A/N This and some of the forthcoming chapters contain unpleasant parts of the story and while I have been neither particularly graphic nor lengthy in these scenes it may not be what some people are expecting from a Hope Valley story. I will place a star * beside the Chapter heading for any that contain such things. Unlike the television show, I have not ignored the fact that WW1 occurred and that it has a bearing on some characters' pasts and how they are at the time of this story. Also, I am not a psychologist, so where there are scenes concerning mental health issues I have tried to stay true to what I have read about what was known at that time and how it was dealt with.

So my apologies if anyone finds anything upsetting and I fully understand if some would prefer not to continue reading.

Chapter 22 *

Upstairs in the Mountie training office Nathan had just finished going over the current state of things with his men, having already given Ed a quick update before sending him out to The Coulters. He was not going to risk anything happening to Fiona and was willing to spare one man for the time it would take to ensure she came back safely, knowing that Faith had made sure that her morning was free to help her friend in whatever way was required.

Bill's voice coming up the stairs brought him out of his thoughts, as the older man shouted up "There is someone in my office who wishes to see you Nathan, probably one of the last people you would expect to be here offering to help us."

Nathan was both intrigued and wary. In the short time that they had been back in Hope Valley it had quickly become evident which side of the divide different people stood. Who could it be and why were they suddenly willing to jump ship, knowing who they would be turning against and the consequences to themselves of doing that? They were going to have to tread cautiously here.

As he followed Bill the short distance along the boardwalk Nathan could see the man through the window of the judge's office and was indeed surprised. His immediate thought was to question what Andrew Hargreaves was up to.

After bringing the unnecessary enquiry into the Prisoner Transfer shooting, the Inspector had been quietly reprimanded and assigned to desk duty in Ottawa where the Deputy Chief Superintendent could keep an eye on him. He and Nathan had crossed paths at times and it was evident that Hargreaves' animosity towards him was not abating. If anything, as his own position remained stagnant and Nathan's star rose, it was clear to many that he was like a time bomb waiting to go off.

Closing the door after himself Nathan turned, trying to keep his face as expressionless as possible. "Andrew, I must say this is unexpected, I didn't receive any notification that you were coming to Hope Valley."

"I'm not here officially, Nathan. I have taken off my serge for the last time." He paused for a moment, looking down at his hands before lifting his head to stare directly into Nathan's eyes. "I am not proud of what I have done and have a lot to tell you but first I need some assurances that I will be treated fairly".

He hesitated again before going on, "Actually, I don't need to ask that. I know you are the most honest and upstanding man. No matter what I may have done to you in the past you will always do the right thing. But when you hear what I have to say you will understand why I need some guarantee of protection."

Nathan waited, not quite sure how to react to the man in front of him. There had always been a cloud of suspicion hanging over Hargreaves and now it seemed that his day of reckoning had finally arrived. With a nod for him to take the chair on this side of the desk, Nathan took his time removing his serge and hanging it before he moved around to the other side, using the few minutes to try to figure if this was some ruse being carried out to draw their attention away from the matters at hand.

"I am interested to hear exactly what your involvement is with what is going on here and why your conscience is suddenly making you want to confess. Something must have happened to make you realise that dealing with me was your best course of action. So perhaps you should start by telling me the name of the person you have been working for."

Mei Sou heard a light knock at her door. Not expecting anyone else to be up at this early hour she wondered whether to respond to it or stay still and pretend she hadn't heard. Another knock and some muffled words had her quickly pushing the half-filled suitcases underneath her bed and tying the front of her robe. Annoyed with herself for not having left during the night she slowly reached for the doorknob while turning the key, trying to appear natural as she greeted the saloon owner standing there.

Lucas took the stairs quickly, anxious to reach the safety of his mistress's room without being seen. Suddenly he stopped, the sound of voices at the end of the hallway telling him Mei Sou was not alone. He moved forward slowly, not wanting to make his presence known until he figured out who was there, but then a laugh from Mei Sou made him relax before the sound of her crying out caused him to pause again. Edging towards the corner he could hear her voice, a rise in pitch telling him that this was not a good situation.

