Come the Spring (15 page)

What in God's name was going on? Cole was about to ask Grace that question when Daniel shook his head at him. He obviously didn't want Cole to point out the fact that her answer was identical to Jessica's and Rebecca's—almost word for word. Had the three of them rehearsed what they would say while they were in that cell together, and if so, why?

Daniel closed his notepad and put it back in his pocket. “Did you notice anything unusual?”

“No, I didn't,” Grace answered.

“You took your place in line…”

“Yes, I did,” she said. “And I waited my turn, but I didn't look around. I was thinking about all the things I needed to get done.”

Daniel's frustration was mounting, but he was careful not to let it show. “The bag that Sheriff Sloan showed you,” he began, “it doesn't belong to you, does it?”

“No, it doesn't. I never carry a bag. All of my dresses have pockets.”

“The one you're wearing now doesn't,” Cole said.

“Excuse me?”

She was obviously startled by his observation and
was trying to come up with a suitable explanation. “The dress you're wearing doesn't have pockets,” Cole repeated.

“No, it doesn't,” she agreed. “But the one I wore to the bank does have pockets … two of them. Would you like some more tea?”

Cole glanced down at his full cup and wondered where she thought she would put more. He shook his head, but she didn't seem to notice. She turned and rushed back to the stove, then carried the teapot back to the table and placed it next to Cole's cup. A look of acute relief crossed her face when Jessica walked into the kitchen.

Surprised to find the marshals still there, Jessica stopped short.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I thought you would be finished by now, and I was going to help Grace clean the dishes. I'll do them later.” She tried to leave, but Daniel called her back.

“Come and join us,” he suggested.

Grace frantically nodded. Jessica's gaze was directed on Cole. He looked irritated and out of sorts, and she thought it was because she had interrupted them.

“No, thank you. I'll just go back upstairs for a little while.”

“We insist you join us.” He wasn't going to take no for an answer. He stood up and pulled out the chair adjacent to him. Daniel also stood and asked Grace to sit down.

The two women exchanged a look before complying with the request.

Cole then took over the questioning. “Grace, you're planning to leave Rockford Falls tomorrow, aren't you?”

“Yes, I am,” she answered. She folded her hands on the tabletop and tried to look composed. “How did you know I was leaving?”

“Just a hunch,” he answered dryly. “Where are you headed?”

“Colorado.”

“Jessica told us she was also headed to Colorado,” Daniel interjected.

“Yes, that's right,” Grace said. “We're going to be traveling together.”

“Did you come to Rockford Falls together?” Cole asked.

Grace smiled. “Good heavens, no. I came from London, England, several months ago. I stopped in Kentucky, Missouri, and Kansas before I came here. I was looking for property,” she thought to add.

“Property?” Cole asked.

“I'm hoping to start a ranching business,” she explained. “I'm looking for good grazing land…”

“For the cattle she's going to purchase,” Jessica interjected.

“Yes, for the cattle,” Grace agreed.

“But then Mr. Wells's family decided not to sell the property,” Jessica said.

“Who is Mr. Wells?” Cole asked.

“The gentleman I corresponded with from London,” Grace said. “I had heard through friends who knew him that he wanted to sell his land and that it was just what I was looking for.”

“But it wasn't?” Cole asked.

“Oh, it was,” Grace answered. “Acres and acres of lush green land. It was as perfect as my friends had claimed. I had already made an offer sight unseen from London, but when I arrived in Kentucky to sign the official papers, I found out that poor Mr. Wells had passed on. His son refused to honor his father's promise.”

“Grace saw an advertisement in the
Rockford Falls Gazette
for available land near Denver, and we're going there together to look at it.”

“Do you know anything about raising cattle?” Daniel asked.

“No, but I plan to hire men who do know how,” Grace answered. “And I will learn how. I know it's going to be hard work, but I'm not afraid of it.”

Cole was trying not to let Grace see how appalled he was. “Ma'am, running cattle is a backbreaking business.” He was diplomatic in his caution.

Daniel was blunt. “Are you nuts? You can't run a cattle ranch.”

Grace's spine stiffened. “No, I'm not crazy, and I assure you I will achieve my goal. I may not have the experience, but I'm determined.”

Daniel was too incredulous to argue. Cole shook his head. “How can you leave tomorrow?” he asked. “The coach doesn't come through here until the day after.”

“We aren't taking the coach,” Jessica explained.

“We're going by wagon,” Grace said. “It's in the field behind the house. Surely you noticed it on your way here.”

“We should put our suitcases in it tonight,” Jessica said.

Grace agreed. “And get an early start in the morning. That's a good idea.”

“Who's driving the team?” Cole wanted to know.

“We are,” Grace answered. The look on her face indicated she couldn't imagine why he would ask such a question.

Cole was staring at Jessica's hands. He reached over and took hold of one and turned the palm up. “Your hands are soft.”

It sounded like an accusation, and she pulled her hand back. “I'll wear gloves.”

“Have you ever driven a team before?” Daniel asked.

“Not exactly,” she admitted.

Astonished by their impossible plans, Daniel
looked at Cole, hoping he would be able to talk some sense into them.

Cole was just as astounded, but he tried to be diplomatic. “The two of you … and the baby are going to set off on your own across some of the most rugged and dangerous terrain in the country. Have I got that straight?”

Both Grace and Jessica nodded.

Cole lost his patience. “Are you ladies out of your minds?”

Since he was looking at Jessica, she assumed he expected her to answer his rude question. “No, we aren't out of our minds. We've thought it all out, and I assure you we know what we're doing.”

