~ V ~

Ice left her office the next morning while it was still dark, making her way to the palace so that she might catch Cadance before her normal daily routine started.

She stepped outside. The air was cold and chilled through her fur. The line of severe thunderstorms that had moved through last night had finally broken the oppressive heat wave. The faint smell of ozone from the lightning still hung in the air. Waterlogged leaves that had been ripped from their trees by the hail and strong winds lay on the wet walkways, floating in puddles. Those that hadn't already sunk to the bottom. She walked down the stairs, passed under the shadow of the Ponies of Justice, and quickly made her way to the palace.

Once inside, she went to Cadance's Royal apartment. The Crystal Guards standing outside let her in and she waited in the receiving room for about a minute before Cadance walked through from a door on the other side. Ice bowed.

"Please rise. It's good to see you again, Ice Moon."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ice responded, walking over to one of the sitting cushions near the table and sitting down. Along one wall, a fire burned in the pink quartz hearth, chasing out the chill of last night's storms. Against the wall opposite the fire, stood a crystal serving table with stylistic designs of the Crystal Heart intricately carved into the top of each leg where they met the tabletop. A silver tray sat on top of the table with porcelain teacups and a tea kettle.

Cadance's horn glowed with a golden aura, and a bright yellow glow surrounded the tea kettle. A few seconds later, the kettle gave a hissing sound like a leaky radiator and steam began to pour from the spout as Cadance used her magic to heat the tea. Earl Grey, based on the flowery scent emanating from the spout. The yellow glow dissipated, the boiling noise slowly stopped, and the Crystal Princess levitated the tea kettle off the serving tray, filling one of the cups. She set the kettle down, then floated the cup over to the table, setting it down in front of Ice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ice said, picking up the steaming cup and sipping it carefully. It was Earl Grey, as she'd thought. The hot tea felt good, warming the slight chill that still hung onto her from the walk to the palace. Ice had always been amazed by Princess Cadance. She was almost unbelievably powerful – some even believed that Cadance was more powerful than Celestia and Luna themselves. Ice wasn't sure about that, but a reporter from the Canterlot Times had asked Celestia how she felt about it once. Celestia had only smiled and said that there's nothing a teacher wants more than a student who surpasses her. And yet, for as powerful as Cadance was, she maintained enough humility to forgo the use of servants and personally serve tea to her guests. She was by far the most down-to-earth of the princesses, routinely mingling with her subjects and not afraid to act very un-princess like at times. Such as that sunshine and ladybugs thing she did whenever Twilight Sparkle came to visit. Perhaps it was the Princess's own humble origins as an orphan that kept her so down-to-earth. More than any of the other princesses, Cadance was capable of listening to and empathizing with the life experiences and circumstances of others.

"So then, how goes the case with the humans?" Cadance asked.

Ice set down the teacup. "I'm afraid it's become much more complicated than we initially thought."

She then proceeded to explain everything that had happened. She told Cadance about the asylum request from the humans, that they'd admitted they'd lied about the objects they'd dropped from the aircraft, and had told her what they were, that they'd admitted to sabotaging their own radio, and that they'd admitted they were, in fact, trying to hide from detection by their own forces.

When she'd finished her story, Cadance was silent for a few moments. Her ears swiveled slightly, as if she were on guard and listening for something. Was she nervous? No, nervous wasn't the right word. Uncertainty. That was it. That was the slight change apparent in the Princess's body language. Finally, Cadance responded.

"I had thought this would be a simple and quick case. That the humans would likely be on their way out of here this morning. But given these new developments, I will assign the case to another agent. Thank you for the effort you've put into it this far."

"Your Majesty, I would like to continue with the case," Ice said quickly, then silently cursed her zeal in answering so brusquely. It wouldn't be good to show too much enthusiasm.

"Are you sure?" Cadance asked with a note of surprise in her voice. Her magenta eyes held a look of uncertainty. Perhaps even a hint of suspicion. Ice swallowed her fear that the Princess would catch onto her charade. She'd have to proceed very carefully now, as if she were walking through a minefield and each step might bring disaster.

