Jackson listened intently as Lola told her story through abbreviated sobs.<br/><br/>"King?  Not familiar with him, and as far as I know, there is no legal bounty on his head," he spoke reflectively.  "Wait!  Is that the polecat that you sent my Ab... I mean the you sent Abby up to?," his voice grew with anger at the thought of Abby with such an asshole and the fact that Lola sent her to him.  He was not unaccustomed to Abby sharing her bed with other men, but for the most part Jackson approved of them, and knew that it was part of the life of a saloon girl.  His hidden demons prevented him from taking her from the life and making an honest woman of her.  That and Lola had threatened him within an inch of his life if he took one of her best girls.<br/><br/>"I will send word to Tom at the U.S. Marshals office in the morning to see if he has any inform..." Before he finished his thought he was interupted by the shrill scream from the street below.  He jumped from his seat and rushed to the window to investigate the disturbance.  He saw the lifeless body hanging from the lamp post, and a couple of shady characters leaning up against the wall in the alleyway.  The crowd grew around the now widowed woman crumpled in the street, wailing.<br/><br/>"Is that mother fucker mean enough to kill?," he questioned Lola as he retrieved his gunbelt and quickly strapped it around his waist.  He grabbed a shirt and threw his arms into the sleeves before he lifted the window.  He stuffed his feet into his boots and stepped onto the balcony of the saloon.  Three strides led him to the edge where he crouched and jumped the ten feet to the ground.<br/><br/>When he reached the body of Bill he commanded a couple of bystanders to help him as he put the muzzle of his six shooter on the knot that held the rope to the lamp post and fired.  The men lowered the limp body to the ground and Jackson stood and looked around wildly for any sign of a guilty party.  The two figures in the alley retreated into the darkness as Jackson started walking their way.  He looked up and saw the silhouetted figure staring out of Abby's window.  His blood ran cold at the thought of the evil looking down at the street.<br/><br/>He abandoned his pursuit of the dark strangers in the alley and turned down the street towards the Sheriff's office.  If that old bastard would not take notice of his town now, then Jackson was determined to take over.