Grace nodded. “Yes, we do,” she agreed. She turned to Daniel and added, “We won't be traveling alone. We're going to join a wagon train.”

“We must be in Gramby by Monday at the latest,” Jessica said.

Daniel was staring intently at Grace. More than anything she longed to tell him to stop it. It was rude, and it was also driving her to distraction. She had the feeling he was trying to see into her mind, which was absurd, she told herself. He couldn't possibly read her thoughts.

“Why are you asking us so many personal questions?” she demanded.

“We haven't done anything wrong,” Jessica insisted.

“Are you finished questioning us about the bank?” Grace asked. “We both have work to do.”

Daniel's anger was evident in his expression and voice when he said, “If one of you has information about the robbery and isn't telling, that's called
obstruction.
It's a punishable crime, ladies.”

“Are you trying to intimidate us?” Jessica asked. Both marshals ignored the question. Daniel turned to Grace. “I've only got one more question for you.
Did you happen to run into Jessica when you were at the bank?”

She looked at Jessica before she answered. “Yes, I passed her on my way out of the bank. She was going inside.”

“What about Rebecca?” Cole asked. “Did you bump into her too?”

The men's anger sizzled in the air between them. It had been simmering, Grace realized, all the while they were questioning her. Something she had said must have set them off. She bowed her head when she answered. “Rebecca was just leaving the bank when I went inside.”

Jessica also could feel the hostility and was convinced that she had said something that triggered the marshals' anger. She was exhausted from the strain of guarding every word and knew that if she said anything more, she would only make it worse. She decided to show the marshals out as quickly as possible. Pushing her chair back, she stood up and headed for the door.

Daniel stopped her with his command. “Both of you are going to be staying in town tomorrow.”

She whirled around and bumped into Cole. She neither apologized nor stepped back.

“Why must we stay?” she asked.

“You can't make us stay here, can you?” Grace asked. “I'm not familiar with the laws in this country, but making someone do something she doesn't wish to do is wrong … isn't it?”

“Yes, it is,” Jessica said. “Cole, you can't…”

He interrupted her. “Yes, I can make you stay. We're using the office in the front of the jail. You ladies know where it is. Why don't you both plan on being there at eight o'clock. Rebecca will be joining you.”

Jessica and Grace seemed to wilt. They meekly followed the lawmen to the front of the house.

“This isn't right,” Grace whispered.

Daniel heard her and turned back in the doorway. “No, it sure as hell isn't right, but we're going to figure it all out tomorrow, aren't we, Grace?”

Cole turned to address Jessica. “I don't know what kind of a game you ladies are playing, but it ends now. Do I make myself clear?”

He didn't wait for an answer. Jessica was shaking from head to toe as she shut the door and bolted the lock. She turned around and fell back against it.

Tears sprang into Grace's eyes. “Oh, God … they know.”

Sixteen
 

The twisted turn of events left Cole and Daniel feeling bewildered and irritated.

“All three of them rehearsed what they were going to say to us when they were in the cell together,” Cole remarked on the way back to the hotel.

“Hell, yes, they rehearsed. Now tell me why.”

“They're scared, I guess. That's all I can come up with.”

“They were all real edgy. Rebecca did the best job of concealing it from us, but I could see it in her eyes.”

“And her hands,” Cole said. “She was gripping them.”

“Yeah, she was,” Daniel remembered. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to work the knots of tension out.

“I sure was wrong,” Cole said. “I thought it was going to be a waste of time talking to Jessica and Grace. What the hell kind of a game are they playing?”

“I don't know,” Daniel replied. “I was pretty sure it
was going to be a waste, too. I was just following procedure, hoping one of them might have noticed something unusual. It sure as hell got complicated, didn't it?”

“Yeah, it did,” Cole agreed. “And it doesn't make any sense. They've got to know they were seen in the bank earlier that afternoon. They all stood in line with men who would remember them. Why did they go to all the trouble of rehearsing what they were going to say?”

“No, it doesn't make any sense. Which one of them is lying?”

“Maybe all three of them are. They're obviously hell-bent on protecting one another.”

“Or…”

“Or what?”

“They're protecting someone else, someone we don't know about yet.”

“How do we find out the truth?”

“They're going to tell us,” Daniel said. “Tomorrow, one way or another, Jessica and Grace and Rebecca are going to tell us what they know.”

“And if they don't?”

“No one's going to get in my way, man or woman.” Daniel's voice shook with emotion. “If I have to lock them up, by God, I will.”

“Don't do anything crazy.”

Cole saw the irony in his remark and let out a harsh laugh. “I think this badge is changing me. I'm usually the one doing crazy things, and now I'm cautioning you. I know how bad you want those men. Hell, I'd feel the same way, but you've got to keep it legal.”

Daniel disagreed. “I'm going to get them any way that I can. I don't care if it's legal or not. Are you going to help me?”

“I already told you I'd help.”

The conversation ended when they reached the hotel and went up to their rooms. Cole threw open his
window to get rid of the musty smell, then stripped out of his clothes, washed, and fell into bed. Stacking his hands behind his head, he thought about the women's answers to their questions. One thought led to another, and he was suddenly thinking about Jessica. Damn but she was a tempting woman.

He fell asleep hoping to God she hadn't been hiding under that desk.

Daniel didn't go to sleep right away. He spent a good hour pacing around his shoe box of a room, feeling like a caged animal. He tried to concentrate on the investigation, but Grace Winthrop kept getting in his way.