The New Hand, Part Forty-Two

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

~

The young bank officer smiled at Adam Cartwright. Despite Mr. Cartwright's rather casual appearance—he wore no waistcoat and he favored a plain yellow jacket in place of a frock coat—he and his family were one of the bank’s most important clients.

The officer was seated at his desk with Adam opposite him. The desk was strategically placed within the main room of the bank, allowing the officer to keep an eye on his tellers and any potential problems as he assisted the more important patrons.

“You mentioned a discrepancy in your accounts, Mr. Cartwright?” the young man asked.

He nodded. “I recently won a bid for a timber contract with Ed Niles,” he explained. “Gregory Miller—Niles’ assistant—handled the transaction. Because we were in a rush, Miller wrote the check from his own account to cover Niles’ deposit on the timber—a check that amounted to two hundred dollars. However, that check has never cleared our accounts.”

The young man frowned. “When did you deposit it?”

Mr. Cartwright furrowed his brow. “It was well over a month ago. I’m afraid I don’t recall the exact date, but I know I made the transaction right here.”

“And do you have the receipt?”

Mr. Cartwright sighed. “No, I don’t. I know how careless this seems. The receipt is at the Ponderosa with the rest of our records. I didn’t notice the discrepancy until I was back here in San Francisco.”

It didn’t occur to the bank officer not to believe Adam. He was just relieved that this was a straight forward problem. One look at both accounts should resolve the matter.

“Please wait here for just a moment, Mr. Cartwright,” he said out loud. “I’ll pull the records on both accounts.”

~

Adam pulled his watch out of his jacket pocket. It was almost ten o’clock in the morning—so far, they were right on schedule. David should be entering any moment.

The records of Gregory Miller’s personal account would be on the desk momentarily, but Adam knew that the young bank officer would never be careless enough to share them with him. No, he would peruse them himself and then compare them to the Cartwrights’ deposits. That’s why Adam needed David to create a distraction that would draw the young man away from his desk.

The young man returned with all the records and spread them out in front of him. Adam watched him pick up Gregory Miller’s account first.

Adam took a moment to glance over his shoulder. The front door opened right on schedule and an old man shuffled in. Adam had to smother a smile as the fellow made his way toward the tellers—David certainly had the rabbi’s movements down pat.

“Excuse me, Mr. Cartwright,” the young officer said. “What date did you say—?”

But he got no further in his question. Adam could imagine just how the scene appeared in his eyes.

The harmless old man who had just entered the bank began to cough and wheeze. Suddenly he staggered and clutched his left arm. Clearly he was in some distress.

The bank officer was the closest employee to him. He rushed up from his desk and went to assist the old fellow. He guided the man to a chair while he called for one teller to fetch a glass of water and for another to fetch a doctor.

Meanwhile, the other patrons in the bank were caught up in the drama. Adam could hear them murmuring, wondering if the old man was going to die right in front of them.

The distraction gave Adam all the time he needed. In the most casual way possible, he picked up the records for Gregory Miller’s accounts and began to peruse them himself.

LINK TO PART FORTY-THREE