Amelia just glared at Buster and Simon but kept her voice in check.
"Why are you asking me all these questions?"
Buster just smiled.
"We had some outlaws show up and try to mess with the town," he said, "and one of our clients was a victim."
"Clients…?"
He nodded.
"He wasn't our client…yet
"Oh I see…well what makes you think you'll find your thief here?"
The two men looked at each other without answering. She nodded back at them.
"That's what I thought…listen why don't you get back on your horses and head on back to your boss? No one hear stole anything."
Buster leaned forward.
"Are you sure about that?"
She nodded without hesitation.
"Yes I am sure and we've got work to do," she said, "Running a ranch is very hard and doesn't leave you much time for anything else."
She started to walk away and then Buster grabbed her arm. She froze for just an instant and then she yanked it hard away from him. So hard he nearly fell over after letting it go but Simon helped steady him.
"She just assaulted you," Simon said, "Maybe we'd better do something."
Buster brushed it off.
"No she just made it clear that she doesn't like my questions and that makes it clearer that she's hiding something or protecting someone."
She just shook her head at them.
"No I think it makes it clear I've got better things to do than to talk to you."
She walked away from them. Then she saw several of the men talking to Clara who had left the barn after feeding the horses.
"I don't know anything about it," Clara said, "I was here asleep last night."
Amelia and Bella both walked up to the men who turned to face them.
"We're just questioning her as a potential witness."
Bella folded her arms.
"Clara was here at the ranch with the rest of us," she said, "If you're looking for the thief, you won't find him or her here."
Buster held up his hand.
"Don't tell us how to do our jobs."
Clara looked distressed and Amelia knew it had nothing to do with being a thief. She focused her attention back on Buster.
"You need to just go back to your boss and tell him that we don't even have to answer your questions. You have no authority here."
Buster leaned forward.
"Yes we do…our clients don't want to be victimized by some no good thief."
Amelia leaned forward.
"Then go out and look for your thief and leave us alone."
Buster looked at his men.
"I think we'll stay here a while longer and start getting some straight answers out of some of you."
Both Amelia and Bella looked at each other while Clara just looked at the men fearfully. Amelia felt a trace of that too because they really didn't know anything about these men. They could be former outlaws for all they know and maybe it was one of them who had done the stealing not someone in Paradise.
"Don't talk to them," she told Clara who nodded in response.
Ethan walked with John Taylor back to his office.
"I don't know what to do," he said, "By the law, businesses can hire their own security like the railroads and mines do but if the whole town signs up…"
"You will have your hands tied in upholding the law."
Ethan nodded.
"Dakota and I have our hands full already with Darrin trying to force his way of doing things on us in other ways," he said, "and it's going to tear the town apart if it goes much longer."
"It'll make Founder's Day livelier."
Ethan shook his head.
"Ever since the Wyatts came to town…"
John Taylor arched a brow.
"Including his daughter?"
Ethan sighed.
"She's just like her father."
"Surprised Ethan?"
"No I figured it out quickly enough," he said, "but she's wanted more and I think it's a business decision."
John Taylor chuckled.
"I didn't know her father liked you that much."
"He doesn't…he just sees me as an obstacle in the way of his success and wants Martha to smooth out the rough edges."
John Taylor paused.
"He's putting those men of his to work having them scout the valley looking for his thief."
Ethan nodded.
"I know and I don't think he'll find any thief around here."
John Taylor looked straight at him without blinking.
"His own men did it Ethan."
Ethan didn't feel surprised by that as it had been what he'd suspected. After all, he'd seen similar rackets though mostly in the larger cities.
"I think you're right," he said, "He won't even give me the names of the new hires to check them out."
"That's because he doesn't want you to check them out."
"I know and they'll be here before Founder's Day which doesn't leave much time to figure out what's going on."
John Taylor shrugged.
"You're a smart man Ethan and a very good marshal. You and Dakota will figure it out."
Suddenly Dakota rode up to him on his horse.
"Ethan…"
"What is it Dakota?"
His deputy spoke quickly.
"I just talked to Mr. Lee and he said he overheard that Wyatt's men were going out to the ranches to interview people about the thefts in town."
"I know that…and I know he won't find his thief there."
"He sent a team of them out to Bella's ranch and it sounded like that's the focus of their search."
John Taylor looked at Ethan.
"Maybe you better head on out there," he said, "before something happens."
Ethan went to get his horse and to head on out there with Dakota wondering what Wyatt had gotten the town into in his quest to start it booming again.
Amelia felt like grabbing a shotgun but the nearest one was in the main house. These men were overstepping any authority the law gave them. But they didn't care about that, because Darrin probably lined their pockets very well.
"Clara go into the barn…"
The girl looked at her confused.
"But…"
Amelia smiled it.
"Don't worry we'll handle it. I'll see you in a few minutes."
Clara left them and she and Bella stood there with the cluster of men that surrounded them. Buster sighed.
