Lawman
Chapter 17
Kitty was a good observer of people - in some ways better than the Marshal. She had noticed that Johnny Halstead spent a lot of time talking to Daisy. He always came in around noon and stayed till dark, but he never stayed late into the night or tried to walk her home. It was strange because when most of these ranch hands came into town, it was the nights they were most interested in spending with the saloon girls. She asked Daisy about it. The girl did not seem to think it too unusual, "He's probably got a wife somewhere." she laughed.
Kitty thought about that statement, she wasn't sure why but the more she watched Halstead, the more she thought about it. She began asking Chester to tell her when Gina arrived and left the jail. The times seemed to coincide very well with the hours the young man spent with Daisy.
At first she was reluctant to point out this unusual fact to Dillon. She knew he wouldn't want to believe that Hamilton's wife could be involved in an affaire with Johnny Halstead. Curiosity getting the better of her, Kitty decided to give something a try. Next morning after Matt had left her bed to go make his early morning rounds, instead of going back to sleep, as usual, she made herself get up and dress ready for the day. She walked briskly across Front Street and through the doors to the Dodge House.
"Good Morning Miss Kitty," Howie was already behind the desk - his crisply starched collar standing out around his freshly scrubbed face and neck. "You here to see Mrs Hamilton?"
"Yes Howie - it is a nice morning and I thought I would invite her to breakfast."
"I don't think you'll find her awake yet, she doesn't usually come down till much before noon."
"Then I'll just have to wake her up." Howie didn't seem to think it surprising that Kitty would be taking the young woman to breakfast and said nothing as she headed up the stairs. Kitty made very little noise and arrived outside the door of room number 12. She listened for a minute and didn't hear any unusual sounds coming from inside. Suddenly she lifted her hand and knocked on the door,
"Gina its Kitty," she called, "I thought we could go have breakfast together at Delmonico's. Can I come in?"
She heard a lot of shuffling around, was she imagining it or where there whispered voices?
"Oh Kitty, how sweet of you. Would you give me some time to get dressed? I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes."
Kitty listened for a moment and was almost sure she heard a window open.
"That's good. I'll be waiting." Kitty walked back down the stairs and out through the front door. She casually walked to the end of the block and waited at the end of the alleyway. Holding her parasol so that it hid her face from anyone coming along the alley, then turned her back and walked slowly back towards the hotel. Sure enough in a minute or two she heard someone coming out of the alley and onto the boardwalk. A quick look confirmed her suspicion, the man was now heading in the opposite direction, but she knew who it was. She hurried back to the hotel to wait for Gina.
When Matt came to her rooms that evening he was pale and worried. The last few weeks had been hard on him. He had hardly eaten and rarely drank a beer. Even at nights when he laid next to her he was unable to enjoy being there. In a day or so he would have to take his friend to Hays for a hanging and that was the only thing on his mind.
They laid side by side, very few words had been exchanged that evening. They had been sitting on the settee and he had held her hand with his arm intertwined with hers, but it was a cold silence, not the comfortable silence they could enjoy in different times.
Their drinks lay barely touched on the coffee table in front of them. Kitty had tried some regular small talk, but apart from a grunt or two, had received no reply. She was trying to work up to telling him about seeing Halstead coming from the alley behind the Dodge House and her theory concerning Gina and Johnny Halstead.
She applied some gentle pressure to the hand that was holding hers, trying to drag his mind back from the dark place where it had been hiding .
"Matt." she started, but didn't get much of a response, so she tried again. "Matt listen to me, I have an idea." At last he turned his head and looked at her. "Oh Matt you need to eat." She went to the small dresser on top of which she had saved a plate of sandwiches, then brought it back and set it on the table in front of him.
"I want to tell you something, but you need to eat first."
Reluctantly he took one of the sandwiches and tried a bite.
"This morning I went to the Dodge House and invited Gina to breakfast. I have been watching that Johnny Halstead, and his relationship with Daisy." At first the Marshal didn't seem to be paying much attention, but as her story progressed she noticed he became more alert and listened intently to what his woman was saying.
"So you think Halstead and Gina are involved somehow."
"You could say that."
"Kitty maybe you have just found the answer, everything falls into place if that's the case." He stopped and thought a moment, arranging the facts in his mind. "DeWitt had told me that he thought Halstead had a woman in town, that's why he fired him. Gina could easily have told Halstead about the money and he had plenty of time to go out after Williams and catch up with him. It makes sense, even to the footprint and the button, he would have had time to plant both."
