Trip to Murder 14

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Matt closed the drawer he had just gone through and turned when he heard Kitty's exclamation. "You find something?"

"Uh huh." Kitty nodded with an excitement in her eyes. "I'd like more time to study this but it looks like bills of lading and transport records. It also looks off somehow. It doesn't look right but I won't know till I can study it."

Matt grinned. "I guess bringing you with me wasn't such a bad idea after all, was it?"

Kitty cut her eyes at him. "Oh really?"

Wisely, Matt chose to say no more on that subject. "Let's get out of here and back to Herman's so we can check all that out." He replied instead.

Pulling the heavy file into her arms, she stood, letting Matt lead the way. They'd only just opened the door however, when they heard voices, moving their way. Swiftly, Matt doused the lamp and grabbed Kitty's arm leading her out of the office and behind some nearby crates.

Though he said not a word to her, the expression on Matt's face told Kitty all she needed to know. Firmly clamping her mouth shut, she crouched down in the darkness next to him as the footsteps and voices grew louder.

"I don't care what you say, Owens. Us not knowing where that woman and that Marshal is worries me. They could, right this very minute, be contacting authorities outside of St. Louis. Men you don't control." A gruff male voice spoke.

"No they're not." Owens voice sounded confident. "I told you, I have a lock on every telegraph office in town and I've got men posted all around who'll let me know if they so much as look like they want to leave town. Besides they can't prove anything. There's no body or any evidence of a murder. I even managed to stem the damage caused by that moron you hired to shoot them."

"Well, I had to do something." The other voice hissed. "Just because you say you've got things under control, doesn't mean it's so. They could still get help. Not all of your men are in on this."

"No and it's best that way." Owens agreed. "The only ones who know anything are the ones I know for a fact I can trust. The others are strictly out of it. They'll do what I say but they know nothing and I want it to stay that way, if at all possible."

"What about Flannery's boy?" The other man questioned. "I don't trust him. Are you sure he doesn't know anything?"

"I am positive." Owens said smugly. "He couldn't find his rear with both hands. He wouldn't even be a policeman if his father hadn't been one. Trust me, I have this under control. Now let's get those files and get out of here. You shouldn't have kept them here in the first place."

Matt and Kitty exchanged looks upon hearing the conversation. Owens had just confirmed Sean's trustworthiness and the importance of the files that Kitty had found.

As the men moved away from Kitty and Matt's hiding spot, Matt took Kitty's hand and held on tightly. As soon as the men entered the little office, he jumped up, pulling Kitty with him. Soundlessly as they could, they quickly made their way back, the way they came.

They had almost made the exit, when Matt brushed up against a small box, sitting hap-hazardly atop a barrel. The box was just close enough to the edge that it fell when Matt's arm hit it, spilling its contents of four whiskey bottles on the ground.

At the sound of breaking glass, the two men in the office came barreling out. "Who's out there?" Owens yelled.

Matt pulled Kitty down into a crouch while still urging her forward towards the door. Neither one uttered a sound, but their footfalls could be heard and soon Owens and the other man were running in their direction. Matt tugged on Kitty's hand and the both of them ran as fast as they could for the exit.

Owens saw two figures making for the door and pulled his gun, firing in their direction. The two kept running until they had cleared the door and were out into the night. Owens held his fire but ran after them, hoping to catch up. However, once outside, they had seemingly disappeared into thin air.

The other man came running up beside him. "You hit 'em?"

"I don't know." Owens snarled. "And I didn't get a good look at them either but I can tell you who they were."

The man looked at Owens with widened eyes. "What would they be doing here? They don't know anything. They wouldn't…" He paused and then turned and ran back into the warehouse and into the small office, followed closely by Owens. Pulling out the one special drawer he'd reserved for it, he suddenly turned pale when he found the drawer empty.

"I told you, Peat." Owens snarled. "You shouldn't have kept those files here."

Matt kept a tight hold of Kitty's hand as they raced through the darkness and back towards Herman Schneider's house. He said nothing and noticed nothing as he pulled her along.

They had almost reached safety though when Kitty tugged on his hand. "Hold up a second, Matt." She gasped. "I'm about to drop these files."

Matt reached over and pulled the files from her but did not stop until he had them at the back entrance of the house. The door opened to them just as they approached and Matt pushed Kitty in ahead of him and then swiftly entered himself, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Vat happened?" Herman asked. "I saw you running..." He stopped when he took a look at Kitty. "Miss Russell, you are hurt?"

Matt had just placed the files on the table when he heard what Herman had said and he swiftly turned to see Kitty holding her arm, blood dripping from her fingers.

"It's alright." Kitty gave him a tremulous smile. "It's just a scratch." She said as she passed out.

TBC