Author's Notes: I hope you enjoy this chapter! This is my second When Calls the Heart fanfiction story. You might want to read Faith, Hope, and Love, my first fan fiction story, before reading this.
Chapter Sixteen
"Pride only breeds quarrels,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice."
~Proverbs 13:10
From the porch of the jailhouse, Jack saw the last student leave the saloon at the end of the school day. He straightened his Sam Brown belt and headed down the stairs to the street. He crossed Main Street and, just as he was about to step up onto the saloon porch, he was startled by Tom Trevoy calling his name. "Jack?"
Jack stopped and turned toward Trevoy. "What is it, Tom?"
Trevoy glanced around and then nodded toward the porch. Jack followed Trevoy's lead and they both stepped onto the porch. Jack look at him. "Okay, what's wrong?" he asked.
Trevoy took one last look around before speaking. "I believe someone is stealing from me," he said in a low voice.
Jack's brow furrowed as he asked, "Why?"
"I've noticed my till is less than it has been recently and business is certainly not down. In fact, the earnings from Saturday and Sunday were quite a bit less than last weekend."
"Well, the saloon was closed for the social on Saturday night," Jack reminded him.
Trevoy shook his head and lowered his voice. "I was down ten dollars from last Saturday and fifteen dollars from last Sunday!"
Jack considered Trevoy's problem. "Well, do you have any idea who it might be?"
Trevoy frowned. "That's why I'm coming to you, CONSTABLE."
Jack just nodded, taking Trevoy's rebuke in stride. "Of course," he conceded. "I'll see what I can find out. But, you need to watch things carefully now. It could be one of your workers since they have access to your cash drawer. Or it could be a customer. I'll be at the saloon later tonight and I'll watch for any likely suspects."
Trevoy nodded. "Alright, Jack. I can't afford to keep losing money like this." Jack nodded his agreement. Trevoy turned around and headed down Main Street.
Jack turned his attention back to the saloon. As he walked through the saloon doors, he spotted Elizabeth working at her desk. He slipped his hat off and set it on a nearby table. "Are you ready?" he called as he started walking toward her.
Elizabeth looked up from where she was sitting at her desk. "Jack!" she answered, surprised. She glanced at the clock and realized it had been ten minutes since she dismissed the class for the day. "Yes, just give me a minute to collect these papers." She grabbed some papers from her desk and placed them in her basket. Then, she straightened the objects on her desk, pushed her chair in, and glanced around the room.
Jack watched her, clearly amused. When she finally turned to him, she saw the smirk on his face. "What?" she asked.
Jack shook his head. "Nothing."
She walked toward him. "Oh, no. I saw that grin on your face. What was it for?" she asked.
"Ok," he relented. "You reminded me of my Mom. She always had to make sure everything in her classroom was in place before she could leave for the day."
Elizabeth's expression was indiscernible. She wasn't frowning but she wasn't smiling, either. "You alright?" he asked her.
She stared at him a few moments before responding. "Jack, we need to talk about your mother," she told him as she walked toward the door, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders.
Jack grabbed his hat and followed her out the door. As he replaced his hat on his head, he fell in step with her. "Okay, what do we need to talk about?"
"Constable!"
Jack turned and saw Ned Yost rushing toward them. He looked back at Elizabeth and they both stopped walking, waiting for Yost.
"What is it, Ned?" Jack asked.
"Constable," Yost began his explanation as he stopped in front of Jack. "I think someone has been stealing from the Mercantile. This morning, I checked my inventory and noticed a couple of boxes of bullets missing."
Jack frowned. "How many boxes?" he asked.
"Two," Yost answered.
Jack glanced over at Elizabeth and she could see how much that information concerned him.
"That's quite a lot of ammunition," Jack commented.
Yost nodded, "I know. And," he continued, "the thief also took a couple of tins of tobacco, two pipes, several bars of chocolate, and a lace shawl."
Jack's expression changed into a questioning look. "That's an odd assortment of items to steal," he commented.
"I wonder what he plans to do with the shawl?" Elizabeth mused with a laugh.
