Chapter 135: Dutch’s Attitude
In Rhodes, there were two inns.
One sat on the second floor of the Saloon, and the other stood not far from the police station—clearly built for the occasional big shots traveling in from Saint Denis.
Naturally, Davey chose the latter, even if the price was a bit higher.
It even had luxury suites.
As deputy sheriff, Arthur had no trouble finding out where Davey was staying.
Inside the suite’s living room—
“Oh, Davey, looks like you’re getting a taste for comfort. A place this fancy must cost a small fortune each night, but it doesn’t seem to bother you.”
“So, what do you think about what I mentioned earlier—the plan to rob Valentine Bank?”
“I know Valentine is your turf now. Karen and Bill want to hit it. This won’t mess with our bond business, right?”
Arthur took the cigarette Davey handed him. He had just finished explaining the basics of Karen’s plan to rob the Valentine Bank.
Davey didn’t bother with matches like Arthur. He pulled out a lighter, lit his cigarette, and said:
“Why not, Arthur? Valentine Bank doesn’t belong to me, nor to its manager, not even to the USA.”
“It belongs to those banking tycoons. If you rob it, it won’t cause much trouble—not even for the federal government.”
“And plenty of people would be happy to see those British-bred banks suffer.”
The earliest federal bank—the First Bank—was established in 1791. After years of political wrangling, it became a private bank, ran for twenty years, and collapsed—leaving the USA with even more debt.
Since then, all banks had been private enterprises. The funniest part?
Most of the people secretly pulling the strings behind these banks were descendants of the same British elites who once colonized America.
That was why Davey said robbing the Valentine Bank wouldn’t cause trouble.
In fact, across the USA—especially in the West—bank robberies were common. The government hardly bothered with them.
And the stolen money? It wasn’t depositor money; it was the bank’s problem.
“Alright, Davey. You know I’m not much for books, and I don’t care about this kind of stuff. Since you’re fine with it, I’ll go tell Karen.”
“Oh, and something else—about Dutch.”
“He heard from me that you’re in Rhodes, but Dutch… he’s not like he used to be.”
“He’s really bounced back. Just like before Blackwater—clearheaded, sharp, full of ideas and plans.”
“No matter what happened, Davey, Dutch taught us a lot. I don’t want our relationship with him to turn cold over all this.”
“You’re already here in Rhodes. Maybe find a chance to stop by camp and talk to him properly.”
To Arthur, Davey was like a brother. Dutch was like a father. The gang was one big family to him.
In Arthur’s mind, the conflict between Davey and Dutch started with the Blackwater robbery. He didn’t know the details—he’d been discussing a scam with Hosea at the time.
Then came the Cornwall train robbery, which triggered everything and eventually led to Davey leaving. Arthur suspected Dutch’s actions back then had genuinely hurt Davey.
Looking back, the train robbery had been a disaster—no bond sale, and a powerful tycoon turned into an enemy.
Davey stayed silent for a moment. Then he shifted the topic:
“Arthur, listen. I’ve got intel on the O’Driscoll Gang. They’re brewing something. North of Rhodes, near Mattock Pond, they’ve set up a temporary camp.”
“I’ve already sent men to scout it. There are around sixty of them—all O’Driscoll members.”
“You can pass this to Dutch. I’m sure he’ll be interested.”
“Colm is Dutch’s enemy—and mine too. If anything goes down, let me know. I’ll send Mac over to help.”
“And Arthur, I don’t hate Dutch. I just don’t want to pay for his mistakes. And times are changing—the old ways don’t work anymore.”
“If Dutch keeps going like this, sooner or later, something will happen to the gang.”
“But as you said, I haven’t forgotten what Dutch taught me. I haven’t forgotten everyone in the gang. If help is needed, I’ll step in—just like Trelawny did.”
Arthur nodded. This was already better than he hoped.
Davey wasn’t going back to the gang—that much was clear. And Arthur could tell Davey had changed. Living in a place this luxurious made that obvious.
“Davey, thanks for the intel. Dutch will be thrilled. After we pull off the Valentine Bank robbery, we’ll go deal with those O’Driscoll bastards and teach them a hard lesson.”
“By the way—where’s Mac? Haven’t seen him. Is he at the Saloon drinking, or off chasing ladies for some hot coffee?”
Davey laughed.
“Mac’s got nothing in his head except booze and hot coffee. Remember our days in Saint Denis? He still thinks about that place.”
“Rhodes isn’t far from Saint Denis, so he went to enjoy himself. He should be back tomorrow.”
“And if he doesn’t come back, I’ll probably end up beating him half to death again.”
“Oh—and if you’re really going through with the Valentine Bank robbery, I can’t help openly, but I can draw the police department’s attention for you.”
“And one more thing—don’t hurt the bank workers. A lot of them are on good terms with me. They’re just trying to make a living.”
Arthur grinned.
“Don’t worry, Davey. I won’t harm them.”
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.