Chapter 1
The run down cabin reeked of cheap whiskey and cigar smoke. The sun was shining brightly outside, but was getting ready to make its descent. It may have been bright and sunny outside, but the inside of the cabin was dark and dreary. The shutters on the windows were all shut, not allowing any sunlight to come into the cabin. The only light was a single lantern sitting in the middle of the table. The three men sitting around the table didn't seem to mind their dreary environment.
"Her name is Kitty Russell. She's a saloon girl at the Long Branch, and from what I've heard she's the Marshal's pretty, little informer," Louis Washburn told his two younger brothers.
"Okay, we've got a name," said Shawn, the youngest of the three brothers. "But how am I gonna know which saloon girl is Kitty?"
"When ya sit down with a saloon girl, ya could ask her name," Jesse Washburn sarcastically suggested.
"And if her name ain't Kitty, do ya expect me to just get up and walk away?" Shawn sarcastically shot back.
Louis could sense a fight brewing. "Enough you two." He looked at Shawn. "You don't have ta worry about not finding the right girl. Kitty is a beautiful girl with vibrant red hair. She's the only saloon girl at the Long Branch with red hair."
"Do you know what to do?" asked Jesse
"We've been over this a hundred times," said Shawn with a roll of his eyes. "I think I know what ta do."
"Let's make it a hundred and one," said Louis. "It's because of her that our oldest brother, Arthur was hanged. If she hadn't given information to the Marshal, he'd still be here."
"Don't ya wonder where she got her information?" Shawn questioned. "Shouldn't we go after that fella?"
Louis sighed, "I have no idea where she got her information, and we probably never will. To avenge Artie's death, we're gonna go after Kitty Russell."
"Kitty Russell may have given the Marshal information, but it was the Marshal who took Artie to Hays City to be hanged," Jesse pointed out. "We should be going after him too."
"That's the beauty of going after Miss Russell," Louis smirked. "I have a feeling she's more than just an informer for the Marshal. I have a feeling she's his girl. Going after her is like going after the Marshal." Once again he turned his attention to Shawn. "Now what are ya supposed to do?"
"When I get to the Long Branch, I seek Kitty Russell out and have a drink with her," said Shawn. "Before doing so, I'm to sprinkle some sleeping powder into her drink. I keep an eye on her. If things go as planned, she'll go upstairs to her room and fall into a deep sleep. I wait until she's been in her room for a while before I sneak up there. I stay there until closing, and then let you in the back door. Once yer inside, we take the sleeping Kitty Russell, put her in the wagon you'll have, and bring her back here."
"Alright, it sounds like ya know what ta do," said Louis. "Just make sure ya don't mess up. This is for Artie."
"Don't give your last name," Jesse reminded Shawn. "If she hears yer a Washburn, that's gonna send red flags."
"Should I give her my first name?" asked Shawn. Louis told him not to mess up. One little mistake could be detrimental to their plan.
"Only if she asks," said Louis. "Most of the time saloon girls don't care about the name of the guy there with. They're there ta make money and that's it."
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"Well, I think I'll start my rounds," said Matt. He placed his hat on his head. He, Doc, and Chester had just finished supper at Delmonico's.
"I don't know how ya can think of walkin' around," said Chester as puffed out his chest and rubbed his stomach. "I'm as full as a stuffed pig. I think I'll head back to the jail."
"I'm gonna head back to my office," said Doc. "If I'm not too tired, maybe I'll meet you at the Long Branch later on."
"Sounds good," Matt nodded as he strolled away to start his rounds
Kitty stood on the balcony of the Long Branch, surveying the scene as she did. It was going to be a busy night. The weather had been hot and dry. The patrons that came to the Long Branch did so to find some relief. She continued looking over the railing, seeking out Matt. Kitty really didn't expect to find him this early in the evening, but she figured it didn't hurt to look. Not seeing him, she descended the stairs to join the crowd.
