WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT
By Julie-Ann S.
*********************************************
"Magnificent building, isn't
it?"
Adam nodded his head. "They weren't under-estimating it when
they called it the finest hotel in gold country." He continued to look at the building. He hadn't seen it in years but he had remembered
what it looked like. He was in
"...live here?" the man
standing next to Adam enquired.
"Uh…sorry. No, I don't live here. Just visiting."
"Same here." the man
replied "just passing the time until the next stage comes
through." The man pulled out his
pocket watch, "Which should be in about an hour."
Adam turned to look at the man next
to him. Adam noted that man was older
than himself and much shorter. He was
balding and was dressed for travelling.
Adam talked to the man for a few more minutes and then made his excuse
to leave. The man said goodbye and
started walking down the street towards the Old Tent Store.
As Adam watched the man moved away
from him. He wistfully wished that he
could spend more time talking to the man some more about the buildings here,
but he knew that was not meant to be. He
had wasted enough time already and so reluctantly made his way into the
building he had just been admiring.
The Cary House Hotel was just as
impressive inside as it was on the outside.
Adam took in his surroundings as he casually walked over to the front
desk. At the desk was the clerk, who was
busily sorting out the day's mail into their prescribed slots. The man was apparently too involved in his
task that he failed to hear Adam approach the desk.
Adam waited for a moment and then
cleared his throat to get the clerk's attention. The clerk turned around and hastily
apologised for not being more attentive.
After telling the clerk, that it was fine, Adam asked for the room of
the man that he had specifically come here to meet.
"Room number twenty,
sir." the clerk said after checking
the hotel registry. "Just go up the
stairs to the second floor and then to your left."
Adam thanked the clerk and made his
way up the grand staircase to the second floor.
When he finally reached the door of room twenty, he paused and took a
deep breath before knocking.
After he had knocked on the door,
Adam patiently waited for the invitation to enter. He could hear a noise on the other side of
the door and was unsure what to make of it but before he could determine what
it was, the door to the room opened.
"Adam! 'Bout time you got here. Come in.
Make yourself comfortable."
"Thanks Bob.” He looked at the man next to the open door
and frowned, “Shouldn't you have two of those?" Adam pointed to the crutch, that Bob was
using for support as he held onto the door knob.
Bob shook his head, "Nah. One's just fine."
Having his question answered, Adam
walked into the room and waited for Bob to close the door and make his way back
to the chair that he had been sitting in.
Bob motioned to Adam to sit down in the chair opposite. Watching Bob intently, Adam could see a
slight wince of pain cross Bob's face, as Bob made himself more comfortable by
raising his left leg and placing it upon the ottoman that was in front of the
chair that he was sitting in.
"So…I see getting shot in the
leg hasn't slowed you down too much."
Adam smiled.
Bob grunted, "Slowed me down
enough to call you in. Wish I hadn't
been so damn careless."
"It can happen to the best of
us, Bob."
"Yeah." Bob grinned as he remembered something. "Come to think of it, I recall the time
that you were laid up with that flesh wound.
Not much fun for you."
Adam could feel himself going a
little red, as he remembered how that flesh wound had made it very difficult to
sit down properly for weeks. "Well,
I came as soon as I got your telegram.
Good thing you marked it urgent.
It would've been a couple of more days before I even had planned on
venturing into
"Knew that marking it urgent
would get it out to your place pretty fast.
Do you want a drink?"
"Yes, a drink would be fine,
thanks." Adam was about to ask if
Bob needed any help but was stopped by the sight of Bob adjusting his position
in his chair and leaning over to the table that had been conveniently placed
near the chair. As Bob served the
drinks, Adam used the time to see how Bob looked for himself. Bob was about a year or two older than Adam
and they were about the same height. He
noted that Bob had gained some weight since the last time they had seen each
other, which had been just over two years ago.
The paleness in Bob's face, slightly worried Adam, but he knew it was to
be expected after suffering a gunshot wound.
Bob leaned over and handed Adam his
drink. Adam took a sip and then placed
his glass on arm of the chair while still maintaining a hold on it. Bob took a quick, deep breath, which
indicated to Adam that even though Bob was acting like being shot in the leg
was only a minor inconvenience, his friend was actually beginning to tire a
little bit after the recent exertion.
"You had no trouble getting
away then?"
"No trouble. I told my father and brothers that I had an
urgent message about an old friend who had been shot down in
"So you told them the truth as
far as they needed to know."
"Yes. I'm think that it's easier to tell the truth
as much as possible but then only to a certain degree. Makes things a whole lot better."
