Daniel.' She tried to make herself let go of his hand, since she felt
it was a sign of weakness for her to cling to the lawman, but she
couldn't pull away.
She was so scared, she could barely gather her thoughts. What she was
about to do was going to changeher future irrevocably, and all of her
dreams were going to be crushed.
There wasn't any other choice, though. She had to do the right
thing.
He gave in. 'All right, Grace. What did you want to tell me? ' 'I'm
your witness, ' she blurted out. 'I was the one hiding in the
kneehole.' Aside from the muscle in his clenched jaw twitching, Daniel
didn't show any reaction to her announcement.
'You're the witness? ' he demanded.
'Yes. I'm so sorry I didn't have the courage to come forward sooner,
but I was frightened. Jessica and Rebecca had already left the bank.
They were telling you the truth. I wasn't, and now I've caused them
all sorts of trouble. You'll let them leave now, won't you? ' Daniel
didn't answer her. His gut was telling him she was lying. The longer
he stood there the angrier he became.
'How many were there? ' Without a pause, she answered, 'Seven. '
Tears brimmed in her eyes, and Daniel suddenly had the urge to comfort
her and shake her at the same time. He didn't give in to either
inclination. 'All right, I'm taking you back to the hotel, and you can
tell me everything.'
'But I'm worried about Jessica and Rebecca, ' she cried. 'I believe
I've found a way to make certain that they'll be left alone.' Daniel
guessed what was coming and let out a loud groan.
'Ah, hell, you didn't talk to the reporter, did you? ' The question
surprised her, for she had only just come up with the idea. 'No, but I
want to, ' she said. 'I thought I would go to the newspaper office and
ask the gentleman there to print the truth in tomorrow's paper. I'm
sure the reporter will be happy to listen to what I have to say. '
'You are not going to talk to the reporter.' He snapped the command
and squeezed her hand to let her know he meant what he said.
She was stunned by his burst of anger. He was furious, she realized,
for his blue eyes had turned as cold as winter. She bowed her head.
'I thought you would be pleased with my confession. I don't understand
your anger, Daniel.' He took a deep breath. 'Grace, ' he began.
