Building an Empire

In Smoked, my first in a series of mysteries taking place in Six Rivers County, California, our protagonist, Mary Fletcher is hiding in a motel. The motel, whose name will probably change as I go along, is located in a seedy part of town known as London Docks. No, not after London, England, but Jack London of northwest fame. The only road out of that area is Lochinvar Road, which you must realize leads to Lochinvar Corners. So, in essence, the place is Jack London meets Sir Walter Scott, and now I must explain how that admixture came to be.

When we left our hero and his future bride, they were planning their castle. The only obstacle to getting this accomplished was getting the materials from the docks to the remote location of Stanislau's forty acres. A road had to be constructed through forest and hills. A short trail had been forged to the fort north east of the docks, so that is where they started. Loggers and out-of-luck miners along with an Indian or two, were put to work, clearing and grading using heavy metal bars pulled by draft horses. After every rain, the crews worked the muddy ground which then was ladden with gravel to keep it from becoming mire. It took six months and seven days to complete the road from dock to cabin. Only then, did the lumber, plumbing supplies and modern appliances make their way to the building site. Because it was fall, the dry time of year, the deliveries went smoothly and building began.

Back in the city, plans for a spring wedding kept Ellen busy. Stanislau traveled between San Francisco and El Gordo Bay, directing the construction. But the road is never smooth when it comes to true love. A man named Randy Galvan had been a suitor to Ellen and he did not take kindly to Stanislau's plans to marry her. Even though Ellen had made it clear that she rejected Randy, he refused to let go. When Stanislau returned from a late winter trip from El Gordo Bay, Randy and his minions were waiting to confront him as he disembarked from a schooner. Our hero refused to fight, but the bullies assaulted him and did some major damage. Ellen hurried to his side and stayed until Stanislau recoverd. Ellen's father, however, made sure that Galvan felt the full might of the law and spent the next six months in the city jail. So, Randy Galvan was still looking through bars when the couple met at the altar, and they were long gone when he was released.

The honeymoon was spent on the short sail from the Bay Area to El Gordo Bay, but never really ended.

Randy Galvan never gave up . . .