"I bet it does. Then I'm right in assuming that no-one in
your family knows about what you've been doing all these years?"
"My father knows nothing. However, my brother Hoss has an inkling that
I have another job but he seems quite content with the knowledge that I'm not
doing any illegal. As for my other
brother, Joe...I haven't a clue if he knows something or not. I am certain that he is still in the dark but
I can't be too sure, especially after recent events."
Bob nodded, "Recent events,
uh. Heard you had a couple of
visitors. Oh well, I know how you
feel. Had much the same problems with my
family. Don't know how I'm going to
explain this to them though." He
pointed flippantly to his leg.
Adam wasn't surprised at Bob's
remark, as he knew John Wells must of mentioned what had happened. He laughed "I'm sure you'll think of
something to tell them. You always do." He paused before continuing, "Now, what
is it you want me to do?"
Bob firmly nodded once and then
began telling Adam the details of his next assignment.
*********************************************
The day had been a long one. Adam had been travelling south for most of
it. He had left that morning with
information that Wallace had been seen leaving town on the road that lead
southwards. He wiped the sweat off his
brow as he sat on his horse looking around for any signs that could help him
determine the way Wallace could have gone.
The fork in the row veered off into two different directions. Adam had been drawing on his knowledge of the
man he was chasing now and one of the things he knew for sure was that Wallace
would stick to the roads because he was in unfamiliar territory.
Yesterday, when Bob told him that a
former agent, Cody Wallace had gone bad, Adam could scarcely believe it. He had worked with Wallace on a number of
occasions and always had the impression that the man could do no wrong, let
alone contemplate turning against his friends, family and the life he had
known. Yet, it had somehow happen. Even Bob and Adam’s superiors in the agency
had no idea how the change had come about or why it had happened. It was a mystery to all who had known
him. One day Wallace had been working
for them and the next day he was betraying a fellow agent into the hands of a
ruthless smuggler. That agent had been
killed and now the government knew that they had to get Wallace back before he
could cause any more damage.
Bob had been given the job of
apprehending Wallace, as he had been the one who had worked with Wallace the
most and thereby knew him better than anyone else. Bob had managed to follow Wallace to
Adam now had a decision to make -
left or right. It was going to be a hard
one. Making the wrong decision could
result in hours of lost time and maybe losing Wallace altogether. It was while he was debating the pros and
cons of each direction, that he suddenly heard a voice coming from his
immediate right.
Adam quickly turned to the direction
the voice was coming from. Although he
couldn’t see anything, he decided to check it out all the same. He got back up on his horse and rode towards
the sound. Whoever it was, it was most
definitely a man yelling, and the sound was growing louder and louder as he
drew closer. He rounded a bend that went
around a large tree and immediately saw the source of the voice. Riding quickly, Adam came upon a man who was
lying in a crumpled heap on the ground.
A horse was grazing on the grass a few feet away. Quickly dismounting, Adam grabbed the
saddlebag and canteen off his horse and ran to the man. Kneeling down beside him, Adam began to check
the man’s body for any signs of a break.
He was relieved to find that the man didn’t have any broken bones. Adam's concern for the man grew when he
looked at the man’s head. There was a
deep gash and even though the blood had dried, it still looked very nasty. The man was attempting to say something but
Adam quickly silenced him by giving him a drink out his canteen.
Grabbing a piece of rag out of the
saddlebag, he silently thanked his father for always teaching him to take some
medical supplies with him on long trips.
Adam poured water from the canteen onto the rag. As he cleaned the man’s wound, Adam could see
that he had been lying out here in the open for some time. He continued to clean and dress the wound,
noting that man lying on the ground in front of him was approximately the same
age as Joe and had about a day's growth of beard on his face.
The man made another attempt to
speak and Adam immediately silenced him by telling him that he was going to be
just fine. The man somehow seemed to
accept that and closed his eyes. Adam just
shook his head and after he had finished bandaging the wound, decided that this
place would be as good as any to set-up camp for the night.
********************************************
A few hours later, Adam was sitting
in front of a small fire. He looked over
to the man, who was now resting comfortably on the ground on the other side of
the fire. Adam had tried to make the man
as comfortable as possible before going off to gather the two horses and
unsaddling them. He had then set about
making a fire and cooking up some beans for dinner, making sure he had some
extra beans done just in case the man woke up and felt like eating. Knowing that head wounds could make one
nauseous, Adam wasn’t quite sure if the man would be up to it or not.
It was while he was reading the book
of poetry, that he always carried with him, the man woke up. Adam looked up from his book and smiled,
“Glad to see that you are back with us."