"I don't know," Yost answered very seriously. "But, I don't appreciate being robbed."
"No, of course not," Jack agreed. Then, he stared down the street, lost in his thoughts, for several moments.
Yost and Elizabeth exchanged concerned looks before Elizabeth called, "Jack?"
Jack startled and looked at her.
"You okay?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yes, just considering who our thief might be." He turned to Yost. "I'll be sure to watch the Mercantile even closer on my patrols. But Ned, I need you to really keep a careful watch on your customers. Let me know if you have any suspicions. Now, don't try to handle it yourself, but tell me if you have any concerns. Okay?"
"Of course, Constable," he agreed. Then, nodded to Elizabeth and headed back to the store.
Jack and Elizabeth resumed their walk. "That's terrible!" Elizabeth said. "A thief in Coal Valley?" she said with horror. "I wonder who it could be."
"Well, it could be almost anyone," Jack said. "I told you before, you have no idea what someone is capable of, especially if they're under duress."
Elizabeth shivered at the thought of someone she knew being a thief. Jack noticed and reached for her hand. She clasped his hand as they continued down the road to the row houses.
"Seems so out-of-place for Coal Valley to have a robbery," she commented.
"Not just one," Jack told her.
She stopped short and looked at him, shocked. "What?!"
Jack took a step closer to her before answering, "Tom Trevoy told me he thinks someone is stealing from him."
Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. "Oh my goodness! We're having a crime wave?" she asked rather loudly.
"Shh!" Jack reproved her as he looked around. "Please keep that to yourself."
Elizabeth glanced around, too, before meeting Jack's gaze again. "What do you think is going on?" she asked in a low voice.
Jack shook his head. "I don't know, yet. But I have some ideas, some people to check." He looked into her eyes and saw her concern. "It's just a matter of time before the thief is caught," he assured her.
Elizabeth gave him a half-smile. She was still quite unnerved by the thought of a thief in their sweet town. Jack squeezed her hand reassuringly and they resumed their walk.
"So, what did you want to tell me?" Jack asked.
Elizabeth looked at him, questioning.
"You said we need to talk about my mother," he reminded her.
"Oh!" Elizabeth replied, suddenly remembering the unpleasant business she was going to have to discuss with Jack. "Yes, well..."
"Is there something wrong?" he asked, concerned.
"Well," she started but then her mouth felt dry. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, steeling herself for this conversation. "Oh, well... Jack... I'm...", she stammered briefly before taking another deep breath.
Jack studied her face, clearly confused. "You're what?" he prodded.
She said a quick prayer for the right words. They came quicker than she expected. "I'm worried that your mother just doesn't seem to like me." She was a bit surprised that she blurted it out like that.
Jack stopped walking and looked at her, shocked. "What do you mean she doesn't like you?Why do you think that?"
Elizabeth swallowed hard and explained. "Jack, well, she... she doesn't seem to approve of the way I teach." She looked at Jack and realized she had his undivided attention. "And she hasn't been very pleased with my cooking ability, or rather lack thereof. She has made it pretty clear to me that she finds me a disappointment."
Jack looked at Elizabeth for several moments, considering her words. Then he asked, "Are you sure, Elizabeth? She's rather practical and stern. She always has been. Maybe you just misunderstood her."
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I don't think there's any way I could misunderstand her, Jack." She squeezed his hand and gazed directly in his eyes. Her voice dropped to just above a whisper as she said, "I'm afraid she doesn't approve of our...," she hesitated for a moment before finishing the sentence, "friendship."
Elizabeth watched his face, expectantly. His eyes left hers and he looked down at the ground. She saw his jaw tighten and his breathing quicken. Then, he shook his head. "You must have misunderstood. That doesn't sound like my mother," he stated as he slipped his hand from hers. He resumed walking again, faster now.
