Righteous Kill

by G. Michael Hopf

  He holstered his pistol and made his way back to Alice, who still lay on the ground. He scooped her off the ground and carried her towards the house. “I’m going to fix you up, do you hear?”

  Alice nodded.

  “And when you’re feeling better, I’m going to ask if you’ll be open to me courting you.”

  Alice’s eyes widened. She smiled and said, “I’d like that.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  JULY 16, 1895

  TWO MILES SOUTH OF GREAT FALLS, MONTANA

  Billy waited patiently outside Alice’s bedroom door, a bouquet of wildflowers in his right hand.

  Delicate footfalls sounded from the stairs.

  Billy turned to see it was Adam. “How are you?”

  “I’m good, Marshal,” Adam answered. “Who are the flowers for?”

  “Oh, these are for Miss Alice. You did know today is her birthday, didn’t you?” Billy squatted down so he could be eye level with Adam and asked, “How’s Maggie been to you?”

  “Real nice. She’s not had a drop of liquor since we came,” Adam said.

  “How do you know that?” Billy asked with a smile.

  “She told us she gave it up; no more, she said,” Adam answered. “She’s repeated it many times.”

  “That’s good news. Liquor can be a bad thing when you drink too much of it.”

  “I came up to check on Alice and to wish her a happy birthday.”

  “Well, Adam, that’s what I’m doing here too,” Billy said. He tousled Adam’s hair and gave him a wink.

  The door creaked open and out stepped Doc Higgins, one of the local doctors from Great Falls. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, his black case firmly in his grip.

  “How’s she doing?” Billy asked, a show of concern on his face.

  Higgins stopped and gave Billy a quizzical look. “You’re that marshal, aren’t you?”

  “I am,” Billy answered.

  “She’ll be fine, just needs some rest and to have her bandage changed frequently; otherwise she’ll heal just fine. As I explained to her mother, it’s important to keep the wound clean so it doesn’t fester.”

  “We’ll make sure of that,” Billy said.

  Higgins removed his wire spectacles, wiped them off with a handkerchief, and put them back on. “There’s a lot of talk about you in town.”

  “I’m aware,” Billy said, referring to the buzz surrounding the sheriff being killed and the deaths of Al Cummins and Joseph King.

  “I heard the mayor offered you the position of sheriff,” Higgins said.

  “He did; in fact, I just returned from meeting him in town.”

  “And? Will you be our new sheriff?”

  “I will, but not right away. I have some other business to attend to, but upon my return, I’ll be your new sheriff,” Billy confirmed.

  “Well, the rumors were that the mayor was offering you the job. I’m happy you’re taking it. I didn’t much like the last one. I always found him to be a bit lazy and self-absorbed. Sad he died, but I am glad he’s gone. They say you’re sort of a hero around these parts.”

  “Not sure I’d call myself that. Anyway, is it safe to go inside and visit her?”

  “Sure, sure, she’s awake and talking, but she does need her rest.”

  “Thank you,” Billy said. He turned to knock but stopped when Higgins spoke.

  “Welcome to Great Falls…Sheriff.”

  “Thank you, Doc,” Billy said, giving him a smile.

  “Say, boy, I need some help. Do you mind carrying this downstairs and putting it in my wagon? I need to go visit the outhouse before I ride back to town,” Higgins said to Adam.

  “Sure thing,” Adam said.

  “Good boy,” Higgins said, giving Adam his bag.

  The two disappeared down the stairs.

  Billy tapped on the door then opened it. Inside, he found Alice sitting up with Maggie by her side and Anne sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed. “Can I come in?”

  “Yes, please,” Alice said happily.

  “Just for a minute, then she needs to get some sleep, doctor’s orders,” Maggie said.

  Billy went to Alice’s bedside, opposite Maggie. He gave her a big smile, handed her the flowers, and said, “Happy birthday.”

  Alice took the flowers and inhaled deeply. “Oh, they smell so sweet and they’re beautiful, thank you.”

  “I just spoke with the doc. He says you’ll be just fine,” Billy said, hovering above the bed.

  “I will,” she said.

  Maggie took the flowers and set them on the nightstand. “I’ll get a vase later and put them in water for you.” Giving Billy a skeptical look, she continued, “That was nice of you, Marshal.”

  “I saw the flowers and thought of Alice. Knowing it was her birthday, I thought they’d suffice as a nice gift,” Billy said.

  “They’re perfect,” Alice said.

  The two locked in a gaze that told Anne and Maggie they could use some private time.

  Getting up, Anne walked over to Maggie and nudged her. “Let’s let these two talk…in private.”

  “But…” Maggie protested.

  “Let’s go see what the boys are doing,” Anne said. “And you need to get a vase with water for those flowers.”

  Maggie’s head swiveled back and forth between Anne and Alice. She gave Billy a look, sighed, and said, “Don’t be long. She needs her rest.”

  Anne and Maggie left the room, but left the door cracked.

  Alice glowed. If someone saw her, they wouldn’t know she’d just been shot two days before. “Have a seat,” she said, patting a spot next to her on the bed.

