Chapter 140: Mice and Men

Nathan stood quietly hidden at the back of the train in the tiny passage normally reserved for the Conductor and Steward.

It took a few moments before he was able to get Conductor Eldon Richmond's attention, who knew not to give his presence away.

Nathan signaled toward the young mother whose baby was sleeping peacefully in a basket in the seat beside her.

They were sitting directly behind his target, and they had to be removed for safety's sake, while also clearing the path for Nathan to overtake the man Nathan now knew was masquerading as a woman.

Nathan then pointed to the restroom, motioning for the Conductor to take them there.

Nathan watched as the Conductor moved through the aisles, scanning each face as part of his check for service, stopping to serve Coffee to those who wanted it.

He saw the Conductor offer the young mother assistance with her Baby, as she retired to the Lady's Room, which delighted her.

But Nathan saw her face change from delight to worry back at the door of the restroom, as the Conductor handed her Baby to her and asked her in a very low voice to please stay safely in there till he came to get them.

The young mother couldn't help but look frightened, yet she quickly nodded that she understood and would do as was asked.

This entire process took about eight minutes, allowing Nathan enough time to observe his target closely.

From the back, if you discounted the apparel being worn, including the triple pearl necklace, the neck clearly belonged to a man.

But other than the mistake of not camouflaging the neck's back portion better, along with the deadly slip of the pant leg from earlier, the man's disguise was highly immaculate, and otherwise would not have caused any suspicion in the slightest.

It was actually quite an amazing transformation.

The man obviously had training in theatrical make-up, as he would have to work hard to maintain this look, given what would be a daily five o'clock shadow, and he was definitely traveling alone, at least for this leg of his journey.

But why dress as a woman?

Why wouldn't a man disguise himself as another male?

It would be much easier to manage.

Who could this be?

Of that, Nathan had no clue, not with his disguise still intact!

A basic rule that had been drilled into every Mountie, very early in training, came flooding over his mind.

'When in doubt as to what you're dealing with, treat it as the worst-case possible scenario.'

'If this man's gone to this much trouble with a disguise, he's a well-known criminal. He's bound to have a gun beside him, ready to shoot if need be. I'd bet under the folds of his skirt. If I come up from behind, he could shoot an innocent passenger, but if I go to the side, he will definitely shoot me. Everything has to be done in one fell swoop so that no one is harmed. There won't be a second to spare! But what side is the gun on? Think, Nathan, think. He/she was drinking a cup of coffee. Yes! He was certain. It was the right hand. So, my only real option is to go up from behind him, toward the right side, and quickly restrain his right arm."

But just as Nathan started to lunge, a little girl who looked to be about seven or eight years of age, happily skipped through the aisle back to the restroom.

Thankfully, the Conductor was instantly behind her, smiling, but following her to see that she safely arrived at her destination.

As Eldon and the child reached the restroom, Nathan saw that the Conductor was explaining to the Mother of the Baby to safely keep the little girl, whose name was Maisie, with her and her own child, and he would come to take her back to her own mother as soon as they finished 'something or other' for grown-ups that Nathan couldn't hear.

Everyone else seemed to be in their seats, but anxious after the ordeal with the intoxicated passenger, who was secured in front of them, as a constant reminder.

As the Conductor stood by Nathan who was still hidden from view, Nathan handed him a box of Chocolates he had observed sitting on the counter. The Conductor would go through to distract their target by passing out Chocolates, while Nathan would come in from behind.

It was a simple ruse, but one that would prove highly beneficial, especially if their target took the bait of selecting a piece or two of the delectable candy.

If he did, his right hand would be occupied, without his gun!

The passengers would all be safe.

And Nathan would have his prey.

But you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men:

"But Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes of mice and men
Go oft awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!" (*110)

However, the best possible plan was set, and truthfully it was the only one that could have been made given the current scenario.

"Ma'am, would you like a complimentary chocolate or two? They are our very best. Imported all the way from Belgium, they are!"

