Chapter Forty-Two

"So you will walk in the way of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright will inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it."

~Proverbs 2:20-21

Later that day, Jack sat at his desk working on paperwork. He paused typing for a moment to proofread the report and, in the absence of the clickety-clack sound from the typewriter, he became aware of very loud snoring coming from Allen's cell in back. He glanced back toward the cell and released an exasperated sigh. Then, his attention was drawn to Rip, who was, also, snoring loudly from where he lay by the door. He shook his head and mumbled, "I guess it's nap time around here." He tried returning his attention to his work, but found it difficult with the cacophonous snoring coming from both his prisoner and his dog.

Determined, he began humming "Red River Valley" to drown out the noise and finished typing the report. As he removed it from the typewriter, the door opened and he was surprised to see three constables enter the jailhouse. Rip awoke and barked once before he exited the jailhouse as the last constable entered.

"Constable Jack Thornton?" the tall, thin constable who entered first inquired.

Jack stood at his desk and saluted. "Yes," he replied.

The three constables returned the salute. "We're hear to pick up Edmond Allen to deliver him to Depot Division," the shorter, stockier Mountie explained."

Jack nodded. "We had a telegram that you were nearby and expected here soon." He reached into the top desk drawer for the cell keys before walking toward the cell. "Allen, wake up!," he ordered. "It's time to go."

Allen's eyes opened and he sat up the bed. He rubbed his neck and sneered at Jack, "About time! I'm sick of this stupid town!" He stood and took a step toward the cell door.

As he unlocked the cell door, Jack's eyes narrowed at Allen's rudeness. He swung the door open and Allen came through. He turned to face the other constables and stopped short, his eyes wide with shock. "What are you doin' here?" he yelled at the newly arrived constables.

Jack took a step toward Allen, his gaze shifting between him and the Mounties.

"We've been assigned to take you back to Depot Division," the Mountie who'd entered last answered as he stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs in his hand.

Allen shook his head forcefully. "No, no! I ain't going anywhere with you!" He stepped backwards, forcing Jack to step behind him to stop his escape. Jack grabbed Allen's shoulder. "What is this all about?" Jack asked.

The taller Mountie answered, "Allen was in our unit. He injured our unit commander before deserting. So, he's not exactly too happy to see us."

"I never wanted to see you again! I'm done with the Force!" He tried to step back again, but Jack wouldn't allow it. He raised his hands to his former colleagues. "Look, I never meant to hurt no one. The commander tried to stop me and I couldn't let him do that! Come on, guys! Lissing? Cummins? Wagner?" he called each by name. "I was never cut out to be a Mountie like all of you. It was my Pa's idea, not mine!" He swallowed hard and pleaded with them. "Just let me go and I won't bother any of you ever again. I swear! You won't ever see me or hear from me again!"

The three Mounties stared at him, clearly not impressed by Allen's plea. Then, Lissing moved toward him again, ready to place the handcuffs on his wrists.

Allen turned to Jack, his eyes wide with fear. "Why can't you just let me go? I just want to go to America! That's all I want!"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "You caused far too much trouble for that. You have to go face the consequences of your actions. It's quite ironic that the unit you deserted is the one taking you back for punishment. Nonetheless, you are going with them." Jack shoved Allen toward Lissing. Allen fought them for a moment before the two constables managed to get the cuffs on him. They sat Allen in a chair next to Jack's desk.

"Is his horse around?" Cummins asked Jack.

Jack nodded. "Yes. It's over at the livery," he answered. "Do you gentlemen need provisions for the ride back to Depot? You can pick some up at the Mercantile or see Mrs. Stanton at Abigail's Cafe."

Lissing nodded. "Thank you." He turned to his colleagues. "You head to the livery and get his horse saddled up," he ordered Wagner. "You stay here with him," he told Cummins, motioning to Allen. "I'll go take care of our supplies."

"I'll give you my report of Allen's crimes here in Coal Valley when you return," Jack told the constables.

Lissing and Wagner headed out to take care of their tasks, leaving Cummins alone with Jack and Allen. As Jack walked back to his desk, he looked over at Cummins and told him, "Help yourself to some coffee, if you'd like, and feel free to grab a chair from the back."

