"My God," the senator said again, softly this time. He straightened a little and added flatly, "You realize, of course, that most of your points could be made about me. I wasn't at the fort at the time of the raid, and Anna Leigh is not my daughter, but other than that .. " He drank some of his wine. His eyes were fixed on a point beyond Ryder's shoulder. He was a man caught in his memories.

"Until the debacle at Colter Canyon and his daughter's ridiculous charges, I counted Warren Hamilton among my friends. We served together.. . had the same outlook. And when we didn't"-he smiled slightly-"we enjoyed wrangling like two young bucks." He came out of his reverie and looked hard at his nephew.

"I don't believe it. What was his motive?"

"His share of the gold. It was a rich prize."

"Perhaps, but I don't think he would risk so much for it. It doesn't fit with the man I know-or knew."

Mary's shoulders sagged a little.

"Then you won't help us prove it?" she asked.

"I didn't say that." Stillwell refilled his wine glass. This time when he sipped, it was apparent he was deriving more pleasure from the experience.

"Warren Hamilton," he said slowly, drawing out the name as if it were the first time he had ever heard it.

"It just doesn't seem possible. You may be headed in the right direction, but I think you've jumped a track or two. Why don't you let me make a few inquiries into this. I'd be happy to--"" Mary stood now.

"No," she said clearly, forcefully.

"Forgive me, Senator, but for too long this has been left to other people. Every day that Ryder and I spend in Washington is dangerous.

There's no telling at what point one of us will be recognized and turned in. If that were to happen much of what would follow would be out of our control. That's an unacceptable risk. We need your help now, and we need you working with us, not on your own. Stillwell considered Mary thoughtfully, then looked to his nephew.

"You agree with her?" he asked. Ryder nodded.

"I can tell you that from the beginning she wanted to come here. I didn't. But yes, in light of what we know now, I agree with her." The senator's expression didn't change. Ryder's statement was not an unexpected response.

"Give me something else," he said at last.

"I do believe you're innocent, but I'll be damned if I'll believe Warren Hamilton is behind this. You must have something more." Ryder and Mary exchanged glances, and Mary gave Ryder an almost imperceptible nod of encouragement.

"Last night," Ryder said, "Mary and I waited outside the Regent Theater."

He saw his uncle stiffen slightly.

"Yes, we saw you there, and we saw you intentionally not acknowledge them. It's what gave Mary hope that you could be persuaded to assist us."

"Go on," Wilson Stillwell said.

"After the performance we followed Anna Leigh and her father home. We had no intention other than to see where and how they lived."

"Then you observed for yourself that Warren Hamilton does not need money."

"On the contrary," Ryder said.

"I.

observed someone whose particular way of living requires a great deal of money."

"You saw what you wanted to see." Mary's hands curled into fists at her sides.

"We saw," she said pointedly, "Anna Leigh and her father greet Lieutenant Davis Rivers moments after they arrived home." Wilson Stillwell merely stared at her, his features nearly expressionless.

"Davis Rivers," she repeated.

"The man who was promoted after the raid for capturing Ryder was a guest in the Hamilton home."

"It doesn't prove anything," Stillwell said carefully.

"It doesn't-"

"More to the point," Mary interrupted.

"Rivers and Anna Leigh Hamilton are lovers." At first there was no reaction that she could detect on the part of Wilson Stillwell, then Mary glanced at the hand holding the wine glass. His knuckles were white on the delicate stem of the crystal.

"You know this?" the senator asked.

"We saw enough to be confident of our conclusion." She added primly, "It would have been unseemly to witness more than we did." Wilson Stillwell set his glass aside. He raised one hand slowly to his face and rubbed his brow hard with thumb and fingers as he thought. The lines on his forehead deepened. His eyes were almost closed now.

"He'd do most anything for her," he said, more to himself than his guests.

"I always knew she was his weakness. He could never tolerate a word being said against her. Too much like his wife, she was, in looks if not character. Warren never could get past one to see the other." He sighed heavily and his hand dropped away. He studied Ryder for a long moment.

"She's a better motive than greed," he said finally.

"I don't think you'd ever have convinced me Hamilton would have done it for the money .. . but for her-for Anna Leigh-he might very well have sold his soul."

"I.

think he did just that," Ryder said quietly. Mary went to the fireplace and poked at the logs. Fire crackled and spit at her.

She brushed the hem of her skirt, but didn't move away. She was cold to her marrow.

"We can't know how the plan was first conceived or who may have suggested it. I don't even know how much that matters now. It seems clear, however, that Senator Hamilton was in a position to orchestrate it." Ryder went on.

"I was assigned to Fort Union to organize the delivery of the gold shipment. I was responsible for almost every aspect of that mission, and you were influential in getting me that appointment."

Stillwell chuckled humorlessly.

"Hamilton suggested it. Said it would be a feather in your cap, and in mine." He topped off his wine glass and said under his breath, "The bastard."

"The records at the War Office indicate that Davis Rivers was an attache to General Norman Dalton here in Washington before his assignment to Fort Union. His transfer and that of about thirty-five other men can all be traced back in one way or another to Warren Hamilton."

"Hamilton can't make the transfers you suggest. No senator can.

That's the province of the Army." Mary regarded Senator Stillwell frankly.

"Are you saying that you don't have enough influence to see the thing done?" she asked.