Rocky Raccoon Ch. 05

It took a bit of arguing but they came up with the names of a local politician and a crime boss. I thanked them and told them they had one more task before they left. "You with the club. Hit Mr. Knife here in the stomach as hard as you can with that club. Don't do it and I'll hit you both with a .44. "

Ther was a little whining until I stepped closer and leveled the revovler at his head.

"Sorry man," he told Madison as he swung. The solid thud and the whoosing of air escaping his lungs told me he'd done a pretty good job. The man was on the ground rolling around moaning.

I pointed the gun at the man with the brass knuckles. "you, Knuckles. Get over here and pop your friend a good one. Right in the mouth. I want to hear teeth crunch, you hear me?"

"You can kiss my ass! I ain't doin' it. I think I'm just going to walk away. What you think of that?"

"I think I'll shoot you first, then Club here, then the knife expert. What do you think the cops are gonna say when they get here? You're all armed and have your weapons out. I'm pretty sure if it comes to it the cops know who you are and what you do for a living. I'm just an out of town, lawabiding citizen defending myself from robbery and bodily harm. Tell you what, I'll pay for your funerals. It's the least I can do."

He held my eyes for a scond before turning and landing a high, whistling right straight to his partners mouth. "Sonofabitch!," I thought, "You CAN hear his teeth crunch." The man dropped, out cold. I grinned at the last one standing.

"Go on now. Run away."

The man turned to run and I brought my revovler down across the top of his head. He too was out like a light. Straightening my tie I reached down to the one still conscious, pulling him up by his hair. "I think that will be all, don't you? If I hear one word or if the police get involved you'll end up catfish bait, you understand me? I got my own set of friends here in high and low places. A little wink, a a little nod, a little money changes hand and you're at the bottom of the Mississippi."

I dropped his head and walked away. A block away I ran across a policeman making his rounds. I greeted him pleasantly and he touched his hat in recognition. Just before I passed I stopped.

"It isn't my business really. I'm just a visitor to your fair city, but I saw three men get into an altercation a block back. They seemed to have weapons and they all ended up down. I have no idea what they fell out about, I moved to the other side of the street and walked on."

The policeman frowned. This was a fairly quiet area and men brawling in the street in front of out of town guests was not good for the city. He touched his hat again and began walking rapidly down the street.

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There was a note waiting for me at the desk the next day at noon. Hanna requested my presence at four. I knew request was a polite word for demand so I showed up with a suitable bouquet of flowers, hard to get this time of year.

I rang the bell and Hanna opened the door herself. She grinned when I noticed and told me the servants were either off today or on errands that would take several hours. "We need to talk. But first..."

Her robe came off exposing her body. Apparently the robe was all she'd bothered to don. I figured we'd end up in the bedroom but she bent over the arm of her sofa. "In me. NOW!"

Two hours later she told me I'd been around the world. I'd had her in her mouth and it was as excellent as I thought it would be, from behind on the sofa, pounding her to the point she gushed all over her expensive horsehair sofa. I'd never had a woman that produced so much fluid. We ended up with me in her bottom while she wailed like a banshee and cursed like a sailor. I think she may have passed out when we were done but she roused herself and dragged me to the biggest tub I'd ever seen, I sat leaned back against the rim while she sat between my legs. After we were clean we just cuddled.

"What did you do to poor Jimmy?"

"I can truthfully tell you I never laid a hand on him. I understand one of his compatriots hit him in the mouth with a set of brass knuckles. That must have hurt."

"The poor boy has his jaw wired shut. AFTER they removed the stumps of four of his teeth."

"Well then, perhaps he'd be better served to pick his companions more wisely. Another thing to consider would be not to try to cheat strangers at a card table. You don't know what the stranger knows or what he might be capable of if he feels he's been cheated."

She giggled. I loved that giggle. It made her sound like she was ten. "Oh, I can assure that's a lesson learned. His father owns the company but rarely appears in public and needless to say he's sorely disappointed in him today. His companions did not fare well eigher. One will pass blood in his urine for a few days and can barely walk. The other is still unconscious and the physicians say he'll have a tremendous headache for a while when he does wake up. I think you made your point, Rocky. What sparked everything?"

I told her of the crooked card game and how I'd cheated them every time I dealt, and how I really stuck it to them on the last hand. I also told her my theory and what I'd learned. She sat straight up in the tub and it looked like her huge breasts were floating. Not distracting, even after three rounds, not at all. She apparently felt my reaction and giggled again. "Not now. We don't have time and besides, we need to talk about what you've learned."

We dressed and when her servants returned fro their 'errands', she sent three out with notes, then told me I'd be dining with her and a few guests tonight. I went back to the hotel to freshen up and write a few letters, my mistrust with the telegraph at an all time high. I tipped the bell man on duty a five to make sure the letters posted. He tucked then into his tunic with a grin. "I end my shift in an hour. I'll go directly to the mail boat. The one going South leaves every other day at four."

