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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2625994" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 144, "Teacher and Student", Monday, January 16th, 1882Jake and Red talk for several more hours. Red indicates that after Kansas City he traveled south and then west, whereas Jake went west and then south. Red doesn't go into any detail as to how he acquired the magical items or make any mention of the friend he alluded to earlier other than a cryptic comment about Abilene, Texas being the 'turning point' in his travels. Jake racks his brain and to recall anything he might have heard or read about Abilene. He vaguely remembers a story about a Louisiana lawman turned bounty hunter, Jacques something-or-other, being killed there sometime the previous year but does not recall any of the details.Jake's stories back to Red are less cryptic and more light hearted.  He tells about going home with a woman who he thought was a whore only to have her husband come home in the middle of the night. Jake dove out a window before the man could see his face, and came back the next day as a tough looking bounty hunter and paid $10 to get his stuff back as evidence to help track down the outlaw that slept with the man's wife. He also tells the full story of the silver mine, and the humorous parts of the story about Ruby and the glass ball. "I should have known better than to have anybody pretend to repent." He says laughing.Jake and Red talk well into the night before going to be in their respective rooms. They both sleep well into the next day, it being close to noon when they rise. When Red finally comes out to the less opulant room, Jake asks him "What in Hades is your bartender personna's name? That's who closed up the place, what do I call you in that guise?" Jake also shows O'Brien the jewelry and gold box that he is going to try and sell. "You know what I really want you to show me is how you manage to move that drunken carcass of yours around without making any noise. I'm thinking that may come in handy with dealing with some folks I won't name back in Promise City."Red replies, "My bartender name is Martin Allistar, and yes, I borrowed the last name from your middle name. Martin is the name of one of my cousins. Similary, Cornelius Van Horne is a composite of another cousin, Larry Cornelius, and a town in Texas southeast of El Paso named Van Horn where I spent what seemed like a month one evening. And I can sneak quietly to some degree, but the main reason you didn't hear me that night was that there were also the sounds of a torrential rainstorm, thunder and a crackling fire. I was also invisible up until the moment that I struck Adair with the cane, so that could have been why I surpised you like that.""Invisible?" Jake's eyes pop open wide. "Hermes, doesn't anybody around here do anything without the help of some blasted enchantment?" He turns and faces O'Brien. "I'm still mighty grateful you were able to smack his gun hand, but how do you do that?" "A simple wrist motion with the cane me boy," Red replies with a grin. Jake states, "OK, funny guy - I mean how do you become invisible?" "Magic me boy, magic. Just another trinket that I picked up in my travels," is Red's answer.   Jake replies, "All this blasted magic is making my skin crawl. Worse than that, everyone but me seems to be loaded with it!" Jake rubs his beard quickly at first and then slows down. "Seems like I need an education in several areas." He stops and his look brightens. "What do you have in mind for today? And who will you be?""Well, Mr. Alister was the one who went in here so he should be the one to leave. But Mr. Van Horne would probably have the easiest time selling the jewelry, I just wouldn't want anyone to see him associating with you Mr. Jacob, in case the word gets back to our friend Mr. Adair. I have an idea. I'll take both chains and once we're away from the saloon I can use the Cornelius Van Horne disguise and you can use the Martin Alister one. I'd suggest doing it the other way around but I doubt you can fake the Georgia accent, that's not done with any magic."Jake says, "Not without practice, I haven't spent enough time with anyone who sounded like that." Jake smiles, "Besides, Mr. Van Horn is almost legend now. I couldn't do him justice. Mr. Alistair is fine. I at least won't fall asleep and act surprised when someone calls me that. I've been Mr. Alistair Jacobson several times before, but he was a Philadelphia lawyer not a saloon owner. Funny, I'm getting to know that role too. So food and then some Jewelry selling. These little baubles really belong to a bunch of us back in Promise City, but anything we could get for them and the box over say $2,000 would be fair compensation for Mr. Van Horn's services. I'm sure we could find some entertainment to spend them on here in Tuscon." Jake's eyes take on a devilish twinkle.Red uses the chain to transform himself into Mr. Alistar. He puts the "Open" sign up on the door and a few minutes later the guard/bartender who he called Richard enters. Red tells him "Mr. Jacob and I are going to take care of some business so I don't know when we will be back. Mr. Van Horne is also expected today to talk to Mr. Jacob about our investment opportunities." "Very good Mr. Alistar," the man says. "Call me Marty," Red replies. He and Jake exit via the front door. They walk a few doors down and into a boarding house, heading down the hallway to the room on the first floor which Red opens with a key. Once inside Red states the French incantation and is back to his old self. He hands the chain to Jake