On a new day, Mr. Fowler paced back and forth in the room. The "Detective Pinkerton" in Sir Marlin's words really troubled him. He looked at John sitting on the bed, and he had a solution in his mind, but he didn't know. How to speak.
John knew very well that once Detective Pinkerton set off from Saint Denis, he would have no room for maneuver. Detective Pinkerton knew the facial features of all the bounty targets so well that even Sheriff Malloy could guess that John was on the wanted list. Not to mention the Pinkerton detectives - those professional killers. Once John meets the Pinkerton detectives invited by Sir Marlin, the matter may be exposed. Maybe from the time John became a policeman, he did put his Originally, the life experience was well buried, but this does not mean that the danger is eliminated. Sometimes fate does not allow people to live too long with a double identity.
"John, I have a hunch that you can't hide it this time. The identity of a police officer may be able to fool some brainless people, but Detective Pinkerton, they can even suspect their own colleagues. How can they not doubt you?"
"I know there's nothing we can do this time." John said with a bitter smile.
"That's not necessarily true. I promised to help you to the end, and this time is no exception."
"Mr. Fowler, if you have any feasible way, I really can't repay you." A glimmer of hope ignited in John's heart.
"I figured since we couldn't fight with the Pinkerton detectives or make peace with them, there was only one option left: walk away."
"Six of us leaving Annesburg together?"
Mr. Fowler nodded and shook his head: "Well...you may have to leave Annesburg alone this time."
It doesn't matter, anyway, John is used to being alone, and he is quite concerned about Mr. Fowler's safety. If he leaves without saying goodbye, won't Sir Marlin and others become suspicious of Mr. Fowler?
Thinking of this, John raised his head and asked, "Mr. Fowler, what about you?"
"The person they want to arrest is you, John, and I am not the target, but you must not think that I betrayed you. We will still get together, and you will come back when the storm is over. Do you remember Owen Smith? That Jean Lan The devil who killed you, Mrs. Fowler, I will never let him go in this life, and for this reason, I will not abandon you."
In the early morning, before the sun had risen and some things had not yet seen the light, John and Mr. Fowler came to the lumberyard on the top of the mountain. There was no human habitation here for the time being. John changed into a clean set of casual clothes, and Mr. Fowler held his hand. A horse he got from nowhere, John called it boy. Mr. Fowler patted the boy and handed the reins to John.
"John, you are about to leave. I hope you can do your best to investigate the mining incident. I have a hunch that it will involve a lot of things. We are not good people. If you are in urgent need of money, make money from this incident. Oil and water.”
John said his final farewell to Mr. Fowler, turned over and rode on the boy and walked forward. He saw Mr. Fowler's old figure gradually getting smaller in the morning mist until it disappeared.
"Everything is getting old." John felt this way for some reason.
There are two paths ahead of John: one is to continue running for his life and become a penniless fugitive; the other is to follow Mr. Fowler's suggestion and become a private detective to investigate the matter and dig for gold in disguise. Anyone with a slightly adventurous spirit will choose the second path, and John is the same. Although he has been a Pinkerton detective before, and there is the word "detective" in Pinkerton detective, it is no different from a bounty hunter. The detective has absolutely nothing to do with it. John had read some stories about detectives, especially private detectives, in books before. Their speculations on the logic of the case were convincing, but reality was different from novels. There was no logic in reality. He had no clue about the golden robbery and whether he was going to be involved in this money game. The shining golden stone was so attractive to a penniless person like him that it blurred his thoughts and he made a decision A bold decision.
No matter what, we still have to get it! John promised in his heart.
John rode along the road down the Roanoke Mountains to the flat land at the foot of the mountain. This was the only road from Annesburg to Valentine. He saw a ragged homeless man sitting cross-legged on the side of the road. There was a tent set up in the grass next to him, as well as his coal lamp, dustpan with cereal, kettle, etc. The stranger obviously noticed John walking over: "Your outfit seems to have nothing to do with money, the most holy Friends, come and sit here, this won’t delay you or anything.” John responded and passed.
The tramp watched John for a long moment, and in that formidable silence John looked down at the flames, fearing that he would be recognized if he caught his eye, and then was tied up and given to the Pinkerton detective for the reward.
"Where are you from, friend?" the stranger broke the silence.
John raised his head: "You can say that we are at home all over the world."
"I am Mexican, and the reason why I left was because my good brother, a man I had known since childhood, betrayed me." The Mexican continued, "Then why should I tell you this? Because of the stranger Companionship is often the best. The closer people are to each other, the more it hurts."
"I agree and feel sorry for your sad past," John said.
"Look, you understand this." The Mexican lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth and started smoking without restraint: "This is the last one, my friend, I picked it up in Annesburg, so don't expect it. I'll give you another one. I don't know how much you know about...er...Annisberg, but there's a local story about three brothers who were close but ultimately couldn't compete with greed: together they found gold, But one of them ran away with all the gold alone.”
"I'd like to hear the details." John immediately became interested when he heard about the gold.
"Now, all three of them are dead. People say that the brother who ran away carved a mark in the tree to mark the spot where he had hidden the gold, and when he went there later, he was shot by another brother who was following him. Dead. As far as I know, no one has ever found that gold, just like the body of my good friend." He paused and continued, "From then on, we campers have an unwritten rule: every time we pass by To the graves of the three brothers, all the cash they carry should be buried under the soil in front of the graves to show their determination to never be greedy for money. This may be stupid and funny to a gentleman like you."
John didn't know what to say for a moment. His mind was filled with two things: the three brothers and the Annesburg mine gold. They seemed unrelated, but they seemed to be secretly connected, so the two fell into silence again, looking at each other.
"Well, I've rested long enough." The Mexican stood up and walked away.
Well... the man from Mexico didn't pack his things. It seemed that he was staying here. When he walked away, John looked around to see if there was anything he needed. He saw a page - a briefing paper. , appears to have been cut from a newspaper.
John held the brief up to his face.
new hanover gazette
August 12, 1896
fratricide
Three bloody series
Three brothers from the city of Annesburg on Roanoke Ridge have been killed, according to reliable sources, with reports that the trio killed each other. The Bennett brothers, known as Gideon, Elle and Earl by friends of the family, were once extremely close but had recently fallen out over the gold, each feeling that someone else had stolen their gold. All three men have criminal histories and they...
After the word "They" there is a tear mark, and the paper is yellowed and stiff, which further proves that this is indeed from 1896, and it is 1900. Who would leave something as easily outdated as a newspaper here?
John turned over the newspaper clippings with doubts and curiosity...
