said.
"Who's Abbott? " "A judge in Salt Lake, " Daniel answered. "The judge
in Blackwater wired Abbott asking for his help in getting our
cooperation. Since we're on special assignment, we don't have to do as
they ask, but I think we should go along. One of these women saw the
murders, and by God, she will testify."
"The judge in Blackwater is hopping mad, " Cooper interjected. "I
can't blame him. First, Daniel wires him and tells him he might have a
witness. Then the women say they weren't there, and then they all say
that they were. Have you figured out which one was really inside the
bank at the time of the robbery? " "Not yet, " Daniel said. "I
thought I'd know after each one gave me the details of what
happened."
"But? " Cooper prodded.
"They each have their own version. It's maddening."
"If you had to guess, which one do you think was really there? "
Cooper asked.
Daniel and Cole said the name at the same time. "Rebecca. "
"Interesting, " Cooper replied.
"The details she gave us are convincing. She was able to describe some
of the men, and she even knew a couple of their names."
"Jessica hasn't been able to tell us much yet. She's still pretty
shaken over the shooting." Cooper said, "I've gotta tell you one
thing. These women sure do intrigue me. I can understand why they
would all deny being there.
They'd be scared and they have all surely heard about the witnesses the
Blackwater boys butchered. What I can't understand is why they'd all
change their tune and say they were there."
"Daniel thinks they all joined forces, " Cole said. "Sheriff Sloan put
the three of them together in one of the cells, and Daniel thinks
that's when they hatched their plan."
"What do you know about these women? Have you looked into their
backgrounds? " {We don't know much . . . yet, " Daniel said. "I'm
having each one of them investigated. It's a slow process, though, and
we'll probably be in Blackwater before the information comes back. I
do know bits and pieces, but even that hasn't been verified."
"Such as? " Cooper asked.
"According to people she's met in Rockford Falls, Rebecca was born in
New York City and lived with her parents and her cousins in a
tenement.
There were nine of them in a twobedroom apartment. Both the parents
drank themselves into early graves. Rebecca is self-educated, and
about three years ago, she moved to St. Louis and severed ties with
her relatives. She met a businessman and she's planning to marry him
in the fall. She goes to church every Sunday and works in the
library.
" "If she's in love, she's probably trying to protect him. She's got
to know this gang could use him to get to her, " Cooper said. "What
about Grace and Jessica? What do you know about them? " "I don't know