"I'm sure, Your Majesty. I'm … not one who likes to abandon things I've started. Since I've gone this far on the case, I'd like to see it through to the end." She almost reached out to pick up the teacup again, She stopped, unsure if she'd be able to hold on to it without shaking it and spilling it. Butterflies fluttered and jumped in her stomach. This must be what the humans had felt when they'd learned that the Marines had asked the Crystal Empire not to allow them to leave on their own and were planning to send a transport to get them. Only her former training and experience in Bat Team Alpha allowed her to control her fear well enough to prevent it from permeating her scent and body language and thus giving herself away to the Princess. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that the alicorn might see right through her and discern her true motive for wanting to stay on the case.

Cadance's expression was one of concern and uncertainty. Finally, she gave a slight nod.

"Very well, if you are sure that's what you want. I trust you, Ice Moon."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ice responded, relief washing over her like a wave of fresh, cool water. Cadance had emphasized trust. It was clear the Crystal Princess had some concerns about her ability to remain unbiased while working this case. But at the same time, Ice was confident she had not given her true motive away. If she had, she was certain Cadance would have put her hoof down and refused to let her continue on the case. Besides, other than her desire to punish the humans, she wasn't about to turn down her first, and likely only chance to work a case that, because of its high profile nature and international sensitivity, was sure to end up in Crystal High Court and to be judged by Princess Cadance herself. As the intern Aspen had pointed out a couple of nights ago, very few agents ever got the chance to work a case that would be handled in one of the royal courts.

"Then if there is nothing else, I trust you will keep us informed of your progress?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Alright. You may return to your duties, then. But please, take your time in finishing your tea."

"Actually, I'm sorry to cut it short, Your Majesty, but I want to go down to the dungeon and see Rover off. He's a diamond dog teenager I'm working with. Hopefully, I can get him started off on the right paw." She did want to see Rover before he left, that much was true. But she also wanted to get out from under the microscope-like gaze of the Princess. Even though she was certain Cadance hadn't detected her true motives, her gaze felt like a stage spotlight, focusing all attention on her and amplifying even the slightest mistake she might make.

"I understand," Cadance said with a nod and a smile. Ice stood up to leave. Her teacup was still more than half full. But she'd been afraid to try picking it up again after she'd told Cadance she wanted to remain on the case.

As she made her way down to the dungeon, she shook off a light dusting of guilt that was clinging to her. Why shouldn't she handle this case? After all, the result would be the same even if it were assigned to some other agent. The humans were guilty of murder, and they would be found guilty and punished for it. She just wanted to make sure that she was the one who proved they were guilty, and she was the one responsible for punishing them.

She reached the dungeon and made her way towards Rover's cell. The dog was standing up this time and even smiled slightly when he saw her. He'd had another bath, and he'd combed his fur. At least as well as he could comb it with the clumps missing from the mange. But the mange would go away and his fur would grow back, provided he kept washing with the medicated shampoo and continued to apply the medicated cream to his bald spots. The dog was making a good effort to hold his head high and put on a confident facade, but Ice could sense his uncertainty and nervousness.

"You'll do fine, Rover. As long as you stay clean and work hard, you'll do fine."

"Thank you … for helping me," he said quietly.

She nodded and smiled as two Crystal Guards approached, unlocked his cell, and escorted him out.

"Stop for a moment," Ice said to the guards. They complied. She pulled Rover into another hug. "Remember your promise and be good, Rover," she said, then released him and smiled again.

"Promise to be good. Stay off roach weed. Stay in school," Rover said.

Ice extended her hoof, giving him a hoof-paw bump before the guards lead him away to the transport chariot that would take him to the border.

"And don't forget to let me know when you're graduating so that I can come!" Ice called after him.

"Won't forget!" he called back as the guards led him around a corner.

She smiled, again remembering the real reason why she liked this job. Then, she turned and started to make her way out of the dungeon. There was no reason for her to visit the humans right now. She had nothing new to tell them. It would take at least a couple of days for the extradition request to arrive from JAG. Why have any more contact with the hairless monkeys than she absolutely had to? She arrived at the exit to the palace and reached into her saddlebag, pulling out her UV blocking sunglasses and putting them on. Celestia had risen the Sun while she had been down in the dungeon. Thestrals, being ponies of the night, could not see well in bright sunlight. Once her sunglasses were secure, the guards opened the door and she stepped outside into daylight. The bright light gave the courtyard and city a different look. One that she rarely saw. Areas that were normally hidden in shadow because the magic street lamps didn't reach them at night were lit with full daylight now. Nooks and crannies were visible that she hadn't even realized existed. The sunlight reflected off the crystal in the buildings that gave Crystal City its name, a prism effect often causing the buildings to sparkle with the colors of the rainbow. But Ice didn't care about the view.

