The Lone Rancher - By Carol Finch Page 0,66
hair and stop you from barking in his ear, Addie K.”
“I’m counting on it,” Adrianna murmured before she sat down to Elda’s mouthwatering meal—and wondered what jailers served their prisoners for supper in Ca-Cross.
Early the next morning Adrianna rode into town with the note Quin had received. Her first stop was Rosa’s Boutique, which sat across the square from the marshal’s office. When she entered the shop, Rosa poked her silver-blond head around the corner of the sewing room. A concerned frown replaced her usual smile.
“Glad you’re here, Addie K. I’ve been worried about Quin.” She rushed forward to clasp Adrianna’s hands in her own. “I went to check on him twice yesterday but Marshal Hobbs had the place locked up tight while he was investigating. Rumors about Quin killing a man hired to start the fire at your house are flying all over town.”
“Blast it, people can be so gullible and foolish. Why are they so quick to believe the worst?” Adrianna muttered under her breath. “Whoever killed that man at Phantom Springs set up Quin. He received a message suggesting his parents’ deaths weren’t accidental.”
Rosa’s lavender-colored eyes nearly popped from their sockets. “What? You mean it was murder? Heavens!”
“We don’t know if the wreck resulted from a robbery gone bad or if the note Cahill received was an extortion attempt. The would-be informant was dead when Cahill arrived.”
“It does make you wonder, when it’s been two years since the incident,” Rosa said pensively.
“Personally, I think this is an attempt to swindle money from Cahill, same as the horses and cattle stolen from both our ranches. This time Quin received two knots on his head while trying to seek the truth. Plus, the extortion money was taken while Quin was unconscious.”
Rosa flung up her arms. “What the blazes is going on around here? Rumors are buzzing about Quin committing murder and about his sister raising her illegitimate child while working as a… Well, you know. Why would anyone want to drag the Cahill name through the mud?”
Adrianna shrugged. “I suppose for the same reason the Greers and McKnights were accused of all sorts of unethical corruption to explain our families’ business success.”
Rosa nodded, disgruntled. “Ah, yes, the backstabbers of the world spend more time slandering others who are more fortunate than devising ways to ensure their own prosperity.”
Adrianna glanced sideways to see a crowd gathering on the square. “Uh-oh, that doesn’t bode well for Quin.”
“Just what we need,” Rosa grumbled. “The drunken mob spouting threats of hanging the town founder.”
Adrianna swallowed hard at the disturbing prospect. “I need to talk to the marshal…now.”
“Do you need Lucas and me as character witnesses for Quin?” Rosa asked.
“Thanks, but I hope it won’t come to that.”
Adrianna spun on her heel, then jogged across the square. She veered around the crowd of scraggly-looking men from Wrong Side who were discussing when and where to lynch Cahill. She glanced at the cocky Preston Van Slyck, who was propped against the supporting beam of the bank, grinning from ear to ear.
Hmm, she thought suspiciously. I wonder who egged on the local riffraff to form a spiteful mob?
Adrianna couldn’t explain a connection between Preston and the unidentified dead man, but she knew Preston’s type. The banker’s son was ecstatic when others were miserable, especially if he felt he’d been wronged and wanted to enjoy spiteful revenge. If Leanna Cahill had rejected Preston, he would delight in getting even—every way possible.
Her thoughts scattered as she scurried across the boardwalk to reach the marshal’s pinewood office before the mob decided it was a grand day for a necktie party. She burst inside to see Hobbs sipping coffee. His booted feet were stacked on the corner of his scarred desk. Her gaze flew immediately to the open door leading to the cells. Quin craned his neck around the corner. He looked rather the worse for wear. There were dark circles under his eyes and strained lines bracketed his mouth.
Her temper boiled in nothing flat and she wheeled toward the marshal to slap down the missive on his desk. “Here’s proof enough that Cahill was lured to Phantom Springs and set up to take blame for the murder.”
Hobbs put his feet on the floor, then assessed the note. “It says nothing about being set up for murder,” he remarked caustically. “Oh, wait, there it is between the lines.”
When he tried to pick up the note, Adrianna snatched it away and tucked it in the pocket of her breeches. “This evidence