The next morning at the hotel, Crow knocked on Earl"s door. A sleepy-eyed Earl opened the door. “Come in, I"m almost ready.”
“You look like you didn"t get any sleep, Earl.”
“Mary was here early this morning. She thought you"d been shot,” replied Earl.
“Mary is here in the hotel?” asked Crow.
“One of the ranch hands was in town last night and heard about the shooting. He told her someone shot a Marshal, and she thought it was you. Her father keeps a suite of rooms here. She"s there now.”
Crow"s mind sorted through what Earl had said. She rode all that way… she thought I"d… “She was alone?” asked Crow.
“Yes, she was a mess, looked like she"d really pushed it; she"d been crying.”
“What number is her room? Tell the others that I"ll be there shortly.”
Crow found the room and knocked twi
