Chapter 4 (of 5) – Mine Your Own Business (Diggle)

Never trust geniuses with regular old road maps. That was a the lesson John Diggle learned as he pulled the van to a stop in front of a rotting wooden sign declaring the name of the virtual ghost town spread out before them to be Gold City. Jinkies and Zoinks, as he tended to think of Felicity and Barry whenever they went into full-on clueless egghead mode, had insisted that they were not lost. The spooky little town before them, miles off their intended route proved otherwise. He inhaled deeply and breathed out slowly as he listened to Roy needle them about how very off course they were. The three of them were close to being on his last nerve and Dig was thankful that Oliver was pretending to be asleep and not adding to cacophony of pointless noise in the van.

"Lost or not lost," he ground out stopping their banter, "it's getting late and I refuse to spend another night in the van. Hotel, meal, a decent night's sleep and we'll start fresh in the morning." Though he left it unsaid, Diggle thought, with a different navigator because there was no way he was trusting directions to either Felicity or Barry again unless GPS was involved. Even then he'd be a little leery because he wouldn't put it pass Felicity to hack into the damn thing to make course corrections as she saw fit. Driving them off a cliff and into the Grand Canyon or some other gorge was a very likely possibility if that were to ever happen.

The hotel they found wasn't of the traditional variety. It was a ranch house the owner, Big Ben, converted into a motel in hopes of staying afloat and keeping the property. Diggle questioned the appeal of the town and the building, though he understood the need to care for family and all Ben had left of his was their homestead.

As he checked them in, a storm rolled in – loud bangs of thunder and flashes of lightening without the promising smell of rain for the dried out soil – and Ben told them an abbreviated history of Gold City. For a time, back in the 1840s, it had been a prosperous haven in the middle of the dessert that surround them, so named for what at the time seemed to be an endless vein of gold discovered nearby.

"By 1863 the vein dried up," he explained as he walked them towards their rooms. "The town chugged along for a bit, but prospectors left as new veins were found and seeing how the town is off the beaten path more folks tended to leave than stay and not many came a calling to make it their new home."

"We had a reassurance in the 50s, made it a kind a tourist attraction for families to visits with horseback riding and gold panning, living the pioneer life, but as the adventure of great American road trip turned into destination visits to Disneyland our visitors petered off again," he said sadly.

"And those we've had since have all been run off by the Miner 49'er," Ben's assistant, Hank, who was helping them carry their bags offered.

"Don't go selling that malarkey now, son," Ben admonished, his cheerful face falling in a frown, making the wrinkles that lined it more pronounced.

"Nope, not getting sucked into another ghost story," Roy exclaimed and bolted into the room Ben had been opening with his duffle slung over his shoulder. "Thanks," he told the man as he snaked the key from him before shutting the door in all their faces.

"That boy needs a lesson in manners," Ben remarked. "It's ladies first."

"We're working on it, but it's all right," Felicity said as she beamed up at him. "In fact, I'd love to hear the story about the Miner 49'er." Frank did a little dance, dropping the bags he'd been carrying and started in on the tale. Diggle let loose a soft groan because he knew there was no way he'd be getting tucked into his room with cowboy lunch pail – the only food Ben had to offer this evening – until Frank got done weaving his story. Knowing Felicity as he did, he suspected they wouldn't be hitting the road first thing in the morning as planned; they'd be sticking around to investigate.

As he listened to the wiry man wax poetic about the ghost of an old prospector haunting the shutdown mine still looking for gold, Diggle wondered if it was time to talk to Oliver about cutting off funds for investigations that didn't pay. They were supposed to be a detective agency not ghostfacers or whatever the supernatural investigators from that show Paranormal Felicity made him watch called themselves, or maybe that was paranormal sleuths from the show Supernatural. Either way the fact that he was thinking about that instead of grabbing a quick bite before sleeping was enough for him to gruffly, but politely interrupt Frank and ask for his room key.

He offered a stiff, "Good night," to the group as Ben handed him the key and nodded to the second door to the left.

