Chapter Six
Doc and Festus were standing in front of Delmonico's having an argument about why Doc owed Festus a free breakfast when they both noticed the man across the street. Festus squinted one eye. "Doc, ain't that there Miss Kitty's pa?"
Doc looked at the tall, distinguished looking southern gentleman again. "Yes, that's exactly who that is. But how in thunder would you know that? You weren't even in town the last time he came for a visit."
"Wal, Doc, ol' Matthew stopped into th' jailhouse last night and wuz a-tellin' Newly and me about him. Asked us ta keep our eyeballs peeled in case he wuz ta go causing any trouble fer Miss Kitty."
"Well, it looks like you're going to get your chance. He's headed this way." With any luck, Doc thought, Festus would finagle his breakfast from him, instead.
Russell had remembered Doc from his previous visit, and when he learned who Festus was, he eagerly offered to buy them both breakfast. The three men were just about to order when a disheveled boy of about fourteen ran into the restaurant. "Doc!" the boy panted. "My ma says you got to come quick! My pa got stomped by his horse. He's hurt awful bad, Doc!"
Doc spoke to him quietly, trying to calm him down. "You're Milt Raines boy, aren't you?"
"Yessir, Freddie. Please, hurry Doc!" Freddie said frantically.
"All right, Freddie, You go on and ask Hank to hitch up my buggy while I get my bag." Doc stood and the boy raced out, eager to help if it would get Doc out to their farm sooner. "Well, excuse me, gentlemen, duty calls."
"You need some help, Doc?" Festus asked somewhat reluctantly, not wanting to give up the offer of free breakfast.
"Now, just let me get out there and see how he is first!" Doc said cantankerously. He actually wanted Festus to stay here and occupy Wayne Russell for awhile. "Their place isn't far. If I need help I can send the boy back into town."
"Coffee, and two breakfast specials," Russell told the waiter, not really caring what they ended up getting to eat. "I suppose that happens a lot?" he directed the question at Festus.
"Ol' Doc? Fiddle, he's always getting called away ta help someone. He's the best doctor in town. 'Course, that's mainly 'cuz he's the only doctor in town."
"Yes, of course," Russell murmured. He wasn't terribly interested in hearing about the doctor; he was hoping to work the topic of conversation around to the doctor's patients, in order to get more information from the whiskered deputy about his daughter and the former marshal. "I would imagine he must have treated about everyone in town."
Festus, suspecting he was being played, had every intention of supplying the gambler with information, although perhaps not the same information he sought. "Blame near everyone. I was jest hoo-rahin' about him, before. They's a whole heap a folks who wouldn't be here today if it weren't for that ol' scudder, that's the pure ol' dee truth!"
Russell nodded, pouring each of them a cup of coffee from the pot the waiter had just left them.
"Why, he's pulled ol' Matthew through dozens of times. Even Miss Kitty a time or two." Festus paused to take a long swig from his coffee cup.
Russell took notice immediately. "Kitty?" he asked with some alarm in his voice. "Has Kitty been sick? Or hurt?"
Festus, as though just now realizing he may have said too much, refused to elaborate. "I reckon Miss Kitty c'n tell you, if she's a mind to."
"Yes," the other man replied thoughtfully. Kitty had looked healthy enough the day before; surely whatever the problem was, she'd recovered from it.
"Now, I reckon ol' Doc's favoritest part of doctorin' has got to be deliverin' babies. I bet he musta delivered plum near two thousand of 'em by now." Festus began to dig into the breakfast that had just been served to their table, while the other man waited impatiently for him to get on with the story, which he sincerely hoped had a point.
"Two thousand, you say," he echoed, trying to move the conversation along.
"Two thousand," he repeated, stabbing his fork into the air for emphasis. "But outta all them babies he delivered, there's one that's the most specialest of all of 'em, and that's Miss Maddy, I'll garuntee you it is." Festus stopped to shovel in several bites of breakfast, looking at his audience slyly and realizing he now had his full attention. "The day he brung her inta the world wuz prob'ly the proudsomest day a his life, 'less it was when he give Miss Kitty to Matthew on their weddin' day."
