Chapter 251: Bronte Takes the Initiative
News of the incident quickly reached Martelli.
After learning what had happened, Martelli did not rush to report it to Bronte.
After all, only two slaves had been lost—hardly a serious loss.
The real issue was how much trouble those two slaves might cause.
As long as the impact remained limited, the loss meant nothing to Martelli.
“Do we know who did it?”
“I don’t think it was another gang. They’re doing the same kind of business themselves—there’s no reason for them to steal our slaves.”
“Then someone must have rescued them. If that’s the case, it’s a real problem.”
“So who exactly is working against us?”
Faced with Martelli’s questioning, the cowboy who brought the message quickly explained.
“Mr. Martelli, I questioned those children. They said they saw the man who did it.”
“It looks like the same person you told them to keep an eye on. He’s the one responsible.”
“They saw him, but they couldn’t stop him. He had a gun and was very strong. They could only watch from a distance.”
Because of the tram incident, and on Bronte’s orders, Martelli had long ago arranged for the children of Saint Denis to keep watch on the Van der Linde Gang.
Arthur was one of those under surveillance.
However, those children had suffered at Arthur’s hands before, and with him being armed, all they could do was observe.
“So it really was them. Mr. Bronte wasn’t wrong—they do intend to oppose us.”
“I’ll report this to Mr. Bronte. As for the slaves, we’ll put that aside for now.”
“In this filthy city, there are always people who think of themselves as champions of justice. For the time being, we need to act carefully.”
“Go look for the escaped slaves. If they’ve already fled, leave it alone. But if they’re still in the city, either capture them or kill them.”
After giving these instructions, Martelli dismissed the cowboy.
Slave trading was something many people were involved in, but it could only be done in secret—it could never be brought into the open.
Bronte had his own enemies, and if evidence were ever seized, it would be used as an excuse to strike at him.
In the United States, the law was still something many people claimed to uphold.
Some could ignore it, but once it was brought to bear, it meant serious trouble.
At the very least, appearances had to be maintained to keep the public satisfied.
After hesitating for a moment, Martelli decided to inform Bronte anyway.
It would give Mr. Bronte time to prepare, so that if those two slaves really did cause major trouble, he wouldn’t be caught completely off guard.
...
Bronte’s mansion.
When Martelli arrived, Bronte was in the middle of discussing business—legitimate business.
Most of the time, Bronte focused on managing these ventures. The Mafia’s firm foothold in Saint Denis owed a great deal to Bronte’s ability as a businessman.
After all, keeping the entire organization running required enormous financial resources.
Relying solely on underground dealings was never enough to guarantee stability.
Naturally, without this capability, Bronte could never have risen to become the top boss of the Saint Denis Mafia.
“I hear you’ve been waiting a long time, Martelli. Did something happen?”
When Bronte was discussing legitimate business, interruptions were not allowed, so Martelli had no choice but to wait.
The moment Bronte finished, he met with Martelli immediately.
“Mr. Bronte, it was the Van der Linde Gang. They interfered with our slave trade.”
“Of course, the loss itself was minimal—only two insignificant slaves were rescued.”
“Even though no one knows it was us, I’m worried this could be bad for you, Mr. Bronte.”
Martelli reported everything quickly, causing Bronte—who had been in a fairly good mood—to frown at once.
“Those damned vermin. I knew they were up to no good, daring to interfere with my business.”
“No… maybe it wasn’t entirely their own idea. Someone could be helping them from the shadows.”
“Have you found out who did it, Martelli?”
Bronte was clearly irritated. He had just pointed them toward a profitable opportunity.
Even though it was a trap, they wouldn’t have known that.
Under these circumstances, Bronte saw Dutch and his people as nothing but ungrateful ingrates.
“Our people believe it was Arthur—Arthur Morgan, sir.”
“That well-known gunman from the Van der Linde Gang. He’s the one who did it.”
Bronte nodded.
“I suspected as much. He has a good relationship with Davey Land, unlike that Van der Linde fellow.”
“At that banquet, I could tell they might still be friends.”
“But this may not be so simple. That greedy bastard Land wouldn’t care about two slaves. Maybe he wants a share of the slave trade as well. It’s a very profitable business, isn’t it?”
Bronte thought for a moment, then continued.
“Perhaps we should take the initiative. We can’t just sit around waiting for Van der Linde to rob the tram.”
“Do you remember the O’Driscoll Gang we worked with before? Martelli, maybe you should go see Colm.”
“I’ve heard about the hatred between those two gangs. If Colm learns the location of the Van der Linde Gang’s camp, I think he’d be more than happy.”
Author's Note
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