hit and leapt through an open window and escaped into the night.

Balto heaved a sigh of relief as he stood only to be warmly embraced by Jenna.

“Oh my God, Balto, what are you doing here?” she said shakily as a few joyful tears fell from her eyes.

“I told you I’d be back,” he replied, “I guess it’s lucky I came when I did. Are you alright?”

“I am, now that you’re here,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

Moments later her brother Flint, having heard the shots, rushed in. Jenna assured him that everything was fine now, but recounted her brush with death to him.

“And you bit him?” Flint asked in astonishment.

“Well, what would you have done?’

“If I were you, I would have kicked the guy in the crotch, but that’s just me.”

Flint, Balto, and Jenna all laughed.

“Well, if you two don’t mind, I’m going to bed,” Flint said, “Jenna, don’t forget to finish locking up.”

“I won’t, Flint,” Jenna replied.

With a final tip of his hat, Flint retired to his bedroom upstairs.

Jenna, meanwhile, accompanied Balto to the front door.

“I guess I should be going now,” he said, starting out the door.

Jenna, however, held him back.

“Just one more thing…” she said.

When he turned back toward him, she put an arm around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Balto was quite surprised at first, but quickly became used to the feeling of Jenna’s lips against his and began to kiss her back. After a long moment, they pulled apart and smiled, their cheeks flushed.

“Thanks, Balto,” Jenna whispered, wrapping her arms around him.

Balto returned the embrace and then stepped out onto the porch he’d constructed. He looked back at Jenna and smiled before making his way off into the night.

But even as Jenna bolted the door and turned out the store lights, two eyes peered in through the window. Outside, a masked husky growled as he clutched a bandage tight over his pierced wrist and fingered something in his other hand.

“I didn’t want it to come to this, Jenna,” he said, “But you leave me no choice.”

He turned and melted away into the darkness, but not before taking one last glance at the knife in his hands; on its handle was the name Balto McLain.

Later that night, Balto made his way back toward Jenna’s store. Although he was not entirely sure what had coerced his feet to carry him to her door, he did know that he wanted –no, he had- to talk to her.

As he neared the porch, though, two black eyes watched Balto with great interest.

That’s right, half-breed, come back to your girl, the stranger thought, just like I thought you would.

Just as Balto was about to knock on the door, the stranger stepped from the shadows and onto the porch.

“Balto, just the man I was looking for,” Steele said, “Do you mind taking a quick walk?”

Balto eyed the sheriff suspiciously.

“Not now, Steele. I-”

“I’d advise you not to knock,” Steele interrupted, “I came by a minute ago, and Jenna was none too pleased to see me so late. She doesn’t want to be disturbed right now.”

Balto hesitated.

“Well, alright,” he conceded, stepping down off the porch, “I can see her later, then.”

He started toward home, but Steele called after him.

“How about a walk, then? It looks like neither of us will be getting much sleep tonight.”

Balto hesitated again, but turned and walked into town beside Steele.

“So, are you friends with Jenna?” Steele asked.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Balto replied, thinking about the kiss she’d given him.

“Well, for those of us who have not had the pleasure of courting Miss Jenna, please tell me, what’s she like.”

“Oh, she’s…caring, funny, beautiful, everything you could ask for in a girl.”

Steele’s eyes flashed briefly in pure anger, but quickly returned to their mock friendliness.

At that moment, someone darted out of the alleyway in front of them.

“Hey you, stop!” Steele cried, dashing after him.

Balto was about to follow when there was a small crash, and he turned to see a shattered box in the alleyway near a bigger pile of crates. He advanced cautiously, and suddenly noticed the glimmer of something on the ground in front of him. He leaned down and realized it was a knife; his personal knife.

And it was stained with blood.

With the knife in his hand, he moved slowly around the pile of boxes and nearly fell over in shock. Before him lay a young cowboy, no older than twenty, with a deep knife wound in his chest.

“Help! Somebody help! Murder!” Balto shouted.

He leaned down and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

Just then, he heard the click of a gun cocking behind him, followed by Steele’s voice.

“Balto McLain, you are under arrest for murder.”

Balto turned and came face-to-face with the barrel of a Colt revolver.

“This is a mistake, Steele,” he said calmly, “I didn’t do this.”

“Drop the knife.”

Balto did.

“Now will you listen to me?” he demanded, “I didn’t do this!”

Steele moved around behind him again.

