The Night of the Erroneous Conclusion
"Artemus Gordon is not a traitor." This conviction was uttered with such an intense forcefulness that it was obvious that any attempt at disagreement with the speaker was utterly futile. The steeliness was apparent, not only in the tone of his voice, but even in the very glint of his eyes, foretelling of dire consequences to any opposition.
"Be sensible, Jim. Look at the facts," his adversary replied, "Two days ago Mr. Gordon disappeared along with the packet of sensitive government documents he was carrying. He had been seen earlier that very day in the company of a known foreign agent. You found, but cannot explain, a rather large sum of money hidden in his bedroom." He indicated a stack of bills sitting on the desk. "Mr. Gordon's loyalty is severely in question right now."
"Colonel, I'm sure there is a logical explanation for all of this, but only he can explain it. I'm just asking for the chance to go find my partner before you send any troops after him."
"Don't think I am unsympathetic to your situation," the older officer commiserated with a slightly sarcastic smile, "Judging by the large amount of money he was hiding, Mr. Gordon may have been pulling the proverbial wool over all our eyes for years."
"Excuse me sir," Jim responded in a tone that reverberated with the slender thread of patience he still held, "but we are wasting precious time; time that I could be using to find Artie and the missing documents." He spun on his heel towards the stable car, but his superior's next words stopped him in his tracks and he turned to face his nemesis once more.
"Frankly Mr. West, time is a commodity your partner has run out of. If he had fallen ill or lost a horseshoe as you suggested earlier, why hasn't he telegraphed the Bureau, or at least you, to explain the delay? I'm sorry, but with our country's security in jeopardy, I have already issued orders to arrest Gordon on sight, using force if necessary."
"Grant won't sanction that order," Jim shot back with barely controlled hostility, "He trusts Artie as I do and knows Artemus would never betray his country or his president."
"Have some respect for your superiors Mr. West. President Grant is very anxious about this state of affairs. Among the missing documents is a secret trade agreement with an allied nation. There could be a great deal of unpleasantness if Mr. Gordon's foreign friends were to get their hands on it. Because of this delicate situation, I've been given carte blanche to deal with the perpetrator of this crime as I see fit."
"I don't believe that a crime has been committed," Jim railed back, "Now unless you are prepared to arrest me, I'm going to find my partner," Jim's eyes reflected his unspoken threat of retaliation if Artemus was found harmed. Diverting his gaze, the Colonel stepped aside as the agent passed by on his way to saddle his horse.
"Jim…" a weak voice behind him halted his progress towards the back door. He whirled around, blanching as his missing partner staggered through the door chased by two burly soldiers. Artie's arm was held awkwardly at his side and blood was dripping from several locations on his battered body. He was dressed in some type of gypsy costume, with his wig all askance and pieces of fake beard peeling from his bruised face.
"Keep away from him," West growled as he started forward towards the intruders, conscious of the soldiers and their as of yet, undrawn weapons. He was surprised when their superior nodded his acquiescence and the soldiers stepped back from their prey. He lifted the semi-conscious agent and strode purposefully towards the gold upholstered sofa.
"Let me send for a doctor," Jim requested, as he laid his partner down gently on the soft cushions. He stole a glance at the older officer's face and was surprised to see what looked like compassion flit across the hardened features only to be replaced by a mask of suspicion.
"Major Stone, tell the troops to stand down and send someone to fetch Doctor Lake." As the two soldiers who had been chasing Artie exited the car, the Colonel acknowledged their salutes and returned his gaze to the wounded prisoner.
"No….I don't have them…" muttered Artemus as he began to thrash around, pain filled moans echoing throughout the railroad car. Jim knelt by the sofa, shaking him gently to awaken him from the throes of his nightmares. He was rewarded with two bleary brown eyes staring up at him.
"Of course I am relieved that Mr. Gordon has been found, but now can we focus on the whereabouts of the missing documents?" queried the Colonel, impatience coloring his purposeful movement towards the injured agent.