He watched as the man touched the wound on his head. "That head wound of yours is not that
bad but it will cause you some trouble over the next couple of days.”
The man slowly began to sit up and
grimaced as he felt the effects of the wound.
“Yeah, I think you’re right on that one.
It’s going to be one heck of a headache.” He smiled at Adam, before continuing,
“Thanks for helping me out. Horse threw
me and before I knew it I was on the ground.”
Adam nodded “I guessed something
like that had happened when I found you.
I heard your shouts from the fork in the road.”
“I guess I must of been drifting in
and out for hours. Every time I woke up,
I guess I started yelling at the top of my voice in some vain attempt that
someone would eventually hear me. I'm very
glad that you did. Who knows how long I
would've been there for if you hadn't come along. Thanks.”
“Thanks isn’t necessary. Anybody in my position would have done the
same." Adam paused for a
moment, "Do you feel like eating something?”
“I might try eating something. Haven’t had anything since breakfast this
morning and those beans smell awfully good." The man had managed by now to get himself up
into a sitting position. "The
name’s Mike by the way.”
“Mine’s Adam.” Adam got up and then dished some of the
extra beans onto a plate and handed it over to Mike. “They're still warm.”
Mike nodded and began to eat. “Nice stuff.”
He kept on eating with such a passion, that he had finished his meal in
no time at all. He looked down at his
plate and smiled sheepishly. “Guess
having this head wound hasn’t affected my appetite all that much.”
Adam laughed. “No, it sure hasn’t. In fact, you reminded me of one of my
brothers. Nothing short of a serious
illness could stop him from eating.”
Laughing, Mike continued. “Must be a man who enjoys his meals as much
as I do.”
“He sure does." Adam nodded.
"By the way, if you don't mind me asking. How did you come to be out here all on your
own?”
“No, I don't mind. I was out here following a man that, let’s
just say, did something that didn’t please my father.” He paused before continuing, “Guess I wasn’t
all that good at following him. He was
waiting for me here and when I turned that corner, he took a shot at me. I don’t know if he intended to kill me or
just scare me off." Mike looked a
little worried. "Well, anyways, the
shot scared my horse and I was thrown.
Maybe he thought the fall from the horse had killed me. I don't think he bothered checking.”
“Hmmm. He was in a hurry by the sounds of it. All I can say is that you must be made of
pretty tough stuff. A head wound like
yours would have killed a lesser man.”
Adam was practically certain who the younger man was after but he wanted
to make sure. “What’s the name of the
man you were after?”
“He goes by the name of Cody
Wallace. Not a nice man from what I can gather.”
Adam lowered his head. He had somehow known that Mike and he were
after the same man. “I’m looking for
Wallace, as well.”
“Looks like that Wallace fella gets
around a lot.” Mike frowned, as if he
was thinking deeply about something. An
idea had apparently come to mind and his eyes lit up, “Hey, since we're both
after the same fella, doesn't it makes sense for us to join forces. What do you think? You don’t mind if I tag along with you until
we find him?”
Adam thought about Mike's suggestion
for a moment and wasn't quite sure if it was the right thing to do. Wallace was already proving to be a major
problem. It was also becoming apparent
that it was going to take more than just one man to bring him in. Adam nodded reluctantly, “Okay. Joining forces might be the way to catch
him. From what I've seen, one man alone
could have some trouble doing it. I
should warn you, however, that I intend to bring Wallace in alive. He’s wanted for some crimes that he has
committed.” It was about as close to the
truth that Adam wanted to get at this point in time.
Mike eagerly nodded “Sure. Not a problem. Just want to see the right thing done by my
father and if it means taking him to the local authorities, then that’s fine
with me. So long as he gets what he
deserves.”
“Alright then. We may as well get some rest now. It’s going to be another long day tomorrow.”
Adam then wished Mike a goodnight
and watched as the younger man lay back down on his bed roll. After stoking the fire, he then made himself
comfortable for the night. As he waited
for sleep to take over, his thoughts turned to his decision about letting Mike
join him. It made perfect sense. If Mike
was left to his own devices, the young man could make it harder for him to
catch Wallace and besides he could end up getting himself killed in the
process. That was one thing Adam didn't
want - to have the young man's death on his conscience.
Therefore, keeping together was the
only logical choice to make. At least he
could keep his eye on Mike and have some control over the situation. Adam knew that he had made the right choice
but for some reason he was beginning to get a little worried and uneasy about
the way things had come about. He had no
idea why he felt this way and it annoyed the heck out of him.
*********************************************
"So what's the book you're
reading, about?"
Adam looked across to Mike, who was
lying on his side across from him.
"Umm....just a book of poetry.
