Tess's Final Revenge

(THE SEQUEL TO FALSE WITNESS)

By Hope

INTRO TO TESS'S FINAL REVENGE

This is the sequel to False Witness. I want to thank Becky for her great advice & research on several points and for posting this on the Yahoo Tales of the Ponderosa site for me and to Kierin for posting it on the Angelfire Tales of the Ponderosa site. I'd like to thank Janet for several requests she made after False Witness came out which prompted me to write this story. I want to thank David Dortort for creating his wonderful Cartwright characters & The Ponderosa writers whose episodes I've alluded to in this story & in False Witness. And I want to thank Matt, Danny, Drew and Jared for their terrific portrayals of the younger Cartwrights which make it so easy to write these stories. The usual disclaimers apply. Rated PG I believe.

It had been a little over two weeks since Adam Cartwright regained consciousness after his altercation with his middle brother, Hoss. Adam had sustained a severe concussion when his brother, believing Tess Greene's lies of Adam's betrayal, struck out at him in anger. The brothers had since reconciled and Tess had gone to San Francisco to stay with a friend. No one in the Cartwright family was sad to see her go. In fact, they were secretly hoping her temporary visit would turn into a permanent arrangement and they would never have to set eyes on her again.

Ben Cartwright anticipated a return to normalcy after the tumultuous times the family had gone through when they feared for Adam's life. Though his son had been suffering some aftereffects of his head injury, Ben prayed the symptoms were temporary and that his son would eventually make a full recovery.

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The rest of the family had gone into town that afternoon while Adam remained behind. Ben had been a little apprehensive about leaving his son alone for the first time since his injury, but Adam, a little irritated about being mollycoddled for so long, assured him he would be all right.

It was near dusk when the family, including Hop Sing, arrived back at the ranch. Leaving the horses for Hoss and Little Joe to take care of, Ben and Hop Sing headed into the house carrying some supplies. As they walked in, Ben glanced around but didn't see Adam. He set a carton of goods down on the table, took off his hat and coat, and went to the boys' bedroom door. He started to reach for the handle just as it opened and Adam appeared, looking a little sleepy.

"Hey, Pa. Just get here?"

"Yes. We wake you?"

Adam rubbed his hand over his eyes for a moment. "Just fell asleep for a minute." He walked out into the main room and over to help Hop Sing put the supplies away.

Ben went to the fireplace next to the table to light it so Hop Sing could start preparing dinner. Once that was done, he went into the main room to get the other one started and noticed the lack of firewood. "Adam, we're low on wood."

Adam looked over. "I'll go get some." He headed outside. Carrying firewood in was one of the few chores Ben had allowed Adam to resume since being injured. A little puzzled that the task had not been finished while the rest of the family had been away in town, Ben figured his son must have needed to rest that afternoon and decided that was more important than the timely retrieval of the wood.

The boys finished up their chores, Hop Sing quickly reheated the previous night's stew and the family sat down to dinner.

"Taggert stop by for the new lumber contracts I signed?" Ben asked his eldest son as he passed the stew over to Hoss.

Adam nodded while putting a piece of bread on his plate. "Yeah. Came by about an hour after you left."

"He say anything about those changes?"

Adam looked over at him blankly. "Changes?"

Ben passed the bread plate over to his middle son. "The ones I asked you to point out to him."

Adam looked at his father questioningly. "Pa, what are you talking about? I gave him the contracts like you asked."

Little Joe piped up, "But Pa said for you to show him the changes. I heard him tell ya last night."

"Joseph, stay out of this."

"But, Pa..."

Ben shot his youngest son a warning look, then glanced over at Adam, who looked from his brothers to his father in frustration. "You didn’t tell me about any changes, Pa."

Hoss kept quiet and tried to focus on his meal. Hop Sing and Ben exchanged a quick glance then Ben started buttering his bread. "It’s all right. I’ll take care of it tomorrow, Adam."

Little Joe still felt compelled to cast his stones upon the water. "But, Pa, you said those changes were real important! I heard ya."

His father once again gave his youngest son a warning glare. "This doesn’t concern you, Joseph."

Adam looked from Little Joe to his father. "But it does concern me, right?"

"It could've happened to any of us."

Hop Sing and Hoss remained conspicuously silent.

Adam glanced around the table and saw the concerned faces of his father, Hoss and Hop Sing and the obstinate look on his little brother’s face. "No. I must have forgotten this, too. I’m sorry, Pa." He started to rise.

His father reached out to halt him gently. "Adam, wait. Please finish your dinner. It doesn’t matter."

"I’m not hungry." He looked around the table. "Excuse me. I’m going for a walk." With that, he went to the door, grabbed his hat and jacket, and stepped outside. His family watched him go.

After the door closed, Joe complained, "Pa, I heard ya tell him."

"What’d ya have to go and make him feel bad for, Little Joe?" Hoss scolded.

"Me? What’d I do?!"

Ben again exchanged a look with Hop Sing then looked over at his youngest son. "Little Joe, I told you before Adam is still trying to get better from his injury."

"Is that why he forgot?"

"Yes, I think so."

Little Joe thought this over for a moment. He glanced around to see everyone looking at him. "Well, gosh, it’s not my fault!"

Hoss poked at the food on his plate. "Yes it is."

"How was I s’pposed to know?!"

"Eat," Hop Sing advised. "Food get cold."

"Hop Sing is right, Boys." Ben grabbed his fork and plunged it into his stew. "Eat your dinner."

Little Joe picked up his fork but hesitated before eating. "But what about Adam, Pa?"

Ben had some stew on his fork and stared at it in thought for a moment before bringing it to his lips. "Just leave him be." He looked at his youngest son. "And don’t worry him about anything."

Little Joe opened his mouth to say something else but decided against it. He nodded solemnly and started eating. Hoss glanced over at his father then at Hop Sing. The cook smiled reassuringly at the middle son. Hoss gave a half-smile back in his direction and resumed eating in silence.

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A few days later, Shelby Starrett was leaning up against a post next to her saloon, looking bored and watching as the stagecoach came to a halt outside Jack Wolf’s hotel. She absently chewed on her stogy as she watched a few passengers disembark. She was surprised to see Tess Greene emerge from the stage and, curious, she went over to investigate.

Tess grasped her two bags and looked around as the stage pulled out once again.

Shelby walked up to her. "What in the world are ya doin’ back so soon, Tess?"

"Oh, hello, Shelby. You seen my Ma?"

Shelby shook her head. "Not today. She know yer comin’?"

Tess nodded her head. "Yeah. But the stage was early."

"Well, why don’t ya come over ta my place and have a sarsaparilla while yer waitin’? Them stagecoach rides can get mighty long and I’ll bet yer thirsty as all git out."

"You’re right about that. Thanks."

Shelby led Tess over to the saloon. There was only one other patron in the whole place, nursing the same drink for the past half hour. Shelby shot him an irritated glance as she walked in then went behind the bar, grabbed a bottle and glass, and poured Tess her drink. "Here ya go."

Tess reached for it. "Thanks." She sipped it.

"So ya never answered me. What are ya doin’ back so soon? I thought ya were gonna stay with yer friend for awhile."

"Changed my mind."

Shelby suspected there was some kind of mystery afoot. "San Francisco didn’t agree with ya?"

Tess shrugged. "No."

The bar owner studied her for a few moments. "Wanna talk about it?"

Tess looked up at her cautiously. "Talk about what?"

Shelby poured herself some whiskey and put the bottle down. "Whatever it is that’s eatin’ at ya."

Tess just shook her head.

"Well, suit yerself," Shelby shrugged. She downed her shot of whiskey and went over to wait on the other customer. Tess took another sip of her drink and looked out the window searching for her mother’s carriage.

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Eli Orowitz was a little surprised to see Ben Cartwright coming into his store. "Hello, Ben. Forget something the other day?"

Cartwright walked over to the counter where Eli was working on a ledger. "I had to come to town and thought I’d stop by. Did the newspaper come in yet?"

"Ah, yes." Eli looked on the shelf behind him and removed a single newspaper from a small stack. "Here it is."

Ben reached in his pocket and laid a coin down on the counter. "Thank you."

"How is Adam doing, Ben?"

Ben stuffed the paper under an arm. "He’s coming along."

Eli noted the hesitancy in his voice and raised his eyebrows, waiting for Cartwright to continue. Ben saw the look and added, "He's still having some problems but we’re hoping it's only temporary."

"Tell him we hope he's better soon."

"I will."

Ben started to turn but Eli stopped him with a quick, "Wait."

Cartwright looked at him curiously.

"Ben, Tess Greene has returned."

This wasn’t what Eli's friend wanted to hear. "Oh, no."

"Yes. She came in on the stagecoach today."

"I was hoping she'd be gone for awhile."

"I know."

Ben sighed and looked over at his friend. Orowitz looked at him with concern. "What are you going to do?"

"I don’t know. I don’t think Maggie really knows why Tess left. It’s going to be difficult having to explain to Margaret but I want to make sure her daughter stays away from my family."

"Yes."

"Well--tell Ruth hello for me."

"I will."

Ben smiled at his friend and left.

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Ben thought it best not to tell his family the news about Tess’s return. He figured they’d find out soon enough and he didn’t want Adam or Hoss worried about it any sooner than necessary. With luck, Tess would heed Ben’s warning of several weeks ago and stay clear of the Ponderosa and his family.

That night, Hop Sing adjourned to his room to write a letter, Hoss and Little Joe played checkers in the main room near the fireplace, Ben sat on the settee reading a book, while Adam stayed over at the dinner table reading the Alta California which his father had picked up in town for him. Well, he was trying to read it. Adam had discovered since his "accident" that his concentration level wasn’t what it used to be. He would find himself reading lines of text in books and articles over and over again until he would inevitably give up in frustration and quit reading altogether. His father encouraged him to be patient when doing tasks he found to be more difficult since being injured, but he’d never been a patient person to begin with. His patience was wearing even thinner than normal these days.

"Did not!" Joe shouted at Hoss.

