It's been almost two months since we returned from our honeymoon and settled into our home in Hope Valley. Our life has been a flurry of activity since our arrival. Pulling into town, we were so surprised to have all our friends there waiting for us, including the future Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Grant, who surprised us with news of their engagement. They seem very much in love. I always knew Nathan had it in him, but I have to say I was a little surprised that he moved so quickly and am happy that he did. I never wanted him to be unhappy.
My husband took great pride in taking credit for the relationship, telling Nathan that it was because of his matchmaking skills that Nathan and Emily were together. Of course, Nathan knew he was teasing and had a good laugh about it as friends do. Friends. It's so good to say that's what we've become, and I look forward to many more years of friendship with the Grants and their family.
The big news, of course, in town was the two new additions that will be arriving this Spring. We waited until Rosemary got out of the hospital and had a few weeks to recuperate before asking Joseph to make the announcement at church. To say that there wasn't a dry eye in the assembly would not be a lie. Everyone has been so happy for us and willing to help in any way. Lucas & Lee are busy helping us design our nurseries, and Lucas has been working on the blueprints for his parent's house. Meanwhile, Rosemary's career as well as mine have greatly slowed down.
The school children have stepped in, led by Allie, and are taking over the Valley Voice – creating the content, printing it, and delivering it - while Rosemary has final editorial decision before they go to print. They even have a new campaign that seems to have turned the paper around. The Valley Voice: Hope Preserved is their slogan. Between the children's involvement and the awakening of the people to the fact that the town may be growing but still has certain elements worth preserving, sales of the paper are back up and, according to Florence, are outpacing Darius Judson's paper two to one. I couldn't be prouder of my students for their initiative and love shown in doing this.
Speaking of teaching, Sarah Hill has temporarily stayed on at the school while we get resettled, and she and I are splitting duties. I am staying home two days a week, as is she, and I work the afternoon and she the morning on Wednesdays. She is a serious young lady and a good teacher and from what I hear has changed a bit from when she first arrived. I'm not sure if that is because of the famous Hope Valley effect or because of a certain suitor of hers whom she is now openly courting.
Wyman Walden seems like a different person when he's around her. And, both of them have become friendly with the Gowens, which is great. There's nobody like Henry to teach Wyman that redemption is possible.
And then there's Judson. When I returned home and found out the conditions that Paul Blakely told Nathan that the children were working under, it was all I could do to keep from marching right up to the factory myself and pulling my school kids out of there. However, Lucas calmed me and told me it would work out. He was right. The next thing we knew, an inspector showed up on Judson's doorstep! Judson didn't have a chance to cover anything up, and several violations were found. He was fined and put on notice that if anything else happened, he would be brought up on charges and likely shut down. I hate the idea of all of those workers being out of work, but something needed to happen before someone got seriously injured, especially the children whose education I now must attend to as it's my day.
Lucas sat in his office that morning, going over ledgers with Cy directly across the desk from him. Things were looking up.
"Cy, I must say I am pleased with the work you've done here. I've never enjoyed working with numbers, though I often found myself doing so. Having you do the bookkeeping has taken a burden off my shoulders, and your ideas have increased revenue. Are we compensating you well enough?"
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation before Cy could answer.
"I'm sorry," Lucas replied before calling out, "Who is it?"
The door opened, and Lucas was surprised to see a head full of white hair poking into his office.
"My apologies," Wyman Walden said. "But, I was wondering if you might spare some time?"
Lucas paused for a moment, then looked at Cy apologetically. "Might we continue this conversation later?"
"Sure thing, Lucas," Cy said, standing up with his crutches and making his way to the door. "Don't you cause him no grief now, Mr. Walden."
Walden looked at Cy with amusement. "Don't you trust me?"
"I think you're slicker than pig snot on a radiator, but I don't have to work with you," Cyrus replied as he left the room.
Lucas barely suppressed a laugh as he greeted his visitor. "Mr. Walden. How may I assist you?"
Wyman came into the office with his hat in his hand and took a seat across from Lucas at his desk. "I have thought long and hard about this, and we need to talk."
"About?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Darius Judson. I understand he's under investigation," Walden said. "I might be able to help."
Lucas narrowed his eyes at the mysterious Mr. Walden, wondering immediately why he was coming to him about news concerning the investigation.
"Mr. Bouchard, Mr. Judson, and I have had certain…shall we say…business arrangements throughout his time in Hope Valley, always legal but not always for the faint of heart. Perhaps, some would say it is unethical at times, but it's was only business. That changed a few months ago when Mrs. Coulter started coming around."
"Rosemary?' Lucas replied, immediately feeling a sense of protection over his friend.
