Circumstantial evidence incriminates Joe Cartwright in his fiance’s murder. \u00a0A WHI for “Justice” written by Richard Wendley. \u00a0 Rated K+ \u00a0WC \u00a08100<\/p>\n
In the episode written by Wendley, Joe is engaged to marry Sally, daughter of Virginia City banker George Bristol.\u00a0 One night while Joe is in the Sheriff\u2019s office talking to Deputy Clem Foster, Sally is murdered.\u00a0 Consumed with bringing her killer to justice, Joe fixates on Horace Perkins as a suspect with no evidence other than \u201ca feeling.\u201d\u00a0 Horrified Ben says to Joe,<\/p>\n
\u201cYou accuse him because of the way you feel?\u00a0 Do you realize that if you weren\u2019t in the sheriff\u2019s office when this thing happened, you might have been a suspect yourself?\u00a0 You\u2019d have been accused yourself of this thing?\u00a0 On the same kind of circumstantial evidence that you\u2019re trying to put up against Horace?\u00a0 Joseph, that\u2019s why we have laws.\u00a0 The law says a man is innocent until proven guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt.\u00a0 That\u2019s what justice is about.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n This is my version of what happened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Eternal Justice<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Law is not law, if it violates the principles of eternal justice.<\/em><\/p>\n Lydia Marie Child, 1861<\/p>\n \u201cClem, they’re dead!\u201d<\/p>\n When banker George Bristol staggered into my office late Saturday night and said those words, I thought I was hearing things.\u00a0\u00a0 He obliged by repeating the unimaginable.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Sally and Joe Cartwright . . . they’re . . . dead!\u201d<\/p>\n I still could not believe it.<\/p>\n I said no when Tom, the man who cleaned the jail at night, offered to ride out to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was in town for Gould & Curry\u2019s annual stockholders meeting, but I thought better of notifying him until I could verify the truth of Bristol\u2019s statement. Instead, I sent Tom to\u00a0fetch the undertaker while I grabbed the stunned banker by the elbow and guided him through Saturday night traffic on C Street towards his house.<\/p>\n Unlike many of the well-to-do merchants in Virginia City who moved on up when the bonanza came\u2014Bristol continued to live close to\u00a0his bank in what is now an older predominantly commercial area of town.\u00a0\u00a0It suited him, he often said.\u00a0 A nice solid brick home reassured investors and spoke of the stability of the man they entrusted with their savings. \u00a0Other houses on the street, like the boarding house\u00a0nearby, had begun to deteriorate.\u00a0\u00a0Of course, in my mind that spoke more about\u00a0the owner\u00a0than the location.<\/p>\n A lawman notices those things.\u00a0 From the moment I became Roy Coffee\u2019s deputy, he drummed it in to me:\u00a0\u201cNotice the little things, Clem.\u00a0 Unpolished shoes on a smooth talking city clicker or old, worn clothes that are clean and pressed on an indigent can tell you more about the wearer than their words alone.\u201d <\/em>\u00a0That is why he met every stagecoach each day, making a point to know the people in his town; know where they came from and where they were headed; making small talk and offering directions, but not tolerating any shenanigans.<\/p>\n Some town folk thought Roy had stayed on too long as Sheriff and wanted him out.\u00a0 I admit Roy had his peculiarities, but there was no finer lawman west of Denver and he had his supporters, too . . . the Cartwrights being four of them.\u00a0 For that reason alone, I was glad Roy was out of town.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Sally Bristol lay near the front door but there was something not quite right with the position of the body.\u00a0 She looked almost . . . posed.\u00a0 I settled her father in a chair and turned up the wick on the table lamp to get a better look.\u00a0 There was blood on her gown and in her outstretched hand was a pearl handled Colt .38 revolver.\u00a0 Only one man I knew carried a gun like that . . . Joe Cartwright.<\/p>\n \u201cCareful where you step, Percy,\u201d I said when the undertaker arrived.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want this area disturbed until I make some notes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure thing, Clem. I\u2019ll go fetch a tarp.\u00a0\u00a0 Just one victim, then?\u00a0 Tom said there were two.\u201d<\/p>\n Damn. \u00a0<\/em>Bristol did say \u201cboth\u201d . . . they were both<\/em> dead.\u00a0 In the yellow haze of the kerosene lamp, I could see streaks of blood on the floor leading away from Sally but they stopped short of the doorway.\u00a0 Where in the hell was Joe?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cJust bring one stretcher for now,\u201d I said, focusing for the moment on the body before me.\u00a0 When he left, I removed the gun from Sally\u2019s hand and sniffed; it smelled of gunpowder and there were only five bullets left in the chamber.\u00a0 I tucked the gun in my belt and checked the other rooms on the first floor for signs of a struggle or more blood but found nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s on duty tonight?\u201d\u00a0 I asked Percy when he returned.<\/p>\n \u201cDoc Winston.\u201d<\/p>\n I must have frowned because before I could ask he added, \u201cThe Elder.\u201d \u00a0Not that young Winston wouldn\u2019t someday make an excellent coroner, but given the prominence of the families involved, no one other than the top man would do.<\/p>\n \u201cTell him we need his findings straight away.\u00a0 Roy will want the inquest scheduled as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n As I helped the undertaker lift Sally onto the tarp, it struck me the crimson bloom on the folds of her yellow dress looked almost like a sunrise.\u00a0\u00a0 I had a lot of work to do before morning, not the least of which was locating the missing corpse of Joe Cartwright.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Mr. Bristol had been of no help when I attempted to question him.\u00a0 He just kept saying, \u201cI can\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe it.\u201d\u00a0 Poor man was near catatonic.\u00a0 Fortunately, Winston showed up not long after I had finished my sketches of the hall, including the position of the body, gun, and blood trail.\u00a0\u00a0 He immediately administered a sedative and helped the grieving father upstairs to bed.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the news he shared when he came down complicated matters.\u00a0 Sally Bristol died from a broken neck . . . which meant the blood on the floor belonged to someone else.\u00a0 Had Joe left of his own accord or was he abducted? \u00a0Worse, could he have killed her? <\/em>\u00a0Although unthinkable, it was a possibility I would have to explore.<\/p>\n A thorough search of the house revealed nothing and the yard would have to wait until daylight.\u00a0 As I stood on the front porch running through possible scenarios, I noticed a light in the bedroom window of the boarding house across the street.<\/p>\n I stepped back through the threshold and looked up.