Trip the Murder 12

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Though exhausted from the previous day's events, the duo from Dodge spent very little time in slumber and they were up fairly early. With Herman's loan of an iron, heated properly on the stove, Kitty was able to at least address the major wrinkles in her dress and Matt's shirt. Herman also loaned her a needle and thread from his deceased wife's sewing box, and she hastily stitched up the hole in Matt's jacket and then washed it.

"I've done the best I can with this," Kitty sighed as she handed the garment back to him. "But when we get a chance, I'm going to get you another jacket. Bullet holes aren't easily mended or hidden."

"It'll be fine, Kitty." He assured her. "With the way things have been going, a bullet may the least of it." Too late, he noticed her anxious expression and quickly pulled her to him. "Kitty, it's going to be alright. Quit worrying, will ya?"

Kitty glumly nodded. "Yeah," was all she said.

Matt shook his head as he let her go and eased his wounded arm into the still slightly damp jacket. "What ya say, we go raid Herman's kitchen and get us some breakfast, huh? Then I'll go back to the hotel…"

"We'll go back to the hotel." She corrected him. "You're not taking off and leaving me here, Matthew Dillon, and don't think you are. I have more at stake here than you do."

Matt stopped and looked at her, shaking his head. "You are one stubborn woman, Kathleen Russell."

"I know," she grinned suddenly. "Come on. Let's go and see if we can get you fed."

After a breakfast of biscuits and ham, left for them by the thoughtful café owner, Matt and Kitty left the house by the back door and cautiously made their way out to where they could hail a cab and return to the hotel for their luggage. The day, though sunny, was cool and both were happy that they didn't have to walk to the hotel.

The front desk clerk, though none too happy to see them, was glad to accept payment for their rooms and to give them their bags so they could leave his establishment.

"I'd've gotten a better reception at an outlaw's wake." Matt commented when they left the hotel and re-entered their waiting cab.

"Well, you can't blame him." Kitty remarked. "I mean his hotel was shot up last night, thanks to us. I doubt he much likes bullets flying around; it's not really good for business. I don't like it either, for that matter."

Matt nodded. "Well I don't either but it is likely to happen again if we don't get this thing solved."

"And how do we do that?" She asked, dolefully watching the passing scenery as the carriage wended its way through the busy streets.

"I've got some ideas." Matt answered.

An hour later, after dismissing their carriage and carefully making their way back to Herman's house with their belongings, Matt and Kitty were once again roaming the streets of the bustling city.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Kitty asked as they approached the warehouse where the day before she'd found a dead man and had been chased by his murderer.

"Well, I don't know how good it is." Matt answered, taking a long look around them. "But it's the only idea I have for right now. We're not likely to find anything but then again, you never know."

Kitty noticed his constant scanning of the area and looked around, seeing nothing. "What exactly are you looking for?" She asked.

Matt avoided looking directly at her, knowing how well she could read him. "Just being careful." He replied nonchalantly.

Kitty started to say something to that but decided against it. Now was not the time to argue about his trying to protect her by not telling her everything.

When they reached the warehouse, Matt tried the door to the small attached office, not surprised it was locked. The window, that the police had broken, in an effort to enter the building, had been boarded over. Taking Kitty by the hand, he led the way around the building, hugging close to its side, looking for any other way in.

On the river's side of the building, there was a large set of doors, now closed, which was, Matt was sure, the way they transported merchandise into and out of the building. Being as close as it was to the river's edge, there was a dock close by where cargo boats would dock.

Matt stood for several minutes in the relative security of some dense bushes nearby, studying the scene. "Something look off to you?" He asked, noticing Kitty's frown as she looked about.

"Yeah, there's nothing going on." Kitty pointed out. "This is a weekday and whether the owner is present or not there should be some activity going on around here. But there's no one and nothing."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, and I bet ya, I know why. They're laying low. You reporting that man's death scared them."

"But if they have the police in their pockets…"

"Not if they don't have all of them." Matt shook his head. "Owens may be part of this and maybe a few more, but I doubt all of them are on the take. I don't know exactly what's going on here, but I can bet you its highly illegal. They're not taking any chances. They probably figure to just close down for a few days till Owens or whoever can figure a way to either shut you up or get you out of town."

"If they're waiting on Owens, or whoever, then why try to shoot us last night?" Kitty couldn't make sense of most of the last day's events.

Matt shrugged. "I don't know. Probably someone decided to take matters in their own hands, either that or they wanted us to do exactly what we did, which was to go to the police. Maybe they figured Owens would be able to take that and turn it around, using it against us. We'll figure that out later. But right now, I think I have a way figured out as to how to get into that building."

"How?" Kitty asked, seeing no way in.

"Look over to the left." He nodded in that direction.

Kitty looked and first saw nothing, then a small glint caught her eye. Looking closer, she saw a door, heavily obscured by shrubbery. She looked back up at Matt with a slight grin and a question in her eyes. "You think it'd be safe?" She pointedly looked around them.

"Maybe not now, but it will be after dark." Matt answered. "Let's go back to Herman's. This place will wait until then."

TBC