Chapter 61

December 1, 1912

The following morning everyone from the house had accompanied Margaret back to the train depot, as Tom, Henry, Jesse and Jack had their day off from work. Marion, Rose, Ruth and Jessica held down the house, as Jessica takes out the wedding dress, now that Jesse wasn't at the house, so that Ruth was up to speed of what's going on. Jon headed back to New York in the early morning as his vacation time was almost used up, and he needed to save the remaining time for Jesse and Marion's wedding, even though he knew Jesse's sister is going to make the preparations.

"I'm sure the wedding will come out fine for you, Sonny." Margaret says, hugging Jesse for the last time.

"And for you, take care of that fine young woman. Like I had asked Cal back on Titanic, are you sure you're going to handle her?"

"Sure." Jack says, as he holds out his hand, but the woman pulled him in a tight hug. She then whispered in his ear, "I knew you two were truly meant for each other." She released her hug, then turned to Jesse. He stood there, hands clasped in front, and squinting against the bright light, his hair had been pushed aside, the fringes barely hung over his eye, as a gentle-yet cold breeze played with his hair. Jack also watched, as he tried to mimic Jesse's hair.

He could easily pass for a girl. Jack thought, then finally watched as Mrs. Brown picked up her luggage, and made her way towards the platform. She turned to the group for the last time.

"May God bless and watch over you all." Margaret says, as the train pulls into the depot. A steward takes ahold of Margaret's luggage and helps her up the steps to the train. She makes her way to her seat, then looks out the window.

"All aboard!" the conductor shouts, as he prepares to get into the train himself. The train begins to pull away, taking the heiress back to Denver, and Jesse watches the train take the same course he watched Karl in. Jesse watched, like when watched Karl leave Albuquerque, as the train taking the heiress around a curve, behind a cluster of buildings until he could only see the smoke billowing, until he could hear the train no more.

They returned back to the house, after their day of driving and sightseeing nearly all of Albuquerque. Jessica prepares hot tea once everyone got back to the house. Everyone was shivering from the car ride, and were looking forward to having something warm at last.

...

December 15, 1912

With Christmas now a little less than a week away, the family and the couple prepare to get Jesse and Marion's wedding in order, with an overexcited Jack trying to get on Jesse's shoulders, and ruffling his hair. Jessica decided they would have the wedding at a church Jon had once attended in Pittsburgh, followed by the Christmas get-together and dinner soon after with Eric and Jon's parents. Jack and Rose were also welcomed to attend as well. Now that things were settled, Rose, Marion, Jessica and her little son would be the first to leave for Pittsburgh, followed by Henry, Jesse and Jack. Meanwhile Henry left for the hotel to leave a telegram for Jon back in New York to ask his parents to prepare the house once more for the guests, as the women began to prepare to leave early the next morning. Fabrizio decided to stay back so he can watch over the house, then told Jack to draw the marriage and bring it back.

Ruth wasn't sure if she wanted to go, but at the last minute, before everyone had gone to bed, she had decided to go with the women back to New York as well, knowing full well Cal might be there still.

…

December 16, 1912

The next morning Jack, Henry, and Fabrizio helped the women load their belongings into the train, while Jesse had gone to work early in the morning, despite the cold. Marion, Jessica and little Jack were already in the train, taking their seats as they waited for Ruth and her daughter. Jack and Rose embraced, before Rose scolded her mother as always about the little things, and today was no different, like they did numerous times back at the house and on the ship.

"What if Mr. Hockley is now in Pittsburgh?"

"Oh Mother-"

"I mean really. You know the situation is precarious-"

"Mother, stop-"

"Rose, I forbid-"

"Mother! Get in the train-"

They continued to argue as they got on the train steps. Jack waves, then the conductor yells, "All aboard!" The train lets out a whistle, then pulls away from the platform, taking the passengers eastward to their destinations. Despite the cold everyone turned out to say goodbye to family members and friends, even complete strangers as the train begins to faint in the horizon, then disappears in the mountain's cliffs. Jack shivered, as it was colder now than being back on the ship, worse than being in the water. The wind made it worse, and the sun was hidden behind wispy clouds. The wind was blowing around a fine powder of fresh snow, stinging his throat as he tried to breathe. He had to report back to work as soon as the train departed, and he was already late, not that they needed him soon, as the sketching was slow once again. Jack was hopeful that between now and the new year's there will be an increase in composites that will be needed, finding criminals, looking for lost hikers in the mountains, and of course, the very thing that is heartbreaking, looking for family members that were lost or missing, like that one case with a missing Navajo boy from the reservation, and the family was distraught he was missing. Another came as far north as the Southern Ute tribe as a family pleaded Jack and the marshals to look for their lost grandfather, and they had thought he came to Albuquerque for his usual shenanigans, and even a sheriff's deputies came from a small mining town of Durango, Colorado, looking for a train robber who was wanted back in Wyoming.

They had known Jack was a talented artist, after these people had read a newspaper that Jack was excellent at composing sketches, and he was the one to contact in Albuquerque. He then remembered being back on Titanic; passengers lost at sea, family, friends, loved ones. All never getting the chance to be reunited with them again. Jack stifled a sob, as he slowly makes his way to the marshal's office.

