Tom shakes his head. “Right now, California barely has courts worthy of the name. Influence counts for more than the law. The courts do what Hardwick tells them, not the other way around.”
“And there’s the matter of Becky’s house,” I say.
Becky stops stroking the baby’s cheek and looks up.
“And the fact that Frank Dilley and those roughnecks held you and Henry at gunpoint in the Custom House,” I add.
The Major frowns at Becky. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for that.”
Becky absently puts a hand on his arm, even as she bounces the baby on one knee. “It turned out fine,” she says. The Major stares down at the hand covering his arm, color rising in his cheeks.
“And then we come to the matter of Hampton,” I say.
I’m met with nods and murmurs of agreement from around the table.
“There’s one more thing,” Tom says, his face grave.
“Oh?”
“I can’t be the only one who has noticed,” he says, glancing around the table. “But Hardwick seems to have taken a peculiar interest in Lee.”
“It’s true,” Becky says.
“Lee, I don’t like the way he looks at you,” Jefferson adds.
I don’t like it much either. He gives my belly the same wormy feeling I always got around my uncle Hiram.
“What makes you all say that?” Jasper says.
“Well, he keeps showing up everywhere we go,” Jefferson says.
“He’s going to ask for more money for Glory’s charter, remember?” Henry says.
“He called Lee ‘intriguing,’” Becky says. “Which gave me a shiver, I don’t mind saying.
“He knows we’ve all got more gold than we ought, although . . .” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “I don’t think he knows about your particular . . . blessing.”
“In any case, his fascination with Lee is . . . unnatural,” Tom says.
They’re all looking at each other, more than they’re looking at me. Finally, Jefferson clears his throat. “The thing is, Lee, there’s always going to be men like that in the world.”
“And your point is?”
“We can’t make that problem go away forever.”
“When you’re hungry, and you eat, do you expect your hunger to go away forever? When you’re sick, and you go to a doctor”—I point to Jasper—“do you expect to stay well forever? Of course not. Hardwick is the problem in front of us right now. We can’t solve the problem forever, but we can solve him. That’s what we’re going to do.”
“You aren’t planning to shoot Hardwick, are you?” Tom asks. “With your daddy’s rifle?”
“No!”
“Because that would be wrong—”
“Because that would be ineffective.”
“And also wrong,” says Jefferson.
“Yes, but it wouldn’t get the job done,” I clarify. “Jeff, you remember our teacher back in Dahlonega? Mr. Anders?”
Jefferson is leaning forward, fingers steepled. “Yeah.”
“What was that monster he told us about? The one where you cut off its head and it grows two more?”
“The hydra?” he answers, as all three of the college men blurt out, “The hydra!”
“That’s the one,” I say. “Hardwick is the head of the monster, but the body that feeds him is the money and the businesses that are making him rich right now. If he died tomorrow, a bunch of other men would just divvy up his businesses and his money, and they’d all go on doing the same thing. It’s not enough to cut the head off the monster. We have to destroy the body too. We’re not just going to bring down James Henry Hardwick, we’re going to ruin his empire and take every penny he owns. Who’s in?”
Silence. Faintly, a burst of distant laughter filters through the hull; probably from one of the nearby saloons.
Jasper spreads his large, capable hands on the table. “I hear what you’re saying, and I admire your intent. But I came to San Francisco to learn. And there’s so much to learn. Malnourishment, diseases, every kind of wound and injury. But my time is limited. A year from now, when this is a more settled place, those problems won’t be here, not in the same degree. I can get a lifetime of experience in the next year if I want it, and that’s what I want.”
“You’re already the best doctor I’ve ever known,” I tell him.
He grins. “And I’m going to get even better.”
“That makes perfect sense,” I say, even though I’m disappointed. “I wish you well. You’re welcome to stay aboard the ship, even if you’re not part of our plan.”
Jasper stands. “I’d like to maintain a cabin here, if you don’t mind, Lee.”
“Of course I don’t mind!”
“It’s just the doctor I’m working with has invited me to board with him on weekdays, because there’s no telling what hour of the day an emergency will come knocking. He calls it ‘a residency.’ My home will always be here, with you.” He glances toward Henry and Tom, his face a little apologetic. “But I think I’ll take him up on that. Spend most of my nights there, come back to the Charlotte on weekends.”
Henry and Tom exchange a glance, part resignation, part relief, and suddenly I understand. Henry and Tom have always been especially attached to each other, and Jasper is leaving them be, giving them space of their own.
I swallow hard and force myself to say, “That doctor is lucky to have you.”
“Now, this doesn’t mean I won’t help. Hampton is my friend, and we’ve been through a lot together, and I’ll do just about anything to get him back. So, if you think of something I can do, you let me know, understand?”
“Count on it.”
He rises from the table. Becky says, “You’ll come around often, won’t you, Jasper?”
“Of course!”
The Major shakes Jasper’s hand. Jefferson puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes.
Henry crosses his arms and says emphatically, “See you soon.”
“See you soon,” Jasper echoes.
“See you soon,” Tom whispers.
With a final nod, Jasper leaves the room. I stare around the rest of the table. “Anybody else want to go? Now’s the time to do it.”
Nobody moves. The Major reaches down to rub the stump of his leg. “Just promise me there’s a chance to take down Frank Dilley too.”
“That’s definitely part of the plan,” I promise him.
“Then I’m in.”
Tom pushes his chair back from the table and rises. Before speaking, he straightens his collar and cuffs. “I think I need to go see a man about a job,” he says in a tight voice. “I’ll catch up with all of you later.”
I nod to him, not trusting my words enough to say anything.
“Tom . . . ,” Henry says.
Tom smiles the tiniest bit. “I’ll be back.”
When he’s gone, I lean forward. “All right then. Let’s get to work.”
Just below us, deep inside the ship, a hammer pounds on thick wood. A moment later comes the rasp of a saw.
Chapter Nine
The first thing we decide to do is find out how much money Hardwick has and where he keeps it.