and frightened Rebecca had been when she first arrived at Tilly's house
after the fire. What would they have done if she hadn't stepped
forward to take charge in their time of need? No, Grace thought,
Daniel was wrong.
"Rebecca did the shooting, " Cooper said quietly. "I never l saw it
coming, never once suspected. There was a man there, but I only got a
fleeting glance at him before I was blown into the hallway. I was
going down when she shot at me again. The last thing I remember is the
sound of glass breaking." Grace was too stunned to speak.
Cooper told Daniel every detail he could recall, including the fact
that Rebecca had been naked. "I opened the door and was so surprised
by the sight of her, I think I hesitated before I went for my gun.
Those seconds almost cost me my life. I should have been prepared for
any eventuality." Grace fell back on the bed. "She's one of them? "
she gasped, trying to come to terms with the truth. "The fire, " she
cried out. "Did she start the fire? Did she hit me? " By the time
she finished her questions, she was shaking.
Daniel nodded. "Most likely, " he said. "Unless one of the other men
stayed behind, but I don't think that happened. All Rebecca had to do
was sprinkle some kerosene around the house and light a match. She was
real sure of herself, " he told Cooper. "She went inside the houseţ"
Grace jumped to her feet again. "And helped herself to an apple, " she
blurted out. "She tried to kill all of us . . . Tilly and Caleb and
Jessica . . . and she wore black, Daniel. Didn't she? She was
dressed all in black." Daniel noticed that Cooper grimaced in pain
when Grace sat on the bed again. She didn't realize that every time
she moved, she was causing him discomfort. Knowing Cooper the way he
did, he also knew he wouldn't say anything to her. Daniel gently
pulled Grace toward him and deposited her on the arm of his chair.
She barely noticed she'd moved, so caught up was she in the horror of
Rebecca's treachery.
"She's a good actress, " Cooper remarked.
Grace tried to stand again, but Daniel put his arm around her waist and
held her down. "Yes, she is a good actress, " she agreed. "She was
complacent and smug, and I thought she was my friend. Can you believe
that, Marshal Cooper? I believed she was my friend." Cooper nodded.
"I felt sorry for her."
"Everything was a lie, wasn't it? She pretended to be so worried about
Jessica and me, and she kept telling us we had to stick together."
"When you were locked in the jail together? " Daniel asked.
"Yes, " she answered. "She told us what she was going to say to you.
She went over it again and again until we had all but memorized it. "
"Did she try to find out which one of you was the witness? " "No, she
didn't."
"She had probably already made up her mind to kill both of you ."
Grace visibly shivered. "She almost succeeded. If you and Cole hadn't
come when you did, we all would have died. Jessica would never have
left the house without Caleb and Tilly and me, and the smoke would have
gotten her."