"I see," Russell said pensively.
Festus sat back triumphantly, confident that Miss Kitty's father had received the full impact of his message.
Wayne Russell hurried down Front Street with a haste that belied his years. He had taken leave of that Haggen character as soon as he could, throwing a few bills on the table without even counting them. For some reason this was a completely unexpected development for him. He had expected to be unwelcome. He had expected not to be trusted. Once he learned who Kitty was married to, he had even expected to be threatened, if not actually run out of town. What he had not expected was to be replaced. It was obvious that the town doctor was more than a doctor; even more than a friend to Kitty. There was no place for him in her life. Realizing there was no reason to further delay carrying out his plan, he crossed the street to the Dodge City Bank, which had just opened for the day.
At five minutes till seven that night, Matt and Kitty walked toward Delmonico's. Maddy, who had fallen asleep in Kitty's arms on the ride in, was beginning to show signs of waking up. "I just wish I could have gotten her to eat more before we left," Kitty told Matt anxiously. "I don't want her to get fussy in the restaurant."
"If you're worried about that, I'm sure Ma Smalley would be glad to keep her while we meet your father," Matt suggested.
Kitty shook her head at men and their naive assumption that every woman was instantly capable of caring for a child just because she was a woman. After almost six months of fatherhood she expected Matt to know better. No doubt Ma would be willing, and she was more than capable, but that didn't mean she had the right supplies on hand. Even if she did, Maddy had never been bottle-fed. "I don't have any idea if she'll take to a bottle, Matt. She needs me," Kitty said pointedly, causing Matt's face to redden. "Besides, I want him to see her." She wasn't above hoping the sight of the baby would induce a little guilt in the man.
They were nearly at the restaurant when Matt remembered he wanted to stop at the jail first, to see if there had been any response to the wires he'd sent the night before.
"Matt, it's seven o'clock right now," Kitty protested, looking down at the watch pinned to her shoulder. "Newly will let us know if he finds out anything."
"I'll just be a minute," he said. "You go on and meet your father and I'll be there as soon as I can." He squeezed her upper arm gently and turned in the direction of the jail.
Kitty sighed in frustration, standing in front of the restaurant. Matt might have taken off his badge, but he was never going to stop being a lawman. Seeing no sign of her father outside, she headed for the door. Alfred, the night waiter, saw her coming through the window and rushed to open the door for her.
"Evening, Mrs. Dillon. Will it just be you tonight, or is the marshal joining you?" Apparently no one else could forget Matt was a lawman, either.
"Matt will be along soon, I hope. We're meeting my father for supper." Kitty scanned the faces of the other patrons, not seeing him.
"Your father, ma'am?" Alfred looked confused.
"Yes, he's a tall man…." Kitty began to describe him.
"Sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Dillon," Alfred stammered. "I know what he looks like. The fact is…."
"Is something wrong, Alfred?"
"Mr. Russell already had his supper here, ma'am. About two hours ago."
"I see." Yes, something was definitely wrong. "He must have forgotten he was going to eat with us. When my husband comes in, tell him I've gone to the Dodge House."
"Yes, ma'am, I sure will." Kitty turned to leave and Alfred rushed ahead of her to open the door again.
Kitty walked purposefully toward the Dodge House, preparing herself for a battle. It was time to get to the bottom of this whole thing once and for all. Kitty nearly forgot the baby in her arms until Maddy, after waiting patiently for a few minutes for her mother to feed her, decided to start crying. Kitty cradled the baby against her shoulder, patting her back gently. "Ssh, sweetie, it's all right. We'll eat in a few minutes. Just as soon as mama gets through giving your grandfather a piece of her mind."
