Character Relationship Map: Running Target

Characters

• Smitty (played by Doris Dowling) — protagonist

  Smitty is a resourceful woman who runs a gas station robbed by the fugitives. She joins the posse with a satchel, whose contents include a pink dress, and grows close to Scott during the search. Scott...

• Scott (played by Arthur Franz) — supporting

  Scott is the lawman leading the posse in pursuit of the escaped prisoners. He tolerates Jaynes's aggressive behavior and tries to understand Smitty. When he discovers Smitty and Kaygo together, he cho...

• Jaynes (played by Richard Reeves) — supporting

  Jaynes is a civilian member of Scott's posse and a bartender who is a skilled rifle marksman. More obsessed and trigger-happy than the others, he shoots Kaygo despite Scott ordering the prisoner to su...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Scott → Jaynes (Professional Posse Leader And Civilian) — Scott directs the pursuit and Jaynes serves as an armed member of the search party.

  Scott leads the posse, while Jaynes participates as a civilian bartender and rifle marksman.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Smitty → Jaynes (Alliance Posse Colleagues) — They begin as fellow searchers within the same pursuit group.

  Smitty and Jaynes are both included in Scott's posse and participate in the search.

• Scott → Smitty (Alliance Search Partner) — They cooperate during the pursuit, although Scott gradually recognizes Smitty's deeper emotional involvement.

  Scott and Smitty join the hunt for the escaped fugitives as members of the same posse. Scott tries to understand her while they search together.

Story Analysis

A manhunt turns into a moral conflict when compassion and hidden love challenge the posse's pursuit of lethal justice.

Plot Progression

1. Escape Into the Hills — Four fugitives break out of prison and flee toward the Colorado hills. Scott forms a posse that includes Jaynes and Smitty.
2. A Hunt With Hidden Motives — The posse tracks the fugitives through the hills. Jaynes becomes increasingly aggressive, while Scott tries to understand Smitty and discovers her pink dress.
3. The Last Fugitive — After the other fugitives are accounted for, the search focuses on one remaining outlaw leader. Scott encounters him at night but deliberately does not shoot.
4. Love In the Field — The searchers separate, and Scott discovers Smitty wearing the dress while playing with the surviving fugitive. He aims at the fugitive but chooses to demand surrender instead.
5. The Fatal Shot — Jaynes shoots the fugitive from uphill, ignoring Scott's decision to take him alive. Scott destroys Jaynes's rifle and leaves while comforting Smitty.