As the woman reached to select her chocolates, Nathan slid into position.

"Chief Inspector Grant! Don't move, you're under arrest," resounded the usual ceremonial words for this particular arrestive occasion, as the Chief Inspector's cold gunpoint grazed the one spot on the back of his/her neck that wasn't covered by her pearls and high collar.

"What for?" came the response in a feminine voice, at least of sorts, more feminine than masculine.

There was no immediate answer.

For even though Nathan had planned optimally with the resources he had, and had lunged exactly within the optimal line of capture, at the perfect moment, the hand with the chocolates in it swung up randomly distributing all the chocolates from the huge box and his own hand, everywhere, hitting nearby passengers, as well as the Conductor and Nathan.

Yes, it was raining chocolates!

But that hand, that same hand that had just held two of the chocolates, somehow flowed seamlessly into a right-hand backward punch before Nathan could possibly reach to grab it, that landed squarely on the Chief Inspectors left eye!

Everything had happened in a matter of seconds, leaving Nathan seeing stars that weren't really there!

Of course, the intent had been to knock the gun out of the Chief Inspector's hand, yet Nathan's gun never wavered, as his head was knocked back instead.

He staggered the slightest bit, but quickly regained control and cuffed his prey from behind, by leaning over before he turned to face him, not fully able to see from his injured eye, as he was still somewhat dazed.

Thankfully, Eldon had grabbed the occupant's gun, with it now also aimed at their target.

"To answer your question: for impersonation and we'll see where this goes from there. We're leaving it open-ended, subject to change as needed," Nathan responded forcefully, though a bit delayed.

There were shrieks then murmurs throughout the entire passenger car, as the passengers watched the man who had previously diffused a most dangerous situation, obviously helping them again, how they didn't know.

Why he wasn't even in uniform!

And this was a somewhat sweet, elderly lady.

How dangerous could she be?

"Sir, you just assaulted an Officer of the Court. Whoever you are under there now has a sentence that just increased by two years to life. First your wig."

And Nathan lifted the wig off the now securely cuffed person, which just as he had thought, revealed a male.

A rather young male, not much older than Nathan, himself.

There was a collective gasp from the passengers throughout the Passenger Car, who hadn't been able to tear their eyes away.

The "woman" didn't even bother to pretend.

Her secret had now been found out.

She was clearly a he.

But who? With the heavy make-up, Nathan couldn't tell. And Nathan knew the top thirty wanted across the country as well as pretty much every wanted poster he had ever seen.

All had been committed to memory. It was part of his new job to keep up on cases throughout the country, but this had been something Nathan had always done with intention.

Any time there was a poster sent out to the force, he memorized the face, along with every detail given. Then in his spare time, he would research everything that was known about that particular criminal. And he never forgot.

It was as though he kept a mental file cabinet of every single one, a habit that served him very well in his new job.

The odds were inordinately high that if he could see this person behind their mask of make-up, he would know exactly who they were.

"Next where are all of your identification papers?"

The man smirked, motioning toward his 'handbag,' which Nathan opened, finding only a single id that identified him as Mrs. Harold Atkinson.

"So, we're playing this game, are we? Stand up! You're taking the window seat."

After the transfer, Nathan sat squarely in the man's seat and when he did so, he saw a rather large 'Train Case' under the first seat implying it also belonged to the man by his side.

From his own seat, the man eyed the case, without ever looking away, and was clearly dreading it being opened.

As Nathan broke the insignificant lock, he wasn't at all surprised to see ammunition along with four additional guns to the one they had found under the dress as he had expected.

It wasn't a surprise that there was nothing there to identify the man, but there was a hard surface just under the ammunition and guns.

Nathan removed everything placing them beside him on his right side, away from his criminal companion. He then lifted the false bottom to find extensive tins and tubes of theatrical make-up as well as a couple of larger jars of cold cream. Nathan knew exactly what those were used for.