The postal service found it easy to send mail by boat. They could hold a tremendous amount of volume and the mail arrived much quicker. They would stop at every major town on the way down to deliver and again on the way back up. Mail could move from St. louis to New Orleans in seven days, quite a feat for the time. The mail ships were sleek little numbers built for speed. They did not ferry passengers unless it was government business or someone of note needed to be somewhere else quickly. They ran twice weekly both ways and I resolved to try and book passage when it was time to leave.

The dinner was subdued that night and after our coffee and brandy Hanna got right to the point. "All of you know by now that Mr. McGill shares an enemy with us. He has found out some disturbing information that I felt needed to be heard. Mr. McGill, you have the floor."

I told them who I was, what I had gone through at the hands of Bradshaw. Then I told them I kept wondering how he always seemed to be a step ahead of everyone. "I thought he must have a guardian angel, but then I considered that he may have guardian demons."

I told them my theory and brought up the information I'd gathered including the names. One man swore bitterly. "And to think I used my influence and a good bit of my money to help get him elected, thinking how refreshing it would be to have an honest man on the job. He'll never hold office in this state or city again!"

"Don't be so hasty, Jerome. Remember what you kept pounding in my head when I worked for you? Knowledge is power. Now that we know he's dirty we can use him to discover who else may have a finger in the pie."

The man named Jerome grunted. "More like how many hogs are at the trought. Still, it will be that much sweeter when they all appear in front of me. If it gets that far. Usually problems like this have a way of solving themselves before they reached the judiciary."

Seems Jerome was a Judge. The senoir judge in the town. The young man who addressed him brought another subject up. "What about Jimmy?"

Hanna chimed in. "Ah yes, our errant Mr. Madison. We need to tread carefully here, his Daddy is quite powerful and already furious about the arrest. He'll get it reduced to public brawling and pass it off as the drunken misadventure of a young man. It'll be expensive but it will be swept under the table. Poor Jimmy will wear false teeth the rest of his life. Hopefully something to remember should he ever consider anything so foolish again."

She turned to me. "Rocky, I've enjoyed your company but perhaps now would be a good time to leave our fair city. I'm sure you can handle yourself but any General will tell you they never win every battle."

She was right. I'd discovered more than I thought I would and made some good contacts. Time to move on to Lexington. I had one more little detail to finish but it could wait a week or so. I'd pass back through on the way West.

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I got to Lexington in late February. The weather hadn't broken yet but it still looked like beautiful country. Letters of introduction in hand I visited a few horse farms. I admired the thoruoughbreds but couldn't help wondering how they would hold up to a Dakota winter.

Despite that I bought three studs from two different farms. All were retired race horses, none of them top tier but I wasn't buying them for that. I was hoping they would pass the best characteristics of the breed on through the mares I bred them with while the mares would help them retain the ruggedness required for the country.

I was wined, dined, introduced to some pretty important people. It made me come to the conclusion that the lessons my mother had taught me along with the time I'd spent with Don Carlos, Gaston and the gentlemen from New Orleans, even the lessons Marie had taught me now stood me in good stead. I knew the proper ways to conducct myself, which cutlery to use at a formal dinner, and most importantly how to make them consider me an equal. Pretty good for a farm boy from Minnesota.

I visited a distillery and the man had a most excellent bourbon recipe. His business wasn't failing but he couldn't generate enough capital to expand as he wished to. I spent three days with him before offering to go into a limited partnership. I'd put up the capital to expand for 25% of the business and I remain a silent partner. The business was under his name and had become his brand. There was no use to muddy the waters.

We met at the lawyer's office and formalized the argeement and I gave him a letter of credit for Wells Fargo. After the business was concluded the lawyer gave us all a healthy pour of his whiskey and we relaxed for a bit.

I sighed as I swirled the whiskey around my throat before allowing it to trickle down my throat. "It's too bad there isn't something brewed out West to compare to this."

Eric, my new partner, grinned. "If I could find a place to duplicate the limestone water around here it would be easy."

I laughed, before suddenly sitting up so quickly the chair legs thudded on the floor. "Seriously? Limestone water? That's all you need?"

"Well, that and a good supply of the corn and grain I'd need."

I grinned at the lawyer. "Put your professional hat back on, Henry. We've got some details to work out."

An hour and ten minutes later we had working partnership papers. Eric was to get the business up to speed here and come out West next year. There was plenty of quality limestone springs in Colorado and by the time he got there I'd have the acreage and water source we needed. I would grow and supply the grains and corn and we'd either buy or raise anything else we needed. Eric warned me that it would be three years before we'd be selling, the minimum amount of time requiired to age the product. We'd also have to find a barrel maker and a good supply of oak but we could address that in the future. We agreed to split all profits fifty/fifty after expenses. He would stay a minimum of two years to properly train the staff and then he could go back to Kentucky if he desired. There would also be twice yearly trips back home to make sure the orignal distillery was being run correctly.

"What will we name it?"

I didn't really think about it. "We got three years to think of something."

