PT.13
My Family, My Choice!

Doc, Matt, Frank, and Dan all had supper that night. Matt was anxious to hear what Doc had to say about his visit.

"Well, Matt. There's no doubt its Kitty out there."

"Doc, I know that."

"Matt, I think part of this may be my fault."

"How?" Matt and Frank both asked.

"Matt, when you were still out of town, and Kitty and I were taking care of Betsy Foster, after she had her baby... Well, Dave Foster… You know that temper of his."

"What are you sayin'?"

"Just that you know Kitty's temper too. And she lit into him about how he treats Betsy and especially after just having the baby and the difficult delivery and... He pushed her, Matt. I thought she was alright at the time. She said she was fine. We were both so exhausted. He had pushed her into the stone fireplace. When she fell asleep on my shoulder on the ride back, I just passed it off as she was tired. Then the next day, just lack of sleep. We were up for two days. Then she left town. Matt, I think she had a concussion. She still is very tender and has a lump, but then again she may have been hit again in the same area, which isn't good. If only I'd pay closer attention to her."

"Doc, don't do that to yourself. Like you said, she said she felt fine."

"Yeah, but, I'm the doctor! Matt, I'm gonna say something to you and I don't want you to take this wrong."

"What's that?"

"Joe McAndels. He doesn't want to hurt her. Somebody may have tried to, but in my honest opinion, that man idolizes her. He really believes she is his wife."

"Doc, how can that be?" Matt said being totally confused.

"Matt, people can change a lot in 14 years."

"Doc, if Kitty disappeared for 14 years and someone else showed up in her place, no matter how much they might look like her, I would know if it were her or not."

"Oh, you think so, Mr. Lawman? You know that much about a person, you think so?"

"I know Kitty. As a matter of fact I think I know Kitty better than anyone."

"Oh, you do, do you?" Now Doc was baiting him.

Frank and Doc were looking at one another. "Can we remind you of that the next time you act like a fool?" They said together.

"Oh, shut up, both of you."

Dan looked confused.

"Matt, seriously, the mind is a funny thing. It can let you believe what you want it to believe."

Then Dan jumped in, "Matt, you have to understand. Joe lost Maggie a year into their marriage. He adored her. There wasn't anything in this world he wouldn't do for her. He just couldn't except she was lost to him forever. Then when she showed up... Well, when your Kitty showed up… His wildest dream came true. And to tell you the truth, adding on the years, she could be Maggie."

Yeah, Dan, but she's not! She's Kitty! Kitty Russell!"

"I hear you, Matt."

Matt was now getting steamed! He wanted Kitty away from this Joe McAndels

Cattlemen's Association Office

A few days later, the association and all of the local farmers and ranchers, from the surrounding areas, were holding a meeting in town. It had now come to their attention, that funds were being misappropriated and they wanted answers.

Tom Murray was trying to keep everyone under control but it was now seeming to get out of his control. These ranchers were now realizing they were being scammed. And before long they would be in danger of losing the ranches, and possibly everything they have worked for, their whole lives.

Tom Murray couldn't get in contact with anyone in the big banks in New Orleans. It was becoming clear to him that he was going to become the scape goat when the chips all fell. Even when he checked on his own paper work that he thought was what he was helping set in motion.

Yes, there were dummy accounts for the benefit of the ranchers, but Paul Worthington and his friends never put anything in their real names so they would be clear until they could move the monies out of the country. They were going to do this by way of Constance LaRogue's accounts. Arranging her untimely death and having Patrice to be her sole heir, with Kitty out of the way.

And Paul would take Patrice to Europe till he thought it was safe. And with Patrice having such a delicate mental condition... well…

The meeting was getting out of hand. Someone came looking for Dan. "Sheriff, you'd better hurry. These men are getting ready to…"

"Matt, I could use you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, Dan."

These men were ready to lynch Tom Murray. Matt and Dan entered the association office.

"Alright. Hold it!"

"Now, just wait one minute here. Who is this, Sheriff?"

"This here is United States Marshal Matt Dillon."

