Retriever of the Lost Souls (Retriever Series Book 1)

by Brian

  Talitha quickly learned the art of the soul gathering process. From Nubia she learned the arts of how to please a man sexually in every way; from Devorian she learned how to take over the bodies of other people; and finally, from Artemio she learned to read others thoughts. Her learning encapsulated all she needed to bring her missions down with her.

  and it wasn’t long before she was taking on the more difficult assignments. Her missions included moms, dads, children, and even men of the cloth. With each success, she enjoyed more freedoms, which included the use of the Room of Comfort, the ability to wander the coven between assignments, and independence from the men who transitioned the females. Indeed, she was so successful that her first failure didn’t come for six centuries.

  Chapter 8

  Growing up in Killeen, Texas in the mid-1800s, Martin and his twin brother Max led very tumultuous lives, and their shenanigans often brought them trouble. Being identical twins, they had fooled many people in by trading places for the benefit of the other.

  Both boys had sandy blond hair and deep blue eyes which rivaled the color of the ocean. Martin, the older of the two by 3 minutes, was the shorter of the two and just a little thinner than Max. Max was a little stockier from enjoying his mother’s homemade pies. Other than those minor differences they were difficult to tell apart It took their parents three years before they could tell the difference between them.

  “Martin, Max, time to clean up for dinner,” their mother called out to them. Both boys showed up covered from head to toe with dust, rushed in to clean up.

  “Hey Martin, look at this! Don’t you see how much we look alike?” Max said as he stared intently into the mirror.

  “I guess. Except you have that scar above your eye and I don’t,” Martin said grinning.

  “Well, I wouldn’t have this scar if you hadn’t thrown that rock at me,” Max countered.

  “Well, I wouldn’t have thrown the rock, if you hadn’t thrown me in the lake!”

  They raised quite a ruckus as they wrestled in the bathroom.

  “Boys, finish cleaning up! Dinner’s ready!” Their mother shouted.

  They both went back to washing their hands. Martin used soap and water while Max just used water. Once again, they got into an argument about cleanliness and were hitting each other as they came down the stairs. Their mother quickly scolded them.

  “But Mom,” Martin said, “Max didn’t use soap again.”

  “I did too,” Max shouted.

  “Didn’t,” Martin volleyed back.

  “Did too.”

  “Both you boys sit down at once and be quiet. If I hear another peep out of you, your father will strap the both of you.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison as they crossed their fingers behind their backs. After they sat down, Martin grimaced as Max kicked him squarely in the shin. To get even Martin reached over and pushed Max’s cup onto his lap. “Aargh” he yelled. Standing up to clean himself up, he shot a look back at Martin, mouthing a threat.

  Even though they were identical in many ways, Martin and Max were quite the opposite in others. Martin was quiet and reserved, and quite studious. He would do his chores as requested. Max, on the other hand, was bold and careless, living only for the moment. He hated reading, studying and doing his chores. If Max had any money and his brother was not around to rein him in, he would foolishly spend it.

  As he approached adulthood, his antics became almost legendary. Like the time he wanted to ride a horse, so he went to old man Turner’s farm and stole one of his horse, only it turned out to be the slowest mare in the stable. He ended up having to clean Mr. Turner’s stable for the next few weeks as restitution; there was also the time that he got all the boys in school to pass gas in the middle of class. The room had to be emptied for a few minutes to be rid of the smell.

  Such were the lives of the twins, and one day, shortly after their sixteenth birthday, Max rushed into their shared bedroom.

  “Martin, I need your help. You have to help me!”

  Martin looked at his twin brother warily and groaned. Having shared a room with his twin for sixteen years, he knew well that wild-eyed look on his brother’s face quite well.

  “What do you need Max?”

  “Well I have a date with Jane tonight,” he said referring to the girl he had been dating for several months. “But I just spoke to Arlene who wants to go out with me tonight as well. I need you to go out with Jane, so I can go with Arlene.”