\u00a0 Sure enough, the porch roof blocked line of sight to the window, but when I moved forward a gust of wind stirred the curtain and I realized the window was open.\u00a0 It was worth a shot.<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n I knocked several times on the boarding house door before hearing footsteps and a tentative, \u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Clem Foster, Mrs. Cutler.\u00a0 May I come in?\u201d<\/p>\n The door opened just wide enough for me to see she was dressed in a grey colored robe with a white laced nightcap on her head and rose colored slippers on her feet.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry to have awakened you, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 May I come in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Deputy Foster, I am so relieved it\u2019s you. \u00a0Horace and I have been so afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorace, ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Horace Perkins, my boarder . . . the only one I have at the moment.\u00a0 He\u2019s a very important person at the bank, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u00a0 I noticed a second story window facing the street.\u00a0 Would that be Horace\u2019s room by any chance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMay I speak with him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, Deputy, I don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 I sent him to your office to get help after we heard gunshots.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that why you are here . . . oh no!\u201d she gasped, clutching her throat.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not Horace is it?\u00a0 Has something happened to Horace?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo Ma\u2019am, not that I\u2019m aware; I haven\u2019t seen Horace.\u00a0\u00a0 What time did you hear shooting?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me think . . . it must have been a little after 10 o\u2019clock.\u00a0 I always lock up at 10 o\u2019clock.\u00a0\u00a0 I run a respectable boarding house, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorace wasn\u2019t feeling well and I had just locked the front door and gone upstairs with a bicarbonate when we heard noises outside.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll of the businesses around here are closed at this time of night.\u00a0 What kind of noise did you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI tell you, it sounded like a stampede. \u00a0And do you know who it was? \u00a0Little Joe Cartwright, that\u2019s who!\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why that boy\u2019s father doesn\u2019t discipline him.\u00a0 It\u2019s dangerous tearing down streets at breakneck speed like that!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am. I\u2019ll speak to Joe\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014Speak to him?\u201d\u00a0 She looked confused.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014the next time I see him.\u00a0 Now, Mrs. Cutler, you said you heard shooting.\u00a0 Was this before or after you saw Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, let me think . . . it was . . . after . . . yes, definitely after.\u00a0 I saw Little Joe get off his horse, run up the steps and bang on the door.\u00a0 I told Horace it was awfully late to be calling on people!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Then what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen Little Joe went inside.\u00a0 We heard shouting and a few minutes later, a gunshot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said \u2018gunshots\u2019 before.\u00a0 Was there just one shot or more?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now that I think about it, there must have been . . . one.\u00a0 Yes, one shot.\u00a0\u00a0 What happened, Deputy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSally Bristol was murdered this evening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSally?\u00a0 That sweet girl?\u00a0\u00a0 Oh, poor George.\u00a0 Poor Horace!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorace, Ma\u2019am?<\/p>\n \u201cYes, he is so fond of her and she of him.\u00a0 This will just devastate Horace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy is that, Ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorace was in love with Sally.\u00a0 He was going to marry her.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s a fine kettle of fish!<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0A prosecutor would consider jealousy a motive.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t relish having to tell Ben Cartwright his son is at best a murder suspect and at worst a victim.\u00a0 That was one task I\u2019d just as soon leave to Roy.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n The Gould & Curry stockholder\u2019s shindig in the International House ballroom was still going strong when I arrived but it didn\u2019t take long for Ben Cartwright to appear when summoned.\u00a0 From the look of relief on his face as he descended the stairs, I suspected he was grateful for the interruption.\u00a0 That changed, however, the moment he saw my face.<\/p>\n \u201cClem?\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have some bad news, Ben.\u00a0 Perhaps there is some place more private we could speak?\u00a0 Are you staying in town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I have a room here.\u00a0 We can talk upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n Cartwright led the way to his suite on the top floor.\u00a0 I should not have been surprised when he took the stairs two at a time\u2014for all his wealth and position, he was a hard working rancher and the white hair belied his vigor.\u00a0 When the door closed, he wasted no time getting to the point.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s this all about, Clem?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how to soften this, sir, so I\u2019ll say it straight out.\u00a0 Sally Bristol is dead.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The man paled instantly and I was afraid for a moment I might need to send for a doctor, but he steadied himself and looked me straight in the eye.<\/p>\n \u201cDead?\u201d Then he asked forcefully, \u201cWas it robbery?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSally wanted to go to the dance early so she could show off her engagement ring.\u201d\u00a0 Ben leaned heavily against the arm of the chair.\u00a0 \u201cJoe wanted . . . was he with her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t we sit down?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClem, where is my son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been looking for him, but I haven\u2019t had any luck.\u00a0 I was hoping you had seen or heard from him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoes he know Sally is dead?\u201d<\/p>\n When I didn\u2019t respond one way or the other, Ben\u2019s eyes narrowed and his face hardened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you not telling me?\u00a0 What happened, Clem?\u00a0 From the beginning and don\u2019t leave anything unsaid.