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* * *
Lucille sat in the kitchen, a cup of warm coffee in her hand, sipping it gently as the morning faded to afternoon, and the afternoon began to fade to evening.
She had not left the house all day, afraid both to stay in it as well as step out of it. Outside the safety of these walls, Marshal Decker lay waiting for her to make a mistake, something which he might use against her to finally secure her arrest.
Inside this house, a thief had broken the through the walls and the protection she used to feel they gave her. The safety she’d once felt here had been compromised. Irene had felt it too, that’s why she’d returned home. There was no point in her staying when she was not any safer here than she was in her own home, in her own bed.
Marshal Decker had dropped by earlier after learning of the break-ins at both her home as well as Irene’s last night. Amos had been with him, but not Leonard, which had disturbed her a great deal. He’d left early this morning after making sure she and Irene were all right and patching up the window the thief had broken. He’d hardly said a word to her throughout it all, and he had not come home at lunch to check on her.
She’d been expecting Amos—he was sheriff, after all. The marshal had been a bit of a surprise. At first, she’d been certain Leonard had told them of her confession and they were there to arrest her, but then it became clear they were only there about the break-in.
The marshal had expressed concern over the trouble, though she was almost certain it was a false concern. The questions he’d asked her had more to do with the recent train robberies than last night’s break-in, and after several minutes of interrogation, Amos had begun to look at the man strangely and had finally been the one to put a stop to things.
“Did you recognize the thief?” Decker had asked her.
“I never saw him,” she’d replied.
“Do you think they targeted you specifically?”
“I have no idea.”
“Maybe they’re seeking vengeance for some former deed you committed against them.”
“I couldn’t say.”
“Why would they break into a deputy’s home?”
“Because they’re foolish.”
“Do you have anything you wish to confess? Anything about the Beauty Bandits, perhaps?”
“No.”
Amos had put his hands up and said, “Now, marshal, I’m not sure where you’re going with these questions, but it seems to me like between Leonard and Lucille, all our questions have been answered, don’t you think? Lucille didn’t even see anything, it was Leonard who chased after the thief.” He looked at Lucille then. “Isn’t that right?”
“It is,” she said, and Marshal Decker had finally dropped his questions and left the house, telling her as he went that he intended to question Irene as well. He was starting to think the thief might have targeted her as well, possibly because she was friends with Lucille. She was not sure it had even entered his head that Irene might be involved with the Beauty Bandits in some way. But then, it was truly impossible to say what went on in that man’s brain.
Amos had given the marshal another strange look as they left and told him that they were not going to bother Irene with silly questions she’d already answered. Lucille had been glad the sheriff was still on her side, at least for now. Leonard had clearly not told him about her confession, or else he’d certainly have arrested her.
Now, as she waited for Leonard to come home, she grew more frightened of what he might say to her than she was of Elmwood’s unknown thief. She wondered briefly if the fear she’d felt last night was how she’d made others feel when she’d robbed them. Even if they were rich, and thieves themselves, she was not sure she had the right to terrorize them. She didn’t think anyone had that right. A ping of regret inched its way into her heart.
Leonard came home earlier than she’d expected him, startling her out of her thoughts. “Oh,” she said, standing up. “I haven’t started dinner yet.”
“Don’t bother,” said Leonard, sounding sullen.
“But you must eat something,” she said, going for the beef she’d laid out an hour before with the intention of starting its preparation, only to sit back down at the kitchen table and forget about it.
“I stopped at a restaurant before coming home,” he told her.
“Oh,” she said, her heart pounding. Her chest felt tight. For some reason, knowing he’d eaten elsewhere bothered her. It seemed like the first step in pushing her further away from him.
“Would you sit down a moment?” he asked her. She hesitated then took a seat at the kitchen table.
“Any word on the thief?” she asked, hoping to keep the conversation on something other than herself.
“Not yet,” he said. “I’ll let you know if we find out anything useful.”
She nodded and held her breath, desperately trying to think of something funny to say to lighten the mood, but her brain refused to comply with her wishes.