  Max rubbed the back of his neck with uneasiness, as he always did whenever he was about to do something that he knew was wrong.

  “Arlene? You mean Easy Arlene? What about Jane? I thought you liked her?”

  “I do,” he paused, “but it’s Arlene!” He put his hands out in front of his chest to indicate she had big breasts. “I want to know what it feels like to become a man. I can’t do that with Jane, but I can with Arlene.”

  Finally, after much prodding, Martin reluctantly agreed to take Jane out. Later that night, when both boys had returned from their respective dates, Max was visibly upset.

  “I can’t believe that nothing happened! All she wanted to do was talk! She didn’t even let me kiss her!”

  He looked over at Martin, who sat in the corner, uncharacteristically quiet.

  “How did it go with Jane?”

  Martin suddenly turned a bright shade of red as he rubbed the back of his neck. Although he knew to expect trouble when Max rubbed his neck, until now he had never realized that he did the same thing when he knew trouble was lurking around the corner.

  “Well, um, Jane and I had a wonderful time,” he said hesitantly. “After dinner, we sat on the back porch and talked. Then, after her parents retired for the evening, we decided to go for a short walk, when, um, suddenly, um, she started to kiss me. I didn’t know what to do, so I kissed her back.”

  “YOU WHAT?” Max looked at him incredulously. “She would never kiss me! What are you doing kissing my girlfriend?”

  Martin looked embarrassed as he continued. “You told me to take her out. I can’t help what happened!”

  “There’s more? What else happened? Max cried

  “I hadn’t noticed it, but she had already spread a blanket down on the ground near the cornfield. We sat on the blanket and kissed some more, then we, um, well, you know….” Martin's voice trailed off.

  Max looked like he was ready to cry.

  “I picked the wrong girl! I can’t believe I picked the wrong girl!”

  Then, despite himself, Max began to laugh.

  “Well, at least something good happened to at least one of us! So, tell me, was it good? Did you like it? Damn, I can’t believe you became a man before me!”

  They spoke well into the night about girls, reputations, and future dreams. They knew what they wanted out of life. Martin had convinced Max that they should open a bank one day and help people and that they could also make a lot of money doing so. Martin’s inspiration came when he witnessed residents of Killeen helping each other out in time of need, whether it was financial assistance or merely lending a hand to help clean a barn, or shopping for somebody who couldn’t leave their house.

  Martin, who was a whiz at anything related to numbers, had told his brother that they needed to save every bit of money they could if they wanted to open a bank. Even though Max tried to share Martin’s vision, his vision was of material wants and needs. He had recently taken a fancy to the gambling hall and had become quite skilled at poker. Max knew if their bank was successful, his share would help fund his gambling habit.

  By the time they reached the age of twenty, they had managed to save quite a bit, and just past their twenty-first birthday, Max came home one day so excited he could barely speak coherently.

  “I found it! I found it!” Max said excitedly.

  Martin groaned.

  “Found what, Max?” He asked warily.

  “I found the perfect building for our bank! It’s right in the middle of tow
n!”

  “Hold on there, Max. What are you talking about?” Martin asked. “What building?”

  “Our bank!” Max exclaimed, rolling his eyes.

  Suddenly, Martin understood.

  “Oh! How much do they want for it?”

  Max’s eyes suddenly lit up. “They want $475.00.”

  “WHAT? $475.00 that is a lot of money! It is most of what we have saved up!”

  “Yes, but it would be OURS,” Max emphasized. “We would own it!”

  After a long pause, Martin finally said, “yes, the building would be ours, wouldn’t it? Where did you say it is?”

  “Oh Martin, it’s just up the road. Right by Mr. Newtons law office. Come with me, and I’ll show you!”

  They walked down the road a bit before Max ran on ahead, unable to contain his excitement further.

  “Up ahead! There!” He shouted while pointing.

