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* * *
Leonard saw Marshal Decker walking down the street and hurried after him, shouting the man’s name. Decker turned around and waited, his eyes almost looking amused as well as irritated as Leonard made his way over.
“Deputy,” said Decker with a smile. “I was just thinking about you and that wonderful dinner your wife gave us last night. Despite her sudden departure, it was an enchanting evening.”
Leonard did not care to make idle chit-chat with the man, nor did he care to beat around the bush. He had questions that needed answering, and he meant to get right to the point about them.
“I want you to tell me what’s going on between you and my wife,” Leonard said loud enough to garner a few looks from passersby. “You’ve hinted at things before, asking about her hair color and such, and last night when you met, you acted almost as though you knew her.”
Decker’s face reddened and he looked around them, taking Leonard by the shoulders and spinning him around. “Let’s get a drink,” he said.
“I don’t drink while I’m working,” Leonard replied.
“Then order water or tea for all I care. I don’t want to have this conversation in the middle of the street.”
Leonard sighed and followed Decker into a saloon known for its dark corners and whispered conversations. It made him feel scuzzy just sitting down in a place like this, though Decker didn’t seem to even blink twice at it.
“Now then,” said Decker after they had their drinks in front of them. Leonard had ordered coffee, black. It was the hardest drink he wanted under the circumstances. He felt as though he needed to keep his mind sharp and his wits about him while he was with the marshal, and alcohol would only dull his senses. “How much do you really know about your wife?” Decker asked him.
“Plenty,” said Leonard. “She’s lived most of her life in Elmwood.”
Decker nodded. “What about all this traveling she’s done?”
Leonard hesitated. “She likes to see new places,” he said. “Is that a crime?”
“No, not at all.” Decker paused a moment as if thinking. “Was she always a great traveler?”
“No,” Leonard said hesitantly. “It’s only the last couple of years that she’s come to enjoy seeing the country.”
“And this last time she left Elmwood—when you said she was in Nevada—did she leave town around the time I came here?”
Leonard got a sinking feeling in his gut and began to wish he’d ordered a whiskey after all. “Perhaps,” he said.
Decker smiled creepily and nodded. “That’s fine,” he said. “You needn’t confirm anything for me. I already know. It took me a few minutes to recognize her yesterday without the blonde hair, but once I did there was no denying it.”
“What are you talking about?” Leonard asked, feeling sick to his stomach.
“Your wife perfectly fits the description of the woman I’ve been chasing for the last several months.”
Leonard licked dry lips. “I knew you were going to say that, I suppose, but I don’t believe you. You’ve got the wrong woman. Just because her name is Lucille, and that happens to be the name the witness heard, doesn’t make her a Beauty Bandit.”
Decker sighed and pulled something out of his inner coat pocket. He handed it to Leonard. It was a sketch of a woman who looked a lot like Lucille.
“That came from the witness I told you about,” Decker said. “The same one who heard her name. The one the bandits didn’t know about. That can’t be just a coincidence.”
“Of course it can,” said Leonard, handing the picture back to him. “You said yourself there are other Lucilles in this town besides my wife. You’ve spoken to them.”
“None of them look like that sketch.”
Leonard tapped his feet nervously on the floor. “If you’re so certain my wife is the one you’re after, then why didn’t you arrest her last night?”
Decker pursed his lips. “Well, things get a little tricky there. You know I’ve been digging around, and so far as I can tell, your wife was in town the last time the Beauty Bandits robbed that train out of Thunderbend.”
Leonard’s shoulders immediately relaxed. “That’s right. I hadn’t thought of it before, but it’s true. Lucille can’t be the woman you’re after.”
Decker said nothing for a moment. “I don’t pretend to have it all figured out just yet. All I know is that your wife is involved with all this in some way. I think she’s part of the gang, but maybe she’s not the leader like I thought she was. Maybe she’s just... disposable. Maybe her gang replaced her because they know I’m onto her.”
Leonard shook his head. “Or maybe you’ve got the wrong woman,” he said.
Decker leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think so,” he said with a critical eye.
“Yes, but you don’t know so either. If you did, Lucy would be in jail by now. You just said as much.”
Decker let out a breath. “I know she’s your wife, and a beautiful woman at that, but if I were you I’d be careful around her.”
“You make her sound dangerous,” said Leonard with a nervous laugh.
Decker’s face grew even more serious. “I don’t know if she’s responsible for those three men who’ve been killed in the last train robberies or not. I know she was here in Elmwood during the last one, so I guess she’s off the hook for that, but the one before it...” His voice trailed off in a way that Leonard did not at all care for.
“My wife is no murderer,” Leonard said.
Decker shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe she’s not a murderer, but at the very least she’s a thief. I know it in my blood, and as soon as I can prove it without a doubt, which ought to be any day now, I’m locking her up and I’ll make sure she never gets out.”
Leonard’s breath choked in his throat. He forced a smile. “You go on and do your best, but it will never be good enough to put Lucille away because she’s innocent.” He rose to go and prayed that Decker did not try and stop him. If he did, Leonard was afraid the man would see the truth plain on his face—despite Leonard’s words, he did not really believe what he was saying.
That sketch had been the last bit of evidence he needed. Even without it, the money Lucy had hidden, coupled with her odd behavior, was enough to convince him Decker was right. Lucy was guilty as sin. He just had to decide what he wanted to do about it, and until then, he would continue to defend her to anyone who dared accuse her of a crime.
* * *
