didnât buy anything. She just looked.â Dan threw up his hands in mock horror. âShe touched a hairbrush. Jasper says he canât sell it because itâs tainted.â
âThatâs silly.â
âIt gets sillier.â Dan rocked forward in his chair. âI know this girl. Her nameâs Katy. She cleans the saloon because itâs the only work she can get. Her husband died, and she wants to go back to Indiana. Sheâs saving for train fare.â
A ticket to Indiana wasnât cheap, but Matt knew the stationmaster. Maybe he could get the girl a bargain. Hewent to the potbelly stove in the corner and poured himself coffee from an enamel pot. âWhat does Jasper want?â
âFor us to arrest her.â
âOn what charge?â
âHe didnât say, and I didnât ask.â Dan shook his head. âI figured youâd have better luck with him.â
âThanks,â Matt said drily.
His friend flashed a grin. âThatâs what you get for being new around here.â
âItâs been two months.â
âIâve got seniority. That means I donât have to deal with Jasper and you do.â
Matt swallowed the dregs of the coffee, then put down the cup. âAs my mama used to say, thereâs no time like the present.â
As he headed for the door, Dan called after him. âGood luck. Youâll need it.â
With the sun in his eyes, Matt walked the four blocks to Jasperâs store. Merchants opened their doors and bid him good morning. Wagons rattled by and drivers nodded in greeting. In the time heâd been in Cheyenne, heâd made a point of getting to know people. They talked to him. They trusted him. To stop the rash of violence, heâd need those eyes and ears on every corner.
As he approached Jasperâs shop, Matt passed the display window where he saw wares from back east. Jasper changed the merchandise often, and today Matt saw womenâs hats, lace gloves and hankies. No wonder Katy had stopped to browse. Matt went inside and sauntered down the aisle, taking in the assortment of whatnot. The clutter irritated him, but Sarah would have been enchanted by the pretty things.
âGood morning, Deputy.â
Matt turned to the counter where he saw Jasper. Whatthe shopkeeper lacked in height, he made up for in fancy clothing. Today he was wearing a green-and-yellow plaid vest, a starched shirt and a fancy tie. A mustache hid his upper lip, and wire spectacles sat on his pointy nose. With his hair slicked behind his too-small ears, he reminded Matt of a rat. âGood morning, Jasper.â
âItâs about time you got here.â
âYouâre my first call of the day.â Matt spoke amiably, but the sniping annoyed him. The clock had just struck nine. Jasperâs store had been open for three minutes. Annoyed or not, Matt resolved to be polite. âI hear youâve got a complaint.â
âI do.â
âTell me about it.â
âOne of Fifeâs girls came in here and touched things. She left marks on them.â
Matt kept his face blank. âWhat kind of marks?â
âSmudges.â
If the girl had done real damage, he could have asked her to pay for itâor paid for it for herâand been done with the entire mess. Instead he had to reason with Jasper about smudges. âCould you wipe them off?â
The man reared back. âI donât think you understand.â
Matt hid a grimace. âMaybe not.â
âShe besmirched my property!â
Matt had arrested a lot of people for a lot of crimes, but besmirching wasnât on that list. Did he explain to Jasper that nothing had been damaged? Did he fib and tell him heâd speak with Katy? What Matt wanted to doâcall Jasper a two-faced hypocriteâwouldnât solve the problem. The man had a lot of nerve to accuse a cleaning girl of âbesmirchingâ when he himself had