"A Dramatic Story for the Valley Voice?"
Nathan arrived at the jail first thing in the morning to check on the prisoner. "Good morning, Mr. Greene. Did you sleep well?"
"It was better than sleeping in the ground in the woods. The food was better too," answered Joshua.
"I'm going to the café to get your breakfast. I'll be back shortly. I'm going to lock the door, so no one will come in."
"I'll be here when you get back. If I have a choice, I'll take pancakes with some bacon if they have it. I could use a coffee too."
"I'll see what I can do."
Nathan rode Newton over to the café and tied him out front. The café was busy serving breakfast and packing muffins for customers to take with them. Everyone stopped talking when Nathan walked in the door. They hesitated a moment and then began clapping.
"I didn't do anything to deserve this," said Nathan.
"It looks like the town disagrees with you," said Bill. "You handled that arrest perfectly. We can have the arraignment in my office at 11 o'clock. Headquarters is sending some Mounties over with a wagon to transfer the prisoner."
"I have to go to Headquarters later this week about the land scheme, Bill. When I talked to them last night, I told them I had a couple of things to take care of here before I leave," said Nathan.
"Don't worry about anything. I can patrol for you, and I may even deputize someone if I need help." Bill hesitated. "You know, I should probably talk to Laura about that. She did such a good job helping you with Joshua."
"She's quite something, isn't she? She did not flinch even a little during that entire episode. She probably would make a good deputy, but I hope she turns down your offer," admitted Nathan.
"Any reason?" asked Bill.
"I don't want anything to happen to her. I would never say anything to her. It would be her decision." Nathan thought about it a minute. "Are you just kidding with me, Bill?"
"No, I'm not kidding. From what you say, she was as brave as any good deputy, but no, I wouldn't put her in that position. The farmers are done bringing their crops in. I'm sure one of them could use the extra money. I think Laura has enough to do getting settled in the library. So, are you here for your guest's breakfast?"
"I am. I didn't ask, but he requested pancakes, bacon and coffee."
"I'm sure he did. Well, we can give him the pancakes and coffee, but we have ham this morning and not bacon."
"I'm sure it will do. It's probably a lot better than what he eats most days."
"Of course it is, because I'm cooking it, Nathan."
By the time Nathan got back to the jail with Joshua's food, Rosemary was waiting for him outside. "Rosemary, you're up bright and early this morning."
"Yes. Laura called me last night and told me what happened. She asked if someone could let Allie know, so I sent Lee to the Canfield's to talk to her. I'm here to get the story for the Valley Voice. Do you have a minute?"
"Come in. You know how this works, Rosemary. I can't tell you much until the arraignment. That will be 11 o'clock in Bill's office. You're welcome to come. The prisoner is being charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of armed robbery. I'm afraid I can't let you interview him though. You'll get all the details at the arraignment."
"Can you just confirm what Laura told me last night?"
Rosemary told Nathan what Laura had related to him, without embellishment.
"That's exactly what happened, Rosemary."
"Nathan, you were lucky that Laura was with you. You know, many women would have fallen apart given the same circumstances—probably most men too. You should petition the Town Council for an award for her." Rosemary hesitated. "We could have a ceremony, you know, do it up big. Nathan, you ought to think about that. No, on second thought, I'll talk to Lee. He's on the Town Council. Thank you, Nathan, and I'll see you at 11 o'clock. I have to get to the office and talk to Lee about this. Bye now."
Nathan just shook his head. He knew there was no stopping Rosemary when she had an idea in her head.
"OK, Joshua. I was able to get you pancakes, but they cooked ham this morning instead of bacon. I got you a pot of coffee too."
"Thank you, Constable. I'll have to tell all my friends if they're going to get arrested, do it in Hope Valley. The jail is comfortable, and the food is good."
"I'm glad you appreciate our hospitality. I'm afraid where you're going the food won't be as good. You probably heard me telling Rosemary that your arraignment will be at 11 o'clock in Judge Avery's Office. The Mounties are coming with a wagon, and they'll take you back to Headquarters with them."
"So, will I get lunch before they haul me off, Constable?"
"I can get you lunch from the café early. It will have to be 10 o'clock, so they will probably still be cooking breakfast, but at least you'll get something to eat before you leave."
"This is a right hospitable town, Constable, and I thank you."
"You can thank me by not showing up in my town again."
Joshua got a second breakfast at 10 o'clock consisting of eggs, more ham and a muffin. Nathan also brought a fresh pot of coffee. The Mounties arrived at the jail at half after 10 to bring the prisoner out to the wagon and transported him to Bill's Office. Everyone was seated and Judge Avery began the proceedings.
"Joshua Greene, you are charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of armed robbery. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty, Your Honor. I didn't know he was a constable. He wasn't wearing a uniform. I thought he was a big shot college professor."