\u201d<\/p>\n I knew right then there was no way out.\u00a0 I laid my Stetson on the table and faced him straight on.<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge Bristol stumbled into my office about half past ten. He was badly shaken; said Sally and Joe . . . were\u00a0dead.\u00a0 When I got to the house, the only body was Sally\u2019s.\u00a0 Cochise was still tied to the hitching post, but there was no sign of your son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDear God!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe blood at the scene wasn\u2019t Sally\u2019s.\u00a0 If it was Joe\u2019s . . . well, we need to find him and quick.\u00a0 Do you have any idea where he might have gone?\u00a0 Where he might have taken refuge?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRefuge!\u00a0 You make it sound as though he\u2019s running away!\u00a0\u00a0 Clem . . . are you saying Joseph is somehow responsible for Sally\u2019s death?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know me better than that, Ben.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t pay to draw conclusions when there are so many unanswered questions.\u00a0 Right now, the most important thing is to find your boy and see he gets medical attention if he needs it.\u00a0 If he doesn\u2019t, then I\u2019m hoping he can tell me whose blood was on the floor and who fired his gun.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis gun?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir. \u00a0I recognized it right off and the initials JFC are on the butt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf Sally wasn\u2019t shot, then how . . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer neck was broken.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDear God!\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a lot of that going around<\/em>.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Ben followed me back to the Bristols to collect Cochise only when we got there, the horse had vanished.\u00a0\u00a0 Had Joe been hiding in the yard just waiting for an opportunity to make his escape?\u00a0 <\/em>I must have telegraphed my thoughts for Ben immediately contradicted them.<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u00a0 Joe loved Sally!\u00a0 He would never cause her harm.\u00a0 You said there was blood, he must have been wounded trying to protect her.\u00a0 He . . . he\u2019s gone for help, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d was the most I could offer and, after promising to form a search party in the morning, I sent Ben back to the International House to get some sleep.<\/p>\n A cot in the back room of the jail or canopy bed at the plushest hotel in town . . . it was likely neither resting place would produce the desired result for either of us.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Early the next morning there was a tentative knock on the open door to my office.<\/p>\n “Deputy?”<\/p>\n At the hail, I rocked back in my chair, thankful for the break from the hours spent reviewing wanted posters, warrants, and witness statements. \u00a0The man before me twisted the brim of the hat clutched in his hands. \u00a0“Yes?” I yawned.<\/p>\n “My landlady . . . Mrs. Cutler . . . she said you wanted to see me.”<\/p>\n “Horace Perkins?” \u00a0When he nodded, blond hair fell over his face and covered his wide-set blue eyes. \u00a0It made him look younger than the mid-twenties I figured him to be. \u00a0He was of average height and not very muscular but then I suppose banking didn’t require a lot of physical strength. \u00a0 “Have a seat, Horace. \u00a0Want some coffee?” I asked as I stood to fill my cup from the pot on the stove.<\/p>\n “No, sir.”<\/p>\n When I returned to my chair, Horace was still standing. \u00a0Quaking was more like it. \u00a0The day was already hot and he was shivering. “Feeling better?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Cutler said you were under the weather last night.”<\/p>\n “No . . . I mean yes . . . I mean . . . I had too much to drink and . . . and I\u2019m afraid I didn\u2019t handle it very well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHappens to the best of us, son.\u00a0 How long have you lived at the boarding house?”<\/p>\n “A few months.”<\/p>\n “And before that?”<\/p>\n “Mason City.”<\/p>\n “Nice town; quiet.\u00a0 Why did you come here?”<\/p>\n “I saw an ad for a teller. \u00a0I-I’m good with numbers and the position paid more.”<\/p>\n “More than what?\u201d\u00a0 Horace looked confused, so I asked again.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you do in Mason City?”<\/p>\n “I handled the books for a dry goods store.”<\/p>\n “Your bedroom window faces the Bristol residence?”\u00a0 When he nodded, I continued.\u00a0 \u201cWhat time did you get home from the dance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure exactly.\u00a0 Well before 10 p.m.\u00a0 Mrs. Cutler locks up at 10.\u00a0 She runs a respectable boarding house, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m told. \u00a0Anyone see you arrive?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo . . . well, wait.\u00a0 Joe Cartwright and Sally Bristol.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou saw them together before 10 p.m.?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe . . . he hit me. \u00a0Mrs. Cutler says it was \u2018cause Sally likes me.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe did have a powerful left hook and a temper to match. \u00a0I wouldn\u2019t put it past him to throw a punch, especially if he thought Horace was making a play for his girl. \u00a0Except for one thing . . . there wasn\u2019t a mark on Horace.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere did he hit you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn front of Sally\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n I bit my tongue.\u00a0 Could he really be as thick as he just sounded?\u00a0 <\/em>I moved on.<\/p>\n \u201cYour window was open.\u00a0 You hear anything unusual?\u201d<\/p>\n Horace began to look green around the gills. I pushed him into a chair and scooted the wastepaper basket closer to him.<\/p>\n \u201cS-sorry,\u201d he stammered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not use to liquor.\u201d\u00a0 He swallowed hard and fanned himself with his hat.\u00a0 \u201cI-I don\u2019t remember.\u00a0 I must have passed out.\u00a0 Mrs. Cutler . . . she shook me awake and asked me to fetch the Sheriff.\u00a0 I tried, but I got sick half way over here and\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014it\u2019s all right, Horace.\u00a0 That\u2019s all for now.\u00a0 Go back to the boarding house and sleep it off.\u201d<\/p>\n At least someone would be getting some shut eye.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Although it was still early, I decided to take a chance George Bristol was rested and able to answer some questions. \u00a0The man had been too upset to be of much help last night, but I needed information only he could provide.<\/p>\n The walk to the residence cleared my head a bit and when I arrived, he was sitting on the porch swing still in his robe and slippers.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Bristol?\u201d I shook his arm.