Voices From Within (Book 2)

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Two

Monday Morning Errands

Reggie carried the hand-carved box to the library table. Everett opened a cabinet and pulled out a wooden shelf that held his scales and measurements. For the next half hour, Everett told Reggie about the gold he had brought. He showed him how to weigh the gold dust into one-ounce bottles. Then they weighed the nuggets in the pan of the scales and sorted them by size.

Everett placed them into jars and gave Reggie back the leather bags, which he placed in the empty box. He asked about the mine and how much Reggie knew about gold mining. Reggie described the mine and the chiseling pattern he followed. The man took Reggie over to another table that held a display of rocks.

"Do you know what this is?" asked Everett.

"Some type of gold," said Reggie as he examined it.

"It is pyrite; otherwise, it is known as fool's gold. See that jar? That represents every time someone has come to me thinking they struck it rich. See the cube like formations and the lines on the face of the cubes. Also notice the color. Gold is a bright yellow and untarnished."

Reggie was seeing the differences. Everett pointed out the unique characteristics of the rocks as he talked about minerals.

"Mr. Wellington, I must ask you about an issue Ivan had raised in his journal. He felt like he was being followed and watched when he came to visit. Is there anything I should be aware of when I leave today?"

"Come here. I'll show you."

The man walked over to a window and motioned Reggie to follow him.

"See that scruffy kid across the street? He watches my house every day and then he follows the clients who leave. I have friends that have told me of numerous times they have been followed. I think he is being paid to gather information on my clientele."

"Who is paying him?"

"I don't know. But your next step is to travel to the assessor's office with the gold. He will give you the cash or a check to take to the bank to deposit."

"I need to go to the bank to present the death certificate and the last will and testament so I can close the account."

"Can I give you some advice? Ivan gave me a third, which goes into my bank account, a third went to his account and a third he took as cash to pay his bills. That method has served him well."

"I can see your point. I would like to transfer some of the money to my account in Carlisle."

"Don't transfer too much to make people suspicious. I believe that small gold mine sustained Ivan and Martha, but they never flaunted their wealth."

"That leads me to another question I have for you. Ivan said you were responsible for him meeting Martha and saving his life."

"Oh, that," said Captain Wellington with a swipe at the air with his hand. "Ivan and I served during the war in the 104th Cavalry. We were always short men in the calvary, but the ones that rode fought like two soldiers, knowing the hills and valleys. Plus, we were all darn good shots."

"How did Martha fit in to that?"

"Ivan was hurt in a skirmish at Brandywine Creek in southeastern Pennsylvania. He had a slash in his forearm from a sword and lost his horse. By the time I found him, he had lost a lot of blood. I got him to a farm place where we hid. It was Martha's family that sheltered us until Ivan was ready to travel. Martha stitched his arm, and she spent two days taking care of him, and then we left to rejoin our unit."