Hope Leads the Heart

Chapter 11 Who, What, When, Where, Why?

Almost a week had passed since Robert's trip to Brookfield. Bill and Nathan were huddled together examining the ledgers that were spread out over the length of the kitchen table. While Allie was at a sleepover at the Canfield's, Bill and Nathan took advantage of her absence to peruse the ledgers line by line, one more time. They wanted to maintain privacy and security of their discussions, while having the ability to spread out all the documentation and to speak openly and freely. Their partnership and investigative skills were challenged trying to determine the source of the fifth signature.

"There's no question, Nathan, that some of the entries in this blue ledger were made by a different individual. Look at the curved tale on some of the letters and the slant forward is more pronounced, too. There are only a few entries in this handwriting, and I don't see this same handwriting in the other ledgers, which is very interesting. I believe this individual either was absent at most of the meetings with the others, or perhaps is a higher up in their organization trying to limit his involvement in operations. Well, at least evidence of his involvement. Maybe he was trying to protect himself," said Bill.

"The other option maybe that this individual joined the game late or left the game early," said Nathan. "Let's take a closer look at the dates of the entries and see if there is a pattern."

After spending another hour on their review, the partners came to the conclusion that the 5th person made entries early on, had no entries at all for an extended period of time, and then was involved in the activities that occurred about 3 months before the criminals were arrested. Entries in all the ledgers combined spanned a period of several years.

"So where is this person? Was he here in Hope Valley or stationed in Brookfield or somewhere else even? Why the long gap in between entries by that person? What was his role in all of this? Is he laying low now, continuing on solo, or pulling together a new group? This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack," fumed Nathan.

Nathan continued on, "It's easy to watch the comings and goings of people in town and at the train station, I guess. There's always the guest register at the Le Veaux, legal records of recent real estate purchases, and the merchants and bank in town would be aware of any unusual purchases, withdrawals, or deposits. Once we start asking a lot of questions or sequestering records though, we create curiosity and suspicion. Word gets around quickly and IF that individual is anywhere near Hope Valley, we run the risk of tipping him off, too."

Bill took a few minutes to take all this in. "I agree with you that doing that is very risky. I think there are other things to do to make better use of our time while not arousing suspicion. If this individual is in or around Hope Valley, he could be staying out of sight or trying to blend in collecting information on everyone's whereabouts, what businesses are thriving, etc. Maybe he is staying out of sight and awaiting the right opportunity to make a move. Then, there is the question of motive. I mean, why would they be here when the other players in their operation are imprisoned or dead? We believed we shut down the entire operation. It makes sense that they would stay far away from this town now. Have you or Robert noted anything unusual going on?"

"Not a thing, Bill," replied Nathan. "We have varied the times we do rounds very day and changed up the route sequence, too, in an attempt to cover more of a variety of activities over the course of the day. Nothing appears out of the ordinary. We haven't seen an influx of new residents, unusually frequent shipments of inventory to any of the businesses, or any unusual amounts of spending. The Le Veaux is doing a good business, but the tourists have not aroused any suspicion and none have stayed long term. No disorderly conduct, drunken fights, or disputes about billing or anything else, for that matter. Maybe this guy is too scared after seeing the others stand trial and sentenced. Everything in Hope Valley seems to be very logical, very usual, and very normal."

"Uh, huh," said Bill. "There IS no normal, no usual, as far as I am concerned. That in itself puts me on edge."

Gathering up the pile of precious documentation, Nathan tied all the pieces together with some rope and placed them in a wooden crate.

"I'll load these into the car tomorrow morning, cover them with a blanket so they are not easily visible, and drive them into town before I pick Allie up at the Canfield's. I don't want her to see any of this. There are no overnight guests in the jail, so I can hide the crate out of sight in the office for safekeeping," said Nathan. "I'll contact Gabe, too, and share what we have learned. He'll also be aware of anything unusual that might be going on in Brookfield."

"Nathan, I'm sure I don't need to tell you to be very aware and constantly vigilant. Of course, we have to consider revenge as a possible threat here. 4 partners caught and, as far as we can tell, business operations all shut down. That is probably not sitting well with Mr. 5. Both of us are expected targets, because we put the 4 away for a long time, but I am very worried about Allie's safety," said Bill.

"She is always my first thought when something unusual is going on, Bill," said Nathan. "Allie has to go to school, we can't keep her locked up in a cell, and we certainly can't share any of this information with her. We don't even know who or what we are looking for, much less if there will be an encounter. She is good about keeping me informed of her whereabouts and I will continue to encourage her to spend time in her group of friends. We don't know much about Mr. Doyle and he is a newcomer, so I will not be including him in our discussions. One of us, or the Canfields will always transport her to and from school every day. Robert and I both make rounds at the school daily and make sure that no one is loitering in that area when class is dismissed. I think that is about the best we can do for now."

"This dance that Fiona organized for tomorrow night might be a good opportunity for both us and Mr. 5," observed Bill. "The community center will be filled with lots of people, leaving many of their homes and businesses pretty vacant for a few hours. Maybe Robert and I should excuse ourselves from the dance and take watch all night. The foreman and most of the hands will be here, so nothing to worry about on the ranch. I trust our crew implicitly. You know, Nathan, this is NOT how I expected my retirement to go!" fumed Bill.

"If anyone leaves the dance to take watch it's going to be me, not you, Bill," admonished Nathan. "You are no longer officially a Mountie, remember? Besides, Tess and Ronnie are in town checking out the competition and staying at the Le Veaux. They'll soon be returning to Brookfield. You wouldn't want to miss a dance with her, would you?" he teased.

"I'll have you know that since Tess and I had an argument about those two horses we bought from her, I wouldn't get within 100 yards of that woman," retorted Bill. "I'd rather dance with you than with her!"

"Thanks for the offer, Bill, but I have other plans," quipped Nathan. Besides, that argument with her was months ago. What is it they say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Yes, it does…..of somebody else!" Bill protested heatedly.

Chuckling, Nathan ducked out of the kitchen and headed to his room before Bill got anymore agitated. A good night sleep was in order, for he had a feeling the weeks and months ahead were going to be very challenging. He hoped there would be time tomorrow, for at least one dance with a certain doctor.