So, before he and Takahashi left, Speed said, "Who said anything about a murder? It certainly wasn't me. I have a second complaint about this gent, and we need to discuss it, and here in public is not the place for that. What I said was that there was a man who thought Takahashi here might be here to do him harm, yes, I said that I did not accuse him of murder. Now, if you'll excuse us."
"Frances distinctly used the word 'murder', Marshal," Caroline defended herself. Seems the marshal was in a crabby mood this day.
As Shintaro was leaving, she also called out to him, "Sorry you didn't get yer free beers. Come back again when ya can and I'll make that right."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"My wife was assaulted and brutally murdered," Shintaro began, the anger he felt bubbling up from where he had compartmentalized it till he forcefully pushed it down. Now wasn't the time to let his anger out, only when he found her murderer then he could unleash it. "I found her when I returned from my evening job, she barely had enough life within her to gasp out who attacked her. If this Boyd is the same man as her killer then he does have cause to fear me."
"Yes, that is what I was told, but his story was quite a bit different than yours. Now, the name of this individual, as you knew him? What would that be? Speed asked directly, "And, would you recognize him on sight? Because if so, it would be simple to get him to step out where you could see him, but he could not see you. And I'll not tolerate any foolishness. If it is him, then I would arrest him and bring him to trial for her murder, on your complaint. That would be the best I could do, but justice would be served." It wasn't that Speed didn't believe him, because he did, that was a long ride from San Francisco, where he got no justice, and by his own testimony for the complaint, Bloyd had said he fled San Francisco to avoid the man, which made perfect sense either way. That fact was, many men changed their names for equally as many reasons.
"So, you are free to go, and it would be your choice what you choose to do next." Speed told him, "Either we arrest him, if he is that man, or I put out a warrant for you if you kill him, not something I'd want to do."
@LdyPayne
It came as no surprise the Marshall heard a completely different tale from this Boyd individual, if he was indeed the one who murdered his wife. Okashi had only enough time to give him a very basic description but it was more than enough for Shin to determine who it was. There certainly weren't many doctors in San Francisco who didn't object to treating Asians who weren't Asian themselves. Finding out the man fled the city not to long after was all the proof he had needed. Unfortunately it hadn't been enough for the San Francisco police, they just claimed it was coincidental and dropped the case.
"He went under the name of Dr. John James Mahoney," Shin responded, already knowing the name would mean nothing to the Marshal. "I certainly would be able to recognize him if I saw him."
It was heartening to hear the Marshall was willing to arrest the man and put him through trial but Shin had his doubts justice would truly be served. It may not have anything to do with the Marshall's own efforts but the American justice system was very much geared to favour the white man.
"It would be so simple to deal with her killer if this happened in Japan," Shintaro growled. "But this isn't my homeland so I must abide by American law and I will. My wife wouldn't wish for me to take a life to avenge her and unless my life is threatened I won't take justice into my own hands."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"Then, this is what we will do, Mister Takashashi is, I will get you stationed across from the pharmacy where you can get a clear view of the man when I bring him out, perhaps a ruse to sign the complaint so I can act on it." Speed plotted. "Now, you can't dart out and accost him, you need to let me get him to the jail, let him sign the complaint, and go back to his shop. Then you slip out of your spot and come to the jail, and we will make a plan to take him, though if it is him, we have to use care to take him alive; we do want the man to swing for his crimes. I doubt your wife was his only victim, though I could be wrong."
"Do we understand one another?" Speed asked. He knew that the man's thirst for revenge was strong, as his would be if it were Alice who was the victim. It would not be easy for the man if Boyd were indeed the killer, which made far more sense than if Takahashi had killed his wife. Somehow, that had never made sense to him.
Shin listened to the Marshall's plan and grunted an affirmative. He was eager to get his revenge but he knew he had to do this 'by the book' as the saying went. He knew the laws enough in America to know he couldn't just take the law in his own hands no matter how justified he felt in doing so.
"I remember spotting a pharmacy sign not too far from the saloon so I won't have any trouble finding a good spot to watch." Shintaro would prefer to confront the man at the pharmacy but he saw the wisdom in the Marshall's plan. "Just give me a few minutes to get into place before you bring him out."
With the plan in place, Shintaro left the Marshall's office and made his way down the street before turning down a side street a few stores down from the Pharmacy, on the same side of the street. He will be able to see the Marshall walk past easily enough without being easily noticed by him or Boyd. Leaning against a wall, he made sure he wouldn't be easily seen should Boyd glance down the side street. With his hat tilted forward to shade his face, even if Boyd did see him, Shin doubted he would be able to tell him from any other man wearing a cowboy hat and jacket.
Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.
Boyd wasn't wasting time, he'd packed up a few essentials and all the ready cash and gold he had to hand. He could send someone back to Kalispell when things had calmed down to get his other property. He grabbed one last item... an Adams Mk II revolver of obscure provenance. Then he headed for the front upstairs window and peeped through the nets.
Blast! There was Guyer, strolling down the street. Maybe he should go and talk to the man but... no, that little tingling feeling in the pit of his gut, that 6th sense possessed by the habitual criminal, told him to run.
