Chapter 64 – FootHills Meeting part 2

Wynn, Abigail and Dee all just looked at each other then back at Andy. Before anyone could answer, they heard yelling from outside. Wynn stood to see what was going on. Before anyone else could react, Andy jumped up and opened the door.

"Mullins!" He yelled. "Get your ass in here, right now!"

Again, the group inside exchanged looks. They wondered what was going on. Mullins turned to see who was yelling at him and when he saw it was Andy, his face dropped. He grabbed his bags and headed to the office where Andy was standing. After not being able to drink, the last person he wanted to deal with was his boss's nephew. When he got to the top of the steps, he saw Mrs Stanton along with the two Mounties and turned to leave. Andy grabbed his arm and swung him around.

"You better explain right now." Andy said. "I spent most of Sunday and Monday on the phone in Union City trying to straighten out the crap you pulled only to get here and learn that you pissed the Mounties off."

Mullins refused to talk, but Andy also refused to let go of him, forced him into the office and made him sit down. Mullins slammed his briefcase down on the table and glared at everyone. He hated his boss's nephew and the last thing that he wanted was to have to explain what he was doing in Hope Valley. He had hoped to have the deal done and things cleaned up before he had to deal with Andy.

"Now, does anyone care to explain?" Andy said, looking around the room.

"I will." Wynn said. "He arrived just before lunch yesterday. Because of the disaster, we weren't expecting a stagecoach, so we were all a little on guard. Then he demanded to speak to Henry Gowen, insisting that he had a meeting with him."

"I thought I told you we don't do business with people like Gowen." Andy interrupted.

Andy stood over Mullins glaring at him. Andy was seething and he was doing what he could to control his temper, but he was sick of cleaning up the mess that Chris had made in Canada.

"What." Mullins huffed. "I figured that it would be okay once the mine was making money. Besides, I talked to Gowen last fall. He said that he was getting railroaded by a bunch of ungrateful, whiny women. I just wanted to see if he wanted back in the game. It wasn't like I was going to use your money to buy the mine."

"That is what I was afraid of." Andy said.

"What are you talking about?" Wynn asked.

"I take it there is more." Andy said. "I will explain later, not now. I want to get to the bottom of this first. I know that we are going to be short on time right now. I promise I will explain everything later. Right now, I want to know what else he did. There has to be more based on the way that you are looking at him and his reaction to all of you."

Abigail took a deep breath and looked at Wynn. He gave her a small shrug and was going to let her explain. Wynn was still forming questions in his mind that he wanted the answers to. He was pretty sure that it had something to do with what Mullins and Abigail had talked about before as to why she turned down the offer to reopen the mine.

"You better believe there is more." Abigail said. "He insulted me, ordered me to get him food and then he got mad when he learned that there is a dry order in effect because of what happened at Silverton. While we were trying to learn why he was here and what he wanted, we learned of the slide at Rock Creek. I started to get people going and he insulted me/this town for the third or fourth time. Then he refused to believe that a woman could be in charge. He is lucky I didn't have his ass arrested after he slapped my butt when he ordered me to get him food.

Also he was demanding to get into Gowen's house and got angry when he was refused. What he didn't know is that Gowen's old house had been searched and everything turned over to the Mounties. The house was given back to the town and was being used as storage for the supplies that had been donated. We have moved those and now are looking to settle some of the people there while they recover. The only thing in there besides the donated supplies was the furniture."

"I can attest to the fact that the house was thoroughly searched." Dee said. "Several hidden compartments were found. The contents were logged and sent off to the Mountie regional office and then on to headquarters. The compartments were then sealed after pictures were taken. So whatever he was looking for at the house is long gone."

"Is there anything else?" Andy asked.

"From what I hear." Dee said. "He still tried to get Sam over at the saloon to get him something to drink after he had been told at least twice about the dry order."

"Good enough." Andy said. "So Chris. What was that yelling out there about? And don't try to spin me – I know when you are lying."

