Easy there,” I said as I holstered the Schofield and dropped the gun in my left hand on the floor. “I’m Deputy U.S. Marshal and Secret Service Agent Miles Forrest, escorting a prisoner to Canon City.”
“Let me see some credentials,” he ordered.
Slowly I opened my jacket and reached inside my vest pocket where I carried my marshal’s badge. Handing it over to him I said, “You might want to get a doctor for these two.” Both Lillian and Billy were bleeding. “May I check him out?”
I stooped down and laid Billy out. He was barely conscious. The bullet had entered his shoulder, breaking his collarbone as part of it was sticking out. I had no idea where the bullet traveled from there. It was still in his body and any movement might push it into his lung, if it was not already there.
“Forrest,” he moaned. “I hurt.”
“Easy, Billy. The doc is on the way.”
“Marshal, you mind tellin’ me what is goin’ on here?” inquired the sheriff.
Looking up at him I nodded toward the place where I shot the other two men. “You might want to try and find those two men.” I gave my attention to Billy who had passed out.
I stood up, then sat back on the bench. I pulled my pistol from the holster and the sheriff stiffened. “Just reloadin’,” I said. “There are still two men out there who tried to kill me and they may have friends hangin’ about.” I sighed, “You might want to check out the woman, she’s bleedin’ some.”
“Marshal, I’m certainly confused, and I ain’t heard nothin’ of no Secret Service,” he muttered.
I smiled, “That’s why it’s secret.” That brought a scowl from him. I went on to briefly explain. “The Secret Service works for the U.S. Treasury Department, counterfeiting, fraud, protection of gold, and the such.”
It seemed like it was taking forever for a doctor to show up. Billy was still alive as I would hear him moan from time to time. The sheriff had one of his deputies wrap up Lillian’s leg to stem the flow of blood. I didn’t look closely, but it seemed like she shot herself where the leg bones connected with the foot. Likely to have permanent damage.
I was briefing the sheriff on what had happened, when finally the doctor showed up. He glanced around and immediately went to help Lillian.
“Who hit this poor woman? Why she’s likely to have a concussion,” he remarked.
“I did. I needed a way to make sure she was out of the action,” I paused and smiled. “She shot herself after she shot this man.”
The doctor and one of the deputies lifted Lillian up on one of the benches. He then came to look at Billy. “Oh my. That’s a terrible break. I don’t know how to repair it. He’ll have to go to Denver for help.”
“Doc, the bullet is still in him,” I said calmly.
Reaching in his bag, he pulled out scissors and began to cut the shirt and undershirt off Billy. “Why, he’s chained?”
“Prisoner, on his way to Canon City.”
He reached back in his bag and pulled out a scalpel. “Hold him, but watch that shoulder.” I saw him cut on Billy’s upper chest. In just a few seconds he held a bullet in his hands. “It was just under his skin. It must have been deflected after hitting his shoulder bone. He’s lucky.”
I looked at his shoulder and thought “Sure, lucky.”
“Listen,” he looked at me and the sheriff. “I need to get that bone back under his skin. One of you pull his arm and the other hold onto him and hold him still while I push down on the bone and then bandage him tight,” he shook his head. “I’m worried that infection might set in since the bone has been exposed.”
There came a scream and Billy went limp.
“What happened?” asked the Sheriff.
The doctor was checking him out. He looked at me and said, “He’s dead. His heart just gave out. The shock and the pain must have been too much.”
The four of us stood there looking at Billy, dead on the station floor. At least he won’t have to serve time in prison. I sure hope he had time to make things right with his Maker.
Then we heard the sound of a pistol being cocked. Lillian had regained consciousness and had picked up the pistol that was on the floor.
I smiled at her…