Chapter Six

The third day since the telegram brought an injunction against the Barkleys. It forbade them from drilling or taking possession of the land until legal issues were settled. The legal developments came on the fourth day.

"Thirty—FOUR, I tell you 34 injunctions were filed against Beaufort Shipping and Barkley Sierra in six different counties with six different judges. " bellowed Nick in the study.

"Jarrod better gets here soon or Crown will be missing his damned head."

"Nicholas, stop shouting!" Victoria swiftly entered the room. "The children are upstairs. Camellia is reading Tab a story as Katarina bathes the twins. They found the mud by the corral...again."

She looked over at Elizabeth and Isabella on the couch with the stack of papers. Wide-eyed and overwhelmed to say the least. Heath had his hand protectively on Isabella's shoulder behind them.

"Elizabeth, look at me." She looked up at Heath behind the couch. "My brother Jarrod is one of the finest lawyers in the country. He will get this straightened out."

"A full title search by an independent company, a financial statement of Benson Oil, Beaufort Shipping and all the Barkley holdings, all bank records of anyone doing business with the three companies this year are all being subpoenaed" read Elizabeth.

"We are being charged with coercion of the auction house financial personnel, fraud, forgery, interstate shipping violations and a couple of other charges I don't even understand. There is a cease and desist of operations for the shipping company for 60 days until the case is heard."

Victoria shook her head in disbelief. "There isn't a word of truth there and lots of innocent people will suffer if you can't ship their goods in a timely manner and pay your vendors."

"I know. I hope your brother can make a plan. My sister and I will be fine but my employees won't." Her voice wavered for only a moment.

The next shoe proverbially dropped at dusk. The livery company delivered the ladies' trunks from the Occidental Hotel to the house. They had been checked out from the establishment signed by an unknown Beaufort Shipping employee, their bill paid and all of their items packed in their trunks that they left behind.

"Ladies, your trunks are here. Would you like the liverymen to take them upstairs? asked Silas on the porch.

Isabella came outside and was joined by Nick and Elizabeth.

Nick grabbed a bag, "Where ya want them? I would have sent someone to get them if I had known they were coming".

"I didn't ask for them, Nick. I didn't send an employee to pack us up.", she looked frightened.

Nick put his arm around her and hugged her. "It's ok, sugar. We are going to fix all of this."

"Thank you, Nick." and she allowed him to walk her inside.

"Katarina, why don't you talk Elizabeth and Isabella into helping with those hellions of ours while we get these trunks upstairs. I don't know what we were thinking with three kids in three years."

Heath answered, "I don't think it was "thinking" Nick that created that loud crew." with a wink.

Katarina smiled at Heath and understood Nick wanted to distract Elizabeth. "Can we hire Cammie? She's a wonderful Nanny."

Everyone weakly laughed at Nick's attempt to relieve the stressful moment. Elizabeth went with Katarina and Isabella went to show the men where the trunks could go. Victoria followed her.

"Let me help you, my dear."

Victoria helped Isabella unpack the trunks. There were no business documents in the trunks to Isabella's dismay. That was proof in itself that this was a deliberate move.

Victoria pulled out two ball gowns and laid them on the bed to help knock the wrinkles out.

"These are lovely. French silk?"

She smiled as she picked up a well-loved doll at the bottom of the case. A piece of paper was folded in the doll's arms. She unfolded it, read it and quickly put the note into her pocket as Isabella put up their shoes on the closet shelf.

"I am glad Elle likes to travel light for once."

Victoria took the note downstairs and poured herself a double sherry. She wished Jarrod were already here to help her know what to do.

Elizabeth or Isabella did not look like they could take one more revelation today.

She would talk to Jarrod about the threatening note. One more day or so wouldn't hurt.

Nick already had the whole ranch under lock and key.

The railway had pulled out all the stops to get this land. Would they stop at nothing to get their way?

"What do you mean, you can't find the original signed deed? I told you I wanted it! It had to be in the shipping office or the hotel room! She was going to Monterey according to the hotel clerk and now you say Stockton!. A woman does not leave every business paper she has in her office or hotel room to go on vacation and take one deed with her. It had to be there! When she left town, she thought it was all done. Why would it be on her person? The lawyer said it was in the shipping office before we sent him on his way to Denver. You did intercept the one headed to Barkley's right? How did we not know she was going to Stockton? Two days later!." exploded Crown and Jordan simultaneously yelling comments at their lackey.

"You completely searched the shipping office?"

"Yes sir. We blew open the office safe too. Lots of cash. We took that to look like a robbery. I paid the men with it."

"Sirs, I think we played one more ace. We took that rumor from that disgruntled, drunk wharf worker and left it with the brat's doll. If it's true, she will bolt. If it's a lie, she will ignore it and concentrate on the injunctions. We win either way if the plan is to make them miserable."

"We have the sworn statement of the auction house that she defrauded them of commission. She sure made a mistake paying them in cash. If she wants that settled, she will have to bargain out the deed with us. I am just thankful by the time this plays out, Jarrod Barkley will still be screwing around in Manhattan playing fancy lawyer. He can't make it here in time and he is the only lawyer with the bollocks to take us on in the state. We have to work fast. Any judge with a bleeding heart may start throwing out those injunctions one by one. That is why we filed them in six districts. We will file continuances of course but it all will be thrown out as frivolous eventually.We have to bluff and bluff hard. Hit them in the pocketbooks and their families. I am betting the women don't have a stomach for it. The Barkleys are always itching for a fight and we know how that turns out." yelled the red-faced Crown.

"A thousand people may have shown up for his funeral but he is still dead and we are still running the railroad." spat Hannibal Jordan.