Chapter 04

Eventful Day

The next morning the desk clerk grins when I amend the registry to show Alice and I in the same room as Mr and Mrs Ward. After we have a good breakfast in the eatery attached to the hotel we go for a walk as a group. I leave Steve, Harry, and most of the dogs with the ladies at the general store so they can examine the goods on display. Taking Woden and Tom I head to the Thomas house.

When I arrive I’m shown in to see James, and he looks a lot better. Jemma soon arrives with some hot water, bowls, soap, and clean bandages. She’s surprised when I thank her.

I inspect the knife wound and I give it another clean. This time I use the bottle of Iodine I brought from our supplies to wash and sterilise the wound. Rachel picks up the bottle, has a look at it, and she tells Jemma it’s Tincture of Iodine. I explain how it’s made and that it’s very good at killing germs. I notice Rachel stares hard at the bottle for a moment before giving it back to me. After bandaging James again I give him a high dose antibiotic tablet to take and I leave some aspirin tablets for him to use for painkillers. I tell them to put the Laudanum away because he can get addicted to it due to it being an opiate.

After he thanks me for saving him and doctoring him he asks if I’m a doctor. I reply, “Where I’m from we have strict rules on the training a doctor has before he can call himself a doctor. I’ve done a lot of that training but not all of it. But I’m more trained than some of the doctors I’ve seen around here, so you can trust my treatment.”

He smiles, “I had no worries about the treatment. I just wondered if you’d set up as a doctor around here.” I smile as I shake my head no.

When we leave Rachel holds me back a bit, and says, “Bayer since eighteen sixty-three,’ and ‘Best before March two thousand and eight.’ An interesting label on the bottle, Ed.”

Downstairs I take her aside into the den and say, “In a few years time this country will be torn apart by a conflict in the East. The real root of the problem is those who exercise power over the federal government due to economic might and wealth, the established powers in the south or the growing industrialised powers in the north. The dispute will start about state sovereignty as against federal power, but the root cause is slavery and that’ll come out much later. Slavery is the root cause because the economy, power, and wealth of the South is dependent upon labour intensive products like cotton; paid labour as against slave labour will severely affect their profits and operations. In fact, after the war the mass freeing of slaves leads to the destruction of the Southern economy. But it’s also all manipulated by those who currently hold the money and the power. The war will devastate many states on both sides. Since the war a group has formed that romanticises the Plantation Era of the South and they developed a way to send people back in time. Their aim is to make changes to allow the South to win the war instead of lose it. A big aspect of this is valuable mineral deposits found in this area after the war. If the income from those deposits can be brought to bear on the economy before the war to help industrialise the South the war will end differently. The South lost because of the lack of industry and economic might. The industry aspect became obvious when newly developed weapons can be easily and quickly made in the north but not in the South. Changes in gun designs for faster firing guns are what turn the tide. In my time these romantics kidnapped me and sent me back here to help with this after they used drugs to make me into a mindless slave. Sadly for them I’d already had treatments from the government to make me resistant to such drugs, so I played along with them to destroy their scheme. I set the time machine and its creator to be destroyed after they sent me back. I had to play along because they’d have killed me once they knew the truth. I also have to protect my family in the future because they have seventy agents here working on this already. Harrison is one of them. I’m one hundred and fifty years from my family so they’re as good as dead as far as I’m concerned, and the reverse is true for me because I’ll never see them again while alive. These people caused that and I’ll destroy them for it.”

She gulps then asks, “Can’t they take you back?”

I shake my head no, “The system they developed is one way only. They sent over seventy people back in time with lots of money and resources to change things by influencing factors around the edge. I intend to eliminate the changers and to stop that influence. Rachel, I like you a lot and I can easily fall in love with you, but you have to know I can never be just yours alone because some of the other slaves they sent back are women who now depend on me for everything. Also, I had a very bad marriage with my first wife so I now know I really need other women around me to keep me sane, and to make sure I don’t bring such a viper into my house again. That witch fooled me but not the other women I knew, so I need to surround myself with women to protect me.” She giggles at this last bit as she motions for us to leave.