"Yes. What I am about to tell you has a component that I would like to remain confidential. It's nothing that would bring legal jeopardy, but it is an inconvenient truth that I would rather not get out."
Lucas looked at him warily and nodded. "Go on."
Walden sat up straight in his chair and looked Lucas in the eyes. "Several months ago, shortly after the factory opened up, issues concerning safety began to crop up – expensive issues. Some of the machinery wasn't installed properly and, rather than fix the issues, Judson had his workers create their own make-shift repairs to save money. The folly of that plan was seen quickly when minor injuries began to occur – especially among some of the school children. Machinery wasn't properly secured; ventilation wasn't up to code; paper stacked where it could catch fire; tripping hazards….add to that, children who were inexperienced and overworked – well, I'm sure you get the picture."
Lucas nodded.
"The first few injuries, the kids covered pretty well. Judson promised them additional money in exchange for silence. I found out about this after the fact, or I may have come forward earlier. Hurting children is something I don't condone.
Eventually, the situation began to draw people's attention until Constable Grant and Judge Avery started pressing for entry. Judson was very unhappy when he heard about that. But, it was when Mrs. Coulter started to get involved that he began to become, what I would describe as paranoid."
"I don't understand. I would think the judge and constable would be more of a threat."
"That's because you're an honest man," Wyman replied. "Low-level judges and Mounties are nothing for a man like Judson. He has most of their local superiors in his hip pocket. But, Mrs. Coulter, she has connections that reach beyond Alberta. She's in contact with newspaper editors from Toronto to Vancouver and throughout the states. And, she's like a dog with a bone when it comes to a story. That is where I came in.
Judson recruited me to make sure that she never got enough of the story to cause her to spin off and start asking questions."
"What sort of questions?"
"Questions about anything – and everything. You see, I don't think Judson really cares so much about the inspection as he does keeping a low profile. He'll pay fines and stay on top like he always has. But he's up to something else that he doesn't want spread beyond the province. I'm not sure exactly what, but I did see something I would call highly suspicious.
When I was in his office, I saw some crates from Vancouver sitting in the corner."
Lucas looked at him nonplussed and shrugged.
"They were sent to him by a man named Shu Moy."
Immediately, Lucas felt a chill go down his spine. It had been years since he had heard that name, and it was the last name he ever expected or hoped to hear in Hope Valley. Walden apparently didn't sense that Lucas knew the man because he went on to explain how Moy was one of the best-known crime bosses in all of Canada. He then suggested that Judson was preparing to welcome Moy or one of his representatives in the next few weeks. He wanted Lucas's help to stop him.
"Why?" Lucas asked. "Why are you telling me these things instead of Nathan. And what could I possibly do at this juncture?"
"Law enforcement isn't effective with Moy. Besides, you are the most powerful man in Hope Valley with a well-connected family. I thought perhaps you might be able to use your influence to figure out what exactly his relationship is to Judson. From what I know about Moy, if he starts doing business in this town, it'll ruin it."
"You have never seemed to be the sentimental sort about a town," Lucas responded. "Why are you so concerned now?"
Walden nodded. "When I first came here, it was just like any other town I'd been to. It was a place to make some money until the next place. But I have learned that Hope Valley is different. The people here are different. One particular person made that clear to me."
"Miss Hill," Lucas replied.
Wyman smiled slightly. "Which is the part I need for you to keep confidential. You see, when Judson asked me to keep Rosemary Coulter from obtaining the full story, part of the plan at doing that was to keep the town's lovely substitute teacher occupied as well – to win her trust – to make it so that if any children were talking, she would tell me and I'd tell Judson. The child would be dealt with. And the plan worked pretty well at first…until…" he paused for a long time.
"Until you started caring for Sarah," Lucas said.
Wyman nodded an acknowledgment. "My relationship with Sarah Hill began as just another job, a means to an end. But I assure you that is not how I look at it now. I feel terrible for my deception, and the only way I know of to turn it around is to see that Judson doesn't succeed."
Lucas pushed back from his desk and began to stand. "I'm not exactly sure what it is you think I can do. After all, I'm a simple businessman. My father has influence, but it's largely near Montreal and in Europe."
Wyman stood, and Lucas began to walk him toward the door. "But, I appreciate the tip. If I spot anything unusual, I'll speak with the Constable, Judge, and Mayor. Between the four of us, things should be alright."
"Shu is dangerous, Lucas. Men disappear and are never heard from again who have had dealings with him."
"Good to know," Lucas responded, pushing him toward the door. "I will be careful. Meanwhile, may I give you some advice?"
"Yes," Walden said.