He turned and hugged her. Gradually his face became more alive as he began to work on a way to trap Halstead. He grabbed another sandwich and devised a plan.
xxx
The following morning he walked into the jail with a firmer step than he had had for several weeks. It distressed him that he could not tell Hamilton what was planned, but if it worked, the City Marshal would be a free man.
"Doug , tomorrow we are riding to Hays."
"I knew the day would come," his prisoner replied. He seemed resigned to his fate. "Just one request, Matt, somewhere out there on the trail I will try to escape. I want you to shoot me, I don't want to hang. Promise me that."
Matt looked at his friend, wanting so much to tell him all would be well.
"I made another promise to you Doug, and I haven't given up on that one yet."
As usual Gina spent most of the day with her husband. They sat quietly in the lonely cell, not saying much.
When Matt came to lock up just before his late night rounds, she was still there.
"We're heading out in the morning Gina," he spoke softly, barely looking at his friend.
"Doug told me Marshal. I don't think I'll be coming to Hays, I'm sure you understand."
Dillon just nodded. She turned around to give her husband a final embrace before leaving.
Once the outer door of the office closed, Dillon turned to his friend.
"I'm just going to make rounds, then once everyone is off the street, I'll take you across to the Dodge House so you can spend the night with Gina."
Hamilton was stunned, that was definitely not something a lawman usually allowed a prisoner headed for the gallows. He didn't know what to say.
xxx
The street was quiet as Matt walked back to the jail. He had stopped by the Long Branch where Kitty told him Halstead had been drinking and talking to Daisy for most of the evening, but left about a half hour earlier.
As a precaution he sent Chester to the back of the Dodge house with a Winchester and instructions to arrest Halstead if he came that way.
"Remember I want him alive," he cautioned his assistant.
Once the jailer left the office he took the keys and unlocked the cell where Hamilton was waiting.
"I can never thank you enough for this Matt," he said as Dillon ushered him to the front. Dillon felt a little guilty about not telling his friend what he thought they would find but surely freedom would be worth a little subterfuge.
They crossed the street and entered the lobby of the hotel. Howie was asleep behind the counter but roused up as they headed towards the stairs.
He opened his mouth to object to the Marshal bringing a convicted murderer to his establishment, but before he got the first syllable out Matt was leaning over the desk at him.
"I don't want any noise." He tugged on the little man's collar until he nodded in understanding.
"C'mon," he mouthed to Hamilton and pointed to the stairs.
xxx
Johnny Halstead had become quite fond of Daisy during the week or so he had been in Dodge and if things didn't work out with Gina he would plan to come back to her. Just before leaving the Long Branch he told her he was leaving town for a while, but would be back.
Daisy had been around saloons long enough to know what that meant, but perhaps this one would keep his word.
He walked to the back of the Dodge House taking mostly the back streets so as not to be seen. He had perfected the route in the last few days and was confident that no one knew where he spent his nights.
The window was open and it was no effort to climb onto the low roof and then swing up to Gina's room.
She was not there when he arrived and he laid on the bed for a while. Eventually he heard a key turn in the lock and hastily hid behind the door, just in case it was someone he did not expect. When he saw it was the woman he wanted, he took her in his arms and kissed her quietly.
"They're leaving for Hays tomorrow Johnny. I told the Marshal I would not be going."
He just grinned. "It worked Gina, it was all so easy, now we have money and can leave town whenever we want."
"What about that Marshal, I thought Etheridge wanted him out of the way." "Let's get you out of town first, you can take the train east, then I'll take care of him, there's no rush."
It wasn't long before the pair where half asleep in the warm hotel bed. It had been a hectic few days, but finally it seemed as if everything was stacked in their favor.
Suddenly their quiet was shattered.
A quiet knock and a voice "Gina, it's me." Hamilton's voice came through the door at them both.
"Doug?"
"Yes, come and open the door."
"I'm..I'm coming" she stammered.
Matt was standing there, he could hear movement from within the room and did not want Halstead to get away. By now he was certain Kitty had been right. He hated to disturb the other hotel guests, but a man's life took precedence over a good night's sleep..
He lifted his leg and landed a booted foot squarely on the door so the frame gave way and the door slammed open.
He saw Halstead trying to grab clothes and climb out through the window.