The yelling grated on Adam’s nerves and he closed his eyes as he cringed at the sound.

"Did too!" Hoss shouted right back at him.

"Boys," Ben cautioned patiently, unaware of the effect the shouting was having on his eldest son.

"Pa, tell Hoss I didn’t cheat!" Joe cried loudly.

"Did so! I saw ya!" Hoss hollered.

Adam again tried to focus on the article in front of him and took a deep breath.

"I had my piece right there!" Joe yelled, as Ben tried to ignore them.

"No, you didn’t! I saw you move it!"

"I didn't move...!"

"Stop!" Adam wailed while getting up and crushing his newspaper in frustration. The rest of the family was stunned. Adam didn’t catch the look of shock on their faces as he hollered, "It’s just a stupid game! Why are you yelling about it?!"

Hop Sing came out of his room to see what all of the shouting was about. After a moment, Adam looked around and saw the looks on his family’s faces. He realized he had overreacted.

"I’m sorry, Adam," Little Joe said meekly

"Yeah. Me, too." Hoss put in, also meekly.

Adam looked from them to his father and then over at Hop Sing. He was at a loss to explain his outburst.

Ben got up and said calmly, "It’s all right, Son. They’ll hold it down." He turned to look at his other sons. "Right, Boys?"

Hoss and Little Joe nodded solemnly.

Adam looked again at his family, this time with a mixture of frustration and shame. He realized they were treating him like someone they had to continually make allowances for. But that wasn’t how he wanted to live. His eyes met his father's. "You don’t understand. None of you do!"

Letting the newspaper fall to the ground, he hurried outside.

Ben rose quickly and went out to find his eldest son as Hoss and Little Joe stared at each other in confusion.

Adam was sitting in a chair on the porch, bent forward, with his forehead resting against his hands as his father came out and over to him. It was dark outside except for the moon’s rays shining over the land. Ben came over to his son and put his hand on Adam’s back. "It’s all right, Son."

Adam kept his position and replied forlornly, "No, it’s not all right."

Ben sat down next to him. "Want to talk about it?"

Adam shook his head and gave a heavy sigh.

Ben watched his son for a little while, feeling his apprehension. "Adam, tell me how I can help."

Adam took his hands away from his face, leaned up and looked into his father's eyes. "You can't help, Pa. Nobody can."

"I know it's frustrating."

Adam nodded.

"But you're gonna get over this."

Adam glanced skyward and gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Yeah."

"I've never known you to give up so easily, Adam."

"What am I supposed to do? It's like I have no control over any of this."

"But you do, Son."

"How?"

"This just happened a few weeks ago. You have to be patient."

Adam groaned and stepped off the porch for a moment, then turned back toward his father. "Be patient? I've been patient! And it's getting worse!"

"It just seems that way to you, Son."

Adam took a moment to consider those words. Ben saw an opening and stepped off the porch to go over to him. "It just seems that way, Adam. The headaches are easing up a little aren't they?"

Adam nodded reluctantly.

"And your memory is getting a little better." He added lightly, "You remembered to shave today."

Adam grinned a little at that. This had been the first day since Hoss had struck him that he was finally able to shave, as his jaw had been too tender up until this point.

His father smiled reassuringly and remarked, "You're getting better, Adam. Trust me."

Adam thought about it but wasn't convinced. "But I yelled in there, Pa."

"It's all right. If you hadn't, I was about to."

Adam gave a slight chuckle.

"Or Hop Sing would've come out and done something about it."

Adam laughed. His father was pleased to hear that.

"I know what you need, Son. You need to get away from this ranch for a little while. There's a social this Saturday in town. Maybe you're up for a wagon trip?"

Adam considered this then shook his head. "No. I'm not ready. I still get dizzy."

"We better not take a chance then. There'll be other socials."

"But I want you to go, Pa. And the others."

"No, we'll go some other time."

Adam gave another sigh and walked slightly away, then turned back. "You're doing it again."

"What?"

"I don't need the family hovering over me."

"We're not..."

"Yes, you are. And it's not helping."

"You want us to just desert you?"

"You're not deserting me. You're just going out for a few hours. I don't need anyone here watching over me."

Ben considered Adam's words.

"All right, Son. We'll go. If that's what you want."

Adam gave a half-smile. "Yes. It's what I want."

Ben went over to him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's tell the boys they're going to the social." Adam nodded and they headed to the door.

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Tess knew she’d have to make things right with the Cartwrights if she was going to keep living near the small town of Eagle Station. She hadn’t told her mother the reason she had left so suddenly with Cynthia, and thankfully Ben Cartwright apparently had not informed her mother of the reason either. As far as Tess knew, only she, Cynthia, the Cartwrights, Hop Sing and possibly Eli and Ruth Orowitz were aware of what had transpired prior to Adam’s injury. And she wanted to keep it that way.

She had been so relieved when her mother wrote to her in San Francisco informing her that they were hopeful Adam would make a full recovery. She had never intended for anything horrible to happen to him when she had told Hoss a few white lies to make him think Adam was vying for Tess’s affection. But at the time she had been angry with Adam for treating her so harshly the day before when she had merely wanted to spend some time with him. When she and her friend Cynthia had considered how to pay him back, Tess had only meant to cause a little trouble for the oldest Cartwright son, not endanger his life! Goodness! It had all started with just a harmless desire to get Adam to notice her.

Tess kept to the ranch ever since returning from her trip. She hadn’t decided yet how best to approach the Cartwrights and thought it wise to avoid town altogether until she had devised a good course of action. Her mother was a little surprised that her daughter hadn’t gone to town or over to the Ponderosa upon her return, but whenever she would bring the subject up, Tess would just mumble some excuse and quickly mention some other topic.

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Mrs. Greene returned from town and came into the house carrying a bundle of goods in her arms. Her daughter went over quickly to help her mother.

"Thank you, Tess," Maggie said as she handed the items to her. Tess started putting things away in the nearby pantry. Margaret pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and looked over at her daughter while mentioning, "There’s a social in town tomorrow night."

Tess kept to her task of putting the things away and replied casually, "Oh?"

"Be a good chance for you to see everybody."

Tess shrugged and pretended to be totally involved in her work. Maggie looked over at her a little puzzled. "Tess? You’re going, aren’t you?"

Tess could feel her mother watching her and she looked up with a pleasant smile. "Of course."

Maggie smiled at her daughter. "Good." With that, she turned to go into another room. Tess watched her go and got a thoughtful look on her face.

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Tess had insisted on riding her horse to the social. This greatly surprised her mother as she was concerned for her daughter’s pretty dress, but Tess had assured her that it would be fine and that she was just in the mood to ride her horse.

Maggie stepped up into her buggy. "Don’t be long, Tess."

"I’ll be along later, Ma. Got some things to take care of."

Her mother was a bit curious at this, but smiled and slapped the reins to get her buggy moving. Tess watched her mother go off, then she turned and went over to her horse.

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It was just sundown as Tess reined her horse in on the outskirts of town, in good view of the Town Hall where the social was being held. She looked at all of the wagons, buggies and horses outside the building and figured most or all of the town had shown up. She dismounted, tethered her horse near a side alley, then strolled casually toward the back of the Town Hall, out of sight of the people attending the social.

Taking a step up on the back porch, she was able to peer in and look around without being spotted. Some people blocked her view of the entire room but she patiently waited and eventually they moved out of her line of sight. She glanced around and knew her instincts had been right. Hop Sing and all of the Cartwrights had come to the social with the exception of Adam. Perfect! With a satisfied little smile on her face, Tess stepped off the porch and headed back toward her horse, still out of view of everyone.

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"Hoss, I need to talk you," Ben whispered, pulling his son over to the side upon spotting Margaret Greene coming into the Town Hall.

Hoss was curious and waited for his father to explain.

"Hoss, I didn’t want to tell you or Adam until it was necessary, but Tess Greene is back in town."

His son grew concerned when he heard this. "She’s back?"

Ben nodded his head slowly.

"Ya think she’s coming here tonight?"

"She probably will."

Hoss thought about this for a moment then looked at his father. "What should I do, Pa?"

Ben sighed and shrugged. "I’m not sure, Hoss. Maybe she’ll keep away from us. But if not, you should just be civil to her and let it go at that."

"But, Pa, what if she wants to talk?"

Ben again shrugged. "Just keep your distance and don’t encourage her. All right?"

Hoss was worried but decided to take his father’s advice. He glanced nervously at the door in dreaded anticipation of Tess’s arrival. Ben felt for his son’s anxiety but also felt at a loss to know how to protect Hoss or the rest of his family from further contact with the girl.

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This was one of those times when Adam’s head reminded him that he hadn’t completely recovered from his injury. As if he needed that reminder! If he shut his eyes and kept completely still, he could keep the nauseous feeling under control that was being created by the constant throbbing in his skull and by the way the room seemed to spin every time he opened his eyes. He laid on his bed and tried to fall asleep in order to stop the turmoil. His family had left for the social about two hours ago and Adam hadn’t alerted them to how he was feeling because he didn’t want them to cancel their plans.

He groaned and put a hand over his eyes to try and get the room to come to a standstill.

The last thing Adam Cartwright needed right then was a visitor, but unfortunately the fates hadn’t being real kind to him lately and a visitor was exactly what he got.

The incessant pounding on the front door was going through him like fingernails on a blackboard and now was one of those times when Adam wished his father had let him have a gun. Not that he would’ve really used it on the unannounced guest, but he thought to himself wryly, ‘I’d be tempted.’

Groaning again, he got up gingerly and carefully walked toward the bedroom door.

A girl's voice called out, "Adam! Are you all right?"

Cartwright recognized the voice instantly. 'Tess!' he cringed.

The pounding on the door resumed. Making it slowly and cautiously over to the front door, Adam cringed once more as the banging continued. He pulled the latch back and opened the door.

"Hi, Ad...Oh, you look terrible!"

Adam looked out at Tess Greene through pain-filled eyes. "Why are you here, Tess?"

"I just wanted to apologize to you."

Adam took a breath to try and calm his stomach as his mind tried to comprehend what the girl was saying. "What?"