"Tell Sarah the truth. Better to hear it from you along with how you feel now, than for her to hear it from someone else and hurt her with only half the story."
Lucas walked Walden to the front of the establishment and watched him leave, all the way considering what he would do about what was said. As he turned to return to his office, Mike Hickam met up with him in the hallway.
"Lucas! Got a minute?" he asked.
Lucas turned and looked at him. "Actually, I am quite busy at the moment."
"This will just take a second," Mike said. "I was up at site four earlier today and noticed that some of the equipment appears to have been damaged by a fallen tree. I wondered if you had any objections to me using some of the discretionary fund to replace what was broken."
"Do whatever you think is right, Mike," Lucas replied, seeming preoccupied. He turned toward his door.
"It might be expensive," Mike called out as he disappeared into his office.
"Do whatever you need to do."
Mike shook his head, turned toward the door, and stopped when Lucas poked his head out into the hallway and called his name.
"Would you mind telling the front desk that I don't want to be disturbed?" Lucas asked.
"Sure. Everything okay?" Mike asked.
Lucas nodded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I just have some thinking to do. Thank you."
Walking into his office, Lucas shut and locked the door, then sat down at his desk. He wasn't sure what he was going to with the information yet, but he knew the first step. It was the last thing he wanted to be involved in again, especially since his wife knew nothing about this part of his life, nor could he tell her at this point. But it was unavoidable.
Picking up the phone, he did not need to look up the number, for it was a number he used to share many years ago - before Elizabeth, before Hope Valley – before any attachments which might cause him to think twice about risking his life. He hoped it wouldn't come to that again.
Lucas asked Florence to connect him.
"Hello?" the female voice said at the other end of the line.
"Yes, is this the Crawford Hotel?" he asked.
"It is. How may I direct your call?"
"Manager, please," he responded.
"Just a moment."
A minute later, another line picked up.
"Yeah, just a second. Liling, would you please turn that down? I'm on the phone."
"You listen louder! I busy," was the woman's reply.
Lucas grinned as he listened to the conversation between the couple. Not much had changed since he'd seen them.
"Okay, sorry about that," the man said after phonograph music in the background quietened down. "Can I help you?"
"Corbin. It's been a long time," Lucas answered.
There was a pause for the longest time but Bouchard wasn't surprised as he also believed their farewell had been final at the train station seven years prior.
"Lucas?" the man finally said. "Is it you?"
Lucas heard the scratch of a record player needle run across the disk and cringed. Liling was on her way. Seconds later he heard her speaking quietly in Chinese to her husband.
"It's me," Lucas said.
"We never expected to hear from you again," Corbin said. "Not since Monterey."
"No," Lucas admitted. "I didn't expect it either. But, an issue's come up to where I needed to speak with you. It involves our mutual acquaintance from Chinatown."
"Oh no. Not…"
"Yes. But, I'd rather not talk about it here. Can you meet me?"
"Of course," Corwin said. "Where?"
"The lodge? That's about half-way."
"Okay, when?"
"Tonight," Lucas replied. "It's important this be dealt with sooner rather than later. Something has happened and I need to know the best way to deal with it."
Corwin looked at Liling with widened eyes and nodded. "Tonight then."
Elizabeth arrived at the schoolhouse twenty minutes before the students were to arrive. She had gotten a late start because the Campbells were delayed picking up Jonathan from the Coulters. Rosemary was steadily regaining strength on her left side and had insisted that she be the one who helped the little boy get ready. The end result was another milestone accomplished, though it took twice as long. Mr. Campbell was apologetic when he came to get Jack, but Elizabeth waved him off, thrilled about the reason, and looking forward to celebrating with her friend later that afternoon.
Walking up to the schoolhouse, Elizabeth was surprised to see the door was already open. Entering, she was equally as surprised to see Sarah Hill carefully writing the day's theme on the board. For a moment, Elizabeth wondered if Hill had forgotten what day it was, or if she herself had. Elizabeth shut the door behind her so as to not allow the chilly November air to overtake the heat in the building.
Sarah caught Elizabeth's shadow out of the corner of her eye and turned, being startled. Then, she smiled. "Oh! It's you! But of course, it is. It's your day to teach."
Elizabeth smiled curiously. "It is. Why are you here?"
Sarah looked nervously toward the chalk in her hand. "I, well, I was hoping we could talk. I got here earlier but you weren't in yet so I thought I'd help you get set up."
"Thank you. That's very kind," Elizabeth said, taking a seat in the front row and asking her fellow teacher to do the same. "What did you want to speak with me about?"
