“Come,” he said, firmly, “this is no way to get at it. We want to know certain facts, and then we can proceed lawfully. Let me question the woman.”
The two older men still faced one another belligerently, but Keith saw Christie draw the doctor back from between her and the sheriff.
“You may ask me anything you please,” she announced, quietly. “I am sure these gentlemen will not fight here in my room.”
“Very well, Miss Maclaire. It will require only a moment. How long have you known this man Hawley?”
“Merely a few days—since I arrived in Sheridan.”
“But you were in communication with him before that?”
The pleasant voice and quiet demeanor of the sheriff seemed to yield the girl confidence and courage.
“Yes, he had written me two or three letters.”
“You met him here then by appointment?”
“He was to come to Sheridan, and explain to me more fully what his letters had only hinted at.”