The day was easily shaping into another busy day in Dodge City, and with only one more day to go till the big one, the crowds in the street seemed if anything to be growing. Coraline seemed to burst out the door of the jailhouse, and while Randolph wasn't exactly hot on her heels, he definitely had to quicken his pace to catch up with her.

He steps outside and offers his arm to Coraline with a smile, "If Gabby's diplomatic manner holds up, I figure we'll have a shooting war in Dodge City by sundown.

"Let's go see Doc Smith." His voice is loud enough to carry inside.

Still seething, she waved off Randolph's arm.  Not in the mood to be pandered to or escorted, she headed for the doctor's office, pausing only briefly in town to ask for directions.  After a few minutes of walking, she threw Randolph a glance, her angry expression easing somewhat.  "I think we made a serious mistake in coming here.  This town has proved to be one bad encounter after another.  And I still haven't had the time for a good card game."  She seemed particularly disappointed about the latter, no matter what her friend thought of her penchant for gambling.

Randolph nods at the young woman's assessment. Coming to Dodge may not have been a mistake, but signing on as temporary deputies certainly was. They turn up Bridge Street.

"Well, we only serve as deputies for another two days. Then we can be about our own business," he says mildly, then stops at the corner of Bridge and Chestnut, pointing at the shingle that says Zachary Smith, M.D.: "Here we are."

He opens the door and holds it for Coraline.

A weathered man in his late fifties with a shock of white hair, Dr. Zachary Smith stood in a small waiting room talking to a woman who sat behind a desk. He smiled politely at the two new entrants to his establishment.

"Good morning. How can I help you two today?"

Darling puts on a professional smile. "Good morning, Doctor Smith. My name is Randolph Darling and this is Miss Coraline Hawthorne," he pulls back his lapel to display his badge, "We're deputies working on the murder at the Dog Eye Saloon last night. We'd like to ask a few questions about your post mortem examination. After that we'd like to see Suzy Winger."

"How do you do, Doctor?" Coraline asked politely, trying her best not to frown at the mention of the whore.

"Mr. Darling, Miss Hawthorne, welcome. I can tell you what I can about the post mortem, but I'm afraid I can't let you see Suzy. She needs rest for a few days. She's in a bad state of shock." He adjusted his glasses.

"Now, what can I tell you?"

Randolph glances at the woman behind the desk, but if the doctor didn't mind talking in front of her...

"How was the man killed? What implement was used to cut off his head and arms? How long after death were the dismemberments done?" He glances at Coraline to see whether she has anything to add.

Dr. McCarty may have been an older gentleman, but he wasn't dull, and he caught Randolph's glance to the side. "Wilma is my daughter, and my assistant, and secretary when I need one. She knows everything I know. Well, I can tell you that a very sharp, shallow blade was used. From the way the limbs have been severed, the killer must have been unusually strong. And...I think it is likely that whoever did the dismembering had some knowledge of human anatomy. The cuts are very precise."

He cleared his throat, and took a sip from a glass of water he had resting on a table nearby. "If the body was dismembered after it was killed, it was not by much. I can't tell to the second or anything, but I'd wager it was immediately after death."

Randolph sketches a short bow to the young woman at the desk, "Miss Smith, pleased to meet you."

He turns his attention back to the doctor. "So the appendages were not simply hacked away, but were removed in a surgical method. And with a small blade like a surgical scalpel. How long, doctor, would it have taken you, for example, to make the amputations?

"You said nothing of the cause of death, Doctor Smith."

"Well, I don't normally amputate heads, Mr. Darling, though I daresay it wouldn't take very long if I needed to do so. The arms might take a bit longer. If I were rushed, I could probably complete the task in an hour, though usually when I do such things I have other concerns. Anasthesia, for example, the comfort of the patient. I haven't had to perform an amputation on a dead body," he said.

"And you're correct that I neglected to mention the cause of death. I imagine the victim's throat was cut, and the decapitation followed. That seems to be the quickest way to go about it. But I can't say for sure, given the state of the corpse."

"Suzy's only said one intelligible word since she got here, beyond her hysterical wailing, and that was 'monster.' I don't know if that's helpful, but it's as coherent as she's ever gotten."

Coraline pondered what the doctor had given him, but had little to add.  "I am sure that is very helpful, doctor.  We do appreciate you speaking with us about this gruesome matter.  On another topic entirely, there was a poor young colored man that was beaten last night.  Was he brought to you for medical treatment?"

"Why yes, a young negro by the name of Walter Jackson came in, oh, quite early this morning looking quite bad. A very polite young gentleman. I saw something of myself in him, truth be told. I saw him passing out his fliers earlier in the day, and I expect that lead to what happened. That's no excuse though, people out there sullying the good name of Dixie by doing this kinda thing. For my part, I think they just have hate in their hearts and use their so-called patriotism as an excuse. I fought in the war myself, but I've never had cause to resort to this sort of behavior." Dr. Smith walked over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a file, perusing it, commenting idly.

"Apparently, he told me that a drunk man came and found him in the street and set it right on the spot. A good thing, too. A thing like that, best done on the spot. I reckon I couldn't have done it better myself. He also mentioned that he met a nice savage fellow that bound his arm with a stick, wrapped it and put it in a sling. Good work. A little crude in the methods, but the fundamentals were sound and well done on short notice and without a proper medical clinic."

"I trust Walter will make a full recovery," Randolph says, "About the dead man, Doctor, was there anything else noteworthy about him that you observed?"

He nodded at Randolph's statement about Walter, and shrugged at the second inquiry.

"I can assure you that other than what I've told you so far, the corpse was quite normal, with little worth noting aside from the missing head and limbs."

"Mister Darling, I think the good doctor has exhausted all available information about the dead man.  We should probably leave him in peace to continue his work.  Before we go, Doctor Smith, do you have an opinion on how long Miss Winger might need to recover?  As she was the only witness to this crime, I'm certain that the Marshal will want to speak with her about what happened."

He shook his head uncertainly. "This is the most severe state of shock I've seen. I think she may have been unhinged by the events that took place around her. I think the event itself may have triggered some latent mental condition, though I can't say with any certainty. I promise I'll send word to Wyatt Earp whenever she's ready to talk."

"Thank you, Doctor, Miss Smith, for your time this morning." Randolph crosses to open the door, "Oh! Is Miss Winger here in the house? Marshall Earp might want to post a guard."

"Well, if you think it's necessary, go on and let him know. It'll be nice to have a guard at our house, won't it Wilma?" he said with a light chuckle.

"Thank you again, Doctor.  We appreciate the information." She gave the man and his daughter a little wave before heading for the door.  "Where to now, Mister Darling?"

Coming out of the doctor's, Randolph pointed across the street. "Well, we could go see what Morgan's got in that box he's carrying. Puppies, maybe?"