Sarah smiled. "Elizabeth, I know that we have our current arrangement due to your just getting back from your honeymoon and the fact you're expecting, but I was wondering what your plans are for next fall. You see, I have an opportunity to teach at a larger school in Saskatoon starting next year, but if you plan on taking time off when your baby arrives I will arrange to stay here."
Elizabeth considered the subject. She and Lucas had discussed the matter some but he left it completely up to her what she wanted to do. "Whatever makes you happy, I will support it," was his response. So, on the one hand, while she loved being back doing what she was trained to do, a huge part of her wanted to do what she'd missed out on doing with Jack due to the fact she was a single mother. But, she hadn't made a final decision and she certainly would want to tell her husband before she told anyone else.
"I haven't decided yet," she replied, then, seeing a shift in Sarah's eyes she reached forward and touched her forearm. "That's almost ten months away. Is there some other reason you need to know?"
Sarah looked down at her hands then nervously smoothed her skirt. "There is." Sarah looked up at Elizabeth. "I'm not sure how much you know about my relationship with Wyman Walden."
"Not much," Elizabeth said.
Sarah paused. "Mrs. Bouchard, I've been alone most of my life. My parents died when I was young and I was raised by an elderly aunt who passed away when I was seventeen. I never made many friends and was always the studious type at school. Auntie insisted I get a good education because she assumed I wasn't pretty enough to get a husband."
Elizabeth frowned. "Sarah!"
"It's true. Up until now, I've never had the pleasure of male companionship and had resigned myself to being a spinster teacher. Then, I met Wyman at Abigail's one morning. They were somewhat busy and he asked if he could sit down. We didn't talk much that day, but the next morning when I arrived, he smiled and offered me a seat. Our relationship grew from there.
Elizabeth, I've never felt this way and it's my desire to see where this will take us. I believe, well…I have fallen in love with him. I know that many people are suspicious of him in this town but that's because they've only seen him in business. Sometimes businessmen have to make tough decisions, he tells me. But there's this whole other side of him that nobody has ever seen. He can be very tender-hearted." She stopped for a moment then shyly smiled. "But listen to me. I didn't mean to take up your time this morning extolling the virtues of Wyman Walden. I just needed to see if you might be planning to take an extended leave or perhaps quit teaching altogether. Because, if you are, I would like to stay."
Elizabeth pondered what she would say for just a moment then looked her in the eyes. "Sarah, I have been giving it a lot of thought and was talking with my husband, who…."
"…hates to interrupt this conversation, but if I might borrow my wife for just one moment?" Lucas said, slipping in the back door.
Elizabeth excused herself to go meet with LUcas. He had left for the Queen early in the morning with supposedly a lot on his agenda, so to see him so soon - she was immediately concerned. The couple walked to a quiet corner in the front of the building.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Everything will be okay. I stopped by to let you know that a matter of pressing business has come up and I need to attend to it."
"Okay?" Elizabeth asked, confused.
"The business is out of town and I won't be coming home tonight."
"Oh!" she replied. "What's this business about?"
"It's not really something I can discuss right now," he replied, looking toward Sarah. "But it's something I need to do. I should be back tomorrow afternoon sometime at the latest."
Elizabeth looked toward her husband with sadness. She hated the idea of being parted from him for even one evening. But, she knew whatever this business was, it must be important.
"Alright," she replied. "Where will you be staying? Will you call me when you get to your room?"
Lucas paused for a moment then lowered his voice. "I'll be staying at the Grey Wolf Lodge in a small town in BC called Clearwater. But please, don't wait up. It is likely to be very late before I get back to my room."
"Well, be safe," she said, concerned about what he wasn't saying, confused as to why he was going to such a remote location, and sensing there was more to the story but knowing they couldn't discuss it there.
"I will," Lucas responded, leaning forward and giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too," Elizabeth responded before watching him walk down the steps and get into his car just as the first school child arrived.
Nathan had just left Emily at the infirmary and was walking down the street when Lucas's black Dodge rounded the corner, appearing to be in somewhat of a hurry. He watched with curiosity as the businessman got out of the car and ducked quickly into the Queen, retrieving an overnight bag from just inside which had already been prepared.
Rushing out of the building, Lucas nearly collided with a woman whom he didn't even look up to see. "Sorry, Miss," he said, making his way to his car and reaching it at the same time as Nathan.
"You seem to be in a hurry," Nathan said. "Everything okay."
"Everything's fine," Lucas said, slipping into the car and checking the side mirror for traffic. "Have some out-of-town business in BC."
"BC? That's a long drive. You going to Vancouver?"
"No. Not that far. I'm meeting some people in Clearwater."
"Never heard of it."
"There's a little lodge there. You should take Emily if you get the chance," Lucas smiled.
"After we're married." Nathan grinned.
