"Judgement Day"
The trial began promptly on Monday morning. The crown prosecutor and defense attorneys were ready to proceed. Wyman Walden and his associates were present in the Courtroom as well. Nathan wouldn't be called until the afternoon, so he spent the morning with Gabe and the recruits. The trial was expected to be contentious, but the prosecution was well prepared.
Opening remarks were made, and the prosecution had called some of its witnesses by the time the morning was over. The afternoon followed the same format. A messenger was sent to let Nathan know that he would need to be present in the Courtroom at 3 o'clock.
When the appointed hour arrived, Nathan was called to testify.
"Constable Grant, can you tell us in your own words how you came to meet the defendant, Mr. Wyman Walden and his associates," said Mr. Johnson.
"Yes, sir. He purchased a cabin and land from our Hope Valley Pastor, Joseph Canfield and his wife, Minnie," responded Nathan. "In time, we came to know Mr. Walden's banker, Mr. Vernon Blackmore and his backer, Mr. Ernest Cathcutter. We were already familiar with Spurlock, the Pinkerton Detective."
"Constable Grant, now can you tell us how you discovered what these men were doing in Hope Valley."
Nathan recounted the story of how he, Bill and Gabe were able to piece together what the men were doing and how they were buying up large tracts of land in Hope Valley.
"Constable, do you have anything further to add to your testimony?"
"Yes, sir. I do. People in Hope Valley sold their land to Mr. Walden not knowing what his intentions were for the property. Right now, Hope Valley cannot provide additional housing for anyone who would like to live there, because all the property, residences and commercial buildings are owned by Mr. Walden. We have a new librarian in town, who came to us from Quebec. She is staying with a local family, because there is no place for her to live. This is only one example. Hope Valley has a thriving logging business. That business cannot expand, because the employer, Coulter Enterprises, cannot offer housing to any additional loggers. That is pretty much what is happening throughout the town. All the properties purchased by Mr. Wyman are tied up pending the results of this trial. Mr. Johnson, what would really help Hope Valley is if the previous owners of these properties had first right of refusal to purchase their property back at the same price that they sold it. Until that happens, Hope Valley cannot move forward."
"Thank you, Constable Grant. Your honor, I would like to request that the Court take this request under advisement."
"Yes, Mr. Johnson. The Court can certainly do that. Now, before the defense objects, which I know it will, I can assure you that the Court will not entertain an objection.
The defense attorney did not try to object, although his client was most definitely angry about it.
The trial continued the remainder of that day and the next until the prosecution rested. The defense asked the judge they could meet with him in his chambers, which was granted.
"If you are looking for a deal for your clients, sir, I'm listening. I want to remind you that Hope Valley is not the only victim in this case, there are several other victims as well," said the judge.
"Yes, sir. I'm aware of that. My clients would like to plead guilty to the charges in this case and possibly plead guilty in the others, depending on whether we can come up with an equitable agreement," said Wyman's attorney.
"I can entertain that, sir. Here's my offer. You can discuss it with your clients. We will adjourn Court for today and reconvene in the morning. I expect an answer then as to whether your client will accept the Court's terms."
"Yes, sir."
"The Court's terms are that Mr. Walden has 30 days to sell the Hope Valley properties back to their original owners for the same price they paid. If the original owners do not want to buy back the property, it will be held in trust by this Court, and Mr. Walden will pay the Court the same price. The Court will hold the property 30 days and then transfer it to be held in trust by Judge Bill Avery in Hope Valley until a buyer is found, who is approved by the Hope Valley Town Council. The Court's intention is to allow other residents of Hope Valley an opportunity to purchase the properties if the original owners are not in a position to do so. Your client will serve five years in prison and will pay a $1,000 fine to the Court, which will be transferred in trust to Judge Avery. That money will be earmarked for economic development in Hope Valley. The crown prosecutor will find this acceptable, as we had previously discussed it. If you care to settle the other cases in the same manner, we can discuss that at the appropriate time. You should know that I believe this to be lenient, but it will save the province the cost of additional trials, and I have taken that into consideration. I expect an answer at 9 o'clock in the morning when Court convenes. Otherwise, if your clients cannot agree to this, you will be expected to proceed with your defense at that time. You should also know that if they are found guilty, this deal is off the table, and they will likely serve the maximum amount of time on each count they have been charged with if I have anything to say about it. Do you have any questions?"
"No, sir."
"Very well. We will go back into the Courtroom and adjourn for the day."
Nathan was surprised when the Court was adjourned. The crown prosecutor asked Nathan for both patience and his presence in Court first thing in the morning.
