Summary:  Missing scenes, The Trap.  A man’s belief that his wife is having an affair sets events into motion that ultimately drive Joe to challenge a lawman to a gunfight; the only way he can see to prove his innocence, of the affair and of two murders.

Rating:  T  (1,940 words)

A Chaps & Spurs Challenge Story.

The Truth – WHN (or missing scenes)

It wasn’t supposed to end this way…  My actions should have vindicated me, but I don’t feel any better than before I stood in the middle of the main thoroughfare of Virginia City and waited for Booth Shannon to come out to face me.

Booth’s bullet struck me, and I’ve been shot before so I know it should hurt like a son-of-a-gun.  But in my now darkened world, there is nothing to feel; other than the emptiness and desolation.  My actions were that of a desperate man, anyone in my position would have done the same.

*****

Burk Shannon had sent for me to help with some rustlers that had been after his herd.  We thought we were close, that they were holed up in the draw, so we split up, and then… someone fired at me and I yelled several times to Burk.  And when the shots fired again, I returned fire.  When no other shots came my way, I found out that I’d shot and killed a friend, Burk Shannon.

My mind went blank when I realized it was up to me to be the one to tell Hallie that her husband was dead, by my gun.  Second thinking the events; we shouldn’t have split up, we should have stayed together.  My mind kept demanding answers that no one could answer.  Why didn’t Burk answer my yells? Why was he firing at me?

Later, after his funeral, I agreed to drive Hallie home.  As we drove along, to say I was shocked when she implied I had accidentally killed Burk, in order to marry her.  A joke… it had to be.  She admitted she had wanted to spite me by saying she was going to marry Burk in order make me jealous enough to marry her all those years ago.  How much plainer could I make this, other than to say that I don’t want to marry her and I wasn’t in love with her.  And then she said she was going to tell Roy the truth… her version of the truth.  She had to have suffered an emotional breakdown or something over Burk’s death.  That was the only explanation I could come up with for the way she was talking.  And so I walked away.

*****

Imagine my horror at learning Burk’s brother, Marshall Booth Shannon, was in town and was asking questions that implied Burk’s death wasn’t an accident.  He arrived with his own idea of what happened out in the draw; and a letter from his brother.

Later, Pa told me that Hallie had even tried to plant the notion that something was between us, thank heavens Pa knew me better.  Turns out that even Roy believed the rumor…  He read the letter from Burk to his brother saying I was having an affair with his wife.

Roy implied he was looking into the possibility that the original shooting wasn’t an accident, and I agreed.

Burk was after me because of what he had written to his brother… a lie.  And so, Roy convinced Pa it would be better all around if I spent the night in jail.  And then, Pa had papers ordering my release… Booth said that Hallie admitted I had murdered Burk, before she ran away. Booth and a posse had spent the night out looking for Hallie; only to find her at the bottom of Piaute Falls, dead.

Booth made more accusations, saying that I killed Hallie because she knew the route I’d come home, and that she went out there to tell me that she was going to tell the truth, that I had killed her husband on purpose.  Booth went on to say that I’d killed her to shut her up, to save my own hide.  But with Booth being a lawman, he said he knew that he didn’t have proof, but he’d see me answer in a court of law.  Booth had prosecuted, judged, convicted, and sentenced me… Now I only had to wait for the execution.  In Booth’s mind, I was bound for the gallows and he would move heaven and earth to get to prove my guilt.

He swore he’d haunt me, that any time I looked over my shoulder he would be there as a reminder of ‘the truth’.  He wanted to scare me so much that I’d run to the law… and admit his truth.

*****

Riding into town, the hushed tones of the people, our friends, indicated they didn’t believe in a second accident involving the Shannon family.  They believed Booth’s vile lies.

*****

Booth had put a price on my head, claiming he wanted evidence to prove that I had murdered Hallie and Burk; all because of a letter that held no fact or truth.  I didn’t covet a friend’s wife; we had been childhood friends… that was all.  I had told her…  I didn’t love her.

All my life I’ve lived here, and these people who I thought knew me, believed the rumors.  Unable to accept the stares from friends…  The accusations in their eyes…

How can a man prove himself?  How can I prove myself to Booth, and all the rest?  Vengeance is thine said the Lord, evidently Booth forgot that part of the bible.  The truth will win out is what Pa always said.

Truth?  Justice is blind; Adam said Lady Justice wore a blindfold to indicate objectivity and impartiality.  But I know the truth…  She doesn’t want to see the truth, she listens to the lies… lies are more colorful than the plain truth.

*****

The truth, the truth will win… I knew I had to stand up for myself.  Booth had to be made to believe.  If he wouldn’t listen to my words… it’s said that actions speak louder than words.  My only alternative was to stand up to Booth, my actions… maybe I can remove the blindfold.