and teaches him the incantation "Vous devriez poursuivre votre tailleur en justice" He adds "The mage who helped me with that had a sense of humor, that translates as "You should sue your tailor". Jake does so and immediately takes on the appearance that Red was a few moments ago. He tells Jake "fasten the chain anywhere on your person but be sure that you do not let go of it until it is firmly attached." Red then takes out the other chain and says "Est-ce difficile trouver une cravate plus odieuse que vous?" He then becomes the man known as Van Horne. He looks to Jake and says "That one translates as "Was it difficult to find a tie more obnoxious than you?" My wizard friend was quite the comedian." The two of them leave the room, Red locking it behind them. They then exit the boarding house from a back doorway. The jewelry store is on the other side of town, owned by a German named Beck. Van Horne begins a long talk with the owner, talking about the need to purchase something to send to his neice back in Georgia. He decides upon a cameo broach valued at $ 300 and doesn't even attempt to haggle over the price. After the purchase is made they continue to talk for another ten minutes. Only then does he stop to introduce Mr. Alister and inquire about selling the jewelry. Mr. Beck asks to see the items.Mr. Alistar delicately removes the jewelry from his pocket and lays it out neatly on the counter piece by piece including the 9 x 5 x 3 inch gold box. He finishes by clasping one hand over another in front of him giving Mr. Beck a simple and warm smile.  Beck spends the next half hour examining every piece. He puts an magnifying eyeglass on to check the stones. He uses a few other tools to check the precious metals. In a think German accent he asks, "Do you want to sell some or all? I give you $ 1,500 for the lot of jewelry. Have no need for fancy box."Mr. Alistar/Jake takes the 'fancy' box and puts it back in his pocket. "I see you recognize the fine workmanship and the stones are not local to the area. I believe the workmanship is Bolivian or someone from that general area, but obviously a craftsman. Given the exotic nature of the pieces I expected them to worth a premium. Mr. Van Horn suggested that you above all others would be able to place them into a fine home, if you are as good as your reputation. Please have another look." He finishes with another warm smile.Beck examines each piece again. He then hands Jake back the gold and diamond tiara. He says "This one is worth the most, at least $ 600 maybe $ 700, but it is not anything my customers would wear. You keep it, I will give you $ 1,000 for the rest."  Jake says, "Mr. Beck, I appreciate your candor. I shall recommend you from here forward. Without the tiara then, I would be satisfied for $1,050 for the remaining pieces." Beck says "I will have to give that some thought. You may stop back tomorrow." "As you wish Mr. Beck, a pleasure." Mr. Alister/Jake looks to Mr. Van Horn. "After you sir."They exit and walk across the street and then walk a block to the west. Jake looks like he is about to say something but Van Horne motions for him to wait. They watch as Beck exits his shop, puts up a 'Closed' sign and then uses key to set three different locks in the door. He then departs, heading east. Van Horne then says in his deep Southern drawl "Well Mr. Alister. What is your assessment of that encounter?"Jake answers, "I'm no expert in Jewelry, so I can't really tell if the $1,000 is a good price or not. He seemed sincere enough, as far as I can gauge. What troubles me is him locking up just now and heading off. Is he off to tell our next stop what he offered for the tiara? Or does Mr. Beck have a disguise chain too?" Mr. Alister/Jake laughs. "It make no sense to think on the sale unless he has a buyer in mind and is going to visit them. What am I missing?"A man who had been within earshot has walked off and Red switches back into his normal voice "You're missing a lot me boy. You did get the last part right, he is off to see a potential buyer or buyers of the merchandise. As for him telling our next stop, there isn't one. Tucson only has a population of 8,000 and most of them are laborers. There is not much demand for fine jewelry so there are no more jewelry shops.   Jake, the first rule I taught you is to watch the table. You saw my initial encounter with him. No haggling over price with him and lots of small talk before business. One thing in your favor was that he is a true craftsman. He seldom gets an opportunity to appraise a large lot of unusual items and he savored that for everything it was worth. It also put him in an appraisal mindset rather than a retailer mindset, so his first offer was based on what the items were worth. You then gave him a chance to change his mindset into what he could actually sell them for instead of what they were truly worth. That's why you lost the tiara. Not many Queens or Princesses her in Tucson. He has a reputation for honesty so I assume the prices he quoted are accurate. Thus, he first offered $ 1,500 then without the tiara actually increased the price offered for the remainder of the lot by $ 100. At that point you had two viable options, taking it or more small talk. You did neither, you haggled, thus angering him. So now instead of guessing if he might be able to sell them he is seeing if he actually can. Jacob me boy, the rules to good poker apply to other types of negotiations as well. Read the table, read the players, follow the cues, and play accordingly. You haven't lost, he's also a persuasive salesman. If he finds buyers you may very well get the $ 1,050 for the lot. But