"Can you bring me a dry towel along with some wet cloths," Nathan asked the Conductor?

"Yes, Sir, that and an ice pack for your eye coming up!"

"Thank you!" then turning to his prisoner added, "Here, let's get you lathered up."

Nathan placed large dabs of the cold cream across the man's face, not trusting to let him do it for himself, as that would have meant uncuffing him.

Then he stood over him, and spread it out across his face, sitting back down to wait and let the cream do its work.

By the time the Conductor returned with the requested items, the cream had most certainly done exactly that!

As Nathan wiped the lathery-colored mess away from the man's face with a wet cloth, a most sinister-looking young male very quickly appeared, and Nathan couldn't hide the hint of a smile that came to his face.

Although Nathan instantly dreaded Elizabeth seeing his injured eye, it was almost worth it, having captured the person before him.

It was David Elias Chaston, better known as Chance Chaston, a young man his parents had disinherited after a shady business deal he had made that caused them to almost lose their home, along with most of their money. He was now only in his thirties, but the head of a large gang known as 'Chance's Revengers' that had reached havoc across Canada. They had robbed, pilfered, and even raped, all with a ruthless contempt, taking anything they wanted for their own. And Chance had factions in each of the provinces across the country, that were all growing due to his charm and cunning, as well as his group's allegiance.

Oddly, they stopped at murder.

But bootlegging was their real game.

And they were the forerunners, the best at what they did, providing illegal liquor to most all of Canada.

It had proven to be a most lucrative endeavor which also implicitly held the added bonus of keeping his men very happy, in addition to all of the aforementioned wealth and women that went along with it.

Yes, the young man's charm and cunning had proven to be a most lethal combination.

Quite a prolific criminal, with a burgeoning empire, for one so young.

One who had rapidly become very very wealthy indeed.

Several gang members had been captured over the years, but no matter how hard the Mounties had tried, never their fearless leader.

For some reason, Nathan suspected fear for their lives, the men never ratted their leader out.

Though, of course, he was the one that was obviously wanted the most, for it was known without his strong leadership, the gang would naturally weaken and be ripe for the picking.

For it was known, that Chase managed without a strong second in command, instead, dividing his men up into teams, that always answered to a revolving temporary person in charge. Their leader had seen it as a method of control. But it was his youthful fancy, never thinking he would succumb to anything beyond his own control, that had also weakened his thought process, and now, what he had fought so hard to build in its entirety.

There was no singular person to take over his place in his absence, no one who knew how to run everything, and the Commissioner and his Mounties knew this would wreak internal havoc within the group once Chance Chaston was out of the equation.

So, this was a pivotal arrest, one that had been a long time in coming.

But Chaston was thinking: 'This young guy isn't even wearing a uniform. He can't possibly know who I am. They'll let me off at the next podunk town and I'll escape!'

"Very glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. David Elias Chaston, also known as Chance Chaston."

Okay, he had underestimated this Mountie beside him.

How could he possibly know?

So, the Lawman obviously wasn't as green as he'd thought.

"And what if that's not who I am?" retorted Chance, hatefully.

"That would be an impossibility. You have a jagged cut on your right hand. A mole to the left of your neck, and if I daresay a tattoo of an ace of spades on…well you get my drift. You see, there's not much about you we don't know," answered Nathan with aplomb and serene calm.

Nathan stopped his words, and placed the ice pack over his throbbing eye, without once looking away from the astounded Chance Chaston with his good eye.

It was then that Nathan saw a darkness fall over the man, a beginning awareness that this was actually the beginning of the end to his life as he knew it.

David Elias 'Chance' Chaston was now a ward of the state, small town drop-off or not, there would be no escape.

Chance even suspected Mounties were being sent from wherever to oversee his incarceration.

'Of all the luck! Why oh why had he picked this train?'

He had been worried since that stupid drunk set everything off.

'No one would have ever known! And I would have made it home, with no one ever being the wiser!'