The was no back door to the place, so he ran to the back of the house and clambered out of a window that looked down on an outhouse roof. He was getting a little old for this, but he had been climbing in and out of people's houses for many of those years, he had the technique. That was it; he was now down behind the drug store. There was no fence between this building and the next; he timed it so that the Marshal had walked past the entry between the two structures, and then darted across, visible for two seconds from Takahashi's position.
What now? Run? No. Again his furtive survival instinct kicked in. He clambered up the drainpipe on next door's outhouse and onto its roof, and in through a window above it, closing it and latching it behind him.
He caught his breath on the 2nd floor landing of the house and tried to remember who lived next door to the druggist. Ah, he remembered... that elusive Mrs Ashby, the rich widow. No wonder he couldn't remember, she never left the house. He pulled out his revolver and moved gingerly forward, placing down his heel, and then rolling his foot down silently, as he had done so many times before.
@[Flip]
It wasn't long before he spotted the Marshall making his way down the street towards the pharmacy. Anticipation to finally see his wife's murder brought to justice made him hyperalert. If it hadn't he may not have heard the scruff of boot on tile and the sound of somebody making a landing from a fair height. It was out of place enough to cause him to glance towards the sound and he spotted Dr. Mahoney sprinting across the space between two buildings. It was only a couple seconds but it was enough for Shintaro to recognize him.
He should have expected the rat to run as soon as the Marshall headed his way, the man was a coward and had no honor. Without a word he headed towards the spot he last saw Majoney, wishing he had his sword on its usual place at his hip. He did have his tanto and six shooter, two weapons he could wear freely without drawing any attention to himself.
By the time he made it around the corner, Boyd had already slipped into the window of another building. It was the sound of the window closing and the click of the lock which drew his attention upward. There was no point trying to get up to the window himself, instead he checked for the nearest door leading into the building at ground level. The one in the back he blocked with a couple nearby bins then moved around to the front, listening for any sound of the front door opening or another window. Hopefully the Marshall would have noticed Boyd was gone and will be out on the street where Shintaro could signal him over. The last thing he wanted to do was give a shout and alert Boyd to the fact Shin knew where he was hiding.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed gave the Japanese man time to locate a good spot to watch the pharmacy from before he stepped out of the office and the Municipal Building. Pausing on the boardwalk to look around casually, then started across the street, walking at an easy pace toward Boyd's Pharmacy, and soon he would be out from under any overhangs and in the open where both Boyd and Takahashi could see him.
He decided to step into the street, avoiding the stack of boxes that were in the way, which would give Boyd a clear view of him, if the man was watching. Efgert suspicious, Guyer had his Colt unleashed, though that would hardly be noticeable even as he drew closer to the building he was headed for.
Stepping up to the door he reached out for the knob, but the door was locked as the knob turned, but the door did not yield, shades drawn, even though it should be open t that time of day.
"Mister Boyd?" He called, "Mister Boyd, Marshal Guyer. I need you to come down to the office to sing the complaint so I can act on it properly." He called again, but he heard nothing from inside, nothing at all. Giyuer then stepped into the street, looking up at the window. Glancing at the building next door, its upper side window was closed as well. An escape from one building looked treacherous at best.
Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.
Inside the house, Boyd had managed to sneak downstairs unheard, he peeped inside a room... a large, well appointed drawing room with a whole bunch of military trophies of exotic origin, African mostly, on the wall and there, sitting reading on a settee, a rather beautiful woman in black with the most exquisite neck he had ever feasted his eyes upon.
The net was closing in. He might never have another chance. No time to use his garotte, he tiptoed up behind the woman, his heart thumping in his chest, that good old familiar feeling, his sin stirring in his loins. Trying not to pant out loud, and then YES!!! He was on her, fingers around her throat, the delicious sound of her gurgling, the thrashing of her petite body beneath him, the... "HEY!!"
He turned to see an ugly little maid bearing down on him across the parlour carpet and reluctantly let go of his quarry in time to turn and give the interfering girl a hard thump in the face. She went down like a sack of spuds and crumpled on the floor with a moan.
He turned back to the gasping woman in black, who was trying to crawl to safety.
"I won't be denied!" he growled.
+++
The front door to the house flew open and the little maid servant with blood streaming from her nose, spotting her white pinafore apron, almost crashed in Shintaro as she stumbled from the building.
"Help, Mister!!" she gasped, falling to her hands and knees in the dust and pointing back to the house "Mister Boyd's gone mad an' he's strangulating Missus Ashby!! You gotta help her!"
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed spun on a heel and reached for the young woman as she shouted to him."Help, Mister!!" she gasped, falling to her hands and knees in the dust and pointing back to the house "Mister Boyd's gone mad an' he's strangulating Missus Ashby!! You gotta help her!"
Stragulating? The Killer!
He leaped past the maid and darted into the house, lost for a split second before her turned rapidly toward the drawing room. There was Boyd, his hands firmly gripping the woman's throat, his eyes wide, almost unreal in the gaping, vacant look, then veins in his own throat pronounced, muscles taught, mouth agape. There was a shoulder presented to him, and as the Colt flew into his hand and leveled at Boyd, the sound of the shot exploded in the room as the lead slug slammed into the shoulder from a range of less than fifteen feet, sending Boyd into the bookcase behind him, but not down!