Chris and Vin stood just inside the saloon's batwing doors, conferring. They'd each caught the look of relief in the other's eyes when they'd spotted their resident gambler at his usual table. They'd also caught the guilty expressions that had followed for the doubts they'd obviously shared, and found themselves unexpectedly frozen, unsure how to proceed. No matter what they said, Ezra was going to take it as an accusation. Which, Chris had to admit to himself, it would be.
"You think maybe he forgot?" Vin asked, trying to appear as though he wasn't watching Ezra, although the curious glances Ezra kept giving them made it clear that he found their behavior odd.
"That a huge stack of extra money was going to be sitting across the street? No, Vin; I don't."
"Then what—"
"Hell, I don't know." Chris pushed off from the wall. "Let's just get this over with." He made his way through the chairs and tables to where Ezra sat with a half-finished game of solitaire laid out in front of him. JD had apparently taken over the game, playing sideways and keeping up a somewhat one-sided conversation as Ezra watched with a bemused expression.
"Hey, mornin'!" JD said cheerfully. He glanced up briefly then did a double-take at the grim expressions on the other lawmen's faces. "What's wrong?"
"Indeed," Ezra drawled, leaning his chair back with his hands in his pockets, "You look as though someone stole your favorite horse."
"Poor choice of words there, pard," Vin said as he sat down at the table.
"Someone really stole your horse?" JD asked.
"No, someone stole a payroll," Chris replied, still standing, arms crossed.
"What?" JD and Ezra asked in unison. Ezra's chair thudded back to upright; he winced at the jarring, then his expression became serious. "A stagecoach?" he asked.
"Nope," Chris replied. "The bank."
"What?" again in unison; JD and Ezra looked at each other in irritation. This time, JD followed up. "No one said nothin' about a payroll being in the bank."
Vin glanced at Chris, who sighed and finally sat down as well. "That ain't exactly true. Preston Bannister says he told you about it, Ezra. Day before yesterday." He kept eye contact as he said it, needing to see the gambler's full reaction—and it was worth watching. Ezra's expression shifted subtly but quickly from insulted to confused to what might have been horror and then back to confused. The word "what" formed on his lips, but Ezra stopped himself before asking the question yet a third time, then he just sat in stunned silence for several moments. "Well?" Chris prompted, "Did he?"
Ezra shook his head ever so slightly, and the confused expression became a mask. "I assure you, if he had, I would have mentioned it."
"So he didn't." Vin sounded relieved.
"If he had, I would have mentioned it," Ezra repeated.
Chris felt his gut twist. He wanted to let it go, he really did. Vin seemed satisfied, and JD looked indignant on Ezra's behalf. But… "I have to ask, Ezra, 'cause Bannister's bound to bring it up: Where were you last night?"
Ezra's eyes narrowed but otherwise, the mask didn't slip. JD, on the other hand, slapped the table in irritation and answered for him, "This is crazy, Chris! Ezra didn't rob the bank, you know he didn't!"
"Pipe down, JD, you know I gotta ask."
"Well Ezra's one of us and you know this ain't right. Anyway, he was right here at this table all night, right Ezra? Been playing solitaire for hours; ain't even been to bed yet." JD looked triumphantly at Chris, whose expression only darkened as he continued to watch Ezra.
Chris's gut had stopped twisting and now seemed to be filled with lead. "Solitaire all night? Game ain't that interesting. Where were you, Ezra?"
The gambler gave a self-conscious laugh, and smiled that wide smile Chris had often seen him use when he was about to try to explain something that didn't have a good explanation. "I…I didn't say that, JD. Clearly there has been a—"
The batwing doors swung open and Preston Bannister rushed into the room, leading with a clenched fist as he pushed through the tables. "Mr. Larabee! I demand you take a look at this evidence; I know what…" he stumbled to a halt near the table and gaped at the solemn, forbidding faces in front of him. He stood there with his mouth half open and hand still held out until Chris made a sound of disgust and held his own hand out.
"What is it, Bannister?"
Bannister looked down at the tiny object in his hand and seemed suddenly reluctant to mention it. Finally, he cleared his throat and, without looking up, held out what he was carrying. "I found this in the bank. I know…I know it's…" he trailed off as he dropped the object in Chris's outstretched palm.
Chris took it carefully, wishing he could pound Bannister into the floor for finding it, for picking it up, for bringing it over. Instead, he turned and held it up to Ezra, who had gotten to his feet when Bannister came in but was now sinking back into his chair, shaking his head in disbelief. An errant ray of sunlight glinted off the ruby stone set in pure gold. "Ezra, tell me this ain't your ring."
