A/N This chapter may be upsetting to some.

Chapter 26*

Charlotte Thornton had been very moved by the church service last night, listening closely to Joseph's sermon and trying to understand what had gone on here in the past few years. She knew that Jack would have been horrified by what had happened to this town he loved.

Later in the evening when The Coulters arrived and she saw the two boys clamber out of the car she felt a huge burst of emotion. She watched Little Jack jumping about and laughing with Patrick. He had his father's smile, the one that spread across his face and reached up to his eyes making them crinkle at the corners. So many memories of Jack came flooding back. Then she felt the guilt as she realised how much she had neglected her duty as Little Jack's grandmother, how much he had needed her here and she had failed him. They all had failed him. Except perhaps for the two people who were trying hard to hide their shock at the sight of her standing there flanked on either side by her other son and Julie Thatcher.

It was obvious from Rosemary's reaction that she was worried to see her. Although they greeted each other in a polite way, Charlotte could feel a tenseness in the woman who she once thought was going to be her daughter-in-law. How she now wished that had been the case. Watching Rosemary and Lee she could feel the love that was wrapped around their family, all the more incredible to see as neither of these children were biologically theirs. Blood isn't everything she thought to herself.

A while later, seeing the boys settled on chairs in the corner of The Mercantile with ice cream cups in their hands, she wandered over to where Rosemary sat speaking to Fiona and Faith. "Could I possibly have a word with you, Rosie?" she asked before taking a few steps away. Excusing herself and with a look of apprehension on her face, Rosemary stood up from the chair to follow. Before Charlotte could speak she quickly cut in, "I think I know what you are going to say but can I tell you now that Lee and I will fight to keep Little Jack here with us. Those two boys are brothers and it would destroy them to be separated. Never mind what it would do to us!"

Charlotte smiled gently at her, now realising just how frightening this whole situation must be for them. "I have no intention of taking Little Jack away from you, nor does Elizabeth's family. We can all see that this is where he belongs, where Jack would want him to be brought up with people he cared for who will nurture and love his son." Rosemary felt herself relax and then the tears of relief came. Unaware of just how much she had been holding in she reached out to Charlotte, words escaping her. The hug that had been missing earlier now seemed to last forever, neither woman ready to let go until finally Charlotte pulled back.

She then looked seriously at Rosemary. "There is one condition though," Charlotte continued, "Jack is not to know anything about what his mother has done, whatever that may turn out to be, merely that she was ill and had to go away. Depending on what happens he will be told when he is older but I think when that is and how much will be a decision to be made by all of us. We will arrange the formal adoption with Bill Avery and then he will legally be yours."

Rosemary's searched the room for Lee, wanting to share this news. She spotted him by the front counter talking to Ned, an earnest expression on his face. Although neither of them had spoken out loud, she sensed that he shared the same worry as her. Before walking away she turned back to Charlotte, "But you will forever be his grandmother and have a place in his life. The same applies to The Thorntons. Our boys need grandparents." With that she walked off before tears once again overcame her. Charlotte watched her go, smiling as she realised that she had just gained an extra grandson.

Cecilia and Molly were still laughing about Nathan's dream as they made their way across to the hospital. It seemed so long since they had felt such a sense of lightness, made all the more special as it had come from the funny side of him. As difficult as it was for them all right now Cecilia knew he was carrying the huge weight of all these investigations, so seeing her husband tease her this morning gave her hope that he would come through this just fine.

Florence's face as they opened the door brought an end to such thoughts. "Has it been a bad night?" Molly asked.

Maggie came around from one of the curtained beds at that moment and nodded. "We lost another two last night and there are a few others who may not make it through the day."

Suddenly the tears overcame Florence as she struggled with her words, "We lost the baby and her mother. That poor wee thing never had a chance. Who could be so cruel as to abandon those people, locked up in that stinking place with nothing!"

Molly rushed across to comfort her friend while Maggie's eyes were on Cecilia, watching carefully as the younger woman stood there, her body shaking and silent tears falling. Taking her arm she led her across to a chair in the corner, not saying anything just keeping a firm hold. As she sat her down Maggie then crouched in front "Do you want to talk about it?" she simply said.

Cecilia shook her head. "I don't think I can right now, maybe later." Wiping her eyes she sat upright, trying hard to find the strength that she needed. "I feel that would take something away from the little soul we have just lost." She looked around the ward before turning back to Maggie, "Where is she, I'd like to hold her, let her know that not everyone is evil. That there is love in this world even if she didn't get to see very much of it."