\u00a0 He had a vacant look about him and I suspected the sedative had not worn off yet. \u201cMr. Bristol, it\u2019s Clem Foster.\u00a0 I need to ask you some questions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClem?\u00a0 What are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSally\u2019s gone.\u00a0 My little girl is gone.\u00a0 Why, Clem, why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was hoping you could tell me what happened so we could find out why.\u00a0 When you came to my office, you said \u2018they\u2019re\u2019 dead, do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 I shouted to Sally to find out what all the commotion was all, but she didn\u2019t answer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat commotion?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was talking to someone, arguing.\u00a0 By the time I came down . . . they were . . . dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere did you find them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy the door.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you hear a gun shot?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGun?\u00a0 No . . . there was no gun.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge?\u201d Ben Cartwright, hat in hand, approached the porch. \u201cIt\u2019s Ben Cartwright, George, I\u2019m so sorry about Sally.\u00a0 Hoss and I both are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir, Mr. Bristol.\u00a0 I don\u2019t rightly expect there\u2019s anything can be said, except I\u2019m sorry. \u00a0That, and I promise I\u2019ll do everything I can to find who did this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Hoss.\u00a0 You\u2019re a good son,\u201d George said as he shook first Hoss\u2019s hand and then Ben\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cThey were going to marry, you know.\u00a0 Your boy and my girl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, they were,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should bury them together, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked sharply at me, and I shook my head to let him know Joe was still missing.<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge, is there something we could do to help?\u00a0 Would you like to come out to the ranch for a few days?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u00a0 Who\u2019d do a thing like this?\u00a0 Who?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll find who did it, Mr. Bristol,\u201d I promised.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll find him.\u00a0 You get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *********<\/p>\n I sent wires to the law in surrounding towns while search parties, including Ben and Hoss Cartwright, combed Virginia City and Gold Hill canvassing doctors\u2019 offices, apothecaries, barbershops, restaurants, cafes, and hotels. \u00a0Meanwhile, I began interviewing everyone who had been at the dance.<\/p>\n The Cartwright-Bristol engagement was the talk of the evening and many had admired Sally\u2019s ring.\u00a0 Most seemed genuinely happy for the couple though there were a few snide comments about money marrying money and \u201cthat damned Cartwright luck.\u201d<\/p>\n Several mentioned the trouble between Horace Perkins and Cliff Warren.\u00a0 Cliff is a long, tall Texan with rubber legs.\u00a0 When he gets to dancin\u2019 a jig, most folks \u2018round these parts know to give him a wide berth \u2018cause there\u2019s no telling where those boots will wind up.<\/p>\n The trouble started when one of his wild kicks caught Horace\u2019s arm and the hapless bank clerk spilled punch all over himself.\u00a0 Later, Horace took exception to Cliff\u2019s inviting Sally to dance and threw punch of an altogether different kind at Cliff.\u00a0 According to witnesses, only Joe\u2019s good-natured intercession put an end to it.<\/p>\n Near as folks could remember, Joe and Sally danced a few more reels, then left.\u00a0 Horace, too, disappeared, but Cliff was still carousing around the dance floor solo when the band played \u201cGood Night Ladies,\u201d so he had an alibi.<\/p>\n After interviewing the dance patrons, I moved on to the saloons\u2014all 113 of them.\u00a0 No one had seen Joe on the night of the dance or in the time since.\u00a0 Barney, the bartender at the Rusty Bucket, confirmed Horace had been there and started drinking heavily after one of the saloon girls wouldn\u2019t pay attention to him. \u00a0He couldn\u2019t hold his liquor, however, and Barney sent him on his way shortly after 9 p.m. and Mrs. Cutler swore he was home in bed when she locked up at 10 p.m.<\/p>\n My feet were killing me and, as it was long past suppertime, I stopped in at Luigi\u2019s for their pasta special.\u00a0 I must have been hobbling because the proprietor brought over not only a nice Chianti but an extra chair to elevate my feet.\u00a0 Both were welcome.\u00a0 What was unwelcome was the news that Joe Cartwright and Sally Bristol had had a fight in the restaurant the night of the dance and were asked to leave.\u00a0 Damn!\u00a0 <\/em>I added the information including witness names and times to my burgeoning notebook.\u00a0 I suddenly wasn\u2019t as hungry as I thought.<\/p>\n A stack of wires awaited my return to the office.\u00a0 Most were negative but the one from the US Marshal over in Yerington raised hairs on the back of my neck.\u00a0 Several months before, he had questioned Horace Perkins regarding the murder of a young woman in Mason City but there was no evidence to support an arrest.\u00a0 With no further leads, he had no choice but to release Perkins and close the case. \u00a0The marshal added he would be pleased to hear any information that might give rise to reopening the matter as her parents, owners of the local dry goods store, were good friends of his.<\/p>\n Mmmpf!\u00a0 <\/em>Aside from blisters, the only thing I\u2019d been able to raise for two days were more questions.\u00a0 Roy was due back on Wednesday and would expect facts, not gossip.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the good citizens of Virginia City were all too eager to believe the rumors wafting over the Comstock and wasted no time in offering up \u201cfacts\u201d to prove their suspicions.\u00a0 Sally and Horace were having an affair behind Joe\u2019s back . . . Joe fought with Horace at the dance . . . George Bristol was nearly bankrupt and sold his daughter into marriage to raise capital . . . Old Man Cartwright killed Sally because she wasn\u2019t good enough for his son.<\/em> There was no end to the tawdry comments and wild speculations\u2014each of which created a new trail to follow and more questions.<\/p>\n I reviewed my interview notes once again with a growing sense of doom.\u00a0 With each turn of the page, I sank deeper and deeper into a pit of despair so black not even my old Irish granny\u2019s words could brighten it.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t get your knickers in a twist, me boyo, <\/em>the darkest hour of all is the hour before day.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Shortly before sunrise, hope literally fell from the sky.<\/p>\n I had just stepped off the boardwalk in front of the jail when behind me I heard a thud followed by a curse.