After joining her other brothers and my escorts near the front door we’re soon on our way to the gunsmith. They all only need something for close range so they buy some .36 calibre Colt Navy Revolvers, two each with shoulder holsters. The boys want hip holsters until I demonstrate how you can easily draw from a shoulder holster while sitting but not from a hip holster. After thirty minutes practising at a range behind the gunsmith they’re right to go. They all wear loose vests to hide the guns under so they’re not obvious.

We accompany the boys to the bank and check in with Saul who now sports two revolvers in shoulder holsters, so do most of his staff. I knew he was a smart man. Rachel and my group leave for where we left the rest of my people. We soon find them heading for the bank as they know I’d turn up there at some time. After introducing everyone we head for a place to have lunch.

I spot a quaint looking place that’s almost empty and we go in there. The chalk board menu has something I haven’t seen for a while, Alice and Sue both smile when I point it out. The waitress comes over and I order spaghetti for us all. She seems surprised at the order so I ask her why. She says, “My husband’s a cook from Italy so we’ve had that on the menu since we opened, a few months back, and you’re the first to order it but you all want it. It sounds like you know what you want!”

I grin as I say, “Most of us come from quite a distance away where spaghetti is more common. I’m sure once we introduce a few of the locals to it they’ll like it too.” Smiling, she goes in to tell her husband of the large order. It’s duly served and is a delicious meal. Even Rachel likes this new taste and she promises to introduce it to others she knows.

When we near the end of the meal I notice a few people walk into the restaurant and I warn my people to duck if need be. Turning to Apollo I say, “Apollo, forentum.” He looks at me as he settles down with a wary look in his eye while he checks the other dogs all heard and settle to the floor. I’d just given him the code word to stay put and not get involved in any trouble. I look up, “If any shooting starts hit the floor and take cover. I recognise some of those people and they aren’t nice.”

Suspecting they’re after me I decide to make my people safer. I stand and I walk over to the counter to pay for our meals. When I near the counter one of the new customers stands and draws a revolver. I reach for my left shoulder with my right hand while my left hand grabs the Dragoon across my belly. Two more men stand up with revolvers in hand. I turn a bit because one of these men is toward my right. When the angle is right I fire the Dragoon in my left hand while it’s only half out of the holster. With no end on the holster it fires out the bottom quite well after my turn aims it at the gunman. He has a shocked look on his face while he staggers backward with his gun still only half raised and a world of pain starting in his belly.

My right hand has almost got the Dragoon out for action when two of the men raise their pistols to shoot me in the chest. I drop toward my left by relaxing my left knee and throwing my weight that way. I feel my vest move by something touching it when they fire. I’ve both Dragoons out and aiming at their chests before I hit the floor. Both shots are good, but the gun in my left hand is knocked loose by my arm hitting the floor as two more men stand and draw revolvers. I rapid fire with my right hand to shoot each in the chest before they can get on target. During this I hear a gun fire to my right and I’m hit in the chest with a ball. Turning a little I see a smiling woman pointing a Derringer at me while she cocks for the second shot. I’m calm when I aim and shoot her in the upper chest, just above where her dress neckline is. She’s knocked backwards and looks at me with a very shocked expression. Getting up from the floor I pick up my other Dragoon and go over to look at her lying on the floor. The Marshal walks in while I look down.

I smile at her, “Say hello to Raymond when you get to Hell, Hanna. I blew his head off in Albuquerque for trying to kill me. Next is Bill, then Jeff. I’ll let Sandra live as she’s not committed to The Cause like you are. She’s only in it to keep you happy. Heck, even her file at headquarters says that.” She looks shocked about how much I know. I stand there and grin while I watch her bleed out. A doctor runs in and comes over. I point my Dragoon at him while saying, “Leave her be, Doc. She’s dying as her lungs fill with blood so you can’t save her life, just ease her going. And I want her going to be painful. I want the murdering bitch to know the pain she’s given others.” Everyone within hearing stares at me. A moment later she’s dead. I’m fast when I strip the dead of valuables and weapons while the Marshal checks events with the witnesses.

