Thunder Canyon

CHAPTER 1
The three cousins gaited up to the secluded spring.
"I can't believe that Nicky Adams," fumed Maggie. "Carrying on about her Tennessee Walker and how smooth his gait is."
"I know," said Stephen. "Our Peruvians are smoother and can cover more ground than any of those Walkers. I've run her horse into the ground several times. Her dad even complained to Abuelo."
They dismounted and let the horses drink. It was a beautiful fall day in Tennessee, with the trees in full color.
"Uh, guys," said Lizzie, pulling a glowing gold coin and chain out from under her shirt.
"My turquoise nugget is getting warm," exclaimed Maggie.
Stephen pulled a Secret Service badge out of his pocket, and it too was glowing. "These mementos from our last adventure can only be seen by us, Mimi and Abuelo."
"I think we better get back to Mimi," said Maggie, climbing on her horse.
The trio gaited back three miles to the barn on Mimi and

Abuelo's recently expanded 80-acre spread. Their place backed up to a large state park that was laced with horse trails. In fact, that was the reason Mimi and Abuelo had bought their place. The horses were in good shape, so they made it home quickly.
"Let's just put them in the stalls," suggested Maggie. "We can un-tack them after we check with Mimi."
The trio ran to the back door and started calling for Mimi as soon as they got inside.
Mimi was sitting on a sofa in the great room. Sitting across from her was Ace. Once again, the little leprechaun was dressed in jeans, cowboy boots and wearing a four-leaf clover bolo.
"Top of the morning," said Ace, touching the brim of his hat with his shillelagh, and giving them a wide grin.
"You guys want some lemonade?" asked Mimi.
"Of course," the youngsters replied in unison.
"Don't commit yourselves to anything with Ace until I get back," she instructed.
"How bout a wee dram of the Irish for me?" asked Ace.
"Okay," said Mimi. "You know where it is. Help yourself to a wee dram."
The little man went over to a cabinet and poured himself a half glass of single malt Irish whisky and held it up to the light admiringly. He turned to the trio, who were now on the sofa. "I may have a new adventure for you; that is, if you're interested," tempted the leprechaun.
The three started to talk at once, but Maggie held up her hand. "We read Eddie's journal after we came back, but it didn't give us a real ending. I'd like to hear how things turned out."
"Well, I don't usually talk outside of the journals, but I believe I can make an exception for you three," said Ace, giving them a conspiratorial wink.
"Will and Lisa had a big wedding in Texas. It was quite the grand affair. I can tell you that," said Ace.
"Did you go? And, what happened after that?" asked Lizzie, the youngest, but the most romantic of the group.
"Sorry, lassie, but that's the best I can do, without going into another journal," answered Ace.
"Have you got another journal for us, Ace?" asked Stephen.
"Aye, I do," said Ace, "well, not exactly a journal."
"Hold up, Ace," warned Mimi, returning with the lemonade.
Ace sneaked a quick swallow of the whisky.
Once Mimi was settled back on the sofa, she said, "Ace has a trip to tell you about, but it is not the same as before. He operates as a sort of guardian angel for certain people, including our family, among others. Although, I hesitate to call him an angel - devil is usually more like it."
"That's cool," answered the three kids excitedly.
"Go ahead, Ace," ordered Mimi. "Tell them."
"Well, its like this . . . Eddie Donnally is in a wee spot of trouble, and he could use a hand," said the leprechaun.
"What kind of trouble?" asked Maggie.
"He's working on a counterfeit gold coin and gold bar case, and he and his partner are out-on-a-limb by themselves," answered Ace.
"Why don't you help him?" asked Stephen, sarcastically. "You seem to have plenty of magic."
"Oh, laddie, one of these days, I am going to give you a taste of me shillelagh," declared Ace. "It doesn't work that way. I can send someone, but I cannot go me self."
"So what do you want us to do, Mr. Ace?" asked Lizzie politely.
Mimi held up a hand. "This is a whole different trip than what you went on before. There is no journal about where you are going. That happens when it's a guardian angel trip. There is no previous record of what you're getting into or how it ends."
The trio looked at each other. "Does that mean we are going as ourselves?" asked Maggie.
"Aye," said Ace. "This time you won't be seeing history. You will be making history!" He held his glass up in a salute.
Mimi squirmed on the sofa. "This is a dangerous thing," she said. "But, Ace believes you three can help Eddie and keep him and his partner safe."
"Jeez," said Stephen. "From the last journal, Eddie Donnally seems like the last person who would need our help."
"You're not kidding!" added Maggie.
"Trust me," said Ace, looking each of them in the eyes. "I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think you were up to it."
The three turned to Mimi. "What do you say Mimi?" asked Maggie.
"I've known Ace a long time, and I do trust him, relatively speaking. So, I am okay with you going," she answered. "But, I've already threatened his "wee" life if one of you gets hurt."
"I'll be looking after them in me own way," answered Ace, solemnly. "You have my word, Mimi."
"You three go tend to the horses and turn them out, while I go over a few details with Ace," instructed Mimi.