\u00a0 I turned ready to draw, then froze.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMind if I drop in, Clem, \u2018cuz I . . . I\u2019m . . .\u201d<\/p>\n A mess?<\/em>\u00a0 He was breathing heavy, his arms hugging his left side.\u00a0 \u201cCriminy, Joe!\u00a0 Where the hell have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly,\u201d he said before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed at my feet.<\/p>\n Given he was a suspect, I suppose I should have put him in a cell, but it didn\u2019t look like he was going anywhere under his own power any time soon, so I hoisted him over my shoulder with a grunt.\u00a0 For a man with a slight build, it surprised me how muscular Joe was.<\/p>\n He needed medical attention, but the office of the only doctor I trusted not to leak information about Joe\u2019s whereabouts was across town.\u00a0 Instead, I headed over to the residential district hoping anyone who saw me in the street at this hour would think I was returning a drunken husband to hearth and home instead of finding shelter for a fugitive from justice.<\/p>\n The last thing I needed right now was a lynch mob.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d I asked when the door opened and Paul Martin emerged from an upstairsbedroom in Bristol’s house.\u00a0 I had fetched the doc as soon as I got Joe settled.<\/p>\n \u201cConcussion, dehydration, a sprained ankle and, of course, the bullet wound.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGut shot?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 No vital organs involved, thank goodness.\u00a0 He was lucky; bullet entered through the fleshy part of the back just below the rib cage and exited in front above the pelvis.\u00a0 Wound looks clean; no slug.\u00a0 The blood loss was extensive, although from the condition of his clothes, he likely bled more from the gash on the back of his head than from the hole in his side.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be the devil to pay for shaving his scalp in order to stitch it closed.\u201d<\/p>\n That explained the blood on the floor.\u00a0 But if Joe was shot from behind and laying across Sally as George indicated, why was she holding his gun?\u00a0\u00a0 I rubbed my hands over my face and heaved a sigh.\u00a0 Yet another answer spawning a new line of questioning and I was running out of time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen can I talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll give you five minutes, no more.\u201d<\/p>\n The room was brightly lit when I entered\u2014the better to stitch by no doubt.\u00a0 Although his head and foot were bandaged, the bullet wound had been left open to drain.\u00a0 Joe lay on his right side with the fingers of his hand spread to shield his eyes.\u00a0 His skin appeared gray, clammy and glistened with sweat.\u00a0 He was breathing heavy, but even.\u00a0 I\u2019d seen worse bullet wounds before, but it always amazed me how a little piece of lead could create such a large hole.\u00a0 I turned the lamp down and pulled a chair up next to the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was shot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can see that.\u201d\u00a0 I was treading on thin ice here.\u00a0 I needed to know what Joe knew without divulging any facts.\u00a0 Oh, who was I kidding?\u00a0 All I had was a mish mash of gossip, innuendo, and wild accusations.\u00a0 What did I have to lose by asking him straight out?<\/p>\n \u201cWhere have you been?\u00a0 Your family\u2019s worried sick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrying to figure out who shot me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to Sally?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe lowered his hand and stared at me with eyes I swear were almost black, then he lost focus. \u201cShe\u2019s dead,\u201d he choked.<\/p>\n So he knew.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou were the last one to see her alive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 The last person to see her alive was whoever killed her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho would do such a thing?\u00a0\u00a0 Shoot, now I was sounding like George Bristol.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHorace.\u00a0 Horace could have done it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorace is a mouse . . . a meek, mild-mannered bank clerk and he has an alibi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t see him that night.\u00a0 He was an animal.\u00a0 He could have gone back to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one saw him, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSally did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s enough, Clem,\u201d Doc said. \u201cI need to get fluids into him and stabilize his blood pressure.\u00a0 You can talk to him this evening at the earliest; tomorrow would be better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to have to ask you not to reveal Joe\u2019s presence here . . . to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy \u2018anyone,\u2019 you mean his family.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially his father.\u201d<\/p>\n Doc chuckled as he rolled down his sleeves. \u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re right, of course.\u00a0 Keeping Ben away from an injured son is like keeping a 700 lb. black bear from a beehive full of honey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s for Joe\u2019s own good.\u00a0 Everyone liked Sally and sentiments against him are running pretty high right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about the other chap?\u00a0 Harry something?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorace.\u00a0 Horace Perkins. No friends to speak of or enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhereas Joe has plenty of both.\u201d\u00a0 Doc nodded as he put his coat on.\u00a0 \u201cI understand your concerns, Clem.\u00a0 If Ben is seen hovering around it would alert those who would just as soon see a Cartwright hang as justice served.\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded.\u00a0 More than you know, Doc, more than you know<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cNevertheless, I have an ethical obligation to my patient\u2014chief of which is to do no harm.\u00a0 Infection is a very real danger, so are complications from the concussion. \u00a0Most important, over the years I have repeatedly witnessed how the presence of family and home affects Joe\u2019s ability to recover from injury or illness. It is my medical opinion separating father and son will do more harm than good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI respect your position, Doc, but understand I also took an oath\u2014an oath to uphold the rule of law in the name of justice.\u00a0 Right now, Joe is a suspect as well as a victim.\u00a0 While I have a right to hold him for questioning, I also have an obligation to protect him from vigilantes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs Joe under arrest?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet, but there\u2019s a limit to how long I can avoid asking for a warrant when all evidence\u2014circumstantial though it may be\u2014points to him.