Artie waited until they gave him his next dose of pain medication before he made his move. He slipped over to the wardrobe and looked inside. Sure enough, they had been careless enough to put his clothes in there and they had even cleaned and pressed them. How thoughtful, Artie thought has he gathered up his clothing and returned to his bed.

He took his time getting dressed as his vision was still swimming and he had to make sure he got everything right. Yep, shirt buttoned properly, tie tied correctly, pants done up right. Artie had removed the sling so as not to be conspicuous once he reached the street. He glanced around and realized he had not seen anything beyond his room. He walked over to the window to check that escape route only to find it blocked by…bars? What's up with this? Just what kind of hospital am I in? Artie returned to the bed and thought carefully as he pulled his boots on. He had checked his pockets and found that all his usual 'toys' were either confiscated or had gone missing in the explosion.

Thinking quickly, he decided on a more direct approach to taking his leave of this place. James my boy, I hope I can do you proud. Artie closed his eyes when he thought of his partner. I hope you met your end quick, James and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Artie pulled on his jacket and took in his appearance in the mirror. He frowned and then gingerly reached up and removed the bandage around his head. He tossed the discarded bandages on the bed and quietly opened his door.

There didn't appear to be any hospital staff in the hall so he stepped out and walked down the hall as if he were just on his way from visiting a sick friend. He wandered around for a few minutes until he found the way out by following an elderly couple. He tried not to bolt and make a mad dash for the door once he spotted it. He stayed with the couple as they reached the door when it had apparently been discovered that he had escaped. He pushed his way between the couple and started laughing as if one of them had said something funny. Once they were on the street, he grabbed the lady and kissed her hand.

"Thank you dear lady, I wish I could stay and make your acquaintance properly but I have duties elsewhere," Artie smiled at her and disappeared down an alley just as several orderlies came bursting out of the hospital and looked around. The couple just looked at each other in confusion and then walked on.

WWWWWWWWWW

Jim was glad to finally have something he felt would lead him to his friend. He and Jeremy had gone back to the train to plan their mission and to change into clean clothes. Jim's heart sank each time he passed Artie's room. Don't give up pal, I'm looking for you and I will find you. Just don't give up. Jim thought as he entered Artie's room and gently placed his journal on the nightstand.

Back in the parlor car he and Jeremy sat pondering and pouring over the notes Colonel Richmond had given them. Not knowing where exactly Artie had been in his investigation made it difficult but not impossible to retrace his steps. The sheer amount of information they were compiling from the notes was quite impressive and Jim could see why someone would want to get their hands on Artie. Jim marveled at his partner's brain capacity. He was sure his partner had committed the entire file set to memory in case he was caught.

"Jeremy, we can't go through this file again. It would raise too much attention. Not to mention waste too much time."

"I was thinking that same thing, James. How do you want to handle this? You know Artemus better than anyone, do you have any ideas?"

"I'm guessing Artie would have started somewhere in the middle…"

"The middle? Why the middle?" Jeremy asked perplexed.

"He would bypass the shopkeepers and the delivery drivers…even if they knew who was behind everything they wouldn't talk, if they even knew who was any further up then the next guy, they'd be too afraid of whoever is further up the line."

"Not a bad system. But it would seem that one of the middle crowd squealed."

"So it would seem. I need to check something in Artie's journal…"

"I'll go get it," Jeremy leaves to get the journal and returns, handing it to Jim, curious to see what he might have missed.

"I think I know where Artie was on his list or at least about where he was."

"Great! Where do we go and how soon?"

"We can leave now we have to get to the Colonel's office before he leaves."

"We can just about make it. But, James, answer a question for me if you would. What did you see in those journal entries that we missed before?"

"Artie left me a clue hidden in plain sight."

"Hidden in plain sight? I don't follow you."

"Artie's last entry led me to believe he knew someone was on to him. He kept referring to being at odds with the information given to him by a Mr. Horatio Hornblower."

"I remember that name…I spent over an hour looking for him in the lists."

"Precisely. We would have looked all day and never found him. We need to talk to Richmond. He can tall us who on Artie's list are the most likely candidates to be pompous blowhards who like to toot their own horn," Jim smiled as they headed toward the stable car.