"That has no relevance to this proceeding, Mr. Greene. The facts are, according to Constable Grant's report, that you attempted to rob him and his companion and then threatened to murder them if they didn't comply with your demands. The rest will be sorted out at Mountie Headquarters, where you'll be transported. You'll have access to an attorney there if you choose to have one. I think we're done here. Gentlemen, you can remove the prisoner and transport him to Mountie Headquarters."
Bill banged his water glass, which he used for a gavel, and the arraignment was over. The Mounties took Joshua to the wagon to transport him to Headquarters. Rosemary was there taking notes for the Valley Voice. Everyone left Bill's office except Rosemary and Nathan.
"Rosemary, do you have any questions for either Constable Grant or me?" asked Bill.
"No, I actually think I have everything. I just wanted to ask you if it would be alright to interview Laura since she was an eye witness."
"You can interview her if she wants to, but I'd prefer that it be here in my office, Rosemary, so the case against Mr. Green isn't compromised."
"Fair enough. I believe Laura is tutoring Allie after school. You'll be busy at the café, Bill. How about after the dinner rush? Laura and I could come to the café," said Rosemary. "Nathan, can you come too?"
"Sure, I can be there," said Nathan.
"I'll see you both tonight then. Remember, this is only if Laura wants to do the interview. She does not have to if she doesn't want to, and if I tell Laura not to answer a question, you have to respect that. Can you do that, Rosemary?" asked Bill.
"Why yes, of course I can. Bill Avery, you know me."
"Yes, I do. That's why I'm telling you this. I know you don't mean any harm, Rosemary, but we don't want to compromise the integrity of the case," said Bill.
"I respect that. I do. Fine then, I'll go by the library and ask Laura, and then I'll see you tonight."
"Rosemary, do you mind if I go with you to the library? I have to head back to the office, but I'd like to explain the circumstances to Laura if you don't mind," asked Nathan.
"I'm not surprised, Nathan. Come on then."
"Bill, are we set here for now?" asked Nathan.
"I think so. I'll see you tonight."
Rosemary and Nathan walked to the library with Nathan leading Newton. He tied him up, and Newton went right for the same patch of grass he was grazing on a couple of days earlier. The library was quiet, and Laura was reviewing the books in one of the book cases when Nathan and Rosemary arrived.
"Good morning, Laura," said Rosemary.
"Good morning, Rosemary. Good morning, Constable," said Laura.
"Laura, Joshua's arraignment just finished up in Bill's office. He's being transported to Mountie Headquarters. Rosemary asked Bill if she could interview you for the Valley Voice under certain conditions. First is that it is your choice to be interviewed or not. Second is that it would be at the café this evening. Bill and I would sit in on the interview. Rosemary will ask you her questions, but if they may compromise the investigation, Bill would tell you not to answer. This is completely voluntary on your part, and you don't have to feel pressured to agree to the interview if you don't want to do it," said Nathan.
Laura didn't hesitate at all. "I don't mind being interviewed. What time would the interview be?" asked Laura.
"How is 6 o'clock?" said Rosemary.
"That's fine. I'll be there then."
Nathan turned to Laura. "If you like, we could have dinner at the café after you finish tutoring Allie. I think Allie would like that too," said Nathan.
"So would I. Thank you, Nathan."
"I'll be by the library to walk you and Allie to the café then. I'll see you tonight. I need to get back to the jail to finish up some paperwork. Excuse me, ladies."
"Bye, Nathan. We'll see you tonight," said Rosemary. "I think that man is quite fond of you, Laura."
"I'm quite fond of him too, if I'm being honest. He's so kind and thoughtful."
"Yes, he is. It says a lot about the kind of person he is that he took in his niece when the poor dear's mother passed away. Her father wanted nothing to do with her. Now Nathan is adopting her. Men like that don't come along very often, Laura," said Rosemary. "Well, I need to get back to the office. I'll see you tonight, Laura, and thank you for agreeing to the interview."
The afternoon was quiet for Laura. She was able to review another book case of books before school was dismissed and Allie arrived for her first tutoring session.
"Miss Couture, I'm here," announced Allie.
"Allie, it's so good to see you. How are you after yesterday's excitement?" asked Laura.
"I'm fine. Thank you for sending Mr. Coulter to let me know what was going on. I would have been worried if Uncle Nathan was late."
"Actually, that was Clara's suggestion. I'm certainly glad everything turned out alright," said Laura.
"So am I. I worry about Uncle Nathan. He's a really good Mountie. Some people say he's even impeccable, but I worry about him anyway. He needs to go to Mountie Headquarters later this week. I usually stay at Opal's house when he goes away. Do you think Mrs. Weis will mind if I stay? I know you're living there now too," said Allie.
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I'd be glad to share my room with you if you like."
