Amos Reeves knew that the other partners would never agree to continue. Weary with regret he trudged back to the cabin that had been his primary home for the last two years, talking to no one.
The foreman, not realizing the project was over, sent the night crew back to bed and put the day crew into the job of salvaging the shovel.
The following day was payday. The men were paid and most of them took the barge back to the mainland to visit their wives and girlfriends or just to get drunk. When they returned the next morning the foreman told them that all of the executives, including Amos Reeves, had loaded their gear and left. No one had witnessed their departure, but there were two row boats on the mainland that should have been on the island and Amos’ shiny red Model A pick-up was gone from the carriage shed.
A few of the men surveyed the damage done to the dam.
“We could repair that,” one worker said.
“Not unless someone pays me to do it,” snarled another.
“Might as well pack up your gear men. I’ll make sure the barge waits until we are all aboard.”
The foreman slouched away, dejection clearly evident in each step. It was the tail end of the depression and he had just lost his job. The war was raging in Europe and some said the USA would soon join the battle. His next job was likely to be that of a soldier and that meant injury or death, on any given day.
Chapter 7
Amos Reeves and Eldon Lewinsky
Amos Reeves drove his Model A Ford north to Beaufort. There, he stored the vehicle in a locked garage that he rented for four dollars per month, and walked, carrying a single suitcase to a good hotel in center town. Taking the time to have a luxurious, steaming bath was his next priority. He arranged for a tailor to come to his hotel room and measure him for a new suit. While waiting for the tailor to arrive, he decided the full beard he had grown while working on Topsail Island should be trimmed down to a fashionable goatee. There was a barbershop right in the hotel. Pleased with his new haircut and shave, he decided to acquire a new hat, coat and a new pair of boots, suitable for life in New York.
Although saddened by the closure of the pit, he was a pragmatic man and day by day was coming around to the inevitable conclusion that his partners had made a practical decision. He willed himself to get on with life. He told himself that he was excited by the prospect of returning to New York City. News of Germany’s industrial and military build-up hinted that there would be a need in the immediate future for raw materials to supply the allied war machine. A man with a background in mining and a bit of fore-sight could reap huge rewards during the inevitable war.
A few days later, he boarded the train to take him on the rest of his journey and arrived a week later than his other partners. But when he reached the city he was appalled to discover the havoc the depression had created. His forced, up-beat attitude was incapable of sustaining itself and he found himself sliding toward his own, personal depression.
His partners had traveled together on the journey north and were more of the like mindset to begin with. Amos had been a valuable asset but that was all past history, now. In the time spent on the train they had schemed and connived means by which they could maximize their profits by hiding the capital their investors had provided. They had agreed between them to not divulge all of their schemes to Amos Reeves. They were entitled to the unspent capital. Given his druthers, Amos, fool that he was, would have continued the operation. He would have squandered every nickel of investment capital on a ridiculous plan to recover a pirate’s buried treasure. They were saviors …. At least regarding their own, personal investment.
They had settled on the number that should be awarded to Amos. It had to be large enough that he would leave New York for good … But not an equal share.
Well dressed in his new clothes, Amos forced himself to project confidence as he arrived at the offices of the principal investors. In truth, he was somewhat excited to tell them of his plans to go to Pennsylvania where he believed land could be purchased cheaply and huge profits could be derived. He was met by his three other partners all wearing stern, decidedly unfriendly expressions on their faces.
Before he had been given time to adjust to this unexpected development a piece of paper was thrust under his nose.
“We have voted you out, Amos. Our decision was based on your incompetence and the negligent destruction of the dam on Topsail Island. Your actions have made further exploration prohibitively expensive. Sign the document and we will provide you with two thousand dollars, in cash, for your share in the venture. It is a further condition of our agreement that you leave the State of New York tonight, and not return.
“Should you refuse our generous offer, the other investors and I have already decided to pursue legal action against you, on behalf of our investors, for the willful destruction of our property on Topsail Island. Is this all clear?”
Dumbfounded, Amos sat down heavily on the edge of a chair. He began to open his mouth to protest but quickly regained enough composure to stare back at the faces of his three partners. He realized immediately that any attempt at discussion would be futile. A pragmatic man, he quickly weighed his options. These men were powerful. Together, the three of them could crush him in any court of law.
“I’ll sign the God damned document after I’ve counted the money. I wouldn’t put it past any one of you sniveling bastards to short change me.”
One of the partners began to rush forward to strike Amos in retaliation for the insult but the other two restrained him in time, knowing that Amos was ten times stronger than the three of them put together.
An envelope was placed on the desk in front of Amos. He opened it and extracted a wad of hundred dollar bills. He took his time counting them, still somewhat undecided as to his next move. When he finished he placed the money in his breast pocket and reached for the nib pen and inkwell. He scribed his signature on the document and stood up in front of the desk still holding the pen. One of the men reached for the document but Amos drove the nib of the pen into the back of his hand. The wounded partner yelped and jumped back. Amos then picked up the ink well and poured it over the document, letting ample amounts of ink pour onto the imported Persian rug.
Without another word, he turned and left the office.
His next plan, however vague, was to head back south to Beaufort and retrieve his truck. He had no remorse about leaving New York, for good. The thieving bastards could have it all to themselves. He had left his final mark there …. An ink stain on an extravagant carpet.
Six months later he purchased a farm near Charleston. He was too old to go to war so he settled into a life of farming, working the land and livestock with the help of a hired hand. The war ended. Some lucky families reunited but there were a lot of men who never returned from either Europe or the Pacific. Some came home so badly damaged both mentally and physically that life was no longer worth living. A few years later he married an attractive widow with a two year old son. Her name was Evelyn Lewinsky and her son was called Eldon.
Chapter 8
Charleston, South Carolina
Wendell had never before visited Charleston and he was immediately impressed by the old world architecture. The city had an aura that matched the tradition of southern hospitality. After a light lunch he set up base in a clean but small motel, run by an elderly couple who preferred watching endless hours of soap operas, rather than the comings and goings of