A Plan

Nathan went directly to the café to talk to Bill. He was not only concerned for Allie and Angela, but also for what Walden and Spurlock may be hiding. They agreed it could wait until their Monday morning meeting, but Bill also suggested that Allie and Angela have special attention paid to their whereabouts. Nathan agreed. Allie and Angela collected all their leaves and began working on their project after Sunday dinner at the Canfield's house.

On Monday morning, the children were all playing outside the school. It was brisk when the sun came up, but once it rose over the trees, it warmed up nicely. Allie and Angela were sitting on a log and talking about their school project and all the beautiful leaves they collected. They had so many different species, but they both agreed that the maple leaf was their favorite.

"Allie, the maple leaf feels like it's the size of a dinner plate!" exclaimed Angela.

"It is. It's a beautiful golden color too. This one is from a tree that's called the big-leaf maple. Uncle Nathan told me that. I wasn't sure. I think we picked it just in time before it got brown and dried up. Wouldn't it be nice if Alberta, or the entire country of Canada, adopted it as a national symbol?" asked Allie.

"It certainly feels majestic. We were lucky to have found so many different kinds of leaves. I think our project is going to be the best. Remember, Allie, we have to go to the mercantile after school to get our blotting paper."

Someone was walking toward the girls. Angela heard it, but Allie couldn't tell who it was, because the sun was shining in her eyes. "Good morning, young ladies," said Mr. Spurlock.

"Allie, who is it?" asked Angela. Allie slowly grabbed Angela's hand.

"Um, good morning Mr. Spurlock. Do you want to see our leaves? We collected them behind the school. We didn't go back to the cabin, honestly," said Allie.

"No. I'm sure you didn't. See, you were able to get what you wanted without trespassing on Mr. Walden's property. I just stopped by to make sure you know not to come back again. Mr. Walden bought that property so he could have his, uh, privacy. I hope you know what I mean," said Mr. Spurlock.

"We won't come back; not ever," said Allie.

Angela added, "No, honestly Mr. Spurlock. We didn't mean any harm. I'm sorry. We won't do it again."

"I'm sure you won't. I just wanted to give you a reminder. We won't abide trespassers on Mr. Walden's property. You know what happens to trespassers, don't you? They get arrested. Remember that."

"We will. We won't go back. We promise," said Allie.

"Just be sure of that. Good day, young ladies." With that, Mr. Spurlock turned and left.

The girls put their leaves back into the basket they had lined with fabric. Mrs. Thornton was ringing the cowbell, and Cooper was ringing the tower bell. School was ready to start.

"Allie, can we go into school right now, please." Allie and Angela were still holding each other's hands tightly.

"Angela, keep holding my hand, and don't let go. Mr. Spurlock is far enough away. Come on. I don't think he'll come back. I think we need to tell Uncle Nathan about this though."

"I think so too. Why don't we wait until recess. By that time Mr. Spurlock should be out of town."

"OK, Angela. Come on now. Let's get to class before we're late."

Bill and Nathan met at the jail. They continued their conversation from Sunday morning and discussed what Allie and Angela had told them.

"I'm concerned for the girls, Nathan," said Bill.

"I know. I am too. Yesterday afternoon I asked Joseph to keep an eye on them while they were behind the school. I don't think Spurlock would dare come into town, but I also made them promise me that they wouldn't go back to the cabin."

"So, now we know that Walden is buying up property for someone else and not for himself. We need to figure out why he would lie about it, who is the person with all the cash and what they are all up to. Any ideas?"

"Not really. Bill, did you have any luck with the telephone calls you made last week? Any leads? Anything seem out of the ordinary to you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did hear something about a man from Calgary. He's new to this area. I think he came from Ontario. I'm trying to remember his name. It was unusual; something like Carter, Cutter, Calcutta. No. It was Cathcutter. That's it. Ernest Cathcutter. He's involved in the petroleum industry. He may even own one of the newer companies. I know Canada needs more petroleum products for the war effort in Europe. I hear our boys are taking quite a beating. I just read that Canadian forces are pushing the German Army back in France. They hope it could be an end to the war, but they need supplies. I bet Cathcutter has plans to build a refinery here in Hope Valley. Henry and Lucas have oil wells that are producing. Henry bought mineral rights from some of the farmers, but they aren't the farms that Walden bought. The railroad depot is nearby too. Nathan, I think we may be on to something."

"Yeah, I'm afraid you're right. That would explain why Walden has been so secretive about it. A refinery in Hope Valley would ruin this entire area. That would also explain why Landis told Elizabeth there would be a lot more school children next year. I don't understand how he would know about that though."

"No, it doesn't explain that, but it makes perfect sense. Even after the war is over, there will be a huge demand for petroleum products. Walden gave all the land owners generous deals for their property, but that is nothing compared to what he stands to make if a refinery is built in Hope Valley. Bill, can we go over to your office and look through your law books?"

