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The moon had yet to come up and the night was so dark the men were falling over things on the ground. Mr. Tompson and his four armed men were moving into position for an all-night stakeout. They found a good spot among the girders of a well across from Claude’s capped wells.
Mr. Tompson cautioned his men one more time. “Remember, we ask for them to surrender. No one shoots unless I tell you or we are fired upon.”
He could see a sliver of the moon rising. He smiled, hoping they would have enough light to be able to capture or kill the thieves before they slipped off into the darkness. “We’ll pull four-hour shifts. Two men up and two men sleeping.” He pointed at two of the men. “You two have the first shift. No smoking.”
Mr. Tompson and the others moved toward the front of the well. There was enough light to just make out the shadows of three men leading a horse that was pulling a wagon with what looked like barrels and a large hand pump.
The wagon stopped next to one of Claude’s wells. When two of the men went to take the cap off, Mr.Tompson shouted, “This is Tompson Security. Raise your hands and surrender, or we’ll fire.”
The answer to his challenge came in the form of a gunshot, at which Mr. Tompson and his men opened fire. In less than a few seconds, all three of the thieves lay dead. Tompson checked the bodies and then told one of his men, “Ride into town and bring the sheriff. It looks like we’ll be here all night.”
When Claude arrived at work two days later, a sheriff’s deputy was waiting for him. “What can I do for you?”
The deputy seemed a little unsure of himself as he mumbled, “Mr. Jaudon, the Sheriff wants you to come to the station house. He has some men locked up that have been transferred from Corsicana. They say they work for you.”
“Who are these men and what have they done to be locked up?”
The deputy opened his notebook. “They say they are with Tompson Security and you hired them to guard your wells. They shot and killed three men in Corsicana last night who were trying to steal your oil. The sheriff in Corsicana immediately had them transported here.”
Claude opened his door and started in. “You tell the sheriff that unless the men Tompson Security killed were unarmed, he needs to release them or we’ll get a new sheriff.”
“Mr. Jaudon, sir, the sheriff wants me to bring you to the station.”
“That’s not going to happen. If you like your job, you’ll walk away and tell the sheriff what I said.”
At his desk, Claude telephoned his attorney. “I want those men out of jail and I don’t wish to have to deal with this kind of thing again. I have the right to protect my property. These men aren’t vigilantes; they are licensed by the State of Texas as security guards.”
He had just put the telephone down when Cornell knocked and walked in. “I just got word from Jerry Dunlap. They’ve hit oil in Humble and Jeff has four more leases lined up. What do I tell him?”
“Have Warren step in here.” Warren Townson was the office manager and would be the person to get the wheels rolling.
Cornell hurried out and seconds later Warren stepped in. “Yes, sir, Mr. Jaudon.”
“Call the factory and have four more rigs sent to the Humble oil fields. Jeff Wright has four leases right now to work with. Contact Jeff and tell him I said to get as many leases as he can. I also want those rigs up and running as soon as they hit the fields. Tell Dunlap to hire as many men as it will take.”
Warren had been writing like crazy. “Will there be anything else, Mr. Jaudon?”
“That’ll be all for now. Mr. Tompson will be showing up soon; tell Cornell to send him right in.”
“Yes, sir.” Warren closed the door and went to work. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded coming out of Claude’s mouth. Wagons and horses had to be lined up to move the large parts that would be shipped by rail, and more wagons and horses would need to be on hand in Humble. Not to mention the men to handle it all. Then Warren would have to fight the factory, which didn’t like to deal with a rush order. After all that, he would have to explain the cost to Gerald Whitney, their finance administrator. It would take time, but that was the reason he had been hired – he got things done.
“Sorry, boss. I’m working short-handed myself. The Goose Lake fields would be the only place I could pull anyone off of. I could shut down one of the rigs there; we have two working, but they’re not paying off yet. Everybody agrees there’s oil, but no one has found it.”
Claude thought for a few seconds. “Do that, Joe. Shut down one of the rigs and send the men to Humble. We have oil in Humble, and God only knows how many dry holes we’ll sink at Goose Lake before we hit anything. You can start hiring more men for that closed rig anytime you want. Call Jerry and let him know he’s got help coming.”
He hung up just as Mr. Tompson knocked once and walked in. “Mr. Tompson, I’m happy to see you out of jail. I can assure you it will not happen again.”
“I got that same feeling as the sheriff kissed my ass all the way out the door.”
“Once word of your exploits last night spreads, your dance card will fill up quickly. You must remember, however, that killing in self-defense is one thing but out and out murder…well, my power can only go so far.”
Mr. Tompson gestured toward the bar. “May I? It’s been a long night.”
“Please, help yourself.”
“I can guarantee you, Mr. Jaudon, there will never be a body that doesn’t have a smoking gun in its hand.”
Mr.Tompson turned the shot glass up and finished the whiskey in one gulp. He set the glass back on the bar and walked to the front of Claude’s desk. “If that’s all, I would like to get a bath and some sleep.”
“That’s all for now. I would like you to keep watching my wells. I don’t want people to think this was a one-time thing”
“I plan on getting the other drillers to sign on to my company and then I’ll keep guards in the fields at all times.”
Claude was impressed. “That sounds wonderful. Let Mr. Townson know the charges for your new service and we’ll be your first customer.”
Mr. Tompson tilted his hat. “I’ll do that. Good day, sir.”
The realization that the oil companies now had their own police force was just settling in on Claude.
| Copyright © 2020 by Ed Rogers |
Only two more chapters, I'll miss reading these.
ReplyDeleteED will miss reading them? The "edRogers" who wrote them? That’s wonderful that reading your own stuff (when it's published) gives you pleasure. But I’m the same way, and I think many (probably most) writers are. I doubt that many of them are like the actors who can’t stand (or say they can’t stand) to watch the movies they have appeared in.
ReplyDeleteI saw your comment when I came on to commend you for the narrative brevity by which you avoid the gore: “The answer to his challenge came in the form of a gunshot, at which Mr. Tompson and his men opened fire. In less than a few seconds, all three of the thieves lay dead. Tompson checked the bodies....”
It's funny but I don't read my books after they are published. One reason is I'll always find something I want to change. But with Jaudon, I find enjoyment in writing it and reading it.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear, and I am glad for you. I wonder why “Jaudon” is special. Probably because your own actual ancestors share some of the same experiences as members of the Jaudon family? Or maybe because so much of the “Jaudon” saga is historical and not simply made-up? (I believe you told me that you mostly read non-fiction.)
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