'But they're sure he's one of them? They won't let him out, will
they?
' She sounded terrified of the possibility. Daniel quickly put her
mind to rest. 'They won't let him out, ' he assured her.
She glanced down at her lap. 'Oh, Lord, my hands are shaking. I'm not
used to this kind of excitement, and this past week has been
hellacious.
First, there were the murders at the bank, and then I was named a
witness in the paper, and the fire last night . . . It's too much.
It's simply too much.' Her voice broke.
Daniel sat down on the edge of the desk to face her. 'I know how
distressing this is, but . . . ' 'No, you don't know, ' she cried
out.
'I'm. . scared.' . so . . .
After whispering the admission, she burst into tears and buried her
face in her hands. 'I've been such a coward, but I'm going to do the
right thing now. You don't need to bother Jessica or Grace any longer
because . . . ' She didn't go on. Daniel leaned toward her and tried
to look sympathetic, while Cole shoved a glass of water into her
hand.
'Here, drink this, ' he suggested.
She wiped her face with her handkerchief and looked up at him. 'Try to
understand. I didn't want anyone to know . . . I'm engaged to the
most wonderful man. He's a respected businessman and very careful
about appearances. A scandal would ruin him. It's taken him five long
years to get up the courage to propose to me. I thought I could go
back home and pretend none of this happened. You would catch the men
eventually. My fiance runs with a very sophisticated, wealthy crowd.
Can you see why I would keep silent? ' 'Rebecca, what are you telling
us? ' Cole asked.
'I'm your witness. I was hiding under the desk when the Blackwater
gang came inside. The purse you found belongs to me.' Both marshals
tried to contain their reaction to the news. Relief flooded through
Cole, and he felt guilty about that. He was just so damned happy it
wasn't Jessica.
Daniel felt a burst of excitement rush through his veins. She was