"I said I wanna apologize to you, Adam. I’m so sorry."

"Tess, can’t this wait?" Adam turned away and tried closing the door.

Tess stepped up and quickly put her hand out to stop the door while commenting, "You’re sick. Let me help."

Adam turned back towards her and gave a sarcastic chuckle. "No thanks. You’ve helped enough." He left the door open and walked slowly over to the settee. Then he sat down and put his head in his hands.

She came over to him. "Can I get ya anything?"

"No. Just go."

Tess looked around. "Want some tea or somethin’?"

"I want you to leave!" he said more forcefully with his head still in his hands.

"I can’t till I know you’re all right."

Adam lifted his head and looked wearily up at her. "I don’t need your help."

She sat down next to him. "I’m so sorry for what happened, Adam. Can’t you just forget it?"

Adam got up, grabbing the back of the settee for support. He took a careful breath. "No, Tess, I can’t forget it. Now I'm telling you one more time - leave!"

"But I didn’t mean for you to get hurt."

He'd had enough. How Adam did it in his condition, he’d never know, but he reached down, grabbed Tess’s arm, and yanked her over to the door.

"Adam, you’re hurting me!"

"Good! Then we’re even!" Adam promptly pushed her out the door, closed it hard, then fell back against it and closed his eyes. He tried to take some steady breaths.

After a few moments, he was relieved to hear a horse riding off. Adam slid down to the floor with his back against the door and again rested his head in his hands.

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Jack Wolf sauntered up to Margaret Greene at the social. "Somethin’ wrong?"

Margaret had been intently keeping an eye on the front door of the Town Hall and was slightly startled by the interruption. "Oh,--no. I don’t think so. I’m just waiting for my daughter."

"I haven’t seen her all night. I thought surely she’d be here."

Margaret was growing more concerned. "She was supposed to be here long ago. I can’t imagine what’s keeping her."

Jack caught Ben Cartwright’s eye and motioned with his head to come over and join them. Ben nodded and came over. Meanwhile, Little Joe played outside with some boys from town, and Hoss spoke with Ruth Orowitz as he helped himself to a piece of cherry pie. Others in the room chatted and milled about. Hop Sing helped with the food table and talked with some folks.

Ben walked up to Jack and Margaret, noting the look of apprehension on Mrs. Greene's face. "What's wrong, Maggie?"

"Tess was supposed to be here, Ben, but she hasn’t arrived."

Ben looked over at Jack who merely shrugged.

"Well, maybe she decided not to come."

"No, Ben, she would’ve sent word. She knows I’d be worried."

Ben and Jack again exchanged looks. Eli walked up at this time. "Is something wrong?"

"Eli, Margaret’s worried about Tess. She was supposed to be here," Ben explained.

Eli glanced around trying to spot Tess. Shelby saw the concerned group and wandered over. Jack told her what was going on.

Shelby considered the situation. "Well, maybe some of us should go look fer her?"

Margaret had her hand nervously up near her neck as she kept watch on the door. "I would appreciate it."

Ben nodded. "All right. I’ll tell Hop Sing to take the Boys back, then I’ll help."

Shelby looked at the others. "Let’s git the horses saddled then."

Eli remarked, "I’ll get Daniel," and the group started moving off. Margaret watched them disperse and again cast a glance toward the door, more apprehensive than before.

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It wasn’t easy searching for someone in the dark. The searchers used torches and spread out in several directions but they had no luck locating Tess Greene. A light rain had started to fall which made things even more difficult.

The search party headed back to town several hours before sunup. They had decided to rest the horses and to set out again come first light.

Ben Cartwright took this time to ride home, get a little rest and a fresh horse. He had borrowed Hoss’s horse and had asked his son to ride back from the social in the buckboard with Hop Sing and Little Joe. When those three arrived home, Adam was already asleep. The others were quiet so as not to wake him as they prepared for bed.

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The searchers gathered at the Greene ranch the next morning. Ben had gotten only about an hour or two of sleep before starting out to Maggie’s even before the sun had come up. He met up with the rest of the group as they were deciding their strategy. They decided to fan out in several directions with the understanding that anyone locating Tess would fire three shots in the air to alert the others.

A number of the Greene’s vaqueros joined the search. A distraught Margaret stood on the front porch as the search party rode off. She watched the last rider head out and turned to go back inside.

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Adam came out of the bedroom pulling on his shirt as he walked. Little Joe and Hoss were already eating breakfast and Hop Sing was out feeding the chickens.

"'bout time you got up," Little Joe teased.

Adam ignored him and went over to take his place at the table. Food wasn’t exactly a welcome sight after last night but he helped himself to some coffee. "How was the social?"

"It was good till Tess Greene turned up missing," Hoss informed him.

Adam had raised his cup to his lips but paused upon hearing this. "She wasn’t missing," he replied evenly.

Little Joe was reaching for another pancake. "Huh?"

Hoss looked over at his oldest brother. "What do ya mean, Adam?"

Adam shrugged and sipped at the hot coffee before answering. "Just what I said, she wasn’t missing."

"Then where was she?" his little brother asked.

Adam sipped at some more coffee then set the cup down. "She was here."

Hoss grew concerned. "Why?"

Half-chuckling, Adam replied, "She wanted to apologize to me."

Little Joe almost choked on his food. "Nah!"

Adam grinned and nodded to confirm it.

"Searchers been out all night lookin’ for her, Adam. Pa’s with them," Hoss informed him.

Adam was puzzled. "She must’ve gone right home." He looked at his brothers but both shook their heads. Adam started to grow a little concerned then remembered who it was they were talking about. "She’s probably pulling something again."

Joe immediately agreed. "Yeah, that’s it."

Hoss thought about it for a while. "I guess you’re right."

"I wouldn’t worry about it." Adam tossed down a little more coffee and started to get up. "See ya outside." He walked to the door, grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

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Ben arrived back at the ranch late that afternoon looking very weary. Adam was coming out of the barn as his father rode up and dismounted. Adam grabbed the reins. "I’ll take him."

"Thanks."

The eldest son scrutinized his father. "No luck?"

Ben shook his head slowly. "No sign of her. We’re going to go out again come first light."

"Hmmmm." Adam fingered the reins absently as he pondered the mystery. "Pa. I saw her last night."

His father came instantly alert. "What?"

"Yeah. She came here. Said she wanted to apologize to me."

"What time was this?"

"I don’t know," Adam shrugged.

"What happened?"

"She wouldn’t leave so I threw her out."

"That’s it?"

Adam took a deep breath as he tried to recall. "Yeah. I had a bad headache and I just wanted her gone."

His father was puzzled.

"Pa, she could be pulling something again."

"You’re right about that, Son." He thought it over a little longer. "Well, I’ll tell Maggie and the others in the morning. Don’t think it would be much help tonight."

Adam nodded.

"I’m going to get washed up." Ben started pulling his coat off as he turned to walk toward the house.

Adam led the horse into the barn.

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Ben left early the next morning to rejoin the search party.

About an hour later, Maggie’s buggy raced toward the Cartwrights' house, followed by a number of riders. Hoss had just stepped outside on the porch and the movement caught his eye. He squinted a little to see who it could be, then opened the front door to inform the others that they were about to have visitors.

Little Joe and Adam stepped outside, followed shortly thereafter by Hop Sing.

As the group got closer, the family could see that Ben was among the riders.

Finally drawing near, Maggie halted her buggy and leaned up in her seat. "Adam! What was Tess doing here that night?!"

Adam looked over at his father, unsure of what Tess’s mother should be told. Ben climbed down from his horse as the other members of the search party stayed mounted. He stepped up on the porch to stand by his son’s side. "Maggie, why don’t you get out and we’ll go inside to discuss this?"

"I just want to know what she was doing here."

"Mrs. Greene, I didn’t know that she was coming over," Adam explained gently.

"You’re the last person to see her, Adam. I need to find my daughter!"

"Maggie,..." Ben started to say.

"Mrs. Greene, I have no idea where she is."

Jack Wolf cut in, "But you did see her?"

"Yes."

"Did she say anything, Adam?" Shelby questioned.

"Not about where she was going."

"What did she say?" Margaret asked intensely.

Adam again looked to his father, while not immediately responding to Mrs. Greene’s question.

Big Dan glanced around from atop his horse. "Well, we can’t try and pick up any tracks around here. Now after that rain the other night."

"Perhaps we should search the roads leading from the Ponderosa? Maybe her horse threw her and she’s hurt somewhere?" Eli conjectured.

Margaret grew more alarmed. "We have to find her!"

"We will, Margaret. Why don’t you come on inside and Hop Sing will fix you some coffee while we go out looking again?" Ben suggested.

Margaret fixed a harsh glare on Adam. "No. I just want your son to tell me where my daughter is."

Hoss, Little Joe and Hop Sing had been quietly watching all of this from the sidelines. They glanced at Ben and Adam uneasily.

"Ya got somethin’ to hide, Boy?" Jack snarled.

Adam tensed up and his father immediately came to his defense. "That’ll be enough of that, Jack."

His brothers tensed up also, keeping a wary eye on Wolf.

"Just seems the boy should tell Maggie what he and her daughter were doin’ that night. Unless he’s tryin’ to hide somethin’."

Ben started off the porch in Jack’s direction, but Adam halted him. "No, Pa." His father was tempted to keep going but caught the look in his son’s eyes and backed off.

"This isn’t getting us anywhere, Jack," Eli cautioned.

"I say we head on out and search parts of the Ponderosa that haven’t been searched yet," offered Shelby. Big Dan and Eli nodded in agreement.

Ben gave Jack a harsh look as he replied, "I agree."

Jack just stared at him without backing down.

"I’m not leavin’ here till Adam tells me what happened that night," Maggie warned.

"Maggie," Ben started. "Now isn’t the time."

"It most certainly is, Ben." Mrs. Greene again looked at Adam and ordered, "Tell me."

