“Is that a . . . button?” Cheyenne asked.

“Yep, a good-sized metal button was inside the wound. The bullet hit it and drove it into her chest. But it slowed down the bullet. The button was flat, not as easy to embed in the skin. God was watching out for her today.”

Cheyenne looked at Falcon and smiled. Neither of them had done much smiling since Rachel was hit.

“She’s still knocked cold. There’s a bump on the back of her head. I’d say she hit a stone or the knot of a tree root when she fell. No bleeding but she’s knocked into a good solid sleep. I’ll put in a few stitches here, and it’s just as well she be unconscious for that part. But she’ll be fine.”

Falcon reached out and caught Cheyenne’s hand. “I didn’t like her much at first. Now I’m real happy she’s gonna be okay.”

“I reckon we still oughta hang Kingston,” Sheriff Gatlin said. “And if we’re gonna, it seems like a waste of your time to patch him up, Doc Reynolds. But he probably oughta be able to get out of bed to stand trial, so it has to be done.”

“Got no other cases once I finish with Miss Hobart, here,” Reynolds said with a shrug. “I don’t mind a few more stitches.”

“Can we go look through his office?” Cheyenne asked. “We have no idea why he wanted Rachel dead. We’re hoping we can find a reason he turned murderer.”

“I oughta come along, but I don’t want to leave Doc alone with this varmint, even with the shackles on. You’re gonna find Kingston isn’t well liked in Casper. A sharp character who’s cheated more than a few. Shooting someone from cover don’t surprise me overly. Finding his reasons don’t make no never mind. Can you look around without my help?”

“Be pleased to, Sheriff Gatlin,” Falcon said.

The sheriff reached in Kingston’s pocket and pulled out a key ring holding three keys. “Seen him with this clutch of keys plenty of times. He had a habit of tossing them up and catching them while he’d stand talking. His office, the rooms abovestairs where he lived, and the third one I don’t know. His house is the nicest one in town, on the north side, just up at the end of the street outside. You won’t miss it. Town’s too humble for such a house. Never was sure why Kingston settled here. Bring the keys back, and let me know what you find.”

Nodding, Falcon went out, Cheyenne right behind him.

They didn’t bother to untie their horses. It wasn’t far to the north end of a town barely clinging to life after the fort left.