Galveston: Between Wind And Water (A Historical Literary Fiction Novel Filled with Romance and Drama) (24 page)

He swore and ripped up the telegram.
Close the site until a summer storm passes? We might as well close down for good then because all the money will be down that Goddamn hole in the ground!

George wiped the sweat out of his eyes. “Is there a problem, Mr. McGowan?”

“No.” Bret stared at the derrick. “The morning, you say. Are you sure we’ll be up and running by then?”

“Well sir, old rigs and steam engines like this can only take so many years of hard work, in particular when you’re running ’em ’round the clock.” 

George gestured toward the exhausted, grease-smeared faces of the crew, their eyes watching Bret. “That’s why the boys and me were wonderin’ which day you expect that new, heavy rotary rig and drilling engine will be delivered.”

Bret kept his attention on the now-silent derrick. “I told you . . . any day now. Higgins and Lucas are still in Boston. I can’t do anything until they get back.”

“I see, sir. Then might I ask when you and your partners plan on paying for last month’s work?”

Bret whirled around, barely able to contain his rage. “Tell your men Higgins and Lucas return next week. Every man will be paid for every hour he’s worked. If they don’t like it they can leave now.” Without waiting for the foreman’s reply, he stormed back to his automobile, passing by the hateful stares of the spitting crewmen.

CHAPTER 19

Friday, September 7, 9:15 p.m.

Standing in the dark and shadows cast by the wall of the neighboring building, Caden watched the swift approach of Timothy DeRocha. Hushed moonlight fell over the young man’s muted steps as he walked up the back alley running between the Society hall and the warehouse.

Caden grinned.
Such a punctual creature. Predictable like a timepiece.
Waiting until Mr. DeRocha was only a few steps away, Caden emerged from the shadows at the same moment Timothy DeRocha crossed his path.

“Doctor?” The young man stepped back. “You startled me. I thought you said you wanted to meet in your study.”

“Timothy,” Caden put his gloved hand on his shoulder. “I thought, perhaps, we could take a refreshing evening walk to air our differences. At our last meeting, you seemed so upset and I feel that I am somehow to blame for this misunderstanding that has come between us.” Caden removed his hand then slid both of them into the pockets of his long walking coat.

The young man stared at him, crimping the corner of his eyes, the curve of his lips falling. “You’ve caused me much distress, Doctor,” he said at length. “I want so much to believe in the purity and nobility of what you stand for, but your attentions toward Gabrielle . . .” 

He glanced over his shoulder and lowered his voice. “I did what you asked me to do. I managed to supply you with information from Arley’s private papers that were entrusted to me for safekeeping. I even took the pistol from Bret’s automobile for God’s sake because I agree that he’s a threat to any respectable person and himself.”

Timothy shook his head. “You promised to help endear me to Gabrielle forever by exposing Bret’s loathsome, immoral character but instead you ingratiate yourself to her father so that now all Arley can talk about is the ‘brilliant and forceful’ Doctor Caden Hellreich!”

“Please, Timothy,” Caden said in smooth, relaxed voice. “Calm yourself. Arley always speaks very highly of you too.” He gestured toward the small side street that intersected the alley just ahead. “Come, walk with me.”

Timothy hesitated for a moment and looked back to the main street. Several well-dressed couples strolled underneath the light of the lamppost by the alley entrance, laughing and enjoying a night out on the town. A group of drunken businessmen wobbled by after, yelling and slapping each other on the back.

“How can anyone have an intelligent conversation over the mindless commotion of the street?” Caden asked, raising his voice with authority. “There is a short cut I follow to the park when I take my walks. So much quieter and it affords me time to reflect on what is truly important in life.”

Timothy shifted his body around, his eyes, cautious, as if his decision rested on what the doctor would say next.

“To win a young woman’s heart takes time,” Caden assured him. “And with an exquisite woman like Gabrielle Caldwell, you cannot possibly expect—”

“I expect, sir, that your intentions be honorable.”

“And so they are, my friend. I have only the most respectful and principled proposal in mind for Miss Caldwell.”

