Allie Grant ran frantically down the street making her way to the jail just as Elizabeth and Faith arrived back in town, both on horseback. Opening the door, she saw that Nathan wasn't there and in desperation began to run toward the judge's office. Catching her mid-way, Elizabeth wanted to know what was wrong.
"I've got to find Uncle Nathan! I know where they're holding Robert!" she said.
Elizabeth looked at Faith and then back at Allie. "Allie, Nathan and the men are combing the woods near the settlements and…"
"No! No! That's the wrong direction! He's at the old mine! I know he is!" she said with certainty.
"What makes you say that?" Faith asked.
"The letter. Robert mentioned a Christmas gift. A couple of years ago we were in class and he threw a ball of paper at me. I told him he'd better be nice or I'd see to it that Santa Claus gave him a lump of coal for Christmas. That's what he was talking about. He's at the abandoned coal mine!"
Elizabeth nodded in agreement with Allie's reasoning. "Here, we'll go find Nathan." She said as she reached down her hand and helped Allie to climb up onto Sergeant's back. "Hold on tight" Elizabeth said as she, Allie and the horse began heading toward the settlements.
Back at the mine, Gyp, Morgan and Big John were debating as to who should go pick up the money. Morgan wanted it to be her but Gyp said it was too dangerous for a woman and she would surely be outrun. He would go and she and Big John would stay behind with the kid. Robert looked nervously at the sky, gaging from the placement of the sun what time it was. Should he have been a little more obvious with his hints?
Come on, Allie. You have to remember!
At Bouchard's home, Peter Bouchard and Bernard Luison stopped by Lucas's bedroom in order to tell him that they would be gone until late afternoon. To Peter's surprise, Lucas was awake and sitting up when they entered.
"Hello again, Lucas." Luison said. "Your father and I just wanted to stop by to tell you we're borrowing your car to go to Union City this afternoon and see if we can find you a wheel chair."
"We all think it would be good for you if you could at least get up and about and maybe even get a little fresh air while the weather still holds." Peter added.
Lucas's eyes drifted to his father's and immediately, Peter noted a change. There was a void present that he'd never seen before, a glassy quality -almost like he was drunk. But Peter knew that his son hadn't had any alcohol.
"Are you okay?" Peter asked. "Are you experiencing any pain?"
Lucas simply shrugged and slowly looked back down. "No pain." He said, softly.
Luison jumped into the conversation in order to change the subject. "Oh, and I'm also going to see if there might be some way to procure a prosthetic while we are there, so we may be a while."
Peter furrowed his brow. "Don't those have to be specially fitted?"
"Usually." Luison agreed. "But Lucas has been my patient for long enough. I believe I can find one that works. How does that sound, Lucas? To get you up and walking again as soon as possible?"
Lucas nodded and looked between the men. "I would like to walk again."
"Very well. Then it's settled." Luison said. "We will see you later this afternoon. Your mother will bring you lunch and some medicinal tea in another hour and a half. Be sure you drink it all."
Lucas's father looked at his son. "And let your mother know if you need anything. You know she's eager to help."
Lucas looked up at his father and nodded. "I will call for her if I need anything. Thank you." He said, politely.
Peter felt an uneasiness inside as he shut the door but he couldn't pinpoint the reason why. Lucas seemed too calm, too docile – almost like the emotional agony he felt when realizing what had happened had completely gone away. Yet, he seemed peaceful as well – so he didn't question it much further than that. Whatever Luison was doing must be working.
Out at the settlements, Nathan, Bill and some of Hope Valley's finest knocked on doors and combed through the woods just behind the row houses and barns. Everyone they had spoken to had claimed no knowledge of the bandits being around and after visiting a dozen or so houses the men were inclined to believe them. Still, the settlements was the one spot mentioned near where the thieves expected to pick up the ransom and was the only thing they had to go on if they wanted to invoke the element of surprise. The alternative would be to rush in at the drop-off point, but that was considered to be much more dangerous.
Reaching the end of the first row, Nathan and Bill split off from Jesse, Mike Hickam, Joseph Canfield, Gustave and several Mounties from neighboring stations and rode into the mountainside.
"There are some caves over here." Nathan noted. "We can take the East side, you gentlemen head West."
"Meet back in the middle around one o'clock." Bill added, a time close to when the robbers were anticipating the ransom to be delivered.
About fifteen minutes after the men dispersed, Elizabeth and Allie rode into town. One of the settlers came to greet them.
"We're looking for a Mountie, Nathan Grant. He'll probably have Bill Avery and several other men with him." Thornton explained.
The settler folded his arms. "You just missed them."
"Oh, no. Which way did they go?" she asked.
"Both ways." He replied. "Some went this way and others went that way."
Elizabeth looked at Nathan's daughter with disappointment and saw that Allie's eyes were desperate with concern. "Don't worry. We'll find him." she said to her student.
Allie just shook her head as Elizabeth rode Sergeant toward the West.
"So, what made you decide to come to Hope Valley and become a chef?" Lee asked Gustave as they travelled side by side through the woods.
"Money. Monsieur Bouchard offered me a lot of money to move from New Orleans to this quaint little town." He replied.
"You two knew each other?" Lee asked.
"Un peu." Gustave replied. "A little. He was friends with my brother-in-law. Friends playing poker – only, Gaston never knew when to stop. He accumulated quite a debt against a gambler they called 'Ace' Prescott from Baton Rouge but had paid most of it off until his luck ran out. Ace thought Gaston was cheating and shot him on the spot."