Ben looked over in Hop Sing’s direction and motioned with his head for Hop Sing to take Hoss and Little Joe into the house. They were hesitant to leave their brother but reluctantly went inside. As the door closed, Ben said to Maggie, "Margaret, Tess came to apologize."

She was immediately skeptical. "For what?"

"Maggie, please. Now’s not the time..."

"Ben." Eli cut in. "She’ll find out at some point."

Margaret heard this, stepped quickly out of the buggy and looked over at Eli Orowitz. "Find out what?!"

Eli merely shrugged. The others in the search party listened attentively.

Adam looked to his father for guidance. Ben Cartwright finally broke the news. "Maggie, Tess was responsible for Adam’s injury several weeks ago."

Mrs. Greene was dumbfounded. Shelby and Jack tensed in their saddles upon hearing this. It took Margaret a few moments but she finally found her voice. "What on earth are you talking about, Ben?!"

"I’m sorry you wanted to go into this right now."

"Just say what you have to say."

"All right. Tess and her friend Cynthia told Hoss some lies at the picnic you invited us to and the upshot from that was that my son was severely injured."

"You said he had an accident."

"Let’s just leave it at that."

"No. Say what you mean, Cartwright," Jack snarled.

Ben glared over at him then looked back at Mrs. Greene. She was waiting for a further explanation. Ben looked at Adam who nodded once as if encouraging him to continue. Ben took a breath and let it out before continuing. "Maggie, the lies that Tess told led Hoss to a confrontation with his brother and Adam ended up striking his head on a post in the barn."

Maggie was incredulous. "Your sons had a fight and you’re blaming my daughter? How preposterous!"

Eli countered, "If she hadn’t lied to Hoss, he never would’ve..."

She cut him off, "Oh, so now you’re in on it, too? Were you there, Eli?"

"No, but..."

"No. Of course not." She looked at Ben. "Were you there when this 'confrontation' between your sons happened?"

"No, but I believe my sons."

Jack gave a sarcastic laugh. Shelby and Big Dan were disgusted when they heard Wolf but they were used to his behavior.

Margaret announced, "Well, I believe my daughter. And she doesn’t lie!"

Adam glanced quickly at his father upon hearing that.

Ben countered with, "Margaret, this isn’t helping to find Tess."

"I think your son knows where she is. And if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll tell me.

"Mrs. Greene..." Adam started to say.

Ben put his hand up to stop him. "It’s all right, Adam." He looked at Maggie. "I’m going out to try and locate your daughter, Margaret. Believe what you will but your daughter came here that night, unannounced and uninvited, in order to apologize to my son. I told her several weeks ago she was never welcome here again." He looked at her and added harshly, "Why do you think she felt the need to run away to San Francisco so quickly?"

Margaret was stunned and angry when she heard that. "How dare you!"

"As I said before, I’m going to look for your daughter now. But I’m asking you to leave."

Margaret glared at him but Ben Cartwright met her glare and didn't back down.

"This isn’t over, Ben," she warned, then looked over at Adam. "She better be all right." Mrs. Greene climbed back in the buggy, picked up the reins, turned the buggy and went off as the others watched her go.

Members of the search party exchanged looks. Ben put his arm around Adam’s shoulder. "Adam, don’t worry about this. I’ll handle it."

Adam was naturally concerned but nodded once at his father’s words.

"Go on inside, Son."

Jack hadn’t had his final word and cut in, "Adam, if ya got anything to tell us, ya better git it out now."

Both Cartwrights looked at him contemptuously, then Ben clapped Adam on the back and his son went into the house. Ben watched him go, and started over to his horse as he glanced up at Wolf. "Jack, we’ll finish this out later."

Jack started to turn his horse out away from the house as he retorted, "Anytime." He kicked his horse to get it moving and a number of others in the party soon followed. Ben, Eli and Shelby shared a look, then they too went riding off.

--------------------------------------------------------

Tess Greene’s body was located later that day at the bottom of a small ravine. Her neck had been broken. Her horse was found nearby, about three miles from the Ponderosa, a short time before Tess had been spotted.

Margaret Greene was devastated. She became hysterical as her daughter was gently removed from the wagon that one of the vaqueros had gone back for and the body was taken inside the Greene house. Big Dan and Eli went to town to get a coffin. Shelby, Jack and Ben followed Maggie into the house to offer their assistance. Shelby led Margaret to a chair by the dining table and tried to get her to sit down but she would have none of it and ran to the room where Tess’s body had been placed. She bent over the body weeping.

Shelby looked at Ben and Jack. "What should we do now?"

Jack helped himself to some brandy and then held the bottle up to offer it to the others. Shelby nodded while Ben shook his head. Jack poured Shelby a glass, drank some brandy from his, and poured himself more. He took a chair nearby and got comfortable. "Well, I reckon first we better help git the body buried."

Shelby remained standing, as she had been sitting on a horse for two straight days and needed to stretch. "Yep. Guess yer right, Jack."

Ben took a seat, exhausted from all of the hours of searching. "Of course Maggie will want her buried near Luther."

Shelby nodded.

Jack downed some more brandy. "Reckon so."

"Soon as Maggie calms down a little, I’ll ask her where and the vaqueros can start diggin’" Shelby suggested.

Ben nodded in agreement.

Jack sipped his drink and held the glass up, staring at it as if considering something. "Reckon there’s gonna have to be an investigation," he remarked slyly, while glancing at Ben from the corner of his eye.

"What are ya talkin’ about, Jack?" Shelby shot back.

He indicated Cartwright. "Ask him. He knows."

Ben instantly caught his meaning and got up. "My son’s got nothing to do with this, Jack!"

Wolf snorted at that statement.

Shelby had no fondness for the man and immediately declared, "Ben’s right, Jack. It was just an accident."

"We don’t know that, Shelby."

Ben glared at him just as Margaret cut in, "Jack is right." The others turned to see her in the doorway, her face still wet from crying. "I want my daughter’s death investigated."

Shelby set her glass down. "Maggie, you don’t want..."

"Yes, I do." Mrs. Greene directed her next words right to Ben. "Something happened to Tess and I want the law to find out who’s responsible."

Ben looked at her. "Maggie, I know you’re upset, but..."

"Yes, I am. Now if you don’t mind I have to get my daughter ready to be buried." Her breath caught and once again the tears started flowing as she turned to leave. Shelby glanced over at Ben then followed Margaret. Ben watched them leave, glared one more time at Jack who sat there with a self-satisfied grin on his face, and then left the house.

---------------------------------------------------------

Ben Cartwright’s sons and cook were stunned upon hearing the news of Tess Greene’s death. They were doing chores outside as Ben rode up and dismounted, tethering his horse to the corral. He called everyone over and informed them.

Hoss was more shocked than anyone as he had unconsciously still been harboring some feelings for the girl. Ben saw his son’s face as he told everyone and he went over to put his hand on Hoss’s shoulder for a moment. "I’m sorry, Hoss."

Hoss looked down and nodded once.

Little Joe was upset also, not really understanding what had occurred between Adam, Hoss and Tess but remembering some good times he and his family had shared with her. His eyes grew moist with tears threatening. "Pa, is she really dead?"

"Yes, Son."

Hop Sing watched the Cartwrights and offered quietly, "I will make some food for Mrs. Greene."

He started to move off but Ben stopped him. "Wait, Hop Sing." The cook hesitated as Adam and the others looked to their father. "Just wait. We can take something over tomorrow, maybe." Hop Sing looked at Ben questioningly but bowed slightly and went back toward the clothes he had been washing.

Adam regretted the fact that the girl was dead, but Tess had caused so much turmoil in his life that he was unable to feel anything else. His father noticed this and understood immediately. "How’s Mrs. Greene taking it, Pa?"

"Not well," Ben responded, trying to decide if he should warn his son about what could be coming. He looked at Little Joe and Hoss. "Boys, could I talk to Adam for a minute?"

Hoss nodded slowly then went off by himself. He wanted to be alone right now anyway. Little Joe was hesitant to leave as he was upset and needed his father. "Pa?"

"It’s all right, Son. Why don’t you go in the house and I’ll be along shortly."

Little Joe thought about this. He reluctantly turned toward the house and headed over to it with his head down. After Joe was on his way, Ben put his arm around Adam’s shoulders and led him out a short distance away from the barn so they could be alone. Adam immediately suspected something was wrong. After a few moments, Ben broke the news to his son. "Adam, Maggie wants an investigation into what happened."

Adam considered this information. "Pa, I didn’t have anything to do with it."

"I know that, Son. She’s just upset and looking for somebody to blame."

"Yeah."

"I don’t want you to worry about this. They’re not going to find anything that points this at you."

"But I was the last person to see her."

"And that’s all, Adam. That isn’t evidence that you killed the girl."

Adam let out a long, slow breath. "Pa, I couldn’t have ridden anywhere that night. I could barely make it to the front door."

"That’s another reason they can’t blame you. You haven’t been able to travel anywhere for almost three weeks."

"How can I prove that?"

"You won’t have to. There’s no evidence that you had anything to do with this. So don’t worry. All right?"

Adam again considered his father’s words. "I hope so."

"Come on. I think Little Joe needs us." He turned and encouraged his eldest son to follow him back to the house. Adam went along, deep in thought as he walked.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Ben thought it would be easier on Maggie if he and his family didn’t attend the funeral. It was held the following day and attended by a number of the townspeople and Maggie’s vaqueros. Hop Sing did bring a dish of food over to the Greene Ranch later that day. Margaret refused to acknowledge the gesture from the Ponderosa and Hop Sing left it with Ruth, who was helping to coordinate the food.

---------------------------------------------------------

Several days went by and the Cartwrights hadn’t heard anything about the investigation. Being cooped up for so long at the ranch was starting to get on Adam's nerves so when no one else was in sight he decided to go for a ride. He saddled his horse and led it outside the barn. He put his foot in the stirrup and as he swung his other leg over he encountered a wave of dizziness that almost sent him reeling off his horse. Hoss was coming out of the front door of the house and was surprised to see his brother in the saddle. He saw what was happening, called, "Pa!" then hurried over to Adam, grabbing his brother’s arm as Adam started to falter. "Easy, Brother."