"Yeah, we should do that. Maybe you can look through the books while I make a few telephone calls. No, on second thought, would you mind going over to the mercantile while I make the calls?"

"Sure, Bill. Do you need something?"

"No, I don't need something," Bill said sarcastically. "I need you to find a reason to stay in the mercantile while I make these telephone calls, so I know Florence isn't listening in."

"Really Bill? How am I going to do that?"

"Yes. Really. Use your charm. I know you have charm, Nathan. Look, we don't have any proof yet, and I don't want anyone to tip off Spurlock or Walden until we check out this lead. The last call I make I'll ask Florence if she's seen you today. Then you'll know I'm finished making calls. Meet me back at my office."

Bill headed to his office. Nathan waited a few minutes to give Bill a chance to get settled in and then headed to the mercantile.

"Nathan, good morning. How are you today?" asked Ned.

"I'm fine. It was nice to see you and Florence at the café Saturday. Did you enjoy your dinner?"

"Florence and I had a lovely evening, didn't we dear?"

Florence was working at the switchboard and was busy fielding telephone calls. She waved to Nathan.

"Can I help you find something, Nathan? We just got in a shipment of some new men's shirts. They're nicely made and warm. They would be perfect for the winter. Would you like to see them?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, yes. I would appreciate that. I could use some new winter shirts."

No one else was in the mercantile, and since Florence was busy at the switchboard, Ned had time to show Nathan, not only the new shirts, but also boots, handkerchiefs, and other new merchandise. Florence kept trying to get away from the switchboard to come see Nathan, but she was kept busy with telephone calls. Nathan knew Florence was anxious to question him about Elizabeth. Finally, she was able to come over to where Ned and Nathan were standing by the counter.

"Constable, that was Judge Avery who just called. He asked me if I had seen you. I told him Ned and I walked to the café with you and Allie Saturday night and of course I saw you in church yesterday. He said that was nice, but he was looking for you now. I told him I knew exactly where you were and that he could trust me to deliver his message."

"Thank you, Florence," said Nathan. Florence stood there smiling and just as she started to speak again, Nathan asked, "So, what was the message?"

"Oh, I nearly forgot. I was going to ask you about something else. I'm sorry. He said he needed to see you at his office immediately. Yes. Those were his exact words. Immediately," reported Florence.

"I'm sorry, Ned. Could I come back later to see the shirts again?"

"Well, sure."

"Thank you. I'll have to talk to you both later. I need to go."

Nathan untied Newton and rode over to Bill's office. He didn't think it would be quite that easy to keep Ned talking and Florence at her switchboard. Maybe it was a coincidence that she was so busy. She wouldn't have had time to listen in on any of the calls.

"Boys and girls, you've had the weekend to start working on your projects. I'd like to go around the class and have you and your partnertell us what you will be studying," said Elizabeth. Timmy and Harper, could you please start?"

Everyone took their turn talking about their projects. Timmy and Harper decided to study local wildlife, Opal and Emily will be studying bear habitats and hibernation and Anna and Hattie will be studying local plants. Finally, Allie and Angela told Elizabeth about their tree project.

"Well, it seems like you all have very interesting projects. I'm sure we'll all be able to learn something new about Hope Valley from your research. I can't wait to see what you do. If you need any help, please let me know. You are all welcome to utilize any materials in the library. Does anyone have any questions?"

Timmy raised his hand. "Mrs. Thornton, what if Harper and I can't find any wildlife in the woods?"

"Well, it's probably not a good idea to be going too deep into the woods to search for animals. I think you could probably go over to the baseball field at dusk, and if you're very quiet, you may see some deer. Anyone else have any questions? No? Well, I think you can all go outside for recess then."

"Come on, Angela. Let's go find Uncle Nathan." Allie and Angela headed to the jail, but no one was there, and Newton wasn't tied out front. Allie looked down the street and saw Newton tied in front of Bill's office. "Come on, Angela. Uncle Nathan is at Judge Avery's office."

Bill and Nathan reviewed law books and local ordinances. "I hate to say it, Bill, but I'm not finding anything that would preclude the development of a refinery in Hope Valley."

"Yeah, I couldn't find anything either. Keep looking. I called some of the government officials in Calgary for information. They told me that there has been a lot of petroleum development since the war began. Canada needs the resources, so the government is trying to be more helpful to businesses that produce products that support the war effort. I also checked to see if Walden, or whoever is backing him, may have plans for a munitions factory, but I pretty much ruled that out. Everything seems to point to petroleum development. I also called an oil company owner I knew from my Mountie days. I helped him out with an embezzlement case against one of his employees. He told me if he could ever help me that I should contact him. We had a nice chat, but he said he didn't know anything about a potential new operation in the Hope Valley area. He did know Cathcutter though. He said he's a ruthless businessman."