The Conductor came back with more chains.

"I'm sorry, Sir. This is all we have."

"That works. Could you please help me secure Mr. Chaston?"

The two men worked together till Nathan was sure Chaston couldn't break loose.

Although, Nathan still knew he couldn't let him out of his eyesight.

And so, once the man was secure, Nathan stood up and moved to the back a bit, out of earshot of his captive, but with his eyes still trained on him, without falter, to give instructions to the Conductor.

Eldon started first, apologizing, truly sorry for the Chief Inspector's injury.

"We're sorry, Sir, to have ruined your Family time," he began to apologize. "As well as your eye. But we are most grateful that you were here and were able to detect we had a second problem passenger."

"That's my job. Could you get a message to the next Mountie Office and also notify headquarters as to our position? They'll send reinforcements. Tell them the highest level of protection. #3 on our list. Make sure you say it just like that."

"Yes, Sir!"

"After that, can you get a message to my wife, that I'm alright, but I have to stay with my prisoner till transfer?"

Nathan was scribbling a note, which he folded.

He might have been a new husband, but deep down, he knew if he kept his injury from his wife, things would only be worse.

So, he was doing his best to gently prepare her, allowing Eldon to explain the rest, the best he could.

"Also do you mind giving her this? I'm afraid my wife is quite fastidious about needing to be in the know. She'll worry more if we keep this from her. If you can explain as painlessly as possible, it would be most appreciated."

"Glad to help, Chief Inspector. We are just very lucky to have had you with us. I'll be gentle!"

"How far till the next Mountie Office?"

"I'm afraid it's three hours, Sir!"

"That would be Falmouth, right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good, they're staffed well enough to manage him. That means I won't have to stay with them there."

"But, Sir, you do need to see a doctor, though, about that eye."

"No, it's fine. No vision changes, once I was able to focus. It's just going to be a shiner. But I'm fine other than that."

"We're just so sorry about the whole thing!"

"You saw what happened. It simply couldn't have been helped, but we got our man! And that's what is important. Thank you for grabbing his gun, and your brave help, overall. Couldn't have done it without you, Eldon."

"My pleasure, Sir. But I've already radio-telegraphed ahead to have a doctor meet us at the Train Depot. That way, you won't have to deboard other than on the Platform and the Station with your charge."

"I appreciate that! Thank you, Eldon!"

"And Sir, keep that ice-pack on. I'll bring a fresh one…"

Eldon tentatively knocked on the door to the Private Car and was immediately greeted by a very beautiful, but obviously very anxious young lady.

"Mrs. Grant, the Chief Inspector wanted me to assure you he is fine. He has captured our criminal and is required to guard him till his delivery to Falmouth, in about three hours' time. He asked that I give you this note."

"Is he alright?"

"Yes, he is, Miss. He wanted me to assure you of that."

"Thank you for that," and Elizabeth tore into the note from her husband.

"Darling, I'm fine. Please don't worry. Will be back with you in about three and a half hours' time. Might want to pack a little ice. All my love, Nathan."

"Pack a little ice? What's wrong with my husband? I want to know right now!"

"Ma'am, he didn't want to worry you. But there was a slight accident."

"There is no slight accident!"

"There was a slight accident," repeated the Conductor calmly. "The Chief Inspector was remarkable in his mission, but the criminal swung his fist backward into his left eye before he could be restrained. I'm afraid the Chief Inspector is going to have a whopper of a black eye."

"A black eye? A whopper of a black eye? Is he hurting?"

"No, Ma'am. He's keeping an ice pack on it now, as much as possible, to keep the swelling down."

"Oh, no! It's going to swell and bruise. This is just impossible! He has people to meet!"

Hearing her daughter's concern, Grace moved toward her and placed an arm about her.

"Sweetheart, the kind man said Nathan is fine. Let's not borrow trouble. Nathan will have two weeks before he meets anyone outside the family. And if there's one thing that I'm good at, it's a make-up brush! Everything is going to be fine! You need to concentrate on how to make him comfortable when he's able to come back to us."