Thought you were asleep."
"Tried to sleep but I guess I'm
still too wound up." Mike looked up
at Adam. "All that riding today and
not finding Wallace. Guess I'm getting
kind of anxious about it."
Adam could understand what Mike was
saying. He had experienced it on a
number of occasions when he was younger.
"Yeah, it can get frustrating at times but that's the way it is in
situations like this. You have to bide
your time and hope it doesn't take too long."
"Sounds like you have had a lot
of experience in chasing down a wanted man."
"Yes, you could say I
have. You get use to it after a while
and you sort of know what to expect."
Mike nodded his head in
understanding. "Hmm...I suppose a
person could get pretty cynical doing a job like yours. But it looks like your job doesn't seem to have
affected you in that way."
"What do you mean a job like
mine?" Adam was now on his guard,
knowing not quite what to expect next.
Mike smiled apologetically. "Sorry if I offended you in any
way. It's just that you did mention last
night that Wallace was wanted for some crimes, so I figured you must be a
lawman of some sort."
Adam let out a small sigh of
relief. "No, it's ok. I just over-reacted. That's all.
Like you I'm still a bit worked up after today."
For the next few minutes each man
sat there in complete silence. Adam was
going over the day's events in his mind.
He methodically went over all of the day's happenings, especially one
event earlier in the day. They had been
riding for a couple of hours when they came across a waystation.
At the waystation,
the stationmaster, who initially had looked like a pleasant fellow, failed to
recognise Wallace's name. After Adam had
given him Wallace's description, the
stationmaster quickly changed his attitude.
All of a sudden the man was cussing and cursing as if there was no
tomorrow.
After he had calmed down, the man
related the story of how Wallace had stolen a horse from him. It was clear that Wallace had decided to get
rid of the worn-out old nag that he had been on, and leave with a much faster
and better horse. The horse that he had
taken was apparently the best that stationmaster had and the man was definitely
not in a good mood about being fooled so easily. The night before he had given Wallace
something to eat and a place to rest for the night. The man had awoken that morning to
unexpectedly find that the stranger and his prize horse had gone. He had stamped his foot in frustration. Continuing his story, he told Adam and Mike,
that the horse that had been stolen was a stallion that he had planned on
racing at the next
Remembering this part of the story,
brought back the memory of another
"Glad to see that things aren't
all that bad."
Once again, Mike had somehow managed
to interrupt his thoughts and Adam wondered briefly how Mike had gotten the
knack of knowing when to precisely speak up.
"Like you said. A job like
mine can cause one to get cynical and even disillusioned at times because of
the things you see and do. I don't know
of anyone who's been affected in that way.
Come to think of it, I'm not sure how I would handle a situation like
that. Maybe the best way would be to
talk about it. Talking things out has
always been a good thing to do. As for
myself, I guess, I know that there's always a way out of any situation...even
if it means making a decision that ends up hurting yourself or the ones you
love."
"It sounds like you've had a
lot of experience in making tough decisions.
Looking at things in a logical way can pretty hard to do when you are
emotionally involved."
Adam smiled a lopsided grin. "Yes.
The logical way out can sometimes be the only way out of a
situation. From past experience, I know
that taking the logical route can be one of the hardest thing to do both
emotionally and mentally."
"I can see that you do speak
from experience. How does your family
feel about the life you lead? Must be
pretty hard on them, I bet."
Sighing, Adam replied "My
family have no idea about this part of my life.
One day I will probably tell them all about it, but it may not be for
some time yet. Even though I enjoy this
job, there have been times when I wish I wasn't in this business at all."
Adam gazed into the fire in front of
him. "I was away from them for a
long time and ever since I've been back I've realised how good it is to have a
family's support there when you need it.
They can certainly help relieve the tension during a stressful
situation. I have the feeling that they
do know that I am not being totally honest with them. I can see the hurt from time to time,
especially in my father. They seem to
accept that I have other responsibilities and even though they don't know what
those responsibilities are, they know that one day, when I am ready, I will
tell them all about it."
"It's nice to hear that you
have an understanding family. Some men
aren't as blessed as you are. All I can
say is that a man's relationship with his family is important. Families are about the only people around who
will be there no matter what. They are
also good in keeping you from taking things too seriously...even
yourself."
"Exactly the way I
feel." Adam grinned. "Having other interests also helps take
the edge of the seriousness of this job."
"Like poetry for
instance?"
"Yes. Poetry or even a good book can help relieve
the tension."
"Know what you mean. I carry my favourite book around all the
time. It has been a real comfort to
me." Mike began to rummage around
in his saddlebag. He pulled out a
well-used book that had a black cover.
