'Cole? ' Ryan whispered his name.
He kept his attention centered on the crowd as he answered. 'Yeah? '
'I made that up.' Cole smiled. 'They don't know that.' The marshals
continued to stand their ground until the crowd ran out of steam.
Grumbling to themselves, the mob dispersed. Then Ryan let the ladies
out.
Ten minutes later Sloan came slinking around the corner. He had
escorted the ladies home and was returning with a proclamation from
themtif they were to suffer an inquisition, it was best to get it over
with tonight so that they wouldn't have to worry about it any longer.
Ryan and Cole decided to accommodate the women. They started with
Rebecca James.
She was staying at the Rockford Falls Hotel, where Cole and Ryan had
also taken rooms. The old, four-story building was located one block
north of the jail on Elm Street. A veranda circled the hotel on three
sides. One of the housemaids was sent up to tell Rebecca the marshals
were waiting for her on the porch.
The sunlight was fading, and a cool breeze was a welcome respite after
the blistering heat of the day.
'We won't learn anything important, ' Cole predicted. 'We already know
all three of the women were spotted in the bank earlier in the
afternoon. Talking to them is a wasted effort. What could they have
seen? ' 'We won't know the answer to that question until we talk to
them. It shouldn't take long.' Thirty minutes later, he had to revise
his estimate. Rebecca kept them waiting until well after eight
o'clock. Cole paced around the veranda.
Ryan was sprawled out in one of the wicker chairs when Rebecca finally
arrived. She didn't apologize for being late, and from the expression
on her face as she walked across the porch to join them, they could
tell she was still fuming.
Ryan stood up as soon as he spotted her coming toward him. He waited
for her to take her seat, then pulled up another chair to face her.
Cole leaned back against the railing and folded his arms across his
chest.
She sat on the edge of the chair, her back straight and her hands in
her lap. She was furious all right, and if she became any more upset,
Cole thought smoke would start pouring out of her ears.
He leaned back, content to let Ryan question the woman while he watched
