Chapter 9

Kitty woke up with tears in her eyes and on her cheeks. She looked down. She was still wearing the saloon dress she had been wearing the last couple of days. It had been a nightmare. As far as she knew, Matt was still alive. She had not given birth to Jesse Washburn's baby. Kitty was not a mother to a baby boy. She breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"I see yer awake," said Shawn. "Didja enjoy yer little nap?"

Little nap? Kitty thought she slept longer than that. "How long did I sleep?" she asked.

"I'd say for a couple of hours," Jesse replied. He noticed Kitty's bloodshot, teary eyes. "Are you crying? Why are you crying?"

Kitty did not want to tell the reason for the tears. She quickly came up with an excuse. "My eyes are teary, but I'm not crying. It's probably from being stuck in this old, dusty cabin."

"Don't worry," Louis told her. "We won't be here forever. Once we get rid of the Marshal, we'll make plans to get out of here."

Kitty stood up and stretched. After stretching, Kitty tried to adjust her dress. She had no idea how much longer she could stand being in it. Wearing a saloon dress for a few hours when she had to work was bad enough. Kitty had been in this dress for over two days. Louis must've sensed her discomfort.

"Don't worry," he told her. "You won't be wearing that dress forever. No woman of ours is gonna dress like a whore. Our parents, may they rest in peace, wouldn't approve of it."

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Doc could not believe what Matt had just said. "Are you serious? Do you really want to totally cut ties with Kitty?"

"If it means her being safe, then yes," Matt replied.

Doc shook his head. He wanted to knock some sense into Matt Dillon. "You are being very irrational. You are not thinking straight right now. The stress of Kitty's kidnapping has obviously clouded your brain. Kitty isn't some saloon girl that you get pleasure from whenever you feel like it. She means more to you than that."

"I've never considered her to be just a saloon girl," Matt stressed.

"Exactly," said Doc. "That girl has found her way into your heart."

"Doc, you know how I feel about a lawman getting too involved with a girl."

"Oh, I know how you feel," Doc confirmed. "And I'm kinda glad you had that rule when you had your old flames. It kept you from marrying any of them. But Kitty isn't a flame that should be extinguished."

"I said it once, and I'll say it again," said Matt. "None of this would've happened, if Kitty wasn't so close to me."

"Oh shaw!" Doc exclaimed. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" asked Matt. "Would Kitty have been taken if she wasn't connected to me?" Doc looked at Matt and said nothing. His silence spoke volumes. "I thought so."

Matt stood up to leave. He needed to catch Chester up on the latest development. Matt placed his hat on his head and went to turn the doorknob. Before Matt left the office, Doc decided to make one more plea to Matt.

"Matt," he said. Matt turned towards Doc. "Don't do anything rash. Please think things through. Listen to your heart"

"I am," said Matt. "My heart is telling me to keep her safe."

Doc stepped out onto the landing and watched Matt make his way back to the jail. He had known Matt for almost four years. Since Matt's arrival in Dodge, Doc had become good friends with him. Doc even considered Matt to be a best friend. Right now he wanted to tell that best friend he was being an idiot, plain and simple.

When Matt did arrive in Dodge, he was single. He had no ties to any woman in Dodge. The single ladies soon caught wind of that. Each of them made it her goal to become the Marshal's girl, but Matt was cleverly able to avoid that. One day Doc had asked Matt why he hadn't settled down with any of the eligible girls around here. Matt gave Doc his reason, and Doc left it at that.

Enter Kitty Russell. She was a natural beauty, a breath of fresh air. There was something about her that a person could not explain. Doc noticed that Matt must have felt the same way. As a lawman, Matt always made his rounds during the evening. During his rounds, Matt would randomly stop at one of the saloons and have a quick drink. He would never frequent a specific saloon. That changed when Kitty arrived. Matt found out she worked at the Long Branch, and that soon became the saloon you would most likely find him in.

Doc might not be able to get through to Matt's thick skill, but he would talk with Kitty. If anyone could get through to Matt, Doc had a feeling Kitty would be able to do so. He prayed that Kitty would have that chance.

