CHAPTER NINE

There were six men who were known to be part of Packer Johnston's gang.

All of them had committed murders, among other heinous crimes. The number of people murdered by these men collectively was too many to accurately count, and they included men, women, and even children. Some murders were for no other reason than the gang had gotten bored, and wanted live targets for their particular own style of target practice.

That's to say nothing of the arson, burglary, kidnappings larceny, rapes, and robberies that had all been attributed to them over the years. The exponential list of their crimes would literally take a team of Judges months to sort through.

These men, individually, were known to be the most disreputable, hardened, and violent of criminals, and each head had carried a huge bounty when they worked alone.

But when they banded together under Packer Johnston's leadership, they quickly became the most formidable of all criminal gangs, a force to be reckoned with, creating havoc where ever they appeared.

Teams of Mounties had been assigned to track them and stop them, but with no success whatsoever. In fact, several Mounties had lost their lives over the years, because they had gotten too close. But the gang's illegal activity kept growing in leaps and bounds.

This gang among all others remained an enigma to Law Enforcement throughout the country and beyond. It was an embarrassment to them through the years, that they had not been able to apprehend a single member of Johnston's gang.

It wasn't a given that all of them would come after their leader, but it was a distinct possibility, even probability. Bill, Nathan, and their squadron of Mounties had to literally be prepared for anything.

"They'll come in the dark," Bill was sure of this. "Evil likes the cover of darkness."

And thankfully, the dark would work to the Mounties' advantage, because they would already be hidden in place.

One thing kept coming back to Nathan's mind. "You know, Bill, the harder the criminal, the more of a coward they are."

"What are you saying, Nathan?"

"I'm saying, the more they get hardened to killing, the less they're willing to die themselves. Killing becomes a control thing for them, and there's a psychological shift of some sort in their minds. They set themselves up as though they'll never die, and they'll usually do just about anything to keep that from happening."

"Well, how did you get to be so wise?" asked Bill.

"It's just a fact. Wait and see." Nathan stated simply.

Another important advantage Nathan's team would have was by now, they all knew the lay of the land for the little town of Hope Valley. And that was very significant, especially if something happened and the gang couldn't be taken on horseback. Johnston's gang would not be at all familiar with the lay of the land or the positioning of the shops.

Nathan, along with his Mountie squadron had spent the afternoon studying the crooks and crannies throughout, assessing the placement of their stations. If necessary, they now knew exactly where they could move to their best advantage, no matter the contingency.

There were fifteen Mounties in all, including Nathan, Aaron, and Gabe, plus Bill. The men knew fewer could do the job, but the higher-ups at Headquarters were concerned about the gang's transport after they were apprehended. They wanted every last member of this gang, captured alive and brought in for trials. They were leaving nothing to chance, so they had inflated the numbers above what had been requested, or even needed.

When the men were apprehended, Nathan, Aaron, and Gabe were to stay in Hope Valley with Bill to work together, formulating the initial mound of paperwork, post arrests, which would be massive. The remaining twelve Mounties would form the Transport Team for all six members of the gang plus Johnston, that is if none were killed in the standoff.

Headquarters had also wired Nathan, that given the circumstances, they had sent another pair of Officers to notify the Crawford Family of their son's tragic, untimely death. So at least that chore had been marked off of his and Constable Latham's to-do list.

Although risky, Nathan and Bill had decided to take Johnston out of the jail, since they knew that's precisely where his people would come to break him out. Instead, they bound him and locked him in the one stone cellar in town that had only one entrance and no windows. That entrance was secured like a fortress and was guarded by Latham since he was the one most familiar with the prisoner. They weren't taking any chances.

The Mounties had eaten a substantial late lunch, thanks to Lucas and Gustav. Even Bill was impressed at what they had done with the food he had had on hand.

Later that afternoon, Nathan had asked Lucas and Gustav if they could rustle up some boxed sandwiches and drinks to distribute to the various stations to help get them through the long wait ahead. That wait would most likely last through the evening and into the night. They had happily obliged.

Nathan needed his men to be fully alert and focused. Hunger and thirst had a way of cutting into that focus.