Adam took a moment to steady himself, then looked carefully at Hoss as Ben came hurrying out of the house. "Thanks," Adam whispered, gripping the saddle horn with his other hand.

"Adam! What on earth are you doing?!" Ben grabbed the reins and held Beauty steady. "Get down, Son."

Adam was frustrated but in no shape to argue. He started to swing his leg back over the horse as Hoss watched, still gripping his arm and standing by in case his brother had more difficulty. After Adam stepped out of the last stirrup and down to the ground, he reached out to grab a piece of the saddle to keep himself upright. He took a careful breath and waited for the world stopped revolving.

"I thought we agreed you’d wait awhile before you tried to ride," his father admonished.

"I’m tired of waiting, Pa. I just want this all to be over with!"

Hoss glanced sympathetically at his brother.

"Hoss, take Adam’s horse back."

The middle son nodded and took the reins.

Ben gently grabbed Adam’s arm. "Come on, Son. You need to sit down."

His father meant well, but Adam was frustrated and angry over the entire situation and his fuse was short. He yanked his arm away roughly and shouted, "No! I’m not an invalid!" As he did this, he started to stumble but his father caught him in time. Adam cried out hopelessly, "Damn!" as his father held onto him.

"It’s all right, Son."

Adam cried out more softly, "Damn!" and closed his eyes.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Would you have any reason to wish Miss Greene harm?" Adam was asked three days later.

He was at the Ponderosa, seated at the table with his father and another man. Frank Perkins was the man asking the questions. A retired cavalry friend of Jack’s, he had received a telegram from Wolf asking for his help investigating a murder case. The man was acceptable to Margaret Greene so the Cartwrights reluctantly felt compelled to answer his questions. He held no legal authority but any evidence he might gather could be used in court if proven valid.

Adam looked over at his father, then back at the man. One of Adam Cartwright’s greatest attributes was his honesty and he remained true to that even now. He responded, "Yes, Sir, I would." As he caught the stunned expression on the man’s face and the look of encouragement on his father’s, he added, "But I would never have harmed her."

"Why not?"

"Because I just wouldn't. It wouldn’t be right."

"But it would be right to wish her harm?"

"I didn’t say that. I said I had a reason to wish her harm, not that I wished her any harm."

"What reason?"

Ben interjected, "It’s a long story."

The investigator leaned back in his chair and looked at Adam’s father. "I’ve got all day."

"There really isn’t any point in going into that, Mr. Perkins. You’ve got no evidence my son ever left this place that night, let alone caused Tess Greene’s death, so you’re wasting your time here."

"I don’t believe I’m wasting my time Mr. Cartwright. I’m investigating a murder and a logical suspect."

"Looks like you’ve already decided he’s guilty with no proof whatsoever that there even was a murder," Ben challenged him.

"Your son just admitted he had a reason to wish Miss Greene harm. Your son was the last person to see Miss Greene. Your son is being very evasive with me and apparently with Miss Greene’s mother several days ago. I’m just trying to ascertain the reasons so we can either clear your son altogether, or he can stand trial for murder and hang."

Ben immediately jumped to his son's defense. "Now wait just a....!"

Adam put his hand up to calm him. "Pa, it’s all right. I’ll answer him." Adam looked over at Perkins. "Tess Greene made some trouble for me because I wouldn’t spend time with her. She was my brother’s girlfriend and I didn’t want to get involved with her, even though she wanted me to, because I knew it would hurt my brother and I didn’t like the girl. So she..." Adam stopped suddenly, remembering Hoss and not wanting people to know what he did.

"So she what? Go on."

Adam glanced over at his father. Ben had a suspicion what was holding Adam back and he appreciated his son wanting to protect his brother.

Adam finally commented, "She caused some trouble and it made things difficult for awhile."

"What trouble?"

"That isn’t important," Adam responded.

"Look, Boy, I’m gonna do a thorough investigation. You can either help me or not, it’s up to you. But I will find the answers one way or the other."

"I didn’t hurt Tess."

"Then there’s no reason for you not to tell me everything I need to know, is there?"

Ben broke in. "Tess was found at the bottom of a small ravine. It was raining that night. The road the ravine is on does belong to the Ponderosa but it eventually leads to the Greene Ranch. Tess was here that night. Adam has volunteered that piece of information right from the start. He didn’t try to hide that fact."

The man cut in. "Wise move."

Ben looked at him with irritation. "It would have been easy when Tess left here for her horse to slip or spook at something and throw the girl."

"Maybe."

Adam added, "I couldn’t have done it. I haven’t been off this ranch in weeks."

"Why not?"

Again Adam got quiet. Ben took the lead. "My son was injured several weeks ago and hasn’t been able to ride since then."

"Oh? He doesn’t look injured to me."

Ben looked to his son then back at Perkins. "He had a head injury."

"Very convenient."

Again Ben leaned forward angrily. "It happens to be the truth!"

"Got a doctor can verify that, Mr. Cartwright?"

"We don’t have a doctor in this area."

"Well, that’s too bad, isn’t it?"

"Perkins, you have no proof that my son was anywhere in the vicinity when Tess Greene died! It happened miles from here."

"She could’ve been killed here and her body thrown into the ravine to make it look like an accident."

Adam was shocked to hear that theory. His father countered vehemently, "My son’s no killer!"

The man looked at Ben Cartwright and calmly asked, "Does your son have a temper like his father?"

Ben was speechless at this. He glared at the man.

Adam looked at Perkins. "My father cares deeply about his family. Is there something wrong with that?"

"I didn’t hear an answer to my question, Boy. Do you have a temper?"

Adam recalled a number of incidents over the past several weeks where he had definitely lost his temper, and the number of times over the years he had done it also, although not quite to such a degree. "Yes, Sir."

"Have you ever struck out in anger?"

Ben’s eldest son suddenly recalled grabbing Tess and forcibly removing her from the house. He also recalled several fights he had participated in over the years while growing up. Once again his honesty betrayed him. "Yes, Sir."

Ben watched Adam. He was proud of his son for his honesty yet he cringed inside as he realized the possible consequences of Adam's statements.

The final nail to Adam Cartwright’s "coffin" came with the investigator’s last question. "Did you hurt Tess Greene?"

Adam was silent. Perkins looked at him. His father looked at him. The silence was deafening. Adam closed his eyes for a moment, let out a long breath and responded, "Yes, Sir, but I..."

The investigator cut him off quickly with, "That’s all I need," and started to rise.

Ben Cartwright also rose quickly and complained, "You haven’t heard the rest of what he has to say."

"I have all I need for now, Mr. Cartwright." He started toward the door but glanced back for a moment to add, "I suggest you stay put, Son. Don’t try to go anywhere." With those final words, he grabbed his hat and went out. Ben and Adam were stunned at what had just transpired.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Gossip has been known to spread like wildfire and this case was no exception, especially with Jack Wolf and some of his "girls" spreading a few careful words here and there. The man still harbored a grudge against the Cartwrights for making his life difficult when he first came to town when they and some other townspeople disagreed with his version of free enterprise. Also, Wolf figured it wouldn't be a bad thing if Ben Cartwright lost some of his popularity with the people in the area. How better for that to happen than to have a son convicted of murder?

About half the town of Eagle Station, mostly newcomers, had come to suspect Adam Cartwright of Tess Greene’s murder due to the gossip. The other half of the town were folks who knew Adam and his family well and believed he would never have anything to do with hurting, much less murdering, someone.

There was talk going around of an upcoming hanging and the Cartwrights' friends did everything they could to silence it. But there wasn’t much they could do when the town was getting all fired up.

The territorial marshal was brought in especially for this case; Jack Wolf saw to that. Upon his arrival two days after the investigator had questioned Adam, he was met by Jack and Perkins. The three men quickly adjourned to Jack’s hotel so the marshal could be brought up to date on details of the case. After this meeting, the marshal and Perkins set out for the Ponderosa.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Ben was coming out of the house as the two men dismounted their horses in front of the Cartwrights' porch. "Can I help you?" he asked, though he already suspected the answer when he noticed the badge on the second man.

The marshal came up on the porch while the investigator halted one step below. "Mr. Cartwright?"

"Yes, Marshal. What can I do for you?"

"Ya can tell me where yer son Adam is."

Ben glanced at Frank Perkins, who had a stoic expression on his face, then back at the lawman. "He’s inside."

"I’d like to see him. Would ya mind callin' him?"

Ben scrutinized the man, all the while his heart was beating rapidly. They were going to take his son and there was nothing he could do about it. The two men before him both wore pistols and a fight was out of the question. Very reluctantly he turned and called his son. "Adam!"

After a moment, Adam stepped out on the porch, not really surprised to see the two men. "Yeah, Pa?"

"Adam, this man would like to talk to you."

"All right."

The marshal stepped closer to Adam. "I’m Sam Cavanaugh, Territorial Marshal, and I’ve come to arrest ya for the murder of Tess Greene."

Hoss and Joe had come to the door and were watching. Hoss started to step out, "Wait a min...!"

Little Joe pushed his way out and cried, "No!" Their father quickly silenced them with a stern look.

"Hoss, you and Joe go inside and close the door," Ben ordered.

Neither boy moved at first so their father added, "Now!"

Little Joe looked up at his oldest brother and Adam gave him a slight smile. Hoss led the youngest Cartwright back inside and closed the door behind them.

"Marshal, my son is no killer."

"That’s for a court to decide Mr. Cartwright." Cavanaugh reached to get hold of Adam’s arm. "Come with me, Boy."

Adam looked at his father and knew there was nothing he could do right now. And Adam didn’t want his father in trouble of any kind. "It’s all right, Pa. I’ll go with them."

Ben stepped in front of the marshal. "Wait! My son can’t ride. He’s been sick."

Perkins cut in, "He isn’t sick. Look at him, Marshal!"

Ben shot him an angry look, then appealed to the marshal. "Please. I’m telling you the truth.

Cavanaugh scrutinized Adam. "What’s wrong with ya, Boy?"

