CHAPTER XXXVIII
GARLAND PLAYS A HAND
As Mr. Braden was quite sure that Garland had abstracted the deeds heexpected to receive a proposition from him. When this did not come hewas puzzled. What was Garland waiting for? Was it possible that he wasdickering with Mackay?
The result of this uncomfortable suspicion was that he began to soundGarland, speaking carelessly of Faith's claim to the property,ridiculing it. Garland, being by no means a fool, began to wonder whyBraden recurred to the subject, and began to lead him on.
"What made her think she owned the thing?" he asked. "If her deeds areall right they ought to show her what's hers."
This confirmed Braden's suspicions.
"You heard Mackay say French gave them to her before he died."
"Yes, I heard that," said Garland. But if Braden kept insisting on thosedeeds there must be something crooked about them. If they had been madeyears ago, why hadn't they been handed over? And why was Braden talkingto him? The only answer was that he must be supposed to know somethingwhich he did not. However, being a fair poker player he remembered thatthe bluff of a pat hand has been known to win. He shot at a big venture:"As long as she doesn't know any more than those deeds tell her, I guessshe won't make you any trouble," he said.
There was no doubt at all in Mr. Braden's mind now about Garland.
"Look here," he said, "are you going to make trouble for me--I mean areyou going to try to?"
Garland was amazed at the result of his random shot, but had noobjection to picking up the birds thus fallen at his feet.
"Not if you do the fair thing," he replied.
"What do you call fair?" Mr. Braden demanded.
Garland was in deep water. Braden wanted him to put a price on silence.Well, he had no idea of the price Braden would be prepared to pay.
"Fifty-fifty," he replied at a venture.
"Fifty-fifty!" Mr. Braden echoed. "Why, you hold-up, you sneakingsafe-robber, I'll see you damned first. Those deeds you stole aren'tworth the paper they're written on."
Here was real news for Garland. Deeds had been stolen from Braden'ssafe. If they were the real deeds of the property and French and Bradenhad delivered bogus ones to that girl, then Braden was in a devil of amess. And Braden thought _he_ had them.
"I'll take a chance on that," he replied.
But Mr. Braden, since the loss of the deeds, had been busy mentallyconstructing a bomb-proof defense, and this had taken very nearly theform anticipated by Judge Riley.
"Then you won't get a nickel out of it," he told Garland. "They mightmake a certain amount of trouble, but that's all. I'm not going to beheld up. You think because you stole that old note and statement ofyours when you took the deeds that I've no strings on you? Well, you tryanything and see."
Garland in his surprise nearly exposed his hand. Here was a rottencomplication, which gave him a very live interest in the affair. Whileevidence of his old transgression was in Braden's hands he had been sureit would not be used. But now somebody else had it. Who would have aninterest in taking it, as well as deeds affecting the coal lands?Obviously Mackay, who would like nothing better than to get something onhim.
The position, then, in Garland's mind was that Angus Mackay had evidencewhich proved his wife's title to the coal lands. But Braden thought thathe, Garland, had it. Mackay, also, had evidence of his, Garland's oldforgery. He must get that back. As to Braden's misapprehension he mustturn that to his own advantage. Braden, in his opinion, was simplybluffing as to the nonimportance of the deeds. If he could get hold ofthem he could hold Braden up. Also he would knock Mackay out of a verypromising property. But he must lose no time. It was a wonder Mackay hadnot taken some action already.
"Keep your shirt on," he advised Braden. "Don't try to bluff me. Youknow if Mackay got hold of those papers it would raise the devil withyou. They show who really owns the property."
"They are a mistake," Mr. Braden returned. "I mean they were drawn bymistake. French gave the girl her deeds."
Garland grinned. "Suppose he had given her the others, where would yoube?"
"Suppose nothing of the sort!" Mr. Braden snapped. "I tell you they'reno good. You might as well give them back to me."
"What do you want them for--if they're no good?" Garland grinned.
"I'll give you a hundred dollars for them."
Garland merely laughed, and though Mr. Braden increased his offer tofive hundred it was not accepted. He was reluctant to go higher, first,because it would show Garland that he considered the deeds worth realmoney; and second, because Garland did not seem anxious to press hisblackmail. The latter circumstance puzzled Mr. Braden. What was Garlandup to, anyway? He did not threaten to deal with Mackay, after thatsingle reference to him. Mr. Braden knew that he hated Angus, andpreferably would not deal with him. And so it was his own play to waitand let the next suggestion come from Garland. There, temporarily, thematter rested, because neither was in a position to press it to afinish.
But Mr. Braden, though he had what so far as he could see was aperfectly good legal defense, experienced certain inward qualms. Therewas always the possibility that something might go wrong with a defense,if it came to that. That old Riley, for instance, who looked like ascarred Airedale, would enjoy baiting him. He might find some flaw, somekink of law, which might be embarrassing. Mr. Braden knew that his nervewas not of the sort to stand a grueling by skilled counsel, especiallyif he slipped once or twice. His would be almost the sole evidence.There was comfort in that, but there was also responsibility.
Looking into the future Mr. Braden foresaw the possibility of asituation in which the possession of actual cash would be veryconvenient if not necessary. He might have to pay Garland a lump sum.Or, if he refused to do so and Garland made a deal with Mackay, he mighthave to stand a trial. It might be a mere civil action to establish thevalidity of the missing deeds; of it might be a charge of forgery. Inany event it would give him most undesirable publicity. His affairs werevery badly involved, and it would then be very hard to raise money. Ifall went well, the coal would pull him out of the financial hole he wasin, and put him on his feet again. But meantime it would be prudent toget together as much cash as he could. And so, very quietly, he setabout accumulating as much currency as possible, and as he obtained ithe placed it in his office safe, having now no confidence in his privateone. He regarded it as accident insurance.
Meanwhile, Garland was making arrangements of his own. The job ofobtaining anything from Angus Mackay was not going to be easy, andreluctantly he made up his mind that it was too big to be tackledsingle-handed. Assistance meant sharing the profits, but unfortunatelyit seemed to be a case. He thought of Poole, and would have preferredhim, but Mr. Poole packed no sand whatever. Finally he decided on BlakeFrench. Not that Blake had any too much courage, but he hated Mackay,and having rapped him on the head once, he might be counted on to do itagain if necessary. Poole might be used for a scout, without telling hima great deal.
Blake French fell in with Garland's proposals with alacrity. He had hadtrouble with his brothers since his father's death, culminating in ashort but vicious battle with Larry, in which the latter had got thebest of it. He suspected his brothers of having funds which they refusedto share with him. He himself was flat broke, without money to pay forhis numerous drinks. His brothers treated him as an outsider. He wassure they were holding out on him. If he could get a share in that coalproposition he would have the laugh on them; also it would be a chanceto get square with Mackay. And so he and Garland began to lay planslooking to the acquisition of the missing deeds. The matter seemedsimplified for them by the circumstance that Angus Mackay and his bridewere now living, temporarily at least, in her cottage on the dry ranch.This strengthened the hypothesis that Mackay had the deeds and wasliving close to the coal prospect in order to keep an eye on it.