  Martin had to jog to keep up with his brother. After surveying the site, Martin agreed that it had its possibilities.

  “It does seem to fit what we would need. Who do we have to speak to?” Martin asked.

  “Mr. Henshaw. His office is right over there. I think he’s there now.”

  “Well, let’s go talk to him,” Martin said.

  That afternoon, Martin and Max had come to terms with Mr. Henshaw. After they closed the deal, they realized they had taken the first step toward starting their long-held dream. Later that night, during dinner, they broke the news to their parents who were quite happy for them. Although it saddened their father that there would be no one to take over the farm.

  Later that night Martin told Max he had done some further research. “The government is offering loans to people who wish to start their businesses. The loans are then paid back in small payments when the business starts to turn a profit. We will charge a slightly higher interest rate than we receive from the government, which will enable us to make a small profit.”

  Martin and Max looked over the paperwork together and agreed that it would be a good risk for them to take. Their loan from the government was approved rather quickly and a brief time later, they opened the First Bank of Killeen.

  Martin, who kept meticulous records, was the self-appointed bookkeeper. Every night he would reconcile the books. They were both thrilled and proud of their accomplishments. Every time there was a loan to be made, they would carefully consider the applicant before approval.

  Soon, they were making a comfortable living, and as word spread of their fair business practices, more ranchers came to them to borrow money to purchase items such as additional livestock, make improvements on their ranches, or various other things to help improve their daily living. One night, over supper, Martin told Max that he had received a letter from Señor Salvador Aguirre from Mexico.

  “It would appear,” Martin, said excitedly, “that he is an investor and banker, much like we are. He would like to expand his business into the States and wishes to meet with us to discuss a potential partnership with him.”

  Max was equally excited but said, “I can’t go as I am very busy with the business. But why don’t you go and see what he has to say?”

  “Are you sure, Max?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. You go, brother, I trust you.”

  The next day, Martin packed up his things and caught the 6:00 PM train to Mexico. He loved to travel by train and always rode in the first-class section, so he could eat in the dining car and sleep comfortably on the upholstered leather covered by clean linens. Another benefit of the first-class was a washroom dedicated to men only, unlike the second and third-class passengers who had to share one solitary washroom with women.

  Although the second-class car had uncovered bunks to sleep on, they did not have the privacy that first-class passengers had. The third-class car was the worst. For sleeping they had to bring their own linens and sleep on their seats or on the floor of the train. They would get the last choice of the food served, which usually was quite picked over by that time. The second and third-class cars were quite near to the tender car which was where the coal was lit to run the train, and Martin often saw its passengers sitting in the dining car sporting small burns on their faces and clothing that came from embers of the engines floating back into the train. Martin was grateful that he was able to afford the luxury of a first-class ticket.

  The trip took three days and left Martin with sea legs when he disembarked at the station in Mexico. It would still be a few hours ride by carriage before he could get the “clickety-clack” of the train out of his head. He was hungry as well, even though he had eaten. The food was so inferior to his mother’s delicious cooking that he didn’t have more than coffee and a sandwich or two.

  Sore, dusty, and hungry, Martin forgot about everything when he saw Salvador’s warm smile and open arms welcoming him. He was amazed at the size and condition of the hacienda, and how meticulously kept the garden, building, and grounds were. Señor Aguirre warmly shook his hand and invited Martin into his home.

  “Mr. Gohlican, I am so glad you could make it!”

  He spoke near perfect English tinged with a slight Spanish accent.

  “You speak English very well, Señor Aguirre,” Martin said.

  “Oh, please. Call me Salvador. When I hear ‘Señor Aguirre,’ I look for my papa.”

  Martin chuckled as Salvador continued.

  “I have stressed to my family that it is important to speak more than one language, so my children are learning to speak English as well.”

  “It is important to learn both languages,” Martin agreed.

