Almost done with the semester! And getting closer to the end of this fic!

Chapter 44: Rhodes

"Arthur, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, Annabelle," Arthur said. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thankfully. I blame the saloon food."

Arthur chuckled, putting down his journal. He was writing a letter to Hamish to tell him of his latest fishing adventure with Hosea and Dutch. He knew Hamish would appreciate that he actually caught some fish, and he wanted to thank Hamish for everything he did. He included his new address, too.

"What do you need?" Arthur asked.

She hesitated, then said, "I'm worried about this town we've found ourselves in. I've never been to Lemoyne, but I've heard stories. And with these two plantation families, well, I'm worried about some members of gang going into town."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Me. Tilly, Lenny, Charles… maybe even Javier, though I'm not entirely sure. We're not safe down here."

"Is it still like that?" Arthur asked. "Out west-"

"Tilly said something to me, well, it was private, but essentially she's worried about the area," Annabelle said. "I've already talked to Dutch and Susan, so they know not to give any of them a hard time for not contributing money from outside camp as much, but…"

She glanced over to Dutch, and that's when Arthur realized the second part of the problem. There was Micah, chatting with Dutch outside his tent. Dutch had a book open in his lap and looked mildly annoyed to be interrupted by Micah, but not enough to send him away. "That idiot better not be giving Dutch any more ideas."

Annabelle sighed. "You know he's been trying to get into Dutch's good graces since Blackwater. And getting arrested in Strawberry."

"So, you think he is trying to take the lead on these plantation families?"

"I overheard him. He just keeps saying how it's a good idea and that he trusts Dutch to make the right decisions… you know, trying to influence him again."

"As long as it doesn't work," Arthur said. "Dutch does want me to check out the Gray plantation. Maybe I'll do that today, after I go to the post office."

"Thank you, Arthur," Annabelle said. "I would much prefer if you were the one guiding Dutch on this job than that asshole."

Arthur breathed in deep, trying to calm the anxiety around getting involved with a robbery. "Of course, Annabelle."

He didn't want to talk to the Grays, not after the bad impression he got of the family from Archibald. But it was that, or let Micah run the show. The gang needed him to be involved.

He'd much rather be hunting with his son.

He finished his letter, waving to Dutch as he headed out before getting ready to leave himself. "Hey Isaac," he called to his son as he passed the main fire. "What are you up to?"

"Charles is teaching me how to make better arrows," Isaac said, barely looking up from his work.

"Looks good," Arthur said. "Hey, maybe you and Charles can check out some big animals that Hosea told me about. Well, it's the map he gave me after bear incident."

"Really?" Isaac said, sitting up. "Can all three of us do it? Together?"

"We'll see. Dutch wants me to check out the town, but I suppose after I'll have time," Arthur said.

"Okay."

"Hey, I'm sending a letter to Hamish. Want to include anything?"

"Sure!" Isaac said, putting down the arrows and running to his tent.

"Is that the guy with the cabin up in the mountains?" Charles asked.

"Yep."

"The hunter who has a vendetta against a fish?"

"The same," Arthur said with a laugh.

"Hey, later, do you want to… what's going on over there?"

Arthur turned in the direction Charles was pointing. Susan was in a shouting match with Sadie Adler, and knives were being drawn. "Excuse me," Arthur said, wandering over to them. "What the hell is going on?"

Susan ignored him. "I told you that you'll be working with Mr. Pearson!"

"And I told you I'm going hunting!" Sadie said.

"You will do as you're told!" Susan said, going for Sadie's ear. Probably to drag her over to Pearson's supply wagon, just like she used to when she dragged Mac to the wash barrel. But Sadie wasn't Mac. Sadie seemed ready to stab Miss Grimshaw.

"Enough!" Arthur said, grabbing her around the middle. "What is wrong with you two?"

"I ain't chopping vegetables for a living! I can go out hunting or on guard duty, but apparently that's not my place here!" Sadie said, glaring at Susan.

"You have to prove yourself if you want that, dearie!" Susan shouted.