Inside the room Mei Sou was fighting hard, trying to explain to the man that he had everything wrong. "You don't understand", she shouted. "I am not just anyone! I am Shue Moy's mistress and he is waiting for me to join him in Vancouver. He will make you pay for treating me this way."

Certain that he had misunderstood what she was saying Lucas crept closer to the doorway, not knowing how to react to what he was hearing. Surely she was just saying that to get the man to leave her alone. It couldn't be true!

Mei Sou continued, her voice dripping with disdain as she faced her opponent. "You think I am really in love with Lucas Bouchard? Being with that odious man was merely a means for me to integrate myself into the syndicate here. A necessity that I certainly did not enjoy, having to accommodate him whenever he was here in Benson Hills. You need to place a call to Shue Moy's people and they will tell you everything. I have been working for them and now it is time for me to take my place back in Vancouver where I belong."

There was the sound of a deep laugh, an evil snigger that made Lucas shrink back. He didn't know what to think. Had she been fooling him all this time, making him believe that they were meant to be together while all along she was playing a part? Did she really belong to the Vancouver mobster? He could feel panic welling inside him as he thought what he should do and then a sickness with the realisation that his options were limited.

Inside the room the conversation was tense, the saloon owner not interested in what she had to say. "You don't get it do you, stupid woman! Where do you think my orders came from this morning?" He laughed again and Lucas could hear the crash of the bedside table as Mei Sou fought to get away from what now seemed to be her fate.

Unable to move, he stood frozen as he listened to her frantic struggle against the man who was so much bigger than she was. Her breath became raspy as he realised that she was being choked to death, the sound of her life expiring too much for him to bear as he covered his ears and shrank back into the wall. Then it was over.

In an instant Lucas knew he had to flee or meet a similar end. Turning he ran along the hallway to the stairs and descended out of the back of the saloon, not sure exactly where he could go but knowing that he had to put as much distance between himself and this place as possible.

Remembering where she kept her car he made his way cautiously around the buildings, hoping that the keys were where she had once shown him. The fear in him continued to rise as he stumbled across the open ground to the barn that housed the vehicle, unaware that someone was watching him from the room in the saloon that he had come to know so well.

In the Judge's office Nathan and Bill sat quietly, each with his own thoughts as they came to terms with the depth of the corruption within the Mounties that Andrew Hargreaves had just detailed. If this was true then there were very few regional areas that didn't have at least one Mountie, if not more, on the books of the mobster syndicates. They had both listened as he recited names, hoping that none of the men they had known and respected over the years were on his list.

To find out that Peter Williams, the Mountie in Benson Hills, was one of them came as a complete shock. Although neither had been involved with him on any cases it showed how close to Hope Valley it had reached. Nathan felt vindicated for his decision to only bring in men he knew he could trust, especially once they realised that the list was not conclusive.

This was dangerous information to have and they needed to tread carefully. Eyes and ears were everywhere and it was important that a secure chain of transfer was created for this to be passed on to the people they could trust.

"We need to act quickly but cautiously" Nathan spoke suddenly, breaking the silence that had hung in the room since the disgraced Mountie had been taken over to the cells. "Someone needs to go in person to see Chief Superintendent Weston and I think that should be you Bill."

The older man looked at him questioningly, wondering at his rationale for that. "Would you mind telling me why? This is monumental information Nathan, something that is going to have huge repercussions, so surely it should be coming from an RCMP officer."

Nathan realised just how much this must be affecting Bill for him to have forgotten what had happened in this very office not too many days ago. While he had recognised some of the names mentioned, it quickly became apparent by his expression that Bill knew many more.

"Yes it should, which is why it has to be my most recently deputised Mountie, who also happens to be a judge and who carries so much respect within the force that doors open for him, and by that I mean the right doors without any need for explanation."

Seeing the sense in Nathan's reasoning Bill agreed, the decision then made that they would advise Mountie Headquarters that he was coming there as a liaison between the teams working on the raids that were being carried out on all the shipments across Canada and those dealing with the goings on here in Hope Valley. That should mean his arrival would not raise suspicion amongst those they now knew to be corrupt, until such time as Senior Officers decided how to deal with the matter. This was quickly agreed when Nathan placed a call to his superior.