"Fine." Mullins huffed. "I ordered a stagecoach to take me back to Buxton. When I saw that stagecoach, I went over and told him I was ready to go and he refused to go anywhere. I told him that he worked for me and that was when you stepped out."

"Well." Andy said. "That stagecoach is waiting for me, so actually he works for me. I would apologize to Mrs Stanton here, as well as these two Mounties if you still want a job – Uncle is not happy with you."

"I will not apologize to a woman!" Mullins sneered.

Andy looked over at Wynn.

"You have an actual jail here right?" Andy asked.

"Yes we do." Wynn said.

"Good." Andy said. "Let him cool his heels over there for disturbing the peace. At least he won't cause trouble from there. Also, I didn't mean anything by asking about an actual jail. Some places I have been to just have a room."

"Gladly." Dee said standing. "No problem. We understood."

Dee reached for Mullins, but he pulled away. Andy quickly grabbed him and pinned him down. Dee handcuffed Mullins and the two helped him to his feet.

"Go now or I will leave you here." Andy said. "I doubt that you want to take your chances with the Mounties. Well, maybe they might be easier on you then Uncle right now. He is not happy and you are the focus of his anger right now."

Dee pulled Mullins and he reluctantly went with. Dee walked him over to the jail and put him in a cell. He then headed back to the meeting with his dad. Before the door was shut, Andy turned to Abigail and Wynn. First he took a few deep breaths and paced a few moments. He needed to calm down and gather his thoughts. Wynn and Abigail had questions, but were going to give Andy a moment to calm down.

"First let me apologize." Andy said. "Mullins needs to learn he can't treat people anyway he wants. My cousins have long let him get away with too much."

Andy paced a little more before continuing to speak. Wynn motioned to Abigail to just give him a moment.

"Now let me explain." Andy said. "My mother's brother is Arthur James and he owns Rocky Mountain Mining Company along with many other things. Uncle Arthur helped me found my company, but was going to be hands off unless I needed help. I have a degree in business management and know the coal business. I have long warned my uncle about Chris and his behavior, but since he is childhood friends with my cousins, they have let things go and covered for him with my uncle.

I have since learned how he treated people and that he was going behind my back and trying to buy mines in Canada, I had enough. I talked to my Uncle and that is why I was on my way to Rock Creek. I wanted to make sure things were working out. Then when I was in Union City I heard rumors that Rocky Mountain was trying to get into business with Henry Gowen and I was livid.

The deal was that Uncle would not compete directly with me in Canada. I then learned that Uncle didn't know about what Chris was doing and was furious that he was using his company to compete against me. I am sorry for the trouble that Chris had caused, but he is through with the company. I have finally convinced Uncle that he wasn't worth the trouble. Now if you would please reconsider working with me and my company. I would be grateful."

Dee had walked in while Andy was speaking. He couldn't believe what he had heard. He knew who Arthur James was and he was a big deal. He wanted to talk to Abigail about things before she made up her mind. Dee knew that if Arthur James was involved, it could mean much bigger things for Hope Valley. He wasn't sure how Abigail felt about the town growing, but he knew that it would be a great opportunity. He also knew that it would probably bring the railroad faster than it was going to happen at that point. Dee caught his father's eye and gave him a look that Wynn understood. Wynn knew that Dee knew something and they would talk later. Wynn just hoped that Abigail was willing to take a step back and listen before she did anything. Wynn really wanted to see what Dee knew, but he also knew that it wasn't his place to interrupt at the moment. Abigail noticed the look between Wynn and Dee and knew that she needed a moment to think about things because obviously Dee had information that he wanted to share.

"I will think about things." Abigail said. "That is all I can promise right now. You know that Rocky Mountain has a bad rap because of what happened in Crownsnest Pass. What are you going to do about that? How do I know that you won't do the same thing here? I am responsible for this town and it is my home. I am not going to allow any company to come in and take over. The people of this town have come too far for me to let that happen. I don't want to get into details, but this town was not the way it is now when Pacific Northwest Mining was here. Part of what changed us was the disaster, but more than that, we have learned the hard way what we want and don't want. It has been a hard year, but the people of this town and area are moving on with their lives and I am going to see that things keep moving in a positive direction."