"Never a dull moment in this book." He leant over and handed it to Adam.
A look of surprise came over Adam's
face when he saw what the book was. It
was a bible. He quickly flipped through
the pages and knew that the bible had seen better days. He handed it back to Mike. "Interesting choice."
"Yes it is. Poetry's not too bad either. Lots of interesting poets around these days
but the poetry in this book is pretty special too."
"Yeah, you're right there. The books of poetry in the bible are very
insightful. Poetry, no matter where you
find it has a way of making you think about things."
Mike sat there and looked thoughtful
for a moment. "If you don't mind me
asking where do you stand on the issue of christianity?"
"No, you're fine. Well to answer your question...I do go to
church and I do believe in God. I know
that there is probably more that I can do in regards to building a stronger
belief, but I don't. My father is a very
godly man and there have been times that I do wish that I had a faith as strong
as he does. I think you would get on
well with him. I have a feeling that you
two would have a lot to talk about."
"Sounds like I would get on
with everybody in your family."
Mike laughed.
Adam half laughed. "That you would." He stretched and yawned. "It's getting late. Time that we started getting some sleep. Going to be another long day tomorrow."
Mike as if on cue, yawned. "Yep, you're right there. Sure been nice talking with you Adam. Who knows, maybe we'll get a chance to go
into this a bit more before we catch Wallace.
Good night." Mike laid down
on his side and turned his back to the fire.
Adam continued to stare at the fire
for a little while longer. He and Mike
were getting on well together but it was a shame that it would all have to end
as soon as they caught up with Wallace.
Adam knew that his father, Hoss and Joe would like his travelling
companion but was a little sad when he realised that they would never get to
meet each other. As he thought about
this, he came to the conclusion that he and Mike were still both strangers to
each other. The only things he knew
about Mike was what he had seen and heard already and vice versa. In fact, he was sure that he had done most of
the talking tonight.
Coming to the opinion that Mike was
such an easy man to talk to and that he was definitely a very good listener.
Adam was satisfied with how the conversation had eventually panned out. Adam didn't know if he would ever get another
chance to be able to talk to someone as amicable as Mike. It had most certainly felt good being able to
talk about his life with someone who knew nothing about him or his family.
**********************************************
Looking at the horse on the other
side of the livery stable, Adam was sure that it was the one that been taken
from the waystation.
The stationmaster had given him a detailed description of the animal
before they had left. He walked slowly
across to the horse so as not to startle it.
When he got to the horse he carefully inspected it and soon found the
tell-tale sign that confirmed it was indeed the horse they were looking for.
"Wallace is definitely
here. This is the horse he took from the
waystation."
Adam looked up at Mike and motioned with his arm, indicating that he
wanted him to come over.
"Well, what do we do now?"
Mike asked after looking at the horse for himself.
"Start looking around town I
suppose. This place is not that
big. We shouldn't have any trouble
finding him."
"Should we split up?"
Adam quickly shook his head. He didn't want Mike going off on his own due
to the fact if the younger man found Wallace first, something terrible could
happen. Adam had the feeling that if
that occured, Mike would most definitely come off
second best. "No, it's best if we
stick together. Don't want Wallace
getting the upper hand on either of us this time around."
Mike nodded his head reluctantly,
"Ok. I think I know what you
mean."
"Alright then, let's get
going. I suggest we try out the hotel
first. Good as place as any."
Mike followed Adam as he walked out
of the livery. Slowly walking to where
the hotel was, Adam felt for his gun just make sure that it was ready when he
needed it. He turned to find that Mike
was following him, a short distance behind, apparently lost in his own
thoughts. He turned back to face the direction
he was headed in and began preparing himself for the inevitable confrontation
with Wallace.
Just as he was about to step up onto
the landing at front of the hotel, he felt Mike put his hand on his
shoulder. "Adam, before you go in
there, I've got to tell you something."
Adam stopped and turned to face
Mike, slightly bewildered and uncertain of what Mike was about to say. "Ok.
What is it?"
"Just wanted to tell you to be
careful when you go in there and not to forget what we talked about last night." He tilted his head towards the hotel,
"I'll stay out here and keep an eye on things just in case Wallace makes a
run for it."
Adam stared at Mike for a moment,
not knowing what to do or say to him in return.
Mike indicated to him, that he should go in. Adam shrugged his shoulders and preceded to
walk inside the hotel.
When he got inside, he could see
that the hotel had probably once been a much grander place in the past and now
it was shabby and devoid of life.
Looking around, he saw no-one, except for a drunk passed out on one of
the sofas in the lobby. He heard a noise
coming from the right. It was a piece of
music that he couldn't recognise, coming from an evidently out-of-tune
piano. This told him that there were
people gathered in the nearby bar.
Walking the short distance towards the sound, he found his way blocked
by a closed door. Slowly opening the
door, Adam could see that it lead to the hotel's bar, which like the rest of
the building had seen better days. When
he had fully opened the door he could see that there were a number of people
drinking. He decided to walk up to the
bar and wait patiently for the bartender to finish with his customers.
As soon as the bartender had
finished serving his one of his customers, he saw Adam. He walked over to where Adam was seated at
the end of the bar. As the bartender
took a long, slow look at him, Adam began to feel very uncomfortable.
"Yes siree. You're him alright." the bartender
concluded.
"Pardon. I'm who?"
"Friend of yours turned up here
yesterday. Said you be along in a couple
of days or so. Told me what you looked
like so that I could recognise you when I saw you."
The feeling of uneasiness, that Adam
had had a few days ago was back again.
"Really? What did he tell
you to do when I arrived?"
The bartender smiled a toothy grin,
"Told me to give you a drink of whiskey and send you to the private room
just other there." He pointed to
his left behind Adam. "He's been
there drinking since last night. Just
waiting for you I figure." Bending
down behind the counter the bartender retrieve a glass and a bottle of
whiskey. Placing them both on the
counter in front of Adam, he nodded once.
Adam, after taking the bottle and
the glass, began to walk to the room that the bartender had pointed to. Cautiously walking around the tables, he soon
came to the door leading into the room.
Holding onto the glass and bottle in his left hand, he slowly opened the
door with his right. When the door was
fully opened, Adam could see that the room was very sparse. In the middle of the room was just a table
and with two chairs on either side of it.
The room had probably been some sort of gaming room in the past, Adam
surmised. He could also see seated on
one of the chairs was Cody Wallace.
Wallace was resting on the table with his head on his arms, which were
folded.
This is way too easy, Adam thought
as he made his way to the table and closing the door behind him. He could see that there were three empty
bottles standing on the table and a fourth one which had been carelessly
knocked over. There was only one glass
sitting to the right of Wallace and lying next to that glass was a gun. As he drew nearer to the table, Wallace made
a sudden movement, nearly causing Adam to drop the bottle and glass that he had
been holding.
"Took your time in getting
here, Adam. Thought you would get here
much earlier than this."
After placing the bottle and glass
on the table, Adam slowly sat in the empty chair opposite Wallace, not knowing
what to make of it. "Well Cody, I
have to say that you're the last person I expected to see ending up like
this."
Cody took a deep breath. It was evident that he was feeling the
effects of all the whiskey that he had been drinking. "What's so hard to believe? Can happen to anybody. Happened to me. Could happen to you!" He leant over and pointed his right index
finger straight at Adam's face.
**********************************************
Adam sighed and looked at his
watch. He had been here for at least
thirty minutes listening to Wallace rambling on about things that didn't seem
to make sense for most of the time. In
between ramblings he had been taking shots of whiskey from the bottle that Adam
had brought in. For the most part, Adam
had decided to remain quiet and let the trouble man get whatever it was that he
wanted to get out of his system. Adam
wasn't quite sure of what to do or say anyways.
So he thought it was the best thing to do under the circumstances. It was evident that Wallace had wanted
someone to listen to him and so Adam had obliged him up until now. There were so many questions that Adam wanted
answers to, he decided that it was time to speak up.
"Cody...it sounds as if you had
a really rough time but surely there was another way out? You didn't have to turn against us and let
Jenkins die."
Cody glared at Adam. "You don't understand do you?"
"No, I don't. I'm sorry."
"Humphh. I thought you most of all would
understand. When I realised that Bob was
just like the rest of them, I shot him.
Didn't want him killed. Only hurt
enough for him to make him send for you."
"What? Why do that?
All you had to do was get in touch and I would've come."
"Really...and what about your
family? How would you explain me to them
if I had turned up at your place?"
"I would've just told them that
you were an old friend that I met while I was away."
"Another lie. That's what this whole job has been...one big
fat lie."
Adam sat there for a moment,
dumbfounded. It was obvious that
something had happened to cause Wallace to become very disillusioned and
cynical about the life that he had been leading for so many years. Hang on minute. Wasn't I just talking to Mike about this last
night? Mike must of somehow known what
Wallace was going through. But how on
earth did he know that I would find Wallace in here?
"Hmmmm...got
you thinking hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has Cody. Tell me how it happened. Maybe knowing about what went wrong will make
me understand it better. After all you
did say that you wanted to talk to me."
