Bill's Reaction – Chapter 3
HUGE shout out to Mamabethany for beta reading this and helping me tone down my characters. Writing fanfic may be therapeutic after a stressful day, but it doesn't make for easy reading!
After spending his first night on the lumpy bed in the jail, Nathan wondered why anyone would willingly commit a crime and risk getting sentenced to such an uncomfortable sleeping arrangement. Although he did manage to get some sleep, he did have some wakeful periods. He decided it would be best to put these "wakeful periods" to good use, by mentally reviewing the facts of the case.
He had missed out on some of the particulars with the stolen car, other than helping Bill push it into town. He knew William would want to know as many details as possible about how his car came to be in Hope Valley, and Nathan wanted to have the answers for him.
Searching his memory for additional information, Nathan recalled he and Bill observed Henry's son's arrival in town was around the same time as the car made its appearance, however, no accusations were made.
He made a mental note to check with Bill in the morning, regarding the exact timeline and sequence of events. He also wanted to ask Bill if he made a casted mold of the boot print Bill found in the car. As the town Mountie, Nathan was usually "on top" of matters like this, but these events happened around the same time as his recent inquiry, when he was being faced with his past.
After offering another prayer of thanksgiving for the positive outcome of the inquiry, he managed to drift off to sleep until morning.
SATURDAY MORNING
On his way to see Bill, Nathan encountered William and his two subordinates on their way to Abigail's Café for breakfast. William advised his plan to purchase breakfast and take it to Elizabeth's, as a surprise. After all, he not only had a daughter to visit, but also a grandson to meet.
Nathan invited the other two men to join him for breakfast and postponed reaching out to Bill.
Elizabeth had also suddenly decided to come to the café for breakfast, leaving Little Jack at home with Laura. On her way, she met up with both Allie and Opal. Elizabeth inquired why they were in town so early. Allie answered "I'm staying with Opal's family right now. Mrs. Weiss told us since it's Saturday and we have no school, we could come into town for breakfast."
"Is your dad out of town?", Elizabeth asked, "He usually tells me when he's leaving town."
"Oh no, Mrs. Thornton, my dad is staying at the jail for a few nights. There are some men visiting town and they are staying in our house. Dad thought it was best as they are pretty important people from Hamilton."
"Allie, do you know who the men are or why they are here?" Elizabeth asked, curiosity piqued, "As you may recall, I am originally from Hamilton."
Allie shrugged her shoulders, "Gee, Mrs. Thornton, I don't really know much about them. Dad didn't introduce them to me. All I really know is what I have told you. Oh, yes, I did hear one of the men was called "Mr. Thatcher". She then said, "That's it. See you Monday, Mrs. Thornton."
Elizabeth was dumbfounded. She mused to herself, 'Her father was in town? He couldn't be. Could he? Surely, he would have come to see her, direct upon arrival. More importantly, what is his connection to Nathan and why is he staying in Nathan's house?'
Elizabeth reached the café just as Nathan was about to enter the building. She greeted him and proceeded to ask whether her father was in town and staying in his row house. Nathan confirmed that such was the case. He started to explain; however, he didn't get very far…
Elizabeth, having made some immediate assumptions, proceeded to yell at Nathan in the street, much like she had several times prior. How dare he stoop so low as to interfere in her personal life by asking her father to come to Hope Valley. First Bill, now Nathan!
Inside the café, William had just finished paying for breakfast for two and was making general conversation with Bill, when they both heard a woman yelling outside. Both men hurriedly went to the window in time to witness Elizabeth giving Nathan a verbal tongue-lashing.
William could not believe it; his level-headed, middle daughter was the cause of this very public scene. He set down his breakfast surprise and purposefully strode to the door of Abigail's. By now, people were gathering onto the boardwalk to watch what was unfolding.
William walked over to his daughter and put his hand firmly on her shoulder. Speaking in low tones, with a disgusted sound in his voice, he exclaimed, "Elizabeth! I do not know why you are standing in the street, yelling at Nathan. Nor do I wish to discuss it, at this moment in time."
Elizabeth froze at the sound of her father's voice. She knew what it meant, when her father used this particular tone, and it was never a good thing.
Nathan seized the opportunity to depart the scene and joined Bill and the other townspeople on the boardwalk.
Elizabeth turned her head and looked sheepishly at her father. She was about to speak, when all of the sudden her face went white. The only words that escaped her mouth were, "Oh, no! Not now!"