“Proposal?” The young man’s mouth gaped like a startled primate as Caden led him lightly by the elbow back into the darkness of the alleyway.

“Yes, beyond reproach I can assure you.” They turned left at the southwest corner of the Society hall and walked beside the back wall of the building. 

One hundred feet ahead at the southeast corner was another alley leading back to the street on the left.
Like a mouse being led deeper and deep into the maze
, Caden couldn’t help but think
.

“I won’t stand for this, Doctor Hellreich. Explain yourself immediately.”

Caden put his arm around the shorter man’s shoulder as if he were counseling a student of the Society. “The reptilian nature of uncontrolled needs always forces less evolved individuals into a flight or fight reaction when, to a rational man, there is clearly no reason for either.” 

He glanced ahead to his right where the alley led to an eventual dead end behind an abandoned sawmill. “You are angry with me, Timothy, because I have kindled the spirit of free inquiry and skepticism in Gabrielle as I did in you.”

“No, I don’t object—”

“In truth, my friend,” Caden raised his head, imposing his height against the smaller man. “You are angry with yourself because you feel, somehow, you’ve failed to exert influence on Gabrielle by relying only on the simple virtue of your character, unaided by my . . . talents
.
”

Timothy stepped free of Caden’s hand and stopped near the Society hall’s rear exit door. “Don’t you understand? That’s all she talks about now when I call on her. It’s always about the Society’s work . . .
your work!
”

Caden smiled, empowered by the knowledge that this exceptional young woman was finally ready to receive his gift. “But Timothy, didn’t you say how much you appreciated her sharp mind and wit? It seems to me that now, you have so much more to talk about than before.”

“When you first told me about that disgusting incident involving Bret and a prostitute at Ichabod Weems’s place, I felt for certain Gabrielle would curse the day she first felt anything for that animal once she knew.” 

He kicked at the pieces of a broken brick near his shoes. “I was sure she would now appreciate the intentions of a real gentleman!” 

He ground a small piece under his heel. “Instead, she pities Bret and even hopes you might speak to him, help him find a path to ‘elevate his true nature.’ She quotes you, yet she doesn’t remember the last kind word I’ve said to her.” 

Timothy pointed at Caden as if disciplining a school boy. “I’m sorry, you left me no choice, Doctor, but to take matters into my own hands.”

Caden studied his subject with renewed curiosity. “But who knows what Gabrielle really feels? The knowledge of Bret McGowan’s perversions and whore mongering may be more than she can bear, considering her feelings for the man.”

Timothy turned to the doctor, his eyes, narrow and hard once more. “But whose perversions are we really speaking of,
Cade
? You don’t mind if I call you that, do you?”

Caden felt the familiar spiked cramp in his groin. He stepped back and slipped his gloved hands back into the pockets of his long coat. “My friend, a gentleman never ponders another’s unintelligible insinuation. It is too weak to deliver the intended force of insult, and hence, an embarrassment to both to pursue its explanation.”

Timothy puffed out his stocky chest. “Am I being too vague? Then please, let me clarify.” 

He gripped onto the lapels of his jacket with his stubby fingers. “How would the Caldwells feel about the ‘brilliant and forceful’ Doctor Hellreich if they knew it was your assistant, Edward Wallace, who had been at Weems’s den of depravity and engaging in the most unspeakable acts. There is even rumor that he may be involved in these horrendous night attacks on—”

Caden stopped him with a forceful wave of his hand. “If you are attempting to test my composure with ludicrous threats, you will find yourself at a distinct disadvantage, Mr. DeRocha.” 

Caden drew upon all his powers of self-composure to quell his racing heart.
How could this fool possibly know? He’s bluffing, trying to conceal his impotence when challenged by a superior man.
 

Withdrawing his gloved left hand, he flexed the muscles, leaving the right inside its pocket. “And considering the source of these accusations, the Caldwells would find no credence in them as I do.”

“A bottle of good brandy makes for quick friends with those who share it, even with those one might otherwise avoid. Someone like . . . Ichabod Weems, for instance.”

“Of what interest is that creature to me? Drunkards and lechers share much in common, including a natural gift for lying.”

