The Night of the Victorian Plot – Part 2

Welcome to America

Chapter 15

Should We Stay, or Should We Go?

Loveless remained in the parlour car while Jim and Artie discussed what he had told them.

"I don't want to believe him," Artie said, "but it does fit the facts."

"We only have his word that he wasn't in New Mexico," Jim pointed out, "and he could have bribed someone to tell him where the Traveller would be."

"Why would he concoct such an elaborate lie though? He's headed for a cell in Federal Prison no matter what."

"That's true but maybe he just wants to make sure we return to England by turning us against the US Government."

"I would have thought he'd want us to stay here. It would be easier to kill us that way," Artie said.

"But he probably has agents in Europe who would be happy to carry out his killing for him as soon as they hear he's in prison."

"Well Jim, we don't have to make any decisions yet so let's just make the most of the journey. By the way, I forgot to show you this."

Artie flicked his wrist to activate the mechanism that caused a small gun to fall into his hand.

"That's great Artie, you found one of those mechanisms we were talking about earlier, from the 'Cowboy Thrill Magazine'. Where did you get it from?"

"It was in Loveless' laboratory. I picked up some other things as well, knock out bombs I think. Anyway, I put them away safely in the weapons cabinet. I wouldn't want Loveless to get hold of them."

"Good idea," Jim said.

The two men glanced over at Loveless who was still handcuffed and in ankle chains and was reading a book they had lent him to keep him occupied.

"At least one of us should keep an eye on him at all times, when he's not in his cell," Artie said.

"Agreed."

The rest of the journey to Washington was uneventful. Whenever the horses needed to be exercised one of the agents would ride their own horse and lead the other by its reins while the other agent would clean out the stable car and Loveless sat in his cell and watched.

Loveless seemed to relish the turmoil he had caused in the minds of his two captors by his revelations. He was certain that once they had locked him in his cell at night and went to their sleeping quarters they discussed his assertions and worried about what would happen once they reached Washington. But Loveless was wrong.

Lying in bed, Artie was looking up at the ceiling, but he was concentrating on what he could see in his mind's eye.

"I can't wait until we reach Washington," he said. "I need to find a laboratory so that I can begin work on backward engineering those things I found at Loveless' hideout."

Jim smiled in the dark. "I just want to find a beautiful woman and take her out to dinner and maybe a dance."

"I don't see why I shouldn't do both," Artie was quick to assert. He wasn't going to let Jim have all the fun.

They had agreed not to think about what Loveless had told them and they stuck to it.

Artie had telegraphed to Colonel Richmond ahead of their arrival so as soon as the Traveller pulled into the rail yard several soldiers appeared to escort Doctor Loveless from the train.

The Colonel approached the two agents with a wary expression on his face.

"Well done, gentlemen," he said, shaking their hands. "I have a carriage waiting to take you to see the President. He'll want to thank you in person."

"Thank you, Colonel," Jim answered. "Mr Gordon and I would like to have a word with both of you." He didn't wait for the other man's response to this but headed straight for the carriage with Artie in his wake.

The journey to the White House was rather awkward as Jim had an expression on his face that dared anyone to speak to him and Artie had a wry smile on his. Colonel Richmond knew that neither portended a friendly reception to anything he or Grant might have to say. He decided therefore to keep quiet for the time being.

This time the two men were escorted openly to the President's office and from the look on Grant's face as they entered, they knew that he knew that they knew. However, forced to play the part of the diplomat, the President smiled at them and shook their hands.

"I am indebted to you," he said.

Jim and Artie sat themselves down in chairs opposite Grant's desk without being invited to and Grant made a slight coughing sound in his throat as he prepared himself for what was to come.

"I take it that Doctor Loveless spoke to you," he said.

Artie was the one to answer. "We didn't want to believe the things he told us but your demeanour since we arrived back makes it look suspiciously as if he was telling the truth."

"You have to understand…," Colonel Richmond jumped in.

"Oh, but we do understand, Colonel, you lied to us and then sent us out there to bring in a dangerous criminal, knowing that his one aim was to kill us and that was after you had told him exactly where we would be, so that he could find us and achieve that aim. Does that just about sum it up?"

"No not quite," Grant answered him, "because you left out the part where Loveless had a young woman held captive; the daughter of the German Ambassador and if we failed to return her to him alive and well it would have caused a diplomatic incident."

Jim stood up and faced Colonel Richmond.

"Then why didn't you just send us on a mission to rescue her? Why did you have to lie to us?" Jim demanded.

"Because if you failed he might have killed her or taken her somewhere that we would never find her. But if we gave him you we were guaranteed to get her back."

"You must admit, Jim, that it makes a lot of sense when seen from their point of view," Artie chipped in.

"I don't think our superiors at the Foreign Office will see it quite that way though," Jim threatened.

