Lawman

Chapter 11

Dillon visited each saloon in town trying to find Johnny Halstead. No one had seen him since the night of the gathering outside the jail. Stranger still was the fact that since he had disappeared, the interest in lynching Hamilton had faded. The town seemed quiet again.

There were only three saloons of any worth in Garden City. He'd ordered a beer and talked to several of the patrons in each. He was surprised to find that most thought Hamilton had been doing a good job bringing order to the town. They thought he had been fair. Yes he had been strict on the saloons, making them close their doors at 2.00 a.m. and putting an end to the back room gambling that had so often ended in gun fire.

He also found out that Etheridge owned a large interest in the saloon called Aces Wild and that he was none to happy with enforcement of some of those city ordinances, some even said he had tried to pay the new City Marshal to turn a blind eye, much like the old Sheriff had done, but that was only rumor.

xxx

Etheridge had done his best to avoid the Marshal since their trip out to the cemetery. He was scared that this new lawman might find out about his role in getting Halstead to go out and ambush the bounty hunter, then bring his body into town and start the rumor that the City Marshal had been responsible for the killing. Halstead had taken it upon himself to go one step further and asked Gina to let a few people know that her husband had ridden out to meet the man just two days before his body was found. Etheridge had had nothing to do with that. He hoped it would not lead to any repercussions, somehow women always brought trouble. He looked up from the desk in his office at the bank just in time to see the tall Marshal walking by the bank window and hastily got up and closed his door. He called to his assistant just as Dillon entered the bank.

"You tell that man I am not here, I'm in a meeting…just get rid of him."

Matt walked across the bank to a clerk sitting behind a desk at the back.

"Can I help you, Sir," the attendant muttered, in a voice that said he was bored and helping anyone was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I need to talk to Mr. Etheridge." Matt was not in a mood to be kept waiting.

Another man came towards the attendant's desk. He was tall and very skinny with a sallow face dominated by thick glassed wire rimmed spectacles. "I am sorry Sir but Mr. Etheridge is in a meeting right now."

Matt had no time for this. He pushed through the small gate separating the front of the bank from rear and headed for the door that had Etheridge's name on it. 'Spectacles' made a halfhearted attempt to stop him, but Matt barely noticed.

Etheridge jumped up from his desk as the lawman came busting in.

"You .. You can't come forcing your way in here. This is a private office."

"I'm investigating a murder, Mr. Etheridge, and I can go anywhere I find necessary. I want to ask you some questions so sit down."

Matt was trying to control his rising anger. He had learned long ago that anger accomplished very little and could cloud his thoughts so he deliberately tried to block the emotion and think only of the man whose life he was trying to save.

Slowly Etheridge lowered himself into the fancy leather armchair situated behind his desk and Matt stood looking down at him.

"When did you first learn that the bounty hunter, Dirk Williams, had been killed?"

Etheridge was anxious to answer that one.

"Not until that ranch hand, Halstead, brought him into town. He had found his body out there on the prairie. He thought it had been lying there for a day or so."

"Did you know Halstead before that?"

"I had seen him around town sometimes I suppose, but I can't say I knew him. I think he works out at the Double D."

"So he wasn't someone you'd met in any of the saloons here in town?"

"Marshal, I wouldn't likely be drinking or doing business with a ranch hand now would I?"

There was a sneer in the man's voice that made Matt tighten his fists.

"So if someone thought they'd seen you talking to this man, they'd be mistaken."

"Marshal I run the only bank in town, I talk to many people in the course of my business and can hardly be expected to remember everyone of them."

"Who decided to accuse Marshal Hamilton of murder?"

"Oh it wasn't just my idea, no sir, .. I heard talk that he had ridden out to meet the man at the very spot where the body was found. He was the only one who could have done it. Nobody else knew about the money or the meeting.

"Did the money come through this bank?"

"Not exactly. The Marshal brought in a bank draught for the reward money and we cashed it."

"So you knew about the money?"

The banker gave a false laugh. "You surely don't think I rode out there and killed him."

"Right now I don't know anything for sure, Mr. Etheridge, but it seems to me that anyone who knew about the money could be suspect." Matt paused for a moment. "Tell me why you decided to hire those two young men as deputies and have Hamilton arrested, when you had no evidence to back up your accusation."

"It wasn't just my decision." Etheridge was trying to share the blame now. "Several of us on the town council went over the facts and that was the only conclusion possible. I do have connections Marshal." He puffed himself up a little more trying to find a way to impress Dillon with his own importance. "Mr. Williard Davis, as you may know, is the Attorney General in this state and he happens to be a long time friend of mine. I contacted him about the problem."

