Hearing that, Arthur looked visibly confused.
He knew Davey wasn't wrong—thousands of dollars sounded like a lot, but for the Van der Linde Gang, it wasn't much at all.
Before the Blackwater robbery, Arthur himself had over a thousand dollars, and that was only because he spent freely.
Even before joining the gang, the Callander brothers had already made a name for themselves as notorious robbers—and they clearly had far more money than he did.
"Think about it," Davey said. "We're talking about the Pinkertons. Once they've set their sights on a gang, life gets rough. And now we're about to cross a tycoon too. If those two join forces..."
He trailed off, letting the silence finish the thought for him. Arthur understood well enough.
The worry flickering in Arthur's eyes told Davey he'd made his point. No one could ignore the threat of the Pinkerton Detective Agency—least of all the outlaws of the West.
The Pinkertons' reputation was written in blood.
Back in 1850, a Scotsman named Allan Pinkerton—who had gained fame for foiling an assassination plot against Lincoln during his campaign—founded a security company with Chicago lawyer Edward Rucker.
That private security firm became the foundation of what would later be known as the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
During the Civil War, President Lincoln entrusted his personal protection to Pinkerton agents, and Pinkerton himself famously exposed a Confederate spy.
Incidentally, on the night Lincoln was assassinated after the war, his security had been handled not by the agency, but by the U.S. Army.
In 1871, Congress allocated $50,000 to the newly established Department of Justice to create an auxiliary division responsible for "tracking down and prosecuting violators of federal law."
But that budget was nowhere near enough to cover the vast stretches of the country, so the DOJ outsourced the work to the Pinkertons.
That marked the beginning of the agency's rise to glory.
Countless cowboys were captured under their pursuit, and many notorious gangs were torn apart because of them.
At their peak, the Pinkertons employed more agents than the entire U.S. Army.
To many cowboys, the Pinkertons were the federal army.
Of course, the uneducated Arthur had no idea that by this time, the Anti-Pinkerton Act had already been passed. The agency had lost its law enforcement powers and was now little more than a band of glorified bounty hunters.
"Maybe we should talk to Dutch," Arthur said worriedly. "Give up on this train job."
Though loyal to Dutch, Arthur had his own doubts—mostly because of Hosea.
When Hosea and Dutch had argued earlier, Arthur had quietly felt Hosea was right.
Now, after hearing Davey's reasoning, he was convinced this plan was a bad one.
Davey didn't press the matter further. He'd already accomplished plenty.
In truth, a thorn had already lodged itself deep in Arthur's heart.
It dated back to the ferry robbery, when Dutch had mercilessly killed a girl during their escape.
Dutch had always preached that their gang had principles—that they weren't like the other lawless outlaws who killed indiscriminately.
Rob those who deserve to be robbed. Kill only those who deserve to die.
That was the Van der Linde Gang's creed.
Dutch's actions had gone against everything he claimed to stand for.
Arthur had written the incident down in his journal, but he hadn't confronted Dutch—it would have weakened Dutch's authority over the gang.
Davey called for his younger brother, Mac, and together with Arthur, they headed to the largest cabin in camp—the one Dutch used as his quarters.
As they neared the door, Dutch's furious shouting could be heard from inside.
"Enough, Hosea! The Blackwater job was just an accident!"
Pushing open the door, they found Dutch, face flushed with anger, glaring at Hosea.
It was clear they were arguing about the train robbery.
Seeing the Callander brothers and Arthur arrive seemed to bolster Dutch's confidence.
"We need money—real money. This train job will pull us out of the hole we're in. It's a load of bearer bonds, and it'll put us back on top again!"
"Davey, Mac, Arthur—you're with me, right? Hosea's too timid to even go after a train!"
He gave a sharp laugh. "Davey, I remember you've robbed plenty of trains before. Maybe you can tell us how to make this one run smoother."
To Dutch's surprise, Davey didn't take the bait. Instead, he shook his head.
"Dutch, listen. Maybe we should think about what Hosea said. Crossing a tycoon like that—it's not a smart move."
Dutch's smile froze. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from one of the Callander brothers.
"Arthur, Arthur, my boy," he said, his voice tight. "You think the same?"
He didn't bother asking Mac—he already knew Mac followed Davey's lead.
"Dutch, you're right—we do need a big score," Arthur began carefully. "But angering a tycoon will only make things worse for us, won't it?"
If Davey's words had stiffened Dutch, Arthur's left him stunned.
This was the boy he'd raised since childhood—and now even he was questioning him.
At that moment, Dutch felt his authority slipping through his fingers.
He no longer cared about the consequences. The train job had to happen—if only to reassert his control.
"Bill, Javier, Lenny, Micah—what about you?" Dutch's expression darkened further.
Micah stepped forward first. "Dutch, you know I've always stood with you."
"Sure, the Blackwater thing went sideways, but we all made it out alive, didn't we? We didn't fail—we got the money. Once things cool off, we can go back and get it."
"Arthur, Davey—we should trust Dutch. He's got a grand plan. We'll make it."
After Micah spoke, Bill and Javier added, "Dutch, we're with you."
The younger Lenny quickly agreed as well.
Dutch's expression eased a little. At least some of the gang still backed him.
He didn't turn his anger on Arthur or Davey; instead, his cold gaze fixed on Hosea.
To Dutch, this was all Hosea's doing.
Arthur, the Callander brothers, even Charles—they'd all been swayed by him.
Not long ago, the Callanders had been among his strongest supporters.
Under Dutch's intense glare, Hosea knew he couldn't keep pushing.
To do so now would only damage Dutch's authority as leader.
He sighed inwardly, ready to back down.
But Davey wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip away...
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser