"What in thunder is wrong with you," Doc yelled as Festus sat on the side of the bed clutching his head.
"What ya mean," he said barely looking up. "And stop yer yellin."
"I'm talking about you going to the Bull's Head and getting drunk. Don't you know that's not going to solve anything!"
Festus had to agree, of course it seemed like a good idea at the time but now with his head pounding and his stomach swirling, he had to wonder what was he thinking.
"Yer right, Doc," he said softly.
"What'd you say," Doc asked leaning in closer to the hillman. "Are you agreeing with me?"
Festus nodded slowly as Doc swiped at his mustache. "You must really be out of it!"
"Aww hush ya ol scudder," Festus said angrily. "I ain't in no mood fer yer mouthy comments."
Doc put his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he observed his friend. "Look," he said more gently than he had in a while. "I know Sarah told you it was your fault she killed herself but you can't believe that what she said is true. She was a very troubled woman and people who are not mentally stable are going to say and do things that you can not hold yourself accountable for."
"Doc," Festus said slowly. "I know ya mean well but you weren't out there, you didn't have ta watch her die and with her last dying breath tell me it was ma fault."
"Well," Doc said evenly. "That's true I wasn't there but I do know that this incident no matter how bad it was, isn't enough to bring a Haggen down, now is it?"
"Suppose not," Festus replied quietly as Doc put a hand on his shoulder.
"Of course it's not," he said sternly. "Now I don't want you thinking about Sarah Guthrie any more, understand."
Festus nodded as he closed his eyes. "I gaurentee you one thing. That's the last bottle of whiskey I drink fer a long time."
"Well I hope so," Abelia said stepping into the room. "You owe a few people some apologies as well."
"I know," he said as Abelia sat down beside him. "Where's the youngin's?"
"Ma's got them," Abelia said gently swiping his hair away from his face. "You going to tell me what happened out there."
Festus nodded. "I will, but before I do," he said looking from her to Doc. "Did I hit Matthew?"
"You sure did," Doc said with a grin. "Split his lip wide open."
Festus groaned as Abelia shot the doctor a nasty look. "Matt ain't going to hold it against you," she said. "So don't worry about it."
The hillman nodded as Abelia handed him a strong cup of black coffee. "Drink this it might clear your head."
Burke opened the door of the noon stage and smiled as he welcomed the passengers to Dodge.
An older gentleman dressed in a suit looked around and frowned.
"Can you tell me where I would find the Dodge House," he said looking at Burke.
"Why it's just down right the street," Burke replied. "You waiting for someone mister."
"Why yes,"he said. "My niece Sarah was supposed to meet me here."
"Sarah Guthrie?" Burke asked lowly.
The man nodded as he looked around. "Do you know her?"
"Well ya," Burke replied absently. "But you might want to see the Marshal sir."
"Now why would I do that," the man said.
"Because your niece is dead," Burke replied moving back toward his office.
"Wait a minute," the man said grabbing Burke's arm. "What do you mean she's dead?"
"I mean," Burke said pulling away. "She's dead, killed herself from what I heard."
Burke watch as the man's face paled and he moved down the street toward the Marshal's office.
Matt combed his hair and grimaced when he saw in the mirror how swollen his lip had become over night.
"You the Marshal?" the man in the suit asked when he walked in to Matt's office.
"I am," Matt replied taking a seat behind his desk. "What can I do for you?"
"Name's Jake Guthrie," the man said. "My brother had a place here bout seven or eight years ago. My niece was supposed to come back and see bout making it livable again. I was to meet her today and help but she didn't meet the stage and when I asked bout her, I was told that she was dead."
"That's right," Matt said grimly nodding his head. "Your niece killed herself with a gun she bought here at our local store."
"Marshal," Jake said evenly. "I don't think I'm getting the full story here. When I went to your undertaker about burial, the man had nothing to give me but a story about your deputy. Now, I'm a reasonable man but a young woman is dead and I want to know why!"
"I can only tell you what I know," Matt replied. "Your niece came to town, pulled a gun on my deputy and forced him to drive her out of town where she shot him and then herself.
"And you expect me to believe that," Jake said angrily. "Isn't this deputy of yours the same man that assaulted my niece years ago?"
"Now look," Matt said rising. "There wasn't any assault years ago, your niece admitted Festus never touched her!"
"A likely story Marshal," Jake replied firmly. "If you ask me, your deputy took my niece out to the middle of no where to finish what he started and when she fought off his advances, he killed her!"