“It wasn’t that short!?”
After having a breakfast of bread and coffee, Porter climbed into the wagon and Max followed on horseback.
The distance remaining to Gallatin County, where John Crenshaw lived, was 70 kilometers. Fearing that their cover would be exposed, Porter suggested that they arrive in the evening if possible.
It was a reasonable decision. The group took a nap and spent time moving at the slowest possible pace.
As the sun was setting, the two white-painted houses where John Crenshaw lived came into view.
Clunk, clunk.
Behind the carriage, a black slave, bound in chains, staggers along. It is a situation where one is entering a tiger’s den.
A normal person would have stiffened and numbness in their legs, but Potter was giving it his all, showing even the smallest details of thirst and exhaustion.
‘He wasn’t just a detective in name.’
Potter and the Pinkerton agents, although their actions and speech were a bit irritating, were people with a strong sense of professionalism and mission.
“What brings you here!”
Five men stood in front of the carriage.
They were watchmen and slave hunters who guarded John Crenshaw’s house.
A thin man named Maureen, riding a horse, stepped forward and spoke to the detective.
“I brought back a runaway slave from St. Louis, but I don’t know if they’ll give me a fair price.”
The man who appeared to be the leader glanced at the lowered black slave. Then he pouts and sneers.
“Just to catch one guy, three people came out? And what’s with the carriage? How can you make a living like this? You can tell by looking at him that he’s a rookie.”
“Beginner or whatever. What does it matter?”
“Wow, judging by your temper, you’ll soon lose that beginner’s label.”
The leader continued, chuckling.
“Anyway, you’ll have to wait a while to get the money. Mr. Crane is in town right now.”
“Well, waiting isn’t that hard.”
As Maureen got off the horse, the man named Larry, who was sitting on the stable, also twisted his waist and stepped on the ground. However, Max had no intention of getting off and was just looking up at the sky.
The clear sky quickly began to fill with dark clouds.
‘I hope it won’t rain.’
At that moment, a clap of thunder was heard.
Quagmire, quagmire.
Maureen, Larry, and Porter, who was behind the carriage, looked up at the sky in shock.
The lightning flashes make it seem like it’s about to start pouring rain.
‘If it rains, it’s ruined.’
The leader clicked his tongue as Porter tried to climb onto the carriage.
“This kid is moving without permission.”
The leader suddenly pulled out the whip from his waistband. A flustered Maureen stopped him.
“It would be a problem if the product was damaged before trading.”
“Slaves are creatures who, if treated comfortably, forget their place. Mr. Crenshaw, on the contrary, values the obedient ones more.”
Whirlyrick. Okay.
As the leader swung his whip at the ground, sand and gravel flew up. As he took a step forward, the startled Potter stepped back with a look of disgust on his face.
The shaking of the body was definitely not an act.
Maureen said, frowning.
“I told you not to touch the product.”
“Since we brought him here, that little brat is ours. If you want to take some money, just shut up.”
At the leader’s words, the four subordinates opened their coats and showed off their guns. Maureen and Larry’s eyes narrowed, and the leader continued speaking, grumbling.
“From now on, watch carefully how we deal with that runaway slave. He won’t ever think of running away again.”
Whirlyrick. Clap.
“evil!”
The whip struck Potter’s forearm. Then another whip flew, striking his crouching back. Judging by the glint in the leader’s eyes, he was clearly a madman who enjoyed this.
Just as he was about to swing his whip again, raindrops began to fall from the sky.
“Why is it raining?”
Max grumbled and dismounted. He stepped onto the ground and looked calmly at the groaning Potter.
The distance between him and the leader was only about 3 meters. The leader, who had just come into Max’s sight, spat and opened his mouth.
“This is the end of the world. Now the Mexicans come here to hunt slaves? Don’t steal our rice bowls, and if possible, get out of this land.”
“That’s something only Indians would say.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but get your stinky face off.”
Thud, thud.
The raindrops have gotten quite large.
Max whispered as he passed Potter.
– You held up well.
– ?
Potter, who was crouching and groaning, turned his head slightly. As he looked at Max, who was swaying past him, Potter’s face was soaked with rainwater, revealing a hint of white skin.
The leader’s eyes grew wide when he saw this.
“What, what is this bird···!”
Crunch.
As soon as he pulled it out, Max’s gun was aimed at the leader’s head. The muzzle went from his temple, down his cheek, and into his mouth.