"That would be great. Thank you, Miss Couture."
"It's my pleasure, Allie. Now, what do you say with sit down and look over your mathematics and see where we should begin."
Laura and Allie reviewed Allie's assignments in great detail. "Allie, this is simply extraordinary work. It looks to me like you are capable to doing work quite above your grade level."
"I don't know. It just comes easy to me. I try to help the younger students. Mrs. Thornton is a really good teacher, but sometimes I'll sit with the other children when we're at recess. I play games with them, and they don't realize they're learning math."
"You are a remarkable young lady, Allie. I can see why Nathan is so proud of you. I picked out some books from the library's collection on geometry and algebra. Why don't we start with the algebra. I think that will help you when we move on to geometry."
Allie and Laura reviewed the basics of algebra, and Allie soaked it all in. Before they realized it, an hour had passed and Nathan arrived at the library to pick both Laura and Allie up for dinner at the café and Rosemary's interview.
"Nathan, good afternoon. I must have lost track of time. Allie and I have been reviewing her math skills, which are extraordinary for someone her age," said Laura.
"She inherited that from her mother. Colleen was always good with numbers," said Nathan.
"We're going to start with some algebra and then go into geometry," said Laura.
"Uncle Nathan, I think Miss Couture will really be able to help me. I did not like that Mr. Landis when he came to Hope Valley, but I'm glad he sent Miss Couture to us," said Allie.
Nathan smiled at Laura and Allie. "I am too. Now, who's hungry?"
Nathan, Laura and Allie walked to the café. Nathan had already brought Newton back to the livery. They talked about what Allie would be learning and how Laura would be able to help her get ready for college, if that was her dream. They were able to enjoy a leisurely dinner and dessert and some conversation with Bill before Rosemary arrived.
"Rosemary, you're right on time. Come on in. We're going to meet in the back. Allie, you're welcome to sit with Clara if you like. I'm sure she can find a cup of hot chocolate for you while we meet in the back," said Bill.
Allie rolled her eyes, but she knew she was not going to be invited to sit with the adults, so she went and sat with Clara and actually enjoyed her hot chocolate. Clara talked to Allie about the latest fashions and boys, and Allie found that for the first time she was actually interested in those things.
"OK, Rosemary. Do you have a list of questions for Laura?" asked Bill.
"Well, yes, of course I do. I'm a professional, and I take my job seriously. I'm really most interested in hearing what happened from Laura's perspective. Then I thought I'd ask questions if I'm not clear on a point. Would that be alright with you, Bill?"
"That's fine, Rosemary." Bill drew his attention to Laura. "Are you sure you don't mind being interviewed, Laura? This is completely voluntary, and you're under no obligation."
"I understand, Bill. Thank you." Laura related her story to Rosemary exactly as she did to Clara the previous evening. Laura knew that Rosemary liked embellishments, but she told the story without anything added. "I admit I was afraid, but Constable Grant told me that he wouldn't let anything happened to me, and I trusted him. I think that's how I was able to help him. I truly believed that he would not let anything bad happen."
"So, the criminal, this Joshua, didn't try to fight back? I thought he threatened you. You weren't afraid?"
"Well, yes, I was afraid at first, but I believed Constable Grant when he said he would not let anything happen to me, and so I wasn't afraid. I'm afraid it's not a more dramatic story for you, Rosemary," relayed Laura.
"No, no. I can word it so it will be very dramatic for my readers." Rosemary stood and swept her hands up and across the room. "The headline will read, 'Town Librarian Thwarts Armed Robbery.' It will be very dramatic, I can assure you."
"Rosemary, this is a serious charge. It should not be dramatized like some vaudeville act in a saloon," said Bill.
"I know this is a big deal in Hope Valley. My readers need to know how big a deal this is, and they won't know that if I just write the boring facts. It needs a little spice to make it flavorful. You understand, Bill," said Rosemary.
"I'm serious, Rosemary. Do you remember not too long ago you let me read the story you wrote about the land deal? Well, I think we ought to handle this the same way. Why don't you write the story tomorrow morning. Then you can bring it to me to review. I'll make sure there's nothing in the story that will jeopardize our case. Then you'll have plenty of time to get your paper out by Wednesday morning."
"If you insist, I'll do that. Sometimes I think you don't trust me, Bill," said Rosemary.
"You do have a tendency to dramatize things. No, I don't want to hear anymore tonight. Go home and write your story. Come see me in the morning whenever you're ready, and we can go over it together. Does that sound alright to you, Nathan?"
"Sure, Bill. It's fine with me. How about you, Laura?" asked Nathan.
"It's fine with me."
"Alright then. Let's call it a night," answered Bill.
Author's Note: This chapter is being published today rather than Monday. I will not have access to my computer for several days. Chapter 31 will be published on Monday, December 20th.