"Papers…safe…" Artemus gasped in confusion to the two men, as it became painfully apparent that an injury to ribs was constricting his breathing. "Was being followed… mission details compromised …used a distraction to slip the package to one of Secretary Fish's aides…should be back in the White House by now… "
"Quite a story Mr. Gordon, but one that is easily verified." Two sets of eyes followed the Colonel's progress to the telegraph and each mentally decoded the query he sent. Jim turned to study Artemus' face and satisfied at the sincerity and truthfulness he found there, nodded reassuringly to his partner and resumed scrutinizing their pacing supervisor. Artie's eyes fluttered shut at that sign of trust, knowing that Jim would protect him, if need be, even from their own government.
"Remarkable," their superior exclaimed half an hour later as he pondered the telegraphed response he had just received. The disappearance of the package had quickly been resolved when the aide, hearing of the missing documents, opened the mysterious package that had been unceremoniously shoved into his hands by a gypsy in a hotel lobby two days prior. The Colonel shook his head in disbelief at the turn of events. Regret flickered across his face as he watched Major Stone escort Doctor Lake into the parlor car to check on the wounded agent.
"Sprained right wrist, two cracked ribs, several cuts and contusions and a minor concussion," the doctor relayed after a thorough examination, "He needs several days of undisturbed rest so I'm leaving a number of pain medication packets. Be sure he takes them as needed. Send for me at once if he begins running a fever or if he falls unconscious and you are unable to rouse him." Both men nodded their understanding as Doctor Lake was escorted out by one of the soldiers.
"The President has arranged for the two of you to stay here in Washington through the end of the month. When Mr. Gordon is up to it, President Grant wants to hear the story personally. A certain foreign ambassador needs to be deported as soon as possible," the Colonel headed for the door, pausing only briefly after his guards had exited, "Tell Artemus I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions." He acknowledged Jim's tight lipped expression with a guilty nod as he closed the door behind him.
"Under the circumstances Artie, I'd take his apology as a victory of sorts," Jim confided several days later as he relayed the story to his slowly recovering partner.
"Victory? " Artie snorted from the comfort of the sofa, "I can only hope this incident will teach the Colonel to wait before rushing to judgment." Jim had listened with growing dismay as Artie related that several of his injuries had been sustained in fleeing pursuit from some of the Colonel's own troops; troops that he mistakenly trusted, thinking they had been sent to aid him after his escape from his foreign captors.
"While we were searching for clues to your whereabouts, I found a rather large sum of money in your room," the younger agent mentioned nonchalantly, fanning the stack of bills he had unlocked from the desk drawer. There was a deeper unasked question hidden in that simple statement; one that could make or break not only a partnership, but lay waste to a strong abiding brotherhood that had withstood all outside forces.
"Xavier Colon," Artie answered without hesitation, the ring of truth echoing in his voice. He continued his explanation at Jim's blank stare, "You remember, my shipbuilding friend in Clayton, New York? I loaned him some money last year to build his first shop. He repaid the loan last week, but I haven't had an opportunity to deposit it in the bank, so I hid it in my room."
"You could've shared this with me," Jim replied in mock exasperation as he stood and expertly rolled the kinks from his neck and shoulders, "The Colonel tried to convince me that you had been selling out state secrets for years." The younger agent walked towards the window, peering out the curtain. "By the way, you haven't finished telling me how you escaped from the embassy. Artie…Artie?" Jim turned back towards the sofa, his face etched with concern for his partner's lack of response.
"Zzzzzz," was Artie's reply. Jim smiled in relief as he walked over to tuck the red plaid blanket tightly around Artemus' shoulders and picking up a newspaper, returned to a nearby chair to resume vigil over his slumbering partner.
Note: Hamilton Fish was President Grant's Secretary of State from 1869-1877.
Xavier Colon was a shipbuilder in Clayton, NY. He built his first shop in 1871.
Posted to WWW forum 10/21/08