Benjamin, Chief of the Saint Denis Police Department, was under enormous pressure.
Complaint letters flooded both the police station and City Hall. The media went wild with coverage.
Nearly two hundred officers had been deployed to take down three outlaws.
Not only had more than twenty officers been killed and over fifty wounded, the three fugitives had escaped.
Public confidence in the Saint Denis Police Department plummeted.
Some newspapers went so far as to openly accuse the officers of being useless freeloaders, living off taxpayers' money for nothing.
City Hall was dragged into the fallout as well.
Mayor Lemieux hurriedly called a press conference, vowing to capture the criminals and bring them to justice.
Benjamin also declared that the department would intensify its efforts to apprehend the fugitives.
As the largest and most populous city in the central western region, Saint Denis hadn't seen a gunfight of this scale in years.
Past shootouts had been gang clashes, and even then they tried to avoid crowded areas. Never had shots been fired so brazenly in the heart of the city.
Inside the Land mansion.
Davey received the latest news.
He understood clearly—the Van der Linde Gang was finished.
This was the turning point.
What Cornwall had suffered before had only been robberies. But now the Van der Linde Gang had killed so many officers. That wasn't just crime anymore—it was open defiance against the entire West, against Saint Denis itself.
Milton had long wanted law enforcement authority. Even temporary jurisdiction would allow Pinkerton to regain some breathing room during this difficult period.
Now he had his chance.
Chief Benjamin, having witnessed firsthand how dangerous these western outlaws were, would inevitably discuss with the mayor granting Pinkerton temporary law enforcement authority to handle the case.
Elisa walked in.
"Mr. Land, there's a call for you. It's Miss Catherine."
Davey went upstairs to answer it.
Catherine's worried voice came through the receiver.
"Davey, it's such a relief to hear your voice."
"I heard about the Saint Denis shootout. I was really worried."
As a media professional, Catherine received internal news quickly. Less than two hours had passed, and the East Coast already knew what had happened.
"Don't worry, Catherine. I'm fine. Nothing could've happened to me."
"There was indeed a gang that robbed a streetcar station, and they were surrounded by police."
"But in the end, they shot their way out. The police suffered heavy casualties."
Davey briefly outlined what had happened.
Catherine sounded relieved.
"I'm just glad you're safe."
"By the way, Davey… do you know any inside details?"
"Sorry—I called because I was worried. But if there's inside information, it could really help with my graduation."
Davey chuckled.
"I do know something. About the police."
"This was a planned operation. They had set up an ambush in advance. The cash at the streetcar station had already been moved. The outlaws were never going to get any money."
"They originally just planned to grab some cash and run. They only opened fire after being surrounded. They didn't even kill any of the station staff."
"A bunch of incompetent fools trying to corner hardened western outlaws. It was laughable."
Catherine's tone brightened.
"That's great, Davey."
"This is important. It's very useful."
These days, reporters didn't need much evidence. With even a rough lead, they could spin a full story—proof or no proof.
After chatting a bit longer, Catherine hurried off to prepare her report.
Davey hung up with a faint smile. This was an opportunity for him as well.
The police department was facing a crisis of public trust, and Benjamin was at the center of it.
He had been Bronte's staunch ally. Buying him off had always been difficult.
Bronte had operated in Saint Denis for years and surely held leverage over Benjamin.
If cooperation wasn't possible, then he would simply replace him.
If handled properly, public opinion—combined with the connections Davey had built in Saint Denis—could force Benjamin to resign.
Officer Trappin was Davey's collaborator and carried significant authority within the department. Elevating him wouldn't meet resistance from Mayor Lemieux. In Lemieux's eyes, Trappin was his man.
Everything would fall into place naturally.
Catherine moved fast.
The very next day, eastern newspapers began publishing extensive coverage of the Saint Denis shootout.
The reports focused heavily on Chief Benjamin's incompetence.
Some articles even claimed the entire operation had been Benjamin's plan, accusing him of underestimating the strength of the western outlaws.
They framed it as reckless disregard for civilian safety in pursuit of personal political credit.
According to the papers, Benjamin had far better options for handling the robbery.
Saint Denis Police Department.
Benjamin was on the phone with the mayor.
Public opinion had nearly been contained, but reports from the East had thrown City Hall into an even more passive position.
Lemieux, now under scrutiny himself, vented his anger directly at Benjamin.
"I don't care what you were doing with Bronte, but let me make this clear, Mr. Benjamin."
"You have seventy-two hours. If you can't calm public anger within seventy-two hours, then resign, you idiot."
Benjamin's face darkened.
After hanging up, he dialed another number.
The line connected.
"Hello, Pinkerton Detective Agency."
At this point, Benjamin had no choice but to rely on Pinkerton.
He had no intention of resigning.
If even Pinkerton couldn't deal with these western outlaws, what could he possibly do?
That would give him an excuse.
After all, he couldn't claim the Saint Denis Police Chief was more capable than Pinkerton.
If Pinkerton succeeded, he would keep his position.
Benjamin had his own calculations.
...
Elsewhere.
Dutch was furious—completely furious.
Arthur's sarcastic voice kept echoing in his ears.
"Fifteen dollars."
"Oh, and twenty-five cents."
"Don't forget the twenty-five cents."
Dutch now understood. This had been Bronte's trap. He had been made a fool.
Many had opposed the plan from the start. He had insisted on his judgment, convinced it was solid.
Reality had proven him wrong.
Hosea neither mocked nor blamed him. Instead, he took the opportunity to propose robbing the Lemoyne Bank.
"We're already being watched. We need to leave as soon as possible."
"There's a lot of cash in the bank. If we pull it off, we'll have enough money."
"To get out of here. To leave the United States."
Dutch agreed to Hosea's plan.
But his face remained dark as he said,
"Before that… there's one more thing we need to do."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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