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Sloan wondered if it rong to be glad that they had another old corpse to identify, since it would keep Jane in Lily for a few more days

He drove back to town

Main Street was alive with activity He arrived just in ti of Aaron Munson For the past few years, Mike Addison froerty, while Brian Highsmith portrayed the ill-fated Munson Henri Coque orchestrated the reenactment, and volunteers were drawn fro with the rest of the theater troupe

Sloan decided to take a fewinto his office for the day Betty was handling the desk alone Chet was in town; one officer was always on Main Street during Silverfest, assuring tourists that law enforce, he saw Chet standing on the wooden sidewalk in front of the saloon

Cy Tyburn held Mike back in his role as Fogerty as he tried to prevent thehis deputy--even if his deputy had just shot their prisoner in cold blood

Valerie Mystro and Alice Horton were out to spur the crowd into action, Valerie screa that Munson had killed their hero, Hardy Bartenders and waitresses fro the crowd to join them as part of the lynch mob

"Our hero! This man--this deputy!--shot down our hero! No trial, no conviction He shot hied! Lynch him!" Valerie cried

"Take him, take him! Show him that on’t allow even a deputy to take the law into his own hands!" Alice Horton shouted

"Get rope! Get a horse, get this nized two of the night bartenders as they came down the street from the stables with a horse and a rope Brian, loudly protesting that he’d killed a heinous, lon bank robber who just wasn’t going to get aith robbing the county blind, was dragged up onto the horse; the noose was slipped around his neck The rope was then tied to the rafters of the overhang by the Old Jail So from the rafters

Henri Coque crawled up on a podium set to the far side of the road for the reenactment "And so it was that Deputy Aaron Munson paid the price for his eagerness to kill Trey Hardy in Lily, Arizona Was Hardy guilty? Beyond a doubt But he was loved because at a ti, when the West was still wild, he was a hosts of Trey Hardy, murdered in his cell, and Aaron Munson, lynched by the crowd, still wander these streets! Just as the ghost of our beautiful diva, Sage McCore of the theater and haunts her old roo at her atch the streets of the town she came to love"

There was a roar of applause, especially as "Munson"--hanging from the rafter but with a safety harness around him--lifted his head "And come back and see us here in Lily!" he called out "The Old Jail fills up for Silverfest, so get your reservations in early!"

Sloan applauded with the rest of the crowd He looked up at the theater, drawn to theHenri had indicated

His heart seeazing down

He glanced around to see if he was i at her e McCorht he’d actually seen her at last

But then the woht at him She smiled

And he s her role, just as she’d been asked

The crowd broke up after Henri announced that there’d be a gunfight between Mean Bill Jenkins and Savage Sam Osterly on Main Street in an hour

Chet walked over to hi well here?"

Chet nodded "We’ve got a heck of a crowd, though You hadn’t left orders, but Betty checked in with the chief over at county They have a few of their people here, just wandering through the crowd Hope that sits fine with you Not that we usually have trouble, but with this ested it The reports are on your desk" He shrugged "We had a few bar fights last night"

"I think Betty was brilliant and I’etting bigger every year," Chet said happily

"Yes, it is"

"And ith a o in and check the reports," Sloan said "Then I’ll be back here forbreaks"

As he spoke, Jane appeared on the sidewalk He thought she did the town’s diva and his great-great grandnon and she earing a blue period dress with gold cord that see out the brilliance of her eyes She smiled and joined him