"We're not here to make trouble. We're here to find a thief that's all."
Amelia folded her arms.
"There's no thief here and if so, we'd hand him over to Ethan before we'd give him to you."
Bella stepped forward.
"Get off my property right now."
She meant business and the men sensed it but Amelia knew it'd take more than that to make them leave. She understood the mentality of men like this better than most.
"We're here on official business."
Bella got in their faces.
"Who's business? The law's, no I can see not. Ethan is marshal and I don't see him or his deputy anywhere near here."
"This isn't his affair," Buster said, "He has his investigation and we have ours."
Amelia didn't think what they were doing constituted an investigation, more like harassment.
"Stop harassing us and just leave or…"
Buster smiled at her.
"Or you'll do what?"
She just stared at him because the gun was too far away. But if it hadn't been…then they looked up and saw two men on horseback approach them.
"Ethan…"
She saw him reach the men first and dismount from his horse to approach them. He didn't look pleased at what he saw.
"What's going on here?"
Buster looked at him, his mouth in a firm line.
"Nothing…just asking some questions."
"For who?"
"The merchants who we work for…to keep their businesses safe. Some of them lost merchandise last night."
"I know that and Dakota and I have been out riding asking questions."
Simon chuckled.
"Yeah right…you should have come here first and saved the trouble."
Ethan set his jaw.
"There are no thieves here," he said, "So you best be moving on with your men."
Buster folded his arms defiantly.
"We don't work for you."
Ethan nodded.
"I know that but I'm the law in these parts and you have to obey the law including when it tells you to move on."
Dakota put his hand on his holster, an action no one missed. Buster and Simon just looked at each other.
"You about to do what's smart or you going to make me work harder…?"
Amelia heard the edge in Ethan's voice and knew he meant business. She saw that the men realized that too. Bella spoke up.
"Just do what he says because we've got work to do here too."
Buster stepped forward.
"Shut up, we don't take orders from you."
Amelia gritted her teeth.
"Oh really…how do we know that you're not responsible for the thefts…it wouldn't be the first time a group of so-called security forces did that to get more customers for their bosses."
That greatly upset Buster and he showed it on his face.
"You are accusing us of committing the crimes?"
She arched her brows.
"I'm just telling you what it looks like to me."
Buster spat.
"And you're the expert aren't you?"
Amelia paused to collect herself because suddenly it seemed hard but she lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eye.
"Yes I guess I am."
Ethan looked at her and then back at the men.
"You just need to get going back to your boss and tell him his investigation's over."'
Simon sneered.
"Or what…?"
Ethan pulled out his gun and aimed it at them.
"Or I'll move you myself."
Dakota pulled his sidearm out as well. Buster and Simon just stared at them. Ethan kept his aim steady.
"Get out of here…"
Buster and Simon conferred and then gestured the other men to join them as they got on their horses to leave the property. As Buster tugged his reins on horseback he looked over at Ethan.
"This isn't over…you can't stop us from doing our jobs."
"Then don't stop me from doing mine…"
The men took off in a cloud of dust and Bella shook her head.
"This isn't going to be easy we knew that but we thought it'd be you giving us a hard time not a two-bit security force."
Ethan smiled but his eyes remained serious.
"They won't cause any more trouble."
Amelia had started heading back to the barn and he walked after her. He reached to grab her arm but she shook loose of him not looking happy.
"Amelia…"
She spun around to face him.
"What Ethan? "
"They won't bother you women anymore."
She sighed.
"Thank you for what you did but they'll be back and soon they'll be more of them."
She started to walk towards the barn.
"Clara was terrified of them and I don't blame her."
"She's in the barn?"
"Yes I sent her there to get her away from them," she said, "but the way they harassed us, this is all about getting us to leave Paradise."
"Darrin's not going to win if that's what he wants."
"He's won so far," she said, "He's got the merchants to sign on to his paid security even though he's probably paying his men to rip them off."
"I don't have proof that's what is going on."
Her eyes flashed.
"I know that's what he's up to," she said, "That's how it works in big cities including San Francisco."
He looked at her carefully after she turned around to face him in front of the barn.
"Is that what happened when you were there?"
She said nothing but she didn't have to, he saw it on her face.
"Or was it Daggett who did something?"
"Well he had kidnapped Carla…"
Ethan's gaze didn't budge.
"No I mean to you."
She paused and he knew he wouldn't get an answer from her.
"Look Ethan…nothing happened," she said, "nothing that matters now anyway…"
He interrupted her.
"You matter to me so why don't you just tell me?"
She sighed.
"There's nothing to tell Ethan…and right now I want to focus on what these men are trying to do to us."
Ethan scratched the back of his neck in frustration but she'd deftly changed the subject.
"They're trying to run you out of town but if you're right Amelia, that's not their main purpose."
She nodded at that, back on safe ground again.
"They're after the town's money and I think that this selling of private security is just one part of it."
Ethan knew she could be right but how to find out and prove it?