don't be overly surprised if his offer tomorrow is something different.""My mistake for not asking you about his reputation and finding out he was the only store in town before going in." Jake shrugs is familar shrug. "Selling them isn't urgent. If I don't get a good price, I'll try elsewhere at some point. You never know when opportunities present them self." Jake gets a sly grin on his face. "Besides, I know a lady that looks mighty fine in a tiara." "What's next? At some point Jake Cook needs to visit a bank and ask about these notes to see if they have any value, other than that we can do whatever you want." Jake looks himself up and down. "Odd feeling though. I suppose I shouldn't get into too much trouble as Mr. Alister.""Well Jacob, I could have coached you but that was part of the lesson as well. As I said, you didn't fail but you didn't pass either. Why don't you let Mr. Van Horne handle the banking, I have very good relationships with several banks here in town."  They head over to the First National Bank of Tucson and Van Horne is treated like royalty. In fact, the bank President turns the person he is talking to over to a clerk to give Van Horne his undivided attention. They head into the man's office and Van Horne says Mr. Davis, you may remember meeting my business associate Mr. Alistar before?" Davis says "Oh yes, but I did not realize that the two of your were business partners. A pleasure sir." Van Horne begins by asking about the money wired to New York. Davis unlocks a drawer and takes out a leather folder. He takes out some papers and hands them to Van Horne "We got the telegram an hour ago. Here is your copy sir. $ 8,000 was deposited into your account this morning." Van Horne then hands him the money. The banker suggests that they are foreign currencies and he should probably check with the California Bank over on Congress Street. The visit to the next bank goes very much like the previous one, the main difference being that the $ 8,000 deposit there was made to a San Francisco Bank. The Banker, a man named MacKurik, says that it will take him a few days to check it out. He confirms that the currency is all South American in origin but that some of the governments that issued it may no longer be in power and back it. Jake and Red then head back to the Watering Hole after Jake makes a transformation back from Mr. Alistar to Mr. Jacob. Red decides to keep the Van Horne persona. They spend the remainder of the day together working on Jake's skills and both poker and other skills of his. Most of the time is spent with Jake demonstrating what he has learned, with Red agreeing to then instruct him over the next few days in how to improve them.As the afternoon recedes and Jake and Van Horne relax with a drink Jake brings up Adair again. "Since making a truce with him seems out of the question, I need to start working on other options. I was toying with slowly destroying his loyal following. Turning him against them by creating evidence of their disloyalty to him. Those types trust is pretty thin to begin with so I figured that would be pretty easy. But slow is now out of the question, though I may still undermine his help. Something about a man shooting at me when I'm not even actively threatening him just doesn't sit well." Jake frowns and shakes his head. "I'm either going to have to kill him or get him put in jail. Sure would be nice to get him and Fisk together. Even better if I could get one to shoot the other and then have the shooter get hung for it. Perhaps a nice setup where they both think they are coming to kill poor Jake Cook." He laughs an evil laugh. "Before I dream too big, what can you tell me about Adair?"Red says, "Well, this will probably come as a surprise to you, but he's an honest gambler. Doesn't cheat, ever, or use any type of magic at all while he inside of the Palace. He knows that I have a magical disguise and I've told him that a bounty on my head is why. He also knows that I've been using magic at the saloons in town, except for his of course and also the El Parador where you reside, since I almost got caught there. I've seen the deed that he won giving him the Palace. It is signed G. Evan Adair, not sure what the 'G' is for. I've asked him where he is from and he replied "All over". He's mentioned things before about Mobile, Chicago, Saint Louis and Indianapolis. He's also been over to London, took some classes at Oxford once but didn't earn any kind of a degree. Likes his women. Kitty Trent seems to be his newest one. Said he was never married. He also indicated that he has killed at least two former lovers of his. He's talked of killing at least three men by his own hands and giving orders for a good dozen more to be killed. Claims that he's not wanted anywhere for anything, that he's always stayed free of the law and that he's managed to weasel out of every one of his killings as being legit. What else? Well, he's ambidexterous. He doesn't drink alcohol, only ice water. Usually maintains an upper-crust vocabulary but can swear like a sailor and use common slang when he has to. He will not allow women to use profanity in his presence. Getting after his staff will be a tough sell, he's pretty loyal to them. The only one who doesn't seem to care for him is his bouncer and bartender Deacon Prosper McCoy. But Adair seems to have some sort of control over Deacon's wife Bonnie, not sure exactly what that is about, but it keeps him in line. The only other one there you might be able to get to is Jane "Little Britches" Boag. She started working there last summer along with Fannie Mitchum and Leslie Hutton, the three of them having arrived together from Kansas City. Fannie and Leslie like it there but Jane doesn't seem to. She also seems to be the best singer in the place.   