"Hold it," he yelled, pulling his gun. The man was unsure what to do and decided he would risk jumping to the ground.
At the same time Hamilton was looking at his wife who was wearing only a very flimsy night gown. He was stunned for a moment, then picked up her robe from the foot of the bed.
"I think you best put this on."
"Doug it's not what you think."
He was too stunned to reply.
Chester watched as the young ranch hand jumped from the low roof, and landed clumsily on the ground.
"Hold it right there mister," he held the Winchester so the man knew exactly what was going on. 'You're under arrest, let's head to the jail, you know where it's at." Then he called up to the open window.
"I got him Mr. Dillon."
Matt smiled, he could always rely on Chester. Then he turned to Hamilton.
"You need to come back to the jail tonight, but I don't think we'll be taking that trip to Hays. Bring Gina with you."
xxx
Marshal Dillon was not a man who would 'beat the truth' out of his prisoners. He wanted to at times, and occasionally he found that a little physical force was necessary, but more often than not the mere threat of violence was all that was needed. It seemed to him that most people who committed serious crimes like murder were in fact cowards at heart and it didn't take a lot to scare them into telling all. Right now he was only too willing to put the fear into the ex ranch hand.
He escorted Gina and Doug back across Front Street to the jail. A few guests in the Dodge House had been woken by the events of the evening and were watching from windows trying to see what was going on. Poor Howie was watching too, but he was more concerned about the door to room number twelve and who was going to pay for the damages.
When Dillon opened the door to his office and ushered Doug and his wife inside, Chester was coming through the other door that led from the cells.
"I got him all locked up Mr. Dillon."
"Thanks Chester. Put some coffee on and stay here with Mr. Hamilton and his wife." He pulled out a chair from the small table in the middle of the room and indicated to Gina to sit there. He spared a glance at his friend who was still too stunned to really understand all that was going on.
"Wait here, Doug, I won't be long." He removed his gun belt and hung it on the peg, then carefully unpinned his badge and laid it on the desk. Chester looked at him questioningly.
"Mr. Dillon…?"
"Just keep everyone here Chester, I won't be long."
He picked up the heavy ring that held the keys to the cells and walked through the door.
"What's happening Chester," Hamilton asked.
"We're just gonna stay here like Mr. Dillon said, so sit down there and I'll make some coffee."
Matt flexed his fingers into tight fists as he looked at Johnny Halstead. He opened the cell door and went inside. "I knew I didn't like you from the first time I heard about you." He spoke menacingly and looked hard at the man sitting on the cot.
"I want to know exactly what's been going on, and right now I'm tired and I don't have a lot of patience."
"You can't touch me, I'm a prisoner in your jail."
"Right now I am not wearing a badge, and I'll do whatever it takes to get the truth out of you." Poor Halstead had gone from the pleasurable heights of sharing a bed with Gina to something like despair in less than thirty minutes and now this mountain of a man was towering over him with anger burning in his eyes. Even so Halstead would not give up that easily.
"I don't know what you're talking about Marshal."
"How come you were there in Mrs. Hamilton's room." Halstead relaxed a little and smiled. "Now you can't lock a man up for that."
The words were barely out of his mouth before a fierce back hand blow struck his face and threw him back against the wall. It left him stunned for a moment.
"You'd be surprised what I can do." Matt told him, pleased to see the small trickle of blood coming from the corner of the ranch hand's mouth. He reached out and grabbed the man by his collar.
"I've had about enough of you, you've caused a whole lot of trouble for a good friend of mine and now its time to set things right."
xxx
It took a while to get Halstead to tell how Etheridge wanted the City Marshal out of the way because of how he enforced the town ordinances to the letter. Halstead wanted to blame everything on Etheridge and Gina. Gina wanted him to get rid of her husband so she could be with him, and had told him about the bounty hunter and the $2500 reward money. Etheridge added an additional thousand dollars if Halstead could make it look like the City Marshal had killed the man.
Halstead admitted that he watched the City Marshal hand over the reward money. His plan had been to wait until the lawman left to ride back to town. Once Hamilton had ridden off he would ambush the bounty hunter and take the money. He thought the sound of the gunshot would bring the lawman back to the scene at which point he could return to find the marshal with the dead man. Halstead thought he could then tell the town he had seen Hamilton kill the bounty hunter, of course he would pretend not to know anything about the reward money. It was not a very good plan to start with, but Gina persuaded him to go with it and Gina could be very persuasive.
