Matt finally reached Dodge, in better time than he first thought, but after he and his horse understood each other, things seemed to improve mildly. Nevertheless, he was home and what looked to be everything was in order. The marshal's first priority was to check in on Doc and Festus, so he pulled the horse to a stop in front of the closed general store. Matt quickly dismounted and the horse gave him a look while it snorted; Matt wasn't sure if it was coincidental, but he found it mildly amusing.
The marshal took two steps at a time and swiftly reached the landing at the top of the staircase and opened to door. To his delight, Matt found Doc, Newly, and Festus all in the office. The doctor looked up from his chair, "Well it sure is good to see you," he stated as he got to his feet.
"Well, it's good to be back, too, Doc," Matt said as he hooked his thumbs over his gun belt. "How are you Festus?" he then asked the deputy.
"I'm jist fine, Matthew, but Doc won't let me go," The hill man's drawl was thick with this protest. Reluctantly Festus remained sitting on the examination table at the centre of the room.
"Well, I'm sure Doc has a good reason for that," Matt smiled.
The deputy lifted his right hand and was just about to say something when Doc interrupted, "You're darn right I have a good reason, and that is that I just operated on you!" he huffed as he glared at the deputy who looked like he wanted to bolt out of the room.
Matt didn't want to dwell anymore on the details of his deputy's health, "Where are the buffalo hunters?" he changed the subject. He watched the doctor and Newly exchange looks. Doc brushed his had across his moustache, "That one that Festus shot is in pretty bad shape, but I've warned him about travelling in his condition," he noted. "And I really think they plan on robbing the bank," he lamented. "Thankfully, I haven't seen any movement from them since I left there this morning," he added.
Matt nodded and was about to leave. "Say, did you happen to notice whether Jonas was back?" Doc asked. "I was going to get Festus a ginger beer," he stated and watched the look on the hill man's face; that of utter disapproval.
Matt shook his head no, "There is a closed sign in the door window. Where did he go?" he asked.
"To the bank to make a deposit," Doc said as he turned back to his desk, just as a shot rang out down the street. Every man in the room jumped.
Harry Bodkin and Wilbur Jonas were the only two left in the back. The lone teller managed to escape through the back door before Morrison and Kirkland stated their intentions. The bank manager and store owner stood with their hands in the air. "I told you that you should have charged them, Jonas," Bodkin snarled. Jonas just shot a glare back at the bank manager.
"You," Morrison pointed his gun at Bodkin, "Open the safe and make it quick," he snapped as he rolled the hammer back on his gun. Bodkin swallowed hard and glanced over to Jonas who stood nervously near the other hunter.
Harry stepped over to the big vault and twirled the dial and turned the hand, slowly opening the door. Not only was there money inside the vault, but also a gun, which the bank manager grabbed hold of tightly. However from where Kirkland stood, he could see what Bodkin was doing fired a shot hitting the bank manager in the upper arm, causing him to spin to the floor in the corner. Holding his arm, he watched as Morrison stepped over him and pulled the two large sacks of money from the vault. No one said a word.
Jonas' eyes shifted to the window where he saw Matt and Newly working their way down the street, passing the customers that fled the bank moments before. Kirkland noticed the store owner and looked for himself, "Hey, that marshal's back in town," the hunter stated as he watched Morrison pull Bodkin to his feet. Jonas stood steadfast and stared forward flexing his jowl muscles in anger.
"Looks like you two have a job to do," Morrison sneered as he pushed Bodkin toward the door, "You are going to be our shields until we're out of town," he gruffly took the bank manager's shoulder; pulling him in front of himself. Kirkland did the same with Wilbur whose protest was silence when he felt the hunter's gun at this throat; the store owner blinked his eyes rapidly as he tried to figure a way out of the situation.
Morrison pulled open the bank door, "Be careful what you go shooting at marshal. We've got your big-mouth store keep and the bank manager in here," he warned.
Matt looked over to Newly and then back to where Doc was watching down the street. The marshal cursed under his breath as the two law men watched the buffalo hunters guild the two townsmen out to the street where O'Shea finally arrived with the repaired wagon.