  Billy sat and nervously looked at his hat and fiddled. “I’m glad you’re doing well.”

  “Me too.”

  “I came to check on you and tell you that I’m leaving.”

  “Leaving? You’re going back to Idaho?” she asked, her jovial expression melting away at the news of his departure.

  “No, I’m going somewhere else. I’m not done tracking down everyone who had a part in this. I owe it to my partner.”

  “I understand. When will you return?”

  “Soon, and it will be a permanent move,” he said, wanting to give her hope that they could possibly be seeing more of each other.

  “Permanent? You’re moving to Great Falls?” she asked, her tone turning happy again.

  “The mayor offered me the job of sheriff, and I just took it, so you’re looking at the new sheriff of Great Falls,” Billy answered. “However, I won’t start until I return.”

  “That’s wonderful. You’ll do an amazing job.”

  Billy cleared his throat and asked, “Alice?”

  “Yes?”

  “The other day, I said something that maybe I shouldn’t have said or was too forthright.”

  “And that was?”

  “I was filled with so much emotion that I mentioned that I’d like to court you. I know you said that you’d like that, but I’m not sure if that was prudent—” he said but was interrupted.

  “Prudent? What are you saying? I found it quite romantic, to be frank.”

  He shot her a shocked look and said, “You did?”

  She took his hand and held it in between both of hers. “I did.”

  “I thought you might have thought it too forward.”

  “Not at all, but I do have a question. Why were you at the house? We had left each other at the end of the drive. All I knew was you were riding to town to inform them about the sheriff. I didn’t know when or if I’d ever see you again, but there you were. I came out of that barn running for my very life, and when I set my eyes upon you, it was like looking at a guardian angel sent from God himself to save me. I knew then that I’d survive, that you’d finally put an end to the nightmare my family had been living.”

  “I came back to ask if I could court you,” he confessed. “I couldn’t just leave without you knowing how I felt about you. I care for you, Alice, and I think you’
re an amazing woman. I’d like to see you more. I want to spend time with you if you’d like to.”

  She squeezed his hand. Her eyes became wet with tears as she gave him a gentle smile. “I do want to spend time with you. The news that you’re moving to Great Falls has filled my heart with a joy that I don’t think I’ve ever felt. I know we only have known each other a short time, but there’s something about you. I know that you didn’t just show up at my door; we were meant to meet.”

  “I like to look at it that way too.”

  “Do you have to leave?”

  “I do. I need to do one more thing, and then I can put this all behind me,” Billy said.

  “Please tell me you’ll be safe and that you’ll return.”

  “I will. I have no intention of getting hurt.”

  “When are you leaving?” she asked.

  “Soon.”

  “So not right now. Good, let’s chat some,” she said happily.

  The two spent ten minutes discussing anything but what had happened to them over the past week. It was a nice reprieve and gave them both a glimpse at what life would be like together. They laughed and teased and even began to talk about children of all things—not theirs but how they would be if they had children.

  The door opened and in stepped Maggie. “It’s time for you to go, Marshal. Alice needs to get her rest.”

  “Ma, you’re looking at the new sheriff!” Alice chirped joyfully.

  Maggie’s face told Billy everything he needed to know. “You’re the new sheriff?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll start when I return from a short trip,” Billy said.

  “I can assume I’ll be seeing more of you?” Maggie asked.

  Billy gave Alice a warm smile and said, “That is correct, ma’am. I wish to court Alice…with your permission, of course.”

  With her arms folded, Maggie stood silent and motionless, her eyes fixed on Billy. “You’d like to court my Alice?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Please, Ma, I’m eighteen and—”

  “You may court my Alice, but only because I think you’re an honorable man, and you did save us, so knowing you’ll be around does make me feel…safer,” Maggie said, her comment a departure from her normal curt replies. “But now you must go. Alice needs some rest.” Maggie marched to the window and closed the curtains.

  “I’ll be back soon, I promise,” he said to Alice. He got up, walked to the door, and turned towards her. “Until then, take care of yourself, Miss Alice.”

  “Bye,” she said, giving him a wave.

  Billy exited the room, closing the door behind him. Pure joy filled every ounce of his being. The only way he could describe the feeling was that he was in love with her. It seemed so odd to have such feelings for someone after only a short time, but he did. He enjoyed everything about her and would be counting the days until he saw her again. His mind then filled with what had to be done next, and that too gave him a bit of joy. He knew his days of being a marshal were close to being over, but until then he’d use the rights and privileges that came with the job to help him find the one last person he needed to find, and that was George Cummins.

  EPILOGUE

  JULY 30, 1895

  VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

  George Cummins belched loudly then exhaled his tainted breath inside the carriage.

  His wife, Marie, shot him a disgusted look and brought her handkerchief to her face to cover her nose and mouth. “You’re crude, George.”

  “If we’re in the carriage much longer, it’ll be coming out the other end.” He chuckled.

  “Vile, you’re a vile man,” she said. If one were to meet Marie, they’d marvel at her youthful beauty and delicate features. She was thirty years younger than George and married him primarily so she could live a privileged lifestyle. She had no love for the man minus his wealth and influence and could often be found in deep prayer, praying for the day he’d collapse from a heart attack or stroke.