Ben answered for him. "He had a head injury several weeks ago."

The marshal kept his attention on Adam and scratched a moment at his whiskers. "I gotta take ya in. Yer under arrest."

Adam was in no position to argue but Ben wasn’t giving up so easily. "At least let him ride in the wagon. He might be able to handle that."

Cavanaugh again scratched at his beard. "Well, I reckon that won’t hurt none. All right, Mr. Cartwright. Ya get yer wagon hitched but no tricks."

Ben nodded and watched the marshal lead his son down the stairs. He was very concerned for Adam taking any trip right now but there was nothing he could do about it. He quickly opened the front door, retrieved his and Adam’s hats and coats, then told Hop Sing, Little Joe and Hoss what was happening. Hoss and Little Joe tried to say something in protest but Ben quickly cut them off. "Not now. Just stay put! I’ll be back later." He gave them a look that meant business and hurried out to the barn. Little Joe ran to Hoss in tears. Hop Sing shook his head in sadness and turned back to his work.

---------------------------------------------------------

It was a rough trip for Adam and Ben went as slowly as he dared. Adam kept his eyes closed for a good part of the trip to keep the dizziness at bay and gritted his teeth in the hopes of staving off the impending nausea. His father had asked the marshal several times to stop for Adam to rest but Perkins reminded the marshal how dark it was getting and that they were escorting a murder suspect to jail. Cavanaugh advised Ben Cartwright that his son could rest once they reached town. Adam whispered over to his father, "I can make it." Ben wasn’t so sure about that but kept the wagon going. Adam had his hands handcuffed in front of him. The marshal had done that back at the ranch and it tore at Ben's heart when he saw the shackles on his son. But he realized the marshal was just doing his job with a prisoner and there was nothing that could be done about it.

There was no formal jail in the small town of Eagle Station so the marshal directed Ben Cartwright over to a room off Jack’s livery that had a padlock on it. There were some lanterns hanging nearby that were lighted and Perkins dismounted and grabbed one of those. Ben pulled the wagon up nearby, then jumped down and went around to the other side of the wagon to assist his son. Adam hesitated for a moment to let the world stop spinning and carefully stepped down with his father’s help. Cavanaugh walked alongside the two as Ben led his son toward the door. Adam groaned slightly, pulled out of Ben's grasp, and hurried over to the alley whereby he retched violently. He groaned again and gripped the side of the building for support while still bent over. Ben came up and put an arm around his waist to support him. "Take it easy, Son." Ben looked around and glared at the marshal. "I told you he wasn’t up for the trip!"

"I’m sorry, Mr. Cartwright. I'm just doin’ my job."

Cavanaugh waited patiently to make sure Adam was through. Perkins stood off to the side holding the lantern.

Adam groaned again very faintly and only his father heard.

"You all right, Son?"

Adam closed his eyes. "Yeah. I guess."

"Come on, Adam. Easy." Ben supported him and slowly helped his son over toward the livery. He could feel Adam start to shake slightly as if suddenly chilled. "Cold?"

"Yeah," was all Adam was able to manage. He just wanted to get somewhere and lie down - soon.

Perkins opened the door as Ben led Adam inside. The marshal followed them in as Ben glanced around, noting that the window had been solidly boarded up.

"You can remove the handcuffs, Marshal," Ben said, with an arm still around his son to steady him.

"He's a prisoner, Mr. Cartwright."

"He’s in no shape to try anything!"

"But he's under arrest on suspicion of murder."

"You’ve got him in here, the window is sealed, and you’re going to lock the door and have a guard outside. Right?"

"Yeah."

"He’s gotta lay down. You can see for yourself he’s ill." Ben frowned when he saw only hay on the floor. "He doesn’t need to be shackled, Marshal. But he does need some blankets to keep him warm and some pillows."

Cavanaugh considered this.

Perkins spoke up as he hung the lantern just outside the door. "No special treatment, Cartwright."

The marshal glared at him, "I’m in charge here!"

"I know, Marshal, I just..."

"Then keep yer mouth shut."

Adam derived the slightest bit of satisfaction from this brief exchange. He stood there with his father’s assistance and waited impatiently for the argument to be settled.

The marshal looked at Ben. "All right, Cartwright." He reached in his pocket for a key and removed the shackles. "Go and get some blankets and pillows for yer son. But make it fast."

Ben nodded gratefully then eased Adam down to a sitting position against a wall. "I’ll be right back, Son." He hurried off.

Adam leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Ben drove the wagon back toward the Ponderosa a couple of hours later. As the wagon lumbered along, Ben pictured how he had left Adam. He had gotten the things Adam needed from Eli, who promised to go by later that night to check on Ben's son. Upon returning to Adam’s jail, Ben noted how exhausted his eldest son looked. All he could do was make him comfortable and try to assure him that things would somehow work out. Adam had given his father an encouraging grin but Ben knew that Adam realized things looked pretty bad.

Ben slapped the reins to keep the horses moving. ‘What can I do?’ he thought to himself. Adam’s need to protect his brother had made it appear he was hiding something. His honesty had practically condemned him.

"Elizabeth!" Ben cried out in despair to Adam’s long-deceased mother. "Help me save our son!"

He prayed for guidance, but the steady creaking of the wagon's wheels and the clip-clopping sound of the horses' hooves were the only replies he received.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Marshal Cavanaugh considered himself a fair man. Sure he was tough when he needed to be, but he respected what his badge stood for and did his best to uphold the meaning behind the badge.

Adam Cartwright was a puzzle to him. His father had apparently not deceived the marshal when stating that his son was ill. Yet the boy didn’t fight being arrested nor the trip into town. Maybe he realized he didn’t stand a chance of fighting so he gave up right away. Maybe he was too sick to try anything. Or maybe he was trying to protect his father. Ben Cartwright had appeared to be the type of man to fight against all odds. Perhaps Adam realized his father might try to defend his son and could end up getting hurt or even killed. Maybe that’s why the boy gave up so easily.

The prisoner didn’t appear to the marshal to be the type to murder anyone. But then again, Cavanaugh had found that most killers' looks could be deceiving. And then too maybe when Adam Cartwright was well he acted totally different. Yet, if he was too sick even for the trip into town, how could he murder Tess Greene and ride by horseback out to dump the body?"

Yes, this was all a puzzle to the marshal. And he wasn’t one to let a puzzle go unsolved.

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Marshal Cavanaugh had deputized two men to take shifts guarding the makeshift jail cell, so he spent the following morning asking around town about his prisoner. He got conflicting stories, but most people agreed – Adam Cartwright was a hard-working, decent, caring young man.

A number of people told the marshal of the Cartwrights' hardships through the years. Ben Cartwright had lost three wives, all in the space of Adam’s lifetime. This wasn’t a fact that Ben shared with everyone. But a few people had learned of the story over the years, then they had told a few people, who then in turn told a few more people, and it went on like that until it eventually became common knowledge. Also, a number of the townspeople had been around when Little Joe’s mother had been murdered by a man who blew up the Trading Post when that man was trying to kill Eli Orowitz. The townsfolk saw how the family overcame these hardships and carried on, while remaining the same decent people the town had come to love.

'So,' the marshal thought to himself while walking down the street toward the jail, 'how did Adam Cartwright become a brutal killer?' He turned the corner and came face to face with one of the deputies. Cavanaugh held his hand out. "Gimme the key."

"Sure, Marshal."

The deputy handed the key over and the marshal responded, "Take a break." That seemed like a real good idea to the deputy and he nodded and went to get something to eat. Cavanaugh watched him go, then put the key in the padlock, removed the lock and opened the door.

Adam looked up to see him coming in. Cartwright was sitting up leaning against one of the walls and looking slightly better than the previous night. "Marshal."

"How ya feel?"

It seemed a little strange that the man would give a thought to his health but Adam replied, "Better. Thanks."

The marshal came over near him. "Been askin’ around about ya."

Adam quirked an eyebrow at him and waited for him to go on.

"Yep. Some of the people in town think yer guilty as hell."

Adam didn’t respond to that.

"And the rest of ‘em think yer practically a saint."

Adam couldn’t help himself and laughed. "I’m no saint, Marshal."

"Are ya a killer?"

Adam demeanor sobered up immediately and he looked the man full in the eye. "No, Marshal. I’m not."

Cavanaugh took a deep breath and watched his prisoner while considering him. "Perkins said ya admitted harming Miss Greene."

Adam had no idea if he could trust this man, but figured he had nothing to lose.

"In a way I did. I used force on her."

"Tell me about it."

"Does it matter?"

"Ya gonna tell me or ya want me to believe what Wolf and some of the others have been sayin'?"

Adam took a moment to scrutinize the man. "Tess Greene came over to my house that night and she wouldn’t leave, though I kept asking her to."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I was sick and didn’t want to have to deal with her."

"What would ya have to deal with?"

"Her. Her games. Her lies. I just couldn’t handle it that night."

"It was just you two?"

"Yeah. My family was away at the town social."

"What happened?"

Adam took a breath and tried to decide if he should confide in Cavanaugh. "I had asked - no begged - her to leave several times. My head was killing me and I felt like I did last night--you know, when we got to town."

The marshal nodded.

Adam continued. "Finally, when she wouldn’t leave I grabbed her arm, yanked her outside and closed the door."

"And then what happened?"

Adam tried to recall that night more clearly. He shrugged. "Nothing. I heard her ride off, then I sat on the floor by the door till I felt good enough to make it to my room."

Cavanaugh considered this information while watching Cartwright’s face. He had been able to read criminals' eyes over the years and could often tell when a prisoner was lying to him. "That’s all that happened?"

"Yeah. But you won’t believe me."

The marshal looked at him. "Let me decide for myself, Son." He turned and left. Puzzled, Adam stared at the door as it closed behind the man.

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A half hour later, Jack Wolf appeared at the door and demanded that the deputy unlock it and let him in to see the prisoner. The deputy, knowing Jack Wolf and knowing it was his livery, hesitantly complied. "Yer gonna hafta gimme yer gun before ya go in, Mr. Wolf."

