He only had a half second to react to get out of the way when the door suddenly flew open and a maid stumbled out to fall at his feet. Shintaro saw the blood on her face and realized Boyd must have stuck her, not realizing he had just alerted the people looking for him.
He gave a sharp whistle to get the Marshall's attention while he took a quick moment to make sure the woman wasn't seriously injured. Shintaro wanted to run into the house first, but knew if he saw Boyd he wouldn't hesitate in taking him out. Best he let the Marshal go in first, then follow to lend any assistance needed. That gave the Marshall more than enough time to get into the house.
The moment the Marshall found Boyd, Shintaro spotted his query trying to strangle an old woman and mentally thanked the gods for making his revenge easy. He stopped moving forward the instant the Marshall raised his gun and fired, not wanting to distract him. He watched as Boyd was flung away from the old woman by the force of the bullet's impact.
Boyd was so focused on strangling his prey he hadn't even heard the sound of boots running towards him. He barely had a chance to look up when he felt the tingling sensation of pending danger deep in his lizard brain before he heard the explosion of a gun going off and a searing rupture of pain his shoulder. Next thing he knew he was slamming against the bookcase, his shoulder screaming in pain. As he struggled to stay on his feet, he saw the very man who had followed him all the way out here and right next to him, holding a smoking gun was the Marshall.
"That's definitely my wife's murderer," Shintaro shouted over the gasping scream of the woman who had fell to the floor the moment Boyd was shot. She did her best to crawl away from Boyd while taking deep gasping breaths between screams.
Shintaro stepped into the room, making sure not to block the Marshall's line of fire, his own gun now in hand though he itched to have his sword in hand instead. Unfortunately he had left his blade on his horse by the saloon so taking Boyd's head was out of the question. Still, he would enjoy seeing the man swing if he could be taking alive.
Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.
Boyd turned to face the man who had shot him and saw not the expected Takahashi, but the Marshal!
The Japanese who had been hunting him for the last two years came running in behind him.
"That's definitely my wife's murderer," Shintaro shouted over the gasping scream of the woman who had fell to the floor the moment Boyd was shot.
Boyd slumped onto the chaise longue, raised a hand weakly, for he could feel the life-blood draining from him fast. But from somewhere he raised a bemused laugh.
"You... he he... you jumped the line there, Marshal..." he coughed up some blood "... never... allow it in the... in the store.... annoys folks..." he slurred, he pointed at Takahashi "... killed this feller's wife... poor bastard... he's been after me for years... so close... nearly... seconds..." he started to fade then rallied, but in his mind he was back in his drug store "No jumpin' the line!" he warned, then he fell back, dead.
By this time Herschelina, the little maid with the bleeding nose, was back inside, comforting the beautiful young Mrs Ashby.
@[Flip]
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed looked at the man slumped in the chair, one that would have been above suspicion, a pharmacist, a man who dealt in medicine to help people. Well, that was over. Takahashi had his revenge; two years on the chase was a long time, but the chase was over now. The man's wife's killer was dead. Speed holstered his Colt.
"Not what I would have liked, but it is what it is. Must have severed an artery. You're in the clear, not being the man who killed him. I know you wanted to. Just how it wor-, what's this?" Speed said, suddenly seeing a strand of knotted material dangling from Boyd's pocket. A thin cord-like thing. He reached down and extracted it. "Damn!" He exhaled in surprise. "Excuse me, Ma'am, but our mild-mannered druggist appears to be the strangler of three of our citizens." He toyed with the coil of silk, then stuck it in his vest pocket.
"Mister Takahashi. I didn't mean to steal your thunder, but I had to stop him. Missus Ashby would have been his fourth victim had I not acted as I did." It was odd that the man bled out; he thought the shoulder wound would simply disable him from strangling Missus Ashby. "I reckon I need to fetch the undertaker, a bit late for the doc, well, Missus Ashby? Are you alright? Would you like me to fetch the Doctor?"
@Ldypayne @Javia
Shintaro watched Boyd bleed out his face expressionless, unaffected by the man's little jab. Yes he would have enjoyed being the one to take Boyd's life but seeing him die was all he needed to know his wife's murder was avenged. Nor did he have to break his word to her in his promise not to kill, a vow he took during the passage to America.
