Friday, October 5, 2012

Set Fire to the Rain 2, Ch. 25 "Antidote for Murder"


This fanfiction is intended for mature readers due to the vivid depiction of a consensual adult relationship.  The setting is First Season, post-The Preacher.

ljljljljlj

The next morning, Matt leaned over the bed and whispered in Kitty’s ear, “I’ll be back soon, Kitten, I promise.  You’ll never even know I was gone.”  With that, he kissed her on the cheek and nodded at Doc who reassured him, “We’ll be fine.  I’ll take good care of her, Matt, don’t you worry.”

Matt saddled Buck and rode him into Cimarron to Irving Hepley’s law office.  Hepley greeted him anxiously, “Marshal Dillon!  What happened after we left?  How is Miss Russell?”

Matt looked grimly at him and removed his hat.  “It was a close call, Mr. Hepley.”  McCray entered from a back office and listened silently.  “But Doc pulled her through.  He says she’s gonna be okay with a lot of rest.”

Hepley cautiously questioned, “Does Doc know how it happened?”

Matt grimaced, “Arsenic poisoning.  I still can’t figure it out.”  He rubbed his hand thoughtfully over his face.  “Isom says he’s been using rat poison around the house lately.  I guess it could have…”  Matt shook his head in frustration.  “I don’t know…”

Sympathetically, Hepley responded, “How awful.  She’s a very lucky girl that she did not die.”

Matt answered firmly, “Yeah, you’re right.  You are very right.  But Doc assures me she’s going to be just fine.  That’s the only reason I’m leaving.”

McCray spoke up for the first time.  “Leaving?”

“Yeah, I hate to, but I’m needed back in Dodge.  Legal proceedings that require my presence.  I wish I could get out of it, but I can’t.”  Matt stuck a thumb in his gun belt.  “But I know ol’ Doc will take good care of her while I’m gone.”  He scratched his head.  “Hepley, you could look in on her, too, while I’m gone, can’t you?  I won’t be in Dodge but a couple of days at the most.  It would ease my mind knowing that someone else is keeping an eye on her.”

“But of course, Marshal Dillon.  I would consider it a duty and a privilege.  She is my client, after all, and I want her feeling well as soon as possible.  And Miss Russell is such a charming young lady.  I have come to enjoy her company very much.  It would be a pleasure, you see.”  Irving Hepley’s face flushed self-consciously.

Matt expression was still dismal.  “I appreciate it.  That makes me feel a little better.  I’d better be off now.  The sooner I leave, the sooner I can get back to the ranch.  Thanks, Hepley.”  Matt intentionally left McCray’s name out.

Hepley cleared his throat.  “We’ll see you upon your return, Marshal Dillon, and get back to the business of selling the ranch once Miss Russell is up to it.  I say, she has suffered a string of bad luck lately, has she not?”

Matt placed his hat back on his head and nodded cheerlessly.  “Yes, she has, Mr. Hepley.  She most certainly has.  I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

ljljljljlj

In the dark of night under a waning silver moon, Kitty lay quietly in her bed, Doc ensconced securely in the next room.  She nestled deeper into the covers and sighed, wondering what on earth could happen next.  So many disasters had befallen this whole journey from the very beginning, that it made her wonder if it were meant for her to inherit this ranch or not.  She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm herself, wondering if sleep might finally overtake her.

In the black shadows of the hulking barn, a lone form crept stealthily closer to the back of the silent house, icy gray eyes shining in the semidarkness.  He checked his gun, and watchfully surveyed the area for any movement.  Stepping away from the wooden structure to get a better look at the side of the house, he suddenly felt cold steel at his temple and the ominous cocking of a trigger.  “Don’t move, McCray…”  Sheriff Virgil Ware pointed his gun unwaveringly at McCray’s head and bit out the words, “Funny time of day to take a walk, don’t you think?”

ljljljljlj

Kitty turned onto her side and breathed evenly in the darkness of her bedroom.  As the curtains fluttered in the breeze, a furtive shadow slipped silently through her open window and slunk closer to the side of her bed.  He stood absolutely motionlessly, like a snake about to strike, save for his shallow, frightened breathing, and watched her furtively in the darkness.  His hand noiselessly reached for a pillow, and he held it aloft, directly above her lovely face, steeling himself to smother the life out of her.  And in that instant, he heard the angry snick of a gun trigger.  The figure clutching the pillow froze dead in his tracks.  A match was struck and a lamp lighted, revealing all at last.  Matt Dillon held a gun to his back, and Kitty Russell sat up in bed pointing a small gun at his torso with a fierce expression on her face.  Irving Hepley dropped the pillow and held his hands in the air, shaking in fear.     

tbc

ljljljljlj

No comments:

Post a Comment