\u00a0 I am not asking you to harbor a fugitive, but I need to keep Joe under wraps until I can get the rest of his story.\u201d<\/p>\n Doc Martin understood all too well his precarious position\u2014and mine.\u00a0 I listened as he weighed his words carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cDeputy, it is my opinion that moving my patient prematurely would endanger his life and obstruct your ability to bring Sally Bristol\u2019s murderer to justice.\u00a0 I therefore insist Joe Cartwright remain where he is for the next 48 hours before being incarcerated, if such action in deed becomes necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n As I wove through early morning traffic on C Street on my way back to the jail, it occurred to me the one thing Doc had not promised was to refrain from notifying Joe\u2019s family.<\/p>\n By midday, it didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n \u201cBen Cartwright\u2019s been shot!\u201d<\/p>\n The cry echoed through the streets and reached me before I saw a wagon with Hoss at the reins roll past the jail.\u00a0 The wagon didn\u2019t stop until it reached the corner where Paul Martin\u2019s office was located.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened, Hoss?\u201d I panted, when I finally caught up to him.<\/p>\n \u201cDang fool Clyde Wilson got trigger happy, that\u2019s what happened. And Pa ain\u2019t been shot, but he was dragged a piece through Rowan Gulch.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked banged up all right, but he was conscious.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, Clem,\u201d he said as he tried to sit up.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t look it to me.\u00a0 You hold still and I\u2019ll go get the Doc.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Deputy.\u00a0 I\u2019m right here,\u201d Doc Martin said coming down the steps from his office and climbing into the back of the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Ben.\u00a0 Let\u2019s see what trouble you\u2019ve gotten yourself into this time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss?\u201d I inquired again.<\/p>\n \u201cPosse spotted Cochise down in Six Mile Canyon and me, Harvey, and Pa were circling to get close enough for a lasso.\u00a0 You know how skittish that mare can be when Joe ain\u2019t around.\u00a0 More so when she smells blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBlood?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the saddle.\u00a0 Lots of it.\u00a0 Pa was wiping it off with his green bandana\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014Don\u2019t tell me . . . .\u201d I groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 Clyde rode up, saw the black and white paint and something green\u00a0and started shooting.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s foot was caught in the rope when Cochise spooked and took off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou men,\u201d Doc called to the gawkers standing around the wagon, \u201cgrab the blanket under him and lift carefully.\u00a0 Take him inside, please.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben protested, \u201cHoss, you just turn this wagon around and take me back to the ranch!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOut of the question!\u201d Paul countered.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, the Doc\u2019s right.\u00a0 You know how rough the ride home in a wagon is.\u00a0 What if you\u2019re busted up inside?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Ben was emphatic, but he winced when he said it.<\/p>\n It was then I got me an idea.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, didn\u2019t George Bristol take up your invitation to spend a few days on the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure did, Clem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen I\u2019m sure he wouldn\u2019t mind if Ben stayed at his house for\u2014\u201d I turned to Paul with a raised eyebrow, \u201c\u2014how long would you say?\u201d<\/p>\n The spectators murmured at this development no doubt bewildered by the notion that both fathers were still speaking, but Paul understood what I was doing.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least 48 hours or until I\u2019m sure there are no internal injuries.\u00a0 Let me grab my bag and I\u2019ll go with you, Hoss, so I can see Ben is settled properly.\u201d\u00a0 At the top of the stoop he turned and spoke loudly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd, Clyde . . . I want to see you on Friday for an eye exam!\u201d<\/p>\n At that, the crowd laughed and began to disperse.<\/p>\n Things were finally looking up.\u00a0 Joe was already recuperating at Bristol\u2019s and Ben would soon join him.\u00a0 Doc could care for both without raising undue suspicion, which would give me the breathing room I needed to find the answers I\u2019d been seeking.<\/p>\n I should have known better.<\/em><\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n By evening, Horace Perkins was dead.<\/p>\n According to witnesses, he\u2019d been shot in the back by an unknown assailant not a block from the boarding house. He called for his kind landlady Mrs. Cutler with his last breath.\u00a0 So sad.\u00a0 Such a nice young man.\u00a0 You know he and Sally Bristol were to be married.\u00a0 May God rest their souls together for all eternity.<\/em><\/p>\n Unfortunately, a block from the boarding house also meant a block from where Joe was hold up.\u00a0 I nearly stopped breathing until the coroner set the time of death well after the Cartwrights and the doctor were all together under one roof.\u00a0 Even so, to reveal Joe\u2019s whereabouts before I knew the full story would be the ruination of us all, not to mention what the proximity of a murder suspect to another murder scene would do in the hands of a skilled prosecutor.<\/p>\n As a lawman, I was sworn to deal in facts, not supposition, and certainly not play favorites because I knew the suspect and his family.\u00a0 The Cartwrights were at the center of political, business, and social circles Virginia City and beyond.\u00a0 And although a quick temper and fast gun got Joe into a lot of trouble over the years, he was a Cartwright through and through which meant he was a law abiding citizen who owned up to his mistakes and took responsibility for his actions.\u00a0 I had to give him a chance to clear his name.<\/p>\n Doc Martin didn\u2019t look pleased when I entered the residence after supper that evening.\u00a0 Ben was sleeping upstairs in the same room with Joe while Hoss read in a chair by the door.\u00a0 The doctor and I spoke in whispers in the foyer.<\/p>\n \u201cHow is Ben?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cBruised and battered, but he\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cImproving, but he needs more time before you start badgering him with questions.\u00a0 The concussion is more severe than I first thought; he\u2019s quite nauseous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Doc, but I am out of time.