"There is no need to apologize, Marshal," Shintaro said, turning to look over at him. "Your aim was far better than mine, I couldn't have taken that shot without worry of hitting Missus Ashby."
He watched as the Marshal bent over the body to extract something from his body. From what he could tell it looked like a piece of wire or thin cord, not something he would expect to be on a pharmacist's pocket. It then dawned on him his wife wasn't the last victim of the man who went under the name of Boyd.
"It seems my wife's spirit won't be the only one to rest easy now that their murderer has been dealt with," Shintaro said then turned his attention to the two women in the room.
"The maid was struck hard enough to bleed, I can fetch doctor if either young lady requires it," Shintaro offers even though he had no idea where to find one in town.
"That's too much sugar for a dime!"
Everybody was fussing and asking questions and answering them at the same time. The cook waddled in, screamed, and was then dispatched to fetch the undertaker, Mister Jolly and one of the many doctors who had congregated in Kalispell due to the magnet of the new hospital, which was about to open sometime soon.
Shintaro turned his attention to the two women in the room.
"The maid was struck hard enough to bleed, I can fetch doctor if either young lady requires it," Shintaro offered even though he had no idea where to find one in town.
"That is quite all right, my man, my cook has been dispatched" said Mrs Ashby, who had pulled herself together with true British phlegm and was now wondering why there was an oriental man in her parlour. It was bad enough having a raving lunatic trying to murder one, without have a 'ching chong chinaman' entering the premises. If one had to have such people enter one's house at all, they should do so through the servants' entrance.
The Colquitt girl had acted well and would be rewarded, but it was the Marshal who was the true hero of the hour and it was upon him that she lavished her attention.
"Mister Guyer, I will be forever grateful for your prompt action in despatching this foul wretch" she announced waving a hand at the inert form of Boyd "It will be my great pleasure to receive you for tea, as soon as we manage to get the blood out of the hearth rug."
The frowsy little maid with the face that was more freckles than otherwise, was more fixated with the Japanese man. She wiped away the blood from her face with a hanky and tossed her head in his direction in a 'come hither' manner.
When he was close enough, she stared at him with frowning visage and said to Shintaro urgently "I'm sorry to hear about your wife, Mister. That's pretty rough doin's. And I guess it would'a been nice forya to 'a killt Mister Boyd personally, I always knew there was somethin' peculiar about him..." (in the next few days, just about everybody in Kalispell, armed with the benefit of hindsight, would be claiming that)
"... always asking me if I was regular, and such.. but... I think something funny happened her today... Mister, do you believe in kismet?" she asked a little mysteriously.
@[Flip] - to Mrs Ashby
LdyPayne - to Herschelina
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"Missus Ashby, that is very kind of you, and I would be delighted, but not necessary. It is not what one would say was all in a day's work, because it is not. What happened was, this Boyd fellow entered your home, I believe, through an upper window." He explained, then continued, "Mister Takahasi here had his wife murdered by Boyd in San Francisco, and was in town after him. The bonus to all of this, and your misfortune to have almost been his fourth victim, William Boyd is our strangler. We can now close that case.'
Speed was glasd Missus Ashby had not been number four on Boyds tally sheet. Three was far more than enough. "Seems we are gathering a crowd outside. I had best disperse them before it gets out of hand. Mister Takahashi, if you would remain in here until the street is cleared and word that the strangler is dead is out." With that, he side-stepped Mister Jolly and went out the front door
It was a relief to see Mrs. Ashby wasn't badly injured in the attack though it was clear she was still a little shook up despite doing well to hide it. Shintaro instead turned his attention to the maid who had by now cleaned the blood from her face with a hankerchief and was gesturing for him to come closer. Seeing no reason not to he walked over to hear what she had to say.
"Thank you for your words, Miss," Shinstaro responds. "I believe in Karma, which I suspect is similar to Kismet," he admitted. "It wasn't my karma to kill Mr. Boyd and I'm content with how things worked out in the end."
The Town Marshal was explaining to the half strangled Mrs Ashby how Boyd had gained access to her parlour without first presenting his card at the front door, as was the custom in the better circles that the rich young widow was used to.
"What happened was, this Boyd fellow entered your home, I believe, through an upper window."
"That was my error, Mr Guyer, I do so like to keep the house well ventilated, and I have Herschelina open the upstairs windows every morning to give the rooms a good airing." she informed the man who had 'ventilated' Boyd.