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It was just before dawn on the third day. Both Kitty and Matt's fates would be decided before the day ended. Kitty's first choice was for Matt to rescue her and for the Washburn brothers to pay for their crime. If Kitty was not granted her first choice, then she would choose for the Washburns to take her away before Matt was able to find her. That way Matt would live. Death to Matt Dillon was more than Kitty could bear.

The last couple of days Kitty had been a prisoner, she did eat and had something to drink. The meals were not extravagant, but at least she was given food. Kitty was not going to complain. The four of them were sitting around the table eating biscuits and drinking coffee.

The trio of brothers were discussing getting the final clue to Dodge. Shawn and Jesse made the previous two trips. It was now Louis' turn to go. He had not been seen in Dodge yet. Louis' trip would more than likely be the most difficult. The Marshal would certainly be keeping his eye out for strangers around town.

Louis was going to be a stranger in town, but he did not want to stand out even more. Before leaving for his trip to Dodge, Louis smeared his face with shaving cream, took his razor, and trimmed his beard. Now that his beard was neatly trimmed, Louis changed into a clean pair of clothes. He wanted to portray a kind man who was out on the prairie with his family.

"Do ya have the list of supplies we need?" Shawn asked.

Louis patted his shirt pocket. "I'll get whatever I can fit in the saddle bags. I'll go to the general store first and then I'll leave the envelope at the Long Branch."

"Don't ya think yer takin' a big risk leaving the last clue at the Long Branch?" Jesse inquired. "That's where we took her."

"That's exactly why I'm leavin' the last clue there," said Louis. "Nobody would expect someone involved in her kidnapping to return to the scene."

"I didn't look at it that way," Jesse said with a shake of his head.

"Me neither," Shawn chimed in.

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Louis arrived in Dodge on his quarter horse during the late morning. His first stop was Jonas' store. He had a list of general supplies, including food and a box of rifle ammunition. Louis hoped that Kitty had some cooking skills. If things go as planned, she would be permanently with them, and that meant putting her to good use.

Jonas took Louis' list and studied it. The list was not a huge one. "I don't recall seeing you around Dodge," he said after reading the list. "I take it yer new around here."

Louis had practiced what he would say and how he would answer questions. "Yes. My family 'n I are just passing through. We're staying out on the prairie. They're still out there."

"Family?" Jonas questioned

"My wife is out there with the two boys," Louis lied.

"This doesn't seem like enough for a family of four out on the prairie," Jonas frowned.

"Unfortunately it's gonna have ta be," Louis replied. "All I have is my horse and saddle bags for the supplies. I left the wagon with my family. Anyway, I don't plan on being there much longer. We do have some supplies out there. Adding these should get us through until we hit the next town."

Ten minutes after walking into the general store, Louis had everything on his list and was packing his saddle bags. Get supplies without arousing suspicions. Check. That was the easier of the two tasks. The more difficult of the two was next.

Louis walked his horse the short distance to the Long Branch and loosely wrapped the reins around the hitching post. He didn't want to tie the reins and slow down his getaway. Taking a deep breath and making sure he had the envelope in his vest pocket, Louis took a step onto the front wooden planks and pushed through the swinging doors.

Louis looked around the fairly empty saloon. The saloon looked a lot different in broad daylight compared to the way it did the other night. There were no patrons at the bar, only a few at a couple of tables near the staircase. In addition to the few patrons, there was a barkeep standing behind the bar. He was keeping himself busy cleaning mugs. He looked up from what he was doing and gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Can I get ya something ta drink?" Sam asked his newest customer. The man stood there and continued looking around. "Excuse me?"

Realizing he had stood there silently for too long, Louis casually walked up to the bar. "Sorry. It's been a while since I've been in a saloon. Actually, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've been in one. Get me a beer, please."

"Coming right up," said Sam. He filled up a mug and set in front of Louis

Louis pushed a nickel towards and took a sip of his beer. "Much obliged."

It wasn't uncommon for Sam to start a conversation with customers at the bar. Right now was no exception. "I pretty much know everyone who frequents the Long Branch. You must be new around here."