“Put your hands on your head, hybrid,” he growled.

Balto spun around, infuriated.

“I’m telling you, I DIDN’T-”

Suddenly, the butt of a gun came down on Balto’s head from behind, and he collapsed.

As Steele looked down approvingly at Balto’s unconscious form, someone walked calmly up beside him. A small star shimmered on his chest.

“Is he dead?” the stranger asked, nudging Balto with his boot.

“You should know that was not part of the plan, not yet at least,” Steele replied, “But you’ve done your part, Amos, and for that I thank you.”

“For what it’s worth, you aren’t a very fast runner. I had to slow down for you, and that says things.”

Just as they were finishing their conversation, mingled voices drawing near reached their ears, and both bent down and acted busy as a small crowd gathered behind them. Among them was Flint Daniels.

“What the hell’s going on here?” Flint demanded, seeing Balto on the ground and a dead body beside him.

“We caught this guy red-handed,” Steele replied, gesturing toward Balto and then toward the body, “Apparently, he had something against the deceased here.”

Flint’s eyes went from Balto to the corpse and then to Steele and Amos, who were both watching him.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” he said, his eyes fixed on Balto, “I just saw this guy a few hours ago.”

“People change, Flint,” Amos said, “Come on, let’s get this guy to where he belongs: jail.”

Chapter Three

Jenna woke late the next morning because it was Sunday and her store customarily opened at noon rather than eight in the morning. Glancing at her clock, she saw that it was still only a little past ten and decided to pay Balto a visit before her work day began. Since the night before, she couldn’t get her mind off of the kiss she’d given him and the feelings now welling up inside her.

When she arrived at Balto’s home, she knocked twice on the door and waited. No one answered, and she knocked again. After a moment, curiosity got the better of her and she pushed the door open and went inside. She found to her great surprise that the small house was empty; tidy as ever, but empty.

“If you’re looking for Balto, he’s not here,” said a voice behind her. Jenna spun around to see Flint standing at the door. “I figured I’d find you here.”

“Well, have you seen him around?” Jenna asked, sensing Flint was hiding something. His eye lids drooped and his whole appearance revealed that he had not slept much that night, but she saw something beyond his exhausted expression.

“Oh, I’ve seen him,” Flint assured her, “But I didn’t like what I saw.”

Jenna furrowed her brow.

“Well?”

“Jenna, he’s been arrested for murder.”

“What?” Jenna exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“Steele and Amos both saw him do it,” Flint insisted.

“Bull. I don’t trust Steele as far as I can throw him, and your ‘friend’ Amos is no better.”

“Jenna, if two people saw-”

“Two brothers,” Jenna corrected, darting past him into town, “They could be lying, and I’ll bet they are. I won’t let them do it.”

Flint struggled to keep up as he shouted after her,

“Jenna, the trial’s already started!”

At that moment, Balto stood before the judge’s bench, pleading his innocence to a determined prosecutor, a silent crowd of onlookers, and a jury that was all but decided on their verdict. The past night was a blur to him. He only vaguely remembered sleeping, but he clearly remembered being shaken awake and then interrogated by both the judge he now stood before and Flint Daniels while Steele and Amos Thane watched nearby. He had repeated over and over that he had found the body and had had nothing to do with the murder, but his statements fell on deaf ears. Now, he could only hope that the jury would be more willing to listen.

The prosecutor turned to face him again.

“And you say that the knife the sheriff found on your person is not yours?”

“No sir, I said that that knife had been lost for over a month.”

“Peculiar how you remember how long you’ve been missing this insignificant little trinket.”

“It’s very special to me,” Balto replied, somewhat angered, “My father made it for me.”

“And I suppose he carved your name into it here?”

“That’s correct.”

“I see. And you say you found this knife lying next to the body and picked it up out of curiosity?”

“Because it was mine, sir,” Balto corrected.

“Perhaps you’d care to explain how it subsequently disappeared again? Why don’t you take us through last night’s events?”

Balto nodded and began his story again.

He had just finished when Jenna and Flint came in.

“Your honor,” Jenna began, “I can prove that Balto is innocent.”

“Miss Jenna, the time for testimony is past,” the judge replied.

“Balto was with me almost the whole night, how could he have-”

“Miss Daniels, Balto McLain was found with the knife in his hands.”

“Let me guess, it had his name on it right?”

“Yes,” replied the