"Mister Takahasi here had his wife murdered by Boyd in San Francisco..."
That was probably a bad way of putting it, it rather made it sound like the Japanese hired the druggist to do it!
"... and was in town after him. The bonus to all of this, and your misfortune to have almost been his fourth victim, William Boyd is our strangler. We can now close that case.'
The widow put her hand to her throat. "How horrible!" she gasped. Still, one had to consider, the first three victims had been two common prostitutes and a crooked store clerk; if Mister Boyd had kept to such people, his actions might almost be seen as laudable. But now he had raised his sights, so to speak, to include respectable folk, it was as well that his career had been terminated.
There was some noise from without as the local undertaker, a dour Scotsman, arrived and pushed his way through a bunch of loafers who had stopped to see what was happening.
"Seems we are gathering a crowd outside. I had best disperse them before it gets out of hand. Mister Takahashi, if you would remain in here until the street is cleared and word that the strangler is dead is out." With that, he side-stepped Mister Jolly and went out the front door.
Mrs Ashby smiled graciously at the old man in black and swept a hand gracefully to the couch.
"Ah, Mister Jolly, do allow me to show you to our corpse..."
"That's too much sugar for a dime!"
Meanwhile, at the downmarket end of the room, Takahashi was still talking with the intense housemaid.
"Thank you for your words, Miss"
Hersh looked a bit surprised at that bit of politeness. "That's alright - got lots of 'em" she shrugged, and boy was that true.
"I believe in Karma, which I suspect is similar to Kismet," he admitted. "It wasn't my karma to kill Mr. Boyd and I'm content with how things worked out in the end."
She shook her head impatiently and her braids nearly hit him in the face.
"That ain't what I'm sayin', Mister Takahashi. I don't just mean it was bad luck you didn't git him, I reckon there's a greater force at work here. Now I ain't particularly religious nor nuthin', go to church Sunday like everybody else, 'n' say ma prayers before I goes to bed, like all good girls do, and I don't understand all this new fangled spiritualism like what Mrs Orr does over at her place, but..."
She frowned hard, her pea-sized bumpkin brain trying to put into words the strong feeling she had.
"... something special happened here today... you remember when I ran out a-shoutin' and a-screamin' for help? I... why, I ran right up to you and asked you to come... and then, why it was as if you was magically replaced by the Marshal. I never seen nuthin so queer. An' I knowd I'd just been smashed in the phiz and might have been a little woozy headed, but after you and Mr Guyer ran in, I looked up and I seen this lady... oh, she was beautiful Mr Takahashi, an' she was wearin' a queer white silk gown an' her hair was all up and like midnight black and her face was painted white with just a little touch of red here..."
The ignorant farm girl touched her bottom lip, not realising she still had some of her own blood on her finger, leaving a dab of vivid red upon it. She had no way of knowing that she had just described the traditional Japanese ceremonial makeup of stark white foundation, oshiroi, and bold vermillion lips, or beni.
"Anyhow, that nice lady, she just smiled at me an' then I think I maybe passed out fer a second. But... what I think she wanted me to know was that you weren't here to kill ol' Mr Boyd there, you come here to do somethin' else... somethin' else that's kinda good... somethin' better than revenge."
Now she'd gotten it out of her system, the girl looked a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, Mister Takahashi, you must think I'm as nutty as a fruitcake."
Shintaro didn't know much about the term kismet but he did know karma as that was something he learned about. There were many things in life one couldn't control but the main thing every person could control was their own actions. As far as he was concerned, seeing Boyd dead even if it wasn't by his own hand, satisfied his vow to avenge his wife's murder. As he didn't have to break his other vow he swore to his wife made it all the more honourable.
Nodding to indicate he did remember what happened earlier when the young woman ran out of the house, Shintaro remained silent so he could listen to the rest of what she had to say. At the description of the 'lady' she claimed to have seen, he made a sound of wonder. Even though the description could fit any Japanese woman prepared for traditional ceremonies he knew this young girl had seen the spirit of his wife. Bowing once he then clapped his hands twice and gave a silent prayer, thanking the spirit of his wife for revealing herself to this young woman so she could tell him what she saw.
"I do not think you are nutty, quite the contrary," Shintaro responded after finishing his brief prayer. "What you have told me has removed a heavy weight from my heart and filled me with inner peace."