He comes up to me and asks, “Why’d you call Miss Wendy, Hanna? And what did she do to you?”

I turn to him, “She was born Hanna Harrison, her brother runs the bank. She, her brothers, and about seventy of their friends are part of a group responsible for the fact I no longer have a family. For that, I intend to see each one of them dead and their plans to take control of the New Mexico Territory are destroyed. I suggest you stay out of it, Marshal, since you could very easily get hurt by accident.”

He slowly nods at me as he reaches out to touch the hole in my coat chest from the Derringer. I say, “She made a big mistake there, Marshal, she shot me in the heart. She forgot I can’t be killed that way because I no longer have a heart as her lot ripped it out when they destroyed my life.” He gives me an odd look then he moves away to talk to the undertaker about removing the dead.

Rachel walks over and says, “You’re right, I do like you as a person, but I don’t think I could love you until you get rid of this demon on your back. Please see me back to my father’s bank.”

I simply say, “If you don’t mind I’ll let Steve and the ladies do that. I think I’m going to be a very good bullet magnet for a while. Apollo, Harry with me, the rest of you go with Steve, please.” They all nod yes.

I pay our bill with a good tip while I thank her for the delicious meal and apologise for the trouble. She laughs, “Such a notorious shoot out. Tonight people will be jammed in here just wanting to eat in such a famous place. I laugh as I walk out the door after I reload all of my guns.

Retribution

A short way along the street I see two men from The Cause hurrying down the street on the other side-walk, they reach a building, and they go in its front door. I stop to watch the building, and I see two more enter in a hurry. In the next few minutes seven top members of The Cause enter the same building.

I lead Harry into an alley and I ask him what he thinks is going on. He says, “It looks like an emergency meeting of The Cause leaders in the area to work out what to do due to the events of the last few days.”

I nod agreement as I shrug off my back pack while I say, “Remove the body armour and weapons. I think it’s time for you to redeem your soul.” His eyes go wide while he follows orders. It’s clear he knows what’s coming and he doesn’t like it, not at all, but he does as told since he has no choice because the programming makes him do it. A moment later he’s well armed with two recovered revolvers in cross-belly holsters, a third in a shoulder holster plus a double barrelled 12 gauge shotgun loaded with number four shot which is sawn off to twelve inches and a pistol grip. “You know the code words to get access. Go into that meeting and kill all of The Cause leaders you can, try for the Harrison brothers if you can, but take the best targets you can get.” He nods yes and starts across the road while I pack his body armour and ‘modern’ weapons into my bag. I put it back on and head for the Harrison Bank. I know Sandra works there so she won’t be involved in a strategy meeting of The Cause.

I’m about forty yards down the street when I hear gunfire behind me. I turn to look up the street just as two men dash out of the saloon beside me, it’s the County Sheriff and a deputy. I say, “Afternoon Sheriff, think you’ll need a hand?” He turns to look at me and my weapons overload. He smiles as he shakes his head no before he runs up the street. I follow anyway.

We soon reach the lawyer’s office and it sounds like a minor war is going on inside. The Sheriff meets the Marshal just outside. The Marshal sees me and he seems a bit shocked I’m not in the middle of the shoot-out. We enter the building while two more shots ring out, then silence.

The front of the office has some chairs and desks with the back half walled off with a single door set in it off to one side. The door opens, a man walks out with a revolver in his hand and a bloody wound in his side. He looks up and sees us. He’s one of The Cause leaders. We recognise each other as he was sent just before I was and he knows me. He raises his gun and cocks it while he does. It’s only halfway up when both the Sheriff and Marshal shoot him as they have no idea who he’s shooting at, but he’s aiming a gun in their direction so he’s going down hard. He’s knocked back into the room, dead already. The sheriff takes a moment to disarm the four bodyguards in the outer room before we all stick our heads in the back room to have a look at what went on.

