In the state prison of Nevada near Carson City sat Paul Baker. He was convicted to 15 years due to battering and attempted murder. On a morning he got a visit from his best friend Barry Parker.
“You get $ 50.000 from me if you kill that nasty piece of work of a Mitch Cartwright. Then Matthew Walker will come back to me eventually”, said Paul.
“You must know that Mitch and Matthew are married”, said Barry.
Now Paul got an angry burst out.
“Nobody has the right to marry my beloved Matthew Walker. Not even a Cartwright!”, roared Paul.
He got up and began to hit around him wild. The guards took him down to an isolation cell. Barry got up and left the prison silent. He liked the task that he had gotten from Paul. His whole life he has had a big dislike towards to Mitch Cartwright and now finally it got dealt with him.
Back home again Barry said to his brother-in-law Brendan Taylor, “Paul has a very nice job for us. It will give us $ 50.000.”
“What must there be done?”, asked Brendan.
“Kill Mitch Cartwright”, answered Barry.
“Then we are going to do that”, Brendan said laughing.
They went to work out their murder plan. That evening their plan was ready to be performed.
“Cartwright always goes in the early mornings to lake Tahoe on the horse. So we do it tomorrow morning. The sooner we are filthy rich thanks to Paul” , said Barry.
“Then Sharon and I are in before our child gets born”, said his brother-in-law.
Sharon was the older sister of Barry and married to Brendan. She could have their 1st child any moment.
The next day (June 27, 2016) Barry and Brendan went away from home early to do their killing plan.
“Are you coming quickly?”, asked Sharon.
“I am back before the little one is born”, promised Brendan.
He and Barry drove hurry-scurry to lake Tahoe. Quite soon the couple saw their victim.
“Look, there is Cartwright. Looks like he has a little kid with him”, said Barry Parker.
Brendan Taylor said, “Then we get the both of them. I mean 2 for the price of 1.”
They made their plan ready.
It was early in the morning when Mitch Cartwright made a ride on the horses with his son Tim. Their dog Chip was with them.
“It is really beautiful like you already had said”, said Tim.
“It gets more beautiful each day”, reacted his father.
They stopped at lake Tahoe and dismounted. Chip ran to the water. Tim went after him while Mitch looked around. The young Cartwright didn’t trust it completely. Suddenly Mitch caught sight of the pick-up truck of Barry. Now his distrust had woken up completely.
“Hello Mitch. Long time no se”, Barry suddenly said.
Mitch turned around and looked into the face of Barry.
“You are trespassing here so get lost”, Mitch reacted directly.
“I come where I want”, snapped Barry.
He kicked down his enemy and they began to fight. Because Barry wore heavy boots he kicked against the left ankle of Mitch so that it broke. Then Mitch pretended that he was unconscious where Barry fell for. Barry walked satisfied back to the truck.
Brendan got attacked by Chip who protected Tim right away.
“Go away rotten dog”, snapped Brendan.
But Chip came loud barking to him so that Brendan with Barry ran back to their truck. Tim ran to his father and helped him up.
“Call Chip back”, said Mitch.
“Chippy”, Tim called where after the dog ran to them.
Brendan threw a hand grenade to the Cartwrights but forgot to take the pin out of it.
Mitch saw that and said, “Tim, grab that thing and give it to me.”
Tim did that and watched with Chip what his father did. Mitch pulled the pin out of it and threw the hand grenade exactly into the truck where Barry tried to start the motor. Brendan sat next to him. A moment later the truck exploded while the Cartwrights and Chip laid on the ground.
“Who was that?”, Tim asked after a while.
“That guy who fought with me is someone who I know for years and hates us. His father has killed grandma while driving when I was 11 months old. With grandma I mean my real mother”, told Mitch.
Now he noticed how much pain he really had. He got his cell phone and sent a text to the big ranch house. Tim went to play a bit with Chip but kept an eye on his father though.
In the big ranch house the cell phone of Joe Cartwright went off. He looked and saw that it was a text from his oldest nephew. He got his horse and rode to him. His older brother Hoss followed him at once.
“Joe, what is the matter?”, he asked on the way.
“Mitch and Tim are in danger. They are at lake Tahoe”, answered Joe.
