Chapter 5

Jarrod didn't ride straight to the house, but out to the north range where he knew Nick would be working. He spotted Heath first, who saw him too and rode over. "Where's Nick?" Jarrod asked right away.

"Chasing strays," Heath said. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"I got a wire from Carson City. There was a cave in at the mine."

"What?"

"No injuries but damage to the mine. I need to get there on the overnight train, and I need Nick to go with me. He's the one who just dealt with Tolman. Do me a favor. Find him and send him to the house. I want to start packing."

Heath nodded and took off to look for Nick.

Jarrod hurried to the house and inside as fast as he could. Audra was not there, but Victoria was in the stable yard. She watched her oldest come in riding fast, dismounting fast.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Victoria asked.

"I got a wire from Carson City," Jarrod said. "They had a cave in at the mine. No one was injured but there was damage, and you can bet the buyers are hopping mad. Big problems one day after they bought it."

"You're going there."

"Yes, and I'm taking Nick with me. He was the one who was at closing for us. If we're to have to work something out on this, I want him there to help me do it. Heath's going to find him and send him home. I'm going to go pack."

Jarrod hurried into the house and up to his room. He had only just started packing when Nick came rushing in. "A mine cave in? How the hell did that happen? We had it inspected not two weeks ago before we finalized the sale!"

"I know that," Jarrod said. "We need to get over there and find out what's going on. I need to be there to negotiate this out, and I need you there because you just had a relationship with Tolman, and with Barbary Red. They're both gonna be hot."

"Oh, wonderful, Barbary Red – " Nick muttered as he went out and to his room to pack.

It wasn't that Jarrod hadn't given any thought to seeing Barbara again. It flashed into his mind as soon as he read the telegram, along with all the uneasy feelings about things that had happened to him since. But he could not let it overwhelm him or even take root in his mind right now. This was a business problem. There was no room for a personal problem in there too. There was no room for anything other than warding off a big fat lawsuit for fraud that might be coming if that partnership that bought the mine was angry enough. And they might be angry enough.

XXXXXX

Sleeping on a train was never an easy task, but Jarrod and Nick each got a little rest on the overnight to Carson City. Jarrod had wired Tolman that they would be arriving in the morning and would meet whoever wanted to meet with them at ten in the morning at the hotel where Nick had stayed.

The train arrived a little early, and no one was waiting for them at the hotel. Jarrod arranged for a private meeting room when they checked in. They got settled into their rooms and then met up again in the meeting room.

Jarrod wasn't remotely surprised when the first person to join them was Easton, the lawyer who had handled the closing. Jarrod knew him in passing. Nick remembered him clearly. They shook hands.

"Before you ask," Jarrod said, "no, we had no idea there was any problem with the mine. We had it inspected thoroughly only two weeks ago, by an inspector both the Barkleys and the partnership agreed to. The inspector didn't find any problems."

"I know all that," Easton said. "I saw the report."

"What the heck happened out there?" Nick asked.

"I haven't been out there, but Dwight Tolman went as soon as he heard about the cave in," Easton said. "He'll be here shortly. In the meantime, I'm having the hotel bring in some coffee and some toast so none of us is talking on an empty stomach."

"Are any of the partners coming to this meeting?" Jarrod asked.

Easton said, "Dwight Tolman will be coming. We all talked last night, and Tolman will report back to his partners after we've talked today. Needless to say, though, even though we're grateful that no one was hurt, the new owners now have a big expense they weren't expecting, and that mine can't operate until the damage is repaired."

"What damage is there?" Jarrod asked.

"Tolman said there was a cave in not fifty feet into the main tunnel. We're having the connecting tunnel examined today, but so far we don't know how extensive the damage is."

"By the same inspector?"

Easton nodded.

"Do they know how the cave in happened?" Nick asked.

Easton shook his head. "Not as of last night."

Dwight Tolman came in at that moment. He looked tired, not happy, but he offered his hand and introduced himself to Jarrod. The coffee and toast arrived shortly after he did. All four men quickly dug in.

They sat down at a conference table. The first thing Tolman did was describe the damage, how little they knew about it, how men in the mine at the time were able to get out via the auxiliary escape tunnel and all were accounted for. "The inspector is out there now with the manager and they're going to use the side tunnel to get in and see what's going on."

"Is it stable in there?" Nick asked.

"There hasn't been any more trouble," Tolman said. Then he looked at Jarrod. "This is going to cost. You know my partners and I are not happy about this."

"We're not happy either," Jarrod said. "The inspector gave a clean report when he inspected it before we made the sale. We knew as much about the mine as you did, and that was based on his report, just as your knowledge was."

"Well, we're gonna have to figure this out and get that mine open again, that's for certain," Tolman said.

"If the inspector is out there now, we ought to get out there too," Nick said.

"Will you need me?" Easton asked. "I have clients coming in today."

"You don't represent either of us anymore, do you?" Jarrod asked.

Easton shook his head. "I was finished with my part at closing, and frankly if you are going to be after each other in court, I'd rather you got other lawyers. My expertise is in real property, not litigation."

"Obviously, I'd be representing the Barkley family," Jarrod said. "Dwight, do you want to have a lawyer with you?"

Tolman hesitated before he said, "Not yet. Let's go see what's happening first."

Jarrod and Nick got horses at the livery and were heading out of town when Jarrod got his first glance at Red's saloon, and at Barbary Red. She was in front of her place and had been talking to Tolman until Jarrod and Nick rode up. Jarrod and Nick both tipped their hats to her. Jarrod's motion was more deliberate. He nodded and said, "Barbara."

She said, "Hello, Mr. Barkley."

That was all they said to each other, because Tolman mounted up and said, "Let's go." Jarrod and Nick both got the feeling he did not want them talking to Red, and did not want them to know what he had been saying to her either.

Not that it mattered much, Jarrod thought. There really wasn't much for Tolman and his partner to talk about yet. The real talking would start once they all knew what was going on at the mine.