In a side room at the hospital two small figures had been carefully laid out. Cecilia looked sadly at the young mother, little more than a child herself, before reaching out to stroke the hands that lay folded across her chest and whisper a prayer. Beside her, swaddled in a pink cloth was the tiniest baby, so peaceful she could just be sleeping. Gently lifting the small bundle Maggie handed her to Cecilia, feeling the tenderness with which she cradled her.

Rocking the baby gently she started to hum and then the softest sound of a lullaby began to fill the air.

Hush-by baby on the tree top

When the wind blows the cradle will rock

When the bough breaks the cradle will fall

Down tumbles baby, cradle and all.

Stepping out of the room Maggie closed the door behind her, looking straight up at Molly whose face was filled with sadness as she explained, "She had a difficult time in the war. I only know a little but I would say that young woman has seen and experienced more horror in her life than any of us could imagine. When she is ready she will tell us, it's her way of dealing with the memories that haunt her. Sharing them one by one. I guess some triggers are just much harder to face than others."

When she stopped speaking Molly remembered that the young Englishwoman standing in front of her had also served in the hospitals in Western France, dealing with both the war wounded and then the victims of the Spanish flu that had devastated so many after peace had come. Perhaps these two women were what each needed to help with their healing, someone who understood the suffering they had experienced. "You were there, you will have seen so much too. Are you alright?"

Unable to speak Maggie just nodded, trying to maintain her professionalism but finding it difficult. Her feeling of grief and anger had come earlier, her tears shed when no-one was around as the memories of so much unnecessary loss once again engulfed her.

The three women set about their duties, moving around the beds to check on patients, administering pain relief where necessary. Most were still so weak that they hardly moved, those nursing them taking time to help with a sip of water or soup as they had been instructed by the doctors.

Cecilia appeared again a short while later, tears wiped away and a look of calm on her face. As everyone stopped she nodded at them, hand waving to signal that they should continue with what they were doing, simply saying, "Thank you. I needed to do that. I didn't get to say goodbye the last time."

With Faith's arrival Maggie and Florence departed but the level of activity continued as she did her checks, Mathew having opened the infirmary at the front to deal with any patients who could not be rescheduled. Cecilia could tell from Faith's expression as she finished the examinations that many were still in a serious condition and they had to be prepared for more loss. It was going to be another difficult day and she just hoped everyone would be able to cope with it.

At The Tipperary it hadn't take long for Patrick and Walter to locate the entrance to the hidden chamber and stairway. They were impressed with its construction, so cleverly hidden that without knowing it existed it would have been impossible to spot. Nathan had been certain that it could be accessed from the far bedroom upstairs, the point where he most felt Elizabeth's presence when he and Greg Aldritt had searched there previously. Sure enough, with some effort the entrance was located at the back of a closet. Word of the discovery was sent along to Nathan who made his way there quickly, wanting to be present for the search.

Downstairs there was a realisation that their secret had been discovered but by now it was too late to flee as Mounties and some of the men from Brookfield guarded every exit.

As he walked into the bedroom Nathan paused for a moment, a part of him still wanting no sign of Elizabeth's involvement to be found and yet the niggling doubt about her innocence was always there at the back of his mind. So many confusing signals from her made it hard to tell exactly what was going on so he hoped that this would finally give them some answers. Bending to get through the doorway in the wardrobe he was immediately conscious that the last of Elizabeth's scent still lingered there, so faint that probably only he would actually notice. Cecilia had a more sophisticated taste in perfume, her favourite being the recently launched Chanel No.5, a pleasant connection to France for her to have against all the haunting memories she still carried.

Inside the room he was surprised by its size, large enough for the Mounties to comfortably move around so certainly able to accommodate a reasonable number of the smaller Chinese people. It was obvious they had been here but he couldn't understand why. Were they transported in small groups and held here as space became available at the warehouse? The reason why that would have become possible he didn't want to think about. And why bring so many of them to Hope Valley just to leave them to die? Or was that the result of a deal gone wrong or the need to abandon the movement of them because the risk was too high?

Behind him Walter and Patrick were carefully going through all the objects left behind, most probably the belongings of those they had rescued and possibly even some who had come before them. These would all have to be inspected thoroughly, any names checked against the list taken from the body of the dead Chinese man at the railway. The meaning of that paper was now becoming apparent to Nathan. The man was here to find people.