  “Come let me introduce you to my wonderful family." Pointing to his wife, he said, "This is my beautiful wife Conchita, my son, Jose’, my other son Pedro, and this one here is my daughter Susanna. She is but nine years old.”

  Martin shook hands with each of the boys; however, Susanna hid behind Conchita, as she swayed back and forth giggling.

  “You must forgive Susanna; she is a bit shy at times,” Salvador said.

  Martin chuckled. “Oh, it is fine Salvador. Your family is beautiful, and I am pleased to have met them.”

  Chapter 9

  “Let us go to the patio where we can get down to business. My wife has prepared fresh tea for us.”

  “Your patio is charming.”

  “Ah, thank you. I like to take care of my family and things.”

  “Papi!” Susanna called as she ran through the house. “Mommy needs to speak to you in the kitchen.”

  “Forgive me, my friend. My wife calls for me. I shall return shortly.”

  Salvador turned to his daughter.

  “Please remain here with Mr. Gohlican and show him how nicely you can behave.”

  “Yes, papa,” she said in near perfect English.

  Salvador turned to Martin he said, “My daughter will keep you company until I return.”

  Martin felt a bit awkward after Salvador took his leave and turned to Susanna who swung her legs as she sat in the chair.

  “Do you speak much English, Susanna?”

  “Oh yes. Papi says it is important to learn another language. Do you speak Spanish, Mr. Gohlican?”

  “Please call me Martin.”

  Smiling, he held up his index finger and thumb close together and replied, “muy poquito.”

  Susanna giggled, saying, “I shall teach you Spanish! These on the table are called empanadas.”

  Martin repeated it slowly. “Em-pan-adas.”

  Susanna giggled again. “They are bread filled with jelly. Mama just took them from the oven. Here, eat!”

  Martin took a bite of one and exclaimed, “Oh! These ARE very good. I must learn how to make them.”

  Once again, Susanna giggled and covered her mouth with one hand. “You know how to cook?”

  Martin smiled.

  “Yes. My mother told me I must learn to cook because it was how I would take care of myself.”

  “Where do you live Martin?” Susanna inquired.

 
; “I live in Texas.”

  “Oh, I hear that is a big place!”

  Martin had taken a drink of iced tea just as Salvador returned.

  “Ah, here is your Papi now, Susanna.”

  She turned around. “I like him, papa. He is very nice!”

  Salvador smiled and said to Susanna, “Run along now and play. Mr. Martin and I have some business to tend to.”

  Martin waved goodbye to her as she skipped away.

  “She will make a beautiful wife for someone someday, Salvador.”

  “Ah yes. Perhaps as your wife sometime?”

  Martin laughed and held up a hand to Salvador. “Oh, she is much too young for me, Salvador. Now, about this contract.”

  Salvador presented the contract for Martin’s consideration. After giving Martin a chance to review the proposed deal, he continued.

  “I wish to expand my business into the States, and I have heard of the fairness with which you treat your customers. My cousin told me he borrowed from you and was impressed with how you and your brother treated him. As you can see from this contract, I’ll loan you money, and in turn, you will get a 40% profit on each loan I make to you. It would be mutually beneficial, and your bank would grow while I can expand.”

  He continued to look over the contract and saw there was nothing that appeared to be a trap or a trick. It seemed to be a solid, wise business decision that would enable them to get their own business going.

  “I should like to review this with Max before we sign. Would that be alright?”

  “You are a wise man, Martin. Yes, of course, please review it with Mr. Max first. I can tell that you are a careful businessman, so I shall gladly wait.”

  Martin stood up to shake Salvador’s hand.

  “I must go as the train will leave soon,” Martin said. “I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to finalize things with you. Once again, it was a pleasure to meet you and your beautiful family.”

  Three days later, a very tired Martin returned to Killeen. He was excited to speak with Max about this unbelievable turn of events. The more Max heard about the proposed contract and of Martin’s trip to Mexico, the more excited he became.