shoved the sheriff toward the front door.
"We don't believe any such thing, " he said. "The purse could have
gotten under the desk a hundred different ways. There could have been
a lot of women inside the bank, and any one of them could have sat at
your desk and accidentally dropped it." Lemont wasn't paying very much
attention to the marshal's explanation.
"It had to have been left on the day of the robbery, " he said
excitedly.
"The bank's cleaned every night by the Stewarts, and they always do a
thorough job. Still, you're right. A woman could have left the bag
sometime during the morning hours. If you look in the tellers'
drawers, you'll find a record of every customer who did any business
that day." Sloan elbowed his way back over to Lemont. "I got a
feeling the three women on my list were there in the afternoon. I got
their names right here. There was Jessica Summers, Grace Winthrop, and
Rebecca James. Do you know any of these, Lemont? " "As a matter of
fact I do. I know Rebecca James. I saw her just last night, but she
was feeling very poorly, and I fear she's caught the influenza. I sent
her home, of course.
"I met the dear woman last week, " he continued. "She stopped by to
tell me how glorious she thought my garden was. She appreciates
beauty, " he added. "I don't know the other two women, but then I keep
to myself. By the time I get home from the bank, there are only two
hours left before dark, and I spend every minute of it tending my
flowers."
"None of the women on the list have lived in Rockford Falls long, "
Sloan said. "Are you sure you've never met Jessica Summers or Grace
Winthrop? " "I might have, but if I did, neither one of them made much
of an impression." Cole grabbed hold of Sloan's arm and pushed him out
the doorway. Ryan kept his attention on Lemont.
"The sheriff spoke out of turn, " he began. "His conclusions aren't
based on fact."
"Perhaps a stranger left the pocketbook behind, " Lemont said. "There
are so many of them in town this time of year.
They come to see the falls and trample all over the glorious flowers
growing wild on the hills outside of town. Some of the men and women
are quite audacious, Marshal. Why, just two weeks ago one of them
vandalized my garden and picked all of my tulips. I've asked and asked
Sheriff Sloan to do something about it, but now that you're here,
perhaps you can apprehend the culprits. I'll press charges, " he
added. "I don't care if it was the work of a child or not. The
hooligans belong in jail." Cole returned to the parlor in time to hear
Lemont's remarks. "It seems you're more concerned about your garden
thanţ" Lemont interrupted him. "Than the people who died in the
bank?
You're right, Marshal, I am. Flowers, you see, are more precious to
me. They serve only one purpose. To be pretty, and I like pretty
things."
"Let's go, " Cole told Ryan. "We've taken enough of Lemont's time."