"Dig," Felicity breathed out as he moved by her. "In the morning," he replied, though seeing the concerned look on her face, he offered her a tight smile, letting her know that he was just tired and everything would be fine in the morning.


Over coffee and biscuits the next morning Felicity insisted staying wasn't about investigating the Miner 49'er. "Ben and I talked after everyone else turned in for the night and he loves this place, John." The use of his first name got him; Felicity rarely used it, saving it for times when she was trying to express something important. "And it's dying. We can't stop that, I know that, but I know how much it would mean to him for the town to have visitors again – accidental or not. So if you all agree," she continued sweeping her gaze around the table, briefly meeting the eyes of each of their teammates, "I'd like us to play tourist today and spend another night before we get back on the road."

Oliver was ready to crumble at the imploring look on her face, though Diggle expected the other man to say yes to any request Felicity had because it was her asking. That he managed to hold back and defer to him, because he was the one who truly would be answering for all of them in this case and they all understood that, impressed him.

He knew there was no ulterior motive to Felicity's request. This was not an end-run around his bad mood from yesterday, it was a genuine appeal because she'd been charmed by the aging man they'd met last night and wanted to give a bit of happiness. It had been the same when she met him at the VA a few years ago. He'd been volunteering his time working with recently return vets, with men who were still trapped in the dark place he'd just managed to crawl out of and she'd been using her computer expertise to improve the performance of the computer lab the VA made available. She had literally bumped into him one day, spilling his paperwork and babbled at him the whole time she'd helped him collect and re-correlate it. Somehow that had turned into lunch at Big Belly Burger, which became a standing weekly lunch date after her work in the lab was completed. Without him realizing it, she had become a constant in his life and when he'd asked her about it the first time she'd thrown out the idea of her traveling detective agency Felicity told him that he seemed like he needed a friend. And he had. She had seen his need and filled it because that's who she was a person, she helped people. Giving a day to Ben, to tell his stories and show off what mattered to him, wasn't much to ask and seeing how the old man's eyes shone as he talked last night he knew it would mean the world to him.

If had been about solving the Miner 49'er mystery Diggle might have tried to talk her out of it, hell he might have even been successful, but this … this wasn't something he wanted to say no to. Though it didn't mean he couldn't get a concession out of it that would save him from future aggravation. "You promise to never navigate again and you've got yourself a deal."

She pouted momentarily and Oliver and Roy chiming in with their weight behind the request caused her to roll her eyes, before a grin broke out across her face and she stuck out her hand. "Deal." Chuckling, Dig clasped her hand and they shook on it.

That is how, a half an hour later, the team found themselves mounting horses for a tour of the town. Roy had trouble seating himself as he was too preoccupied with staring at him and Oliver who had been the first to mount. "What you've never seen a man on a horse before?" he shot the question at a gaping Roy to break him from his stupefied state.

The boy sputtered and strangled out a laugh. "It's seeing you both on horses and that," he replied nodding to Oliver who was expertly seated on an old grey mare, "they can actually hold your weight, err … muscle mass. The real question is what the hell am I doing on a horse?" he opined as he locked his knees tighter against his horse's flanks causing the to animal jump. Only the sturdy grip of Big Ben kept the animal from racing off with the younger man on its back.

"Ease up, lad," the old cowboy instructed. "Just like with a lady, treat the animal with gentleness and respect." While Ben was calming both rider and horse, he overheard Felicity confide to Barry. "I'm afraid of horses, which is something I just learned. Not an ideal time to discover that about myself, but in my defense I never knew they were that huge. Like really huge," she repeated throwing her arms wide and stretching her fingers out as long as they would go to mirror the size of the horses they'd be riding.

"No time like the present to face your fears," Barry replied. Felicity whined his name, but when Ben was ready to help seat the next rider he pushed her forward. She dragged her feet, but when Ben held out his hand, she forced a smile and took the last few steps with a sure stride.

