Gold Mine Part Four

Part Four



I found the perfect piece of property with a four-story building that could easily be remodeled to house The Jenson Investment Club. It is right in the middle of a shopping center on the east side of Great Falls. Right next to the building is a bar called ‘The Other Place’. Hell, I went ahead and bought that too, the price was right so why not! This investment business is kind of fun, to bad it is temporary.

On the way back to Paradise Valley, I ran into Johnny Diamond and his boys.

“Johnny, this is a surprise, what brings you and your men to Great Falls”

“After you left Havre we captured one of Dorian’s men and found evidence in his saddle bags from one of the mines in Dry Gulch that had recently been robbed. We had to torture him to get anything out of him. What we found out is a gang led by one of Helena’s leading citizens is doing all the robberies. They always plant something or say something that points to you. We let this trash bag escape hoping he’d lead us to the gang’s hideout but we lost him just outside of Helena. We’ve been trekking back and forth between Great Falls and Helena hoping to find him.”

“Do you have any idea as to who the main man is in Helena?”

“We couldn’t get any names but I’ve got a hunch that it’s Sheriff John Bailey. I can‘t think of anyone else that would want to blame these robberies on you.”

“Huh, you know Johnny. If I were the sheriff, I would have caught me a long time ago. It makes sense that the leader of this gang would want me to be free, at least until he had cleaned out every mine along Dry Gulch. I’ve got a hunch your hunch is right.”

“Ha, ha, you’ve sure got away with words. What do you think we should do?”

“If it’s Bailey the SOB is going to be a bitch to catch. I’d kill him but we need him alive to clear my name.”

“I’m going to put a man on him day and night if he’s our culprit we’ll catch him if there is another crime along Dry Gulch. However if another crime is committed and he hasn’t made contact with a gang we’ll rule him out as a suspect.”

“Johnny, why don’t you bring your men over to Paradise Valley I’ve got a couple large tents I’ll put up and you’ll be my guests while you’re here. I was just headed to pick up supplies so I’ll pick up extra and Wendy and I will prepare a big feast for tonight.”

“Sounds great Cash, we’ll just do that.”

“I’ve put a lot of time and effort into establishing a new identity, it may not have been necessary but it hasn’t been for nothing. I have plans for the business and The Jenson Investment Company is a great title, after all Jenson is my real middle name. Will just have to see what happens. How about Barbeque spare ribs for tonight’s feast?”

“My favorite.”

********************

Two days later I made a trip to the Golden Horse Shoe, I needed to have a serious talk with James McShane. What I had to do I would have done long before now if it hadn’t been for all the horseshit and gun smoke that changed the direction of my life. What I had to put off then has made my life miserable now so I decided to do something about it. I didn’t belong in the middle of the situation where life’s circumstances had placed me. It was time for me to break the rules and get out of the game.

I met James in his office and told him to take the day off that what I had to say was more important then anything he had on his calendar. James reply was;

“Damn it Cash I’m about to give orientation to a bunch of new employees, this will have to wait.”

“Bull shit! Your orientation can wait don’t make me make it an order.”

“If you put it that way, let’s get out of here before you decide to fire me.”

“Let’s go someplace private where we won’t be disturbed.”

“Maybe I should get Chris to join us.”

“No, not yet, we’ll need him later.”

Several hours later after going over every detail of my intentions, James mixed us a double scotch on the rocks. After two or three doubles I said;

“Now it’s time to get Chris, let him in on what we have discussed, and have him write up the contracts.”

“I’ve got to tell you Cash, I think you are foolish and the day will come when you’ll regret today’s decisions.”

“How can I regret going back to the world that I love? However, if that’s the case, that’s why I want everything in black and white with all of our signatures.”

“Okay cowboy, I’ll arrange for Chris to spend what ever time it takes Friday, that will give you time to go get Wendy Brady and Johnny Diamond. Chris will know how to handle the absence of your friend Doug since it will take him several weeks to get here.”

“I telegrammed Doug almost two weeks ago; he should be arriving by train any day now.”

As I was leaving the Golden Horseshoe, I heard a barrage of gunshots and saw blazing flames coming from a log cabin just down the road. As I carefully approached the scene, I saw several gunmen in battle. One of the shooters looked like Johnny Diamond; it’s not hard to miss a man of his stature. I dismounted and crept in closer, it was Johnny;

“Hey Johnny, this is Cash, what’s going on?”

“We got Bailey and his gang surrounded, where the hell did you come from?”

“Later, let’s get that bastard!”

I don’t know how Johnny did it but his small band of Hey Rubers had fifteen or twenty men pin downed. Johnny hollered;

“Drop your guns and step out in the open with your hands in the air where I can see them if you don’t we’ll kill every one of you son of a bitches.”

Shit, the battle was over before I could draw my gun. While Johnnie’s men were collecting guns, I looked around for John Bailey. Bailey and two of his men were on their horses headed out the main gate, I mounted and started the chase, and Johnny was close behind me. I hollered to Johnny;

“You get his men, Bailey’s mine.”

I’d like to describe what happened next, but there’s no way I can. You see it was a most extraordinary fight and there’s no way it could ever be put into words. You might say it was the fight of the century. When it was all over, we both had scars that would take lifetime to heal. However, I beat John Bailey within an inch of his life. I think I possibly broke every bone in his body, if I didn’t I should have.

Since Bailey was the law in Montana, we turned him over to the Rocky Mountain Police and sent his signed confession to the governor of Montana. Thank God, this whole fiasco was over.

********************

Chris Smith my friend and lawyer wrote up my last decisions in contracts.

First, I want a comfortable home built for Wendy Brady in Paradise Valley. She will be the owner and manager of The Jenson Investment Club. She will receive twenty five thousand dollars a year for the rest of her life to be paid by the Horseshoe Mining Company and what she earns at the investment club is hers. I also want her book of poems published at whatever the cost.

Second, I want one hundred thousand dollars paid in one lump sum to Johnny Diamond. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars paid to Doug Brown and one hundred thousand paid to Tamara Lesley.

Third, I want thirty-five thousand dollars a year for myself to be paid by the Horseshoe Mining Company and deposited in a personal account.

Fourth and not least, I want to split my shares in the mine equally between James McShane and Chris Smith. That includes all subsidiaries and holdings. I want Chris to put this all in separate contracts with only one stipulation, everything I have asked for will be carried out without exception.

Now I feel free again I'll go get Thunder and ride off in sunset.