Artie smiled. "There is that," he said, looking President Grant straight in the eyes. "You might have averted a diplomatic incident with Germany only to have caused one with Great Britain." He picked up on the subtle change in Grant's expression. "Of course," he continued, as something occurred to him. "Our government weren't supposed to know anything about this because you didn't expect us to come back alive." He laughed outright at that thought. "Boy, are you in a pickle."

Colonel Richmond strode into the breach. "Look, we're sorry it turned out this way, not that you didn't die of course," he quickly reassured them, "but that we had to lie to you. However, it's obvious to me now that you are just the sort of men we're looking for in the Secret Service. What about staying in America and working for me? I'll pay you double what you earn at the Foreign Office."

Jim and Artie looked at each other and Jim voiced their joint opinion.

"How could we ever be able to trust you?" he asked.

Grant frowned. "We got off on the wrong foot, boys," he said, "and I know it was because of what we did but I guess we just looked on you as a couple of Limeys. But if you were properly working for us as part of the Secret Service you'd be valuable assets and there's no way that would happen again. What do you say?"

Artie scratched his forehead. "Well, what do you say, Jim?"

"I say we need to sleep on it," Jim said. "You can expect a visit from us tomorrow morning." With that he nodded to Grant and Richmond and stalked out of the room.

"Gentlemen," Artie said by way of good-bye and went after him.

"Well, what do you think?" Grant asked the Colonel. "Is there a chance in hell they'll agree?"

Colonel Richmond smiled for the first time since the Traveller arrived that morning. "I don't know but I really hope they do."

"Just in case you'd better get started on the paperwork to make it possible for two members of the British Foreign Office to work full time for the US government."

"I'll get right on it, Sir."

When Jim and Artie left the White House one of Colonel Richmond's agents was waiting to convey them to their hotel. They didn't speak until they arrived at their destination.

"Well this room is better than the ones we stayed in before," Artie said, taking in the twin beds and the sink.

Jim tipped the porter and then turned to his friend. "I don't know about you but I'm ready for some lunch," he said.

Artie nodded and after washing their hands and combing their hair they went back downstairs to the restaurant.

Once seated at their table, Jim spoke. "We need to have a serious talk about whether we are going to stay here or go back to the Foreign Office," he said.

Artie smiled. "Can't you let me eat something first? I'm famished."

Jim smiled back. "Okay," he said.

They ate steak pie with mashed potatoes and sweetcorn. They'd never eaten that vegetable before and decided they liked it.

"Would you like dessert?" Jim asked.

For once in his life Artie declined. "But I could really do with a cup of coffee," he said. They had only drunk water with their lunch.

"Same here," Jim agreed.

Thankfully just then the waiter appeared with a jug of coffee and filled their cups.

Both men took a sip of the hot liquid.

"That's better," Artie said, "I'm ready to talk now. What are your thoughts on the matter, having heard what Richmond and the President had to say and the fact we've been offered double our current salary?"

"They seem pretty keen to keep us here to work for them," Jim said before taking a mouthful of coffee

"Yeah," Artie agreed, "but that might be because they're afraid of what will happen if we go back to England and Carruthers finds out what happened."

Jim nodded. "You have a good point."

"But it did sound as if we could do valuable work here," Artie added.

"We do valuable work for the Foreign Office," Jim argued.

"Yeah, but it rains an awful lot."

Jim gave Artie a stare. "Since when have you started saying 'yeah' all the time?"

"Do I?" Artie asked. "I hadn't noticed."

Jim went slightly pale. "And we're drinking coffee!" he exclaimed.

"And enjoying it. Jim, do you think we're…."

"Yes, Artie, I think we're becoming American."

They both looked at each other aghast. Then they burst out laughing.

"I guess we've kind of made up our minds then," Artie said.

Jim nodded. "I think we should give this country a go."

"Me too," Artie agreed. "I'll tell you what though, I want them to give us The Traveller and I want it fitted with a proper laboratory and I want the Colonel to introduce us to some beautiful women."

"Well that's all settled then," Jim said. "Shall we tell Richmond now?"

"No, it can wait until tomorrow. Right now, I want some more coffee and I wonder if they have any of those cookies…you know the ones with the…."

Jim had stopped listening. He had imagined that if Artie ever forsook his love of tea and biscuits the world would tilt on its axis, but everything seemed fine to him, in fact more than fine; he was actually quite excited by the prospect of what lay ahead of them in their new country. Then it dawned on him. They'd never have to see Loveless again but there was every chance they might run into Antoinette whenever they were in Washington. They'd have to just hope that she was not indelicate enough to tell anyone what she had seen.

"Jim are you all right?" Artie asked, "You've gone all red in the face. Jim, are you blushing?"

"Yep….I mean Nope."

FIN

With apologies for the rushed ending.