“I came here to get money, so let’s go on a good note. Disarm everyone.”
“!”
Not only was it surprising that the English language came out, but the other person’s face was also soaked in rainwater, revealing its skin color.
‘What the hell are these guys!’
As the leader’s pupils began to waver, Max thrust his gun deeper.
A feeling of dread stabbing in the throat and a stomach reflux.
The leader, who was feeling nauseous, raised his hand and urged his subordinates.
‘Oh, they’re just after money anyway.’
Regardless of their skin color, the leader ordered his men to disarm. But there was no need for him to do so, as the men were already being forced to hand over their guns to Pinkerton detectives Maureen and Larry.
Max pulled the gun out of the leader’s mouth. He grinned cowardly and said,
“If I made a mistake, please understand. When Mr. John Crenshaw comes, I will explain it to him. Don’t worry about the money.”
“Then it’s fine for me. Let’s go in first.”
Max and his men bound the men with ropes, covered their faces, and dragged them into the house where John Crenshaw’s five children and two servants were.
They screamed at the sight of the robbers, but soon they moved in unison following the gun barrels.
Max moved them to the house next door where the servants stayed and instructed Maureen and Larry to keep watch.
John Crenshaw’s house.
Amidst the sound of thunder and rain, a strange noise has been heard inside the house since a while ago.
Max, staring at the ceiling, asked the leader who was kneeling and tied with rope.
“Are there any runaway slaves up there?”
“Oh, oh. There’s an attic, and I’m hiding it there.”
“But what is this groaning sound?”
“I told you earlier. Runaway slaves need education. I gave them a hand to bring them back to their senses.”
“I’m proud of you, kid.”
Potter, who had been acting like a short but thick slave, looked at the leader with his teeth gnashing. Every time the wound from the whip throbbed, the desire to kill surged up.
But the leader, unaware of the seriousness of the situation, rolled his eyes and smiled cowardly. He didn’t show any sign of surprise even though he knew from the rain that the other person was an Asian. Of course, his mind was busy trying to overcome the difficulty.
Clunk, clunk.
John Crenshaw arrived just as the living room clock struck ten o’clock.
The carriage stopped, and a smartly dressed couple emerged from it. Porter, watching through the crack in the window, winked at Max.
The couple, who had been walking quickly to avoid the rain, complained before opening the door.
“Those fools. They don’t seem to think about bringing an umbrella when it rains.”
“That’s because you’re being too lax.”
Suddenly.
“Anyway, those stupid things take a lot of work···.”
John Crenshaw and his wife gasped and opened their eyes. They saw their men tied up in the living room, and then there was a click and the barrels of two guns filled their pupils.
“John Crenshaw. Finally, we met.”
Max raised one corner of his mouth, moved the gun away slightly and stared into John Crenshaw’s shaking eyes.
‘Oriental?’
As his eyes darted wildly, Max plunged the Bowie knife into John Crenshaw’s stomach.
And then he asked softly.
“Where are the slave papers?”
Isn’t it common sense to ask first and then stab if it doesn’t work out? The leader and his men watched Max’s merciless appearance with deep thought.
And the moment they realized that money wasn’t the issue, they started flailing their bodies desperately to free themselves from the rope.
< You were watching us >
Suddenly, my husband was stabbed with a knife.
John Crenshaw’s wife cried out in thought.
“Ah, you devil! God will never forgive you!”
Max burst into laughter as he heard a curse instead of a scream. Then he hit his wife on the head with his fist. She fell unconscious to the floor, not moving at all.
John Crenshaw looked at Max, his eyes wide.
A cold, cruel, emotionless gaze.
John Crenshaw’s body shook with a mixture of fear and pain as he faced this.
At this point Max whispered softly.
“If I pull out this sword, where do you think I’ll go next?”
“This guy… Cool.”
John Crenshaw vomited red blood from his mouth.
As death approaches, the only thing on your mind is your family.
John Crenshaw, resigned to everything, told them where the documents were kept. Then he begged for his family’s lives.
“Someone else will make that judgment.”
Max looked at Potter, who was watching John Crenshaw’s men. He had done nothing wrong, but Potter’s eyes met Max’s, and he felt a strange sensation in his throat.
“Bring me the people in the attic.”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
Porter urged the leader to find the door leading to the attic. He picked the lock and climbed in, and a moment later he appeared leading the black men.
There was a couple of adults and four children.
‘Are you family?’
