Davey was furious.
The equipment he'd paid a fortune for in the East had been robbed.
He was usually the one robbing others. Yet in a place like the West, someone actually dared to steal from him.
That was unacceptable.
The West ran on savagery.
Robberies happened almost every day.
What good was Cornwall's reputation? The O'Driscoll Gang robbed his trains. The Van der Linde Gang robbed his trains too.
So when word spread that a ship was carrying extremely valuable cargo, a robbery was bound to happen.
Of course, Davey hadn't suffered any real loss.
Under the terms of the purchase contract, the seller was responsible for door-to-door delivery. Until the goods arrived at Davey's factory in Saint Denis, they weren't considered officially delivered.
Equipment that expensive was naturally insured.
If it was robbed, the insurance company would cover the loss.
None of it would come out of Davey's pocket.
Originally, the equipment could have been shipped directly to Saint Denis.
But the seller chose Van Horn Trade Port because transportation was cheaper, saving on freight costs—after all, shipping was covered by the seller.
As a result, Land Security Company didn't provide escort services for the shipment.
That was how the equipment ended up being stolen.
There was no financial loss, but his pride had taken a hit.
Why would Cornwall spend tens of thousands of dollars wiping out the Van der Linde Gang after losing goods worth only a few thousand?
It was a warning—to everyone else.
Davey was now facing the same situation.
After finishing his phone call, Davey went downstairs.
"Hosea, Mary Beth. Long time no see."
Hosea held his coffee and smiled.
"Looks like we came at a bad time, Davey."
Mary Beth had been eating dessert. When she saw Davey come down, she immediately set her fork aside.
"What happened? What got you this angry?" she asked curiously.
Davey shrugged.
"Some small-time punks came out of nowhere and robbed the equipment I bought from the East. That stuff cost me quite a few dollars."
His mood now mirrored how Cornwall must have felt when he found out his train had been robbed.
Hosea couldn't help commenting, "People still dare to steal from you out West?"
Davey laughed.
"Didn't Dutch rob Cornwall's train back then?"
Hosea burst out laughing.
"You're right, Davey. Out here in the West, people rob the rich."
"Now that you're rich, of course you're going to get robbed."
"So this is what they call the troubles of the wealthy?"
"I'd like to experience that kind of trouble myself."
Davey helplessly took the cigar Elisa had lit for him and took a puff.
"Alright, Hosea. I'll admit it—you're absolutely right."
"It really is a happy kind of trouble."
With just a few jokes, the atmosphere between them grew noticeably warmer.
Hosea could tell that Davey was still the same man he'd always been. He hadn't changed or started looking down on his old companions just because he'd gotten rich.
Mary Beth relaxed as well, picking up her fork again and savoring the dessert.
Such delicate sweets were something she'd never enjoyed before. This was her first time.
Hosea casually asked, "Equipment? Planning to open a factory, Davey?"
"And equipment shipped all the way from the East, too."
Davey shook his head slightly.
"You're underestimating me, Hosea."
"Not one factory—six. That's on top of the two garment factories I already own."
"So before long, I'll have eight factories in total."
"That alone will provide thousands of jobs for the people of Saint Denis."
Hosea was stunned.
Eight factories. Thousands of jobs.
Davey was becoming a true industrialist.
"That kind of scale must require over a hundred thousand dollars in investment," Hosea said.
He knew Davey's moonshine business was profitable, but he hadn't realized it was this profitable.
Over a hundred thousand dollars.
Back when they robbed the cash transport in Blackwater, they'd only gotten around that amount.
And now, just a few months later, Davey had already made that much?
Davey waved his hand.
"A hundred thousand dollars wouldn't even come close to opening eight factories."
"This time, my investment is four hundred thousand dollars."
The number left Hosea completely speechless.
Mary Beth's mouth fell open beside him.
Four hundred thousand dollars.
How much money was that?
Even in her dreams, Mary Beth wouldn't dare imagine such a sum.
Seeing their reactions, Davey laughed.
"Of course, three hundred thousand of it came from a bank loan."
"Using the bank's money to grow your own business—that's the right way to do things, isn't it?"
Hearing that three hundred thousand was borrowed, Hosea finally felt a little more at ease.
But new thoughts quickly surfaced in his mind.
He had recently been investigating Lemoyne Bank, preparing for one final robbery.
"Did you take the loan from Lemoyne Bank?" Hosea asked.
Davey knew perfectly well about Hosea's plan to rob Lemoyne Bank.
He could forget plenty of other events, but this one was unforgettable.
Hosea's death happened during that very plan.
"Of course not," Davey replied. "Lemoyne Bank doesn't have that kind of money available for a loan."
"I'm not saying they don't have the money. They just wouldn't approve a loan of that size."
Hosea was puzzled.
"Isn't Lemoyne Bank the largest bank in Saint Denis?"
Clearly, banking wasn't something Hosea understood well.
"It's not the same thing," Davey explained.
"Lemoyne Bank is indeed the largest bank in Saint Denis, but it's a Western bank. Its business mainly serves the West."
"Saint Denis Bank may be smaller in scale, but its board of directors and shareholders are all from the East."
"So in reality, Saint Denis Bank has far deeper pockets and much greater lending capacity than Lemoyne Bank."
Hosea more or less understood. In any case, it made little difference to his plans.
Whether it was Lemoyne Bank or Saint Denis Bank, robbing either one would be enough to set them up for life.
After a brief pause, Hosea finally brought up the real reason for his visit.
"Davey, I've heard that Pinkerton has been keeping an eye on us lately."
"Have you heard anything about the Pinkerton Detective Agency?"
Davey truly hadn't been paying attention to Pinkerton's movements.
But based on how things unfolded, Pinkerton appeared during Dutch's robbery of Lemoyne Bank.
They might already be in Saint Denis.
"Sorry, I really haven't been following them," Davey said.
"You know this, Hosea. They're not much of a problem for me right now."
Hosea looked slightly disappointed.
"Alright, Davey."
Davey suddenly smiled.
"That said, getting information on them wouldn't be a problem at all."
"Elisa."
Elisa bowed slightly. "Mr. Land."
"Call Pinkerton headquarters," Davey instructed. "Tell them Land Security Company may be interested in establishing a cooperative relationship with them here in the West."
"Let them know I have a good relationship with their senior agent, Andrew Milton."
"Have them pass along a message asking Andrew Milton to contact me immediately."
Elisa bowed again.
"Understood, Mr. Land. I'll contact Pinkerton right away."
Hosea was completely stunned.
You could do that?
Davey smiled.
"You should know this Agent Milton, Hosea. He was responsible for handling the Cornwall contract against the Van der Linde Gang."
"The Pinkerton Agency won't turn down a partnership with Land Security Company."
"I don't think it'll take long before Milton calls me back."
"I don't know his current situation yet, but I can ask him directly."
"If he's already in Saint Denis, I'll invite him over. Maybe we can have a cup of coffee together."
"I doubt Agent Milton will refuse my invitation."
"After all, this concerns Pinkerton's interests in the West."
...
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