Phantom Point
by Gary Inbinder
July 1907: Chicago is sweltering, and hard-boiled detective Max Niemand has a hot, new case. A wealthy socialite hires Max to rescue her wayward artist brother from the clutches of a femme fatale and her dubious California artists’ colony. The job is lucrative, with the promise of a large bonus for good results.
Arriving on the West Coast, Max becomes embroiled in a murder case and a fight over oil rights. In the course of his investigation, he encounters hard-nosed cops, gangsters, an Old West marshal, a tycoon, a cagey lawyer, fast cars, faster women and a malevolent gold-toothed hitman. Before long, Max realizes the odds of living long enough to collect his bonus are definitely not in his favor.
Chapter 20: The New Boss Pays a Call on the Marshal
Duke Placco cleaned himself up, put on his best suit, hopped into his Jack Rabbit and drove into town to pay a call on the Marshal.
Deputy Riley greeted him in the outer office. “What do you want, Placco?”
“Came to pay my respects, Mr. Riley. Can I see the Marshal?” Duke attempted a friendly smile to go along with his unaccustomed politeness.
Riley eyed the gangster skeptically before saying, “Wait here.” He knocked on the Marshal’s office door and entered. In less than a minute, he came out and said, “Go on in.”
Placco walked into the office, still smiling. “Good morning, Marshal. Lovely day, ain’t it?”
“Sit down, Duke.” Rivers looked up from his paperwork and eyed Placco with the familiar gunslinger stare.
“Thanks, Marshal.” Placco removed his straw hat respectfully and took a seat opposite Rivers. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an expensive cigar. “Would you care for a cigar?”
“No, thanks; I smoke my own. What’s on your mind?”
Duke rubbed his freshly shaven chin reflectively before speaking. “Well, now Marshal, you’re a busy man so I’ll come right to the point. There’s been a change in our organization. Gil Doyle’s left for other opportunities, and I’ve taken over, sort of.”
“You’ve sort of taken over?” The old gunslinger’s eyes narrowed to sharp slits.
“Uh, well, that is to say I’ve taken over, definitely. I bought Gil out. The deal’s been in the works for some time.”
“Has it, now? Funny, I don’t recall Doyle saying anything about it to me.”
“We like to keep these things in the family, so to speak, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, Duke, I know what you mean. So where is Doyle?”
“He left town.”
“When did he leave?”
“Last night, on the evening train.”
“The train to San Francisco?”
“That’s what he said. I’m afraid I wasn’t there to see him off.”
“Oh, I see. So, when was the last time you saw him?”
“Uh... that would’ve been yesterday afternoon.”
“And where was that?”
“At the roadhouse.”
“How did he get to the depot?”
“He drove... I guess.”
“In his Chadwick?”
“Yeah... I suppose so.”
“Where’s the car now?”
“Back at the roadhouse.” Placco started fidgeting with his hat.
“How did it get back from the depot?”
“I ain’t sure, but one of the boys must have gone with him and drove the car back.”
“Which one of the boys?”
“I... I couldn’t say.”
“But you could find out?”
“I suppose so.”
“You said Doyle went to San Francisco. Was he planning on staying there?”
“I can’t say for sure, but he did say something about going up north, to Alaska.”
“All right, Duke. Is that all?” Rivers folded his hands and leaned forward.
“Well, no, not exactly. I wanted to assure you, and by way of you all the others—”
“Others? What others?” Rivers broke in.
Duke lowered his voice. “You know who I mean, Marshal. The mayor, the town council, the sheriff and of course, Mr. Merwin. I wanted to assure you all that I got everything under control and things will go on just like before, only better.”
“Better? How better?”
Placco cleared his throat nervously before saying, “I been over the books. Gil was holding back on you. But I’ll play fair and square, don’t you worry. And there’ll be plenty for everyone, especially when the Phantom Point oil comes in.”
“What do you know about Phantom Point?”
Placco brought his chair closer to the desk and lowered his voice to a near whisper. “I know there’s bad blood between Lawyer Williams and Mr. Merwin. But it don’t have to be like that. They can settle their differences like gentlemen. Then we can run off them anarchists and open Phantom Point up for the oil men. Soon, the county will be booming. And I’ll be right here, serving all them roughnecks that’ll be working in the oil fields. But I promise I’ll keep a lid on things so the good townspeople won’t have nothing to fear. I’ll help you and the sheriff keep the peace, so to speak.”
“That’s an interesting proposition, Duke. But what makes you think Mr. Merwin and Dan Williams can come to terms?”
“The stranger in town who goes by the name of Matt Rogers; you know, the guy who lost to you at poker. I doubt that’s his real name, and I’m sure he’s onto something big. Something that’ll help settle the ownership of the oil rights. He was playing up to Williams’ secretary, Miss Moore. And he was up at Phantom Point not long ago, talking to Eugenia Merwin.”
“I see. Do you know where I can find him?”
Placco shook his head. “I lost track of him. Until a couple of days ago, he was at The Pacific. My contacts at the hotel said he checked out, but they don’t know where he went. I figured if anyone could find him, it’d be you.”
Placco didn’t know that Eve had bribed Doyle’s informers at the hotel. They now worked for her and John Merwin.
The Marshal looked up at the wall clock and checked it against his watch. “I’ve got an appointment, so we need to cut this short. I’ll be in touch.”
“Sure, Marshal. Sorry to take so much of your time.” Placco got up and held out his hand.
Rivers remained seated and returned to his paperwork without looking up.
Placco stayed in place for an awkward moment. Then he turned around and left the office.
As soon as Placco was gone, Rivers stopped shuffling papers. He buzzed for Riley. The deputy entered the Marshal’s office.
“Riley, Gil Doyle supposedly left town last night. I want you to check it out. Here are the particulars.” He provided the deputy with the information gleaned from Placco. Riley took some notes and left.
Rivers grabbed the telephone. “Hello, operator. This is Marshal Rivers. Put me through to John Merwin at The Eyrie.”
Copyright © 2022 by Gary Inbinder
