Chapter 2

Nate adjusted the collar of his full-length woolen coat as he stepped out of the three-story, faded red brick Philadelphia building into the crisp fall afternoon air.  There was a distinctive skip in his step as he placed his bowler hat atop his smooth raven hair.  He was just given his first big assignment as an employee of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Up until then, his assignments had been small and seemingly insignificant. He wanted to have an opportunity to prove himself to the agency. This new assignment was that opportunity. He was to be partnered with Joseph Kennedy and Oliver Sullivan; which suited him just fine.

Joseph and Oliver served with him under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Biddle at the battle of Gettysburg.  Experiences like that brought people together. That practically guaranteed them to be an efficient working team.  At least, that’s what Alan Pinkerton thought.

“Kimble, wait up!” Joseph called as he followed Nate down the stone steps. 

“Can you believe the luck of it?  I just can’t seem to shake your sorry ass,” Nate laughed.

“We make the complete package, my good man,” Joseph said with a grin.

“Where’s Sullivan?” Nate asked as he looked in the direction they just came from.

“He’s got a woman to appease,” Joseph said.  “Damned nuisance, if you ask me. You can’t do this job with a woman hanging on your arm.”

“Not well, I don’t think,” Nate said with a thoughtful scowl.

“You aren’t gonna go get yourself all tied up with one, are you?” Joseph asked in earnest.

Nate scowled as he grumbled, “Lilith pretty much fixed that.”

“She sure was a sneaky one,” Joseph agreed.

“Damned right,” Nate nodded.

“I hear he is a heavy drinker,” Joseph said in a hushed tone.

“She wanted his fortune and family name,” Nate shrugged.

“Yeah, the name,” Joseph smirked.

“She deserves what she got,” Nate said with a tone that hinted of bitterness.

“I still can’t believe she wrote to you for so long after she married that shit head,” Joseph said.

“He saved me,” Nate pondered aloud. “I should thank him.”

“Yeah,” Joseph agreed.  “I feel a little sorry for him.  All I did was witness the deceit and I’m cured of ever wanting a woman.”

“At least not for a long time,” Nate said.

“Never,” Joseph reiterated.

They walked back to their hotel in silence while their minds worked on making lists of what needed to be done before they boarded the train headed for Oklahoma the following afternoon. 

Since the short notice was an inconvenience for Nate and Joseph, they could only imagine the impact it had on Oliver Sullivan.  Nate shuddered at the thought of how Oliver’s longtime girlfriend and intended fiancé, Alice Smyth, would respond to the news.  She made it perfectly clear to Oliver that she expected a proposal, followed by a wedding, before the New Year.  This assignment was surely going to twist her pantaloons.  He would not put it past the spoiled socialite not to confront old man Pinkerton himself on the matter. 

Nate thought Oliver’s situation a good example of another reason for him to be grateful he was single and free.

“This assignment will change our careers.  Let’s get a drink to celebrate,” Joseph suggested.

“I have some things to take care of before I leave.  A year is a long time,” Nate said.  “How about we meet up for dinner and then we can celebrate?”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Joseph said with clear disappointment. “I have some things to take care of too.”

Nate studied his friend before asking, “Did you get fitted for your suit?”

“When did you do that?” Joseph asked with raised brows.

“Yesterday,” Nate replied.

“Hell, you didn’t get assigned until today,” Joseph complained.

“I keep my ears to the ground,” Nate said with a grin.  “Tell Mr. Simon to put I the suit on my bill.”

“I can pay for it myself,” Joseph said as he squared his shoulders.

“I expect to be paid back out of your first paycheck,” Nate said with a firmness he did not mean.

He really did not expect to see any money from Joseph, and he was fine with that.  Just a few months earlier, Nate became the most financially fortunate one of the three friends, with Oliver second in line.

Nate was raised in what would be deemed as quality surroundings in the eyes of Philadelphia society.  Although he ran in the circle of socialites, he was not considered to be in the hub of that circle; which was one of the things that goaded Lilith. When he received a visit from the Miller Legal Firm informing him of an inheritance from an uncle on his mother’s side, all that changed; or would have, had Nate wanted to make the truth of his inheritance public.

Margaret Kimble’s brother, Richard Kincaid, was a wealthy, widowed rancher with no children. Since Nate was the closest relation, the fortune Richard amassed -which included an impressive amount of money along with an equally impressive cattle ranch on the Oklahoma/Texas border- was left to him.

Oliver -whose family of equally privileged background operated an apothecary because they wanted to; not because they had to- ran in the same circle of Philadelphia society with Nate.  His fortune would have been comparable to the settlement left Nate by his father prior to Nate’s inheritance from his uncle.

After learning of his friend’s good fortune, Oliver was quick to point out that, had Lilith only fulfilled her promise of waiting for him to return from war, she could have lived wherever and however she desired.  This observation stirred panic in Nate over the potential of being taken in by another deceitful female seeking his fortune under the guise of loving him.  Right then and there he swore his friends to secrecy.  Since he had limited confidence in his sister and mother’s ability to abstain from gossiping out of pride and desire to elevate their status amongst the socially elite, he withheld his true worth from them as well.  Except for Mr. Miller of the Miller Legal Firm, Joseph and Oliver were the only ones who knew the true value of his inheritance.  He intended to keep it that way until the time came that he felt confident divulging it.  Lilith’s lies and deceit had truly left their scars.

The reports provided to Nate about his uncle’s ranch led him to believe that it was in good hands with the current overseer. This was reassuring since, from the way things looked, it would be a while before he would be able to inspect the place.  Still, believing the adage, ‘When the cat’s away, the mice will play’, Nate decided to have his lawyer plant a ranch hand in the mix who would provide regular reports on the happenings of the ranch.

He and Joseph parted company outside of the tailor shop.  Nate reiterated the fact that he expected to be billed for Joseph’s suit.  After a little more grumbling, Joseph agreed and walked inside.

Nate smiled with satisfaction at the thought of being able to help his war buddy. They knew each other growing up and were on friendly terms whenever their path’s crossed, but they were part of social classes that kept them separated for the most part.  It was not until they fought side by side that a true bond formed.

The war took its toll on everyone, but none more than the disadvantaged.  Joseph’s father was killed during the second year of fighting.  Less than a year later, his mother died of consumption; leaving Joseph’s fourteen-year-old sister and ten-year-old brother to do the best they could to keep their little farm operating enough to support them until Joseph returned from fighting and bring some semblance of normality back into their lives.  Caring for his siblings when he was barely able to care for himself was a burden Nate’s twenty-year-old friend said little about.  He did not need to.  Nate had eyes to see and ears to hear.  He knew fully the struggles Joseph went through without so much as a complaint. 

Nate reached the office of the Miller Legal Firm and stopped outside long enough to pull his mind into focus on the matter at hand.  He wanted to have his affairs in order as best he could before he embarked on an assignment that would demand his full attention. He also had a family depending on him.  Although his mother was still alive and well, she also became a widow during the war and his sister lost her fiancé.  This left two needy women looking to him for comfort and support; both emotionally and monetarily.  He wanted to arrange for a trust fund to be created for their care, as well as draw up a Last Will and Testament in the event he did not make it back from this assignment alive.