No more games…  I have to prove myself; my words are the truth…  His truth, my truth…  There is only one truth and I have to prove it to him.

“I’ll be waiting for you out in that street.”

*****

Standing in the middle of the street, my back to the saloon. “It’s not murder if I draw first,” I’d told Booth when he implied that he was fast enough that it would be no contest.

I’m not a fool and I’m not a boy; he tried to belittle me.

Go home? How? I can’t go home, not until I prove myself.

Turning around to face him; the truth has to win…

*****

I felt myself spun around as Booth’s bullet slammed into me and knocked me to the ground face down.  The wound doesn’t hurt.

Justice is still blind…

The lie won…

Guilt ate at me…  The truth should have won.

****

‘The truth should have won…’ was my last conscious thought as my life slip away.

*****

“You’re going to be okay, Joe.  You’re alive.”

Focusing hard on Pa’s voice as he spoke those words, the words that pulled me from the darkness of oblivion.  My eyes opened to a dimly lit room, somewhere, oh the doctor’s office. With my father hovering over me; a brief smile appeared on his face as I looked into his worried eyes.

“I’m sorry,” my guilt spoke.  “I didn’t know what else to do.”

I knew my actions must have upset my family, but what other recourse did I have?

“I understand, Joe.  Booth pushed you into this… I wish I could have done something to prevent it all from happening.”

“You tried Pa, but people don’t want to hear the truth…”

“Joe, I listened to you.  I heard you.  I know what you said is the truth.  Roy does too. I tried to get Booth to understand…  We’ll find a way to get through to Booth, and the others.”

*****

After lots of poking and prodding, and my refusing the laudanum, Doc Carpenter finally left me alone.  There was still Pa and Roy; two mother hens looking over their lost chick.   I needed to be alone.  I needed to think.  Closing my eyes, I wish I didn’t hurt so bad.  And then I was alone.

~The End  (Or so I thought.  I wrote the following in response to the March 15, 2023 Pinecone prompt))

Epilogue:

I didn’t want to take the laudanum that Doc Carpenter had tried forcing on me.  Pa had agreed and motioned doc to leave, stating he’d stay and keep an eye on me.  Even with my chest hurting, I feigned falling asleep hoping Pa and Roy would leave me alone.  There was so much I had to think about; what happened, what I needed to do next.

Even with the door closed, I could hear the words spoken between Pa and, that wasn’t Roy.  That was Marshall Shannon.

“Shannon, you could have killed him.  Why didn’t you?”

“Standing out in the street….  Well, I knew he’d been telling the truth.  He didn’t have to fight me.  But he was standing there, ready to die if he had to.  A killer wouldn’t have done that.  Well, you know…. you were right about Burke…”

And I listened.  Wait a minute, Booth was in love with Hallie?  The pain in my shoulder intensified as I came to understand it wasn’t just because Booth thought I murdered his brother to get his sister-in-law, he wanted me out of the way so he could get the woman he first loved?  I WASN’T IN THE WAY!

Inhaling deeply, damn, reaching for my shoulder, I wish Pa was in here.

I heard my name spoken as the door opened.  Looking over, with hat in hand, there stood Booth, looking scared to face me or was it guilt?

Following Pa’s lead earlier, “Shannon.”

“I just wanted to say, I’ll be heading out.  Going back home.”

“And what of me?”

“There won’t be any charges brought against you.”  Twisting the hat around his hands, “They say that truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

I guess that’s as much of an apology as I’m ever going to get.  Looking him square in the eyes; if I could have stood, I probably would have been nose to nose with him.   But since I’m flat on my back, I let the tone of my words hit home.  “It can be, unless someone is lying, or emotions get in the way of hearing… listening and accepting the facts; not twisting them into something to fit your narrative.”  Dang, that didn’t sound as strong as I hoped.

But I guess I got my point across.  Booth nodded before looking back over his shoulder.  “I’ll uh…   I’ll make sure that everyone knows you didn’t do anything wrong before I finally leave town.”

“My family will appreciate it.”

“Take care Joe Cartwright.  I hope…  Well, just take care of yourself.”

With that, he turned and left, and I closed my eyes.  Praying that the tears wouldn’t fall.  Truth is all I ever wanted.

“It’s okay Joseph.”  Pa’s rough-hewed hand brush against my forehead, checking for fever no doubt.   Nodding, yeah, well maybe not all I ever wanted — but a close second to Pa.

Tags: Ben Cartwright, Joe / Little Joe Cartwright

This story inspired by:  The Trap, written by:  Ken Pettus