Bill slid the coffee mug across the desk towards Jack. They had been pouring through files, suspects, and evidence all morning. "I think it's time to set a trap."
"Bait him?" Jack's eyebrows went up, and Bill nodded. "That's taking a chance." He continued to nod.
"We're in a hole here, Jack. The crimes are progressively getting worse, and last night, Elizabeth was hurt." Jack rested his head in his hands.
"I know." He shook his head. "I know." His eyes drifted over the suspects. "We are in a hole." Pushing back his chair, he stood and began pacing. "And I'm angry."
"Because you feel something for her?" Jack nodded. "You're going to have to put that to the side, Jack. I need you clear-headed to catch this guy." Bill stood, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Brainstorm. Maybe there's a way we can bait him that will be safe for everyone." Jack nodded.
After Bill left, Jack slumped back in his chair. Things were spiraling out of control. He put his palms flat on the desk in front of him, trying to center his mind. It was balancing two things: the burglar and Elizabeth.
Thinking of that morning calmed him. He had woken to her sleeping form tightly curved into the nook if his arm, her head laying gently on his chest. It was a beautiful sight. The sunrise was peeking behind the curtains in her bedroom, slowly overtaking the fading night sky, and she was breathing peacefully. Knowing he had to head into work, he left regretfully, still longing to be close to her. He wrote her a note and silently left the house.
Yet, when he reached his office, he felt claustrophobic and inadequate. Sure, he had been stumped by cases before, and of course some went cold, but this this was becoming close to home, more of a personal attack toward him. There was even a sense of taunting, which only made him tighten his fists. Instead, he rifled through the files and notes on his desk looking for the list of new hires Lee had given him. His gut kept telling him that the name was in that list. Now if he could just narrow it down.
Elizabeth would be lying if she denied her disappointment at waking to a note instead of Jack. The note itself was sweet. He had expressed his annoyance at leaving her, stressing that he would have liked more than anything to wake up and spend the morning together. But she was starting to understand how it worked – duty would always call and draw Jack away from whatever moment they were having. It nagged at her, even though she was pushing it away. She had never had a romantic interest with a dangerous job or one that put him on call all the time. She supposed it could be different if they were not in Hope Valley where he was depended on, but it could also be worse. Elizabeth tried to push it from her mind. Right now, she needed to clean her home. Looking over the mug of her coffee cup, it appeared tainted, even though the shattered lamp had been picked up, the door fixed – things felt out of place. It was as if everything had shifted to the left, skewed off center, and she wondered if that was more the framework of her mind then the makeup of her home.
Her eyes darted to the back door where the culprit disappeared after Jack came through the front door. She shivered. He was still out there somewhere, and even more alarming he could be in town. It occurred to her that the robberies were worse than when they began. He had graduated from small, yet sophisticated, break-ins with no one present, to those in which people were home, violent disruptions of property, and finally, her – he had progressed to hurting someone. She was sure Jack and Bill were aware of this, but it didn't prevent her mind from wondering why. Why were his actions becoming worse, more chaotic and frantic? What was spurning this behavior? It was the teacher in Elizabeth to question a person's motives and try, although in this moment with difficulty, to understand their behaviors. She wanted to have understanding without anger, but it was exasperating. Her fingertips brushed over her neck and collarbone. The bruising had purpled over the last few hours; they were a painful reminder of what had occurred last night. It was hard for her to understand a person's need to want to hurt others. Closing her eyes, she quickly prayed to God, asking for his help. The town needed a resolution, they needed assurance and safety, and she needed an explanation.
Back at the station, Jack put his cell phone back down on his desk. He looked at the screen watching the most recent call end. It was his supervisor in Cape Fullerton. They needed him back the first of the year to testify in court for a previous case. That was no problem, but his supervisor also mentioned returning to Cape Fullerton full time. Even with a large department of detectives, they needed him back, especially if he wasn't making headway in Hope Valley. Jack could only defend the dire need for him to remain. Hope Valley needed him. Elizabeth needed him, and he needed her. He couldn't possibly leave now. Somehow he'd have to convince his supervisor to let him return to Hope Valley.
Looking back over the list Lee had given him, Jack narrowed it down to three men, one of which was Billy Hamilton. The other two men had past small time criminal offenses. However, they had both appeared to have spent quite a few years without any trouble, reforming themselves in doing honest work. Plus, he and the other officers had been watching them. There had been no sign of dubious behavior. The men went to work, spent some evenings at the local bar, and then headed back to their homes. On the other hand, Hamilton evaded him. In all his searching, Jack could not find any information about Billy, which could either mean he was a saint or something was wrong. Lee was supposed to drop off Billy's original job application so Jack could cross reference his previous places of employment. He hoped they could give him information as to who Billy Hamilton actually was.