Madelyne walked up to the Ladies offering her support as well.

"And I have some Arnica Tincture with me, as well as some Witch Hazel. All I need to get my hands on is some Dandelion. That will help with the bruising, Dear. Our boy will be good as new in no time! Believe me, I've been through this before with him, and I know just what to do! He's going to be perfectly fine. Maybe just a little uncomfortable for a while. We'll just need to see that he rests, and keep icing him off and on for a couple of days. The tinctures will help. Also, see that he sleeps sitting up, and on the second day, we'll start warm compresses to decrease the puffiness and help drain the fluid. Everything will be fine! I promise. He'll be as good as new before you know it!"

"How do you know all this?"

"I'm a mother of a son, Elizabeth. This is not my son's first black eye, as you will soon regrettably find out with our own sweet Jack! I'm afraid it seems no boy escapes a black eye at some point or other. But, I promise your husband will be fine, as will your darling son when the time comes. I'm afraid boys and black eyes are just part of life, my Dear! At least it prepares us to know what to do when they're men! Especially when they happen to be Mounties!"

Both mothers could see that Elizabeth wasn't completely convinced, but at least she was trying. Although, as evidenced by a shared knowing look, they could tell she was still none too happy about any of it…

The Prisoner had clammed up and remained silent during most of the trip, shocking Nathan when he broke his own silence and spoke up.

"I suppose I'll be taken to a larger city?"

"Yes, after they've booked you, and listed your crimes, you will be arraigned at a municipal court."

"Do you have any idea where?"

"Probably Madisonville. It's the most central for these parts. Is location important?"

"I was just hoping it wasn't there."

"Any reason?"

"That's where my parents live now."

"Yes, I was aware of that. They seem like nice people from what I've heard."

"They're the best."

"Wait! You were on your way home, weren't you?"

Chance nodded.

"What went wrong, Chance?"

"It wasn't them. I just never fit in. Not anywhere. Especially at school and in college. I wanted to make something of myself. But I struggled. Wasn't good at much of anything, except charm, that is. I wanted to be an actor, a great actor. I dabbled in theater but was told I'd never make it big. That was my only passion."

"But why a life of crime? There were so many other things you could have done."

"It was easiest. No one there to tell me I couldn't do it. So, I did it. I built a business, you might say. A big one that allowed me to not worry about fitting in anymore. My own theater of sorts. I was the boss, the director. Everybody else had to worry about fitting in with me. And had to do as I directed. I made lots of money at it, too! And I've never killed a single person. Nor have my men."

"Thank goodness for that. But why did you start it all by hurting your parents?"

"They were there, I suppose. No, honestly I thought…"

But then he looked out the window.

"I didn't mean it to all go wrong. I just wanted more for them, you know? They worked so hard because of me."

"But you almost cost them everything they had."

"And I regret that deeply. It was a mistake, but all that I have goes back to them someday."

"All that you have goes back to the state and the people you wronged."

Chance turned with horror on his face.

Could he really not have known?

His life of crime, for whatever reason, had been futile, now finally catching up with him, with no future financial compensation whatsoever.

"I suppose it's the only child thing too. Didn't think I could ever be good enough. Just wanted to be somebody. Don't know why. It wasn't my parents pushing me. They loved me. They loved me so much."

"I'd say they still do. That's one thing you can make right, you know," suggested Nathan, the parent in him feeling a pang for what Chance's parents must have gone through over their son's choices.

Chance just nodded wistfully, and turned to look out the window, again…

At the Falmouth Train Depot, Doctor Frazier agreed with his patient.

"I'm afraid it's going to be a real shiner, but your pupils look good, and there's no bleeding. I think everything's going to be fine. Rest! Lots of it! And sleep sitting up for the first couple of nights, to reduce the swelling. Ice or cold compress twenty minutes on followed by twenty minutes off for two days to also decrease the swelling, and stop the blood and fluid from pooling, then heat compresses. The heat will help open up the blood vessels, and allow the fluid to drain, to decrease the puffiness you're going to have."