She headed home, ate a quick dinner of hay fries and pasta with alfalfa noodles, then climbed into bed. She'd lost count of how many trips she'd made between her office, the palace, and her apartment. She stared up at her blank ceiling and started to go over the humans' story in her mind again. But within minutes, her exhaustion from the long night took hold, and she was asleep.

---

Ice spent the next couple of days going into work early so that she could help out Aspen with his cases. He was still an intern, so he needed some guidance. She enjoyed working with him and enjoyed helping him learn how all of the theory he learned in law school applied to the real world of criminal justice. The more she worked with him, the warmer she felt when she was near him. But there was still the twenty year age difference to contend with. And there was still that fear in the back of her mind that no earth pony would want to be romantically involved with a "former" bat pony who had basically been transformed into an earth pony by the loss of her wings. She tried not to focus on that and instead, just focused on helping him learn. Office relationships never went well anyway.

For the time being, she avoided thinking about the humans. There was nothing she could do on their case anyway. Not until the extradition request came in. She continued to avoid visiting them in the dungeon as well. She had nothing new to tell them. If they wanted to talk to her, they could have one of the guards send for her.

On the fourth day after she'd notified General Faulkner of the U.S. Marine Corps of the prisoners' asylum request, her reprieve from dealing with the humans ended. Lying on her desk was a large, yellow envelope sent via certified U.S. Post Office Express mail. Stamped on the return address portion of the envelope was Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Navy, in Washington, D.C. The envelope was thinner than she had expected it would be, given this was a premeditated murder case. That suggested that either JAG didn't have very much evidence or, more likely, they were withholding evidence and were going to make her ask for everything she wanted. She cursed under her breath. That would only cause delays and draw this case out much longer than it needed to be. She sat down at her desk, tore open the envelope by pulling the seal along one of her fangs, then emptied the contents on her desk. A cover letter written in English was on top of the stack. She started by reading it:

Lt. Bradley Reid
Judge Advocate
United States Navy
Washington D.C., USA

Agt. Ice Moon
Department of International Justice Affairs
Crystal City, Crystal Empire

Lunar Date 5.29

Ice snickered at the fact that Lieutenant Reid had used Equestria's Lunar Date system on the cover letter. Either he was trying to impress her, or trying to gain favor with her. In either case, it didn't work. If he'd really wanted to impress her, he should have written the letter in Equestrian. She continued reading:

Dear Agt. Ice Moon:

My name is Lieutenant Bradley Reid, and I am the trial counsel assigned to the case of Colonel Stetson, . Enclosed, please find the extradition request forms for all five of the U.S. Marines you are currently holding. In addition, I have enclosed a summary of the evidence in the case.

Please contact me through official PonyTalk secure communications at ltreid jag us navy mil as soon as you have had the opportunity to read over this packet so that we may discuss this case.

Sincerely,

Lt. Bradley Reid

She tossed the cover letter aside, then quickly scanned over the extradition request forms. Everything was in order. As expected, Lt. Reid had already agreed to waive the death penalty, knowing full well that death penalty waivers were a non-negotiable requirement that must be met before the Crystal Empire would even consider extraditing a prisoner. Next, she turned to the evidence summary, and began to read:

At 06:25 local Afghanistan time, three witnesses reported seeing a U.S Marine Humvee with five soldiers arrive in the general vicinity the murder took place. The three witnesses stated that three of the soldiers were wearing desert camo, and the other two were wearing aircraft flight suits. Twenty-five minutes later four village residents reported hearing a gunshot. Less than two minutes after the gunshot was reported, three witnesses (not the same three witnesses who saw the accused arrive) reported seeing a U.S. Marine Humvee containing five soldiers leaving the approximate area where the witnesses who had heard the gunshot thought it had occurred.

