Julie Garwood - Come the Spring

"If all of them women were seen in the bank, then it don't appear we

got a witness after all, " the placater, waving his hands in front of

the crowd, concluded.

"Maybe one of them sneaked back inside to hide under the desk, "

someone else suggested.

"These people aren't real bright, are they? " Cole whispered to

Ryan.

"Sloan has gotten them all worked up, " Ryan said.

"All right, " Cole shouted to the group. "Here's what's gonna

happen.

All of you are going to go home. I want you to think about what you

were doing on the day of the robbery. If any of you saw or heard

anything unusual, then come back to the jail tomorrow morning and tell

us about it."

"You don't have the right to tell us what to do, " a man near the edge

of the crowd shouted. Cole recognized him. He was the reporter from

the Rockford Falls Gazette who didn't want the bodies covered with

sheets.

Cole had taken an instant dislike to the man.

The reporter took a step forward. His eyes darted back and forth from

the crowd to the marshals. "This is a local matter, Marshal. Sheriff

Sloan ought to handle it."

"Federal money was stolen, " Ryan shouted.

"And that makes it our business. Do as Marshal Clayborne ordered. Go

home and let us do our job."

"I'm not going anywhere until I talk to those women, " the reporter

shouted.

Cole wasn't in the mood to argue any longer. Quicker than the man

could blink, he drew his gun and shot the hat off the reporter's

head.

"You had no right to do that, " the reporter screamed.

"Sure I did, " he answered. "Marshal Ryan explained I can't be tried

for murder now that I'm a U. S. marshal, so the way I figure it, I can

shoot every one of you and get away with it. This is the last time I'm

going to tell you. Go home."

"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

themţif 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

her. He knew he was being rude, he didn't care. The woman was

magnificent. He searched for a flaw, hoping that if he found one, he

would be able to get past his fascination with her.

Ryan was also staring intently, and Cole wondered if he was playing the

same game.

"We appreciate your cooperation, " Ryan began. "And we're both sorry

about the trouble earlier."

"I don't believe I'll be much help with your investigation, " she

said.

"But I'll be happy to answer your questions. Then I'm going to leave

this horrible town and never look back. The town is charming, I'll

admit, and the waterfalls are spectacular, but the people are a bit

backward, and since the rumor was put in the paper, it's been very

difficult. I'm happy I'll be getting back home."

"Where is home? " Ryan asked.

"St. Louis. I had planned to leave a couple of days ago to meet some

friends in Salt Lake City, but then I became ill and had to delay my

trip."

"Are you feeling better now? " "A little, thank you. The doctor told

me I was fortunate because I have only a mild case."

"Are you originally from St. Louis? " Cole asked.

"I grew up in the east, " she explained. "I moved to St. Louis to be

near close friends." She turned back to Ryan. "I thought you wanted

to talk about the robbery."

"We do, " Ryan answered. "Do you remember what time you were in the

bank? " She took several seconds to answer. "As a matter of fact, I

do remember. I was inside the bank at two o'clock, give or take ten

minutes. I stood in line, but I don't remember any of the other people

who were there. I wasn't paying any attention to them. I'm sure

someone will remember seeing me there.

Are you writing down every word I say on paper? " Ryan glanced up and

smiled. "I'm trying to, " he said.

"Why? " He leaned back in the chair, finished jotting down his notes,

and then said, "There have been so many robberies, it's the only way I

can keep the information straight. Does it bother you? " She shook

her head. "No, I simply found it curious, that's all." Sheriff Sloan

interrupted the questioning when he came lumbering up the steps. He

looked sheepish, and as soon as he saw the marshals' hostile

expressions, he turned around and tried to leave.

Ryan's voice lashed out at him. "Sit." As quick as a trained dog,

Sloan obeyed the command. He grabbed the nearest chair and fell into

it.

"You have caused considerable trouble, Sheriff, " Rebecca said.

"Because of you, people in this town believe there was a witness to the

robbery and murders at the bank. I read the article in the paper. So

did everyone else. You were quoted numerous times. Do you have any

idea what you've done? If the men who murdered all those people read

the Rockford Falls Gazette or hear the rumors you started, they'll come

back here and kill Jessica and Grace and me. My God, don't you realize

what those fiends are capable of? They've already killed other

women.

They certainly wouldn't think twice about killing three more. "

"Ma'am, I wouldn't fret about the Blackwater gang coming back here.

They've probably left the territory by now." His cavalier attitude

infuriated her. "Witnesses don't last long, " she cried out. "Every

one knows what happened to that poor man in Middleton.

I believe those murderers killed his wife too, didn't they? If either

Grace or Jessica had been in the bank during the holdup, do you

honestly think she'd admit it? She'd be signing her death warrant. "

"I'm real sorry about your situation, " Sloan said. He blushed with

embarrassment. "I wouldn't worry about the gang reading our little

paper, though. No one outside Rockford reads the Gazette, " he added

in a halfhearted attempt to placate her. "And I didn't have a choice

about the interview. That reporter was hounding me for details, and I

am the authority in this town. I had a duty to tell him what I knew,

but all I remember saying was that the marshals happened to find a

purse under one of the desks.

He jumped to his own conclusions." After giving his explanation, Sloan

stood up and excused himself. "I promised a lady friend that we'd go

out walking, and she's waiting for me inside. Did you need me to hang

around, Marshal Ryan? " "No, " Ryan answered.

Rebecca waited until Sloan left the porch with the silly little woman

giggling on his arm before continuing. "The sheriff showed all of us

the purse. It doesn't belong to me. I never carry one, " she added.

"May I leave now? I really would like to go to bed. It's been an

exhausting day."

"I don't have any other questions at the moment, " Ryan said. He

closed his notepad and looked at Cole. "Do you? " "Just one, " Cole

answered. "How long will you be staying in town? " "Until the day

after tomorrow when the coach comes through again." Ryan offered

Rebecca his hand to help her stand. She looked startled by the