Free The Fire of Greed by Bill Yenne Page A

daughter doomed to be an old maid like her mother?”
    Looking into her eyes and seeing both sadness and beauty, Richardson was about to say something about how Therese need not feel doomed to perpetual old maidhood, when Nicolette arrived at the table with his
carne asada
and her usual warm smile, and Therese stood to greet some arriving guests.
    Amos Richardson was about halfway through his meal when Ezra Waldron entered the room. They made eye contact, and the railroad man approached Richardson’s table.
    â€œGood evening, Doctor,” he said, extending his hand.
    â€œPleasure to see you, sir,” Richardson replied. “Would you care to join me?”
    â€œThank you, that’s kind of you.”
    When Nicolette visited the table, Richardson recommended that Waldron try his favorite, and he also ordered a bottle of the wine Therese had offered previously.
    â€œBeautiful girl,” Waldron remarked.
    â€œDaughter of the owner,” Richardson clarified possessively.
    â€œI see.” The railroad man nodded.
    â€œHow are things in the railroad business?” Richardson asked, changing the subject.
    â€œExcellent. Freight revenues are up on this division, and eastbound passenger bookings are starting to materialize.”
    â€œThe war with the Denver & Rio Grande?”
    â€œBehind us, I hope.”
    â€œHow are things going with that matter for which you employed Mr. Cole?” Richardson asked.
    â€œThere has been no word from Mr. Cole. I had hoped that he would have sent some manner of a progress report by now.”
    â€œThere are no telegraph offices in the wilderness,” the coroner reminded him.
    â€œCertainly there are post offices in Lincoln County,” Waldron insisted.
    â€œThe mail takes a long time. Patience is required.”
    â€œI realize that, but the lack of news does not lessen my concern. It is as though all these men have dropped from the face of the earth.”
    â€œAs I recall, one of your expressed concerns was that no news of this incident be allowed to circulate. In that sense, you may regard the absence of news as a success.”
    â€œFor the moment, I am pleased by the absence of news, but I fear a surprise that could come at any moment. I’ll breathe much easier when Mr. Cole has delivered and I can consider the matter resolved with finality.”

Chapter 10

    â€œAIN’T SEEN THAT DAMNED PEAK IN AN HOUR OR TWO,” Simon Lynch complained.
    â€œIt’s just the damned trees,” Ben Muriday assured his partner. “We been headed in the same direction all this time. I’m sure of it.”
    It was the afternoon of their second day out of Luera, and they were impatient to catch sight of the red rock canyon that was the landmark that would take them to the Dutchman’s gold. He had said that it would be found on the third day, but they had been in such a starry-eyed hurry that none of them had thought to ask him whether it would be early or late on the third day. Meanwhile, Muriday had more than once advanced the theory that if they picked up their pace, the red sandstone cliffs might be found on the
second
day.
    â€œYou still sure we done the right thing with this gold?” Gabe Stanton said to Jasper Gardner in low voice so no one else could hear. “I mean goin’ off on this tangent with Muriday’s wild-goose chase. We could be sittin’ around with our feet up right now . . . or headed to California to spend our
own
gold.”
    â€œWhy do it halfway? We talked about this. Why settle for ridin’ off to California with nine grand when we could have as much as ten times that?”
    â€œYou’re right,” Stanton admitted. “But these woods and these mountains . . . it all gives me the willies.”
    â€œAin’t as hot as the desert though,” Gardner reminded him.
    â€œNope. T’ain’t so hot no more, but this brush makes for slow going.