Arthur rubbed his eyes. "Look, I need to head into town to send a letter. How about after we go hunt some deer."

Sadie's anger softened, but Miss Grimshaw didn't falter. "She's new here, and the women are under my supervision. You know that, Mr. Morgan!"

"Ain't like camp is going to fall apart because Mrs. Adler isn't chopping vegetables," Arthur said. "Besides, I've seen Pearson chase away enough people to know better than to disrupt his kitchen."

"Mr. Morgan-"

"Look, you do a good job keeping the camp in order, Miss Grimshaw, but I don't think it's going to fall apart if I take Mrs. Adler out hunting for a few hours," Arthur said.

It was the pants, he suspected. Susan had always been rather… traditional. The only reason Annabelle was spared her opinions was because they were good friends and Susan understood why Annabelle had taken up a more active role in robberies. They'd all done some adjusting after Arthur stopped working, but Susan still maintained her opinions with the younger women.

"Fine!" Susan said, throwing her hands in the air.

"Thank you, Arthur," Sadie said.

"No problem. You got a gun?"

"No."

"Well, we can stop by the gunsmith, then," Arthur said.

Isaac ran up to him with his letter. "Here, Pa!"

"Alright, I'll be back in a few hours," Arthur said.

Sadie smiled a bit as she joined Arthur by the horses, grabbing one of the Tennessee Walkers they kept around in case anyone needed a spare horse.

"Mr. Morgan!" Pearson said. "Any chance you can post this letter for me?"

"I'll take that," Sadie said, snatching it out of his hand.

"We'll bring you some meat, too," Arthur said.

They set out on the trail, and pretty soon, Sadie was unfolding Pearson's letter to read.

"And why are you doing that?" Arthur asked.

"Because he made fun of my pants."

"Fair enough," Arthur said with a chuckle.

He had to admit, hearing Pearson's stories about being a ladies man was pretty funny. "Remind me to never let you see my mail."

"I want to see that journal of yours."

"Never!"

Once they were in Rhodes, Arthur sent the letters and set up the mailbox for Tacitus Kilgore. Rhodes was just as dusty and desolate as it had been the day before, and as they walked towards the gunsmith, Arthur saw familiar horses hitched outside the sheriff's office. The Count, Brown Jack, and Baylock were waiting for their owners in the slim shade between the buildings, and as Arthur wandered over, Sheriff Gray fell out the door and into the dirt.

"Uh, hello, Sheriff," Arthur said.

"Ah, hello," the sheriff said, his voice slurring and sending the smell of moonshine in Arthur's direction. "You here to help, too?"

"No, I was just passing through. Didn't know any of them were in town," Arthur said. He thought he was supposed to be checking out the Gray family.

"And who is this young man?" the sheriff said to Sadie, and she snorted.

"Oh, Arthur! What are you doing here?" Dutch asked, stepping onto the porch, too.

"Just doing some shopping before Mrs. Adler and I hunt some dinner," Arthur said. "What's going on?"

"Well, we've been deputized! Here to help Sheriff Gray with a moonshiner problem in the swamps," Dutch said.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You, Bill, and Micah? Deputies?"

"Some of us do real work, Morgan," Micah said. "Not sewing with the ladies."

Arthur clenched his fist. Dutch noticed and said, "Micah, Bill, why don't you two go ahead with Archibald. I'll catch up once I speak with Arthur."

"Sure, Dutch," Bill said immediately, climbing onto the wagon, but Micah hung back.

"I'll wait for you, boss."

"No, go on with Archibald," Dutch said. "Do as you're told."

Micah listened that time.

"Something the matter, Arthur?" Dutch asked once he was out of earshot.

"Deputies? Really?" Arthur asked.

"Hiding in plain sight!" Dutch said with a wide smile. "These fools have no idea who we are, and considering…" He gestured towards Sheriff Gray, swaying up the street towards the Rhodes Parlour House. "Well, I don't see much cause to worry about being discovered."

"Okay, but Micah? Really?"

"What?"

"I don't trust him, Dutch," Arthur said. "Besides, there are others in camp less hotheaded and more experienced."

