Matt sat at his desk making notes about the murder and what Doc had to say. He looked up when he heard the latch on the door and quickly stood up as Festus and Newly guided Zach into the room.
"Marshal?" Clanton asked as he looked at the two deputies.
"Sit," Matt barked at the young man and pointed at the chair in front of his desk.
"Sure. What's this all about?" Zachariah asked; smuggley as he slowly lowered himself onto the oak office chair.
"Lift up your right foot," Matt ordered so they could compare the plaster cast to the boot. Zach shrugged and lifted his foot. Newly knelt down and held the delicate cast to the boot and looked up at the marshal and shook his head. "Try the other boot," Matt again ordered, and Zach followed the same procedure. Again Newly shook his head no as he stood up, "The cast was of the right boot, marshal," he looked at the lawman.
Matt pulled the deputies aside, "He's changed his boots. He has to have," he hissed glancing back at the man in the chair. "Festus, go and get Doc. I want him to look at the scratches on his cheek," he said in a hushed voice. The hill man nodded and quickly exited the jail house in search of the doctor.
"Can I ask what this is all about?" Zach asked the three lawmen.
Matt's eyes narrowed, "How long have you had those boots?" the bluntly asked.
Zachariah now knew what was happening, "A while, why?"
"How long is a while?" Matt pushed.
Zach shrugged, "A couple of weeks. Why?"
Matt's eyes narrowed and he pursed his lips, again he turned to Newly, "This isn't how I saw it happening," he growled lowly.
"No sir, me neither," Newly said as he glanced over to the younger man. "I think he's taking us for fools," he whispered.
Festus burst through the swing-doors of the Long Branch and was happy to see the doctor sitting with Kitty, "Doc?" he called as he hustled toward the table.
"This doesn't look good," Kitty looked over to the doctor.
"What?" Doc snapped at the hill man.
"Matthew wants you in his office," Festus thumped over his shoulder.
Doc looked at Festus like he had kittens coming out of his ears before he turned to Kitty who shrugged, "Looks like Matt needs you, Doc," she patted the doctor on the forearm.
"Why does Matt need me?" he growled.
Festus looked over to see Clement Clanton sitting alone drinking a beer. "I can't say why, here Doc," he eyes came back to the physician. Doc glanced over to the young man at the table across the room and looked up at Festus, "You didn't shoot him, did you?" he whispered angrily as he stood.
Festus glared at the doctor, "No I did not, nor did Newly or Matthew neither," he hissed as he poked the doctor in the shoulder. Doc looked back to Kitty who merely shrugged, "I guess you better go with Festus," she tried not to smile.
Doc gruffly drew his hand across his moustache, "Fine," he huffed grabbing his medical bag and walked with the hill man to the door. Doc was rather suspicious and curious at the same time as they trudged across the street to the jail house.
Festus opened the door for the doctor and let him through; Doc eyed Matt and Newly as he set his scuffed black leather medical bag on the table at the centre of the jail house. "Matt?" he asked as he methodically drew his hand across his moustache.
"Doc, I'd like you to look at Zach's face and tell me what you think," he motioned to the young man.
Doc nodded as he knew what the marshal was looking for.
"What's my face got to do with anything?" Zach asked in protest.
Doc removed this metal eye-glass case from his vest pocket, while studying Zachariah's face looking for a hint of guilt. Slowly the doctor put on his glasses, setting the case aside and then tilted Zach's head to look better at the scrape on his cheek. Doc ticked his head and silently retrieved a swab and some disinfectant to wash the wound. As he began to dab the red area he spoke, "How'd this happen?" he quickly looked up at Matt who stood by with his arms folded across his chest. Doc looked back down at what he was doing.
"I had too much to drink the other night and fell into a wall as I walked back to the hotel," Zachariah explained. "I sure feel embarrassed about it," he sheepishly looked over to the doctor. "I don 't know why I'm here and you're looking at me. It doesn't bother me in the least," Zach half laughed.
Doc continued cleaning the wound, which caused Zach to flinch. The doctor finished and placed the swab on the table next to his medical bag. He then drew his hand over his moustache. Matt was waiting for what he had to say; he could see Doc was thinking about something.
Doc motioned for Matt to join him in the back area, where the holding cells were. Matt closed the door, "What is it Doc?" he asked impatiently in a low voice.
"It's indecisive, is what it is," the doctor quietly stated. "That scratch is infected and it's hard to tell now if they were inflicted by finger nails or not," Doc said as he scratched around his right ear. "He could have got that from a fall, I just can't say for certain," he added.
"His boots don't match the plaster cast either," Matt growled. "Damn," he cursed under his breath.
"Can you still hold him on suspicion?" Doc asked in a hushed voice.
Matt thought for a moment, "No, Doc. I don't think I could. I need to find those boots," he grunted.
Doc was at a loss for words. He watched Matt leave the holding area, "You can go, but I want you to stay around town," he stated.
"Sure, marshal," Zach said as he slowly stood up and walked to the door. Matt was with Festus and Newly as he explained what Doc had just told him, but Doc could see clearly the smug look on Zach's face as he reached the door and looked back before he left the jailhouse. Doc's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Slowly the doctor drew his right hand across his moustache and joined the men in the main office.
The three lawmen struck a plan to follow foot prints until they found who owned the boots that were at the scene of the murder. "Those boots aren't that old," Newly pointed out in reference to Zach's boots.
"I know that," Matt agreed. "I'll talk to the store owners, starting with Jonas to see if Zach's been in to buy them recently," he said as he looked over to the doctor. He saw something in the doctor's eyes he didn't like. "Now get going," Matt thumbed to the door and the two deputies quickly departed.
Matt turned to the doctor, "What is it Doc?" he asked as the doctor remained staring at the door. "Doc?" Matt repeated to get the doctor's attention.
Doc rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't like him at all," he stated.
"I'm not fond of him either, but you look like you just saw a ghost," Matt studied his friend.
Doc ticked his head, "The look on his face when he left made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up," the doctor looked up at the marshal. "He's guilty and he thinks he's going to get away with it," he huffed.
Matt glared, "Like hell he is," he said as he marched to the door and left the jail house. Doc stood at the centre of the room, "I knew this was going to get messy," he sighed as he collected his medical bag and left the building.