Lucas, who had been on the balcony enjoying his usual cup of tea, watched the scene unfold in the street. When he saw the man put his hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, Lucas decided to come to her aid.
To Elizabeth's dismay, he arrived at her side and proceeded to address William, saying, "Sir, I do not know who you are, however, you have just disrespected my intended. I demand you apologize to her, immediately."
Mr. Thatcher glared at Lucas and asked, "And you are?"
"Lucas Bouchard, at your service. I am the proprietor of both the saloon and Gowen Petroleum", he smugly replied, and went on, "and once again, I demand you apologize to my intended."
"The saloon owner!" Turning toward Elizabeth, he spoke in the same low, angry tone, "Intended? Really, Elizabeth?"
Turning back towards Lucas, he continued, "Well, Mr. Bouchard, I am William Thatcher. Elizabeth's father. If there are to be any apologies made, they will come from my daughter, once she has regained her senses. As for you, I suggest you return from whence you came. This is a family matter and your presence is neither wanted nor needed."
"Now, if you will excuse me, I need to give my daughter a refresher course in good manners and judgment." Without waiting for a reply, he turned Elizabeth around and together, they walked towards her row house, totally forgetting about his breakfast surprise.
Unaccustomed to being spoken to in such a dismissive manner, Lucas was absolutely livid. With no desire to remain standing alone in the middle of the street, he returned to the saloon.
BACK ON THE BOARDWALK
Charles Kensington had witnessed the exchange and paid particular attention to Lucas. He approached Nathan and inquired, "Constable, what do you know about that man, Lucas Bouchard?"
Knowing Charles was unaware how awkward this could be for Nathan, Bill spoke up with an answer. "Three years ago, when I was Sherriff, I conducted a background check on Bouchard, when he first arrived in town. I became suspicious when he wouldn't provide direct answers to some very general questions. Initially, I was merely trying to get to know him, yet he was so vague about details. All he said was 'he did this & that' and 'he was from here & there.' Bill shook his head, "It is never a good idea to raise the suspicions of anyone in law enforcement."
"With the little information I was able to gather from him, I made contact with both the New Orleans and San Francisco Police Departments. I have a file on him in my office, however, since no police record was found, it is not very in-depth. Although unusual in this town, it is still not a crime to keep your private life, private. What's your interest in Bouchard, anyway?"
Charles explained, "It has been a number of years and he didn't have a beard back then, but he looks very much like a man who worked at one of the banks in Hamilton. He moved on from that job when it was discovered he used his position to prey upon the daughters of well-to-do families in the Hamilton area. He would wine and dine them just long enough to gain their confidences, and access to some money. Once he had what he wanted, he would leave them with a broken heart and a tarnished reputation. The sister of a friend of mine was one who fell for his charms. She was distraught at being deceived."
Charles paused and then continued "It's odd – I hadn't thought of that incident in a quite some time, until it was recently reported there was another scam artist trying to pull something similar. This incident was reported and the Hamilton Police had a line on him, but he seems to have skipped town. The papers said it was a fellow by the name of "Christopher something". Apparently, his father even works for the bank."
Nathan and Bill locked eyes. Nathan recovered first, "We recently had a young man arrive in town by the name of "Christopher Hughes"; I had a feeling Lucas knew him, but was unable to make the connection."
Charles confirmed that was the name reported in the Hamilton newspaper.
Bill jumped in, "We need to move quickly on this. The answers to our questions could possibly explain how William's car was stolen and ultimately arrived in Hope Valley."
Nathan looked at Bill and advised, "I'll contact Mountie HQ in Hamilton and request copies of their investigation be wired to Hope Valley. I will also start a full investigation into both Lucas Bouchard and Christopher Hughes!"
Bill started toward his office saying, "I'll request a search warrant from a Hamilton judge I know. Without a search warrant, we will have trouble gaining access to anyone's employment or banking records."
Charles offered to call the bank and speak with the manager. With an account the size of Hamilton Shipyards, the manager just might comply with a request coming directly from a high-ranking official of the company.
Neither Nathan nor Bill thought it wise to involve a civilian, unless absolutely necessary. They advised Charles not to discuss this matter with anyone, unless cleared by one of them.
There was one question that remained unspoken between Bill and Nathan. When the time was right, who was going to advise Elizabeth that the man she is in a courtship with is the subject of a Mountie Investigation?