Cummins nodded but said nothing as he stepped to the stove to get some coffee. Jack sat at his desk and opened his desk drawer. He pulled out some files and began to sort through them.

Allen glanced at Jack and then to Cummins, who was pouring coffee into a mug. Then, he turned his gaze to the closed door. Once more, he looked to Jack, who was engrossed in the files he was flipping through, and then back to Cummins, who was returning the coffee pot to the stove. He seized the opportunity and flew from the chair. He raced as fast as he could, his hands cuffed in front of him, to the door.

Jack quickly detected Allen's move to escape and rushed around his desk. However, Cummins beat him to Allen. He was astonished when Cummins swiftly set his coffee mug down on the stove and then propelled Allen into the door with one powerful shove. After he was slammed into the door, Allen fell backwards. Before Allen hit the floor, Cummins landed his fist square on Allen's jaw. Allen emitted a grunt of pain as he slid to the floor. Cummins looked down at Allen and told him, "That was for Sergeant Bird." Allen stayed on the floor holding his jaw with his handcuffed hands, breathing hard. Cummins' fists remained clenched, ready to strike Allen again.

Jack had stopped short, watching the scene in shock. Finally, he walked toward Allen, pulled him up to stand and guided him back to the chair. He noticed Allen's mouth was bleeding, so he walked to the cell and grabbed a towel. He handed it to Allen as he passed him heading to Cummins, who was still standing still and staring at Allen. "Was that really necessary?" he asked in an angry whisper.

Cummins was surprised that Jack was confronting him. "Yeah, you saw him trying to escape. He deserved it after what he did to our unit commander," he stated in defense of his actions.

"You'd already stopped his escape when you shoved him into the door. There was no need to hit him," Jack told him forcefully, though still whispering. He glared at Cummins, but Cummins turned to walk away, obviously ignoring Jack's remonstration.

"Mountie!" he called, his voice much louder.

Cummins turned back and scowled at Jack.

"A word?" Jack asked, though it was spoken as more of a command than a request. He nodded his head toward the back of the jailhouse before he headed in that direction.

Cummins' frown grew deeper as he watched Jack walk away. After several moments, he followed Jack and stopped a few feet away from Jack. He crossed his arms and stared at Jack.

"Look, I understand your anger," Jack began.

Cummins shook his head. "I don't think so," he countered.

Jack looked over at Allen, who was holding his jaw and still wiping blood from his split lip. "Two days ago, he held the school hostage," Jack told Cummins. "He held them hostage, threatening them. The students, their teacher, my mother," he explained, keeping his voice low and even. "Believe me, I wanted to..." He hesitated for a moment, anger flashing across his face momentarily before calm professionalism returned. "I wanted to pound him for what he had done." He looked back at Cummins and saw that the constable was still staring at him but was no longer frowning. "But we are Mounties," Jack continued. "It's our job as Mounties to defend the law. Whatever he did to your unit commander, your colleagues, or even to you, we never dole out our own punishment." He stood up straight and straightened his belt. "Maintiens le droit," he added, reminding Cummins of the Royal North West Mounted Police mottoes before walking back to his desk.

Cummins stood still, clearly considering Jack's censure. After several minutes, he finally turned around and headed back toward the stove. "Agreed," he mumbled to Jack before he retrieved his coffee mug from the stove.

Jack nodded and looked over at Allen, who was sitting slumped in the chair, appearing to have resigned himself to his fate now. Jack shook his head and returned to the files on his desk.

Author Notes: Okay... First, we had two soft and sweet chapters. Now, it's time for a little more action! And, how about those names for the constables? I was trying to come up with their names and I had the wild thought to name them after the trio of handsome, talented actors who are the Leading Men of Coal Valley. And, or course, I had to give a nod to "Chief Pot-Stirrer" Brian Bird as their sergeant! I hope you enjoyed it!

Sorry that I'm a little slow in posting the chapters. Family and work have been quite busy and infringing on my writing time. (How dare they!) More to come soon! In the meantime, please consider posting a review. I'd love to hear from you!