"I know, but… you've met the people down here. Micah… blends in better."

Right. Hadn't Annabelle just said basically the same thing to him that morning? Arthur would much prefer Javier or Charles on a mission like this, but Rhodes was full of racist idiots. "What about Sean?" Arthur said.

"Sean? Instead of Micah?" Dutch asked.

"Hey, he's matured. A little." Mostly because Sean was terrified that Arthur would kill him if he was a bad influence on Isaac, but still, it was something. "John said he didn't completely screw up the train job."

"Huh," Dutch said, thinking. "Maybe next time, then."

Not what Arthur had in mind, but as long as Micah didn't try acting like a lawman around camp, he didn't see a reason to throw off the delicate act Dutch had already made with the Gray family. "Well, you should probably catch up with that wagon. I'll check on the Gray plantation tomorrow, see what I can find out."

"Alright, Arthur," Dutch said.

After he rode away, Sadie said, "I don't like that Micah."

"Me, neither," Arthur said. "Come on, let's get you a gun."

"So, how are we doing this? I hold him at gunpoint while you empty the register?" Sadie asked, reaching for the revolver in his holster.

"No! Are you crazy!" he whispered.

"I thought we was outlaws!"

"Outlaws, not idiots! We are trying to keep a low profile."

Arthur and Sadie walked back toward the gunsmith, and suddenly Arthur was conscious of the people watching them. The people watching Sadie, and pointing at her. He glared at a few men in the town. There was a young woman, though, with a fancy, flowery dress and blond hair in gigantic curls that seemed genuinely pleased by Sadie's appearance. In fact, she nudged an older woman next to her and smiled appreciatively.

But there were men on the gunsmith's porch. "You know, maybe we should go in the side door," Arthur said.

"Why?" Sadie said. "I ain't afraid of those fellers."

"I'm sure you ain't, I'm just trying… not to cause a scene in town, you know?"

She huffed. "Fine." But on their way around the side, they were interrupted by the most unusual sight.

"Please, sir, you've got to help me," the young man said. He called up to them from the small basement window, long red hair hanging over his eyes and wearing a sailor suit of all things.

"Uh, hello?"

"Please, mister, I've been trapped down here," he said. "I've been kidnapped! You've got to get me out of here!"

"Why are you dressed in a sailor's suit?" Arthur asked.

"It's that crazy gunsmith! He made me dress up like this and chained me to the goddamn bed. He thinks I'm his kid son. You've got to help me!"

"Alright, alright. I'll see what I can do," Arthur said. "Well, Mrs. Adler, you wanted action, didn't you?"

"Not what I thought we'd be doing, but sure," she said.

"You got a bandanna?"

He quick checked on the porch to see if the men were still there. They seemed to have moved on, thankfully, but he looked around for a few more seconds before drawing his gun and covering his face. It had been a while since he held someone up, but he wasn't about to just leave that man in the basement. And Sheriff Gray didn't seem competent enough to handle it.

Arthur pushed the door open, aiming his revolver at the gunsmith. "Don't move a muscle," he said, his voice harsh as he tried to keep it low. "I want to see what's in that basement of yours. Show me."

The gunsmith was an older man in gun oil stained clothes, his thinning hair betraying the start of baldness. He glanced towards the basement door and then at the nearest gun, but Sadie said, "Don't you think about it."

"Basement, now!" Arthur said.

"There's nothing down there," the gunsmith stammered. "Just my boy, and he's sleeping."

"Well, I guess we'll have to wake him up. Open it! Now!"

"Alright, alright," the gunsmith said, unlocking the door. "I ain't got nothing to hide."

They descended the stairs. The young man in the corner jumped up when he heard them. "You… you stay away from me!" he said nervously, just before Arthur made it around the corner. The basement had been turned into a bedroom, with a small bed, a few toys, and a tiny rug covering the cold, stone floor, the image ruined by the clicking and rattling of the chain around the captive's ankle.

The gunsmith's entire demeanor changed. He squared his shoulders and growled, "Now, what'd I tell you about talking to your pa that way?"