Moving across to the staircase Nathan peered down to see Greg and Jim checking the lower area. There was little light coming in even with the heavy door partly open. Outside a large bush covered the entrance, obscuring it from the view of all but the most observant. As this was an area rarely used it was easy to see how people could be moved in and out of here at night without being seen.

Harold and Bruce had rounded up the people from The Tipperary and taken them across to the jail, their boss still looking quite relaxed about what was going on. It would be interesting to see how smug he remained once he learned that a clear out of the crooked mounties was taking place, from the top down.

A shout from below interrupted his thoughts. He descended the stairs, the ceiling height so low that he had to stoop, before stopping a few steps above the small area. A panel had been removed from the wall and inside was what Nathan realised could be the link to Elizabeth. This time everyone could smell her perfume as Harold opened the valise on the top of the stack.

The sound of Gabe Kinslow's voice outside made Nathan pause from his writing. On the page in front of him he was planning out the next stages of the investigation, the brief meeting with his men having brought everyone up to date on what had been found and agreement made on the plan moving forward.

He quickly took the stairs down the back then strode around the side of the Mountie Office to greet his friend as he was tying his horse to the rail. "Gabe, it's good to see you. I trust you had an uneventful journey from Brookfield and everything went as planned?" These two men had worked together on enough cases to be aligned in their thinking of how to deal with the most intractable of criminals. Now they were about to find out whether another of their plans would work.

Gabe gave him a satisfied smile before answering. "No problems at all. A very unhappy and vocal Helen Bouchard is here, having travelled in the most rickety wagon we could find. I have left them on the outskirts of town waiting for my return. I just needed to make sure things were in place for her entrance."

Nathan nodded before picking up the telephone to call Elizabeth's rowhouse. Greg Aldritt had gone straight down there after the meeting and it was he who answered. With few words needed Nathan simply said, "They will be coming shortly. Let her walk up and down a few times and make sure she can see who is in the wagon as it passes."

On the other side of the room Elizabeth was growing increasingly frustrated. Charles had tried to explain that having to stay in or close to the house was for her own good and the better she complied with what was asked of her the sooner they could depart for Hamilton. This had a different reaction to what he expected, causing her to lash out at him and refuse to speak to anyone as she acted like a recalcitrant teenager.

The two nurses brought in from Union City had taken over responsibility for her care and were monitoring her behaviour closely. Nathan had told Charles that he intended to ask them to help at the hospital for a few days as their training was with patients who had suffered breakdowns or mental trauma, which he hoped they would accept as he felt their experience would be invaluable. But for now their job was to ensure that Elizabeth remained as calm as possible, which was becoming increasingly difficult without medication. This morning he had requested they wait before giving her any more.

Hanging up the telephone Greg nodded to Charles who quickly rose from his chair. "Alright Elizabeth, let's go out for a walk, just along the road at the front. I'm sure the fresh air will do you good." Greg followed them through the door, making sure she didn't see him turn his head to scan the road where it entered the town.

This was a risky move they were making but one Nathan and Gabe decided was worth a try. All the happenings of recent days had been kept from Elizabeth so she was unaware that both Lucas Bouchard and his mother had been arrested. Would the sight of Helen Bouchard being brought handcuffed into Hope Valley shock Elizabeth into disclosing her involvement? Or would it be the final thing that sent her completely beyond a point from which she would never return?

While he waited Nathan watched out of the window as another wagon trundled along Main Street heading towards the warehouses. Now that the search of The Tipperary had been concluded, Ed and Harold were assigned a different duty. With the increasing number of prisoners they had, most of whom still needed to be questioned, Nathan had asked for volunteers to undertake the difficult task of cleaning out the cages in the warehouse so that they could be turned into holding cells. Not an ideal situation, he knew, but with more Mounties and other officials arriving over the next few days he needed the rooms at the hotel to accommodate them.

Since his return to Hope Valley it had mainly been the women who had stepped up to help where needed. But this time he had called on the men, most of whom were embarrassed when they realised what had been going on under their noses and ashamed that Nathan had felt unable to call on them because he didn't know who to trust. Now he was glad to see a group of them on the wagon filled with equipment as they followed the two Mounties. An unenviable task he knew but one that he hoped would help to assuage the guilt that these men felt for standing back as their town was being torn apart in front of them.

Using the cages in the warehouse had another purpose as he hoped that the experience of being held there may make some of the detainees more willing to talk or at least give them some understanding of the cruelty they had inflicted on others. Sadly he knew that for each one who would be affected there were others who would never acknowledge the evil of what they had done.

