left hand and he shoved it in his pants pocket to cover the shake. Kitty had noticed, and her eyes caught Frankie's, who had seen it as well. Both chose not to speak of it.

Kitty Russell addressed Frankie, "Tell me what I need to know … what I need to look for."

"We believe Beaumont Davis is nothing more than a pawn in the operation. Summerhaven and Emporium are the big players. Beau tries to turn a blind eye to the comings and goings of the Band of Brothers. Captain Barger is his uncle, but they don't share the same ideology. Beau craves the gentle life; he's content with a fine house and a business to look after. Where the money comes from to finance his extravagances, he apparently prefers to overlook. It appears more often than not Beau will plan a 'business' trip, and that's when Captain Barger shows up. That's the reason we weren't too concerned with Davis recognizing Matt."

"What about his grandmother, Regina Louisa Barger?" Kitty asked.

"Captain Barger is her son, certainly there is loyalty … but we believe she has been shielded from the uglier aspects of her offspring's dealings."

Matt was standing with his back to them. His voice was distant, as a memory came into focus, "She tried to help me."

"What?" Frankie asked.

"I was wounded … shot in the back. They took me to Summerhaven. I was nearly out of my head with pain, fever. She told Barger I needed a doctor or I'd die." It hurt to think, but Dillon forced the recollection to the surface, "He said no, said it was too dangerous for the Brothers. When he was out of the room, she coaxed me to my feet, and out of the house. I was weak; I tried not to lean on her. I was too heavy for her. Somehow we made it out the front door to the yard. She had a buggy waiting. I tried to pull myself into the buggy, she tried to help, but, I collapsed, and she fell too. I remember the sun was hot, shinning bright. Barger came and saw his mother crying in pain … saw she'd tried to help me."

"He kicked you!" Kitty finished. "He kicked you in the head."

Dillon nodded. "Sun teeth, and fancy shoes, that's the last recollection I have of Captain Barger."

Frankie added, "So they carted you off to some isolated field and left you there to die."

His face was grim and his eyes downcast, "Yeah." He breathed.

"That answers some of our questions, doesn't it?"

Kitty couldn't reply; the pictures of Matt wounded, and the brave old woman trying to help him, took her breath away.

"So." Frankie was thinking out loud, "Captain Barger doesn't suspect that you are one of us?"

"He may have had his doubts in the beginning, but no, my cover was good, there wasn't any evidence to corroborate his early suspicion and certainly not after I'd been shot."

Frankie turned to the other woman, "Well, Miss Kitty, what's your opinion?"

"Beau knows Matt, or knows he's my brother-in-law … but his Grandmother can place him as one of the Band of Brothers. It's too risky to involve Matt at this point. I'm your best bet."

"My thought exactly." Frankie concurred.

Kitty frowned, "I still don't understand, why you can't just go in and arrest Barger and put an end to the organization."

"It's not as simple as that." Frankie replied. "Do you recall all the speculation when Lincoln was shot?"

"What do you mean?"

"The finger pointing … "

"I remember there was some talk about a conspiracy and a cover-up that went beyond Booth, Mary Surratt and the three men who were executed with her."

"That's right. Some folks thought Jefferson Davis was behind the murder, or Vice President Johnson, there was a faction who blamed Mary Lincoln, while others accused Rothschild and the International Bankers, there was even speculation that the Pope and Catholic Church were financing Booth and his accomplices. You know, to this day, there are those who believe Booth is living the good life in Europe."

"What's your point, Frankie?"

"We believe whoever was behind Lincoln's Assassination, is backing the Band of Brothers, financing them and promising them great power, once they have taken over the United States Government."

"But they killed Lincoln and the government is still intact, what makes them feel they will be more successful with Grant."

"Grant's office is full of scallywags and crooks; believe me Kitty, this country is a heartbeat away from anarchy."

Matt Dillon turned to look at Kitty, his Kitty, his beautiful, brave, stubborn Kitty. He knew she had to join them, had to put herself at risk for the greater cause. He knew there was no other way for honor to prevail.