Andy started pacing again. Abigail looked over at Wynn and Dee, she saw the same look in their eyes that she had seen in Jack and Bill's when she knew that they knew more than they were saying. She wondered for a moment what they knew. She knew that she was going to have to talk to them before she made any decisions. Abigail gave Wynn a small nod and he nodded back. They both understood that they needed to talk, but now was not the time. Andy took a deep breath and walked back to the table. He plopped down in one of the chairs, hung his head and took a couple more deep breaths.

"Sadly yes, I know about Crownsnest Pass." Andy said. "First, that is not the way that I or Rocky Mountain do business. My uncle may be stern and cross at times, but that is usually because the person deserves it. Crownsnest, that was all Chris. He bought that mine behind my uncle's back using the Rocky Mountain name. I have been working to try and fix things, but the man he has in charge is difficult. The man hired four Pinkerton men and I can't seem to make headway down there because of the Pinkertons. They seem to only want to talk to Chris. I have spoken to my Uncle and he is headed there as we speak, but he had been in New York City and needed to head back to Boulder before coming to Crownsnest."

"If you truly want change." Wynn said. "I might be able to help you. I know that there is not a full-time Mountie down there, but I could send one in with orders to clean things up. For your part, you would need to fire the man in charge and replace him with someone who will listen to you and the law. You would also have to terminate your contract with the Pinkertons. Additionally, all businesses that were taken over would need to be returned to the rightful owners or sold. I would want things in writing. Also know that I trust my Mounties, if we move ahead with things and there is no change, I will hold you responsible."

"I will work on those things." Andy said. "I truly don't want things as they are in Crownsnest Pass, that is why I called Uncle in to handle it. I think he might be the only one that Mr Ansvil will listen to. Uncle James is not happy and if Mr Ansvil doesn't listen, I don't know. Honestly, I would rather shut the mine down and offer the men jobs elsewhere. At least until I can get control of things."

Abigail's head popped up and she looked at Andy.

"Wait." Abigail said. "Herbert Ansvil?"

"I believe so." Andy said. "You know him?"

"He used to work under my husband." Abigail said. "Then after the accident, he became Gowen's right hand man, despite the lack of experience. After the mine closed, he went to work somewhere else for Pacific Northwest. He is a weasel and was one of the men that tried to frame my husband. Noah never liked him much and certainly didn't trust him."

At the sound of Ansvil's name Dee also perked up a bit and it didn't go unnoticed by either Abigail or Wynn. Wynn made a note to see why Dee was interested in Ansvil and knowing where he was.

"Your choice." Dee said. "Know that the Mounties will be there to help, but think of the town. I know that a lot of people could get hurt if you just pull out. Because if you pull out, all the businesses will have to close, because they are all apparently owned by the mining company. That is not only going to hurt the people in the area, but people that are traveling through the area. That is one of the few passes through the mountains that is open most of the year."

"I will think about things." Andy said. "I also understand about totally pulling out. I think I will just have to see what happens when Uncle gets there."

"What I would like to know?" Wynn said. "What are you going to do for the injured miners and the widow that are left behind? Also what about Rock Creek?"

Before Andy could answer Wynn and the rest, they once again heard voices shouting outside. This time, Abigail knew that to be Lee and Charlotte. She was up and at the door quickly. Wynn and Dee were right behind her. Andy realized that it must be the group from Rock Creek, so he stood with Wynn and Dee. They saw Lee and Charlotte along with five wagons. Hickum heard things as well and was on the porch when Lee rode into town. DeWitt Graves was quickly off his horse and up the steps of the mining office. He quickly sounded the whistle in three short blasts. He knew that it wouldn't take long and everyone would be in town. Faith was out of the infirmary when she heard the whistle.

"Take them to the tents." Faith yelled to Lee.