"If it was the same Josh, he left a good-paying job," Dean said. "I understand from Dawkins' son his old man was paying Josh pretty well to be his mine manager-up until August of 1961 when Josh disappeared."
"That's the silliest thing I ever heard. Why would Dawkins do that?" Charlie asked. "It was a worthless hole."
"According to the son, Josh had high grade samples," Dean answered.
"What makes you think it's the same Josh?" Harold asked. "We all know this guy was no miner."
"He disappeared about the same time as the newspaper ad and his name was Josh. That's quite a coincidence, isn't it?"
Roger laughed. "Want my read on it?"
Dean smiled. "You said opinions are free."
"Josh salted that mine and strung along the owner just enough to get a salary out of him. Then he took off when the well ran dry- and his girlfriend started filling out."
"If he didn't know anything about mining, how could he convince Dawkins?"
"A teacher doesn't have to be smart-just brighter than the student. There's lots of greedy flatlanders who hear what they want to hear."
It made sense. Dawkins, Sr. had never hired another mine manager after Josh and never so much as mentioned the Lucky Pup after that time-to his sons or his wife. Did he discover he'd been taken and was then too embarrassed to discuss it? Or did he come back to Ouray and do something about it?
"Do you know Josh's last name?" Dean asked. A lot of sounds-like, seems-like conversation followed until consensus settled on Mulligan.
"He was from Vermont. I recall him talking about maple sugaring on a farm when he was a kid," Charlie said.
"Do you remember what year they all left?" Dean asked.
Roger thought for a moment. "It was after the Firestone store closed-I remember Ed complaining about that."
"I forgot all about Firestone being in Ouray. They were only here four or five years in the late fifties," Charlie said.
"It was the year Mildred Baker bought the Manor, remodeled it, and turned it into a boarding house. Josh did some work for her and lived there. I remember her complaining about him."
"It was the same year Cass opened the drug store," Harold said. "That was in the early sixties, I'd guess."
"How can we pinpoint a date?" Dean asked.
Roger rose and went to the front of Diversions and returned with one of Ouray's many history books. It took the group only moments to confirm the year-1961. Dean offered his thanks but was waved away as the threesome continued to pore over the book, reminiscing over days long past and names forgotten.