The room looks worse than an abattoir: blood and gore everywhere. Harry is off to one side with several bloody ball holes in him. Four men near the door have the top of their heads missing and four more opposite have their upper chests well ventilated with shot. Another three are in seats with ball holes in their upper chests while four more are lying on the floor with ball holes in their upper chests. Another is in the corner with a gun in his hand, and a wound in his left shoulder. The back door is open with two trails of blood leading out it.

Harry was able to kill fifteen and wound four others before they killed him, so I now forgive him for kidnapping me. I walk over to close his eyes. The Marshal recognises him and he gives me a stern look. I shrug and say, “Yes, I know him. He once kidnapped me.” That gets odd looks from both the Sheriff and the Marshal. I walk over to the wounded man to look at his wound, and say, “That looks bad. Without a good supply of antibiotics you’ll have a case of gangrene real soon. Have an unpleasant death.” While I walk away I hear a gunshot behind me and I turn to see he’s blown his head off.

The Sheriff says, “No gangrene from that if he cleaned it right.”

I smile at him, “I know that, you know that, but that murdering bastard didn’t. Now I don’t have to worry about him sending more hired guns after me.” He gulps as he waves me out of the room.

Of the seventeen dead leaders in the room fourteen were known to me plus three I didn’t know. The dead includes the youngest Harrison brother, so I think one of the wounded is the eldest Harrison. With Hanna and the other Cause leader who was in charge of attacking James last night that’s sixteen more of them dead. Hmm, that leaves me with only forty-nine left to execute, plus Tom and any new recruits.

I walk down the street to enter the Harrison Bank of Georgia. I go through the main area and into the Manager’s Office. I find Harrison and another man with bloody wounds while Sandra tries to treat them and clean the wounds. I look at them for a moment as I wave Sandra aside. Their guns are on the desk but out of their reach. Picking the guns up by the barrel I put them on top of a cabinet to the side, one at a time. The other man is almost unconscious and he’s wounded in the upper chest area. Looking into the wound I can see the top of his lung is torn open so I wonder how he managed to get this far. I shake my head no to indicate he’s not going to make it then I move over to Harrison.

His wound is low in the left shoulder and so close to the lung I can’t tell if he has any lung damage without a detailed examination. Looking at him I say, “There’s only you and Sandra left, free her from The Cause so I’ve no reason to harm her. We all know she’s not committed to it and is in it only because of you.”

He coughs up a bit of blood and turns to look at her, asking, “Is that true, Sandra?” She gives a slow nod yes. “As I’m the senior member of The Cause at this time I free you from all obligations and responsibilities to The Cause and its aims. You came to us with nothing so you leave us with nothing, but we feel no ill will toward you. Go in peace, if you can. The other officers of the bank are now dead so you’ll have to settle up the bank’s affairs as best you can. It’s a total loss for this operation now.”

The door to the alley opens as the Sheriff and Marshal walk in while they follow the trail of blood. They look at me and nod when they approach Harrison. He looks at me, “Have you got a needle you can give me for the pain, something very strong, please?” I nod yes and he smiles when he turns to the Sheriff, “My sister will supervise the closure of the Bank as best she can, please help her.”

Sandra watches me get out the first aid kit I have in my pocket. I put it there this morning. After last night’s little affair I want it handy. She sees me get out a needle and a bottle of Heroin. She nods at the amount I draw into the needle to give to her brother. He smiles at the Sheriff when the overdose takes away the pain just before it takes away his life.

Soft Landing

Sandra turns to me and says, “Please help me to see the bank is properly closed down with the least harm to people?” I nod yes and I motion for her to come with me while the Marshal checks both men have now died and he starts to arrange for their removal. She turns back to remove some keys from her brother’s pocket first.