Elizabeth looked at him, clearly surprised, and rushed to keep up with him. "Misunderstood? I just told you I know I didn't misunderstand her," she told him, struggling to keep up with his pace. She reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. He swiveled around and faced her. She was shocked at how angry he appeared. Her arms dropped to her side. "Jack," she told him, trying to keep her voice even, "I don't understand why she doesn't like me but she has made it very clear to me. Honestly, I wish I could tell you that she and I have been getting on famously." She looked into his eyes and noted that he was still angry and she felt her own anger growing. "I mean, you've heard her interrogating me about my teaching," she said defensively. "You just chose to ignore it," she mumbled.
Jack's eyes flared. "Interrogating? That was not an interrogation. She's a teacher, Elizabeth! She enjoys talking about lessons and students. It's who she is!"
"She wasn't chatting about students and lessons!" Elizabeth fired back. "She was quizzing me on how I manage my classroom! She obviously disapproved of my methods!" Elizabeth took a breath and then added, "And, she didn't tell you that I'd helped her make your favorite dinner. I worked so hard to follow her directions and she didn't seem to appreciate it at all. In fact, Abigail told you that I'd helped her. Then, she begrudgingly admitted it. But she certainly couldn't seem to find a single complimentary word."
Jack's eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "Is that what you wanted? Credit for cooking?"
"Credit?!" Elizabeth fired back, her anger rising. "You think I just want compliments? You... you..." She stopped short and her eyes narrowed as she studied Jack for a moment. She realized they were heading into dangerous territory and they both might say something they'd regret. She took a deep breath. After several tense moments she continued, "Well, perhaps you should speak with her. Ask her yourself if she approves of our relationship." She looked down at the ground and blinked a couple of times. She felt a most unpleasant feeling in her stomach, reminding her just how much she disliked fighting with Jack. She felt an overwhelming sadness and tears building. She looked up but didn't meet his gaze, her eyes focused on his chest instead, as she said, "Jack, I really believe she doesn't want us to be courting. I think she has something else in mind for you."
Jack noted her sadness and the tears in her eyes. He lowered his voice, matching hers, and told her, "I still think you misunderstood her, BUT I will talk with her."
Elizabeth nodded. "Okay," she whispered. Her eyes wandered up to meet his, but he looked away.
They both resumed walking, no longer holding hands. They walked in silence to the Weavers' home. When they arrived there, Elizabeth turned to thank Jack for walking with her, but before she could do so he asked, "Could you and I have dinner tomorrow night? I'll probably talk with my mother later to get this straightened out. So, we could talk about this over dinner tomorrow."
Elizabeth shook her head, "I can't tomorrow night. I'll be working with Bo Grady."
"Okay," he said, sounding irritated. "How about day after tomorrow, Wednesday?"
"I'm afraid not," Elizabeth turned him down again. "I'll be working with Mitchell Cline and his parents, preparing him for the school for the deaf back in Ontario. They leave in two weeks, so we really have a lot of work to do."
Jack looked away, anger filling his face again. He worked his jaw muscles for a few minutes as he looked off into the distance. "Well, then, maybe I'll pass you on the street or run into you at the Mercantile," Jack said quite sarcastically as he turned to leave. "If you're not too busy," he spat out angrily as he started walking away.
"Jack!" she called, but he didn't stop. She expelled an exasperated gasp and shook her head. She watched him, seeing his red serge coat-tail flapping up and down as he hurried back down the road to town. She shook her head. She didn't expect him to get so angry for turning down a dinner date. Hoping he'd turn around, she watched him walk all the way down the road until he disappeared around the corner and through the trees. She closed her eyes, willing away the tears that threatened to fill them, again.
"Miss Thatcher?"
Elizabeth swiveled around and opened her eyes. She saw Wyatt standing in the doorway of his family's row house.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
Elizabeth summoned a civil smile. "Of course," she answered, though her expression said otherwise. She walked up the stairs to the porch. "So, I have the information you and your mother need about college," she told him.
Wyatt smiled. "Thank you! Come on in. Mom's baking some bread."
Elizabeth glanced back toward the road where she'd last seen Jack, hoping he might be coming back. He wasn't. She turned around, smiled at Wyatt, and entered the house.