After tidying both herself and the house up, Elizabeth left for the Mayor's office. He had called a small meeting for herself and a few others, to which she was unsure about the subject matter. She adjusted the scarf around her neck as she walked onto Main Street and assumed Mayor Gown wanted to speak with her about last night. By now the incident had to be all over town, a normal dilemma for small Hope Valley. Living in her house may have given her some privacy from Main Street itself, but not within its small row. Just like when Florence's home was robbed, people clustered outside of Elizabeth's last night. She was thankful for scarves and turtlenecks. At least she could hide the residual marks he left from the peering eyes of her neighbors.
When she entered the Mayor's office, she found Rosemary, Bill, and Jack amongst the Mayor. They were seated around his conference table waiting for her. She muttered a sorry and unbuttoned her coat. Jack got up to help her, hanging her coat on the rack by the door. He touched her elbow with a smile, leading her to a seat next to Rosemary.
Once they had settled, Mayor Gowen cleared his throat. "The most recent break-in has been brought to my attention." He glanced at Elizabeth, who fidgeted nervously in her lap. "Unfortunately, my office has been inundated with phone calls this morning. To be frank, people are scared." His eyes shifted to Bill, and he pursed his lips. "This criminal is now terrorizing our townspeople. So I'd like to propose that we cancel New Year's Eve's festivities." Rosemary gasped and Elizabeth's mouth dropped open slowly. She looked to Jack whose brow crinkled as he listened to Gowen. "People are worried about leaving their homes for the evening. Since it is a town event, there will be many vulnerabilities."
"But Mr. Gowen, the children have been preparing for quite some time." Elizabeth interjected. "They'd be devastated if they couldn't perform at the talent show." Rosemary nodded.
"I do understand, Ms. Thatcher. I know you and Mrs. Coulter have worked hard on this event, but it isn't feasible."
Rosemary spoke up, "We have fireworks planned for the evening. Surely, we can do something?" She looked to Bill. "Increase security?"
"Henry, I feel as though this is a rash decision." Bill stated. "We could catch this guy before then." Gowen only shook his head.
"There's only so much I can say without concrete answers. Our town needs to feel safe. Can either of you," looking to Jack and Bill, "promise the safety of everyone and their homes? Our own teacher was attacked last night. It is clear the burglaries are worsening."
"We can't guarantee it, sir. However, we do have someone in mind." Elizabeth's head shot towards Jack. She wondered who it was.
"Then arrest him." Gowen said clearly, leaning back in his chair.
"Now Henry, you know as well as I do it isn't that simple." Gowen shrugged his shoulders at Bill.
"Then my decision stands. For now, the New Year's Eve celebration and talent show will be cancelled." Elizabeth looked over at Rosemary, who seemed ready to either fight back or cry. Elizabeth sighed, there was truth to Mayor Gowen's decision. The celebration and talent show would leave homes vulnerable, and Hope Valley certainly couldn't protect everyone at once. While people may be safe during the talent show, there was no guarantee that they would return to a safe home. She would hate for any more of her students to go through what Florence's children had to. Still, she wished there were a compromise, something that could allow the children to perform and families to celebrate without the fear of a burglary.
After Elizabeth and Rosemary left the Mayor's office, he had plenty more to say to both Bill and Jack. Jack sensed Gowen was growing tired of calming the town, trying to give answers when there were none. It was becoming more difficult with the increase in robberies, and Jack understood that, but Gowen also wanted answers yesterday, and Jack knew it was impossible. Investigations took time, which Bill emphatically expressed to Gowen, but it was no use. Gowen wanted a resolution. Until then, there would be no Hope Valley events, a curfew would be introduced, and police patrols would increase.
When Bill and Jack left the office, Jack spotted Elizabeth and Rosemary close together across the street. They were talking, and Jack could only guess it had to do with the cancelled festivities. He said goodbye to Bill and headed toward Elizabeth, but before he reached her a clean black sedan pulled up in front of Abigail's Café, feet away from the women. A man stepped from the sedan's backseat. Jack watched Elizabeth's face morph from surprise into a wide smile as she threw her arms around the dark-haired man. His walking slowed to a stop as he watched them. The two embraced for a while before Elizabeth removed her arms from his neck. Her smile was still there as she introduced him to Rosemary, leaving Jack to wonder who the mystery man was that Elizabeth had so easily welcomed to Hope Valley.
A/N: I do not own any of the When Calls the Heart Series. Thanks for reading as always! xoxo -B.