"Will do."

"The swelling generally peaks about the second day, so don't be surprised if you wake up looking worse the next day. It can take a full two weeks for the swelling and bruising to go away. Your eye will probably look like a rainbow as it heals, going from purple to blue-green to yellow before it finally fades away. But don't be alarmed. That's actually what we want to happen."

"Thanks, I've been through this before, although I was a child then!" laughed Nathan.

"Didn't we all?" laughed the good-natured doctor. "Never had a male patient in my practice that escaped one! Seriously though, if the swelling worsens after the first two days, or your skin becomes hot to the touch, or your pain worsens, you see a doctor, young man! Also, if the color doesn't fan into that beautiful rainbow of colors we were talking about, and decides to stay red, you find a doctor. You hear?"

"Yes, sir. Persistent swelling, redness, or heat, call the doctor!"

"You've got it! I believe my work is done! Thanks for your service, Son. Sorry, it included a black eye!"

Nathan nodded and smiled in thanks.

"Thanks for your help, Dr. Frazier! Much appreciated!"

Eldon, who had been standing to the side, smiled and motioned for Nathan to follow him back to the Train.

"Sir, I should warn you, your Wife was a bit alarmed."

Nathan couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"I was sure she would be. How badly do I look?"

"Just be gentle with her, Sir! It looks pretty bad to a stranger, much less to someone who loves you!" Eldon winked.

Nathan smiled as they walked to reboard the Train, feeling the depth of his new wife's love, even more than the pain of his blackened eye...

As Nathan walked down the aisle of the Passenger Car, he couldn't help but contemplate.

Married life was a marvelous feeling.

One as a bachelor, he could never have understood.

But now as a husband, it was a feeling he couldn't live without, one he cherished and reveled in.

One he was so grateful and thankful for.

He was no longer alone.

Yes, without doubt, he was exhausted after his rather tedious day.

But a blackened eye was the least of Nathan Grant's self worries.

His physical pain paled in comparison to his concern for someone else who was likely to be even more impacted by his own blackened eye, who was probably going to prove to be the most difficult and formidable obstacle he would face all day.

He squared his shoulders, raised to his full height, and sighed heavily.

But with that thought, a lop-sided grin descended on his face in full force.

Now all he had to do was charm his beautiful, but very worried, wife.

'Wonder if she knows that Scottish poem about a mouse? She's a teacher, surely, she can appreciate poetry,' mused Nathan, as he raised his eyebrow in self-doubt.

He was, after all, still very new at all this marriage stuff.

'The fact is, it doesn't matter if you're a mouse, a farmer, a Mountie, or a King, life is filled with bad things, isn't it? Aren't there simply times hard work doesn't pay off without some sort of retribution?'

'If so, that's it! This is just one of those days! 'This too shall pass!'' (*111)

'At least that's a start!' he surmised, a part of him dreading to face his lovely, but somewhat obstinate wife, the other part strategically planning his course of action, unable to wait to hold her.

'But mad, upset, or not, oh, how I miss you, Lisbeth, and long for your touch.'

Although he didn't know exactly how this would all be resolved, he did know it would be worth wherever their probable dance of conflicting emotions took them.

Mostly hers, as he was naturally a listener. A most desirous trait for a husband to have. One that would bode well in his stead, especially in this particular instance!

Yes, he would listen and go with Elizabeth to wherever that place turned out to be.

He would allow her to lead them there.

But the calm after whatever storm they faced, would prove so very worth it.

New husband or not, of that, he was absolutely certain...

(*110) 'To a Mouse,' Poem by Robert Burns, published November 1785, Public Domain

(*111) Second Corinthians, 4:17-18, Holy Bible, King James Version, Public Domain