WWWWWWWWWW

Artie leaned on the side of a building and stopped to catch his breath. He had been briskly walking through the alleys for Lord knows how long and his pain medication had long since worn off. His head was throbbing like a freight train not to mention his other injuries burning like the fires of Hades. He stared across the street trying to decide if it was safe enough for him to leave the alleys when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Two men on horseback rode up to a brick building and were dismounting. Artie's heart leapt into his throat. Artemus, my boy, you're hallucinating. The blurred vision and headaches are getting to you. He wiped his eyes and tried to focus on the men. Even through his blurred and spinning vision he could identify Jeremy Pike. It was the man with him that was so unsettling to him. He has to be a figment of my imagination. He's dead…Jim's dead. I have to be seeing things. Artie slowly turned away and walked back into the alley, not wanting to confront his hallucination.

He walked aimlessly for hours, not sure where he should go now. A hell of a place to get yourself stranded, Artemus. St. Louis is a big city. I guess I'd better see if I have any cash. Maybe if I get a room and some sleep I'll be able to think more clearly. He checked his wallet and was surprised to see he had plenty of money. He stumbled out onto the street in search of a hotel.

WWWWWWWWWW

While Jim and Jeremy sat waiting for the Colonel, Jim looked around. While this office was not nearly as nice as the Washington office, it was much more lavishly furnished than he thought he would find in a city such as St. Louis. While it was a growing city, Jim didn't see it as a big city yet just a city well on it's way.

St. Louis seemed to be a hub in the hospital and asylum area. He had noted several hospitals and various types of asylums on his way here. Suddenly an idea occurred to him and he asked Jeremy to present their findings to the Colonel and get what help he could.

"Where are you headed, James? I'll catch up to you when I'm done here."

"I'll be checking more hospitals and asylums…one of them has to have information on Artie," Jim said as he put his hat on and headed out quickly.

"Hospitals and asylums? Why didn't we think of that before?" Jeremy said to himself when he figured out what Jim might be up to.

Jeremy briefed the Colonel on what they had discovered and what he suspected Jim was up to. Richmond thought long and hard before giving Jeremy a list of people who might fit the description Artie had written in his journal. Jeremy scanned the list looking for names of people in the immediate area. There were about a dozen names. He felt this would be easy to look into if he and Jim split the list. He quickly took his leave and left the Colonel's office in search of Jim.

As he stepped out of the building he glanced around. A familiar figure caught his eye as he entered the alley. Jeremy started and nearly stumbled down the stairs in his haste to follow him. If that man wasn't Artemus it was his twin! Jeremy thought as he waited for a wagon to get out of the way. Once it passed, he ran to the alley and looked up and down. The figure was nowhere in sight. Jeremy spent the next hour looking for any clue as to where he might have gone. He stopped everyone he met and asked about Artie, he left no stone unturned, but found nothing. Thinking he might have imagined if after all, Jeremy sighed went to meet up with Jim, unsure if he should tell him what he saw.

WWWWWWWWWW

Artie pulled himself up the stairs, ignoring the glares of the clerk, who thought he was drunk, but he had been more than eager to take Artie's money. Oh how his head and his body hurt! I should have tried to find a medicine cabinet before I left the hospital, Artie thought as he struggled to get the key in the lock. He finally entered the room and stumbled over to the bed and fell on it asleep in seconds.

WWWWWWWWWW

Jim was becoming increasingly agitated. He had checked the asylums and one hospital and none of them had any record of a patient matching Artie's description. It was nearing 6 pm and Jim knew he would have suspend his search for the day as the offices at these institutions would be closing soon.

As he came out of the Community Hospital he ran into Jeremy. They decided to compare notes over supper. They chose a hotel in the area and went in. As they waited for their food they overheard the hotel clerk talking to what appeared to be a local. He was laughingly telling him about a gentleman who checked into the hotel earlier with no luggage and appeared to be quite intoxicated. Jim felt a shiver run up and down his spine. Their meals arrived and Jim and Jeremy at in silence.

"Did you get any new information?" Jim finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"What? Oh, yes, I got a list of about a dozen names we can check out tomorrow. How did you make out?"

"Either no one has seen a man answering his description or they aren't talking. But I'm not done checking. I didn't know this town had so many hospitals and asylums."

"But tomorrow I'd like to go back out on this if you don't mind checking some of the names on that list yourself," Jim replied.

"Not at all, James. Maybe tomorrow you'll get lucky," Jeremy grew quiet, not sure if he should tell him what he saw earlier.