“And don’t think we don’t appreciate that,” another man named Collins announced. “We cannot allow that railroad to terminate in Duluth. It must be Superior. Let them have their northern route to the Pacific, but on Lake Superior, we must be the ones who control the shipping.”

Theodore smiled. These men knew what it took to sway others to their thinking. “You know that money is what will convince those here in St. Paul to make changes. If properly motivated, they will convince Jay Cooke for us, and our work will be minimal. We will come out looking like nothing more than helpful bystanders. The point is to make it worth their while.”

Collins nodded. “We have put together a sizable donation to this cause. You will take it and disburse it wherever it will do the most good. Even to your Mr. Carson, if you think he can be swayed to help us.”

“No. I feel we must say nothing to him. He is a good friend to Mr. Cooke, and I don’t think they would appreciate knowing that we are paying bribes to alter the terminus. Just trust me to bring you the best possible result.” Theodore smiled and tugged on the sleeve of his suit coat. “I have experience in this area and won’t let you down.”

“Then it will make our uncomfortable trip to St. Paul worth it,” Mr. Collins replied, getting to his feet. He pushed an envelope toward Theodore. “Use it where it will garner us the most help, but we will expect an accounting.”

Theodore smiled. “Of course,” he assured them, knowing it would be used for his own benefit. He wasn’t going to waste money helping these ninnies, but he would let them think that was exactly what he was doing.

The meeting ended, and Theodore made his way to the hotel. He had accomplished everything he’d wanted to with the Superior, Wisconsin, men, and now he had some work to do on the maps he’d brought with him to St. Paul.

Rafael would be so proud of him. He’d come up with the brilliant idea to hire a man to reorganize the track route. He’d lied and told the man that problems with the route had been noted and the railroad needed an alternative route. The man had no way of knowing that any route he made would be worse than the one already in place. He wouldn’t know that the railroad had spent over a year trying to find the best way to deal with the boggy land. With any luck at all, these new numbers would spell doom for Duluth and give Superior the upper hand.