"Nellie here, named after Nellie Bly, is our very best. You be kind and she'll give you an easy ride," he promised having clearly picked up on her distress. It took two tries for Felicity to get her leg up and over the saddle, but after she mounted she leaned over and whispered into the horse's ear while making eye contact with her. Diggle watched as the spotted mare swished its tail, as if they'd come to an accord, before Felicity eased back in the saddle and Nellie walked from the mounting area with a practiced grace, rider and animal in perfect sync.

Barry was all gangly appendages as he got seated, but he was at least more graceful than Roy had been. Once he was settled, Ben and Frank saddled up quickly, their comfort with the animals and they with them illustrated by their sure and smooth movements. Ben took up the head of their caravan; he roped Roy to his horse so if the skittish rider spooked his mare he wouldn't be able to get far. Behind him was Felicity, followed by Oliver, Barry, and then himself with Frank taking up the rear. Ben spoke loud enough so his voice carried all the way back to him and it was evident to him that the old man was pleased to be pointing out the crumbling features of his town, telling the story of Gold City in its heyday.

Their ride lasted a little over an hour and everyone save Ben, Frank and Oliver walked awkwardly at its conclusion. They'd been introduced to the smattering of holdouts like Ben who still inhabited the town during their excursion and been invited to the saloon for lunch. Since they needed to work out the kinks and had a bit a time to kill before lunchtime they walked the main street of the town, poking their heads into the old buildings. Felicity snapped a picture with her camera phone of Roy and Barry behind bars at the old jail. "Always knew I'd end up here," Roy had joked as he closed the cell door moments before she'd taken the picture. Barry had slung his arm over his hoodie clad shoulders, making a comment about him at least having decent company this time and the two had grinned like fools. "Definitely a keeper," Felicity declared.

She prodded him and Oliver into posing outside the saloon before they entered and the owner was happy to take a group shot of them with the player piano – its sudden burst of music had startled Felicity when they first arrived – before they sat down for lunch. As they ate their meal the wind picked up, knocking a tree branch against one of the saloon windows repeatedly. Diggle was amazed that the glass held up and didn't shatter at the force as the pounding resonated throughout building with each thump.

They finished their meal in a hurried fashion to escape the racket. The wind persisted and little cyclones of dirt danced around them as they made their way back towards Ben's. He'd promised them a poker game that afternoon once he got his chores done. They'd offered to help, but the man insisted they enjoy the town. There wasn't much to seen or do, but they did stop and play at the panning for gold setup that was still in working order. They only found chips of invaluable rocks and the odd button, but they'd playfully splashed water on each other all in the name of ridding themselves of horse smell.

After being stuck in the van for days getting a little too close for everyone's comfort, it was good to get in a bit of relaxation, like they meant to take at Rocky Pointe Beach. If Diggle knew he'd be jinxing himself thinking that, he would have prevented his thoughts from going there. The day turned upon their arrival back at ranch house. Barry let out a yelp when the image of man with a large cowboy hat covering all but his nose, a bushy grey beard covering the rest of his face appeared in the mirror in great room they'd been set to meet Ben in for poker. Jumping back from the sight, he rammed into the cigar-store Indian statute Ben had decorating the room, it teetered and settled back into place, but not before a yellowing piece of paper dislodged and floated down to the floor.

Even as he scooped up the piece of paper, which turned out to be a map of Gold City, Diggle knew their carefree day was coming to a screeching halt.


The map had a set of numbers scribbled on it and Oliver's offhanded comment about the safe he found when exploring the ranch house before breakfast led them to trying the combination to open it. Upon opening the door-sized safe they found a rickety old elevator. There had been grumblings and a debate about the prudence of riding it, but curiosity won the day, and Diggle found himself squashed into the tiny mechanism that ended up lowering them down directly into the old mine.

After a terrifying incident where Roy tried to light an old stick of dynamite, thinking it was candle, they managed to explore a section of the mine in relative safety. The excited banter of his friends dried up upon the sight of – Diggle hated to say the Miner 49'er – but the usually tall (taller than both Oliver and himself) figure clothed in brown pants, a long-sleeve blue top and black waistcoat accompanied by a face mostly hidden by a ridiculous large cowboy hat and bushy beard; until they knew otherwise he couldn't help but think of the specter that chased them with a pick ax down the shaft to a set of rail cars as anything than the Miner 49'er.