The brothers went to ride harder at once.
Soon Hoss and Joe were with Mitch, Tim and Chip. Mitch told what had happened the brothers saw also what was left of the truck Hoss called the sheriff and an ambulance who were there too after a while.
“Joe, you go to the hospital with Mitchy. I take Tim and Chip home”, said Hoss.
So said, so done.
At the hospital Mitch got treated and his broken ankle got set into plaster.
“Doc, in 2 weeks time I go on vacation with my husband and son to a funfair abroad. Is it possible to get walking plaster around my ankle?”, the young Cartwright asked doctor Paul Kay.
“Of course that is possible. We keep you here tonight for observation”, said Doc.
Mitch was satisfied.
Sheriff Roy Coffee had the nasty task to bring to the bad news to Sharon Taylor and her mother Tilly Parker.
“Mother, Brendan should have been home all along. My baby is nearly coming”, said Sharon.
“Your child won’t be born yet and Brendan will come home anyway”, Tilly reacted snappish.
Then the door bell rang and Till answered it.
“Mrs Parker, may I come in for a moment?”, asked Roy.
“Come in”, she said extremely polite.
Roy came in and greeted Sharon too.
“Sit down ladies because I have very bad news for you”, said de sheriff.
Mother and daughter did that.
“Early this morning there was a fight at Lake Tahoe and during an explosion with a hand grenade Barry Parker and Brendan Taylor have died. I am sorry that I had to say it to you this way”, Roy said as calm as possible.
Sharon became very hysterical and Tilly too couldn’t control herself anymore. Roy called for medical support and left a moment later. Both ladies were so upset that they had to be taken into an institute.
That same day Matthew Cartwright got a registered letter form a lawyer. He opened the letter in his office. His parents, Dan and Laura Walker, saw the amazed look of their son and looked at each other worried.
“Matt, what is the matter?”, asked Laura.
“I just got a letter from a lawyer which says that Mitch is getting a divorce from me”, answered her son.
He let his parents read the letter. They didn’t know though that their 5 year old grandson Tim had heard everything. Quickly the boy ran way, followed by their dog Chip.
Out of breath Tim arrived at the big ranch house where his grandpa Adam Cartwright and great uncle Hoss Cartwright were busy outside. Adam received his grandson and let him catch his breath. The threesome went to sit on the porch with Chip.
“Tim, what is the matter?”, Adam asked worried.
“Daddy and Matt are divorcing. I heard it Matt saying to grandpa and grandma”, Tim said still a bit gasping.
Adam and Hoss looked at each other astonished.
“Have you really heard that?”, Adam asked for the security.
Tim nodded and answered, “Matt said that he had gotten a letter which said that.”
“Where is your father?”, asked Hoss.
“Still at the hospital”, answered Tim.
“Tim, we go home together to check this out”, said Adam.
That happened and Tim told Matthew what he had heard.
Matthew pulled Tim near him and said, “Your father and I really won’t divorce because we love each other far too much and you too. Besides we go on vacation in 2 weeks time.”
“Dan, who is that lawyer?”, asked Adam.
Dan gave him the letter. Adam read it and knew enough.
“That Jake Paige is no lawyer at all but a batter of children. Mitch and I have lived a while in Boston and then he had batted Mitch while he actually had to babysit him. He lived next to us”, Adam explained.
He phoned the sheriff op and Jake Paige too got arrested.
At the hospital Mitch had gotten a visit from his husband and son.
“If everything is alright I may go home tomorrow”, said Mitch.
“Do you get walking plaster?”, asked Matthew.
“A shoe comes around it and I get crutches to lean on. I already know what your father and my uncles will say: a crutch on crutches”, answered Mitch.
“Of who is now the real crutch?”, Matthew asked laughing.
They laughed.
By the arrest of Jake Paige and his confession Paul Baker got arrested again. But by this action Paul realized that he had to leave the Cartwrights alone for good which he did.
Mitch came home the next day again and to big relief of everyone he and Tim had gotten nothing of the attack at lake Tahoe. The grandpa of Mitch and also owner of the Ponderosa, Ben Cartwright, made sure that it was made clearly that with unwanted persons got dealt with right away.
away.