"Of course. I wasn't suggesting anything else," he smiled. "Well, I'd love to chat but I would like to get there and get settled before dark."
"Yeah, it gets dark so quickly these days," Nathan replied. "Drive safe."
"Thank you," Lucas replied. "I will."
Lucas pulled the car out of its spot and turned toward the road continuing his way out of town, as Nathan continued toward the Mountie Office.
Meanwhile, the woman who'd almost collided with Bouchard made her way inside. She quickly obtained her key and went up to her private room. There, she made a call. She looked by the window as she waited for the call to pick up. Finally, she heard his familiar voice.
"Yes?"
"Shu. It's Mabel Lee. I've checked in."
"Good. Have you spoken with Judson yet?"
"No, not yet. But you're never going to believe who I ran into."
Lucas parked his car outside the lodge and went straight to his old room. Knocking three times, then once, he smiled when the door opened. A welcome embrace met him on the other side.
"Corbin, Liling! It's good to see you!" Lucas said, hugging them both. "Did you have any trouble getting here?"
"No. It was a nice drive," the older man with a receding hairline and grey stubble on his chin said, stepping back to let Lucas in.
"You look different," Liling, said, scanning him up and down.
Lucas looked down self-consciously, thinking she was talking about his leg, since he knew that word often traveled fast in their circles despite their lack of direct association.
"Well, it's been a long road to recovery, but…"
"No. I not talk about that. I not even notice that. I mean you look happier. Something you want to tell us?" she asked.
Lucas smiled. "Yes, well, I've gotten married to a wonderful woman this Summer and we are expecting a new baby in the Spring."
"A baby Lucas?" Liling smiled, pinching his cheeks. "Oh, this exciting news! You and your wife excited?"
Lucas smiled. "Yes, Elizabeth and I are very excited as is our son Jack."
Immediately, Liling frowned and crossed her arms tilting her head. "Your son? You say you got married in Summer. How is it you have son already? Lucas Bouchard? What you do?!"
Lucas laughed then raised his eyebrows up and down toward Liling. "Scandalous isn't it?!"
Neither Corbin nor Liling laughed but just stood there staring until he let them off the hook.
"She was a widow with a child when I met her. Jack is my adopted son."
"Whew!" Liling said, coming up to Lucas and hugging him. "I so glad you still good boy!"
Lucas chuckled. "I try hard not to disappoint you. Now, I'd like to talk to you about what I heard from another businessman in town."
"Yes, we've been waiting." Corbin said, showing Lucas to a seat by a stone fireplace in their room.
Lucas explained everything he'd heard, and about the other businessman in town, detailing the past history with Walden and his suspicions concerning what Shu might be doing. Corbin & Liling Jones listened intently. In the end, they gave him their assessment.
"As I'm sure you know, we have continued our observation of Shu even to this day. As far as he's concerned, we are still just a hotel owner and his wife. We have a few people on the inside, just like you were, and had heard of Shu's wanting to branch out beyond Vancouver, but had nothing concrete to go on. His operations in Chinatown are plentiful and he has the local magistrates under his control. So, I can't say I'm exactly surprised to hear he's shown up in Alberta."
"Nor am I. Shu always did want to be king of the world," Lucas replied. "Still, he needs to set up his kingdom somewhere outside of Hope Valley. But how can we get him to do that?"
Corbin and Liling looked at him. "There's only one way," Liling said. "Re-enlist."
Lucas furrowed his brow. "I can't afford to," he replied. "I have a wife and family now. I can't risk myself since they depend upon me."
"What other choice do you have?" Corbin said. "Knowing Shu, he probably already has people set up in town who know who belongs and who doesn't."
"But Corbin, you know what kind of stakes we are dealing with here. If I get caught, they'll never see me again – or worse, they will go after Elizabeth and my son. I can't involve myself in this at all. But I knew you needed to know."
"You're already involved," Corbin replied. "Lucas you know who we're up against and if he's running what we think he's running, the lives of you and everyone you know could be at risk. You know this."
"I know," Lucas conceded.
"Okay, give us a few days to talk with headquarters and we'll formulate a plan. But, for now, Agent Bouchard, you are unretired. Now, get up in the morning and go home. Tell no one what happened here."
"I have to tell my wife," Lucas said. "She needs to be aware we are in danger."
Corbin looked at Liling then at Lucas. "Alright, only Elizabeth."
"And, local law enforcement," Lucas added. "I know them. I trust them with my family's life."
"Fine, but nothing more. Too many people are embedded in this. This is one tentacle of a whole operation. We may go down, but we can't risk it all."
"I understand," Lucas said. "I'll wait for your call."