The figure did not pursue them as they followed the track up and what seemed to be out of the old mine. As they trudged through the shaft Felicity lamented over the fact that Frank had been right, what few visitors Gold City received had been chased away. She came to an abrupt stop as her feet touched the sunlight creeping through boarded off entrance they'd been herded towards. "We have to put a stop to this for Ben."

The other men looked at him to argue this with Felicity, but Dig couldn't help feel indignation on Ben's behalf. The man was trying to eke out a living and perverse something that meant the world to him. That someone was preventing him from doing that angered him.

"I saw a wire, fairly new compared to the rest of this place a while back. I think we should start there," he declared earning a radiant grin from Felicity and looks of shock and consternation from the rest of the team. As she bounded back down the shaft, she stopped before him and bounced on her tip-toes to throw her arms around his neck. Embracing him she said, "You're the best man I know, Dig."

He smoothed a hand up and down her back, returning her affection. "Enough of the mushy stuff," he said easing back. Dig cast a sharp eye, quieting any complaints that the others might have made. When he was certain there would be no argument he instructed Felicity to, "Lead the way."


The wire ended up leading to a carved out room in a branched off corridor of the main shaft of the mine. Inside it was everything the Miner needed – a tape recorder, a microphone and loudspeaker setup, and an extra costume –to fake the haunting of Gold City and the mine. And on a more disturbing note they found a cache of jarred crude oil. Diggle knew nothing good could come from that.

His eggheads could be pretty crafty when they put their minds to it and using what they found Barry and Felicity constructed a slightly brilliant, definitely way over the top plan to draw out the Miner. Making use of Roy's formerly hidden talent (known only to Felicity) to mimic various noises they decided to spook the specter by making it seem as if a freight train was barreling through the tunnel. All it took was a flashlight, the microphone and loudspeaker setup and Roy's uncanny ability to make authentic sounding train noises while he and Oliver pushed him in a railcar.

It had all been going according to plan. The noise drew the Miner to the tracks and they'd been chasing him down when something tripped, with a barely audible click over Roy's noises, on the track and the railcar picked up speed and sailed away from them. It hurtled down the tracks and the only thing that saved the Miner from being crushed beneath it was Roy dangerously tilting the car, forcing it off the tracks. The lithe twenty-something was able to crouch and roll safely out of the car. It continued its skid, knocking into the Miner and driving him through a rotting wooden closet that had been built in the shaft.

As the team rushed to the scene Dig saw that the Miner's boots had come off during the collision and a long set of stilts were attached to a pair of dangling feet. He stepped over the debris and used the firm press of his left foot to hold the man down while Roy, Barry, and Oliver shuffled the wreckage off of him. The Miner only began to squirm when Felicity went to tug the hat off his head. His leather glove clad hands clamped down over the brim, keeping the hat firmly in place. Not to be deterred, Felicity tangled a hand through the beard and pulled. A loud and drawn out, "Noooooooo," was shouted in a familiar voice.

"Frank," Felicity gasped, her sapphire eyes went wide with disappointment while her brow furled in worry. Dig knew as well as the rest of them that Frank's betrayal would be a blow to Big Ben. They all cringed as Felicity began scolding the man with her loud voice. Her words echoed up and down the chute, making their ears hurt. It did the trick though. Frank confessed that while the mine was exhausted of gold he'd found that the area where the gold had dried up was sitting over an oil reserve. He'd hoped scaring everyone off would let him buy the land cheaply and allow him to exploit his find without having to share it with anyone else.

Once his intentions were out, Felicity punched the man hard in the shoulder. The way she shook her hand after throwing the punch let Diggle know she hurt herself more than Frank, but he understood the sentiment. As she was telling the man that, "You should be ashamed of yourself," he figured it was time to give both her and Barry a few basic self-defense lessons. Though he planned on being there so they'd never need to see to their own defenses, knowing how to properly throw a punch would come in handy when facing future situations like this one. Diggle had no illusions; he knew that they would face circumstances like this again.