At one side of the engraving she could see the hallmark of the gold bar together with a small circle with the letters ST in the centre, and on the oth...er side another balancing circle showing her brand mark.Kim looked at Tom. 'Is it real?' she asked and Tom smiled. 'Oh yes, it certainly is. It's a Columbian emerald and if you look at it very closely – you'll probably need a magnifying glass – you will see a little crystal of salt. That was formed millions of years ago when the emerald came into. As they travelled slowly across the serene scene of carnal abandon and caressed her cheek, her eyes fluttered open. It took a moment or two for her to realise where she was, what she was doing there, and whose leg was resting against her own. Every muscle of Amy’s body ached as she crawled towards the headboard and propped herself up against the stack of soft pillows. The warm, white sheet hung lazily below her breasts as she ran her fingers through her tangled hair. Her movement had woken. “You little smartass. Forget the Colonel part too. Your life depends on it just as much as mine, Or the Sheriffs. You would be guilty by association as much as action.”“Damn, The rookie’s got you there sir.” Turning to Jerry, The Sheriff continued, “Don’t treat this as a joke boy. You ain’t got enough hair on your butt to take on the CAPTAIN here. And even if you could, I’d be waiting right behind him. And just to give you something to think about, there’s about 5000 other folks out there in. Gave me a look."This is a family matter Ken. Our family." Yes, but Ellen was part of your plan, and she knows all about thistoo. And I said we'd talk and decide what to do tomorrow, with her."I was surprised at my own firmness. If my sister was, she didn't leton."Right. Okay. We'll see what she thinks. But Ken, will you help me?"I looked at her. She seemed strangely vulnerable in her P.J.s, her eyesweren't exactly pleading, but they weren't the orbs of fire that shecould sometimes summon.