“What don’t the boss like, your breath?”
“A wiseacre,” he said. Then he jammed his knee in my back. Sharp pain shot through my side and down my legs. “You’re lucky this is just a warning, you boot-licker. It’s your last one. You got that, Gadwell? Next time I won’t be so nice.”
He grabbed a fist of my hair and slammed my forehead against the door frame. As I sunk to the ground, I heard him leap from the porch and trot into the night.
I crawled inside and slept on the downstairs sofa clutching my father’s old rifle. The next morning I reported the incident. Other than a blinding headache and aching arm, proof of my tale is just a small cut over my left eyebrow. Seems my head is thick from years of bad reviews. A few greenbacks persuaded the police sergeant to patrol my street, but I jump at every creak and wasted a whole afternoon sighting targets. The henchman has nothing to fear.
Can I accuse Mr. Harting without evidence? Should I terminate my contract with Mr. Everett even when we have unfinished business? Above it all, I was likely attacked for a reason that no longer exists.
Twelve days ago I asked Mary to decide our fate but she is silent. Can I blame her? While she needed me to whisk her away into the sunshine, I buried myself in work. She is disappointed, which I fear is much worse than anger. So now I wait for Mary’s answer like a dying soldier watching his blood stain the innocent meadow. I should refrain from mentioning blood. It reminds me I must also figure out what to do before I no longer have two capable limbs for entering round the front of the house.
Thomas
March 24, 1889.
MR. EVERETT —
Upon further reflection, I am unable to keep treading water while you splash along the shore. Though my experiences are not as broad as the ones you claim for yourself, I have had my share of calluses and am unafraid of getting my shirt dirty.
In stopping to lay out the pieces of this puzzle, I was reminded of my thirteenth year, when I spent two summers at Weston Shoes. The company is owned by my good friend’s father, and they made, and still make, quality leather boots. Employment was arranged to instill an appreciation for hard work. I instead learned the definition of piercing the corporate veil and saw what happens to a man betrayed by someone he trusted.
Weston Shoes once advertised consistent leather coloration and so dried and cured their own leather. The tanyard took up the back of the factory, and as it was considered the lowest level of work, I was to start as a trimmer. My position, however, changed in a single breath.
During one of the many times you dodged bullets, blocked knife attacks, or outwitted police captains, did you happen upon a tanyard? Chemical vapors and dusting powders created the look of a misty day by the sea. Upon first sight, my eyes burned. When I stopped in front of two men using large brushes to apply a white powder to pale hides strung on lines, I found it hard to breathe.
As the foreman began explaining the process of drying the leather, he stopped mid-sentence and asked if I was well. I wanted to say I felt flushed, but my throat was so tight nothing came out. I tried to breathe but could muster just a short gasp. One of the men brushing powder dropped his bucket and hurried toward us. “Can’t you see he’s reacting to the talc!” he shouted.
The foreman grabbed my arm, shoved me back through the door, and dragged me to a stairwell where he deposited me on the bottom step to fetch me a glass of water. Within seconds my hands swelled and broke out in red bumps. The allergy was so severe I could not even withstand the talc residue on the leather.
That foreman’s name was Mr. MacIntyre. He later insisted I call him by his nickname, Mac.
Despite his limited background, Mac rose quickly through the ranks to serve as the plant’s general foreman. He oversaw every area of the factory, and upon witnessing my allergic reaction, he knew I would never work in the tanyard. A young man incapable of working with the hides faced a worse fate. Thus began my labor as an office clerk.
As you mentioned in our meeting, important paperwork has a way of surfacing. That you are still watching for bubbles is baffling. Nevertheless, I too found advantage in paying attention to details, and since my job required stamping and filing, I saw every piece of paper that passed through the factory. From the beginning, Mac kept a close watch on my work. His manner left the impression he was taking me under his wing; however, he never counted on my intelligence. You see, Mr. Everett, I have been underestimated before.
I learned about payables, receivables, and supply orders. The more I learned, the more I grew interested in reading the documents I stamped. Mac explained any missing inventory as normal shortages and trivialized minor accounting discrepancies. This worked for a time. Still, my regard for Mac could not overshadow what I saw on a daily basis. At every opportunity, Mac ingratiated himself with Mr. Weston. Mr. Weston trusted Mac, but my father warned me about men who smile too wide. It turned out Mr. MacIntyre finagled himself into a position to embezzle thousands. Mr. Weston was crushed.
Do you see any similarities? A man with little experience elevated to a powerful position without justification. My blunder was not suspecting this sooner. I am distracted, but you, Mr. Everett, have little excuse. You must pursue this same line of reasoning. If Kennard has aligned himself with Mr. Harting for illicit purposes, he must be stopped before he can harm the Harting family. Embezzlers leave paper trails, Mr. Everett. One even a teenager found.
Sincerely,
Thomas M. Gadwell
March 28, 1889.
DEAR AVERY —
Sleep eludes me and with good reason. Last night there were strange noises in the stable. The previous night I know someone was skulking by the back door. Before you send for a doctor, months of living in my imagination is not playing tricks on me. I could show you the bruise from where I was held against a door. Never mind. You have no reason to believe one of my tales. To answer your question, yes, I am still working.
Thomas
March 31, 1889.
MY DARLING MARY —
I opened your letter with trembling hands then nearly tore it in half from delight. That you want me in your future no matter the reprisal from your family restores my faith in love. We will continue to pray for your father’s blessing, but at last we can stroll in the sunshine among honorable folks. I am surprised we shall stroll together so soon.
Have I told you I am in love with a brilliant woman? Even if you had mentioned your family’s acquaintance with Mrs. Winchester I never would have thought of it. I bow to your cunning. Your arrangement to spend a few months in Newport as Mrs. Winchester’s companion has made my visit to Cousin Penelope look like the work of a novice. Am I right to fear you will use your wily ways on me? I think you already have.
Mary, you also alluded there is something you need to tell me. Does it have something to do with your father? I know this has been difficult. Once we are again together, maybe you will find it easier to tell me about Kansas and what happened. If it helps, you are not alone in your desire to air the rugs. Just last night I, at last, learned why my father overlooks Fowler’s many shortcomings.
Again confronted with a man slumped upon my doorstep pining the loss of an imaginary dog, I invited Fowler inside for strong coffee. Even through his slurred and meandering speech, I understood. Fowler was Father’s paid substitute for the war. For eight hundred dollars and the promise of a job, Fowler fulfilled my father’s military commitment. I do not know why that surprised me; I should be used to my father’s lies by now.
How nerves have driven me to absurd tangents when you arrive in just a few days. I am uneasy with your arrival after dark and shall be at Mrs. Winchester’s side when your steamer docks. My role as escort is not open for debate. Also, I should warn of Mrs. Winchester’s growing quirks. Of late, she is often more than a bit eccentric. Just the other day she discharged the upstairs maid for not watering the silk topiaries. Still, overall I believe she is harmless.
My dearest, my delirium is proven. This letter will never reach you before you leave. Instead of mailing it I shall place it in your hands like a dimwit—an overjoyed dimwit.
Sealed with love,
Thomas
March 31, 1889.
AVERY —
For what purpose would you endure driving sleet and a temperamental artist? The new book is incomplete, and I prefer you wait until it is whole before tearing it apart. So when shall I expect you? I leave you to hire a carriage and navigate the unmarked streets on your own. Be warned I have no intention of playing host and am of the mind to kick you out without shame.
Must you really see me right away? Your timing is deplorable.— T.G.