Wallace closed his eyes and swayed a
little. Adam wondered if he was about to
pass out but that thought went as quickly as it came when he saw Wallace
opening his eyes again.
"Yep. Telling you would be the right thing to
do. I couldn't help myself but maybe I
can help you. I still owe you one after
that incident in
"Yes, I know you do. There' s no need to pay me back for that
one."
"I've got to and I
will!" Cody spat out. "Now just sit there and listen to what
I've got to say. It started a couple of
months ago. I was finally sick and tired
of lying to my wife about where I was going and what I was doing. I loved her so much and I hated lying to her
all the time, so I decided to tell her the truth."
Watching the pain in Cody's face,
Adam felt sad and sorry for the man seated across the table from him. Listening to what Cody had just been saying,
Adam could, in a way understand what he was going through. Telling your loved ones that you had been not
exactly truthful with them and that you had lied to them would be one of the
hardest things that any person would have to do. It was one reasons why he had been avoiding
it himself.
After pouring himself another drink
from the bottle, Cody continued.
"You should of seen her face when I told her the truth. The look of horror on her face. It was like she didn't know me at all. Told me straight to my face that I was a
stranger and she didn't who I was. She
kept telling me that I had made a fool out of her and that she should've
listened to her family. She said that
our marriage had been a sham. That
everything before and after it had all been just a bed of lies. She slapped me in the face. I couldn't believe it. Then she told me that it was all over and
that she never wanted to see me again.
Called me all sorts of names. I
tried to make her understand but she accused me of making things worse then
they already were. She left that night
without saying another word. I can still
that remember the look of disgust she gave me as she walked out the door."
"Is that why you turned against
the agency?"
"There were a couple of
incidents before that had caused me to doubt the way I had been living my life but
her leaving me was the last straw."
He grimmaced.
"The things I have had to do and say. Makes sick to the stomach just thinking about
them." Cody then drank the whiskey
in his glass. "This damn job
ruined my life. Been role playing for a
long time now...I know that she was telling the truth. Not just about our marriage but about me
too. I have no idea who I am but I have
no doubts about what I've become. The
night I handed Jenkins over to that smuggler I had been drinking for at least
three days straight. The only place I've
been able find any comfort from this torment, has been in the bottom of
bottle."
He twirled the empty glass in his
hand. "For the last couple of
months I've been drinking a lot. A real
lot. Can't remember everything I did or
said. When Bob caught up with me, I
realised that time had run out. The damn
agency always catches their prey. I
decided that I wanted you to take me in.
Wanted to warn you before they could take your life away too. Needed to repay that favour I owed you and
this way the only way I could it."
He snorted. "The last
honourable thing I could I suppose."
Cody pushed his gun across the table
towards Adam. "I've got nothing to
live for now. The only woman I've ever
loved is gone. I certainly have no life
to speak of it. May as well spend the
rest of it in prison. One can get
themselves lost in one of those places."
Adam took the gun and stood up. Placing it in the belt of his pants, he
walked around to Cody. "Why me
Cody? Why tell me all of this?"
Cody looked up at Adam, "You're
not like the rest of them. Wanted to at
least save one person before it was too late.
Last time I saw you, I remembered seeing the same signs in you that I
had refused to see in myself until it was too late. I reckon that if I can help you, then maybe
you can help the others like us."
Adam nodded "Thanks for the
help and advice. I think it's time we
were going."
Cody got up slowly from the table
and poured one last drink. After
emptying the contents of his glass, he smiled weakly at Adam. "Knew you would understand. Just knew you would."
*********************************************
"You look like a man who's got
a problem."
Adam raised up his head and smiled a
lopsided grin, "My friend, that is an understatement."
Mike laughed. "Nice to see that you are fairing well
under the circumstances."
"Yeah." Adam turned his head around to look at the
sheriff's office. "It is a shame
about Cody. Poor guy. Just goes to show that it can happen to the
best of us."
"Yes, it is a real shame. From what I've seen of him in the last couple
of days, well...like you said it can happen to the best of us."
Adam slowly nodded. It had been a long trip back to
When they had gotten back to
"He's given you a lot to think
about, hasn't he?"
"Yes, he has Mike. He told me he could see the signs of it
happening in me when he last saw me about a year ago. I kind of implied that I understood what he was
talking about but the problem is that I have no idea what he meant by it."
"Maybe he thought that you were
headed down the same path as he was and wanted to stop you before it was too
late."
"I gathered that but I still
don't know what he saw in me to make him think that way."
