CHAPTER 1 COURAGEOUS LOVE PROMPT AND INTRO
A COURAGEOUS LOVE-SPECIAL NOTE FROM PN1THRASHER: This takes place after the hug PRE Season 8
AN: This story is part of the Common Starting Point Fanfic Challenge. As the name implies, all stories in this challenge will have the same beginning. This common beginning text is in bold. As such the text in bold will appear in others stories. The bold text is used with permission of the original author and the text following the bold is the work of the author posting this story.
Inspector Nathan Grant rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way through Mountie Headquarters in Union City to his office. He had spent the last hour inspecting freight coming through Union City by railroad for one of his current open cases. This particular case involved the smuggling of stolen jewelry from stores in big cities in Eastern Canada to points out west. The operation had been discovered when a shipping crate for Thatcher Shipping Company had accidentally been dropped while moving it from one train to another. Two small canvas bags with several precious gemstone rings had come dislodged from the lid of the shipping crate. Nathan had been called in by the railroad, and two other crates in the shipment had been found to have jewelry hidden in crates of dishes and utensils.
Today, jewelry from a reported robbery in Halifax had been discovered in crates of food bound for Cape Fullerton. Having no reason to believe that William Thatcher himself was party to the smuggling operation, Nathan had been in contact with the shipping tycoon. Confiding in only his right-hand man about the incident, William Thatcher had not been able to turn up any indication that the stolen jewelry was being added to the crates at their origination in Hamilton. Unfortunately, that still did not rule out involvement by someone in the Thatcher Shipping Company organization entirely. The inside man could also be associated with the railroad or a third party altogether.
Reaching his office, Nathan hung his hat up on the hook inside the door as he walked over to his desk. He had left the contraband in the crates today. Picking up the phone, Nathan called and alerted the Mounties that were near the trains next stop. His plan was to keep tabs on the contraband and see where they disappeared.
After making the call, Nathan leaned back in his chair. He reached out for the lone photograph on his desk. The photograph was of him and Allie taken at Abigail's café just before they had left Hope Valley. While Bill had stayed quiet about the promotion until after Christmas as he had asked, once the fact became common knowledge that he would be leaving Hope Valley for Union City, Bill had set about organizing a going away party for him and Allie.
The fact that the town that had been slow to accept him when he first took the posting was now sad to see him leave had been touching. However, he didn't regret his choice. The Inspector job had been one that he had wanted. He found his new job responsibilities challenging. As for Allie, his niece seemed to have adjusted to life in the city. Nathan placed the photograph back on his desk as the phone rang.