"That's terrible." Lee said.
"Oui. What made it worse is his wife, my sister Jeanette, she was expecting their firstborn child. Prescott came to collect the rest of the debt, which my sister did not have. Monsieur Lucas helped her to escape to Cape Fullerton and he later saved her from a man named Amos Dixon."
"That was your sister." Lee mused.
"It was. My family owes a great debt to Lucas Bouchard, so bringing those who hurt him to justice – that is something I am most determined to do."
After checking several locations, Nathan and Bill dismounted outside a cave about half a mile from the row houses when they spotted human footprints around the cave's mouth.
"Think this is it?" Nathan asked.
Bill bent down and touched the ground. "No. Ground is too hard. Doesn't seem fresh."
"Great." Nathan said sarcastically, looking around. "Where do you suggest we look next? It's getting late. They are going to be expecting Wolf within the hour."
Bill stood and looked around. "You're right. It's probably time to start heading towards the drop-off spot. If we can't catch them where they are camped out, we'll have to intercept them on the way."
"You lead the way." Nathan said.
Elizabeth and Allie moved further down the trail looking for signs of Nathan or any of the men in the party. Rounding a bend in the road they heard voices not too far away. Moving ahead a little further, they got down from Sergeant and hid behind a tree. Looking down the hill, they could see the old mine and its office. Big John and Gyp were talking to one another outside as John saddled Gyp's horse.
"Alright. If I'm not back by three, you take Morgan and the kid and head North." Gyp said.
"North." Big John repeated.
"Yeah. That-away." He pointed. "You can dispose of the kid any way you want. Assume I'm gone. You're looking for a place called Chipewyan Lake. Got a friend that lives there named Whitey Parks. He'll be able to hide you."
"And the money?" John asked.
Gyp smacked him in the shoulder. "If I'm gone, there ain't gonna be any money. Got it?"
John looked at him suspiciously. "How do I know you're not just taking off with the money and leaving me and Morgan with the kid?"
Gyp smiled. "You don't. You're just gonna have to trust me. Now hurry up with that saddle. Fortune awaits."
"That's them." Elizabeth whispered from their hiding place on the hillside. "You were right."
Allie shook her head.
Just then, Morgan exited the office followed by Robert. Allie jumped.
"There he is!" she whispered.
"We need to find Nathan and Bill. Let's take Sergeant and head back towards the settlements."
Elizabeth and Allie turned and Elizabeth steadied Sergeant as Allie began to remount the horse.
"No, Morgan! I already told you, you stay here with the kid!" Gyp yelled, suddenly. "Too dangerous for a woman."
Morgan wouldn't cooperate. "May I remind you that you're the one who got caught before? I'm the best person to go." She pushed past him and began to reach for the saddle but Gyp grabbed her from behind and pulled her away. Grabbing for the saddle she grasped hold of Gyp's rifle instead and pulled it away with her. The rifle discharged into the ground.
At a meeting point in the center of the road, Nathan, Bill and the other party had just rendezvoused and were mapping out their plans for the drop-off site. They heard the shot.
"That was close." Nathan said, looking up.
"Sounded like it came from around the old mine." Ned responded.
"The mine." Bill said. "Of course, Henry Gowen was manager of the Old Pacfic-North West Mining Company. That has to be where they're hiding out."
"Let's go." Nathan replied.
Simultaneously, the gunshot spooked Sergeant who promptly ran away. Allie was thrown but landed mostly on Elizabeth who fell to the ground. The gangsters heard the commotion from on top of the hill and stopped their arguing.
"Who's there?" Gyp Lombardi said, grabbing the rifle from Morgan's hand. "Come out and let me see you."
Slowly, Elizabeth and Allie stood from their place and walked out in plain sight with their hands raised.
"Allie!" Robert exclaimed.
"Robert!"
Big John stepped forward. "It's that girl. The one that Davey chased into town."
"You mean the only other witness who can testify against us?" Morgan asked.
"Yeah." John replied.
"Get down here, now." Gyp said, pointing his weapon at the two women. "Well, this isn't the way I had hoped this would go down but it looks like the ante has just been upped. Two more hostages. What should we do?"
It was now lunch time and Helen Bouchard had just carried in a tray of food into Lucas's bedroom, sitting it on his bed. His house wasn't exactly what she would call stocked with comestibles but there was enough there for her to make a delicate chicken soup with a few vegetables. It had been so long since she had cooked. She was quite proud she remembered how.
"Now, here's your napkin and I put some crackers there to the side." She said as she looked at her son who appeared pale and was perspiring. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"
Lucas looked up at her, physical pain etched on his face. He swallowed. "Tea? Did you make the tea as Dr. Luison instructed?"
Helen nodded. "Oh no, I'm sorry. I forgot. I'll go heat up the tea kettle right away."
Lucas inhaled sharply as a knife-like feeling coursed through his swollen limb. Grimacing, he looked up at her with an intense stare. "Please. Don't forget again. He says I must drink it every three to four hours."
Helen reached out to touch him knowing he was in some discomfort and she was partially to blame. "Again, I'm sorry. I won't forget again." Lucas reached up and pulled her hand away.
"No apology required, mother. Just please, do what he said – and quickly." he replied, as he set the tray of food to the side and laid back down. "I'm overdue as it stands. It brings me relief."