He made it a big point to include the leader of the town council, "That little banker wanted the over zealous city marshal gone so he could make more money at the Aces Wild Saloon. Most people don't know it but he is the real owner of that business."
Matt prompted him for more details because what Halstead had said so far did not coincide with Doc's findings - or his own come to that.
The ranch hand admitted that things went wrong from the start. Hamilton did not ride back to town after handing over the money - he stayed there fishing, worse still there was someone else fishing just across the river who would have seen if he killed Williams there like he planned. He had decided to follow the bounty hunter, but it was the next day and many miles before he had the opportunity to carry out the plan. Once the man was dead he loaded him onto his horse and took him back to town.
"Where's the money?" Dillon asked him
"I buried it out back of Gina's place."
"Tell me about the boot print."
" Hamilton asked me where I found the body, he had seen Williams ride off so I couldn't make it right there. I told him it was a little way further along the road. When you came along we had to make it look like Hamilton had been there."
Matt nodded.
"We're going to write all that down in the morning, Halstead. and you're going to sign it. Then I'll turn it over to Judge Brooking.
"What about Gina."
"I haven't decided yet."
xxx
The next morning Dillon was at the telegraph office sending wires to the Attorney General and Judge Brooking.
xxx
It was a few days before Kitty, Doc, Matt and Hamilton shared a table at Delmonico's
"So you and Doug are riding to Garden City to arrest Etheridge?" Doc asked.
"Yes, Doug has been reinstated as City Marshal there - if he still wants the job."
Hamilton looked up from his plate. "I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet," he looked wistfully into the distance. "I can hardly believe that Gina.. well, in a lot of ways I still love her." Kitty reached over and touched his arm, "Give it time, you've been through a lot lately."
The man nodded.
"What's going to happen to the other two," Kitty asked.
"They both signed pretty full confessions, so it will be up to the court to decide. I think Gina will go to prison, Halstead could serve a life term or go to the gallows. As for Etheridge, he will still have to stand trial."
xxx
That night when the Marshal let himself into the private rooms above the Long Branch he walked with a lighter step than he had in many weeks. Kitty was pleased to see that the haunted look had gone from his eyes and had been replaced by the subtle smile that suited him so well. The comfortable quiet times they had missed for so long seemed, once more to come naturally to them.
They sat side by side on the familiar settee in Kitty's rooms. The brandy glasses on the small table in front of them were empty. The delicate liquid they had contained now brought a warm, pleasant relaxation to the Marshal and the Saloon Owner. After a while he took her hand and lead her to the big brass bed that had not experienced the ecstasy of their love for far too long. This evening things would change. That badge he wore would not come between them tonight now that the burdens it had carried were gone, at least for now.
"Did I ever tell you how much I need you Kitty."
"Not lately," she laughed teasingly.
"Maybe you should come and lie next to me so I can make up for that."
She was so relieved to have her cowboy back. It was such a long time since he had been the gentle, caring lover she knew so well.
He watched as she let down her hair, then removed her earrings and necklace.
He came up behind her to help her with her dress. She could feel the warmth of his body even before his arms encircled her. It had been so long. She turned to face him and their lips met. It never ceased to amaze her that a man with strength enough to handle drunken cowboys and determined gun slingers could be so gentle and considerate when he demonstrated his love for her. He hardly ever expressed that love in words, but in actions he could have no equal.
At last they were still. The cooling breeze that swept softly through the room was the only force moving the cotton sheets that cocooned the exhausted lovers. Tonight the dreamless sleep they shared was a well deserved reward.
Epilogue
Early next morning two lawmen headed out of Dodge towards garden City. Kitty watched them from the boardwalk outside the Long Branch. She always enjoyed meeting people from Matt's earlier years, enjoyed the opportunity of learning what events from the past had shaped him into the person she knew better than anyone else. Doug Hamilton was a lot like him, quiet, determined and strong in body and mind. She hoped that somehow he would find strength enough to move on with his life. He had lost a wife and most of his faith in the law, but if anyone could help him heal it was her cowboy. It would take them almost two days to ride to Garden City and that should be time enough for even those two men to talk.
She stood there watching as the riders disappeared into the distance.
"Stay safe" she thought, then turned to go back inside and let the batwing doors swing close behind her.
End.
A/N Thanks to everyone who has followed this story. Kittylover100 and Grace, I was unusable to send you PM's but I do appreciate your kind comments.