Jack made his way around the chaos of the office, typewriters clacking, people speaking different languages, and of course, some occasional fights breaking out between outlaws and the officers, as they were put in holding cells. Since he started working there were some serious gunfights, and he had a close one a month prior. Mostly they were fistfights or wrestling on the ground, as unruly outlaws try to make an escape, and the marshals trying to lay down the law in the infant of a state. He felt some of these were worse than those back on Titanic, as officers there try to control unruly crowds. Here, it was outlaws, robbers, even serial killers that the office had to deal with, and some had to be transported, unfortunately, with passengers on the train, and that can get right down ugly. Jack thought about the women, especially his pregnant Rose. He tried to get the image of an outlaw, something his father once told him that they resemble western outlaws, holding up the train somewhere, out of his mind, now that he thought about the criminals being put in with the passengers.

Jack began fiddling with his supplies in his desk, trying to pass the time, as he heard another fight broke out. This one made his blood run cold. He heard a familiar sounding voice, as the person shouts defamatory language at the visitors, and at some of the Spanish officers; even the inmates and tough outlaws were intimidated by him. Jack cautiously pokes his head out, his blond hair completely covering his left eye, some wispy strands hangs over his nose, and shaggy ends covers his right eye, and looks toward the lobby, as he has done countless times. To his horror he saw Cal, as he was being wrestled by an army of officers, and Cal tries desperately to get out of the clutches of the officers.

"GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF ME YOU...!" Cal yells at the top of his lungs, as officers begin to drag him away, to the outside.

"Get over there, you-!" another officer yelled, as Jack's heart races, and he is breathing very hard. He begins to sweat, despite the office being cold. His now matted hair still hanging over his eyes, he slowly looks out his office door. Most of the officers were scrambling about, trying to clean the mess Cal had made in there. He then remembered the picture window; there was no covering for that giant glass! He had an excellent view of the Sandias, as he sketched that mountain when days were slow, but today if Cal saw him in there…

Jack knew he must make his escape, but there was no door on his end of the hallway, and Cal had possibly got ahold of the officers, giving them a description of what Jack looks like; or he might be lucky that Cal gave them just a general description, no details whatsoever, but Cal knew Jack back on the ship.

Then he remembered the restroom. Jack luckily makes to the restroom, as he walks inconspicuously through the chaos. He opens a window, before looking out for Cal, as he might be sneaking around, making sure to ensnare Jack, or Jesse. He checked, and making the coast was clear, he made a mad dash, into a small Mexican eatery.

The patrons all stare at Jack, as he was sneaking around, trying to duck, as if Cal might make his way to the eatery. Some of the patrons eating there noticed Jack, but didn't take a second thought. He was too busy trying to figure out how to get to Jesse's shop without being seen, as he cautiously walks out from the eatery, then calculates how far Jesse's shop was from his location. He sees a modified Ford Model T stakebed truck leaving a small nearby shop, as the driver begins to shift gears. Jack makes a run for the truck, then jumps into the back, covering himself under a large gunny sack, and hiding behind the barrels, as the driver slowly sped away.

...

The truck comes to Jesse's service station, the driver wanting gas before he makes it back to the mountains north of there. Jack tumbles out of the truck and onto the ground, shaking and panting. Cal had almost detected him, in his safe haven of Albuquerque, of all places. Questions began swirling; how did he come all the way out here? Was he tipped off? And above all, how would he know Rose would be out here? For all he knew, Rose could be almost anywhere in the country, so why did he chose Albuquerque of all places? Jack had no time answering these tough mind spinning questions, as he had to tell Jesse. Jack walks into the service station, and was quickly greeted to a man reading a catalog, and smoke swirling around him.

"Where's Jesse?" Jack asks, panting hard as the man looks up from his Sears, Roebuck, and Co. mail-order catalog. He was smoking a big cigar, then puffs a huge smoke in Jack's face. Jack coughs, as this was way too strong than his normal cigarettes he's been smoking. The man thumbs, to the back of the store.

"Out back," the gruffly man says, taking a look at the slightly disheveled young man standing before him, before reading back to his catalog.

"Thanks." Jack runs to the back, where he sees Jesse, working on a delivery truck of sort. Half of his body was in the engine bay, as he was diagnosing the engine that had developed a severe knock. He gets out of the engine, then pulls out the hand crank, and starts the truck. The engine still had a slight knock, but the owner was content he could drive the truck, as he had heard worse than what the truck was making. The man thanks Jesse, then goes inside to pay for his service. Jesse fixes his hair, then gets his hat, as it had fallen in the engine bay back onto the snowy ground, and his long bangs made it hard to see what he was doing.

Jack spins Jesse around, a wisp of dark hair fell under the brim of his hat, landing on his nose.

"Guess who I saw today?" Jesse swallows hard, as Jack was mesmerized by Jesse's bobbing adams apple. That could mean one thing. Jack nods. Jesse's father had gone for the day, leaving Jesse in charge of his business. Jack knew these people working for Jesse's father's business were intimidated by Jesse. Even though he was still a kid he could deliver a good punch, even to someone who was unruly and rude to the customers. Now Jack knew why Jesse was stronger, despite his thin frame.

Just a couple more days, and Jesse and Tom will be closing up shop for the entire Christmas week; not because of the wedding, but it was a yearly family tradition and the people working for him, and his father, all get to spend time with their own families as well. Even the employees at the blacksmith shop were looking forward, as this was their first time taking an entire week off from work; unlike in years past, where they all came in after celebrating with their families before returning back to work before noon on Christmas day, and working through New Year's.

Hopefully, just a few more days, Jack will get away from this nightmare, and all will be well.