"Did you know about this, Sheriff?"

"No. Matt was here on another matter. But if I need him…"

Tom looked at Matt. "I remember you. You were out on the ranch."

"Yeah, that's right."

"You and that friend of yours."

'Yeah."

Joe was listening. "Tom, this was the man that you told me about, that was on the ranch?"

"Yeah, Mr. McAndels. But I didn't know he was a marshal."

"Matt, take him over to my office, would ya?"

"Sure, Dan. Let's go. Get walking."

"You arresting me?"

"Would you rather I leave you to them?"

"It might be, I have something you would be interested in hearing."

"Is that so?"

"It's about Mrs. McAndels. Or shall I say the Russell woman?"

Matt grabbed him up by the scruff of his neck. "What about Kitty?"

"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, Big Man. Before she decides to become Mrs. McAndels for good." Then he laughed. "You know what I mean, don't ya?"

"You best tell me what it is you know or I'll tear you to shreds." Matt had him up against the wall and off the floor.

"Ok! Ok! Let go, man. Let go!"

Matt dropped him. "Now start talking."

"She's not Maggie McAndels."

Huffing out a breath, "I know that."

"It's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere. So talk. Is your name really Murray?"

"Yeah. That part is true. Tom Murray. But I'm not a ranch hand."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Ok, I'm from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I grew up with a few families that were in the financial world. We learned the ins and outs of investing. Then I was approached by some men about coming out west here and making some money off of these cattlemen. Easy marks they called 'em."

"So you're a con man, huh?" Matt said.

"I don't like to call it that." Murray said.

"Well, you are. Go on."

"Then, anyway, we heard about Patrice LaRogue. Easy pickings, except for she had this old lady aunt that controlled the purse strings since there were no male heirs. This woman is like one hundred."

Matt was getting impatient. "Go on."

So Paul Worthington married her a few years ago, thinking the old woman would die. But she didn't. Besides, then Patrice tells him she has a cousin that her grandfather disowned along with her mother years before. But the old woman still kept in favor. And that she doesn't know if she is in her will or not. Then Paul and Patrice devised a plan to change the family attorney and try to get the old woman's will and read it. But they can't find it. So, they contacted the Russell woman to see if they could rope her in to helping to find it, under the pretense that the old woman was insane. But when she showed up, it backfired."

Matt started to laugh. "They didn't know Kitty."

"So then the new lawyer, and a doctor on his pay roll, devised a plan to commit the old woman to a sanitarium in Abbeville and sedate her."

"And what about Kitty?" Matt asked.

"Oh, they drugged her with a drug that wiped out her memory. That way she don't exist anymore and Patrice is now the sole heiress to the LaRogue fortune."

"But how did Kitty get here? And why does McAndels think she's his wife?"

"Oh, that's where I came in. When I saw the Russell woman, it was uncanny how much she looked like the pictures McAndels had of his Maggie. Yeah, she was older now, but people get older in 14 years. So, I arranged to drop her off in the woods at the edge of his property. And low and behold, when we were out working one day, McAndels found his lost Maggie. It kept him distracted and I was to be paid well for my part. Hey, he treasures her!"

Matt was now so angry, but at the same time feeling bad for Joe McAndels. Knowing what it was going to do to him, losing her a second time. And lose everything he worked his entire life for as well.

Dan walked in, just as Murray finished telling Matt his story. "Matt, this is going to be a mess."

Matt was in deep thought. "Yeah, Dan, it sure is. You still need help out there?"

"No, I seem to have calmed them down for tonight. They're going home for now. But we're going to have to get a judge in here. Matt, you alright?"

"I don't know, Dan. I just need to be alone right now, if that's ok?"

"Sure, go if you need to."

Frank saw Matt coming out of Dan's office. "Matt, buy you a drink?"

"Not tonight, Frank. Not tonight."

"Matt, what's wrong?"

"Right now, my life!"

"What?"

Doc walked up beside Frank. "Frank, leave him be. Come on. I'll buy you a drink."

TBC