Chapter 18

Once the buggy was loaded and we started back to Dodge, I asked Matt to tell me more about Hank Delaney. He naturally found it much easier to talk about the killer he'd been following than to tell me about himself.

"I think I already told you how he first came to my attention, Doc."

"Begin at the beginning and tell me again," I asked. Having succeeded in getting my stoic friend to start talking, I didn't want him to have time to clam up again before we got back to town. I watched as he stretched out his right leg - my old buggy barely had enough room for a man of his size.

For the duration of the drive back to Dodge, Matt told me all he knew about Hank Delaney. He'd told me before how he'd found out about the man while working his first job as a lawman - a deputy sheriff in a small Texas town. A young woman from the "wrong" side of town was brutally killed and neither the sheriff nor any of its other citizens except for Matt, took it to mean very much.

"I decided I'd concentrate my nightly rounds in that same area east of town where the street lights were few and far between. A week went by and nothing else happened. Then there was an especially dark night with no moon and the street lights barely lit that section where the killer worked. I watched as a young woman walked slowly along the dirt sidewalk. She stopped from time to time to look in some of the rundown saloons that were typical for that darkened area. I kept an eye on her from across the street. Eventually a man appeared behind her. I couldn't tell if he'd just come out of a saloon or was hiding out in a doorway. He took her roughly by the arm and forced her into a nearby alleyway. I ran across the street and barely made it to the other side when I heard her scream. The man was pinning her against the side of the building with a knife raised over her head. I yelled at him to drop the knife and pulled my gun, but if I'd fired I might have hit the woman. He ran, but not before I got a good look at his face as he swerved to avoid me while leaving the alley."

Matt stopped for a moment and re-arranged one of the fishing poles that had worked its way loose in the back of the buggy. Fortunately he continued his story without any prompt from me.

"The woman wasn't badly hurt but she was scared. I had no choice but to stop and help her. The killer faded away into the darkness but not before I'd recognized him from that brief look at his face. Just think how many women died because I let him get away that night."

I couldn't help but understand why this was something that haunted Matt for all those years. He'd risked everything to go after the man who got off the stage in Dodge - the man who was missing part of a finger and who'd been conveniently sent away from town so that the law couldn't find him after that very first murder years ago.

Matt went on to tell me how he came across newspaper reports from different towns and cities describing similar killings - maybe as many as two or even three a year. Eventually he reported to Washington that all these murders were so similar that it was likely they were committed by one man. He tried to persuade them to assign a group of men to tracking down the killer. He even volunteered his own services in that respect. Sadly, no one else saw the connection and the bloody murders were recorded as random events.

Matt never gave up. He continued to collect newspaper cuttings and scanned all circulars that came his way. He told me he once saw that face on a wanted poster, but nothing ever came of it. The killings seemed to stop about five years ago. Several young women reported similar attacks, but they'd managed to escape before they were harmed. Then about a year ago it started up again, this time with two attackers. It even made Matt wonder if the new killings were by the same man as before. That's why he was so interested when a younger man met Delaney at the stage. I asked him about that younger man and why he joined forces with Delaney.

"That second man was known as Charley. He couldn't remember if he'd ever had another name. He's probably early twenties, certainly not as smart as some, so it took him longer before he finally figured out what Delaney was doing. He told me that Hank Delaney was the first person who ever took an interest in him. When he explained what he needed Charley to do, the boy understood that it was a game. All Charley had to do was chase down a young woman and hold onto her until Delaney could catch up and take over. At that point Charley was supposed to leave and meet up later. That first night when Delaney told him to walk up and grab the young woman walking ahead of them, Charley did as he was told but being a little slow he forget where he was supposed to meet up afterwards, so he ran back to ask and saw his new friend plunging a long knife into the young woman over and over again. It scared poor Charley. He tried to run away and hide, but by now Delaney had control over him. He told the boy he was guilty of murder just for helping in the killing. That scared Charley into staying with Delaney from then on. Hank Delaney later admitted that he needed time alone with his victim so he could stab the woman at his leisure. Apparently he enjoyed watching the fear in their eyes. He didn't want them to die too quickly. What kind of sickness in that, Doc?"

"I don't know, Matt. I've read some things but nothing like that."

We were just pulling into Dodge by the time he finished. Some kind of curiosity filled my mind. What kind of man got enjoyment out of killing young women in that way? Part of me wanted to talk to this Delaney but Matt said no. He wasn't letting anyone near the man until the escort arrived from Washington to pick him up. After that it was out of his hands.