Kitty walked towards the bar weaving her way through the crowd as she did. When she finally made it to the bar, she positioned herself towards the end. Turning around, Kitty scanned the tables to see if any of the customers needed drinks. Mainly she was looking for tables that did not have any drinks at all. Tables that did have drinks had already been claimed by one of the other saloon girls. The rule was you didn't invade another girl's table. There was also a rule that stated you could not claim multiple tables as your own. Realizing all the tables were taken care of at that moment, Kitty turned back around to face the bar.
Shawn walked into the Long Branch and immediately located Kitty standing at the bar. Louis was right. She was very easy to spot with her red hair and beautiful looks. He sauntered up next to her.
"Excuse me, Miss. I'd like ta buy you a drink," offered a cowboy as he took off his hat.
"Sure," accepted Kitty. She would much rather have a drink with Matt, but Kitty knew she wasn't paid to wait for Matt to show up.
"What's yer pleasure?" asked the cowboy.
"A beer sounds refreshing," Kitty replied.
"Two beers, barkeep," the cowboy told Sam, placing two nickels on the bar.
"Here ya go, sir," said Sam as he placed two mugs of beer in front of the cowboy. The cowboy placed two nickels on the bar.
"It looks like that table over there is available," said the cowboy, pointing towards the empty table. "Let's get it before anyone else does." Using one hand, he grabbed both mugs.
"Alright," said Kitty as she led the way to the table.
With her back to the cowboy, Kitty did not see him pull a small paper packet from his pocket and sprinkle some powder into Kitty's beer. Because it was so busy, no one else noticed the gesture. Not wanting to take the beer with the added powder, the cowboy kept a close eye on that particular mug.
"Here ya go," said the cowboy as placed the beer with the drops of clear liquid in front of Kitty.
"Thank you." Kitty picked up her mug and took a small sip. "I haven't seen you around Dodge. Are ya new around here?"
"Yeah," the cowboy answered. "I've been in Dodge for a day or two. I'm kinda drifting on through."
"I'm Kitty." She extended her hand to the cowboy, who accepted it and shook it. "What's your name?"
"Shawn," Shawn responded, hoping Kitty wouldn't ask for a last name. If she did, he was prepared. He would be Shawn Jones.
Kitty enjoyed Shawn's company for about twenty minutes. She knew she couldn't make any judgments about him in that short amount of time, but Shawn seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders. After twenty minutes, Kitty stood up and excused herself from the table.
"Shawn, I've enjoyed chatting with you," said Kitty. "But I need to get back to work."
"The pleasure was all mine, Miss Kitty," Shawn smiled. He remained seated at the table.
"Can I bring you another beer?" Kitty asked, when she noticed that Shawn wasn't getting up to leave.
"That sounds mighty fine," Shawn answered. He did not know how long he would be there. All he knew was that he had to keep tabs on Kitty Russell.
Kitty had no idea why she suddenly felt exhausted. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. Now was not the time to feel the way she did. Kitty figured if she kept busy, she would be able to stay awake. If she sat down, Kitty wasn't sure if she could keep herself from falling asleep. She made her way up to the bar to get an order of drinks.
Bill Pence was at the bar and saw the exhaustion on Kitty's face. He was concerned that she was getting ill. "Kitty, you look awfully tired. Are ya feeling okay?"
"I don't feel sick, but I'm really tired," Kitty replied, yawning. "I'm not sure why. It suddenly hit me." While talking to Bill, Kitty yawned at least three times.
Kitty's yawns did not go unnoticed by Bill. "Kitty, go ahead and call it a night. We can handle things."
Kitty looked at Sam who nodded his agreement. Kitty considered arguing, but then decided not to do so. Right now her bed was calling her name. "Thank you, Bill. I believe I will."
Kitty made her way through the bar patrons and climbed the steps to her room. Shawn was still sitting at his table. He made note of what room Kitty entered, room number 3. Now it was a waiting game.
TBC