Eve was more than happy to have an excuse to leave the happy sight of Pearl and her precious children. The blonde did not enjoy children, or at least that was what she told herself. Evie had always been careful not to allow herself to get to attached to anyone, bar Lola and secretly Jackson. The rest of the saloon’s family could come and go as they pleased as long as they did not upset her life while doing it. The children were just another thorn in her side that pricked at all the bitterness she held inside. One more thing to remind her of the life she had meant to have. The life that had been in her grasp before everything went to hell in a hand basket.<br/><br/>Now sitting comfortably in one of the chairs opposite Lola’s desk Eve adopted her best innocent expression. There was no proof that she had done a single thing wrong and she wasn’t about to admit to the poisoning, not in front of Abby. As far as Eve was concerned the girl couldn’t be trusted.<strong>”Who said he was poisoned? There you go jumping to conclusions. For all we know the food just didn’t settle in his stomach. Maybe it was guilt.”</strong>Eve's gaze fell upon the redhead, and lips formed a ghost of a smile as she added in a tone that hinted with amusement.<strong>”Guilt is a terrible thing Abby. It can cut you up inside…”</strong>cocking her head to one side Evie gave a great impression of compassion as she continued chatting.<strong>”How are you feeling sweetie? A little light headed? Queasy maybe? It must have been witnessing the man being ill. Having to sit so close to it. Poor thing.”</strong><br/><br/>Eve would have laughed had it not been for Lola. Her brown eyes shifted towards her employer. Her stance bristled at her friend’s accusation, seeing it as an alliance with Abby.<strong>”It seems I’ve been tried and sentenced”</strong>grumbled Evie as she crossed  her arms against  her ample bosom.<strong>”He wasn’t poisoned, nothing that could harm him much more than a poorly stomach. I didn’t shoot a man in cold blood and hang another out to dry. Besides, it was an accident!”</strong>Eve’s lips twitched as she described the argument over the Red Squill and how it had slipped from her hand when Lola poked her head into the kitchen to bark her new orders.  Eve looked to her friend and silently pleaded with the woman to understand.<strong>”I thought it had all fallen on the floor and a bit on the table. I didn’t know it had found its home on one of the plates. Honest.”</strong><br/><br/>She waited a moment before offering a suggestion, one that she hoped Lola would take under consideration.<strong>”Someone has to play his game Lola. Get close to him, feed him information, or at least let it seem like she is. Smoke and mirrors Lola. I can keep him distracted so you can find where the hell Jackson went.”</strong>Her brown eyes watched her friend carefully looking for any doubt that might appear in her expression.<br/><br/>They had been friends for a long time. There was a level of trust between them that stood stronger than the mountains, at least there was on Eve's side. It was that trust that had Eve admitting to the Red Squill. She had never given Lola a reason to question her loyalty. Sure she had kept the information of her nest egg from her employer, but Eve didn’t think it was anyone’s business but her own. One day she would be too old to attract a cowboy and when that day came she had to be able to look after herself.<br/>