Fifteen minutes later, all five of the accused arrived at the temporary airfield, boarded a C-130 Hercules, hereafter referred to as "the aircraft", and left on a scheduled flight. One hour and fifty-four minutes into the scheduled flight, military air traffic controllers reported that the aircraft entered a rapid descent, then disappeared from radar. Attempts to contact the aircraft by radio were unsuccessful, The aircraft was assumed to have been lost in the ocean and SAR aircraft were dispatched to search the last reported location. However, approximately thirty minutes after losing contact, military air traffic controllers reported seeing an aircraft dropping in and out of radar. The aircraft was running with its transponder turned off. As such, it was impossible to identify the aircraft. However, there were no military flights scheduled at the time in the given area, and it was assumed that the radar target in question was the missing aircraft, but it was far from its scheduled flight route. Plotting the actual flight route of the aircraft determined that they would enter Crystal Empire airspace before Marine or Air Force interceptors would be able to arrive and escort the aircraft to a landing. As such, no intercept was attempted. The aircraft in question, and its crew, have since been forced to land and have been detained in the Crystal Empire by the Crystal Guard.

Upon questioning base commanders at the two different bases where the accused were from, it was confirmed that all five occupants of the aircraft had been off base at the time the militia commander was killed, and that they had been AWOL.

In addition to this summary, I have enclosed the statements of all ten of the witnesses, the statements of the base commanders regarding the absence of the five accused, and an audio tape of the conversation between air traffic controllers and their attempt to contact the missing aircraft.

Ice frowned and tossed the evidence summary carelessly onto her desk, then began to read through the witness statements. As she expected, they confirmed the JAG officer's summary report, but the names of the witnesses had been blacked out. She gave her tail a whip-like flip of annoyance. For some reason, Reid didn't want her to be able to contact the witnesses herself. She suspected he'd give her a song and dance about guaranteeing the witnesses anonymity for their own protection if they agreed to talk to Marine Corps investigators.

Next, she dug through her filing cabinet, looking for her audio cassette player. She had one buried in there somewhere, but she rarely used it. Audio cassettes and analog video tape were the only options the humans had to send media evidence to government offices in the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Empire would not accept DVDs, USB keys, or other forms of computer media from the humans. There was still concern that the humans would use such devices to try to infect Crystal Empire computers with back doors or bugs that they could use for spying. Ice suspected that was unlikely. All Crystal Empire government computers ran a secure and classified operating system that had been specifically designed for the government and was not used anywhere else. No humans would have ever seen the operating system or know anything about it, so it was difficult to conceive that they would be able to write a virus that could infect it. Nevertheless, the policy was no computer media devices from human nations.

Eventually, she found the audio cassette player and listened to the tape. As expected, the tape confirmed the details in the JAG officer's summary.

She shook her head, then turned on her computer to contact the JAG officer.

% ptalk ltreid jag us navy mil

Ponytalk v 5.8, Connecting to jg us navy mil . . . . . . . .

Connection established … U.S. Navy, Judge Advocate General, Lieutenant Reid

Lieutenant Reid: Hello, Agent Ice Moon. It's good to meet you. I trust the evening finds you well?

Ice wasn't in the mood for friendly chat. She was never in the mood to have a friendly conversation with a human. But she was going to have to get on this human's good side if she had any chance of getting what she wanted from him. She swallowed her distaste and responded politely.

Ice Moon: Hello, Lt. Reid. It does, thank you for asking. And you?

Lieutenant Reid: I am well, thank you. You have had a chance to look over the package I sent you?

Ice Moon: I have.

Lieutenant Reid: And?

Ice shook her head in disbelief, then unloaded on him.

Ice Moon: The charges are spurious. The evidence you sent me is all circumstantial. You have no motive and no witness who actually saw the crime happen and can finger the trigger-man. You can't possibly plan to go to trial on this evidence. You'll never get a conviction.

Lieutenant Reid: I have additional evidence, but I am not permitted to send it to you because it has been marked classified.

Ice Moon: I know what you're trying to do. It's not going to work.

Oh yes, she knew exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to give her just enough evidence to convince her that the case deserved to go to trial, but not enough where she could try the case herself. That way, she'd be forced to recommend extradition on the grounds that the prisoners are possibly guilty, but that she can't get the classified evidence to prove it, so the humans would have to try the case. Not that she had any intention of recommending that Cadance extradite the prisoners anyway. Not even if Lieutenant Reid gave her motive, gave her the murder weapon, showed her video of the shooting, and produced a hundred witness who testified to seeing one of the prisoners point the gun and pull the trigger. She was determined to try this case in the Crystal Empire and firmly resolved that she was going to be the one to punish the humans.

Lieutenant Reid: Please understand that these decisions about what evidence is classified are made at much higher levels than me. And obviously, I cannot send you classified information.