"Adam, let me tell you
something. Sure you can easily let what
happened to him happen to you. Having a
breakdown like that is something that can affect anybody, anytime. Maybe that's what made him think that it was
happening to you as well. Most probably
he didn't want to feel like he was the only one going through this. Cyncism and
disillusionment can be only just the tip of the iceberg where these things are
concerned and after that, it can be all downhill from there. You know, Adam I have a feeling that you're
the type of man who won't let it go that far, no matter what life may throw at
you. I have no doubt that when you see
it, you'll recognise it for what it is and set about making things right."
"Yeah, I think what you
mean. Sure, there have been times when I
have gotten a little cynical but it hasn't lasted for long. There has all always been something that's
been done or said to help me get out of that way of thinking." Adam paused for a moment. "Still makes you wonder though."
Mike smiled sympathetically. "You know, it doesn't make a difference
if you tell your family or not about this part of your life. Your family sounds like an understanding lot,
so I'm absolutely positive that your family won't react in the same way that
his wife did. However, if by some chance
you end up taking the path he took, don't forget there is always someone out
there who can help before it's too late.
Just remember to keep the attitude of talking things out as soon as they
start to worry you. Don't be like
Wallace and bottle things up until they explode."
"You've got a point. I'll make sure to remember what you've just
said." Adam nodded firmly and
looked at Mike's horse which was tied to the hitching rail in front of the sheriff's
office. "Looks like you're ready to
go."
"Yeah, I am. My job here is done."
"Too bad we didn't get a chance
to talk some more about the things we were talking about the other night."
"I think the talk we had now
just about covered everything I wanted to say to you."
"Suppose so. Well, it certainly has been a pleasure to
meet you."
"Likewise Adam. Glad I could be of service to you." Mike held out his right hand.
Adam took the hand and shook
it. "Thanks for everything."
Mike let go of Adam's hand and went
to the side of his horse and pulled something out his saddle bag. He walked back to Adam and handed it over to
him, "Something to remember me by."
A look of surprise came over Adam's
face. "Your bible. Won't you be needing this?
Mike smiled "I think you'll be
needing it more than I will in the future.
Take care of yourself, Adam."
He went to his horse and mounted it.
"One more piece of advice for you before I go. Remember that you're not Cody Wallace and you
never will be."
Slighty confused by Mike's last statement, Adam nodded his
head in acknowledgement. "Goodbye
and safe journey."
Mike laughed. "It's never goodbye. Let's just say until we meet again."
Adam raised an eyebrow, "You
look like you meant what you just said.
So, I guess it is until we meet again."
"We will meet again Adam
Cartwright. We most certainly
will." and with that Mike spurred his horse into action and preceded to
ride out of town. Turning back once more,
he waved goodbye to Adam and then continued on his way.
Adam waved backed and stood there
watching Mike until he had disappeared from his view. It wasn't until he had seen the last of Mike
that he suddenly realised that Mike had called him by his full name. Shaking his head, he tried to think how Mike
had found out his last name. He
sighed. Oh well, another thing to ponder
over on his way home. This journey had
certainly proved to be an eye opener in more ways than one.
Looking at the bible in his hand, he
raised it to reading level and opened up the front cover. Inside was an inscription to him from
Mike. It read - "To Adam. Remember that no matter where you go or what you
do you'll always have someone to turn to.
Kindest regards Mike."
Adam smiled and absent-mindedly
began flipping through the bible. His
attention was unexpectedly caught by one of the pages towards the end. Whereas all the other pages had no markings
of any sort, this one did. Noting that
it was located in the book of Hebrews, he decided to read the passage out loud "Be
not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels
unawares."
Adam's head shot up and looked in
the direction Mike had gone. He
frowned. Surely not. No, can't be.
He shook his head slightly. He
reread the marked passage again. Still
not quite knowing what to make of it, he closed the bible and decided to make
his way back to the Cary House Hotel to meet up with Bob.
He took his time and began thinking
about what happened over the last week.
There were a lot of things that he needed to sort out. The first thing he had to do was finish up
here as quickly as possible so that he could get home. He still wasn't quite sure about telling his
family about his life as a government agent.
That would require a lot more further thought.
Deep down Adam knew what Mike had
meant about him not being like Cody Wallace and he was glad about it. Going back over what had happened to Wallace,
Adam came to the realisation that he was not going down the same road as
Wallace had. He knew that he was
extremely blessed. Quietly thanking God
for not letting it happen to him and for giving him a family who would never
let it happen, Adam smiled. For the
first time in a long while he was feeling better about himself and his
life. He then laughed. To Adam, the most amazing thing about of all
this, was that it had happened when he had least expected it to.
THE END
September 2003