CHAPTER 2
While they un-tacked the horses, the trio talked non-stop.
"I'm a little scared," said Lizzie. "I don't think I've ever seen Mimi so serious."
"You're right," said Stephen. "Did you notice how Ace called her Mimi? That's our family's pet name for her. I thought we were the only ones who called her that. I bet she's in there laying down the law."
"I noticed it too," said Maggie. "And, that makes me believe she's known Ace a long, long time, and trusts him, more or less."
"I really enjoyed what we did before, so I'm ready for something more," said Stephen, pulling out his Secret Service badge and rubbing it.
"Me too," said Maggie, touching the turquoise nugget under her shirt. "You don't have to go, Lizzie, if you don't want to."
"Are you kidding? I'm not letting you two have all the fun," said Lizzie.
"Well, let's go tell Mimi and Ace," said Maggie.
When they got back inside, Ace was gone and Mimi was still on the sofa.
"Ace left this for you," said Mimi, holding up a $10 dollar Gold Eagle coin. "You can carry it, Lizzie. No one can see it but us."
"Where is the Mousegate this time?" asked Stephen.
"Where do you think?" asked Mimi, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, we're going back to Disney World," squealed Lizzie.
"I'll tell the family I've decided on a quick Thanksgiving trip to Disney World for anybody that wants to go," said Mimi.
"Where's Abuelo?" asked Stephen.
"He went trout fishing with his friend Stan. He'll be back before long," answered Mimi. "He'll go with us, of course."
"Last time we wandered all over the park. Did Ace tell you exactly where it is this time, Mimi?" asked Stephen.
"No," answered Mimi. "I've asked him before, but for some reason, Ace never seems to know. At least that's what he says."
"It must be some kind of stupid leprechaun rule," laughed Stephen.
"Don't think I didn't hear that, laddie," they all heard Ace's lilting Irish voice fill the room.
Everyone laughed, but Stephen, who blushed, said, "Sorry, Ace," to no one in particular.

