Chapter 225: Mary’s Brooch
The Saint Denis Grand Hotel.
After going in circles, Arthur found himself back here once again.
The brooch had been bought by Ashton. With no other options, Mary could only ask Arthur for help, and he had followed the trail all the way to this place.
The moment he arrived, Arthur caught sight of Ashton’s back as he entered the hotel.
“Oh, damn it.”
Arthur cursed under his breath, resigned to following him inside.
He had hoped to corner Ashton somewhere quiet and out of the way, but he hadn’t expected him to come here instead.
The hotel was crowded, so Arthur could only tail Ashton carefully, avoiding unnecessary trouble. He needed to find a secluded room, somewhere he could grab Ashton without causing a scene.
Ashton, meanwhile, had no idea he was being followed. His thoughts were entirely focused on how to curry favor with Mac.
If he could use this antique brooch to make contact with Davey, then his business in Saint Denis could continue without disruption.
The casino in Saint Denis was located underground.
At this time—well into the period before the 20th century—gambling was largely prohibited across the United States, and even the betting industry itself was illegal. Even playing cards at home with family could land you in trouble if discovered.
It sounded unbelievable, but this was largely due to the Puritan background of many high-ranking federal officials.
That said, this was Saint Denis.
“Hey, buddy, this isn’t somewhere you’re supposed to be.”
Guards were stationed at the entrance to the underground casino. They recognized Ashton, but Arthur was a stranger to them.
The two guards looked Arthur up and down, their tone openly mocking as they spoke, clearly looking down on him.
“Oh, alright.”
“But maybe you’d like to take a look at this first.”
Arthur pulled a thick wad of dollars from his pocket and waved it at them.
He could already hear the shouting and noise coming from below—this was clearly a large-scale casino.
“Well then, sir. You may go in.”
The guards’ expressions changed instantly. That stack of bills was well over a hundred dollars—more than enough to prove Arthur wasn’t someone to mess with.
They naturally weren’t about to block a wealthy customer.
Pocketing the money, Arthur walked straight inside.
The interior opened into a vast hall filled with gambling tables. Arthur scanned the area, searching for Ashton.
He circled the room several times, but still didn’t spot him.
In several corners of the hall were discreet rooms marked with the word “VIP.”
That gave Arthur a headache. There was no way he could check every VIP room one by one.
Remembering Mary’s instructions, Arthur hesitated repeatedly before finally deciding to force his way in and start opening doors.
He pushed open several VIP rooms in a row without finding Ashton, but by then he had already drawn the attention of the casino guards.
“Hey! You—yeah, you! What do you think you’re doing? You here to cause trouble?”
Several guards immediately surrounded Arthur.
“Listen, guys, I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m just looking for a friend.”
“A very good friend. He just came in, but I can’t seem to find him.”
Arthur spread his hands, making it clear he had no hostile intentions, and explained calmly.
It wasn’t that Arthur was afraid. The problem was that this casino was underground, and there were far more guards than he’d expected.
The gamblers were all dressed in expensive clothes, clearly people of means. He didn’t want to create a mess any bigger than necessary.
Of course, if they really wanted to push him, Arthur wouldn’t mind showing them what he could do.
At that moment, a man dressed like a manager stepped forward.
With a stern expression, he said to Arthur, “Sir, you’ve already disturbed our distinguished guests. Our casino has no interest in trouble. If you leave immediately, we can pretend nothing happened.”
The casino manager was sharp-eyed. He could sense the wildness about Arthur, along with the unmistakable air of a seasoned gunman.
Surrounded by so many people and yet completely unflustered—someone like that was almost certainly a top-tier shooter, utterly confident in his own ability.
Because of that, the manager had no desire to invite trouble for the casino.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but I have to find that man. Something very important to me is in his possession, and I must get it back.”
Arthur’s tone was firm. This was a promise he had made to Mary. He wasn’t about to let her down, even if it meant doing something unpleasant.
The manager hesitated. Then he noticed Arthur’s hand resting at his waist, positioned to draw a gun.
“Please wait a moment, sir. Perhaps I can help you.”
The manager had no interest in a gunfight breaking out in the casino. That would put their guests at risk, hurt business, and ultimately affect his own paycheck.
“Fine. Just make it quick. I don’t have much patience.”
Arthur agreed.
The manager immediately whispered a few words to someone nearby, who left at once.
Not long after, the sound of a group approaching reached them.
“Which blind bastard has the nerve to cause trouble in my place?”
A voice Arthur found vaguely familiar rang out. He turned toward it and saw a burly man pushing through the crowd.
“Arthur?”
“Mac!”
Mac was in a foul mood. He had just lost a substantial amount of money.
Despite Davey repeatedly warning him not to gamble, Mac couldn’t shake the habit. Every now and then, he still snuck in a few games.
When word reached him that someone was causing trouble in the casino, it gave him an outlet for his frustration.
But when he arrived and saw who it was, his anger vanished.
“Oh, Arthur. What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t the gambling type.”
Seeing Arthur, Mac’s temper dissipated completely.
They’d been friends for many years. Even though Mac had left the Van der Linde gang to follow Davey, most of the gang still felt like family to him—especially Arthur, someone he’d always worked well with.
“Well, Mac, I didn’t expect this to be your casino. Looks like you’re doing pretty well for yourself.”
“I’m looking for someone. He took something he shouldn’t have. I need to find him and get it back.”
Arthur’s tense posture finally relaxed. Now that he knew Mac was in charge here, he understood this would be easy to resolve.
Mac was just as straightforward and agreed immediately.
“No problem, Arthur. Who are you looking for? What’s his name? As long as he’s in my casino, I guarantee he won’t get away.”
Arthur thought for a moment, then said, “Ashton. That’s his name.”
Mac froze for a second.
“Uh… Ashton? Him? Alright, I’ll have him brought over right away.”
“He’s waiting in my room right now.”
It turned out that Mac had been playing cards earlier. After Ashton presented his gift, he’d been told to wait nearby.
Before long, Ashton was summoned.
Ashton, however, didn’t recognize Arthur at all.
“May I ask what this is about, sir? I don’t believe we’ve met.”
He asked, clearly confused.
Arthur could only explain.
“Mr. Ashton, not long ago you purchased a brooch. That brooch was stolen. It’s very important to a friend of mine, so I’d like you to sell it back to me.”
Listening from the side, Mac’s expression turned a little strange.
He reached into his bag and took out the brooch.
“So, Arthur, is this the one?”
Arthur took the brooch from Mac’s hand and examined it carefully.
“Yes, that’s it. How much did you pay? I’ll reimburse you.”
Mac grinned and punched Arthur lightly on the shoulder.
“Oh, you bastard. Now you’re saying things like that to me? Take it. I didn’t pay anything for it. Mr. Ashton brought it as a gift for Davey.”
“I’m sure that if you need it, Davey won’t mind giving it to you, Arthur.”
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