Out in the main part of the bank people are lined up withdrawing their money. We go down the line while I tell the tellers, “Until further notice only personal accounts can be paid out, and only deposits less any amounts owing.” They all nod yes at the orders. I call for order then I repeat the orders out loud for all to hear. A couple of businessmen object. I just smile at them as I say, “Most of the bank’s officers have died in unfortunate events in the last couple of days. I’ve been asked to take over to see to an orderly closure of the bank’s affairs. That I’ll do. Businesses can operate on credit for a few days as I study the Bank’s books, while individuals can’t. So we pay out the people first.” A few start to object, then they take note of all of my hardware and they back off.

Leaving the bank I take Sandra across the road and I ask Saul if I can borrow a couple of people to examine the books of the Harrison Bank. He nods yes. He has Isaac and another man join him then the five of us return to the other bank. On the way I tell Saul what I want to do and the order I wish to do it in. He nods his understanding and he gives more detailed instructions to his helpers. Saul has the three of them sit in the open office space behind the tellers when they start to go through the books and make notes. The Marshal is still busy in the Manager’s Office.

Leaving them to examine the books I’ve Sandra take me to their home. Once there we find her brother’s office and I open the safe he has there. We remove ten thousand dollars of gold coin in saddlebags, and head back to the bank with it. We hand it over to Saul for him to add to the money available to pay out accounts. The main vault is almost empty now, while the bank is still full of people after money.

Next stop is the Marshal’s Office for a word with both him and the Sheriff. I go through all of the valuables and personal effects of all of the dead Cause members. Taking their safe keys I’ve the Marshal escort us to their home addresses and business offices. We use the buggy Sandra has at the bank we used to visit her house. All of the men were single, as none of the others have any family in this time their assets are now up for grabs. In this case up for the bank to clean up its debts.

After visiting the various homes and offices we have a further eight thousand dollars of gold coin to add to the mix plus a list of various assets to be used to pay-out accounts. We drop the coin at the bank and I laugh when we pull up outside. There’s a long line of people to enter the Harrison Bank to withdraw their money, they leave there to join a long line at the Bank of Santa Fe to deposit the money. Even Sandra thinks it’s a funny sight to see the line runs through one bank to the other.

I drop the gold and lists with Saul, who’s very quick to hand the gold over to the tellers for paying out accounts.

It’s near closing time so I leave Sandra to talk to Saul while I go outside to stand at the end of the line. When people walk up I say, “Sorry, this is the end of the queue, come back tomorrow because they won’t have time to serve you today.” A few begin to argue, but they back down when one of the Deputy Sheriffs comes over to ask what’s up.

Fifteen minutes later I enter the bank and shut the doors behind me. Leaving one of the bank guards to let people out after they finish with the tellers I walk over to see Saul.

He looks up and smiles while saying, “Thanks to some recent events the bank isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. The first thing I’ve done is to write off the deposits for all of the people on the recent dead list. We’ve already paid out most of the private accounts. Where someone has both a loan and a deposit I’ve written them off against each other for as much as possible. I’ve foreclosed on the securities for the loans given to the dead on the lists as well. These actions have cleared out most of the bank’s liabilities and assets. I’ve a large list of clients’ accounts of deposits and loans where I’m prepared to take over with full recognition of balances if the clients agree. This’ll remove the remainder of the private accounts and loans plus a fair amount of the business accounts and loans. That leaves about thirty of the accounts that are with businesses I won’t deal with under any circumstances.”

He hands Sandra some sheets with all of the lists on them, she glances at them and hands them back while saying, “Saul, I trust you. Even if I didn’t I don’t know enough about this to know if you’re stealing from me. Just do what you think is right and I’ll sign the papers.”

He nods, “I’d hoped you’d agree to the majority of what I worked out so I’ve had people very busy writing letters to clients. Just sit down and start signing, please.” He points her at a very large pile of letters. Picking up a pen she sits down, dips the pen in ink, and starts signing the letters. When they’re signed one of the staff picks it up and does something to make the ink dry faster then he puts it into an envelope with the name already on it, along with some other papers they have ready.

About an hour later she’s signs the last of one hundred and thirty-two letters, they’re in envelopes, and people are already heading out to deliver them. They’d been prepared and stacked in some sort of order so people leave when their small pile is ready.