\u00a0 Horace Perkins is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou and I both know Joe was here when it happened, but the rest of the world doesn\u2019t and there\u2019s going to be hell to pay if I don\u2019t get answers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Give me some time to wake them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got 15 minutes.\u00a0 And Doc,\u201d I warned, \u00a0\u201csay nothing about Perkins.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n When I returned to the house, everyone\u00a0had assembled in the downstairs parlor.\u00a0 Joe lay propped up on the chaise lounge, Hoss standing behind him and the window with Ben sitting in a chair at his feet where he could watch over his youngest son.\u00a0 The Doc hovered off to the side, stethoscope, basin, and syringe at the ready.<\/p>\n “Sorry to have to do this, Joe, but I need answers now.\u201d \u00a0The look Ben and Hoss gave me could have curdled milk. \u00a0Joe was more receptive.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand,\u201d he said, looking past me to the foyer.\u00a0 The anguish on his face was difficult to witness. \u00a0Nevertheless, I plunged ahead. \u201cI need to know what happened after you and Sally left the dance.”<\/p>\n He nodded.\u00a0 “We were hungry and stopped for a bite to eat at . . . um . . . the new Italian place near the International House.<\/p>\n “Luigi’s?”<\/p>\n “Yeah, that’s right.”\u00a0 Joe shot me a look. “If you knew, why did you ask?”<\/p>\n “Just doing my job, you know that.”<\/p>\n “My son does not lie,” Ben interjected, but I ignored him.<\/p>\n “Folks heard you fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n “It wasn’t a fight, Clem. It was an argument and it wasn’t serious.”<\/p>\n “Musta been serious enough to get thrown out.”<\/p>\n “Joe,” Ben said, “just tell what happened.”<\/p>\n “We argued about china.”<\/p>\n “China?” I exclaimed.\u00a0 “What in heaven’s name does China have to do with anything?”<\/p>\n “Not the country.\u00a0 Dishes.\u00a0 We were arguing about the pattern she picked out.\u00a0 I didn’t like it.\u00a0 We were discussing it.\u00a0\u00a0 All right, we were discussing it loudly and we were asked to leave. What of it?”<\/p>\n “Where did you go?”<\/p>\n Defiant, Joe shouted, “Nowhere!” then dropped his eyes in submission.\u00a0 “We wandered past the opera house until we ran out of boardwalk.\u00a0 Sally didn’t want to get her new shoes muddy, so we cut over to C Street and decided to stop at the Emporium for an ice cream before heading back to her house. We were sitting on the porch when we saw Horace.\u00a0 I didn’t like the way he talked to her, but Sally insisted he was harmless.\u00a0 She felt sorry for him.”<\/p>\n “What was he doing?”<\/p>\n “He was drunk.”<\/p>\n “He said you struck him.\u00a0 Did you?<\/p>\n “No!\u00a0\u00a0 He fell and I tried to help him stand but he came at me like a madman . . . \u00a0he put his hands around my neck so I pushed him away and told him to go home.”<\/p>\n \u201cClem,\u201d Hoss interrupted, pointing at Joe and raising the lamp so I could see the thumb-shaped bruises on his brother’s throat.<\/p>\n I made a note in my book and proceeded.\u00a0 “What then?”<\/p>\n “Sally and I talked a bit more, then I left.”<\/p>\n “Sally was alive when you left?”<\/p>\n “Yes,” Joe whispered. “I kissed her goodnight and she locked the door behind me.”<\/p>\n “What time was that?”<\/p>\n “I don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe rubbed his forehead and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThe Emporium closed at 9 o’clock.\u00a0 It\u2019s a 5 or 10 minute walk to her house, another few minutes to deal with Horace. \u00a0\u00a0Maybe 9:15 . . . 9:30 max.\u00a0 That\u2019s the best I can do.\u00a0 I don’t carry a watch.”<\/p>\n “What did you do then?”<\/p>\n “I checked Cochise\u2019s cinch, mounted up and rode out.”<\/p>\n “Did you go straight home?”<\/p>\n He shook his head.<\/p>\n “Why not?”<\/p>\n Joe had struggled to maintain his composure throughout the interrogation but everyone could see he was losing ground.\u00a0 He dropped his head toward the back of the chaise and threw his arm across his face.<\/p>\n \u201cSon, why did you go back to Sally\u2019s?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n Muffled, but still audible, Joe continued, “I wanted coffee in the worst way and that started me thinking how all my life Hop Sing has served coffee in those dainty red and white teacups.\u00a0 It\u2019s absurd really when you think about it. \u00a0A household of men\u2014mostly BIG men at that\u2014sipping away like the Queen of England at high tea.\u00a0 I mean . . . forget how silly Hoss looks with those massive hands of his wrapped around essentially a thimble . . . how’s that tiny cup supposed to quench a man’s thirst, ya know?\u201d\u00a0 Joe lowered his arm and held his father\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cThen it dawned on me . . . the reason we drink coffee out of those tea cups is because mama picked out that china.\u00a0 And I realized it\u2019s just one of those compromises you make when you love someone.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben blinked and a series of twitches softened the hard line of his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I turned around and went back to tell Sally whatever pattern she picked out would be just fine with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben put his hand on Joe’s leg and squeezed.<\/p>\n I flipped through the pages of my notebook to check the facts. “You were seen entering the Bristol residence shortly after 10 p.m.\u00a0 The witness heard arguing and said you left just before George found Sally dead.”<\/p>\n “That’s a lie.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shouted and started to rise but fell back.\u00a0 Hoss put his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder as much to steady as restrain him.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you telling me you didn\u2019t return to the Bristol residence?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 I don\u2019t deny returning and I told you why. When I got to the house the door was ajar.\u00a0 I pushed it open and saw Sally lying there.\u00a0 As soon as I crossed the threshold, I got clobbered from behind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you see who it was?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you remember next?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe put a hand over his mouth and mumbled, \u201cI\u2019m going to be sick.\u201d<\/p>\n A basin appeared but Joe waived it off.\u00a0 \u201cWater.\u00a0 Just some water.\u201d<\/p>\n He took small sips and closed his eyes.\u00a0 Hoss put a cold cloth on his head and Joe lay that way for some time.\u00a0 Eventually, he drew deeper breaths and his respiration evened out.\u00a0 I thought he had fallen asleep when his eyes opened wide.<\/p>\n \u201cPink,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPink shoes.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n Holy Toledo! <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t anybody move,\u201d I shouted and ran out the door.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n I returned less than 5 minutes later dragging Mrs. Cutler behind me and ignoring her protests.<\/p>\n \u201cLet go of me!\u00a0 Where are you taking me?