The Rescue 8
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Late that evening, Matt and Festus stood a small distance from the fire that Kitty was sleeping beside. Though banged up a bit by the stage wreck, she was essentially fine physically, just exhausted. But both of the men knew emotionally, it was a different story.
"She's shore been through it, Matthew." Festus said as he glanced across at the sleeping red head.
Matt nodded as he plowed his hands into his pockets. "I know. More than her share. Thank God she wasn't hurt worse than she was in that wreck."
Festus nodded. "Been thinkin' that my ownself. Which a way do ya figger we oughta head in the mornin'? If'n they ain't found that there stage by now, they'll find it shore by tomorra. We cain't be pussy footin' around in these parts fer long."
Matt nodded again and took a deep breath, once again stealing a look over at Kitty, to reassure himself that she was fine. "I think we should cut cross country and head up into the mountains. We could pretty much get lost up there and no one would find us."
Festus stood silently for a while. "You figger she'll be happy up there?"
Matt dropped his head with a shrug. "I figure she'll be alive and safe and right now that's more important than anything else. Besides, we don't have to stay up there for ever. A couple of years, when they stop looking so hard, we'll find us a small town we can settle down in and be just fine. But I do think it should be just me and Kitty, Festus." Matt looked over at his friend. "You've done more than you had to and no one knows you were involved. You go on back now and no will be the wiser. They'll never be able to connect you to us."
Festus gave him an angry glare before waving a hand and turning away. "Naw, naw, I ain't a leavin' you all jes yet. It's a way yet afore you'd be anywhere's near safe. Sides, what do I got back in Dodge, or any place else. Least ways, here I feel like I'm a doin' somethin' worth somethin'."
"It's liable to get even more risky the further we go." Matt tried one more time to give him an out.
"So it gits risky." Festus said. "Ain't no never mine to me. I ain't scart of a little risk."
Letting off a grateful sigh, Matt reached over and clasped his friend's shoulder. "Thank you, Festus. I don't guess I could ask for any better a friend."
"Aw." Festus muttered, head down and kicking a clod of dirt at his feet. "I guess you'd best get your ownself some sleep, Matthew. Mornin' is gonna come awful early. I'll sit first watch. Cain't sleep much no how."
Matt looked up. "You sure?"
"You go ahead on. Miss Kitty'll likely need you to warm her up some." Festus gave him a slow grin.
He turned back to the fire. "Thank you, and good night."
"Night, Matthew." Festus watched as Matt stepped back over to where Kitty was laying and wearily dropped down to the ground beside her, pulling her tightly into his arms."
"I shore do hope it is a good night." Festus thought as he walked over to the fire, sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee, ready to sit vigil on his friends.
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"Do you think it was Dillon?"
Sheriff Orville Tate looked down with a sigh. He liked Matt Dillon, always had. To Tate, Matt Dillon was what every lawman should be. But Tate was no fool. He'd heard the many rumors of Dillon's relationship with the beautiful saloon owner and had even seen it once, on a rare occasion that both Matt and Kitty had come to Hays together. He knew if Kitty Russell was his, he would have helped her escape, and he was not nearly as brave or resourceful as Matt Dillon.
"Well, do you?" Judge Henry demanded to know.
Tate shrugged, running his hand nervously around the brim of his hat as he held it tightly. "I don't think so. The driver and Aimsler are both dead and of course can't talk. But everybody here in town says they saw Marshal Dillon ride off south." It wasn't much help and he knew it but it was the best he could do for his friend.
"Can you tell if Miss Russell's friends, who ever they are, caused that wreck?" Henry scrutinized the older, overweight man in front of him.
Tate shrugged. "Not for sure. There was a tree down but it wasn't blocking the road and the singletree was broke right in half on the stage. It wasn't cut. That rough road they were on could've been responsible for that, if they were going too fast. And by the looks of things they were sure doing that. Aimsler wasn't too bad a deputy but he was kind of reckless. Could be, he was pushing that driver to hurry, so's he could get his prisoner to Hays as quick as possible."
Henry sighed in frustration. "So you can't say for certain that Dillon didn't hold the stage up?"
"I can't say for sure that anyone did." Tate's head came up. It seemed like the judge was determined to make Matt Dillon the scape goat in this whether he was responsible or not. "But like I told you, he's got witnesses that will swear he rode south."
Henry raised a brow at the Sheriff's tone but chose to ignore it for the time being. Taking a couple of pieces of paper from the desk in front of him, the US Marshal's desk that he had taken over, he quickly began to write.
"I'm issuing a warrant with a sizeable reward for Kitty Russell. Anyone finding her can hang her on the spot with the full authority of the law and still claim the reward. And I'm issuing another warrant for the arrest of anyone found in her company." Henry said, as he signed his name with a flourish and held the paper up towards the Sherriff. "Now go do your duty. I want them found."
Reluctantly Sheriff Orville Tate took the papers and looked down on the words written there, then back up at the Judge. "Judge…" He started to protest.
But Henry waved him. "Do your duty Sheriff, or I will find someone better able to do it for you."
Tate gave the judge a scowl as he placed his hat on his head and turned for the door. "I'll go send off some wires."
Henry watched the Sheriff leave and sat back in the chair with a half smile playing on his lips. "Well, Mr. Dillon. If you didn't help your girlfriend, it's a certainty you won't be able to do so now. I'll show you who's in contempt of whom."
TBC