Brooker wasted no time in going over the information presented to him by Matt and agreed the boy should be tried for the murder of the young girl, Anya. Brooker advised Matt that his schedule was tight so the trial would have to be held as soon as possible.

Matt advised him he could arrange it for Friday, the day after next but there was a problem. With as little emotion as possible, Matt told Brooker about Kitty's kidnapping and the threat against her life if the Granger boy wasn't released. He told the Judge of the suspicious couple at the abandoned house and his suspicions about Victor being involved. "I've done everything I can think of to find her, Judge." Matt sighed. "But I can't find her and I can't let that boy go. The girl's father is more interested in revenge than in getting justice for his daughter so he's not about to help me."

"And you're sure this Victor has Miss Russell?" Brooker questioned.

"Well, I don't have any proof of that, if that's what you mean." Matt answered. "But when I confronted him about it, he didn't deny it." Matt sighed with a shake of his head. "Of course, he didn't say he did have her either."

"Is it possible that someone else took her?" Brooker asked. "I mean, maybe the boy's father?"

Matt considered that for a moment, realizing that it was not only possible but that in letting his feelings for Kitty get in the way, he'd overlooked that possibility or at least didn't as carefully consider it.

"Well, it's possible." Matt agreed. "But it's doubtful. Granger's a powerful man. He has a lot of friends here as well as a small army of cowboy's working for him. If he wanted to, he could take his son by force and there wouldn't be much I could do to stop him. Besides, there's always a chance his son could be found not guilty. My evidence isn't that solid."

"Well, perhaps you're correct." Brooker conceded. "At any rate, Miss Russell's kidnapping does seem to complicate matters. On one hand, we can't condone kidnapping and comply with the kidnappers and on the other, I'm not sure I could accept my part of the blame for Miss Russell's harm, should we try the boy."

Brooker stood silently for a moment in contemplation. "Tell you what, Marshal. I'm going to send a wire to Hays, where the next trial is to take place, and delay things for a couple of days. We'll set the trial up for Monday, which will give you a few days to sort things out. Will that help?"

"I hope so, Judge." Matt answered. "I appreciate the time at any rate."

After sitting back down against the wall, Kitty carefully arranged the ropes back around her ankles. She didn't tie the ropes but, to the best of her ability, made it appear as though they were. She then moved her arms back behind her as though they too were tied. Leaning her head back against the wall, Kitty sat quietly, listening. When she heard footsteps, she began to scream at the top of her lungs. She didn't call for help, she just screamed.

Within a few seconds, the footsteps turned into running steps and the doors above her were thrown open. "What's wrong with you? Shut up!" The woman yelled down at her.

Kitty could see it was the woman and her cries increased in volume. Her voice was getting hoarse but she refused to relent and continued to scream.

Seeing that Kitty would not quiet down, the woman quickly descended the stairs and ran over to Kitty. "What's your problem?" The woman demanded to know as she reached out to her. She was unprepared for Kitty's response.

Like a cobra, Kitty's arms came out from behind her and she began to strike the woman with the rock she'd stumbled on earlier. The woman fell back with a small cry but was unable to do more as Kitty hit her again and then got to her feet and headed towards the stairs.

The woman, though not completely unconscious, was addled enough that she could not make a sound or a move to stop Kitty from escaping. But she was able to force herself to sitting up. For several moments she sat there, her hand clamped tightly to the side of head.

When she finally no longer felt like she was about to pass out, she forced herself to get to her feet. That brought on a severe pounding in her head that caused her to stop again until it eased then she moved on. If the red headed woman did make a good escape, her headache would be the least of her problems.

Once Kitty made it to the top of the stairs, she cautiously looked out and around her. She could see a farmhouse directly in front of the hole she'd been in and could see a barn some distance to the right of the house. There was a field behind the cellar, and beyond that some dense woods.

She saw no one in the yard and no horses. It was possible the man she'd heard had already left. It was also possible he was somewhere just out of her sight. But regardless of whether he was or was not there, she knew she had to take a chance. Taking a deep breath, Kitty grabbed the hem of her skirt, lifted it and began to run.

TBC