Hope Leads the Heart

Chapter 9 Five?

Rushing up the stairs and into her seat, Allie was out of breath but very pleased that she wasn't tardy for school. She and her dad had started the morning out by driving Joanna back home and making her comfortable in her rowhouse. Able to put some weight on her foot and walk a little, Joanna had benefited from spending the weekend out at the ranch resting, and intended to go into the clinic to see a couple of patients. Bill was assigned the task of getting Quinn back to town and comfortably settled at the Hope Valley livery, so Nathan could poke his head into the Mountie office to check in with Robert.

"Good morning, class," greeted Mr. Doyle. "I hope all of you enjoyed the pleasant weather over the weekend. "

While the students shared stories of some of their weekend activities, Mr. Doyle wrote the weekly plan on the blackboard, including the homework assignments and reading. She wasn't too excited in the beginning about having a man for a teacher, but Allie truly enjoyed Mr. Doyle's teaching style. He had a sense of humor and seemed to know exactly when his class needed time for a field lesson or discussion of music and art. Allie enjoyed art and music very much and always looked forward to singing in church on Sundays.

Her dad was pleased that she was thriving again in school, especially after the hurt caused by Elizabeth Thornton's rejection, but she could do without all the homework Mr. Doyle assigned. Now that she lived out at the ranch, Allie found she would much rather spend her time outside doing other things. She liked her advanced Mathematics program even though it challenged her patience as well as her work ethic at times. To their credit, both Mr. Doyle and her dad always had a word of encouragement and immense patience with helping her through tough assignments.

As Allie and her classmates settled in for their daily writing and grammar lesson, Nathan was absorbed in a very serious discussion with Robert at the office and jail.

"Nathan, this morning I received an update from Gabe about Wyman Walden. It's a little troubling and I don't think you are going to be happy," said Robert.

Wyman Walden was another player in the Spurlock case, convicted of a murder in Brookfield and sentenced to a long jail term. He had tried to strongarm Fiona, Ned Yost, and some other business people in town into paying him a percentage of their business profits every week. The man was vicious, cruel and it had taken intense effort by Gabe, Bill, and Nathan to collect enough evidence to bring him to justice. Nathan absolutely despised him and was very relieved that he had been put away for a long time. Suspicious to a fault sometimes, Nathan still felt a little uneasy about the Spurlock-Bouchard case. Although things seemed to have settled down into a normal routine again in Hope Valley, he wasn't totally convinced that all the criminals had been identified and apprehended.

"Oh? What did Gabe have to share?" Nathan had a troubled look on his face.

Robert answered, "Gabe went through all the ledgers that were used as evidence in the trials. He believes there are 5 distinctly different types of handwriting in them. We already have samples of Mei Sou, Bouchard, Wyman, and Spurlock's writing to compare to the ledgers and have identified entries made by the 4 of them. So, who is the 5th?"

Nathan looked as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. "Is Gabe sure about this?"

"Yes, Nathan, he is," replied Robert. What do you want to do about it?"

"I am going to head to Brookfield to pick them up so I can have Bill take a look at them, too. First, however, I need to do my rounds and make arrangements for Allie to get home from school. I won't return until tomorrow. Can you handle things here, Robert?"

"Sure, Nathan, but I have a better idea. Why don't you let me go to Brookfield? Then you have no worries about Allie," said Robert. "I wouldn't mind a visit with Gabe anyway."

After pondering this idea for a minute, Nathan agreed that it was a better option. "Robert, I appreciate your willingness to go. It goes without saying that no one, and I mean, no one but you, Bill, and I need to know about this. Understood? It might cause a lot of panic and concern."

Nathan left to start rounds while Robert saddled up his horse and left for Brookfield.

Gazing at the new bridge from atop Newton, Nathan was pleased with what he saw. The bridge had been widened and strengthened and the ladies had done a wonderful job improving the appearance of the wooded area around it. The brilliant colors of the impatiens provided a beautiful frame around the water, almost like a wonderful landscape painting. Robert had been diligent with his patrols, and there was no longer a problem with loitering or with couples spooning in this public place.

He took a minute to ponder the latest turn of events, and couldn't help worrying about how he and Bill had missed the handwriting differences. Feeling uneasy about it all, Nathan feared that more trouble was ahead for Hope Valley. He returned to the office, tied Newton up, and proceeded to do the rest of his rounds on foot.

Passing in front of the clinic, he was going to walk in to check on Joanna but thought better of it when he saw her conversing with someone on the telephone. She noticed him through the window, smiled and waved, then went back to the conversation. Nathan noted that she was standing on both feet and didn't seem to be showing any signs of pain or discomfort, so he left quickly and moved along.

He passed the church where the school children were playing outside, and waved to Mr. Doyle who was monitoring the activities. All seemed in order, and he headed toward the rowhouses. After finishing rounds, the rest of his day was spent on typing reports and other paperwork.

When Allie burst through the door after school was out, he laid down his pen and accepted her bear hug with a smile. How he loved this particular activity! It more than made up for all those trying parenting moments that he struggled with.

"Hi, Dad! I got an A on my spelling test and Mr. Doyle was pretty happy with the Math. calculations I worked on. How was your day and where is Robert?" queried Allie.

"Well, that is great news, Allie. You spent a lot of time on those calculations so it sounds like it was well worth it. Robert went to Brookfield on Mountie business. He should return tomorrow," said Nathan.

"Mr. Doyle told us that his nephew might come for a visit. He is 18 years old and recently graduated. I can't wait to meet him. I hope he is nice, and if he is handsome, too, that would be icing on the cake," giggled Allie. "Did you know that Fiona has arranged for a little dance and some dancing lessons at the community center? Can we go, Dad? It's next Saturday."

Raising his eyebrows at the news that a mysterious 18 year-old male was coming to town, Nathan noted the giggles and sighed. He found it challenging to deal with Allie's interest in boys. That particular aspect of parenting caused him a lot of anxiety and doubt.

"Well, we can talk about it later, Allie. Let's go home and make some dinner. I'm sure Bill will appreciate having us do all the cooking for a change!" said Nathan.

They drove back to the ranch, completed some chores, and enjoyed a family meal together with Bill.

Waiting until Allie had said her goodnight and was off to bed, Nathan wanted to ensure that only Bill's ears would hear what he had to say. In a subdued voice, Nathan updated Bill on the 5th signature and Bill expressed dismay that they had somehow failed to do a more thorough review of those ledgers. He was now just as uneasy as Nathan. The 2 men agreed to pay close attention to people and activities in the area, and decided to reopen the investigation. It was now a priority to determine who owned that handwriting and what effect that individual had, or could have, on Hope Valley. Turning off lights, they headed to their rooms for a very restless night of sleep.

"So much for a nice, peaceful retirement," Bill muttered ruefully.