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 themif 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 gentlemanly gesture and hesitantly took hold of him.

"You aren't going to bother Jessica and Grace tonight, are you? It's already well after eight, " she said. "They were both so weary this afternoon. Neither one of them is feeling well, " she added. "You should let them get a good night's sleep before you hound them with questions.

Good night, gentlemen." They watched her walk away. Each was lost in his own thoughts until she paused in the doorway and looked at them again. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Because she had been as cool as ice during the questioning, the emotional display surprised them.

"Are you ever going to catch those horrible men? Do you have any leads at all? The sheriff told me you didn't, but I was hoping he was wrong.

" Ryan's shoulders slumped. "No, we don't have any leads now, but that could change."

"One thing's certain, " Cole interjected. "We will catch ihem. It's only a matter of time. You can count on it."

"Yes, of course you'll catch them, " she said. "If you think of any other questions, I'll be here." Once she was inside, Cole muttered an imprecation. "I don't like being a marshal. It's depressing."

"You know what's really bothering you? You feel sorry for all three of the women, don't you? " "Yeah, I do. Thanks to Sloan's incompetence, those ladies have been thrown into the middle of a boiling pot. They shouldn't have to be afraid. Besides, it's pretty certain none of them was in the bank during the robbery, but now everyone in town thinks one of them was. Folks around here don't think things through, do they? I guess I hated seeing Rebecca so scared."

"I can't blame her for being afraid, " Ryan said. "She knows what the Blackwater gang can do."

"Do you think any of them will come back to Rockford Falls? Would they go to such an extreme because of a rumor?