At Harper's Ferry
Chapter 7
Jack opened his eyes and found himself in the bedroom. The room was bright with daylight. A sharp stab of pain throbbed through his temples, making his thoughts come to him in a dizzy spin. He groaned as he shifted his head on the pillow. He looked around and lifted his hand to rub his battered head. The door to his room stood half-open. He could hear the familiar sound of Ezra whistling a tune in the kitchen. The clatter of pans was normally welcome to his ears, but his headache magnified the sound to an uncomfortable volume.
His partner soon pushed open the door and smiled cheerily at him. “Glad to see you awake and still alive,” he said. “That hard head of yours must have saved your life.” He momentarily disappeared and then returned, carrying a tray with coffee, bacon and eggs. He set it on the bedside table.
“What time is it?” Jack asked, his voice thick and groggy.
“It’s getting on in the afternoon. I was wondering if you would ever wake up.”
Jack tried to raise himself on the bed and then gave up the struggle. “What happened? Last I remember I was about to be killed over a few dollars.”
“I got done talking to my contacts. I then decided to get to the Gay Lady. I was a little late leaving. As I got closer to the saloon, I could see you in the distance. It looked as if someone was following you. I kept the horse at a slow walk and stayed behind to keep watch. When I finally caught up to you, I could see that you were in a bit of trouble.”
“I was in trouble alright. What happened after that?”
“I fired my gun into the air. They ran away before they could finish the job on you. In the darkness, they must have thought I was the sheriff.”
Jack rubbed his tender head and groaned again. “Did you get close enough to see any of them clearly?” he asked. “You know how I hate to be beaten in a fight. I wouldn’t mind paying them back in kind.”
Ezra laughed. “I didn’t get a good look at them. The street was too dark and I was more worried about the state of your health than anything else. You were half conscious when I got over to you, but I managed to pull you onto my horse. I found your gun in the street and got you and your horse back home in one piece.”
“I can imagine that must have been a difficult job. I don’t remember anything of the trip back here.”
“You were dazed and were mumbling at times. You nearly slid off the horse a few times, so it was slow going. When we got back here, I brought in Doctor Felix. He didn’t find any skull fractures, so he suggested that you rest. I kept an eye on you and made sure you lived through the night.”
“Well, I’m glad I did, but this headache almost makes me wish it ended there.”
Ezra smiled and then stopped when he saw Jack wince once more. “Do you have any idea why they would try to roll you?” he asked. “You weren’t staggering drunk and there must have been easier targets to find on the street.”
“I’m not sure why anyone would try to rob me,” he replied. “I don’t exactly look rich,” he chuckled, but found the laughter too painful. “They could have seen me spread the wealth with the bartender at the Gay Lady Saloon. I suppose if someone is thirsty enough, they will be willing to rob just about anyone for a drink.”
Jack rubbed his head, pushed himself up higher on the bed and started to eat the breakfast that Ezra had prepared for him. He was hungrier than he thought and wolfed down the food.
Ezra quietly smoked a cigarette and waited until his partner had finished his breakfast. “For a man who nearly died, you certainly have a big appetite.”
“Thanks for bringing me this food,” Jack said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “And thanks again for saving my life.”
The black man shrugged his shoulders. “Why were you going down that street? You could have waited for me before you went off by yourself.”
“I’m afraid I lost my head. You see, I had a few drinks with the bartender at the Gay Lady and got him to answer a few questions. He told me who Hanson met with the night he went missing. It was a money lender called Brinker. The bartender even knew the address of his rooming house, so I was headed over there to have a talk with him.”
Ezra rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’ve heard the name Brinker before. He’s in the loan business, if you know what I mean. He’s the kind of man who preys on the poor, giving them a loan with a very high interest. Of course most of his customers can’t pay him back in time and end up paying large fees. And when they don’t pay, they get a visit by someone to collect the money.”
Jack pulled a cigarette for himself from the tin on the bed stand and lit it. “Did you find out anything interesting yesterday?” he asked, blowing out a cloud of smoke.
“I went to talk to some people I know – butlers and parlor maids that have worked for the Hanson family in the past. No one has seen Lawrence lately, but I got some further inside information on the Hanson family. The father, Daniel Hanson, as we know, rarely leaves the home since his wife’s death. The family is known to be quite wealthy, which was evident enough when we visited them. His daughter is his favorite child but he is also indulgent towards Lawrence.”
“I’m not surprised by any of this, Ezra.”
“I know, it sounds like what Garret already told us. I was hoping to find more dirt than this. But I did find out that Faith Hanson has had several suitors, but all have managed to lose interest, partly due to the devotion she has to her father. She spends more time taking care of his needs than spending time with the men knocking at her door.”