Wolf looked at the man with contempt but eventually handed the deputy his pistol. The man then unlocked the door and opened it.

Adam looked up as the door opened and saw Jack Wolf come to the doorway. The deputy had backed off and wasn't in Adam's line of sight. "What do you want, Jack?" Adam asked in disgust.

"Nothin' in particular. Just keepin' an eye on you for Mrs. Greene's sake."

"I'm sure she appreciates that," Adam replied dryly.

"Too bad ya had to go and kill her daughter, Boy. You had a promisin' future."

Cartwright ignored the comment.

With a nasty smirk on his face Jack remarked, "Guess I better see about gettin' somebody started on the gallows." At that moment, Jack was pulled roughly out of the doorway, turned quickly around and sent flying to the ground by a stiff uppercut delivered by Ben Cartwright. Wolf lay there half-dazed for a moment, then glared up at his assailant and started rising, with fury in his eyes.

"Don't!" the marshal ordered, stepping into view next to Ben.

Jack hesitated, then stood up the rest of the way. "Cartwright just...!"

"I saw what happened. Ya ever badger a prisoner of mine again I'll do worse, Mr. Wolf," Cavanaugh advised.

Ben listened to this exchange, intrigued.

The law officer again addressed Jack saying, "Ya got no business here with the prisoner, Mr. Wolf. I'd appreciate it if ya'd leave."

"This is my livery," Jack snarled.

"Right now it's been commissioned as a jail cell. And ya agreed."

Jack looked at him adamantly.

The marshal had a deadly gleam in his eye as he added, "Take off." Jack glared at both the lawman and Ben Cartwright but finally walked away, slowly and with a sneer on his face.

Ben reached over to retrieve a package he had brought with him. "Thanks, Marshal."

"What's that ya got there?" Cavanaugh inquired.

"Just a change of clothes for my son. And some food our cook made for him."

The marshal searched through the package. "Looks all right." He patted Ben down. "All right, ya can go in."

Ben came around the other side of the door and smiled as he saw his son. "How ya doin'?"

Cavanaugh followed him in, while the deputy remained outside.

Adam started to get up. "I'm all right, Pa."

Ben was a little disturbed at the marshal's presence and looked at him questioningly.

"I expect ya want some time with yer son?"

"Yes, I would," Ben handed Adam the package. "Adam, I brought you some clean clothes. And Hop Sing made you something to eat."

Adam took the package and glanced inside. "Thanks, Pa. Tell Hop Sing thanks for me, too."

Ben nodded.

Cavanaugh had been watching the exchange. "Mr. Cartwright, I have some questions about that night. And I thought maybe ya'd like to ride out with me to the site they found Miss Greene's body to see if we can find some answers."

Ben and Adam were unsure of the man's motives. Ben asked, "Why?"

"Jus' thought we could take a look around. See if we can find any evidence that might help yer son."

Both Cartwrights were a little encouraged yet wary of the offer.

"You think my son is innocent?"

"I didn't say that. Jus' thought it wouldn't hurt for us to look around a bit."

Ben scrutinized the lawman momentarily as Adam stood by and he decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt. "All right, Marshal. Just give me a few minutes with my son and I'll be ready."

Cavanaugh nodded and went out. Ben looked at his son. "Wonder what that was all about?"

"He was asking me some questions earlier. I told him everything that happened with Tess the night she disappeared.--I'm not sure, Pa, but I think he might've believed me."

Ben again looked encouraged. "He'd be a good man to have on our side."

Adam nodded and set the package to the side.

Ben observed his son a little more closely. "You look tired."

"So do you. Guess neither of us got a lot of sleep last night, huh?"

Ben chuckled. "No. Guess not.--Oh, Hoss and Joe wanted to come see you, Adam, but I thought now wasn't such a good time."

"I understand."

"Is there anything you need?"

Adam gave a half-chuckle. "Yeah. To get out of here."

Ben smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll take care of that."

Adam again nodded.

"Well, let me go see what the marshal has in mind."

"All right."

"I'll be back to see you later."

"I'll be here," Adam said, with a wink.

Ben appreciated Adam's attitude and knew it was his son's way of reassuring him.

Ben squeezed Adam's shoulder then left to go join the marshal.

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As they were riding along, Ben asked Cavanaugh, "Where ya from, Marshal?"

"Missouri way. Came to this territory 'bout three years ago."

"Got any family?"

Cavanaugh thought about it. "Got some kin back home near St. Joe. That's about it."

They rode on.

The marshal glanced over at Ben Cartwright. "Judge Rodgers should be arriving in a day or two, Mr. Cartwright."

Ben tensed in the saddle. "I thought he was supposed to be here next week."

"Got a telegram this morning. The judge finished up his other business early and he's on his way."

Concern was etched on Ben's face.

Cavanaugh added, "That's why I thought it would be a good idea to go out today and look."

"You think my son's innocent?"

"Let's just say I have my doubts about Jack Wolf's intentions."

Ben smiled a little. "Yes. Marshal, mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Not that I'm ungrateful, because I'm certainly not. But why are you trying to help us?"

The marshal considered this for several moments. Finally he answered, "I've seen a lot of men hung, Mr. Cartwright. And there's one thing I know for certain..."

Ben looked at the man inquiringly.

"...Once a man's been hung, ya can't bring him back."

The words struck Ben Cartwright hard. He nodded solemnly and spurred his horse into a gallop. The marshal followed his lead.

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Ben Cartwright and Marshall Cavanaugh had no luck that day. They searched in the area above the ravine and all along the road leading to that spot. They rode around and down into the ravine where Tess’s body had been found, but had no success finding any clues that could clear Adam. As they dismounted back in town, Ben thanked the man for trying to help and the marshal vowed he wasn’t giving up just yet. That gave Ben a little hope and he tried to remain positive when he saw Adam.

"It’s still just circumstantial evidence, Adam," Ben advised calmly. He had been talking with his son for several minutes and was aware that Adam had grown irritable after having been cooped up in the cell all day and because of lack of sleep.

"They’re not even trying to find another suspect, Pa. They’re so sure it’s me!"

Ben watched his son anxiously pacing in his cell and tried to interject, "But the marshal..."

Adam stopped pacing and responded irritably, "The marshal and you tried to find something and couldn’t."

"That doesn’t mean we’re giving up, Son."

Adam gave a heavy sigh, walked a few more steps away from his father, then turned back. "The hearing’s in a day or two."

"There’s still time."

Adam gave a half laugh. "Yeah, sure."

Ben walked to him. "Adam, I know this is hard..."

"I can’t believe even now with Tess gone she’s still getting her revenge!"

"Adam..." Ben tried to reach out to him, but his son pulled away.

Adam reached up to run his hand through his hair. "I’m sorry, Pa. I’m just tired."

"I understand."

Adam took a long breath then let it out. "Look. You better get home to the others."

"Hop Sing is there with Hoss and Joe. I think I’m needed more here right now."

"No. Please, Pa. I need to get some rest."

Ben studied his son. "Are you sure you want me to leave?"

Adam smiled slightly to reassure his father. "Yeah. I’ll be all right, Pa. I’m just on edge from not getting any sleep."

Ben was hesitant but eventually agreed to Adam’s wishes. Before leaving, he hugged his son. Adam closed his eyes and tried hard to keep his emotions in check.

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Ben was feeling as desperate as Adam was. Time was quickly running out. Very soon his eldest son could be convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. What could he do to save him?

As Ben left Adam’s jail cell, he tried to run different options through his brain. It was difficult to think clearly because he was as tired as Adam was.

Maggie! She seemed to be his only chance. If he could get her to reconsider and drop the charges...

He mounted his horse and rode off as dusk was settling over the land.

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Mrs. Greene opened the front door, surprised to find Ben Cartwright standing there. Margaret was wearing the black mourning clothes she had worn for so long after her husband Luther had died. Now she was in mourning for her daughter. "Ben, what do you want?"

Ben had his hat in his hand. "Maggie, may I come in?

"I don’t think we should be talking tonight. I’m sorry." She started to close the door but Ben stepped up to the doorway to stop her.

"Maggie, please. I need to talk to you."

Mrs. Greene saw the desperation in Cartwright’s eyes. She really didn’t want to deal with this right now but she relented. "All right, Ben. Say what you have to say, right here."

Ben took a deep breath. "Maggie, don’t do this. Please."

"Don’t do what? Get justice for my daughter?"

"You know Adam would never have harmed her."

"She was murdered."

"You don’t know that. She could’ve fallen from her horse."

"You know Tess was an expert horsewoman."

"But accidents do happen, Maggie."

"That’s very convenient, Ben. But I don’t believe it in this case."

"Why in the world would Adam even think of killing your daughter?"

"There’s really no point in discussing..."

"Answer me! You know Adam. You know he couldn’t have done this!"

"Your son was the last person to see my daughter. And you said yourself your whole family blamed Tess for Adam’s injury."

"Even if Adam did blame her, he never would have done something like this!"

"My daughter is dead. Your son was the last to see her. He even admitted it."

"That’s another thing. Why would he have told everybody about that if he was guilty? No one would’ve ever known she was at the Ponderosa that night."

"I don’t know, Ben. But maybe the judge can figure it out." She again started to close the door. "I have nothing more to say to you."

Ben watched as Margaret closed the door. He slapped his hat against his thigh in frustration. Time was running out.

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Judge Rodgers presided over the hearing two days later. He was seated at a table at the front of the town hall, while participants and spectators packed the building.

Ben Cartwright sat in the front row with Little Joe, Hoss and Hop Sing. Margaret Greene sat opposite them with Jack Wolf next to her. Ben looked exhausted from yet another sleepless night.

With two deputies on either side of him, Adam stood to the side of the judge's bench with his hands in shackles. He looked worse than his father. Dark circles were evident under his eyes and he hadn't been able to shave since his incarceration. Even just a few days of going unshaven were noticeable with his black stubble.

Marshal Cavanaugh was nowhere in sight. He had informed Ben Cartwright much earlier that he was again going out to the site where Tess’s body had been found to try one more time and find some evidence that might clear Adam.