  George was sixty-five but looked every bit ten years older. His fat and bloated body always looked misshapen in the clothes he wore two sizes too small. Each step he’d take, his belly would jiggle and his chin would quiver. If he had to survive in the wilderness, he’d no doubt die within hours. He lacked any ability outside law and the ways of money but did find comfort in attending the occasional opera, which they were returning from.

  He’d risen up the ranks of polite society and used the wealth he’d garnered through a trading company to secure his position on the prestigious Supreme Court in the province of British Columbia. There he would exercise his power as a justice not only to expand the power of government but to his own financial gain if he could.

  When he’d received news that his son, Al, was a wanted man, he sprang into action with hopes of saving Al from the hangman’s noose. But truth be told, George wasn’t concerned about his son’s life; he’d forsaken him years before. No, it was to protect his own reputation. Using his vast influence, he’d contacted counterparts in the United States and worked that angle while he dispatched a team to go retrieve him. When the word reached him that Al had been arrested, all his years of influence proved fruitful, and he was able to ensure Al would be brought north and turned over to him. Yet he still had his team in the field. Never one to trust certain lawmen, George wanted to make sure his men reached Al first, and that was exactly what happened.

  After the shoot-out outside Great Falls and Al’s subsequent death, George breathed a sigh of relief; no longer would his son be a potential political burden for him. He knew that one man had survived the ordeal, and that man was Billy Connolly. Assured by the United States Attorney in Idaho that Billy was harmless, George withdrew his concern and went on with his life. He had swept it all under the rug and was now able to move on, or so he thought.

  The carriage stopped outside the three-story walk-up row house. The red brick glistened from a rain shower that had spread across the city not an hour earlier.

  “Ah, good, we’re home,” George said.

  The driver jumped down and opened the carriage door. “Here you go, sir.”

  Marie exited the carriage first and rushed to the front door without saying a word to the driver.

  George slid to the door and slipped out the door sideways; this was the only way he could get his girth out the door.

  “Have a good evening, sir,” the driver said.

  George stood on the sidewalk and belched. He adjusted his trousers and said, “Good night, William.”

  “Same time in the morning, sir?” William asked.

  “Not tomorrow, I’m sleeping in; then I have an interview with a man from the paper,” George said.

  “Right, sir, I’ll see you the day after, then?” William asked.

  “Correct, be here at seven on Thursday,” George said. With his walking stick in his right hand, he sauntered to the front door, which stood open. He slowly ascended the brick stairs and entered the darkened foyer. “Marie, why didn’t Anita light any lanterns?” Anita was the housemaid and had served George for a number of years.

  Marie didn’t reply.

  “Marie, do you hear me!” George hollered up the dark stairs that sat just a few feet in front of him.

  Still no reply.

  George set his walking stick down on a small table, removed his overcoat and hat, and hung them on a hook. “Marie?”

  Silence.

  “Damn woman, always ignoring me,” George complained. He made it to the stairs, looked up and said, “Marie?”

  No response came.

  “Where is that damn fool woman?” he asked. He walked back to the table by aid of the light that came from the gas lamps outside on the street, found a lantern, and lit it. The orange flame came to life and lit the small space. “Sometimes you just have to do things yourself.”

  “That’s right,” Billy said, emerging from the shadows. He cocked his Colt and placed the muzzle against the back of George’s head. “Sometimes you have
to do things yourself.”

  George flinched, almost dropping the lantern. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “I came to talk,” Billy said. “Now go into your parlor and have a seat.”

  “I have money. Is that what you want?” George said.

  “Go into the parlor and I’ll tell you what I want,” Billy said.

  George didn’t hesitate. He briskly walked into the parlor; the light from the lantern showed him where Marie had been the entire time. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

  “On account that he had a gun to my head,” Marie replied curtly.

  “Take a seat,” Billy ordered.

  George sat next to Marie on a tufted loveseat near a large bay window. He placed the lantern on a coffee table and folded his hands in his lap.

  Billy sat across from them in a similar loveseat, his pistol aimed at George.

  “Who are you?” George asked.

  “I’d tell you, but then I’d also have to kill her, and to be honest, I don’t want to do that. She’s been very nice and accommodating,” Billy said, giving Marie a smile.

  “Thank you,” Marie replied.

  “Don’t be nice to him. He’s a murderer or maybe a thief. Do you know who I am? Do you?” George spat.

  “I do know; that’s why I’m here,” Billy said.

  “You’re making a mistake that will result in your swinging from a rope on the gallows,” George threatened.

  “I’m holding the gun and you’re giving me threats, that is comical,” Billy said.

  “What do you want?” George asked.

  “To be honest, what I want you can’t give me,” Billy said.

  “And what is that?”

  “The life of my friend,” Billy answered.

  “Who was your friend?”

  “You sent men to rescue your son, Albert, which resulted in my good friend and partner getting murdered by your thugs,” Billy replied, knowing his answer would tell George exactly who he was.