Chapter 68: The Camp’s Little Schemes
Mary-Beth Gaskill.
After hearing about Davey, she had thoughts. She knew Dutch had long harbored designs on him, repeatedly trying to get close to him and possess him. But the charm of that old man couldn’t win her over.
Besides, Susan had once been Dutch’s lover, and Molly O’Shea was his current one — Mary found the whole situation revolting.
A thought popped into Micah Bell’s head.
Davey’s rich now — why not rob him?
The idea died almost as soon as it came. The Callander brothers weren’t fools to be messed with. He still remembered Blackwater: if the Callanders hadn’t killed so many Blackwater officers and Pinkerton detectives, they might never have escaped.
And Dutch wouldn’t go for Micah’s plan. The others wouldn’t join him against Davey, either.
Back at camp, Bill was cursing Davey, calling him disloyal and a traitor to the gang. Of course, that was because Mac was asleep — if Mac weren’t, it would’ve turned into a fight.
Charles didn’t dwell on it. He’d always hated the Callander brothers, hated how they slaughtered animals wantonly rather than out of necessity.
Only Lenny felt grateful to David and guilty toward Dutch.
Susan Grimshaw felt a pang of regret: without the Callander brothers, the gang had lost a lot of its fighting strength. Still, she was glad for Davey.
Tilly Jackson envied Davey — he was living free. Pearson couldn’t care less; he was just a cook — oh, Van der Linde’s tiger. Sadie wasn’t especially close to Davey and had little interaction with him in the gang.
In any case, Davey’s situation hit a lot of people in the gang hard; some of them began to think differently.
...
Evening.
Trelawny sat beside Strauss. Compared with the others, these two were the intellectual types — usually in suits, hair slicked back.
“No wonder Davey suddenly lost interest in my loan business — he’s found something better.”
“He’s changed so much since Blackwater; it’s genuinely shocking.”
“Is he a big shot in Valentine now, Trelawny?” Strauss asked, curious. Even though Mac had socked him the last time, Strauss didn’t hold a grudge — the Downes affair had indeed been his fault.
Trelawny brightened at the mention of Davey.
“You know, Strauss, if Davey walks down Valentine’s streets, the patrolling officers salute him.”
“In the Valentine Saloon, it seems many are his men; they treat him with real respect.”
“Davey’s moonshine business pulls in countess of dollars every day — far quicker than robbery.”
“And I’ve heard he’s secured legal standing now. He doesn’t have to worry about being wanted anymore.”
Trelawny didn’t tell Dutch everything. After all, he’d taken $200 from Davey and was practically working for him, so it made sense he’d hold some details back.
Strauss listened, thinking. He pressed Trelawny for more about Davey, but Trelawny didn’t know everything. Still, what he did know was enough to spark other ideas in Strauss.
Strauss had always gotten along fairly well with the Callander brothers, except for the Downes incident. As Arthur had told Davey before, Davey’s success offered gang members a way out — if Dutch’s plan failed, they’d have other options.
The next day, Mac woke from a deep sleep. God only knew how long it had been since he’d slept that well. Nights in Valentine had been full of drink and women; this rest had refreshed him a great deal.
When he heard Arthur was headed to Valentine, Mac wanted to go with him. But he understood Davey wasn’t joking — if he went to Valentine, he’d end up hung from a tree. The thought was unbearable.
...
Valentine.
The Chadwick family left town by train. The farm was officially renamed Land Farm.
Davey didn’t fire the farmhands. He told them their pay would stay the same and asked them to keep working as they always had.
Next, Davey planned to take the farm’s papers to Valentine Bank to arrange a mortgage. But first he needed to find the Valentine Bank manager, invite him to eat at Wells Restaurant, and talk loan limits.
He needed a bigger loan. It plainly didn’t fit banking procedure, but with the right kickbacks the Valentine Bank manager wouldn’t turn down a deal like that.
Author's Note
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