Ryan couldn't take his eyes off her, so completely fascinated was he by
this delicate woman. Even though she was unskilled and totally out of
place, she was not deterred, nor even discouraged.
He had to force himself to get on with the business at hand. Pulling
his notepad out of his pocket, he put it on the table and reached for
his pencil. "Why don't we get started, " he began.
"Yes, of course, " she agreed.
"About what time were you in the bank on the day of the robbery? " She
stared at the tabletop when she answered. "I was there at two o'clock,
give or take ten minutes." Cole was about to take a bite of his
sandwich when she gave her answer.
He put the food back on the plate and shot a glance at Daniel to judge
his reaction.
"You're sure it was two o'clock? " Daniel asked, sounding only mildly
curious.
"Yes, I'm sure. I noticed the time while I was waiting my turn in
line.
There's a large clock on the wall behind the tellers' windows."
"Did you notice any of the other people in line? " Cole asked. She
pondered the question for a long moment, and then shook her head.
"Actually, no, I didn't notice anyone else. I wasn't paying much
attention." What in God's name was going on? Cole was about to ask
Grace that question when Daniel shook his head at him. He obviously
didn't want Cole to point out the fact that her answer was identical to
Jessica's and Rebecca'sţalmost word for word. Had the three of them
rehearsed what they would say while they were in that cell together,
and if so, why?
Daniel closed his notepad and put it back in his pocket. "Did you
notice anything unusual? " "No, I didn't, " Grace answered.
"You took your place in line . . . " "Yes, I did, " she said. "And I
waited my turn, but I didn't look around. I was thinking about all the
things I needed to get done." Daniel's frustration was mounting, but
he was careful not to let it show. "The bag that Sheriff Sloan showed
you, " he began, "it doesn't belong to you, does it? " "No, it
doesn't. I never carry a bag. All of my dresses have pockets."
"The one you're wearing now doesn't, " Cole said.
"Excuse me? " She was obviously startled by his observation and was
trying to come up with a suitable explanation. "The dress you're
wearing doesn't have pockets, " Cole repeated.
"No, it doesn't, " she agreed. "But the one I wore to the bank does
have pockets . . . two of them. Would you like some more tea? " Cole
glanced down at his full cup and wondered where she thought she would
put more. He shook his head, but she didn't seem to notice. She
turned and rushed back to the stove, then carried the teapot back to
the table and placed it next to Cole's cup. A look of acute relief
crossed her face when Jessica walked into the kitchen.
Surprised to find the marshals still there, Jessica stopped short.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I thought you would be finished
by now, and I was going to help Grace clean the dishes. I'll do them