"Nathan, I didn't expect to see you back here so soon. Are you finished with your testimony already?" asked Gabe.
"I'm not sure. There was a meeting in the judge's chambers. Then Court was adjourned for the day. I have to be back first thing in the morning," replied Nathan.
"Do you think the defense asked for a deal?"
"I don't know, but I can't imagine what else it could be. I guess I'll find out in the morning."
At 9 o'clock everyone was back in the Courtroom. The mood was somber on the defense side, and the crown prosecutor looked more serious than usual. He greeted Nathan and asked him if he would sit with the spectators.
"What's going on Mr. Johnson? There are reporters outside. They stopped me and asked for comment. I didn't say anything," said Nathan.
"Thank you, Constable. I think we may learn something soon."
Everyone was seated, and when the judge came in, the room was quiet. He looked at the defense attorney and cleared his throat. "Sir, have you spoken to your clients about our discussion yesterday afternoon?"
"Yes, sir, I have."
"And how would you like to proceed, sir?"
"Sir, my clients would like to change their plea to guilty."
Everyone in the Courtroom gasped. No one ever expected someone as high powered as Wyman Walden to go down without a fight. Once the room was quiet again, the judge resumed.
"Very well. Thank you, sir. As a result, Mr. Wyman will serve five years in prison. Mr. Wyman, your sentence will begin in 31 days. You have 30 days to sell all the property back to the residents of Hope Valley. If you are unable to do that in 30 days, you will put the remainder of the money in trust to this Court. Has your attorney provided all the terms of the settlement to you, and do you understand your responsibilities here?"
"Yes, sir. He has explained it to me, and I accept the terms," stated Walden.
"The other defendants are scheduled to be tried separately, but I am willing to make a plea agreement with them as well. Otherwise, their trials will commence next Monday. Mr. Walden, would you like to speak before we adjourn?"
"No, sir."
"Very well. I want to thank everyone for their patience and commitment to the work before us. Court is adjourned."
Mr. Johnson turned around to speak to Nathan. "Nathan, it was the work that you and your colleagues did putting this case together and documenting it so well that made it difficult for the defense to argue. You are to be commended, Constable. It has been my pleasure to work with you. Now, you may want to go make a telephone call to Hope Valley to let them know that in 30 days their properties will be unencumbered."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate what you've done. If you don't mind, I'd like to do just as you suggest and call Hope Valley right now."
"I'm sure if you speak to the Court clerk, he'd be glad to provide a telephone for you."
"I'll do just that. Thank you, sir."
"It was my pleasure. Now, go make your call."
Nathan quickly left the Courtroom, skipping right past all the reporters and headed for the Court clerk's office.
"Good morning, Constable. How can I help you?"
"Sir, may I use your telephone to call Hope Valley in Alberta?"
"Certainly. There's a telephone in the back. You're welcome to use it."
"Thank you."
Nathan settled in to the empty conference room and contacted the operator to place the call to Coulter Enterprises in Hope Valley.
"Good morning, Coulter Enterprises."
"Lee?"
"Nathan, is that you?"
"Yes. I wanted to let you know, Court just adjourned. Wyman Walden pled guilty. He has to pay back all the money. Anyone that Walden bought property from, he is required to sell it back to them at the same price. If the original owners don't want to buy the property, the money will be held in trust with the Court here and then transferred to Judge Avery to hold. Walden has to pay a $1,000 fine to be used for economic development in Hope Valley. He's also going to prison for five years."
"Are you sure, Nathan?"
"Yes. I'm sure. It's over. In 30 days Hope Valley will be done with this mess. Could you let Bill know about the settlement agreement? The crown prosecutor said that we did such a good job with our investigation, that it was easy for him to make a case against Walden."
"Nathan, that's incredible. We'll need to schedule a Town Council meeting so we can let people know about this."
"Lee, both you and Bill will be getting letters from the Court explaining the terms of the settlement and what it means to Hope Valley."
"Sure, Nathan. I'll be glad to let Bill know."
"One more thing. Can you tell Allie and Laura that I'll be coming home sooner than I expected."
"It would be my pleasure. We've all missed you, Nathan. Now, you know Rosie is going to want to write a story for the paper. What do you think about that?"
"Could you ask her to hold off on the details, but she can write that the case settled. I'll bring a letter from the judge with all the particulars, then she can write her story."
"OK, Nathan. You have a safe trip home, and we'll see you soon."
"Thank you, Lee. Bye now."
"Bye, Nathan."
Please note that next week's chapter will be published on Tuesday instead of Monday.