Knights of the Golden Circle
Part 1: Returning to the Railroad
Kwai Chang Caine walked into the Northern Pacific railroad camp to carnage and mayhem. This was no ordinary accident that often happens when safety was ignored. This camp was not like the others Caine had worked at before. This camp was organized, and every worker seemed provided for. There was a far different air about the place, a feeling of respect. Caine watched for a moment as one man went among the workers giving comfort. Caine observed this boss cared for his workers. As Caine walked through the camp, he saw several women and children weeping over the bodies of six men. The men were bleeding from several gunshot wounds. Caine could not help but notice that each man had a bullet wound to the head as well.
"What has happened here?" Caine asked one of the white men shaking his head. Caine notice the man looked ashen and there were dark circles under his eyes as if he had not slept.
"Several men wearing hoods came riding through the camp early, around four in the morning. These six were coming back from their shift at guard duty."
"What were they guarding?"
"Our store supplies. I sent a man to wire the main office for more men to protect our supplies. I don't understand, why they keep doing this."
"This has happened before?" Caine questioned.
"Yeah, and I wish it would stop. A lot of good people have died."
"Who would do such a thing?" Caine asked.
"You ask a lot of questions for a Chinaman."
"I have worked for the railroad before."
"Do tell. What have you done?"
"Lay track," Caine simply said.
"Have you done any other work besides laying track?"
Caine told how he stopped a man responsible for the senseless killing of another railroad man, one who was a civil engineer and knew the dangers of gas pockets that were hidden in the sandstone. The foreman and the boss ignored the warning, and several of Caine's countrymen were killed when a gas pocket exploded. Caine knew the young civil engineer had been murdered because of what he knew, and if the foreman and boss had not been stopped more senseless deaths would have happened.
"Maybe you can figure out who is doing this. It just seems to me that the person behind this knows our schedule too well."
Caine gave a shrug and waited for the man to continue. "I am not an investigator." The last word came out slowly and deliberate as each syllable was pronounced with care.
"Well, I'm ready to hire anyone at this point. The main office doesn't seem to think we're important enough to send one. Go tell Tom McConnell you've been hired as an investigator. Don't let him give you any grief. He's not that fond of Chinese, but if you do a good job, you'll earn his respect. Oh, my names James Hendricks.
Caine walked over to the tent cabin that Hendricks pointed out. He gently knocked on the door frame then moved the tent flap aside when he heard the deep gruff Irish brogue of the man inside, commanding him to enter.
"What you want?" Tom McConnell barked.
"Mr. Hendricks sent me," Caine replied quietly. He could feel McConnell's eyes sizing him up as if for a pine box.
"We have enough Chinese workers."
"I came to help with the investigation?" Caine said the last word once again in halting phases, as if the word was still new on the tongue.
"You don't look like an investigator."
"I am Caine," Caine saw the look of surprise come over the ruddy man's face.
"That's an Irish name. What's a Chinaman doing with a good ol' Irish name like Caine?"
"My father was an American."
"Father was an American? Grandparents then, did they come over from Ireland?"
"My grandfather is Henry Raphael Caine. He is a stonecutter."
"Must have been great grandparents then. Well, don't that beat all, a half-Irish and half-Chinese. Here, pull up a chair and have a drink."
Caine watched as the man pulled out a bottle of whiskey. Before he could protest, the man had poured two small shot glasses. Caine watched as the man took one of the glasses lifted it giving him a salute and then swallowed the contents in one gulp.
"I thought you were Irish. Won't you have a wee nip?"
Not wanting to offend Caine took the small glass in his hand, copied the man's salute perfectly then swallowed the whiskey down just as he had seen McConnell do. The liquid burned in his throat and caused his eyes to tear up and he coughed.
"Ach, you're no real Irishman. You've never tasted whiskey in your life. But I respect you for at least trying."
"I usually drink tea," Caine stated, though the words came out rough from the burning of his throat.
"Tea is too civilized. So, tell me why you're here."
Caine explained again that he was sent to help, that the boss-man asked for his help in finding out who was committing the raids on the camp. "I saw the bodies. They were shot in the head. Why would someone shoot innocent men?"
"You tell me," McConnell stated.
"Perhaps the men responsible do not wish the railroad to go through their territory."
"Perhaps, but if you look at those six dead men, you'll see they have one thing in common. You see there were eight men guarding our supplies that night because we've had other raids besides this one. Doesn't matter how many men, they still manage to kill just the ones they wanted. This time six were shot dead. The other two weren't even touched. You see, the ones who've been killed so far were all Chinese."
Continues With Part 2