()()()

It took almost two months before the whole ordeal with Delaney was finally over. Amos hung around Dodge waiting for the order to appear at the trial then he and Matt traveled to Washington together. Jeffrey insisted on helping me once he was back on his feet and stayed until he had to leave to take up a temporary post in Iowa for a year. The three men met up in Washington for the trial. I think Matt was relieved to see Jeffrey alive and walking around as if he'd never been hurt that fateful night in Denver.

It was a spring evening just before the first cattle drive of the season came in when Matt arrived home on the late train. Of course Kitty and I were there to meet him. I could tell it was all she could do to keep from throwing her arms around his neck. Instead, she smiled at him and I saw her eyes were conveying some of those messages the pair believed no one else understood. Kitty took his right arm, so I fell in to walk on his left.

"How did it go, Matt?" I asked quietly.

"Just fine, Doc, " he mumbled in reply. "How about I go clean up a little then we'll meet in the Long Branch in an hour or so?"

It was near closing time when I walked into the saloon which was fairly quiet with only a few locals still hanging around the bar. Very soon the place would be filled with Texas trail hands all wanting to spend their hard earned money enjoying the taste of whiskey and the presence of friendly saloon girls.

Kitty and Matt were already seated at the table in the corner by the stairs. Even before I passed through the batwing doors I could see the happiness on Kitty's face. Matt looked tired as would be expected from the long trip, but at the same time he appeared more contented than I'd seen him in ages. Maybe it was because he'd finally come to terms with what had happened in Denver or maybe because he was home once more with Kitty sitting beside him. Either way, it was good to see.

Kitty raised her arm and beckoned me to come join them. I gratefully pulled out a chair just as Sam appeared with a shot glass of whiskey that he set on the table in front of me. I nodded my thanks to Kitty by raising the glass in her direction.

"Good to see you back, Matt." I said, and for a few minutes we exchanged meaningless comments but I for one was anxious to hear how the trial went. It wasn't long before I had to ask. "So, Matt, what happened at the trial?"

"It really didn't last long," he began. "I was telling Kitty that we all traveled to Washington for the well-publicized trial that lasted less than two days. Of course Delaney hired some fancy attorney, but there wasn't much he could do once Amos and I gave our testimony and then Jefferey described how the accused had knifed him. The judge even took the time to look at Jeffrey's scar privately back in his chambers. The woman who was attacked that night in Denver managed to give a good account of what happened and clearly identified Delaney as the man with the knife. Many of those killings couldn't be pinned on him since the young women were dead and there were no witnesses - but then you can only hang a man once. Fortunately, I didn't have to stay for that although I think it was one hanging I could well have watched."

"What happened to Charley?" I asked him. From Matt's account I'd been a little concerned about the young man.

"He was transferred to one of those hospitals in Washington to be evaluated and was declared unfit to stand trial. I don't know what'll happen to him, Doc."

"Tell me about Jeffrey."

"He's doing fine. Enjoying his new job but looking forward to coming back here. He said he'll write to you when he gets a moment."

"And Amos?"

"He'd bought himself a piece of land up towards Montana. Said he's gonna sit around and smoke cigars for a few months. He invited us to visit if we want to go. According to him there's plenty of good hunting and fishing."

I'd finished my whiskey and relaxed back in the chair. I was glad that it was all over and each one of my friends had found a place to be. Sam had already thrown out the last of the drunks from the bar and was beginning to stack chairs on tables in preparation for sweeping the floor. I looked over at my two friends. Kitty's hand was resting on Matt's arm and they were having their own private conversation. I set my now empty glass on the table.

"I'm going home to get a good night's sleep. And I suggest you do the same," I added as I stood and looked around to retrieve my hat from the chair next to me. I walked slowly towards the big outside doors that Sam was about to lock and took one last glance behind me before stepping onto the boardwalk. I saw two lone figures with arms wrapped around each other, slowly climbing the stairs.

"Goodnight, Doc," Sam's gravelly voice landed on my ears as I set my hat in place and headed towards the stairs to my office. Many thoughts were running through my head. Mostly, I hoped Matt would find some way to slow down and eventually hand that badge over to someone else. Maybe I'd managed to plant that idea in his mind but I wasn't convinced. He'd admitted to me several times that if he took that piece of tin off he'd be lost. It had become as much a part of him as a hand or an arm. Who would he be without it? Maybe one day we could continue that conversation, but not tonight. I was sure he had other plans for the evening and they didn't include me.

End.