Bill's Reaction – Chapter 6

William looked at Nathan and asked, "What sort of 'official business' do the Mounties have with my daughter?"

Nathan shifted from one foot to the other. This was so awkward. He felt like a rookie being called out by a superior officer, but knew he must press on.

"Regrettably, we must ask Elizabeth some questions about her relationship with Lucas Bouchard." Nathan released the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

As she returned downstairs, Elizabeth heard Nathan's comment. With the greatest reluctance, she ushered them into her home. There was no point in having her neighbours watch her being questioned by the law. It was bad enough they would hear everything as the walls of the row houses were paper thin.

As they all stood in her entranceway, Elizabeth asked, "What kind of questions do you want to ask me about Lucas? And why don't you ask him yourself?"

Bill spoke up and said, "First of all Elizabeth, it is our duty to inform you both Lucas Bouchard and Christopher Hughes have been placed under investigation by The Mounties. Our questions for you are part of this investigation.

Elizabeth went as white as a sheet. William was shocked.

He addressed Bill & Nathan and asked, "What has he done?"

Both lawmen explained what had happened in the past with the daughters from well-to-do families. No charges were laid, but the incidents stopped when Bouchard left town.

Elizabeth pressed her lips together, indicating her desire not to answer any questions.

Bill stepped forward and spoke with some frustration, "Do you think for one moment, if there was no merit to this investigation, I wouldn't use my powers as a judge to shut it down?

Bill paused and his eyes softened. He approached Elizabeth and put a hand on hers. He said with a softer voice, "Look Elizabeth, neither Nathan nor I take any pleasure in causing you any more pain. Elizabeth, you must know you are both cared about and held in high regard. You also know neither one of us are fans of Lucas Bouchard's. However, personal feelings aside, we both respect the rule of law."

William spoke first, "Elizabeth, it is your civic duty to co-operate with officers of the law."

Then, he addressed Bill and Nathan, "As you heard, I have directed Elizabeth to assist you in this investigation, but I must warn you, I will not stand idly by while my daughter is interrogated without cause. So, before you start, are you certain this is necessary?"

Nathan looked at Elizabeth and then over to William and spoke in a gentle but firm voice, "What Bill said is true. We waited to speak with you until we were absolutely certain there was cause to do so. This is definitely not something we take joy in doing. The sooner we start, the sooner we will finish and be on our way. Shall we begin?"

Elizabeth sighed, but nodded in agreement. They all sat around her kitchen table and the conversation began.

Nathan was all Mountie, yet somehow gentler than usual. He started off by saying, "As we have already stated, a number of years ago, Lucas Bouchard worked in a bank in Hamilton. Young ladies from wealthy families were targeted and allegedly swindled out of money, after being charmed by Lucas. The Mounties in Hamilton had several complaints made; however, no one wanted the negative publicity, therefore, no charges were ever made. That does not mean the events didn't happen."

Bill interjected, "We believe there is a connection between Bouchard & Christopher Hughes but, to be honest, we're having difficulty connecting the dots. We were wondering if you knew of any connection?"

Elizabeth gathered her thoughts, folded her arms across her chest and finally spoke, "I don't know any of the details, but something did happen the night Christopher left Hope Valley. Lucas left his office to go speak with him. When he returned, he was moody and argumentative. I knew better than to ask any questions and we never spoke of the matter. I would suggest if you want to know anything about Christopher, to ask Lee. His niece, Rachel, was quite friendly with him."

"Elizabeth, thank you for that suggestion. We are aware of his connection with Rachel and are planning to reach out to him by phone." Nathan carefully asked the next question. "Was there ever a time when Lucas indicated he was financially struggling?"

Elizabeth recounted the time right after Lucas bought out Henry's interest in Gowen Petroleum. He admitted he was in over his head with the oil business. He bought Henry out in the first place because the oil business was had an uncertain financial future. "Initially, he was going to withdraw his investment, but I pointed out how many livelihoods that would affect. Looking back, I guess he kept Gowen Petroleum open in an effort to please me. This was before we were officially courting."

She continued, "There was another time I entered the library in the morning and found Lucas slumped over the ledgers. He had fallen asleep while working on the books. I never saw the contents of the ledgers, but he did indicate he was 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' to keep the oil business going. I guess the profits from the saloon were supporting the oil business."

She wrinkled her nose and continued, "Lucas never seemed to have a shortage of money. I guess I never stopped to ask myself – or him – where the money came from."

She looked at her father and could tell by his expression that they were thinking the same thing – 'just one more thing I really don't know about the man I'm courting...'

Finally, it came time to ask the question that prompted the meeting. Nathan once again took the lead, "Elizabeth, did Lucas ever ask you about your finances?"

She looked shocked at the question but responded without hesitation, "No, he did not."

William had a question of his own, "Does he even know whose daughter you are or does he only know you as a young widow from Hope Valley?"

Bill and Nathan looked at each other. "Of course, we just presumed he knew your maiden name was "Thatcher". If he doesn't know your background…."

Elizabeth interrupted with, "Well, I never made any effort to hide that I came from Hamilton. As for my maiden name, he would certainly know that from reading my first book of short stories. Jack published it before we were married, so the author's credit was "Elizabeth Thatcher."

Inwardly, she found it odd Lucas never mentioned to her that he had once lived in Hamilton. 'I wonder why he didn't say anything?'

Still unwilling to voice any doubts aloud, she continued with, "Isn't it just possible you are looking for something that isn't there? You have both admitted you don't like Lucas."

Bill promptly replied, "Elizabeth, it was your childhood friend, Charles Kensington, who pointed him out to us. Prior to that, we knew nothing about Lucas ever being in Hamilton."

Motioning to Nathan, he continued, "Incidentally, we do not start investigations into people, just because we don't like them."

Nathan looked at both of them and said, "Thank you for your time. While I realize this is terribly awkward for you, I must ask you to keep this discussion "Confidential".

Elizabeth smirked and replied, "Well, I guess that all depends on who is home today. Remember, these walls have ears."

He sighed and both Nathan & Bill excused themselves, leaving Elizabeth and her father their meal.

OUTSIDE ELIZABETH'S HOUSE

Upon exiting Elizabeth's, Nathan turned to Bill and said, "The key to this is finding out how Lucas & Christopher Hughes know each other."

Nathan had a thought suddenly come to him. "Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way. While we definitely need to speak with Hughes, if he is guilty and ever hopes to return to Canada, he will be cautious with his words, so he does not incriminate himself."

He looked at Bill and continued, "It may actually be Lucas we need to speak with. After all, we are not looking for him to admit guilt to anything. All we want to know is how he knows Christopher Hughes."

Bill replied, "That's a good point except he doesn't like us any more than we like him. We're only going to have one shot at this. Perhaps if he knows we have a witness to his alleged past deeds, he will be a little more forthcoming with information?"

Nathan replied, "It's worth a shot. But who is our witness?"

Bill mused out loud, "Well, Charles Kensington is still in town. Perhaps we should find out the name of his friend's sister? We could drop her name in conversation and see how Bouchard reacts."

As this was now late in the day, they each agreed to develop a plan and compare notes tomorrow, after Sunday Service.