Matt left the jail, shaking his head, just seconds after Kitty walked into the Dodge House. Newly hadn't gotten any replies to the inquiries Matt had made about Wayne Russell. It appeared that he'd either hidden his tracks well, or not done anything wrong at all. Somehow, Matt doubted the latter. Kitty couldn't have been the only person he'd tried to cheat. Hoping maybe something would come in by the time they'd finished supper, Matt went to join Kitty and her father at Delmonico's.
"What do you mean, he's not here?" Kitty demanded, settling her fussy, squirming daughter higher on her shoulder.
"I mean, he's gone. He checked out a couple hours ago, Mrs. Dillon," Howie explained patiently. He had witnessed Kitty Russell Dillon's legendary temper in action on a number of occasions through the years and he was doing his best not to rile her.
"Checked out? Well...did he say where he was going?" Kitty fought to control the panic she could feel rising, although she wasn't sure what there was to panic about. Maddy was safely in her arms, and Matt was probably still safely at the jail talking to Newly.
"No, ma'am, I'm sorry, he didn't." Howie eyed the Dillon baby, about to offer Kitty the use of a room for an hour in order to take care of her, when they were approached by a guest who had been sitting in the lobby witnessing the entire exchange.
"Pardon the interruption, ma'am," said the man, tipping his hat. The short, rotund man in a plaid suit, who Kitty recognized as a whiskey drummer she'd done business with once shortly before selling the Long Branch, continued. "I couldn't help overhearing. Are you talking about the man who checked out a little while ago?"
"Do you know him?" Kitty rocked Maddy from side to side, kissing her forehead. She seemed to be settling down some.
"Not really, ma'am, but we spoke earlier this afternoon. He said he was taking the 5:30 stage out to Denver."
"Oh...well, thank you." Kitty looked straight ahead, biting the inside of her lip trying to keep from reacting. She heard familiar footsteps behind her and felt weak with relief when Matt rested his big hand on the small of her back. She wanted to bury her head against his big, comforting chest, but managed to resist the impulse to do that in public.
"What's happened, Kitty?"
"He left town, Matt," she said quietly.
"Left town?" He looked at Howie and the drummer.
"That's right, Marshal," Howie said nervously. "He checked out a couple of hours ago. He told Mr. Tompkins here he was taking the 5:30 Denver stage."
"All right." Matt nodded at both men. "Thanks. Come on, Kitty." He put his hand around her waist and gently pulled her toward the door. He kept his bitterness toward Wayne Russell under control for Kitty's sake. If the man had done nothing more than leave without saying goodbye, he wouldn't go after him, but if they ever met again he wasn't sure what his reaction would be.
"I'm sorry, honey," he said once they were outside. She nodded silently, not sure she could trust her voice. "Why don't we go back over to Delmonico's and have some supper."
She shook her head, feeling sick with disappointment. The last thing she felt like doing was eating, especially in the restaurant where her father had made a point of asking them to join him. "No," she whispered. "I'm not hungry. Just take us home, Matt."
Matt saw how close to tears she was and agreed with her. The sooner he got her away from town the better. "Let's go." He kept his arm around her protectively as they headed back in the direction of the stable. They were nearly there when they heard a voice calling after them.
"Marshal! Mrs. Dillon! A moment of your time, please." They stopped and Matt turned around to see Mr. Bodkin, the banker, panting in his hurry to catch up to them.
"Yes, Mr. Bodkin?" Matt said, barely able to keep the irritation from his voice. .
"Thank goodness I caught you before you got out of town." He took another moment to catch his breath before continuing. "I need to speak to you in my office."
"Can't this wait, Mr. Bodkin?" Matt had considerably less patience with the man since he no longer had to deal with him regularly as marshal, and right now Kitty and Maddy were his first priority. "My wife wants to get the baby home before it gets too late."
"No, I don't think it can," the banker answered, the tone of his voice indicating it wasn't up for discussion. "Would you both come back to the bank with me, please?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and headed back toward the bank.
Kitty looked up at him and he didn't have to hear the words to know what she was thinking. What's my father done now?
TBC