Every now and then, Ben would cast an anxious glance toward the back of the building in hopes of seeing the marshal, but the man was nowhere in sight.

The judge finished questioning Frank Perkins who went to take his place in the audience. Maggie was distressed and angry at what she had just heard.

Judge Rodgers looked over at Adam and asked, "What do you have to say to Mr. Perkin's contention that you admitted harming Miss Greene?"

"He didn't let me finish my statement, Your Honor."

"All right, Mr. Cartwright, I'll let you elaborate."

"Thank you, Your Honor. Tess wouldn't leave that night, even though I had asked her a number of times to go. Finally I grabbed her, pulled her outside and closed the door."

Maggie shot Adam a hostile look. Jack patted her shoulder in a false show of sympathy.

The judge considered Adam's statement. "That was all you did to her?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Were you arguing with her at the time?"

"No, Sir. I was too sick that night to argue. She came over unannounced and uninvited and then she wouldn't leave.

"I see." Judge Rodgers looked around at the people gathered and asked, "Does anyone here have any hard evidence that places Adam Cartwright near the scene where the body was recovered?"

Jack Wolf spoke up, "Your Honor!"

The judge looked over him. "Approach the bench, Mr. Wolf." The judge had known of Jack Wolf for sometime and he wasn’t enamored of the man.

"Your Honor, it was raining that night so there were no tracks. But Adam Cartwright was the last person to see Miss Greene and he had reason to want her dead!"

Ben Cartwright immediately jumped to his feet. "That’s not true!" Other members of the audience chorused their disapproval of Jack’s words.

The judge pounded his gavel and yelled, "Order! I’ll have order!" He looked at Adam’s father sternly. "Sit down, Mr. Cartwright!"

Ben hesitated momentarily, exchanging a look of anger with Jack, then he sat back down. Little Joe looked up at Hoss in fear. Hoss put his arm around his younger brother. Adam stood there trying to act unaffected for his family’s sake. Hop Sing kept an eye on the family, concerned for all of them. The judge pounded his gavel and the courtroom eventually quieted down.

"Mr. Wolf, you will stick to the facts of this case."

Jack Wolf gave a noncommittal, "Yes, Your Honor."

Margaret Greene concentrated intently on the proceedings.

The judge continued addressing Jack. "Do you have any hard evidence that Adam Cartwright murdered Tess Greene?"

Jack met the judge’s stern gaze but after a few moments he started to waver. "Well,--not exactly, but..."

"Then sit down." Judge Rodgers ordered.

Jack wasn't used to being treated in that manner, but he knew enough not to argue with the judge. After casting a harsh look over at Adam, he returned to his seat. Ben Cartwright glared at him.

The judge again addressed the audience. "I’ll ask again. Does anyone here have any concrete evidence that places Adam Cartwright at the scene?"

After a few moments with no response and Maggie desperately looking around, she got to her feet. "Your Honor!"

The judge looked over at her. "Mrs. Greene?"

Margaret approached the bench. "Your Honor. My daughter is dead. Adam Cartwright was angry with her. I know he’s responsible! He has to be!"

Adam watched this taking place, then looked over at his family. He could see the looks of concern on their faces and smiled slightly to keep their spirits up. Ben smiled back encouragingly while trying to keep up with what Margaret was saying.

Judge Rodgers calmly responded, "Mrs. Greene, I know you’re upset about your daughter’s death, but this is a court of law. We deal in facts, not suppositions."

"It’s not a supposition! He killed my daughter!"

"What evidence do you have to support that contention?"

"Mr. Perkins told you that..."

The judge interrupted her. "Mrs. Greene, all I've heard so far from anybody is circumstantial evidence. That's not enough to get someone hung for murder."

Maggie looked desperately at him, then over at Jack, but he had nothing more to offer. She looked over at Adam. "Tell him!" she demanded, nearing hysterics. "Tell him you did it!"

Adam just looked at her in sympathy.

"Mrs. Greene...," the judge started.

"No! He killed my baby!" she cried.

The courtroom erupted in shouting, with some people including Jack Wolf shouting that Adam Cartwright was a murderer, and others shouting that he was innocent. Ben was trying to keep a tight rein on Little Joe and Hoss while growing concerned for his eldest son’s immediate safety. The judge pounded his gavel and called out several times for order. Suddenly a shot was heard and this instantly silenced everyone. The entire courtroom’s attention was now drawn to the back of the room where the marshal stood, lowering his weapon.

The judge called out, "That'll be enough of that, Marshal! Where have you been?"

The lawman calmly holstered his weapon, then strode to the front of the room as the people in the building watched him come forward. The judge waited impatiently. Maggie was still standing there, casting an anxious glance at the marshal, then over at Jack. Wolf was curious and concerned about the man’s intentions.

"Your Honor, if I may approach the bench?" Cavanaugh asked.

Judge Rodgers nodded once, a bit put out by the man’s insolence.

The Marshal remarked, "Your Honor, I’ve been out at the spot where Miss Greene was found."

Margaret watched him intently.

Cavanaugh continued as Adam and the rest of the Cartwrights waited in desperate anticipation of good news. "This is a hearing to decide whether or not Adam Cartwright murdered Tess Greene, am I correct?"

"You are," Judge Rodgers snapped.

"I have very good reason to believe Miss Greene was not murdered, but in fact accidentally fell from her horse."

Again the room erupted in shouting as Margaret Greene cried, "No! It was murder!"

The deputies kept an anxious eye on the situation and on their prisoner. Adam again looked over at his family. They were all concerned for Adam and apprehensive about the hostile climate in the courtroom. The judge pounded his gavel furiously and finally was able to restore order. Margaret looked desperately to the judge.

Judge Rodgers stated, "Marshal Cavanaugh, do you have any evidence that this was an accident and not murder?"

"Yes, I believe I may have. But first, I have one question." He looked at Maggie. "Did your daughter Tess have blond hair?"

Jack called out, "What’s that have to do with anything?!"

The judge pointed his gavel at him. "You’re in contempt, Mr. Wolf. One more outburst and I’ll have you in irons."

Jack knew the man meant business. He quieted down, but the defiance was plain on his face.

Judge Rodgers addressed Tess's mother. "Answer the question, Mrs. Greene."

Maggie looked at him, then at the marshal in desperation, trying to understand what was going on and fearful of the reason for the question. Finally she said, "Yes. Tess had beautiful blond hair. Why?!"

Ben, Adam and the rest of their family watched as Cavanaugh withdrew something from his coat pocket. Margaret’s eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock. The man handed the judge what looked like some twigs with several strands of blond hair entwined on them.

The marshal handed the items to the judge. "I found these up in a tree on the road above the ravine where the body was found."

Ben leaned forward at this piece of news. Adam watched intently, waiting to hear more.

Judge Rodgers examined the twigs and the hair. "You say you found this in a tree?"

"Yes," advised the lawman. "I’ve been out to the site a number of times trying to find some evidence either way, as it’s my job to do. When I couldn’t find any evidence of a murder, I tried to find some evidence of an accident. It finally occurred to me today that Miss Greene, if she was riding when she fell, would have been up high enough to be near some of the low hanging tree limbs; especially if her horse spooked and reared that night. So I started examining the trees around there. I almost missed it but I found one branch slightly cracked and with the evidence you see before you."

Margaret wailed, "No! Not my baby!" Shelby and Ruth hurried up to comfort her. The judge looked at Cavanaugh and said, "Thank you, Marshal." Then he added, "Well done."

The marshal nodded and looked over at Adam. Adam’s relief was evident on his face and he smiled gratefully at the man. Cavanaugh smiled back, then turned to go. Ben Cartwright had an intensely grateful look on his face as the marshal went by him. The lawman nodded to the relieved father as Little Joe looked questioningly at Hoss.

Judge Rodgers pounded his gavel and announced, "This Court has found Adam Cartwright innocent of murder! Case dismissed!"

A loud cheer erupted in the town hall. People started clapping and many came forward to congratulate Adam and the rest of the Cartwrights. One of the deputies removed Adam’s shackles and Ben was right there to pull him into a fierce embrace. Adam laughed slightly, relieved to be free. His brothers patted him on the back. Hop Sing stood by, smiling at the family’s good fortune.

The judge rose and left the building. Ruth and Shelby walked a distraught Maggie out, while Eli, Big Dan and a number of other people surrounded the Cartwrights offering their good wishes. Disgusted, Jack Wolf slipped out unobserved.

Finally, the crowd dispersed, leaving the Cartwrights and a few close friends standing there. Ben smiled at his eldest son. "Well, Son, are you ready to go home?"

Adam was there with an arm around Little Joe as Hoss threw his arm around Adam’s other shoulder. Adam nodded to his father happily.

"I’ll get the wagon." Ben started to go, then something occurred to him. "On second thought, you sure you’re up for another trip so soon?"

Adam laughed, remembering the results of the last wagon trip. "Yeah, I’m sure, Pa. Just don’t go so fast this time," he said with a wink.

"Don’t worry. I’ll take it so slow we might not get home till the end of the month."

Everyone laughed.

"That suits me," Adam joked and started heading for the door with his family beside him.

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Epilogue

Margaret Greene never got over her daughter’s death and was also conscious of the fact that she came close to getting an innocent man convicted of murder and hung. Several months after the hearing, she decided to sell her ranch and go back East to live.

There were still some difficult months ahead for Adam, but he gradually recovered from the effects of his head injury and was able to get on with his life. Little Joe was greatly relieved when his oldest brother was able to go back to doing his chores fulltime so Joe would no longer have to do them. Hoss at times went off by himself to work things out in his mind and to deal with Tess Greene’s death. His family understood some of what he was going through and left him to his thoughts, though they were always with him in spirit.

Although his family's emotional wounds were still raw, Ben Cartwright was sure that in time those wounds would heal, too. As he put one last log on the fire one night before turning in, Ben remembered how lucky he was to have his three fine sons, and he knew that brighter days were ahead for all of them.

THE END