Chapter Thirty-One
"Nobody ever did, or ever will,
escape the consequences of his choices."
~Alfred A. Montapert
Jack entered the jailhouse carrying the basket of food. Bill was seated at his desk, typing a report. "Lunch, I presume?" he asked, looking up from his typing.
Jack nodded as he set the basket on the near side of the desk. "Abigail sent you the last of her chicken salad. She said it was your favorite?" Jack asked, a mocking tone in his voice, as he pulled a sandwich wrapped in paper from the basket.
"It is," Bill admitted, ignoring Jack's teasing and taking the sandwich from him. "And what are you having?"
"Roast beef," Jack answered as he pulled his sandwich from the basket. He sat and began to unwrap the sandwich.
"Coffee?" Bill offered as he walked toward the stove.
Jack nodded. "Please." He took at bite of sandwich and hummed a contented, "Hmmm."
"The lady can cook!" Bill observed as he set the coffee cup in front of Jack.
"Yes, she can. Thank goodness for us!" Jack concurred. Then, he looked back at the jail cells. "He still sleeping?"
Bill leaned toward the cells and said, "Yeah. Looks like he's still conked out. Guess that confession just took it all out of him!"
Jack shook his head and let out a chuckle. "An outlaw? He wanted to be a Wild West outlaw? Unbelievable!"
Bill laughed. "I know, I know. But, he must be from a well-to-do family back home."
Jack's brow lowered. "Why do you think that?"
"He said his father and the mayor came up with the plan for him to join the Mounties. I don't think the mayor would be doing that for just any citizen in town," Bill replied. "My guess is his father either worked for the mayor or is a wealthy citizen who contributed to the mayor."
Jack nodded and replied, "Interesting." He thought for a moment before adding, "He seems like one of those boys who always makes bad choices. You know, the one who always finds other troublemakers to keep company with."
"Oh, he's definitely one of those," Bill agreed between bites of his sandwich.
"Any idea what they're going to want is to do with him?" Jack queried after he'd swallowed another bite of his lunch.
"They probably will want him to go back to headquarters for a trial. I have no idea how soon they'll want him there and if we'll have to escort him," Bill answered. "If we're lucky, a patrol may be passing nearby and they'll retrieve him."
Jack nodded as he finished his sandwich and wiped his mouth with the napkin. "Well, hopefully we'll get some orders soon," he replied. "In the meantime, I need to do my afternoon rounds." He stood and headed for the door, but stopped when a loud groan came from one of the jail cells. He turned to Bill and said, "Looks like Sleeping Beauty has awakened."
"Oh, good," Bill said flatly.
"His lunch is in the basket. Abigail made him a roast beef sandwich, too. And there's an apple in there, if he wants it," Jack told Bill. "I'll see you after my rounds." He grabbed his hat from the hook near the door and left the jailhouse.
Bill walked toward the cell and saw that Allen was sitting up, stretching. When he spotted Bill, he complained, "Where's lunch? What are you denying me my meals now?"
Bill shook his head. "You've been sleeping for hours. I didn't want to interrupt your beauty sleep," he told him, his voice filled with sarcasm. Then, he turned away from Allen and headed back to the desk.
"Well, I'm awake and hungry now," Allen yelled.
"Alright," Bill chastened him. "Calm down. Got a sandwich for you right here." He retrieved the sandwich from the basket and held it up. "Coffee?" he asked.
Allen nodded. Bill poured him a cup of coffee and then brought it and the sandwich to the cell. He set the coffee on the floor as he unlocked the cell. He opened the door slightly before reaching for the cup. However, he never picked up the cup as Allen rushed to the open door and kicked him. Bill grabbed his side and yelled in pain, but quickly recovered his wits and grabbed Allen's leg. Rip, who'd been sleeping near the stove, starting barking at the two men fighting. Bill and Allen wrestled for a few minutes before Allen threw Bill against the cell. Bill's head hit one of the bars and he sank to the floor.
Allen's eyes quickly surveyed the jailhouse. Rip continued to bark repeatedly. "Shut up, dog!" he growled as he moved to strike the dog. However, he missed hitting Rip as the dog sidestepped him and moved quickly toward Bill. Rip started barking again from his spot behind the unconscious Bill. Allen sneered at the dog, but knew he had precious little time and needed to make good use of every second. He headed to the door and opened it slightly. He peered outside for a moment before stepping onto the porch. After looking up and down Main Street, he moved off the porch and headed toward the saloon.
He took just a few steps before he was accosted by Mary Alice Calhoun. "Eddie!" she called as she approached him. "I was just heading to the café for our lunch!"
Allen quickly recovered from his surprise and glanced around the street again, making sure Jack was not around. Satisfied that he was safe, he turned to Mary Alice and took her hands in his. She immediately blushed. "I thought we'd have a picnic. We can take the horse and go out by the lake," he calmly told her. "So, why don't you go wait for me by the barn while I go pick up our picnic lunch from the café? Okay?"
Mary Alice looked at him adoringly. "That sounds wonderful! It's a lovely day for a picnic," she exclaimed.
Allen nodded and placed his hand on her elbow to push her down the street toward the barn. "Okay, head on and I'll be there in just a little while," he assured her.
Mary Alice continued to stare at him, but he pressed her to move on.
Several yards away down Main Street, Jack had just left the livery,when he stopped to let a wagon pass. As he sat on his horse waiting patiently, he heard Rip barking, pulling his attention to the jailhouse. He saw the jailhouse door was wide open and he sat up taller in the saddle. His gaze slid from the jailhouse to the street, where he spotted Allen and Mary Alice in the street. He quickly prodded his horse around the back of the wagon and headed towards the couple. Mary Alice rushed towards him while Allen hurried away in the opposite direction. Jack pressed his horse to move faster down Main Street and noted that Mary Alice turned toward the barn. He forced his horse into a gallop, chasing Allen, who had still not seen Jack. However, before Jack could catch up to Allen, the would-be outlaw ran into the saloon.