Bid For Freedom

Chapter 6

"Caleb. Caleb!"

Jeremy's voice broke through the fog he was wallowing in. Caleb shook his head and blinked his eyes. The room spun around him. He swallowed hard against the liquor trying to escape his belly.

"Caleb. Don't make me get the cold water."

He tried to summon some saliva to wash away the cotton ball that seemed to be stuck in his mouth. Jeremy, at least he assumed it was Jeremy, shook his shoulder roughly. His head knocked against the empty whiskey bottle.

"Come on, Caleb. This is important."

"Wha's impo-ant?" Caleb asked, choking back the threatening bile.

"Here." Jeremy slid a mug of coffee into his hands. "Caleb. That string of slaves you bought. Do you remember?"

Caleb sipped the steaming drink. "Slaves. Yeah. Bloody lawyer. Bloody will."

"Right. The lawyer was there. Those slaves you bought, remember?"

"Yeah. Slaves. Big man. Boy. Couple of others."

"The boy isn't a boy. The boy is a woman."

"Huh? How'd that happen? A boy can't be a woman."

Jeremy shook his head. "Come on Caleb. Work with me here. The woman dressed as a boy so no one would know she was a woman."

"Why would she do that?"

"That's it. You're going for a swim."

"I don' wanna." He turned and shouted to the room, "Whiskey!"

"No more whiskey, pal. You're done drinking today."

"I'm not done drinkin til I say I'm done."

Jeremy reached for a glass and the spittoon. "You're gonna be done."

"No. Gimmee that glass. I need more whiskey." He fumbled with the empty whiskey bottle. "Whiskey!"

Jeremy shook his head as he pushed the glass full of tobacco juice toward his friend and grimaced as he watched Caleb down the whole shot.

Caleb gagged. "What'd you do?" He dry-heaved then ran for the door that refused to stay in one spot. Staggering off the boardwalk into the street, he doubled over and threw up. A pair of boots stopped next to him as he braced against the onslaught from his stomach.

"Are you done?"

"I hate you."

Jeremy chuckled. "Yeah. I'd hate me too. I need you to think clearly."

Caleb blew out a breath. "I need a drink."

"You said you were done."

"Not that kind." Caleb coughed, trying to clear the horrible taste in his mouth. "I need coffee or something."

Jeremy helped him to his feet and back into the bar. Caleb nursed the mug of coffee he'd left on the table.

"We have a giant of a man, a woman and four other slaves who have never sat a horse. They are as rag-tag as they come. Dang near starving. The next auction isn't for at least another two weeks, if not a month. We can't get rid of them fast enough and we can't afford to buy more."

"A woman?"

"Yeah."

"What's she - ugh - what's she look like?"

Jeremy shrugged. "From what I gather, she's been a slave her whole life. Not all black, maybe only a quarter. Red, curly hair. Kind of exotic looking."

Caleb scratched his head. "That might work. You got the bill of sale?"

"Yeah." Jeremy pulled the paper from his pocket and slid it across the table.

"Updated?"

"Yeah. Brindle delivered it just before I came looking for you. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about that blasted will. That's the only thing I've been thinking of tonight."

"How are you gonna convince her?"

"I don't need to."

"Caleb, don't."

"At the moment, it's just about my only option. Barkeep, where's the nearest church?"

"Caleb, you're making a mistake."