“They aren’t going anywhere.  None of this is good.  I’m just passing on what I was asked to.  The father died of the fever.  Then the mother overturned the wagon on herself during a crossing.  She and the baby and a man who tried to save them all got drowned.”

“No.  It can’t be.  Where are the other children?  There were three more.”

“They were taken in by the missionaries at the Agency but there was some trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” Charlotte said, her voice rising.  She wanted to scream.

Abner Cross took one more look at Chace.  “Some members of the tribes tried to burn the house down.  That’s all I know.  Everybody’s at the fort.”

Charlotte stood up.  “I’d ask you to stay for breakfast but you need to be on your way.”

Abner Cross got up stiffly.  “I already ate thanks,” he said, although nothing had been offered.

“You have to do me this favor after hunting me down like a jackal.”

“Do you mind before there’s any talk of favors if I have my gun back?”  Charlotte retrieved the gun and handed it to him.  It wasn’t heavy enough to be a Colt.  “Now what’s this favor?”

“How far is it to Fort Randall?”

“I’d be there later this morning if I rode fairly hard.”

“I’m asking you to ride fairly hard then, and please tell Ada that I’ll be there.  It’s important.  Are you willing to do that for me?”

Abner Cross took in all of her.  “What happened to you?” he said.

“You’re the first one who’s ever asked that question already knowing the answer.”

“I mean your hair.”

“I belong to the Family.  I disobeyed my husband and that’s forbidden.  The women cut it off as punishment.  That was in preparation for hanging me.”

The marshal nodded thoughtfully.  “I was just wondering.  It’s a shame, what you’ve been through.”

Abner Cross holstered his gun and mounted his horse.  He turned to Chace.  “Nice to have made your acquaintance.”

“I’d say otherwise,” Chace said, “but you’re entitled to your opinion.”

Charlotte watched Abner’s face register the surprise.  He studied Chace, thinking.  Then he turned his horse and started off at a walk that turned into a pace that churned up dust.

Chace got down off the gray.  Charlotte sat with her head on her knees.

“You don’t back down from anything.”  He picked up the photograph and stared at it for a long time.  “Your father’s a very careful man to have thought of this.  But explain to me what’s going on now.”