Gruffly they shovel Bodkin and Jonas into the back of the wagon and scrambled in themselves, making sure that the two men were in front of them as the began their ride out of Dodge. Patty flicked the reins hard over the rumps of the horses and they charged down Front Street.
Matt thought he could take a shot at Patty, but Kirkland fired several shots, causing the marshal and young deputy to dive for cover as the wagon and men raced by. The Matt and Newly scrambled to their feet and to the middle of the street to fire a few shots wide just to let the hunters know they weren't giving up.
Morrison and Kirkland fired back; this time their full attention was on the law men and fired several shots.
Festus had heard the ruckus and watched as the wagon approached he was partway down the stairs when he fired his first shot, hitting Kirkland in the leg. The hunter yelped and let go of Jonas who jumped off the wagon, hitting the ground hard. Kirkland fired back, but missed. By this time Festus had fired at Morrison who had turned to look where the round of fire had come from. Morrison took the shot directly in the chest and keeled over the side if the wagon to the ground. Bodkin sank to his knees holding his arm.
Hank Miller had heard the shots and seen what was unfolding and grabbed his shotgun. The stable master stood defiantly in the middle of the street as Patty rode the wagon toward him. The Irishman couldn't go through with it; he was too ill and in pain. O'Shea pulled the team to a stop and set the brake before he keeled over onto the wagon seat.
Sam, Matt, Newly, Doc, and Festus approached the scene with caution.
Jonas pulled himself to his feet and limped toward his store. Doc caught up with the store owner who insisted that other than his back that he was fine and that Harry Bodkin needed the doctor's attention.
Matt and Newly checked the buffalo hunters; Morrison was dead, but both Kirkland and O'Shea were alive, "Take them to the jail Matt. I'll look at them after I take care of Harry," the doctor stated as he and Sam helped the bank manager off the wagon.
Festus stood with Jonas on the boardwalk as the doctor walked by. Doc paused and sputtered but he knew if the hill man had of stayed put as he was told, the buffalo hunters would have gotten away. All Doc could do was shake his head in wonderment as he tried to figure Festus out. Festus on the other hand slowly smiled as the doctor left as he knew full well what Doc was thinking.
Several days had passed and Dodge returned to normal. Bodkin's wound was merely a graze, but still for a businessman and one that didn't carry a gun, it was a shock.
Doc ambled down his stairs and stood on the boardwalk. He noted that Jonas seemed fine as well. His eyes shifted to the jailhouse across the street and saw the prison wagon; both O'Shea and Kirkland were to be tried in Wichita.
Satisfied that all seemed right again, the doctor was about to go to the Long Branch when he heard the unmistakable sound of the hill man's spurs. Doc looked down the street at the deputy as he practically strutted up the street. "Where have you been?" Doc barked.
"Well howdy to you too, Doc," Festus quipped. "If you're so dang interested, I've been busy," he answered, tucking his thumbs into his vest pockets.
"I told you to rest," Doc said with annoyance in his tone.
"Wall, I have been busy at resting. In the way us Haggens do," the hill man smiled.
"And just what does a "hill man" do for rest?" Doc needed to know.
"You just come with me and I'll show you," Festus said with a straight face.
Doc frowned but he followed the deputy anyway as they walked toward the livery stable. All the doctor could think of was that Festus had whittled himself a mule. The two men entered the livery stable and Doc's mouth dropped open. There was his buggy. The wheel was back on it and so was the canvas top. The doctor stepped closer and looked at the rig and then back to Festus, "I had me some trouble with the canvas, but the way I cut it off, I just needed to resew the seams," he said bashfully.
Doc looked at the buggy again, "By golly," he swiped his hand across his moustache and ticked his head. Festus wasn't sure but he almost spotted tears in the old doctor's eyes. "This calls for a beer," Doc exclaimed and smiled broadly. "It truly does," he nodded at the hill man and hooked his arm as they left the livery stable and headed to the saloon.