Chapter 11

As he had planned, Matt arrived in Spearville with Blane later that afternoon. They ran into no issues and bringing the wagon did not slow them down. They even stopped part way to give the horses a rest and to have a bite to eat. Matt's original plan was for him and Blane to eat some jerky and biscuits. Luckily Darla packed some sandwiches for them to eat. Matt had to admit he appreciated the sandwiches.

Matt stopped in front of the jail. Blane did the same with the wagon. "I hate to do this Blane, but since you are considered a prisoner, I have to bring you into the jail."

"Marshal, could he please stay with me?" Darla pleaded. "He's not gonna go anywhere. You let him stay home over the weekend, and he didn't go anywhere. It's obvious you can trust him."

"I'm sorry Darla, but I'm afraid that's just possible," Matt apologized.

"It'll be alright, Darla," Blane assured her.

"Okay," Darla reluctantly agreed. "Can I come into the jail ta say goodbye?"

"I reckon that'll be fine," Matt answered.

"Are ya sure you wanna come into the jail, Darla?" Blane questioned his wife.

"Of course," Darla replied. "I came here to support you."

"Alright folks, let's go," Matt instructed.

Blane climbed down from the wagon and then helped Darla. Matt ushered them ahead of him. He noticed they walked hand in hand. Guilt flowed through Matt, guilt he should not be feeling, but did. Blane should not be in the position he was in right now. He was the victim of circumstances. Blane Ackerly had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Marshal," Sheriff Cole acknowledged. "It's good ta see ya. Is this the prisoner?"

"Yes, this is Blane Ackerly," Matt answered. "And this is his wife Darla."

"Any problems on the way in?" Sheriff Cole inquired.

"None whatsoever," Matt replied.

"Glad ta hear," said Sheriff Cole. "If you'd follow me, I'll take ya back to yer cell."

Blane turned to Darla. "Don't worry. This will all be over soon."

"You have so much faith," Darla said as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Hey," Sheriff Cole interrupted. "I really need ta get you into yer cell."

Blane and Darla said their goodbyes, and Blane followed the sheriff to the cell designated for him. Blane thought about Darla's words. You have so much faith. Right now that's what he was counting on. Faith in the Marshal that he could convince the judge to set him free. Blane hoped that Darla had just as much faith in the matter as he did.

Matt escorted Darla out of the jail and walked her to the wagon. He could see the worriedness all over her face. Even though he knew it would not be easy, Matt wanted to try to get Darla's mind on something else for the time being. He needed to go down to the stage depot to see when the stagecoach would be arriving and to make sure Dirk was on the stagecoach.

"I need ta see what time the stagecoach will be pullin' in," said Matt. "Why don't you come with me?" Darla wordlessly nodded her head. "Good. Let's get your wagon to an alley and out of the way."

Darla followed Matt to the wagon. He helped her up onto the seat, and then climbed up onto the seat himself. Matt drove the wagon down the street and turned into one of the alleys. He pulled the parking handle into its parking position and stepped down from the wagon. Matt helped Darla do the same.

"The depot is just ahead," Matt pointed out. "I'll check the arrival time. After that we can get you to your hotel room.
"Sounds good, Marshal," Darla agreed.

Matt and Darla walked to the stage depot in silence. When they reached their destination, Matt checked the board nailed to one of the posts. There were different departure and arrival times posted, but Matt was only interested in one, the arrival of the stagecoach from Dodge City. It was the third time written on the board. It read half past four. The time now was half past three. There was another hour before the stagecoach arrived.

"Do ya think he'll be on it?" asked Darla as she examined the board.

"I told him ta be on it," Matt answered. "And I asked Festus ta make sure that he was.
"You didn't answer my question," Darla stated. "Do you think he'll be on the stage/"

"Yeah, I think he'll be on the stage," Matt replied. "If you'd like I can take you to the hotel or we could get a cup of coffee."

"A cup of coffee actually sounds good right now," Darla responded.

"Alright, let's go down to the cafe," said Matt. He led the way.

"So what kind of judge is Judge Brooker?" asked Darla. She took a sip of her coffee.

"He's a very fair judge," Matt answered, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Do ya think he'll tell Blane that he's guilty?" questioned Darla.

"I can't answer that," said Matt. "I'm hoping he doesn't. That's why I'm here, ta convince Judge Brooker to find Blane innocent."

"If Blane is found guilty, how long would he be in prison?" Darla continued asking her questions.

"Again, that's something I can't give a definite answer to," Matt replied. "I would say maybe less than a year."

"I really want him to be around when the baby's born," said Darla, not realizing what she had just revealed.

"I beg yer pardon," said Matt. "I didn't know the two of you were expecting."

"Neither does Blane," Darla informed Matt. "If he did, he would never have let me come on this trip."

"I'm not sure if I would have either," said Matt. "When are you expecting the baby?"

"I don't know," Darla answered. "I haven't been to Doc Adams yet."

"So yer not completely sure if you are pregnant," Matt stated.

"Doc Adams hasn't confirmed it, but a woman knows these things," said Darla. "I have the same symptoms as my last pregnancy."

"Last pregnancy? You don't have any children," said Matt.

"I had a misscarriage back in the spring," Darla quietly replied. "That's why if Blane knew about this pregnancy, he would not have let me come along. Promise me you won't say anything."

"It's not my business to get involved in family issues," said Matt. "I won't say a thing."

While Matt and Darla were drinking their coffee, they could hear the arrival of the stagecoach. To Matt's surprise, the stagecoach was actually on time. It was even a bit early. Jim Buck must've had a smooth ride without any incident. That was always a good thing.

"Let me take you to the hotel," Matt suggested. "After I do that, I'm gonna go down to the depot and make sure Dirk gets off the stagecoach."

Darla allowed Matt to take her to the hotel, so he could confirm that Dirk was indeed on the stagecoach and got off. Matt escorted Darla to the Spearville Hotel. Its hospitality was similar to the Dodge House. Like the Dodge House, it was currently being used as a courtroom. That's where Judge Brooker was hearing his current case. That's where he would hear Blane's case.

Judge Brooker saw Matt enter the hotel. As soon as he was through with this case, he needed to talk with Matt. He wanted to discuss hearing the case tomorrow. Judge Brooker was too tired to hear the case today. The current trial was taking longer than he expected. He didn't think Matt would mind staying in Spearville another day or two. The judge was not aware of Matt's concern with the missing chloroform.

TBC