CHAPTER 3
It was a crisp, early fall day in Washington, D.C. Eddie Donnally was heading for the Secret Service Headquarters when a newspaper headline at a newsstand just outside the building caught his eye.
"Former Secretary of the Treasury to Prison"
Eddie fished ten cents out of his pocket as the newsstand vendor turned toward him.
"Hello, Freddie," said Donnally.
"Hey, Mr. Donnally. How's New York?" asked the vendor.
"It's good. I get to be around the family and all that," laughed Eddie.
"I know exactly," laughed the vendor. "You know what they say, you can pick your friends, but you're stuck with your family. Is that one of your cases?" he asked, pointing to the news headline.
"Not really," said Eddie. "That was Will Scott's last case."
"I heard he got married and was living out West. That Pinky McFadden was buying everyone drinks at the Pub once he heard the news that Scott wasn't coming back," informed the man laughing.
"A lot of us went out to the wedding," said Eddie. "It was a lot of fun. His wife, Lisa, is a gem and quite a pretty lass. The only thing wrong with her is she's not Irish."
"Are you back for good?" asked Freddie.
"No, I've got a meeting with the new Chief. I've got to run or I'll be late," replied Eddie, tucking the newspaper under his arm and striding quickly into the building.
"Top of the morning, Doris," beamed Eddie at the Chief's secretary. Doris was on her third Chief.
She stood up and gave Eddie a hug. He was so surprised, he almost dropped his newspaper.
"I've missed you and all your foolishness," confessed the woman.
Recovering his composure, Eddie asked, "Did you see the paper?"
"No. I heard though," answered Doris.
"Here, take a look while I see the Chief," said Eddie, handing her the paper.
Eddie found his partner, An Li, regaling the Chief with their latest case in New York.
"You know you can't believe a thing he says, John," Eddie chimed in addressing the Chief. "I'm sorry, I mean Chief."
"Shut up, Eddie, and don't you call me Chief, at least not in here," answered John Bell, the newly appointed eighth Chief of the U.S. Secret Service. "Every time somebody calls me Chief, I look around to see who they're talking to. Chief Taylor will always be Chief to me."
"How's he doing out there in Denver?" asked Eddie.
"Loving life, he says," answered Bell.
After breaking up a counterfeit ring that included two cabinet secretaries, Chief Taylor had prophesized his retirement. The politicians all publicly applauded him and the Service, but privately a number of them squirmed. All of a sudden, Chief Taylor was an outsider that nobody quite trusted. After a couple of funding disputes, the Chief and Miss Lucy, his wife, headed for Denver. The Chief had sent Eddie Donnally back to New York right after the case. Eddie was just too well-known around Washington.
"I've been in New York for over two years, and please tell me you're not bringing us back here," said Eddie.
"No way," said Chief Bell. "You guys have really been cleaning things up in New York."
Eddie and An Li had been friends since grade school when they were ten years old. A playground bully tried to pick on An Li because he was smaller, and Chinese to boot. Eddie, even though they were not real close at the time, took serious exception to the bullying. His temper, which his mother called his "Irish temper", got going, and he was going to jump in the ensuing fight. To Eddie's amazement, An Li jumped into the air and gave the bully a solid kick in the stomach. As the bully bent over, An Li gave him a punch to the nose, and the fight was over. As Eddie liked to say, An Li had the bully crying like a baby. The two had been friends ever since. Eddie learned kung fu from An Li's uncle, and despite the ethnic differences, they became part of each other's family. Eddie's cousin ran a boxing gym, so both boys were proficient boxers. On the streets of New York, each was individually tough. But any of the gangs that foolishly tried to mess with them both found out quickly they were hell on wheels together. An Li had gone on to law school, and was a young but respected lawyer in Chinatown.
When Eddie went back to New York after the big case out West, he had gone to visit An Li. To his shock, An Li informed him that he wanted to become a Secret Service Operative. An Li said he was bored to tears being a lawyer and being cooped up behind a desk all day. Within a week, Chief Taylor had come to New York and sworn An Li in as an operative.
Eddie and some older operatives had taught An Li everything they knew, and the pair was feared and hated by all the known and aspiring counterfeiters in New York.
An Li was a big asset in making the cases suitable for prosecution. He was meticulous with the evidence, and with his lawyer training, his written reports were outstanding. The pair had not had a case go to trial in the two plus years they had worked together. The crooks knew when they were beat, so normally they threw themselves on the mercy of the court and plead out.
"Unfortunately, you fellows are headed out West," said Chief Bell. He took five gold bars out of his desk drawer. "Take a look."
Each operative took a bar and exclaimed, "What the heck!" Each bar had a hollow space in the middle and weighed half of what it should.
"Who in the world would do this?" said An Li, "although, it is a good scheme."
"They flimflammed the wrong man," answered the Chief. "These bars were detected at J.P. Morgan's bank, and he is not happy. They are drilling every bar in their vault. I met Mr. Morgan yesterday in the offices of the good Senator from New York. The Senator is Chairman of the Committee that controls our budget."
"I'm surprised they didn't use the Pinkertons to investigate. Those guys are usually not real careful with legalities," said Eddie.
"The problem is the bars came from the U.S. Assayer's Office in Denver," said the Chief.
"Oh my," said Li. "What about the government's supply of gold bars?"
"The mint in Philadelphia is checking their vault as we speak," answered Bell.
"Don't these things have a mark identifying which company produced them?" asked Eddie.
"They are supposed to, and these had what appeared to be a mark. However, under magnification, it was just a bunch of wiggly lines," informed the Chief. "The good news is the Assayer's Office has narrowed it down to originating from the Cripple Creek Mining District in Colorado. It's also the bad news since there are six outfits that regularly send their gold bars to Denver."
"We'll hustle back to New York and then head for Denver and Cripple Creek," said Eddie.
"Normally that would be fine," said the Chief. "But, in this case, you guys are going to be the only passengers on J.P. Morgan's special train going to Denver. You're going to need western clothes, so just buy them in Denver. And, Mr. Li, please keep the receipts. Your partner seems to always forget. Doris will give you the details regarding your train trip. Oh, Eddie, the Chief sent you this," said Bell flipping a $10 Gold Eagle to Donnally and laughing.
"Oh, Blessed Mother, not this too," complained Eddie as he caught the gold piece in his hand.
"A Deputy U.S. Marshall in Denver took this off a prisoner and thought it felt a little light, so he took it to the Chief. The Chief took it to Joe Walker, and they went to interview the prisoner. With a little encouragement, he identified a fellow named Jeremiah Klein as the source of the coins. Klein supposedly frequents the Wild Horse Saloon in Cripple Creek. He's about 5' 6", long beard and usually wears a slouch miner's hat."
"Great," said Eddie. "Two cases for the price of one!"
The pair left the building and headed to Jonas Beard's boarding house for a good supper.
Early the next morning, An Li and Eddie showed up at the VIP area of Union Station in Washington, D.C. They were met by a slightly older man dressed immaculately. He was standing next to a train consisting of a gleaming engine, a coal car and a long, single car. It was a thing of beauty.
"Mr. Li and Mr. Donnally, I presume," said the man.
"Just Eddie and An Li will be fine," answered An Li.