"Rocky Mountain Distillery! It will be a word play on your name and the location. I can even see the logo, a waterfall tumbling downthe side of a mountain."

"That will work for me."

By now it was mid March and I was anxious to get back to Doe Eyes. I began to realize the reason I rambled so much was because I had no one to come home to. This time she was coming home with me, as well as the children and Smiles. I thought about how to explain them but in the end I didn't care. They were mine and I was wealthy enough not to have to worry about gossip.

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I made a brief stop in Memphis to pick up some papers the Pinkertons had sent me via Hanna. That way anyone watching could not trace it to me. I met her wayward daughter for the first time at dinner that night. The woman was very attractive. She was also loud, crude, and vulgar, trying to shock me. I laughed and Hanna grinned. "Give it up, daughter. He was raised out West and spent a lot of time at the end of tracks with his railroad, and has been on a few trail drives. I doubt there's much you could say that he hasn't heard, so do stop before it becomes annoying."

She halted looking a little put out before changing tactics. She looked at her mother and smirked. "So, mother, is he a good fuck?"

Hanna shocked her into silence with her answer. "One of the best I've ever had. He's well equipped, has a good bit of stamina, and a vivid imagination. I can tell you now he taught this old bitch a few things."

I grinned at the expression on her face before raising my glass to Hanna. "Any you, madame, are rare and extraordinary and I've had the pleasure of meeting others of you caliber so I deem myself knowledgeable on the subject. And as for age, I think you're just now hitting your prime. If I were any older you would have killed me."

"You are a rogue, and I've always had a soft spot for rogues. If you're tyring to get into my unmentionables you should stop now. I'm not wearing any in honor of tonight."

"And I dear Hanna am a firm adherant to the 'seeing is believing' school of thought."

"Men! Always so visual. Cora, be a dear and lock up. I'm going to be occupied for..." She looked at the grandfather clock in the parlour, "about three hours give or take. If you're a good girl I'll share some tidbits in the morning. Come along, Rocky."

"Yes ma'am."

"Aren't his manners so sweet Cora? You should find someone like this. Maybe he could tame you down, bring out the sweet girl you were before puberty hit. Good night, dear."

After we were in my bedroom and divested of clothes, I asked about her daughter. Between nibbling on her nipples while one hand diddled her little nub and sinking two fingers of the other into her rectum, that is.

"She was a bit headstrong to start with, but her contact with Bradshaw scrambled her brains a little in my opinion. She went through a period of depression and low self worth. She decided the one thing she was really good at was sex, so she became very promiscious. It came to a head when she broke up two engagements at almost the same time. My friends were giving me a lot of grief abother so I shipped her off to Europe for the Grand Tour. I think the plan did not work out as well as I hoped. She screwed everything she could get her hands on from England to Spain and gained quite the reputation. I let her run wild for almost a year before I brought her home and laid out my expectations. Behave in public and keep your dalliances to controllable levels. No one engaged, no one married, no one who could harm us. If you can't follow directions then I will no longer support you. No money, no clothes, no baubles, no travel, no dining at the top restautants. So far she's behaved but I recognize the signs. If she goes off the rail again I'll have her hospitalized and get the best I can find to treat her for mental disorders. Now shut up and fuck me!"

So I did. She screamed and thrashed a little more than normal and I had to wonder if it was a performance for her daughter. After we calmed down I'm pretty sure I heard movement outside the door but it could have been a servant on some errand or another. Hanna left me for her own bed a little later. "I have no doubt that sometime during the night my daughter will visit you. Play with her if you want but I would prefer if you didn't. I'd like to keep my memories of you intact knowing you were mine alone, just for the time you were here. If I were fifteen years younger, hell even ten years younger, I'd have you wrapped up so tight you wouldn't know what hit you. But I'm past child bearing age and you definnitely need to pass on those beautiful genes. God help the boys if you have a girl. Goodnight lover. I'll see you at breakfast."

Sure enough there was a knocking at my door later. I roused and looked at the clock on the mantle. Three in the morning. I just rolled over and went back to sleep. The knocking lasted twenty minutes before it stopped.

Cora had a surly look on here face during breakfast and Hanna smirked like the cat that ate the canary. Hanna asked if I slept well. "Like a rock. I was so worn out the house would have to have moved to wake me up. How about you, Cora? Did you get a good rest, dreaming the dreams of the innocent?"

Her face would have soured milk. I gave Hanna a resounding kiss just before I opened the door to leave. "I'll never forget you."

"You better not. You also better make sure and visit us from time to time."

"Oh, I'm sure our mutual friend will keep us in contact."

She stroked my cheek. "When you find him, kill him. Don't try anything fancy. Blow his brains out and walk away."

"When I have him down I'll shoot him in the balls in your honor."

She gave me one more giggle. "You men! Always saying the most romantic things! Until we see each other again!"

She kissed me again and literally shoved me out the door but not before I saw the tears on her cheek. I doubted I would ever forget Hanna Jones.