“No.” Will’s gut churned. It was still hard to face the fact that he had no legal authority. But if he could gather enough evidence, he could take it to the authorities, and they could finally put Ben where he belonged.
“Then why?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” In so many ways, but most of them were things he couldn’t make Mary understand. Ways he wasn’t sure he understood himself. Ultimately, his gun had been the cause of an innocent man’s death. Whether Will pulled the trigger or not, he bore some responsibility.
It was easier remembering that layer of guilt, and how he needed to bring closure to Eldon Wormer’s family, than it was to look into the eyes of a woman as sweet and innocent as Mary.
Surely she was innocent.
But how was he ever to trust his instincts where women were concerned when he’d been so easily conned by Daisy? Her eyes had appeared innocent as well, and look where that had gotten him. Gut-shot and badgeless.
“In my case,” Mary said, giving him a tiny smile, “the right thing to do is walk away. I didn’t ask for your help. I don’t want your help. And I don’t know anything about Ben that can be helpful to you.”
Her head turned, and Will realized that the pastor was making his way back to them. They wouldn’t be able to talk freely soon.
“You didn’t ask for my help earlier today, either, but I probably saved your life.”
As she turned to speak to the pastor, Will thought he might have heard her say “Perhaps you shouldn’t have bothered,” but he couldn’t be certain.
The one thing he was certain of, however, was that, based on the information he had about Ben’s activities in the area, no matter what level of involvement Mary had with them, she was in for a world of trouble.
How else could he get her to talk? And would it be the truth? He wasn’t sure he was capable of telling the truth from a lie any longer, especially when it came to a pretty woman.
Will returned to the Rafferty Hotel, noting that Ben wasn’t in the saloon or in any of the public areas. He attempted to make discreet inquiries about the man, but no one seemed willing to talk.
When Will finally retired to his room, it was with a heavy heart. Locating Ben had been the easy part. Finding evidence against him—well, that might be as difficult as counting all the silver in this fine country.
Will hadn’t been sleeping long when a scuffle outside the window roused him. He climbed out of bed and peered out the curtains. A group of men were arguing. Will sighed. Last night’s sleep had been interrupted by the same.
But just as he started to let the curtain drop, one of the men turned, his face briefly illuminated by the coming dawn.
Ben.
As quickly as he could, Will dressed and headed out, hoping to catch up with the other man and ascertain his activities. When he exited the hotel, the other men had scattered, but Will caught a glimpse of Ben scurrying down Harrison Avenue.
He quickened his pace as Ben turned down State Street. The most notorious red-light district in the state, if not the country, and Will was going in without a gun or a badge. Fortunately, Ben entered the closest saloon, The Pink Petticoat.
Approaching cautiously, Will looked around to make sure he wasn’t walking into a trap. It was probably safe, given how brazen Ben had been in the other saloon. Ben knew that even if Will wanted to, he couldn’t do anything to stop him. But someday...things would be different.
No one seemed to notice as Will entered the saloon. With dawn upon them, most of the men were too far into their cups or sleeping it off to pay attention. Ben had already found a table and was in deep conversation with the men seated there. Will moved in for a closer look.
“See something that strikes your fancy?” A kitten-soft voice spoke into his ear as a woman wrapped her arms around him.
At first he didn’t recognize the painted features. But something about her seemed familiar. “Daisy?”
The woman jumped at the name, then shook her head. “No, but for the right price, you can call me anything you want.”
Her voice was husky, as if she’d spent too much time in the smoke-filled room. She put her arm around him, turning him toward the stairs.
Will’s face heated, and he pulled away. “Sorry. I think you got the wrong idea. You reminded me of my old friend Daisy. I can see I was mistaken.”
Something flashed across the woman’s face as her woman-of-the-night expression softened.
“It’s not safe to talk here,” the woman whispered harshly. She took his hand, then led him out a side door linking the saloon to another building.
“I think you’ve got me wrong. I just want—”
She turned and pressed her fingers to his lips. “I want the same thing. But if you don’t come with me, we’re both going to be in trouble.”
Clearly this woman knew something about the situation. Was this another one of Ben’s games, designed to keep him from spying on whatever conversation was happening?
At this point, he wasn’t sure who to trust. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask God, but that had never done him much good, either. For all the prayers he’d prayed, his father was dead, his mother was still suffering from consumption, Ben Perry was still on the loose, and Will had lost his badge. No, it was up to Will to make sure things turned out right.
Before he could make up his mind about what to do, the woman had led him into a room and closed the door behind them.
“What’s your name?” he asked. “And what’s this got to do with Daisy?”
Though the lamplight wasn’t as dim as it had been in the saloon, it still wasn’t bright enough to make out more of her features, especially with the curtains drawn tightly closed. Only enough to confirm that while she looked like Daisy, it was only a faint resemblance.
She reached into a drawer and pulled out a handgun, aiming it directly at him.
“I’ll be asking the questions here. Starting with the ones you asked me. Who are you, and what do you know about my sister?”
Sister? At least it explained the resemblance. He took a step toward her. “Lady...”
With practiced movement, she cocked the gun. “Don’t come any closer. Answer my questions, or I’ll shoot.”
Will didn’t move. She held the gun as if she knew what she was doing. Even though he couldn’t see the look in her eyes, he was pretty sure she meant business. “With everyone around? They’d hear the gunshot. You’ll hang for sure.”
“No one’s going to hang a woman for defending herself against a robbery.” She gestured toward a chair in the corner of the room. “Sit. I can put a bullet in your skull faster than you can take a step to disarm me, so don’t even try.”
Cunning, he’d give her that.
“My name is Will Lawson. I knew Daisy back in Century City. We were working together to bring down Ben Perry and his gang, but she betrayed me. The last I saw her, she was riding on the back of Ben’s horse headed out of town.”
“Liar!” The woman took a step closer, making a point of getting him in her sight. “Daisy would have never willingly gone with Ben Perry.”
He could hear the doubt in her voice. “Then what are you doing here? It can’t be an accident that you’re in the same saloon.”
The woman loosened her grip on the gun. Not enough for him to feel safe in disarming her, but enough that he knew he could eventually talk her down. Especially if she hated Ben as much as he did.
“I knew Ben and his men back in Denver. Daisy disappeared from