"What the hell?" Sadie said.

"Oh, thank god," the man said when he saw Arthur and Sadie.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Arthur asked.

The gunsmith spoke first. "He was being a bad little boy, stealing candy from the store again. It's for his own good!"

"I'm not your little boy, you mad son of a bitch."

Arthur had heard enough. Even if this was the gunsmith's son, chaining someone up as punishment? It was cruel, and Arthur would have done exactly what he did at that moment. He shot the lock.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" the young man said, running for the stairs while the gunsmith shouted and cried.

"Wait!"

The young man paused, taken aback when the gunsmith broke down into sobs.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me. I know it was wrong. I just couldn't face that he was gone." The gunsmith pulled a photograph out of his pocket. "I was teaching Sammy how to hold the rifle proper, out by the river. The recoil… shot him backwards. He slipped into the river. The water pulled him downstream so quick, it all happened so fast, I didn't know what to do. I searched up and down the riverbank for days, but I couldn't find my boy. I just miss him so much. And you… you remind me of him. You look just like him."

"You're sick," the young man said, taking off, but Arthur felt a twinge of pity. He holstered his revolver, and started up the stairs.

"Wait, we're just leaving him?" Sadie asked.

"We probably shouldn't stick around after that shot," Arthur said. He spotted a Lancaster repeater in a case and handed it to Sadie. "Here, I promised you a gun."

"He should get a bullet for kidnapping," Sadie said.

"Maybe," Arthur said, glancing back down the stairs. The gunsmith was still sobbing. "And maybe he will, if that kid reports it. But I don't think he'll be doing any more harm."

"But we're going to take the cash, right?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow at Sadie. "Mrs. Adler, if I don't know any better, I'd think you wanted a price on your head."

Sadie pulled the stacks of cash out of the register with a sly grin. "Well, maybe I've got more ambition than you boys."

"I'm sure Dutch will be glad to see it," Arthur said. "Now, can we go hunting?"

"Fine," she said, following him out. The law didn't seem to be coming their way, which was good, and he doubted the gunsmith would report them for the robbery.

They rode to an open field with plenty of deer grazing. "Alright, show me what you can do," Arthur said.

And she did just fine. Hit the deer in the neck, bringing it down fast. She had no problem hauling it onto the back of her horse, too. "Well? Am I approved to go hunting by myself?" she asked, only half mocking him.

"I'll put in a good word," Arthur said. "Oh, by the way, how jobs work. We split half, and the other half goes to gang savings. But since this is your first one and it was kind of… spontaneous, I'll cover your share."

"I don't want any charity, Mr. Morgan," she said.

"Well, think of it as a gift, then. To welcome you into the gang."

"Alright," she said with a smile.

BY the time they got back and dropped the deer off with Pearson, Dutch was back. Bill and Micah, too.

"How was it?" Arthur asked him.

"Archibald is a bit of a moron," Dutch said. "Certainly lazy, too, like you said. We got into a shootout with this local militia, the Lemoyne Raiders, and he didn't help at all."

"Sounds about right, considering he wanted me to jump on that train for him."

"But we have solidified our position in the local law," Dutch said. "Hidden in plain sight! Now we can start to have our fun. Have you been to the Gray Plantation yet?"

"No, not yet," Arthur said, pulling out a wad of cash. "I did stumble onto a bit of money though. Mrs. Adler went with me and did just fine."

"Really?" Dutch said. "Well, who would have guessed! I'll put this into the camp savings."

"What's this militia you ran into?" Arthur asked.

"Old Civil War holdouts who can't get over that they lost," Dutch said. "They seem to be hiding out in the swamps and hills around here."

"Lovely," Arthur said. "I was hoping to get away from gun-toting idiots."

"Oh, there will always be idiots, Arthur, but I am certain we can take advantage of this situation. Have a little fun."

"And when are we heading west?"

"Soon," Dutch said. "I promise."

Maybe it was just the bad luck for the last few days, but Arthur didn't quite believe him.