Matt stormed out of the Long Branch filled with pain and anger. Not only had Kitty betrayed his trust, she'd committed a crime she likely be sent to prison for. Along with that her rash action could result in the death of her friend at the hands of Jeb Walker, which could lead to Jeb being convicted of murder. The whole thing was a big mess.

He was still muttering under his breath when he reached his horse and saw Festus running towards him looking dumbfounded, "Matthew - Mrs. Cassidy, she's…"

"I know Festus, I'm going after her."

"Mathew how'd she git out?"

"Never mind that now Festus, keep an eye on things."

Matt was ready to ride when he heard Doc call to him.

"Doc, what is it, I'm in a hurry."

"Matt, Jerry Sanders, the wounded man you brought in with Jack Caton and River Cassidy is dead. His wound got infected and I, well I couldn't do anything to save him. Near the end he started murmuring about wanting to do one good thing before he died. He whispered something like, 'kids shot' or 'kids were shot.' Something like that. He said more, but I couldn't make it out. I could barely make out that much. I thought you'd want to know."

Matt nodded, "Thanks Doc," and rode off with his head swimming. What did Jerry mean "kids shot?" Who shot them and if they were shot, why did Jack and Jerry say Mrs. Cassidy stabbed them? If she shot the boys why didn't they just say that?

He reached Willow Bend Road and forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. He decided to ride on a less traveled path that ran parallel to Willow Bend. It was narrow and overgrown, and he figured if Jeb or Mrs. Cassidy wanted to stay out of sight they'd take cover in the high grass. If he rode on that path he could still hear activity on Willow Bend.

All of his senses were on alert as he rode along slowly. Everything was quiet and still when woman's scream suddenly pierced the air, and was quickly cut off. He jumped from his horse and drew his gun as he tried to pinpoint the woman's exact location from one short scream. He scrambled through the grass and found Jeb kneeling on the ground squeezing River's neck. "Jeb let go."

Jeb was startled and dropped her. She fell from his hands like a rag doll.

He looked up and saw who it was, "I have to kill the witch, marshal. I have to." He grabbed River's neck with one hand, and yanked her towards him. Her head flopped back.

In two strides Matt was beside them. He holstered his gun, knowing the massive man could knock him over and possibly take the weapon. He spoke quietly, "Jeb, it's my job to take care of these things, you know that don't you?"

Jeb had always admired the marshal. Marshal Dillon was kind of hero he wanted to be. "I know marshal, but I'm worried she'll kill all the children and eat them."

"You don't have to worry Jeb. I have things under control. You can let her go and head on home."

Jeb thought about it, "Marshal, are you sure you don't need my help?"

"Thank you Jeb, but I can handle it, and I have a feeling your Pa really needs your help on the farm right now."

Jeb set River on the ground. He looked at her for a few seconds then stood, "All right marshal, I'll go home." He walked away without looking back.

Matt knelt beside River's limp body. He took her wrist and felt a pulse, so he slapped her face gently, "Mrs. Cassidy, can you wake up?"

River slowly opened her eyes and blinked as she tried to focus. She pulled herself to a sitting position and gave Matt a rueful smile. "You saved my life so I can be executed. Seems like a waste of time."

Matt stood and extended a hand to help her up. Impatience was evident in his voice, "Let's go. You'll ride on my horse with me."

He mounted and easily lifted the tiny woman to sit in front of him. River started talking immediately, "Marshal, I should explain how I escaped from jail. Your deputy had to leave and gave Kitty the keys to lock the cell. I didn't give her a chance. I shoved the door open, pushed her to the ground and ran out the back."

Matt smiled to himself. Kitty was slender but quite strong. Mrs. Cassidy was emaciated and 3 or 4 inches shorter than Kitty. What she was describing wasn't possible, so he simply replied, "Thank you for telling me that." In fact he was thankful that the woman was trying to protect Kitty, even though it wouldn't work. Kitty would stick with the truth, he was sure of it.

They had ridden for a while when River looked around, "Wait a minute, we're not going towards Dodge."

"That's right Mrs. Cassidy. We're going to back to the cabin. I'm going to get some answers."

"What do you mean?"

"Jerry Sanders' last words were something about the kids being shot. He and Caton said you stabbed them. I want to look into that. We're about an hour from the cabin. You can start talking now, or you can wait to see what I figure out when I get there. I'm going to take a good look around, and then dig up the boys' graves. I'd also like some answers about Mr. Cassidy."

River was surprised by the sudden turn of events, "All right marshal, since no one else is around to hear, I'll tell you about my husband, but if you repeat it in court, I'll deny it."

Matt listened as River told him about Eric, his losing streak, and how he lost her in a poker game. She also told him about Caton's threat to kill her if Eric came near her, and to have Eric killed if she tried to leave or said anything against him.

"Mrs. Cassidy, do you really think that Jack Caton has the influence to have your husband killed?"

"Maybe, maybe not but I can't take that chance. I love my husband."

"Mrs. Cassidy, where did that poker game take place?"

"Topeka."

Matt thought for a moment. "Seems to me your husband would stay put. He'd know that's where you'd look for him if you could. I'll tell you what. As soon as we get back to Dodge, I'll send a telegram to the sheriff in Topeka telling him to find Eric Cassidy and hold him in protective custody."

The idea that something like that could be done had never occurred to River, but by then they'd reached the cabin and she didn't respond. Inside the cabin, Matt started searching every nook and cranny. River sat and watched with interest, "What are you looking for?"

"I'm just seeing what's here and what isn't. Now I want you to show me where the two boys were buried."

River didn't want to even think about how those boys had died, but she nodded and led Matt outside.

They were a short distance from the cabin when she pointed to two mounds of dirt. Matt found a shovel and started digging.

Dodge

It was after dark and the Long Branch was packed. Kitty was trying to keep her mind on business, but it was no use. She'd hurt Matt and made him furious, she'd put River in terrible danger and Festus' questioning eye had been following her around all night. Poor Festus, she knew he wanted her reassurance that she hadn't let River escape.

Knowing she was of little use on the job, she went to Sam, "I hate to do this to you Sam, but I'm not feeling well. Can you handle things without me? I'll be right upstairs if you need me."

Sam was immediately concerned, "Do you want me to get Doc?"

Kitty shook her head, "Thanks, but it's just a big, fat headache."

Inside her room the worries were the same, but at least she didn't have to try to hide the fact that she was scared and felt more alone than she had felt in a very long time.

TBC