He checked the time, hoping the wagon would arrive soon as he didn't want to be late to meet the morning train. Bill was coming back today, along with two senior Mounties and a translator who spoke Cantonese, the language of the area in China from where these poor people had originated. The man would be able to help the Mounties converse with any victims who were strong enough to be questioned. He knew they would have to take it slowly at first but his hope was that between them there would be enough information garnered to work out what had happened and who was responsible.

It would be good to have Bill back. Now more than ever he needed the wisdom of his mentor, whose judicial knowledge would be so important in the days to come as charges were laid against the prisoners held here. He would also be bringing an update on the work being done to expose the Mounties who were being controlled by the gangster syndicates, something that Nathan was desperate to know. It was a delicate operation that needed to be undertaken with the utmost secrecy, even from officers who would normally be privy to such matters, therefore no communication had been allowed except amongst those directly involved.

His men had worked late last night moving all the evidence to the other end of the upstairs Mountie office, where he now watched Walter and Patrick laboriously labelling and logging everything. It was imperative that nothing could be questioned, that there would be no opportunity for an attorney to claim that proper procedures had not been followed.

Looking down at the boardwalk opposite he saw Antoine exit the Infirmary. It was good to see him up and about, although obviously still in some pain even with the heavy strapping on his ribs. Whilst unable to participate physically in the investigation he had insisted on getting straight back to work, taking on the responsibility of organising the guard duty rota and doing his share of the shifts.

The young Mountie glanced up, giving a quick salute to his Superintendent before he stepped onto the road and headed towards the saloon to start work.

Letting out a sigh Nathan turned back to the papers on his desk. Would he have taken on this job had he known the enormity of what was going on here in Hope Valley? Or how far it extended? So much had happened in such a short time and he felt a huge responsibility to the people here to fulfil their expectation that he would solve everything. He knew it was nearly over and that the answers would come, but still there was a nagging fear that something had been missed.

Downstairs in his cell Lucas Bouchard lay on the cot, his eyes closed as he tried to imagine himself anywhere but here in Hope Valley. But his mind kept wandering back to what was happening around him. Why hadn't they questioned him yet? Was it a trick to make him nervous or had someone talked so they had enough information that they no longer needed him. Gustav, he thought. He had never fully trusted his cousin, believing that he was spying on him. Always jealous of what he, Lucas, had achieved while he was still stuck in the kitchen!

He was sure that the Mounties were playing some sort of game as they tried to outwit him, just what that was he couldn't figure out. Yet for the first time in days he felt relaxed. It may take a while but he was certain that his mother would have a plan and would be here soon to have him released. She was always one step ahead of everything. He smiled to himself as he envisioned Nathan Grant's expression when that happened.

If Nathan had been surprised to see Julie Thatcher get off the train with Charlotte and Tom Thornton, Elizabeth was even more shocked when she stepped onto the road and saw her sister sitting on the front porch of Molly's house. She tried frantically to think, to work out why she was here and what she may have said. When Tom and then Charlotte both emerged through the front door it was as though a heavy weight had landed on her chest. She stood still, unable to move. Taking deep breathes she tried to quell the rising panic and stop the pain that was building in her chest. Her heart was racing as every possible scenario went through her mind. What was happening?

Greg noticed her reaction immediately when she suddenly stopped walking, her fists clenched by her side and her eyes wide. Then, without saying a word she turned and moved in the opposite direction, heading out of town. "Mrs Bouchard, we need to go the other way", he said. Nothing. Elizabeth ignored him and kept on walking. Running quickly to get in front of her before she reached the part of the road where it narrowed and bushes encroached on either side he spoke to her again. "Mrs Bouchard, I insist that you turn around. It is not safe for you to go this way."

At that moment the sound of horses approaching could be heard and he hurriedly grabbed her arm and dragged her to the side. Within seconds an old wagon appeared, pulled by a pair of big horses. The driver was moving them at a slow pace but still the wagon jumped about, the sole occupant in the back being shuffled around as the old axles creaked beneath her. Helen Bouchard sat grimly, her shackled hands grasping tight to the wagon's side as she tried to keep her balance.

As Elizabeth looked up her mouth dropped open and suddenly she began to shake, her body convulsing as she doubled over. Suddenly a scream rent the air and she wondered where it was coming from, not realising that it was her.