Throughout the day, the deputized townsmen were gaining a new respect for Nathan and his quiet, but firm style of leadership.

In fact, it had been quite something for them to see their normally quiet, reserved Mountie putting his plan into action, fully taking the lead, being totally in charge.

The men also couldn't help but notice the brotherly camaraderie coupled with the high degree of respect the other Mounties had for him. It was clear that the Mountie squadron showed complete confidence in following his lead.

The Mounties, however, unlike the townsmen, were quite used to seeing Nathan in charge. In one way or another, he had led most of them, either in training or maneuvers. Nathan Grant had risen quickly through the ranks and the higher-ups had capitalized on his calm demeanor and savvy instincts, often putting him in charge of various and sundry projects.

Nathan was also fully integrating the men Lee had deputized into his plan to capture the gang. He made it clear to them that their help was immensely appreciated and that the Mounties' job would have been next to impossible without their hard work in setting up the ammunition stations. Nathan felt strongly that the deputized men needed to remain in town to assist the Mounties if required. The fact that they knew the town better than anybody would be of great value to the visiting Mounties, no matter what circumstance they might encounter during their operation.

Nathan divided them, so there were at least two deputized townsmen with each Mountie. They were to follow their assigned Mountie's direction and be ready to assist them in whatever way was needed. Any problems, they were to come directly to Nathan.

"Bill, I've got Carson on standby. Are we missing anything?" questioned Nathan.

'Not a thing as I can see. Nathan, you've done a great job rallying the men. Very organized, systematic, and most importantly, you've kept them calm. They've followed your lead all day. Now don't let this go to your head, but I think you just might be the best organizer I've seen in this line of work. Now, we just wait."

"That's always the hard part, isn't it Bill," Nathan stated, not expecting an answer.

The sun had gone down, and the night was finally upon them.

The stars overhead were shining brightly and offering the only light they had, as their lanterns had been extinguished. The quietness of the town was so pronounced, it produced an eeriness throughout.

Finally, midnight came. The moon in the sky somehow brightened, as though she knew her reflection was needed along with the brightness of her companion stars.

Suddenly, in the distance, they could hear the pounding of hoofbeats thundering toward them.

Their visitors were coming, and Hope Valley was ready.

Nathan said a silent prayer for God to give him and his men wisdom, strength, and safety.

Now, they were truly ready…

Nathan wanted the gang to be taken while they were still on horseback, so they would be at a greater disadvantage.

Doing that without hurting the horses, was tricky, but these Mounties were professionals and trained to protect the horses at all costs. They knew exactly how to safely carry out this mission, even if it came down to a shootout.

As soon as Johnston's gang entered Hope Valley, they slowed their horses, noticing the eerie quietness. The men suddenly came to a full stop, in the center of the street, looking suspiciously around about them.

Standing out of sight, Nathan lifted a megaphone.

His voice was calm and strong, as it reverberated throughout the darkness of the night, but it was also firm as steel.

"You have fourteen Sharpshooter Mounties with rifles aimed directly at your heads. There are two choices: drop your weapons now, or we shoot to kill."

Even in the dark, Nathan & Bill, who were standing together in the shadows, could see the shock on all six faces of the gang members. But somehow, the gang members knew this man speaking to them in his calm, even voice was not bluffing. They slowly dropped their pistols.

"Wise decision. Now drop any hidden guns or knives. Do it now. Straight to the ground. You have 10 seconds."

The second round of weapons was dropped by each gang member.

"Place your hands straight up in the air, hold them there, and stay on your horses."

As they did precisely what Nathan ordered them to do, twelve of the Mounties in teams of two moved in to secure each of the six gang members. The captures and arrests happened quickly, and in a flash, the job was done. Once all were secured, Nathan gave a loud all-clear to his men.

"Nathan, I never!" shaking his head in amazement, that was all Bill could get out. Nathan had been right in his assessment of the criminal mind.

And just like that, the impossible had been accomplished without a single gunshot. It was indeed a marvel to see.

And it would go down in Mountie lore as such: the arrests of Packer Johnston and his entire gang, in the little town of Hope Valley, without a single shot fired.