Holding her arm tightly with one hand, the other holding his pistol ready to fire, Booth held her in front of him and Jesse as they checked each room on both floors of the house. As she had tried to tell them, there was no trace of Hawk. Six of the nine rooms available for rent had tenants, but there were only three people in those rooms at the time of the search. Gracie went back to these three guests after the Corbin brothers left to explain why she had knocked on their doors. The cause of their confusion paused outside the hotel to decide where to look next. From the looks of the dining room next to the hotel, supper hour was over, for they could see no one through the windows. “Might as well check,” Jesse said. “Maybe they can tell us where he was headin’ when he left.”

“Sorry, boys,” Sophie greeted them when they stepped inside. “We’re closed. Supper hour is over. We’ve already cleaned up the kitchen.”

“We’re lookin’ for Hawk,” Booth said. “Was he here for supper?”

At once becoming concerned, Sophie answered, “No, Hawk didn’t come in for supper tonight, did he, Martha?” Martha, clearing a table on the other side of the room merely shook her head as she stared at the two strangers, looking as if they were ready to shoot someone. No one said anything more as Booth and Jesse seemed as uncertain as the two women. After what seemed an extra-long moment, the two men left the dining room. “That looks like trouble for sure if those two ever find Hawk. If I had to guess, I’d bet Hawk ain’t looking for company of their kind. I think I’ll run down to the sheriff’s office. It might be a good idea if Porter knew they were looking for Hawk.” Martha nodded her agreement, and Sophie moved to the door. “Damn,” she swore, “they’re still out front.” She waited, peeking out the edge of the front window until they finally turned their horses away from the picket fence and rode toward the center of town.

As soon as she felt the two riders were far enough ahead not to notice her, Sophie hurried down to the sheriff’s office, where she found Porter Willis drinking a cup of coffee, his feet propped on his desk. When he saw her at the door, he quickly put his feet down and sat up straight. “Sophie,” he acknowledged, “what can I do for you? Something wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Sophie answered, “but I thought it’d be a good idea to let you know there’s a couple of strangers looking for Hawk.”

“Well, that ain’t against the law,” Porter responded. “Maybe they’re friends of his.”

“I doubt that,” Sophie stated firmly.