Dillon continued to watch him without speaking. He was never impressed by names or bureaucrats and kept his eyes locked on the nervous little man in front of him. Etheridge stood up from his chair and pushed his thumbs into the small pockets of his finely tailored waistcoat while trying to regain some of his composure. Apparently it had no effect on the Marshal so he shuffled his feet uncomfortably a time or two before trying again.

"I run this town Marshal," the little man tried desperately to demonstrate his position of authority and defend his actions.. "I don't have to answer to you."

"You do have to answer to the law Mr. Etheridge and in the state of Kansas I represent the law." Matt decided he wasn't going to get anything much out of this man - he was convinced that he knew something but without threatening him with physical violence he doubted Etheridge would admit to anything. He could let him stew awhile. The man he really wanted was Johnny Halstead and there wasn't much time to spare now if he was going to deliver Gina to Doc at the depot for the afternoon stage.

He left the bank and walked along to the livery to borrow a buggy, before heading to the small house on the edge of town.

The young woman was ready and waiting when he arrived. He thought she was remarkably calm for a wife whose husband was about to stand trial for murder, but said nothing as he loaded the two bags she had packed into the buggy, before helping her climb aboard.

Gina was quite surprised when they pulled up by the stage depot. She had expected Doug to be there. Dillon explained that he would bring her husband to Dodge later and that she would be traveling with Doc. The old physician's face lit up when he saw he would be riding with the dark eyed beauty, but Gina was still looking around like she expected someone else to be there.

"Keep an eye on her Doc," Matt whispered softly to his old friend.

While the hustle of loading the coach was going on, Matt went inside the office and purchased two fares on the late night stage going east. He looked around the gathered crowd but saw no familiar faces. There were several men who could have been Halstead from the description he had been given, but none was showing any particular interest in Gina Hamilton. He stood back watching until the stage pulled out and the crowd dispersed. There was a certain amount of relief knowing that Doc and Gina had left. All he had to worry about now was getting Hamilton out of town safely.

xxx

Johnny Halstead had only just made it out of Gina's House in time to avoid being seen by the US Marshal. He knew Gina was a smart woman and would easily be able to handle the situation but it did unnerve him a little. He had hurried back to town, he wanted to talk with Etheridge and find out what was going on. He didn't want to be seen around town so went directly to the back door of the Aces Wild saloon. There he found Hackett and told him to go fetch Mr. Etheridge - he needed to talk with him, now. While he waited he made himself at home in the back room where the big stakes poker games were played. He poured a glass of the fine whisky from the liquor cabinet, then opened the wooden cigar box and pocketed one of the contents for later. Easing himself into one of the big leather armchairs, he propped his feet up on the table and waited.

It wasn't long before the shape of Etheridge appeared in the doorway.

"I thought I told you not to come back to town until afte that Marshal left," the portly man uttered nervously. To begin with he had felt he was in control of this young cow hand, but now he began to wonder if that was so. "And get your feet off that table, how do you expect me to run a poker game if you have it all torn up.

Halstead took another mouthful of whisky from the glass before casually placing his feet on the floor and standing up. He walked defiantly to were the banker stood.

"If Dillon pokes around too much he's going to uncover the truth. Why did you let him dig up that body?"

"I ..I couldn't stop him."

"I thought you were the boss around this town."

Etheridge thought for a moment, somehow he did not feel so much in control anymore.

"I'll tell you something, Mr Town Leader," Halstead continued, "if that law man finds out what really happened to Dirk Williams, I am not going to swing alone, you will be right there with me."

"What do you want me to do?"

"The only thing I know is that Dillon must be taken down. It will be expensive but that is the only way we can be sure to get rid of him and that City Marshal."

"You've been well paid already," Etheridge remembered the twenty five hundred dollar reward and then the thousand he had paid him to frame Hamilton."

"Up to you, Banker," Halstead sneered, "it's your neck as well."

Etheridge considered for a minute. He needed to get the poker games going again, they brought in several thousand on a good night.

"Alright," he said. "Dillon must go - but not in this town or anywhere near it." He reached into an inside pocket and pulled out a bundle of notes.

"There's eight hundred here. It's all I have right now."

Halstead had the nerve to stand there and count it.

"All right, I'll follow them to Dodge and do it there. There's enough people gunning for that Marshal that no one will think it is connected with this deal."

"I don't want to see you again, Halstead. It's too dangerous, you need to leave town."

Johnny Halstead laughed - that is exactly what he planned to do, and now he was getting paid for it too. He knew he could not out draw Dillon, but he was not averse to shooting someone in the back from an alleyway. He and Gina would have quite a little nest egg by the time this was finished.

TBC