“As do many respectable gentleman, wouldn’t you agree?” Timothy reached into his vest pocket and removed a photograph. “For all his faults, Mr. Weems is quite astute when it comes to protecting his own interests.” He handed Caden the picture.

Even in the faint moonlight, the person’s face was clear. Caden slumped and stepped back as if the wind had suddenly been knocked out of him. “Where did you get this?”

Timothy snatched the photograph out of his hand. “Mr. Weems’s reproduction cost me a considerable amount but in the end I’m certain it will pay off handsomely once Gabrielle sees it.” He fanned the air with the picture. “And I wonder what your neice will think. She looks quite stunning in the photograph, don’t you agree?”

Caden glanced away, perplexed and distracted by the absurdity of considering the possibility of wasting any more time on this troublesome, insignificant creature. 

So what if the interfering fool had managed to procure a photograph out of the lair and drunkard Weems? He would discipline Edward when he returned since his man had promised that all pictures had been destroyed. 

Caden indulged Edward his carnal proclivities as long as they served the greater purpose. He had to keep the man’s hunger for Rebecca in check until the proper time.
And what would this pompous imbecile know of that? No, it changes nothing.

He studied the look of smug satisfaction on the smaller man’s face. “How dare you speak of my assistant’s reputation in the same breath as some gutter-dwelling pornographer like Weems? Mr. Wallace is a gentleman of the highest moral virtue and courage.”

“That is not quite how the unfortunate young lady described him after she had sufficiently recovered from their
encounter
. She spotted your assistant entering the Society building. Mr. Weems had to pay for her silence or she would have gone to the police.” 

He raised his stocky chest as though trying to prop up superior poise with an inferior frame. “And all this, of course, has cost me considerably to keep Weems and the woman silent until I could present my terms to you.”

Caden wet his thin lips. The cool, night air now tasted clammy and dank with every rapid breath. Perhaps he had presumed too much and left more to impulse than intuition. 

He ran his finger around his shirt collar, conscious of the mounting perspiration and the tightness in his neck. The tension curled in the balled flesh of his fist was uncomfortable and out of place for his character. He extended the long fingers of his hand again, stretching the glove’s leather. “So, am I to assume that blackmail will follow?”

Timothy drooped forward ever so slightly as though being struck by an unexpected blow. He lowered his hands to his sides. “No one is talking about blackmail. I don’t care what a man does in private for gratification. All I want is for you to stop influencing Arley’s decisions and cease immediately in your intentions toward Gabrielle.”

Caden looked down at his shoe. A long scratch ran along the side of the new leather upper, ruining his best pair. He been so distracted by Mr. DeRocha’s underhanded tricks and craftiness that he had neglected to judge the best path to walk in the dark, the cruel irony of which now enraged him and reaffirmed his commitment to his plan. 

“To be honest, Tim, your motives elude me. Since Weems requires more money to reconfirm our original intentions then he shall receive it because the story serves all our needs. I’m satisfied because my niece has finally seen reason and ended her infatuation with this lying oil schemer.”

He looked up again, smiling, and took a step toward Timothy. “Why is this so difficult for you to comprehend? Regardless of her lingering feelings for the man, Arley Caldwell will never approve of
any
business relationship between his daughter and that social pariah while Gabrielle will always look upon Bret McGowan as nothing more than a wretched creature only worthy of her pity and shame.” 

He lowered his chin, fixing his unwavering gaze into the rapid blinking eyes of the smaller man. “Being an extraordinary woman, she is now free to fulfill the needs of her greater aspiration . . . and man.”

Timothy’s chest was heaving as though he had just completed strenuous labor. His open mouth appeared to gulp at the air as if there was not enough to share between the two of them. 

He raised his pudgy fist up to Caden’s nose and shook it. “Have you not been listening to what I’ve said? You stand here and ridicule my respect and love for Gabrielle to my
face
? I thought you were a noble man filled with high ideals, but . . . but you’re lower than the crimes your man, Wallace, will be charged with once I’ve spoken with the police.”

Caden felt the unwelcomed flush of humiliation warming his cheeks. He glanced down the alley to the left, then to the right, back the way they had entered.