Chapter 131: Cooperation
Davey’s suspicions weren’t baseless. Even though the original game’s storyline never explicitly mentioned any connection between the O’Driscoll Gang and the Gray family, there were still clues hidden between the lines.
In that storyline, Micah Bell and Pearson went to Rhodes Town to buy supplies and ended up running into members of the O’Driscoll Gang.
They came bearing a message proposing peace talks. Micah Bell was all too eager and eventually convinced Dutch to see what it was about—a decision that led to Arthur’s darkest day.
Clearly, the two major families controlled Rhodes Town, which was also the territory of the Lemoyne Raiders.
Among gangs—especially large, organized ones—trespassing on another’s turf simply didn’t happen.
Under normal circumstances, the O’Driscoll Gang would never show up in Rhodes, let alone conveniently bump into Micah Bell and Pearson on their supply run. Just as Hosea said when he learned the news: it was a trap.
And the ones behind it were undoubtedly the Gray family.
Even the Pinkertons discovering the camp’s location likely had something to do with the Grays. After all, they were tied to the federal government, and the Pinkertons were trying to reclaim federal support.
...
“Get lost, outsider. This is Gray family property. If you don’t leave right now, I promise it’s not going to end well for you.”
At the gates of Gray Manor, two guards leveled their rifles at Davey and barked their warning.
Davey frowned. He hated having guns pointed at him.
“Tell Old Gray that Callander from New Hanover Valentine sends his regards.”
“And I don’t appreciate your attitude. If you keep aiming those guns at me, I guarantee things will get unpleasant.”
“Or should I assume the Gray family is trying to make an enemy out of me?”
Davey’s cold, blunt tone made the two guards hesitate and slowly lower their weapons.
“Apologies, Mr. Callander. We’ll inform Mr. Gray right away.”
One of them hurried inside—clearly sensing that Davey was not someone a low-ranking guard should be provoking.
Soon, the guard returned and opened the gate, welcoming Davey and his men inside.
At the entrance of the Gray family mansion, Old Gray stood waiting along with several younger family members to greet him.
“Mr. Callander, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please forgive my men’s behavior. Due to certain… situations, they tend to get nervous around unfamiliar faces,” Old Gray said as he stepped forward and shook Davey’s hand.
“Of course. It’s their duty, isn’t it, Mr. Gray?”
Being threatened with rifles was irritating, but Davey wasn’t the type to hold a grudge over something so minor.
Under Old Gray’s welcome, Davey and his two men entered the grand hall of the mansion.
Maids served them coffee and freshly rolled premium cigars.
But Davey wasn’t in the habit of consuming anything offered in someone else’s home.
“Mr. Gray, I’m here to thank you for the information you sent me. If you hadn’t warned me, I never would have known that the Laramie Gang had been hired with help from the Braithwaite family.”
“I run my moonshine business strictly in New Hanover. I’ve never crossed into Lemoyne for sales—even though the opportunities here are greater.”
Davey stated his intentions openly, even though the Gray family had never admitted that they were the ones who passed him the message.
At this point, Old Gray saw no reason to continue pretending.
“Mr. Callander is a rising star in the West. Even in a small town like Rhodes, I’ve heard the name of the Land Security company.”
“But if you came to express gratitude, why do I see Mr. Callander arriving empty-handed?”
“I’ve long been eager to taste that renowned moonshine of yours—curious whether it’s truly as intoxicating as the rumors say.”
“You should know that in our Gray family, nearly every one of us has trouble resisting good liquor. Just look at my younger brother, who’s drunk day and night.”
Davey understood perfectly what Old Gray meant beneath the humor.
This was an olive branch—a signal that he wanted to work together and take joint action against the Braithwaite family’s moonshine trade.
“This visit was rather rushed. Since it’s my first time here, I didn’t bring too many men with me—I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“And bringing just a few bottles of moonshine would make me look far too stingy.”
“If Mr. Gray agrees, then next time I’ll bring enough moonshine to show my sincerity.”
Davey made his willingness to cooperate clear.
Old Gray nodded. “The Braithwaite family is our common enemy, Mr. Callander.”
“As you can see, the Gray family isn’t involved in the moonshine trade, so there’s no conflict of interest between us.”
“But Mr. Callander should know—the Braithwaite family is not easy to deal with. Behind that old woman Catherine, aside from the Lemoyne Raiders, there’s also a powerful figure from Saint Denis.”
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