Bill Avery sat at the Queen of Hearts bar, silently observing the two well dressed strangers. Thankfully, the entire town had managed to not acknowledge his being a judge when the two men were around. His plan to be incognito until the moment of representing Nathan in court was working.
"Can I get you anything else, Bill," Lucas asked from the other side of the bar.
"No thanks, Lucas," Bill responded. Then, after thinking a moment, Bill spoke again. "What can you tell me about those two men?" He gestured towards the tables behind him.
Lucas looked. "Not much. One keeps to himself a great deal. The other is named Wesley Campbell and he is a lawyer from San Francisco."
"Yes," Bill ruefully replied. "He's one of the partners at Cameron, Campbell, and Brown, Attorneys at Law down there."
"That's quite the prestigious firm," Lucas admitted.
"Do you know much about it?" Bill realized that Lucas's connections could prove valuable.
"I know they represent a high profile, upper crust clientele," Lucas thought for a moment. "Which, in light of that, I wonder why they are here?"
"And you know nothing about the other gentleman?"
Lucas looked at Bill suspiciously. "Is there something I should know Bill?"
Bill pondered a moment. What should he share?
"I have been asked to represent a client against the other gentleman in a custody hearing." Bill decided against naming names. There would be time enough for that as it was.
"Hmm…." Lucas thought for a moment.
"Do you know something?" Bill really hoped Lucas did. Even though he had always preferred Nathan for Elizabeth, he did not wish ill for Lucas.
"All I know is that the other gentleman, whose name I don't know, has a history in Hamilton but married a high profile debutante from San Francisco. It does not seem to be the most happy of marriages and he is here trying to remedy that." Lucas paused to wipe down the bar and pour a few drinks. "I did overhear him say to Mr. Campbell something about his wife being happy and not leaving upon his return."
"Interesting," Bill slowly sipped his whiskey.
Lucas brought over another round of beers to Wesley and Jesse's table. "Here you are, gentlemen."
"Thank you good sir," Jesse Walker drawled.
Great, Lucas thought. This guy has had quite a bit to drink. Here is hoping I don't have a brawl on my hands.
"Do let me know if you need anything else," Lucas graciously said, more to Wesley than to Jesse.
"What I need is assurance my wife will be happy with my bringing Ally home." Jesse Walker took another swig of beer. "Can you do that?"
Lucas tried to keep a straight face. What in the world was this man saying? Ally? Constable Nathan Grant's Ally?
"I can provide you beer and a good time," Lucas smiled. "As long as the Queen of Hearts does that, my job is done."
Lucas walked away, wondering about the information he had been told. As a saloon owner and entrepreneur, he often overheard conversations and met all sorts of individuals. But this….this was something different entirely.
Bill had finished his whiskey and had stepped into Yost's Mercantile. Florence was still at the switchboard. Perfect.
"Florence," Bill rushed in.
"Bill," Florence sensed Bill's urgency. "Is everything alright?"
"I need you to place a call to Mountie headquarters in Hamilton for me."
"Sure Bill," Florence started placing the call. "Do you want it over at your office?"
Bill thought for a moment. "Actually, I would prefer to take it here. I'm trying to not disclose my being a judge and I do not want to be seen."
"I understand," Florence said. "I have that call for you."
Jesse Walker trudged up the stairs towards his room. He hadn't had that much to drink in years. Not since he had married Emilee Davenport.
It had been quite the story.
Jesse Walker had been down on his luck for years. He had been unable to hold down a job in Hamilton, in Union City, and various other places. He had married Colleen Grant and they had had a baby girl. But it was the first to admit, he was not super interested in being a father. Especially once Colleen had died. Plus the dream of striking oil had grabbed a hold of his soul.
So Jesse Walker had gone in search of oil. And he struck it BIG. He himself was overwhelmed by how rich he became overnight. New wealth meant a new life. A new life meant a new home. And thus, he had moved to San Francisco.
His arrival had been the talk of the town, the rich widower. It tugged on heartstrings. He was given invitations into the most prestigious homes in the city. One of them being the Davenport house—and he had instantly been attracted to Emilee Davenport. She was due to inherit a shipping empire upon her father's death. Money and power…what more could Jesse Walker want?
So he had married her. However, it was a miserable marriage. As it turned out, Emilee had been personable and engaging until their honeymoon. She was actually straight-laced, formal, and all about business. The fun parties, the expensive taste, those were things Emilee discouraged, much to Jesse Walker's dismay. Emilee was getting very displeased with his habits and his desires. So was his father-in-law, Mr. Davenport.
That was where Ally came in.
Jesse Walker knew that Emilee longed for a child or a protégé. The two of them were rarely intimate; a child was never going to happen and Jesse didn't really want it to. But if Ally came to live with them, "the long lost child he hadn't known he had," perhaps Emilee could be occupied and Jesse Walker could get back to the life he wanted to live. A life of luxury and ease.
Only a few more days. Only a few more days, Jesse Walker thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.