PHOTO - DINING ROOM
"Great. My name is Ralph Cohen, and I am one of Mr. Morgan's assistants. I'll be traveling with you until St. Louis. Besides having business there, Mr. Morgan wants me to educate you on the mining business."
The three climbed aboard the train. As Eddie and An Li looked around, they were astounded.
Ralph Cohen said, "Your reaction is pretty much the same as everyone who sees this car for the first time. Isn't it a beauty?"
"That's an understatement," said Eddie.
There were cut glass chandeliers and polished wooden tables with plush chairs. Two porters appeared and stowed away their small amount of luggage.
"There is one stateroom toward the front and two more in the back," said Cohen. "Let's sit," he said, as they felt the train slowly leaving the station.
A uniformed porter came toward them. "This is Alfred," said Cohen. "He is the official conductor on this train."
Eddie and An Li rose slightly and introduced themselves, shaking hands with Alfred.
"Would you gentlemen care for anything?" asked Alfred.
"We're fine," said Eddie, answering for himself and An Li. "We got breakfast before we left."
"I'm fine too, Alfred, but why don't you bring us some coffee once the train gets up and going?" instructed Cohen.
"Yes sir," said Alfred, heading for the front of the car.
"I'm sure you are curious about Mr. Morgan and Senator Vaughn asking your Chief for help," said Cohen.
"A little," said Eddie. "Most of the big business people go to Pinkerton."

PHOTO - SCHEMATIC OF CAR #90, PRIVATE RAIL CAR BUILT FOR
FLORIDA RAILROAD MAGNATE, HENRY FLAGLER,
COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY)

"Ah, Pinkerton," said Cohen. "Mr. Morgan is a forward thinker, and he finds the Pinkertons long on brawn but short on shrewdness. After your Department's success with the case against the former Cabinet members, he holds your agency in high esteem; not to mention that Pinkerton himself likes to brag and see his name in newsprint."