Ice Moon: Right now, you haven't even given me enough to recommend extradition.

Lieutenant Reid: There were six witnesses who saw the accused arrive and leave the scene at the time of the shooting.

Ice Moon: The accused could have been shopping, or sightseeing, or visiting a whore. The fact that they were in the same area where the murder occurred does not make them guilty of murder.

Lieutenant Reid: We interviewed all of the residents of the village. Including all of the ones who are known to engage in prostitution. None of the village residents can account for the whereabouts of the five accused at the time of the shooting.

Ice Moon: Which could mean they weren't even there. The six witnesses saw a Marine Humvee with three soldiers in desert camo, and two soldiers dressed in flight suits. But you gave me no indication that they were actually able to positively identify the soldiers in the Humvee as the ones I am currently holding. All you have is five marines who coincidentally happened to be dressed the same way as the marines I am holding. No surprise, given that pretty much every American soldier stationed in Afghanistan is wearing either desert camo, or a flight suit, are they not?

Lieutenant Reid: That's true, but these five marines were AWOL from their base at the time of the shooting.

Ice Moon: All that means is that they were AWOL from their base at the time of the shooting. It does not prove they were involved.

It was not lost on Ice that currently, she was defending the very humans she wanted to punish. The very humans she wanted to lock up for the rest of their lives. But Reid had admitted what she already knew: He was withholding evidence from her on the grounds that it was classified. If she was going to convince Reid and his superiors to turn over that classified evidence to her, she was going to have to convince him that right now, she wasn't at all convinced of the prisoners' guilt, or even that she thought the case should go to trial. If he believed that she didn't think the case should go to trial, then he'd also know she would recommend that Cadance deny extradition on the grounds that the humans were not receiving fair treatment under American military law.

Lieutenant Reid: But why run away? They took off in their aircraft less than thirty minutes after the shooting. There's no way they could have heard about it yet since no one on base or at the airstrip knew anything about it yet. And they couldn't have heard anything about it once in the air. So why steal an aircraft? Why try to hide from their own military forces? Clearly, they knew something about the shooting. And the only way they could have known is if they were there.

Ice had to admit she didn't have an answer for that one. But it still wasn't the smoking gun she needed. She had to convince Reid to turn over more evidence.

Ice Moon: I want crime scene photos and maps of the location where the crime occurred.

Lieutenant Reid: I can't send those. They are classified.

Ice Moon: I want the names and contact information for the witnesses.

Lieutenant Reid: I can't give them to you. They are classified for the protection of the witnesses.

And there was the song and dance she'd predicted he'd give her. Damn, he was starting to piss her off.

Ice Moon: I want personnel files on the prisoners.

Lieutenant Reid: You can't use past behavior or actions to determine guilt or innocence of the current crime.

"I know that. I went to law school just like you did, asshole," Ice muttered through clenched teeth, but did not type. She narrowed her eyes, flicking her tail as she responded.

Ice Moon: Character evidence. Since all you have given me is circumstantial evidence, under the Uniform Code of Pony Justice, I AM allowed to use past behavior and actions to determine whether or not there is sufficient reason to believe the prisoners may have committed the crime, and thus whether or not there is sufficient reason to believe a trial is warranted. I suggest you make a bit more effort to start cooperating with my requests, Lt. Reid. If you don't, I guarantee you that we will not extradite.

"Besides, who do you think you are, telling me what I can and can't do under Crystal Empire law?" Ice muttered under her breath. There was a pause of nearly a minute. Reid was probably conferring with someone else in his own department over the telephone or a different instant messaging system.

Lieutenant Reid: Very well. I will have their personnel files sent to you.

Ice Moon: I will contact you again after they have arrived and I have had time to review them.

Lieutenant Reid: Very well.

Ice Moon: If there is nothing else, have a good evening.

Lieutenant Reid: You too.

Connection closed.

%

"Well, that was disappointing," Ice said to herself with a frown. The circumstantial evidence was a start, and some of the behavior of the prisoners was rather difficult to explain if they didn't know about the crime. But it certainly wasn't enough for a conviction, especially not without a motive. It might be enough to extradite, but she had no intention of doing so. Briefly, she thought about going to Cadance and updating her on the case, then decided against it. She'd wait until she had the personnel records. That would probably take another couple of days. For now, she'd go to the dungeon and visit the humans. She might not have enough evidence for a conviction, but the humans wouldn't know that. If she confronted them with it, perhaps she had enough to wrangle a confession out of them.