Saul leads us out of the bank after Sandra locks up. The manager’s safe is empty, the vault has about two thousand dollars left in it, and the records are in the vault ready for action tomorrow. Everyone expects the people to agree with what’s in the letters.

Sandra is at a total loss what to do so I take her back to the hotel. After meeting up with the rest of my group we go for a meal. When we pass the place we had lunch I notice it’s full and there’s a long line of people waiting to eat there. I smile at the accuracy of the prediction made at lunchtime. I even make a small bet with myself the sales of spaghetti are high after they’re told it’s what I ate before the gunfight.

Sandra looks up and asks, “Is that where Hanna died?” I nod yes and she gives a slow nod back, “I wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t pushed me into joining. I’m happy she’s dead. Now I wonder what will become of me because I know nothing useful for this time. At the bank I was only a token pretty to flirt with some of the male clients.”

I look at her and say, “You can be anything you want to be, except what you were before coming here. There’s no going back to that time. Regardless of that, I’ll see you’re looked after until such time as you say otherwise.”

She looks at me and asks, “How much do you know?”

“Sandra, I was kidnapped in two thousand and five by mistake as they were after my cousin with a similar name.” She laughs at the mistake. “Amongst other things I’m a very good computer hacker and I got into all of their files. I know everything about the plan and the people sent back already. Your sister and brothers are dead, and you’ve no family in this time you would wish to be with. The ones you see as your ancestors won’t have anything to do with you because they don’t know you so you’re at a loss as to what to do. All of us are from the same time period as you and we understand how you feel. You can stay with us as long as you want to.”

After a nice meal we all retire to the hotel, and Sandra stays in the room with Donna and Mary.

Clean Up Day

We get up and go for breakfast at another eatery, and Steve takes the ladies for some shopping while I go to the banks. Sandra leaves with the rest of the ladies because she doesn’t wish to go to the bank again.

When I reach Saul he’s sitting in the main office of the Harrison Bank while going through what’s left of the Harrison Bank records. There’s a line-up of clients to get letters confirmed and stamped before taking them over to the Bank of Santa Fe to complete the paperwork to open their accounts there. The paperwork is the legal transfer of the deposits or loans. They all seem happy with things.

A couple of businessmen are arguing with Isaac at the next table, because the bank doesn’t have the money to pay them out. I ask Saul to go through the list of remaining assets with me and list the value of the properties. He points out most of them are seriously overvalued, which is why he refused to take them as a straight transfer. I have him go through to assign more realistic values beside them. Many are for land titles in interesting areas. I have him do the list up on official bank letterhead with the book values and his values beside them as independent values. He also does up an official letter for Sandra to sign requesting approval from the court to devalue the properties.

I take the letters to James Peters, the RI lawyer and partner, to have him do up a letter on buying the properties as a lot purchase at the independently assessed values instead of the bank’s book values. I take these to Sandra and explain the situation. It only takes twenty minutes to find the shop she’s in. She signs the papers and we go to the courthouse for the judge’s approval.

He hears what we have to say, gets advice from other businessmen, and some answers from the Marshal before he approves the write down of the values for the bank to make a loss on them. The titles are all transferred to RI, and I get another saddlebag of coins from the stables to give to Saul. He pays out the businessmen left before giving me back the remaining gold. Some of them had hoped to get their cash out and then see their loans written down, but we moved too fast for them.

By lunch the Harrison Bank has no assets or liabilities and all of the accounts have been paid out or written off. In order to do this Saul took on a number of foreclosed properties in town which he’ll organise to sell in the coming months. But we manage an orderly closure of the bank within two days without anyone alive suffering any hardship. The loss of the bank and properties will be a severe blow to my enemies and their plans.

One interesting find in all this is a couple of dozen quality maps of the territory and two have some locations marked with a hand written list to match them. The list gives the longitude and latitude of places marked with little letters of ‘S’ and ‘G.’ Steve smiles when I show them to him because they’re the major gold and silver deposits in the territory all marked out and ready to be found when they go looking.