"My family 'n I are just passing through, on our way to Colorado, maybe someday ta California," Louis responded. "We're camped out on the prairie. My wife is with the two boys. I came into town for some supplies. When I saw the saloon, I decided ta come in for a drink. Like I said, it's been a spell since I've been in a saloon." Louis had to make sure he told the same story to the barkeep as he did the shopkeeper.

"Best of luck ta ya, sir," said Sam. Louis lifted his mug and gave a nod of his head.

Taking his beer, Louis sauntered over to the table nearest to the door. This was the perfect place to leave the envelope, but Louis wanted to make sure the barkeep was the one to find it. Louis suspected the barkeep would be sure to deliver it to the Marshal. While riding into town, Louis came up with a possible plan to leave the envelope so the barkeep would see it. Now to see if it would work.

Louis purposefully knocked his mug over, spilling the beer on the table. "Dang it! Look what I did. You can certainly tell it's been a while since I've been in a saloon."

Sam had been bringing a tray of beers to one of the other occupied tables, when Louis' shout caught his attention. He saw the tipped mug and the spilled beer starting to drip onto the floor. Sam went to put the empty tray on the counter and leaned over to grab a rag to sop up the beer.

"Don't worry about it," Sam told Louis. "This isn't the first mug of beer that has been spilled in here, and it won't be the last one." Sam stood the mug up and used his cloth to soak up the beer. When his cloth was saturated, he wrung it out in the mug. "I'll get a dry cloth to get the rest of this and I'll bring ya another beer, on the house."

"Appreciate it," said Louis.

Louis watched Sam return to the bar and walk behind it. Sam threw the beer saturated rag in a tub of water behind the bar and placed the mug with the spilled beer on a shelf. He grabbed a clean mug and was concentrating on filing it up. Louis knew his opportunity to leave was now. He tossed the envelope on the table and made a quick exit. Louis mounted his horse and rode out of town.

With the mug full, Sam looked up from the keg. "Sorry that took so long, the spigot seems to be running slow." Sam realized the man he was talking to had left.

'Probably felt guilty about being in a saloon,' Sam thought to himself.

Sam still had to finish wiping up the table. He put the mug of beer on the counter and made his way over to the table. Approaching the table, Sam saw the envelope lying there. He picked it up and read the writing on the front. Marshal Dillon. Sam knew right away that the stranger didn't accidentally leave that envelope on the table. It was left intentionally.

Sam hurriedly went to the doors and stepped outside. He walked out into the street and looked both ways to see if the man was still around. He wasn't. He was long gone. Sam didn't even get a chance to see which direction he rode. Sam didn't know which way the stranger went, but if he saw him again, he would be able to identify him.

Looking at the envelope in his, Sam made the decision to leave the Long Branch unattended and deliver it to Marshal Dillon. It wasn't a difficult decision to make. This could have something to do with Miss Kitty's disappearance, and Sam didn't want to delay the Marshal getting anything that could help find her. Sam reached the jail and walked inside.

"Hello, Sam," Chester greeted as he used a newspaper to clean the hurricanes of the lanterns. "What brings ya over here?" He continued cleaning.

"This was left at the Long Branch by some stranger," Sam answered. "It has the Marshal's name on it." Sam held up the envelope.

Matt quickly got up from his chair and took the envelope. "You said a stranger left it. Can you describe him?"

"I would say he was taller than me, but not as tall as you. He was wearing a hat, but I could see lighter brown hair. He also had brown eyes. His beard was neatly trimmed. He was wearing a plaid shirt with a buckskin vest and a pair of jeans."

"Did he give this to you?" Matt asked.

"No, he left it on the table," Sam replied. "By the time I saw it, he was long gone."

"Didja see what way he went?" Chester asked.

Sam shook his head no. "Sorry. But if I saw him again, I'd be able to identify him."

"Thanks, Sam," said Matt.

"I have ta get back, but I have a feeling what's in that envelope has ta do with Miss Kitty," said Sam. "That's why I brought it here right away." Sam left the jail and returned to the Long Branch.

Using the same pocket knife he used on the other envelopes, Matt ripped open the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper. He read the clue silently.

Birds of a feather stick together. This is your final day to meander this way. If you're late, your treasure becomes our pleasure.

This is for our brother Arthur Washburn. Louis, Jesse, and Shawn.

TBC