That had been the trouble in her relationship with Rose. Rose never spoke plainly and always left Mary guessing as to what was going on in her head. She’d never enjoyed talking with Rose because it was always such an exhausting endeavor. From now on, Mary resolved, she’d do a better job of communicating with her sister.
“All right, then.” Will began pacing the room. “How do we get to Rose?”
“She’s in Ben’s private quarters. We’ll have to wait until folks have cleared out for the night and the other girls are busy with their customers.”
A loud crash sounded from the other side of the wall.
“Judging from the sounds next door, I’d say we have a while yet.” Mel sighed. “Ben’s gang hit one of the mines today, so they’re celebrating.”
“But if the ore can be traced back to the mine, why would they do such a stupid thing?” Jasper looked at Mel with the kind of amazement that showed he had no idea just how brash Ben could be. After all, he’d stolen from the houses she cleaned in broad daylight.
“Not the ore. The payroll.”
“Do we have evidence we can use to pin it on Ben?”
Will’s wisdom gave Mary hope that they could resolve this situation without bloodshed. With Ben finally in jail, this madness would stop. Despite Mary’s initial fear of Will’s connection to the law, she was grateful that he had the knowledge to get them all out of this situation alive.
Mel laughed. “Ben? He doesn’t dirty his hands anymore. He plans the jobs and tells everyone what to do, and in the meantime, he sits in the saloon at the Rafferty, where enough respectable men can vouch for his whereabouts.”
Just like no one could prove that Ben was at the houses Mary cleaned. It would be her word against his, exactly why she’d never risked defending herself.
“Think anyone would turn on him?” Will didn’t sound hopeful, but Mary had to believe that someone in this organization harbored ill will toward Ben.
“Not likely. The whole reason Ben’s in charge is because he shot Iron Mike, former leader of the gang. Everyone who crosses Ben ends up at the better end of a bullet.”
Which meant it all truly was hopeless. Mary closed her eyes, drowning out the sounds of Mel, Will and Jasper debating the ways they could get Ben arrested. If Ben didn’t go to jail, he’d be free to roam the streets, inflicting more harm on the good people of this and any other town he visited.
Lord, it’s just not right. Don’t let anyone else pay for my mistake. The evil has gone on long enough. Help us find a way to stop Ben.
* * *
Will knew what he had to do. Not a day went by when he didn’t fantasize about putting a bullet in Ben’s head. The man deserved death. Death was actually doing the man a kindness compared to what he deserved. He’d heard Pastor Lassiter’s cautions against vengeance, but in truth, vengeance would be subjecting Ben to the level of torture he’d put so many through. Justice was killing the man.
That didn’t mean he had to like it, though.
He glanced over at Mary, who appeared to be praying.
Dragging his gaze away, he refused to let himself feel guilty for what had to be done. It wasn’t as if Will had never killed before. He had. Every shot he’d taken had been in defense of himself or another life. With Ben, it wouldn’t be an immediate danger he was saving someone from, but he was still saving lives.
Mary could pray all she wanted. But it didn’t change what had to be done.
He brought his full attention to Mel. “Can I use your gun?”
Mel snorted. “Sadie? She’s mine.” Then she pointed at the still-sleeping Colt. “He won’t be needing his, though.”
Will walked over to the bed and reached for Colt’s side. But as the other man’s coat fell away, Will jumped back.
Colt had Will’s father’s gun.
Will’s father had been awarded the gun as a sign of his bravery in saving a mining baron’s wife. It reminded Will of his legacy to protect others. A legacy Will had failed.
The same gun that had been used in the bank robbery. Sheriff Horton had said Will had to have been involved because the mother-of-pearl inlay was so unique, so distinctive. No one but Will would have been carrying that gun.
And now Will had the proof that he’d been set up.
“Did a rattler jump up and bite you?” Mel’s laugh shook him to the core. But it wasn’t a laughing matter.
Would the gun be enough to get anyone else to believe he’d been set up?
Resisting the urge to pick up the gun, he looked over at Mel. “Do you know where he got that gun?”
Mel shrugged. “We don’t talk about things like that.”
Then Mary turned to him. “Why is the gun so important?”
“The gun used to belong to my father. He gave it to me when I became a deputy. Said he wanted me to have it so my mother wouldn’t worry. It went missing right around the time I was investigating Ben’s gang in Century City. A witness saw someone shooting the gun at that bank robbery. Everyone thought it had to have been me. But seeing Colt here with it...”
Will sighed. It didn’t exactly prove that he wasn’t involved. He couldn’t prove that the gun had been stolen. He couldn’t prove that Colt had stolen it.
“You know how Colt is about taking trophies.” Mel’s words confirmed his suspicions but did nothing to prove the truth.
“I don’t suppose we could get Colt to confess that he stole the gun.” The thought sounded even more stupid now that he’d uttered it.
“No,” Jasper said, crossing the room. “But you do have us as witnesses that you found it in Colt’s possession.”
“Go ahead and take it,” Mel