As for what to do about Adair, I'm not sure. Let me think about that for the next few days that you're here. I'm sure we'll come up with something.""As always sir, you have excellent details." Jake muses a moment. "Kill two former lovers, huh. Does Kitty know about that, and for what?" Jake thinks some more. "That deed didn't happen to say who he won it from, did it?"  Red replies, "I'm sure it did but I'm afraid I don't remember. It should be easy enough for you to find out though, just talk to someone who has been in town for a while. We're going to have to plan our return to town to be spaced apart. One thing about Adair, he has a suspicious mind. Before leaving town I gave him $ 1,000 for his hospitality these past two months. That should make him glad to see me again, but we'd still better not return close together. I made a very visible exit on the Wells Fargo Stage on Sunday. I was surprised you made it here so fast though, didn't expect you for a few more days. You must have ridden out of town right after I did to have gotten here by last night. When did you leave and who saw you go?"Jake gets a sheepish look and says, "Well, that's a funny story. I left last night, and only the wizard who brought me saw me go." Jake scratches the back of his neck. "So they only know I'm gone because they don't see me." Red scratches his head. "Wizard huh, and powerful enough to transport both him and you. You must be talking about the old Mexican guy from where you're staying."  Jake says, "I figured you would know who. Now I don't have to lie about not revealing he's a wizard. I'd rather not have to lie to him, something tells me that might be a bad idea.""I agree. The first and only time I played at the El Parador he took me aside and had a word with me. He told me to walk out the door and never set foot in the building again and he wouldn't expose me to anybody. Seemed like a good deal at the time so I took it. Good man to have made a friend with Jacob me boy." Red stops and ponders for a while. "Hmmm, if they didn't see you go that could present a problem. I'd better rethink my return. I'd better make it long after you get back otherwise Adair might suspect something. He's a pretty bright guy. Guess I will check out either Bisbee or Benson first then. Think that you and Ruby can manage to keep yourselves alive until then? If you don't go causing any trouble directly he may hold off too. He currently thrilled about his having broken up the Whipple's marriage. Based on what Maggie told me in Tombstone he also forced the Lone Star out of business, so that should keep him happy for a while.""That's another funny story." Jake goes back to scratching the back of his neck. "What you heard is Maggie's lie that she's using to get away. She and Tom are actually sister and brother. It gets complicated." Jake tells him the story. "He didn't really put the Lone Star out of business you see. There are some new owners, four of them with each 25%; Job Kane, Niles Hoover, uh Ruby West and uh Jake Cook." Again, Jake gives O'Brien the sheepish grin. "Adair may not be as happy with that."Red says "Well, with Hoover as a partner he should stop directly targeting the place. There's no way he would want to get on the wrong side of his liquor distributor. So he'll have to go after you two directly. With that wizard under foot he'll have more than he bargained for if he tries to harm you at the El Parador. So it's looks like you've covered yourself nicely me boy.""Serendipity. Bunch of stuff happened when I rolled into town, just trying to tie it all together as best I can." Jake strokes his beard a moment. "While we are talking it strikes me you ought to know a couple of other things. More funny stories..." Jake rolls eyes. He tells the story about what he knows regarding Katherine Kale and her husbands death. "I don't know which one did it, but he was murdered. She's bound and determined to find the truth. But Hermes protect her, she's not sure what to do with it when she gets it. Makes the Earps mighty jumpy her being around Morgan. Pretty ironic her saving Morgan's life" Jake also tells about their little outing to the rusters cave. "Tried to keep that one quiet, but a few of the Cowboy gang know." After a moments pause, "I seem to have made an odd and complicated bunch of friends and enemies. If you happen to have any stray bits of knowledge around any of that, let me know."Red states, "Jacob me boy, I can figure you for all of that except the last story. No Jacob Alistar Cook that I ever knew would have risked his life by making a assault on a cave filled with cattle rustlers! What on earth were you thinking? Obviously you weren't. Must have been the woman, had to have been. I was right yesterday, you are married, you just haven't finalized it yet. I tell you Jacob me boy, that girl will be the death of you.""It wasn't exactly an assault. I did talk our way in." Jake laughs. "She may well be the death of me. It certainly won't be boring on the way. Besides, it's a mighty fine way to go." Jake holds up his glass in a toast. "I do believe I saw Mr Van Horne looking rather fondly at the lass if I am not mistaken." Jake laughs again, a deep hearty laugh. "You have your fine paintings, I have Ruby West."  Red laughs, "Care to make a trade?  No response Jacob me boy. Well, I guess I'll just have to keep me paintings then."  It is late when they finish chatting and they turn in for the night.</blockquote>

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