\u00a0 What is the meaning of this?\u00a0 Why are you in this house?\u201d<\/p>\n When she saw Joe Cartwright flanked by his father and brother, she screamed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou!\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019re the reason my Horace is dead!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorace is dead?\u201d\u00a0 Everyone exclaimed at once.<\/p>\n Joe sat up straighter, his eyes more focused than they had been all evening.\u00a0 Clearly the news was as much a surprise to him as anyone else. Slowly, he began nodding as if putting the pieces of the puzzle together in his head . . . pieces I wished he would share with the rest of us.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have long to wait.<\/p>\n Joe had always suspected Horace, but before it was just a feeling.\u00a0 Now, he said it with conviction, \u201cHorace killed Sally.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHorace would never harm Sally,\u201d Mrs. Cutler protested.\u00a0 \u201cHe loved her.\u00a0 You are the one out of control, Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 Riding wild through the streets!\u00a0 Everyone knows about you!\u00a0 Once you even pulled a gun on your own father, you think I don\u2019t know about that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a long time ago.\u00a0 I was young and foolish and I am ashamed of what I did, but not for the reason behind it\u2014then or now\u2014and . . . I never pulled the trigger.\u00a0 I have never shot anyone in cold blood, Mrs. Cutler. \u00a0Can you say the same?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI warned my son Jimmy about you.\u00a0 You were trouble Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 Cocky, fresh . . . a new girl every week.\u00a0 The kind of boy that gave my Jimmy a hard time. You think parents in this town didn’t know about you and warn their daughters away?\u00a0 George Bristol only let you think Sally was interested in order to get your daddy’s money into his bank!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJimmy was my friend.\u00a0\u00a0 I helped him get over his stuttering and shyness with girls.\u00a0 I set him up with Annamarie, remember that?\u00a0 His first girlfriend.\u00a0 You didn’t like that, did you, Mrs. Cutler?\u00a0 Because that meant Jimmy wouldn’t need you as much.\u00a0 And if he hadn’t died of diphtheria, he would have found another life away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not true!\u00a0 My son loved me, he would never leave me!\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n \u201cSo when Horace came to Virginia City you made him a substitute for Jimmy.\u00a0 But Horace was going to leave you, too.\u00a0 If not with Sally, then with some other girl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no.\u00a0 Horace would never leave me.\u00a0 He needed me.\u00a0 I encouraged Horace to ask Sally to the dance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure you did.\u00a0 Because you knew she would say no.\u00a0 She was engaged to me, so she was a safe bet.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe had been focused solely on Mrs. Cutler but now he looked at each of us in turn.\u00a0 \u201cI knew Horace loved Sally; you could tell by the way he looked at her, always fawning, coming to her \u2018rescue\u2019 at the dance.\u00a0 I told her as much and we laughed about it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re right, Mrs. Cutler.\u00a0 Horace loved Sally and wanted to marry her.\u00a0 But when he killed her you knew then he would go away . . .to jail or to the gallows and you would lose him anyway.\u00a0 So you went to the Bristols to remove any evidence.\u00a0 Only I showed up first. You were the one who hit me from behind and when I staggered, you pulled my gun from its holster and shot me.\u201d\u00a0 Joe pointed at the rose-colored slippers on Mrs. Cutler\u2019s feet.\u00a0 \u201cYours were the pink shoes I saw before I blacked out.\u201d<\/p>\n It all made sense, all of it.\u00a0 I faced Mrs. Cutler and picked up where Joe left off.<\/p>\n \u201cYou put the gun in Sally’s hand to make it look like a lover’s quarrel gone wrong before running back to the boarding house.\u00a0 But Joe wasn\u2019t dead, only unconscious and then he disappeared. \u00a0\u00a0Is that why you were confused when I mentioned Sally died, but not Joe, Mrs. Cutler?\u00a0 Were you worried he was still alive and could contradict your version of what happened?\u00a0 Is that why you sent Horace to see me? \u00a0You knew we were looking for both of them and you wanted the search to focus solely on Joe.\u00a0 In fact, you wanted a posse, not a search party.\u00a0 A posse with vengeance in their hearts!\u201d<\/p>\n Hysterical by now, Mrs. Cutler kept screaming, \u201cNo, no!\u201d\u00a0 Doc stuck a syringe in her arm and when he got her under control, I turned my attention back to Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cYou came to after George left to find me.\u00a0 Where did you go?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe hung his head and it took him a moment to speak, his voice choked with grief.\u00a0 \u201cHer golden hair looked so pretty all fanned out around her shoulders, flowers in her hair.\u00a0 I\u2019d picked them for her that afternoon and she wove them into kind of a crown, you know?\u00a0 I told her she was my fairy tale princess.\u00a0 Only there she was . . . dead and there wasn\u2019t going to be any happily ever after.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t know who had murdered Sally and shot me, so I ran. \u00a0But I also remembered Inspector Foote says the perpetrator always returns to the scene of the crime, so I turned Cochise loose and headed back on foot. \u00a0By that time there were search parties everywhere and I didn’t know who to trust.”<\/p>\n “That’s why you came to the jail.”<\/p>\n Joe nodded.\u00a0 “I figured it was the last place anyone would look. Only I lost my footing on the roof and fell.”<\/p>\n “Not surprising, son, with no food,” Ben remarked.<\/p>\n “I didn’t need food, Pa.\u00a0 Only justice for Sally.”<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n In time, Joe\u2019s physical injuries healed, though his soul remained wounded.<\/p>\n A jury viewed Horace\u2019s last words as confirmation of his assailant\u2019s identity and they convicted Mrs. Cutler of murder.\u00a0 She was committed to an asylum for the criminally insane to live out her days.\u00a0 During her trial, she revealed Horace had told her he killed Sally \u201cby mistake\u201d only intending to silence her, not break her neck.<\/p>\n Joe wanted Horace to pay for that mistake.\u00a0 His family and I tried to convince him Horace\u2019s death at the hands of another was divine retribution, but in Joe\u2019s mind, it was not the same as a conviction in a court of law.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t convict a dead man,\u201d I told him.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe divine retribution is the same as eternal justice and the best we can hope for.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me with vacant eyes and whispered, \u201cSally\u2019s still dead.\u00a0 Where\u2019s the justice in that?\u201d<\/p>\n