“Lucille...” Leonard began, folding his hands together.
His eyes were red and his face was tightly drawn. If he’d looked like that all day, it was a wonder Amos had allowed him to remain at work. He looked ill. Then again, Amos would probably have just chalked it up to the break-in last night. Dealing with two break-ins in one night was tough for anybody, especially when one of the break-ins was at your own house.
“Lucille...” he started over. “I’ve been thinking about it all day... about us, that is, and our marriage...”
She gulped, and her heart gave an erratic lurch that took her breath away. “Before you say anything,” she said, “you need to know, to believe me when I say, that I’m through with that life. You’re right. No matter what those rich men have done, they don’t deserve to be scared and robbed. I realize that now.”
She waited for his response. He stared hard at her, his lips tight. “I’m glad you see my point of things,” he said, licking his lips. “That doesn’t change what you did though.”
“Was it so wrong to want to help those less fortunate than us?” she asked.
“No, but there are other ways to help them.”
“You’re right,” she said, willing to agree with just about anything he said right now. She did not want to lose him. “I haven’t robbed anyone in months. Not since Marshal Decker started getting onto my trail.”
He drew in a breath. “Who’s the third woman?” he asked.
Lucille’s chest tightened even more. “Third woman?” she repeated.
“Yes. Your other accomplice. Who is she?”
Lucille did not think it wise to explain to him that although only three Beauty Bandits ever committed the train robberies, there were actually five of them in the gang. They simply switched out their places depending on circumstances. When Irene was unable to go with them, Betty took her place. If Lucille could not go, Belle went for her, and so forth.
“I can’t say,” Lucille finally told Leonard after he’d waited several minutes for her response.
He let out a sigh. “I was afraid of that.”
She gulped but it was dry. “Are you going to tell Amos about me?” she asked.
He looked at her and slowly shook his head. “No.” Relief flooded her, but Leonard wasn’t done. “I’m not going to tell anyone anything about you or Irene. I’ve thought it over all day, and if anyone found out the truth about you, I’d lose my job.”
Her lips parted, and her stomach lurched. She knew how much Leonard loved being a sheriff’s deputy. One day, he hoped to become a sheriff.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” she said. “No one could blame you for my lies.”
He gave a bitter laugh. “Can you not see how foolish I’d look? A deputy married to an outlaw?” He shook his head sadly. “No. No one can ever know. My reputation in this town would be shattered. I’d be lucky to get work collecting trash. I’d lose all my friends. I might even end up on trial. Decker’s just crazy enough to say I was some sort of accomplice to it all.”
“I’d never let him say anything like that,” Lucille said, startled by the idea. “None of us would.”
He stayed silent a moment, staring at the wall. Finally, he said, “From now on, Lucille, we’re married in name only. I shall make my office my bedroom now. If anyone asks, things between us are fine, but in reality, our marriage is over.”
Her jaw tightened and she had to force her lips to part so she could speak. Even then she almost couldn’t get her words out. “I still love you,” she said. “That was no lie.”
He looked at her now, and his eyes seemed to fill with hurt. “Don’t you see that only makes it worse? You lied to me, betrayed me, yet you claim to love me...” He shook his head and pushed his chair back. “It would have been better if you’d never cared for me at all. Perhaps then it would not hurt so much to lose you.”
“D-Do you still love me?” she asked. “Even a little bit?”
He hesitated. “No,” he said. “I cannot love a woman who would so easily betray me. You won’t even tell me the name of the final member of your gang. I can never trust anything you say.” His voice broke. “Even if I did love you... I must force myself not to. It will just make things more difficult.”
He started to walk away. She went after him. “Leonard, I’m sorry,” she said, reaching for him. He pulled away from her before she could touch him.
“Remember what I said. We are married in name only. I’ll tell no one of your crimes, and you shall never again commit another one.”
“I promise you that life is behind me.”
He sighed. “If only you had never started that life to begin with. Now everything is ruined.” He headed for his office and shut the door. She did not bother going after him.
* * *