“I don’t know about that, that Davis fellow looked awfully friendly towards her,” Jack said with a slight trace of jealousy. He knew that he should have known better than to feel that way about her. They had only just met, but he had found her beauty and manners intoxicating. Perhaps it was an air of naiveté that held his interest.
“There were a few rumors about those two, but nothing that isn’t normally gossiped between people when discussing love. He appears to be just a friend of the family now and has been for quite a while.”
“I see,” Jack said, not really wanting to hear anything more about that strutting dandy.
“When Faith isn’t busy at home, she is involved with several charities, church, and advocating temperance.”
“Sounds like my kind of girl,” Jack said sarcastically, wondering why he would find someone who was so clean-minded so attractive. Perhaps it reminded him of the more innocent days of his life.
Ezra smiled knowingly and continued. “From what I heard, Lawrence resents his father’s success to some degree but is grateful to take advantage of the family’s standing in the community. He does not appear to care if he succeeds because he is sure his father will bail him out if he runs into any trouble. He is known to frequent certain local clubs to gamble and has been involved in some hushed-up circumstances. Only through his father’s good will has he been able to have any appearance of respectability.”
Jack nodded his head slowly, feeling the dull pain in his head begin to recede. “Is there any information that could help us find out where he is now?”
“Well, he was seeing that married woman for quite a while. I found that her name is Elizabeth Mulholland. They were apparently quite in love with each other, but that scandal has mostly been swept under the rug. The two haven’t been seen together since then. But he may have gone running back to her, and it’s possible he was trying to sell those papers to scrape up enough money to leave town.”
“That’s a point to consider. See if you can find out where she is living now. But first we should track down this Mister Brinker and see what he has to say about Lawrence. If that doesn’t pan out, we’ll tackle Miss Mulholland next.” Jack got up and walked over to the washbasin to splash some water on his face. “I’ll change clothes and meet you at the livery.”
Ezra nodded and left.
After changing, a small knock at the office door brought Jack out from his bedroom. Behind the
leaded glass, he could see the small figure of Faith Hanson. He hastily brushed his hair carefully back with his hand, trying to look presentable. Jack then graciously opened the door for her and said, “Please come in.”
“Good morning, Mister Blackwood.”
Jack showed her to the chair and then sat at his desk, waiting for her to talk.
“Have you found out anything yet?” she asked nervously.
Jack pulled out his pouch of tobacco and began rolling a fresh cigarette. “Well, I haven’t found Lawrence yet, but I’m starting to get some good leads. The government doesn’t appear to be too happy about this situation, and I’ve managed to get one hell of a headache from some local robbers.”
“What do you mean?” she asked with concern.
He took a match and lit the cigarette. “Now don’t you worry about it,” he replied. “I’m fine. I just had someone try to remove my head last night.”
She looked down at the floor quickly, perhaps embarrassed by her show of feelings. She licked her lips before continuing to talk, a light blush on her cheeks. “Father is getting worried about Lawrence. We know he couldn’t have stolen those papers, but why hasn’t he come home yet?”
“Please, I know it is difficult, but try to be more patient. It’s going to take some more time to find him. Miss Hanson, do you know anything about your brother’s personal life? He was involved with that married woman, Missus Mulholland, at one time. Do you know anything more about this that your father may not have told me? We are wondering if he tried to meet up with her again, or if she may know anything about this.”
She looked quite shocked by these words. “Heavens no, I don’t know anything of any use. I met her on several occasions at parties and such, but we never developed any type of friendship. I’m sure Lawrence was quite done with her after father told him to leave her.”
“I’m just trying to find out where he could be hiding,” Jack said defensively. He tapped the cigarette ash onto the floor. “Do you know anything about a moneylender named Brinker? Lawrence may have been seen with him the night he disappeared.”
“A moneylender? Why would my brother be seeing someone like that?”
Jack gestured with his palms up. “When men desperately need money, they will go to great lengths to get it. Did Lawrence have any kind of money problems that you know of?”
“If he ever needed money, he could have seen father.”
“What if he needed large sums of money, or was too embarrassed to ask?”
“Lawrence may spend his money a little wildly at times, but he wasn’t that big of a gambler or drinker. Father and I would have never allowed that kind of behavior at all.”
He grinned wolfishly. “Just what kind of behavior do you allow?”
“Please, Mister Blackwood,” she said, blushing.
“Don’t mind me,” said Jack with a smirk. "I'm not that much of a ladies' man. It appears that your brother may have kept some secrets from you – but I’ll keep in mind what you said about him. Today we have some further information that we need to follow up on. We are going to visit a man named Brinker today and find out what he knows. If you hear anything about Lawrence that we need to know, send us a message. Once we find out something definite, I’ll be sure to stop by.”
“Thank you,” she said faintly. She made her goodbyes and left with a worried expression.