She left her office, passing underneath the Ponies of Justice as she walked down the stairs, making her way to the palace again. Bright silver light illuminating the city and reflecting off the crystal buildings told her it was a clear night and Luna's moon was out. But as usual, she avoided looking at the sky.

On arriving at the palace, she made her way to the dungeon. But before going to see the humans, she turned and stopped in the guard barracks. Two Crystal Earth Pony Guards were seated on their haunches at a table, playing some sort of card game. Each card in the deck had an image of Princess Cadance printed on the back. Ice tried not to chuckle, catching sight of one that had been vandalized and had a mustache and beard drawn on it. Unlike some human nations Ice was aware of, and fortunately for the guards, there was no law in the Crystal Empire against vandalizing images of the Prince of Princess.

"Sorry to interrupt your card game, sirs, but I need you as witnesses," she said. The two looked up, giving her a momentary look of confusion. Then the higher ranking one nodded.

"Very well," he said, as the two of them stood up and trotted over to her. She turned around, leaving the barracks. The two guards fell in behind her and on both sides and she lead them towards the cell the humans were in.

As they approached, the humans stood up from their bunks, falling into a loose formation behind Colonel Stetson. They said nothing, but all had an anxious expression in their eyes as they saw her approach with the two guards. All except Colonel Stetson, who maintained his usual serene expression. A feeling of delight flowed over Ice as she imagined the war of emotions the humans must be feeling right now. Hope that the presence of the guards meant she was here to release them. Fear that the guards meant they were going to be removed from their cells and extradited, or perhaps taken to a courtroom to be judged. They had the look of people who were starving. Not people starving for food, but starving for news about their fate. She enjoyed the brief moment of keeping them on edge.

She stopped a few paces from the bars, the Crystal Guards stopping with her and maintaining their formation. She flicked her tail once in annoyance as she cast her gaze over the prisoners. As much as she hated to do so, she knew she had to remind them that they were not obligated to answer any questions. After all, if they gave her a confession, but could later claim they had not been made aware of their right not to answer questions, Cadance would almost certainly throw out the confession. And with only circumstantial evidence and no motive, a confession was the only route forward for punishing the humans. At least for now. She swallowed the distaste rising in her like bile and addressed them.

"Before we begin, I need to remind you that under the Uniform Code of Pony Justice, you are not required to answer any questions if you feel the answers may implicate you in a crime. The guards are here as witnesses to any answers you may or may not give." She savored the expressions of anxiety that crossed the faces of the prisoners … all except Stetson. Again, the fact that she couldn't rattle him like she could the others ate at her like a blood-sucking insect.

"We understand," Colonel Stetson responded.

She nodded, then looked directly into the Colonel's eyes. It was important to maintain direct eye contact. She'd learned that in Bat Team Alpha when she'd been taught about interrogation tactics.

"We've received the extradition request from the United States Government. As we expected, the JAG officer prosecuting the case has already agreed to waive the death penalty. Since that gets the biggest barrier for extradition out of the way, it's possible at this point that you will be extradited."

She paused for a moment, looking for any changes in their scent or body language. There it was. All of them had a slight scent of fear wafting off of them now. All except Stetson, damn him. What did it take to rattle that guy? Time to play the next card in her deck. Perhaps that would do it.

"Six witnesses can place you at the scene at the time the murder occurred. Three of them saw you arrive, Another three saw you leave, less than two minutes after four other witnesses had reported hearing a gunshot. Can you explain this?" She intentionally hadn't told them that none of the six witnesses could positively identify them. Technically, it wasn't lying. It was just a distortion of the truth by withholding information.

That had gotten them. The scent of fear poured off four of the humans now. Saturated them, as if they'd dove into an ocean of it. To her, it smelled sweet. Like fresh apple pie just coming out of an oven. Even Stetson had finally crumbled a bit, and she could detect a slight hint of fear coming from him. It wasn't nearly as strong as the scent that saturated the others, but it was there.

One of the younger ones, Newman she thought his name was, opened his mouth, but Colonel Stetson looked at him with stern eyes. Then he turned his attention back to her, his tired, heavy facial features looking even more weary than they had before as he spoke quietly.

"I don't think we should answer any more questions, ma'am."