“What was your occupation there?”
“Why do you need to know?”
“We can’t have people in our country who are unable to take care of themselves. We have to know that you can find gainful employment.”
“I was the sheriff.”
“Ah. Well, we have a lot of Irish in the police force. I suppose you could get a job there.”
“I don’t intend to stay here. I am in pursuit of a criminal who fled to the United States.”
“What is the criminal’s name? If he came through Castle Garden, perhaps we will have a record of him.”
“His name is Duff MacCallister.”
“Did he come this year?”
“Aye. ’Twas near three months ago now.”
The clerk turned the pages in the large ledger book and ran his fingers down a list of names. Finally he shook his head.
“I’ve no record of him coming through here.”
“’Tis my thinking that he would not have come through here.”
“That’s impossible. If he came to America, he had to come through here.”
“Do all ships stop here?”
“All ships that come to New York do. That is, all passenger ships. There is no such requirement for merchant vessels.”
“What is Colorado?” Somerled asked.
“Do you mean where is Colorado?”
“Where and what? Is it a city?”
The immigration clerk laughed. “You people come to America and you know nothing about us. Colorado is a state. It is in the western part of America, many miles from here.”
“How would one go about getting there?”
“Well, you don’t just go to a state. You must choose a town or city within the state. For example, Denver.”
“Denver is in Colorado?”
“It is.”
“What sort of conveyance goes to Denver? Does one reach it by boat?”
“Ha! One would have a most difficult time reaching it by boat,” the clerk said. “Seeing as there is no water that goes there.”
“Then how does one reach it?”
“By train, of course. Unless you want to go by wagon or coach, but if you choose to go that way, you will be an awfully long time in transit. Your best move would be to go to Grand Central Station and secure your tickets there.”
“Tickets?” Somerled asked. “You mean I must purchase more than one ticket?”
“Yes. There isn’t one train line that makes the entire trip, so you will have to purchase tickets for every train. But you can buy all you need at Grand Central, which will give you a ticket on every rail service between here and Denver.”
“Thank you.”
“Next,” the clerk called.
In order to more closely examine the bank, Rab Malcolm stepped up to the teller’s window with five hundred and fifty-seven dollars in his hand, which was all the money he had remaining from the amount that had been sent to him by Somerled.
“Yes, sir?” the teller said, smiling obsequiously at him.
“My good man, I should like to make a deposit in your bank.” Malcolm had never in his life used the term “my good man,” but he had heard some of the wealthier lairds use it, and he thought that it, along with his natural accent, would impress the teller.
“Yes, sir, we would be glad to open an account for you,” the teller replied. He pulled a book of forms over to him, picked up a pen and started to write. “What is your name, sir?”
“The name is Malcolm. Rab Malcolm.” Almost as soon as Malcolm told him his name, he realized that he should not have given it. But he was not known here, so it might be all right. It wasn’t something he was going to worry about.
“And how much money do you wish to deposit?”
“Here, let’s not be in such a hurry,” Malcolm said.
The teller looked up from the book of deposit slips with a questioning expression.
“I beg your pardon, sir? Is something wrong?”