"No chance he'd tell you anything more than that?"

"No, I doubt it. Even on the telephone I could tell he was uneasy talking about it. At least now we know what kind of a man we're dealing with. Walden has really kept this quiet. What we do know is that the boss, Cathcutter or whoever it may be, is coming to Hope Valley this week. Most likely he would stay in the rooms over the saloon. We should go see Lucas."

"Bill, do you really want to involve Lucas? Do you think we can trust him to not tip off Walden and Spurlock? asked Nathan.

"We don't need to tell him our suspicions. He's in the oil business too. I think he would benefit from a refinery being in Hope Valley. He wouldn't have to ship his crude out. It would mean more profits for him. We'll figure it out. Come on, let's go."

As soon as Bill and Nathan put their papers away and started to leave, Angela and Allie ran in. They were both out of breath and looked visibly frightened.

"Girls, what's wrong? asked Nathan.

"Let me catch my breath a second. OK. Mr. Spurlock. He came to school. He told us," Allie still was struggling to catch her breath.

Angela helped Allie out. "Mr. Spurlock told us we weren't to go back to the cabin. Allie told him we hadn't. He must have seen our leaves. We were sorting them when he came to talk to us. Allie told him we got them from behind the school. He said, he said, um."

"It's OK, Angela. Why don't you both sit down and tell us exactly what Spurlock told you. Bill, can you get them some water, please."

Angela and Allie sat a few minutes and drank their water. Both Bill and Nathan could tell they were visibly shaking. The girls repeated everything pretty much verbatim, and Allie was grateful that Angela has a photographic memory.

"I'm glad you came to tell us about this. I haven't seen Spurlock in town. He must have gone directly back to the cabin from the school. Do you feel comfortable going back to school?" asked Nathan.

Allie squeezed Angela's hand, and they agreed they could go back to school.

"Bill, I'm going to walk them back. I'll talk to Mrs. Thornton."

"Good idea. Take your time. We'll talk more when you get back."

Nathan nodded his head in agreement and walked Allie and Angela back to school. Recess was over, and none of the children were outside. Nathan brought the girls into the school and caught Elizabeth's attention. Allie and Angela took their seats together, and Nathan and Elizabeth walked outside.

"I'm sorry Allie and Angela are late coming back from recess."

"I was worried about them. They weren't anywhere near the school. I was just going to send one of the boys to look for them. Is everything alright?" asked Elizabeth.

Nathan told Elizabeth about Allie and Angela's encounter with Spurlock and Walden the day before.

"He came here before school started. It sounds like he threatened the girls. As you can imagine, they're pretty upset."

"Well, yes, I can understand they would be. Did Mr. Spurlock hurt them?" asked Elizabeth.

"No, but he did threaten them. Bill and I will deal with that. I need to ask you a favor," said Nathan.

"Well, OK, if it's for Angela and Allie, yes."

"It is. I need to ask you if Spurlock tries to come near the school, you need to let Bill or I know. I thought I could ask Cooper if he sees Spurlock to ring the tower bell. He can do it without attracting Spurlock's attention if you could keep Spurlock occupied."

"Yes, I can do that. I'll ask Cooper to come out to see you."

"Thank you. Please don't tell the other children, or anyone else, about this. It's very important that you not look like something is wrong. Can you do that?"

"Yes. I can."

"I can't tell you anything more. You'll have to trust me on this. Just keep Spurlock occupied to give Cooper enough time to ring the bell. I'm going to talk to Joseph and Minnie about this as well."

Elizabeth went back in the school and whispered to Cooper to go outside to see Constable Grant.

"Constable Grant, Mrs. Thornton said you wanted to talk to me. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Cooper, you didn't. I need you to do me a favor though. I'm going to let your parents know that I've asked you to do this. Would you recognize Mr. Walden or Mr. Spurlock if you saw them?"

"Yes. Mr. Walden bought our old cabin. He and Mr. Spurlock came to talk to mama and papa about it. I remember them," answered Cooper.

"I talked to Mrs. Thornton. We want to make sure that neither of them are near the school or near the children. They're not nice people, Cooper, so we want to make sure they stay far away from the school." Cooper nodded in agreement. "If you see either of them near or in the school, I need you to go quietly to the bell and ring it for as long as you can. Mrs. Thornton will talk to Mr. Spurlock so he doesn't see you. He may try to get you to stop. If you see him coming towards you, just stop ringing the bell, look him straight in the eye and tell him it's time for recess or lunch or the end of the day. Do you think you could do that for me?"

"Yes, I can do that," said Cooper.

"He isn't going to hurt you with everyone there. You'll be fine. Thank you for helping me out. I knew you'd be the right person for this job. Thank you, Cooper."

Cooper smiled from ear to ear. "You can count on me, Constable Grant."

Cooper turned, waved to Nathan from the top of the steps, and went back into the school.