It went without saying that those who had succeeded Nathan at Hope Valley had been on the list of corrupt officers, their criminality even more evident in their actions after leaving. Hargreaves had confirmed that he had been behind each of their appointments, instructed to place men here who wouldn't get in the way of what Lucas Bouchard was doing.

This had brought them to the next thing they had to focus on, which was Helen Bouchard's involvement in all of this and how she had recruited him. That the two opposing mobster factions were working together was not news to either man. There had been rumours for some time that they had teamed up in some of their operations and the presence in Hope Valley of men from each syndicate had confirmed this. The question was with whom was she most affiliated and what control did she have over the events unfolding here.

It was obvious that the Bouchards had been involved in criminal activity for a very long time. In fact the dossier Antoine Dupont had compiled on them told the story of a family whose self interest came before anything else.

It had been a difficult task for him to undertake but one that he felt personally obligated to do, knowing as he did the history of "la Famille Bouchard" in France and the accusations and charges they were now facing of having sided with the Germans against their own. The motivation was of course money and survival, the only thing these people cared about.

What made it personal for Antoine was that members of his family had been killed because of what one of them had done. His mother's family had lived in Gerbéviller, a town in north eastern France that was in the line of a German advance. He had broken down when relating the story to his colleagues, the pain of it obviously still very deeply felt, but he managed to tell it and in so doing gave an understanding to those who listened of just what depths these people were willing to go to in order to benefit themselves.

For those who were listening, much of what happened during the war was not known and the telling of this story was shocking. For Nathan it was only because of Cecilia speaking to him about her experiences that he had a greater knowledge of some of the atrocities that had been perpetrated by the Germans. The story Antoine told ranked amongst them and he reminded Bill of it now as he explained Antoine's determination.

"In August 1914, French soldiers and civilians in Gerbéviller were said to have put up a stubborn defence against the invading force before being overcome. In retaliation for this resistance the German occupiers systematically burned and pillaged almost the entire town and massacred its population. Amongst them was Antoine's aunt, uncle and cousins, the youngest just three months old. It has since been discovered that a local businessman gave them the information on how the defence was organised and what they had planned, in return for the promise of his own safety. The man's name was Emile Bouchard, a second cousin to our very own Lucas. He fled down to the family estate further south but was captured soon after peace was declared when the truth of his betrayal was discovered."

Bill was shocked, yet if he was honest not surprised. Although having only met two Bouchards he could tell that there was something innately evil there. Now they had to work out a way to stop them before they caused suffering to any more people.

"What other members of the family are there? Does Antoine's report say anything about that?" It worried him that this was just the tip of the iceberg and that there were others in the shadows they knew nothing about.

Nathan could understand Bill's concern. So often in the past they had taken down what they thought were the heads of an organisation only to find that they were in fact just puppets being controlled by unknown people, often someone you would least expect to be the power behind it all.

"Antoine is working on a theory right now, something that has concerned him since he arrived here but could not follow up without the risk of blowing his and Bruce's cover."

Bill was immediately intrigued, trying hard to work out who would have aroused the young Mountie's suspicions, for he was certain it was a person. Then suddenly it became obvious to him.

"Gustav! To be honest I don't know very much about him, just that he is Bouchard's cousin who was brought in as the chef at the saloon. I don't think I've ever known what his surname is!"

"It's in the dossier, Bill. Gustave Pepin. His mother was Helen Bouchard's older sister."

Reaching for the folder in front of him the judge scanned the papers, taking note of where the links between family members may fit with what was going on here.

"Does Gabe know exactly who he is dealing with?" was his next question. Nathan nodded, grateful that he had the foresight to include his friend in the discussions about their investigation and ensure that a copy of all information was passed on to him. Although at the time it was for his role as an advisor, someone to view things from a different perspective, not as an active participant as he was now.

"That is why he has placed Brookfield on such high alert. This does not end with Helen Bouchard, nor Lucas for that matter especially as his whereabouts right now are unclear. Although given his track record I would expect him to have made a run for it but this time there will be no escape."

