Lincoln's Wizard Read Online Free PDF

two good men trying to get someone into Castle Thunder Prison. The fewer people who know about this, the safer young Braxton will be, and the better our chances of success.”
    He set his teacup on the table and wiped his sleeve with his handkerchief.
    “You don’t trust Stanton, Mister Pinkerton?” Lincoln asked. His words were as much a statement as a question.
    The remark was easy, almost in passing, but Pinkerton heard the hard edge below the innocent sounding question. Lincoln was fiercely loyal to his friends, and didn’t tolerate talk behind their backs.
    Stanton had been with him from the beginning.
    “All I’m saying,” Pinkerton said, choosing his words carefully, “is that we’ve got a leak somewhere. The Confederates were warned about our previous five attempts to get inside the Castle; there’s no other explanation for how easily our men were found out. Besides,” he said with a smile, “Stanton doesn’t approve of wasting resources on these kinds of operations and I don’t want to spend half the day arguing about a decision that’s already been made.”
    Lincoln nodded and a faint smile crossed his face.
    “Stanton can be headstrong,” he said. “I’ve found it necessary to plow around him from time to time, myself. That said, this is a major operation, Allan, one that will require an immense amount of our already dwindling resources. How can you be sure our young messenger will be sent to the Castle Prison?”
    “Don’t you worry about that,” Pinkerton chuckled. “Every newspaper from here to Charleston has run the story of the Hero of Parkersburg, along with that illustration I had done.”
    “That will make him easy to catch,” Lincoln agreed, “but what makes you think they won’t just send him to Andersonville? He’s no good to anybody there.”
    “Even the dimmest Reb will think better than that,” Pinkerton mused as he shook his head. “Once they know they’ve got a war hero, they’ll want to keep him handy so they can exchange him for someone we’ve caught. They don’t want him starving in Andersonville; no, they’ll put him somewhere nice and safe and close to home. They’ll put him in the Castle.”
    Lincoln regarded Pinkerton as he sipped his tea.
    “You’re a very devious man, Allan,” he said. “Like Merlin of old.”
    “Careful, Mister President,” Pinkerton laughed. “That would make you Arthur, and you know how that story turned out.”
    Lincoln nodded. “At least Arthur brought order to his kingdom before he died,” he said.
    “Well, I believe we can do better,” Pinkerton said, finishing his tea. He rose and placed the cup and saucer back on the sideboard.
    “You’d better go get our young friend,” Lincoln said. “Sherman’s already here and he wants to see me.”
    “I don’t envy you that conversation,” Pinkerton said. “He’s not likely to be happy about his attack being pushed back.”
    “He ever was eager for a fight,” Lincoln said, nodding. “Or perhaps I should rather say eager for a flight , given that he had taken to the air like a hawk. It makes him in a hurry.”
    “Sherman’s always in a hurry,” Pinkerton shuddered. “Never liked those things, myself. The thought of all that empty air beneath my feet gives me the shakes.”
    Lincoln chuckled. “I’ve always found it rather liberating.”
    “Liberating or not, Sherman’s going to have to wait a bit,” Pinkerton said. “The Mesmer machine is broken again.”
    Lincoln raised an eyebrow at that. “Due to the complexity of the device then?”
    “No, sir,” Pinkerton said, clearing his throat. “It was knocked off my desk—a simple accident.”
    “A vital secret device was sitting casually on your desk then?”
    “Very well, sir, I knocked it off my desk!” Pinkerton felt himself blush momentarily. “Stanton barged into my office unannounced and startled me.”
    “Relax, Mister Pinkerton. As the event makes for a most disinteresting tale, your secret is