Aside from their terrified eyes, their appearances are gruesome.
Their haggard faces, torn clothes and the wounds revealed through them made it easy to guess what had happened to them in the attic.
Max sneered and spoke to John Crenshaw.
“They are the ones who will decide the fate of your family.”
“……”
John Crenshaw looked at the black family in bewilderment.
They kidnapped a free black family and tortured them. Their answer was obvious.
‘It’s the end.’
John Crenshaw hung his head in despair.
However, this does not mean that I have any regrets or reflections on the past. I have never once looked at black people as fellow human beings, so my way of thinking did not change even in extreme situations.
however.
“We just want to get our freedom back. We don’t want anything more than that.”
An unexpected answer burst from the black man’s mouth. John Crenshaw looked up and tears filled his eyes.
“Revenge?”
The black man shook his head at Max’s question.
“Judgment is God’s alone. Besides, Mr. Crenshaw’s children are innocent. Even if they beat us and insulted us, it wouldn’t be their fault.”
Hearing this, John Crenshaw lowered his head again and shrugged his shoulders.
Max looked at Potter with a calm face.
“Go to the carriage with this family. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Inside the house, only Max and John Crenshaw, his unconscious wife, and his men tied up with ropes remained. Max approached John Crenshaw, who was bowing his head and shedding tears.
Then he bent down and spoke.
“Are those tears shed because of joy?”
Crenshaw’s sobbing body stiffened.
At this point, Max pulled out the Bowie knife stuck in his stomach.
Crenshaw collapsed on the floor, spurting blood and trembling. He stopped moving as his body temperature cooled down.
Max got up and swung his Bowie knife to wipe away the blood. Then he staggered towards the living room.
The leader and his men were struggling to escape the rope. Max took out the gun in his holster with a calm expression.
The leader who saw this shouted urgently.
“Hey, wait! I know where the money is! If you spare my life just once…”
Bang! Bang!
Kwaaang.
Five gunshots rang out, mixed with the thunder. The last shot was aimed at John Crenshaw’s unconscious wife. If she were left alive, she would surely go on a rampage, seeking revenge. If her children were to become a nuisance, she would be influenced by revenge.
bang!
*
The secret place where the papers were kept was the bedroom of John and Cressow.
Pushing the bed away revealed a small door with a hook covered in carpet.
When he pulled open the door, a space as wide as a bed appeared, and inside it was piled all of John Crenshaw’s wealth: gold, cash, papers, and books.
Suddenly.
Only after a while did Max come out of the house, dragging several bundles like Santa.
As if by magic, the rain stopped, and Max began to load some of the bundles into the hold of the wagon the black men were riding in.
“I’ll leave the rest up to you three.”
“You’re leaving after making such a mess?”
Porter followed Max, who was carrying the luggage, with a bewildered expression on his face.
“They killed two Pinkerton agents, and kidnapped and sold runaway slaves and free black people. Allen could use this to his advantage.”
Max pointed to a large bundle sitting in front of the door.
“What is that?”
“It seems like he was planning to write an autobiography, he wrote it down in great detail.”
John Crenshaw’s decades-long diary chronicles every atrocity he committed.
That alone is more than ten volumes.
In addition, the slave trade journal and various contracts alone are enough to prove John Crenshaw’s crimes. Of course, summary execution is problematic, but this is Illinois, a free state. And.
“This is the Pinkerton stronghold, so you can handle something like this. I’m sure Allen will praise you.”
Instead of answering, Potter chewed his lips.
My head was spinning trying to figure out how to deal with the dead John Crenshaw and his men, and the rest of their family.
But at that moment, Max held out a heavy package. Potter’s eyes widened and he instinctively felt that it was money. His complicated mind was instantly cleared.
“Five hundred dollars. Split it between the three of you. And I’m out of this case.”
Potter nodded quickly.
After Max left the mess to his own devices, he tied a horse to the carriage and left John Crenshaw’s house.
Ironically, the kidnapped black family lived in a town not far from here.
I was thinking of dropping them off on the way.
As John Crenshaw’s whitewashed house began to recede, the sobs of the black family in the back of the truck began to be heard. The couple hugged their children tightly, trying to shake off the nightmare with joy.
Meanwhile, Maureen and Larry, who came out from the house next door late, grumbled as they watched the carriage moving away.
“Damn, you just throw me some money and leave?”
“Then Daji. What more do you want?”
“…… Um. That’s true.”