Bill could see the determination in the man beside him. Should Bouchard evade capture now he was certain that Nathan would not rest until he was found and brought to justice, although he wasn't sure any prison sentence would be enough to punish him for the evil he had brought on so many good people.

Nathan stood, walking around the desk to lift his serge from the hook on the wall. "I think I need some fresh air and a coffee, it's been a difficult morning. I'm not sure what has been the hardest thing to listen to in all of this but I guess for me personally it has to be what Hargreaves said about Fort Clay."

Placing his hand on the other man's shoulder Bill could feel a sadness within Nathan and marvelled once again at his ability to hold things together. Not many men could hear what he had and not let it overwhelm him. To know that you were right about something so important and then have to live with the consequences of being made a scapegoat for the events that followed was a heavy burden to carry. Now the only person who could make Nathan understand that he had never needed to ask for forgiveness was not in a position to do so.

"You were young Nathan and had neither the power nor authority to make them listen. What Hargreaves did to you after was unforgiveable but at least he had the decency today, if you can call it that, to tell you. Nothing will change what happened to Jack Thornton but at least once this is over you can set the record straight."

Wasting no time Bill hurried home to pack a bag and explain the situation to Molly. He knew he had just enough time to catch the late morning train and was grateful when Cecilia offered to drive him to the station and again when she suggested that Molly move back into the house with them while he was away.

As he walked through town Nathan knew that the uncertainty of who they could trust was going to make things much more difficult. While he had hoped that more information could be gathered at the saloon he was no longer in the position to keep both Bruce and Antoine there, yet bringing just one out was not possible. Once either identified himself as a Mountie then the game would be up for the other.

He was tired and, although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, worried about his daughter and his wife even though he knew that leaving them behind would have been even worse as the unravelling story before them told him that nowhere was safe. His head was full of so much and now with Bill leaving it was important that he could count on his men even more, using their experience and wisdom to help him.

It was what he had trained them to do and now was the time to find out just how good a job he had done. As disheartened as he was to have learnt about the corruption within the force, he knew that ultimately most Mounties were honourable men. A quick laugh came out as he found himself almost describing them as impeccable, which in their case certainly wouldn't be wrong.

Seeing Fiona sitting on the bench outside the hospital he crossed over, glad that she was out and, although pale, not appearing too upset. She smiled as he approached, an effort for her he knew but it filled him with optimism that she would get past the events of last night.

"I hope Constable Harter was a good escort for you back into town this morning?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

Her smile widened and if he wasn't mistaken there was a hint of a blush to her cheeks at the mention of Ed's name. "He was a perfect gentleman, Nathan. Thank you so much for sending him out to accompany me back. I hope you don't mind that I took up a little of his time chatting over a cup of coffee but it appears we share a lot of similarities in life. I thought I was the only one who came from such a large family of males but it seems out of his nine siblings there is also only one girl!"

Nathan knew the background of all his men and had been privileged to meet most of their families. He was also aware of the loss Ed had suffered when two of his brothers had been killed while he was with them, caught in the crossfire of a robbery gone wrong. It was that which made Ed decide to become a Mountie and dedicate his life to protecting others and part of the reason Nathan had asked him to escort Fiona back from The Coulter's house.

"Well, I'm glad you had a chance to talk. He is not just a good Mountie, Fiona, but also an excellent man. I know he misses his family so perhaps if you get the chance to spend some time together it would benefit the both of you." He bid her goodbye and stepped back down from the boardwalk before suddenly turning back, "You know, I am hoping that a couple of my men will be willing to stay here in Hope Valley to help me get the town back on track. Who knows, Ed may be one of them."

With that he bid her a final goodbye and as he made his way to the Mountie Office he wondered what Rosemary would say about his little matchmaking effort. He was sure he had seen a spark between the two of them earlier and sometimes a little push in the right direction does not go amiss. He could hear those very words coming out of her mouth.

Whatever happened he was certain that they would be a positive addition to each other's life, even if only for a short time. Behind him on the bench Fiona's smile grew just a little bit wider again.