Chapter 42
Greg Aldritt had to admit that he was enjoying life very much these days, despite the difficulties of the investigation. He always approached the afternoon's interrogation with a renewed vigour, his routine of going back to the boarding house to have lunch with Cat offering him a chance to unwind for a bit. Some days there could be a procession of Mounties wandering in and out of the kitchen depending on what their duties were. On others, such as today, they were left in peace and so they took these opportunities to discuss what each would like for their future. That Greg was going to stay in Hope Valley had been decided, it was now a matter of in what capacity.
The superintendent having to recuse himself from the investigation had put a spanner in the works as obviously it meant the decision on who would be the new Mountie for Hope Valley was delayed. But they had plans and the more they talked it through the greater his enthusiasm grew. "I have a reasonable amount of money put away. Being a Mountie who is always moving about doesn't give the best opportunity for settling down in one place and buying a house. Plus there is still my parent's place to sell, so by my calculations we should have enough to do what we want. The question is will the town council agree with us?"
Cat looked at this handsome man who had come into her life unexpectedly and said a silent thank you. She never expected to find this kind of happiness again and certainly not in so short a time after meeting but when it felt right you just knew. That Emily thought the world of Greg was a bonus and the boys now got on well with him, their initial reservations gone once they saw how happy he made their mother and how serious he was about the future. Suddenly life was good and after so many years of struggling on her own it was wonderful to have someone beside her to share the ups and downs of it.
"Do you really think we could keep this place as well? I have money set aside for Emily to go to college but she has decided she would rather work with Wilma Lawson and learn the business from her. We could use that to cover costs here so that it was a separate business."
Greg reached out to take her hand, wanting her to know that he understood what she was saying. "I know it is important to you that you always maintain some independent security and I can see why. This….us….has happened so fast that others will probably think we are rushing into it but I knew from the minute I first laid eyes on you that you were who I have been waiting for all my life."
Cat could feel tears coming, happy ones tinged with a little sadness that he believed she had doubts. "It is a leap of faith for both of us but I guess that is what makes it even more wonderful. To believe in each other enough to make that jump." She stood then, pausing to give him a kiss that made it very clear that she did not want to wait much longer. Pulling away reluctantly she took a moment to let her heart settle before crossing to the oven. "I'd better get that pie out or I'll be sending you back to work on an empty stomach."
Greg smiled, "when you have a heart as full as mine is right now food is a secondary thing, although Bill does have a habit of talking about whatever culinary delight he just had for lunch so it's always good to be able to tell him I had better!" They talked on while eating, the enthusiasm from both almost spilling over as they poured out their ideas between mouthfuls of what Greg declared was "the best pie he'd ever tasted." Cat laughed, "You say that every time!"
Her face turned serious for a moment. "You know it is not just you and me who are going to find a big change in their lives if this all happens, and that excites me just as much. After I've cleared all this away I'll walk back with you so that I can catch Nancy at the cafe and have a chat with her. See how she feels about it." Greg shooed her upstairs to get ready while he sorted the kitchen, singing softly to himself as he dried and stacked away the dishes. For the first time that he could remember he thought life was as good as it gets. Well, almost. The day he put a ring on Cat Montgomery's finger would be when he knew he was truly blessed.
They took their time strolling along, not sure what people would think of them being together as a couple but knowing that most were happy for them. Still one to follow the social rules though she insisted they not show any overt affection towards one another in public and Greg was fully respectful of this. As they reached the steps to the cafe he stretched out his hand to guide her up, winking as he whispered, "It's alright Cat, I'm a Mountie so we're allowed to do this!" Before she could reply he suddenly looked up over her shoulder, his attention caught by the sight of a group of Mounties turning onto Main Street, the superintendent leading them. Even from this distance he could tell that his boss wasn't happy about something. Through the window of the cafe he could see Bill engaged in an animated discussion with The Gowans so escorting her through the door he said goodbye before making his way over.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you folks but could I have a quick word please Bill?" The two men walked away towards the door and Greg pointed out the approaching red serge. "Look at that. Do you think the superintendent is ok or do we need to do something here?"
Bill shook his head, placing his hand on the other man's shoulder. "It's fine Greg, I've been expecting them, although not quite so soon. They obviously want to get this done faster than I thought they would."
"Just what is happening here, Bill?" Nathan knew his voice was raised but his friend's obstinacy was adding fuel to what was already a strong fire burning inside him. "You know what is going on yet you won't tell me." Trying to keep things calm Bill held up his hand for Nathan to stop, to give him a chance to speak. "It's not that I won't but that I can't. At least not yet."
Nathan was pacing back and forth in the judge's office, running his hands through his hair as his frustration grew. There was definitely something suspicious about this and he didn't like it one bit. "As if I haven't had enough to deal with in the past few days now I'm being kept out of the loop on what is obviously a big issue. Does everyone else know what this is about?"
Greg jumped in then, not waiting for Bill to answer, his loyalty to his superintendent clear, "No Sir, it seems only Judge Avery is privy to that information." Nathan gave a derisive laugh, "So the man I brought back into The RCMP is now running the show here and choosing what I'm allowed to be told? Well SIR, do I have your permission to go and speak to Elizabeth Bouchard. It's one of the things I have on my checklist to do before I leave Hope Valley so I guess I'd better get it done today!"
With that he picked up his cap and marched out the door, only just stopping himself from slamming it shut behind him. He knew he was reacting badly but all the pent up anger at what had happened over so many years was finally being released and he wasn't sure he wanted to stop it. Whatever was going on he would find out when others deemed it necessary but for now he was going to do as he said, have a long overdue conversation with Elizabeth. At least he would then have tied up all his loose ends here and could leave Hope Valley without looking back.
In the Valley Voice office Cecilia was in the midst of proof reading the front page of the next edition. Rosemary would normally do this but she had to take one of the dogs to the vet earlier this morning after he had a run in with a coyote and now she was staying with the boys as they waited to see if he was going to be okay. Charlotte had warned them to be careful when they were playing out on the boundary of their land as this was denning season, when mother coyotes could become aggressive towards anything they thought was threatening their pups. Dougal had obviously picked up the scent and followed it, coming up against the mother when he got too close. It was only when Hamish had entered into the fray that the animal had released the smaller dog and fled.
So focused was Cecilia on what she was reading that she didn't hear the door open, Allie's voice making her jump as she appeared in front of her desk. "Mum, something has happened. Dad and Uncle Bill are having a big argument in his office, which is not like either of them. And some new Mounties have arrived. They rode in with Dad when he came back from his rounds. He didn't look happy."
Cecilia rose and moved across to the door, walking out just in time to see a very angry Nathan descending the steps. He had told her about the fights he got into in his youth as he defended his sister from those who used their father's crimes to bully her and how he had worked for a long time to control his temper after Colleen had died, knowing that he now had the responsibility of a child. So this was not the Nathan she knew. In fact she had never seen him like this. Of course they had their disagreements but usually only over minor things. She often thought that they had both been through so much that they were not willing to waste any time in anger. So something major must have happened for Nathan to react so badly.
She moved down onto the road, waiting for him to come their way. There was little she could say but she would listen and hope that would be enough to calm him. But he didn't stop, his face set in a determined expression with only a sideways glance towards his wife and daughter as he strode past. "Later," was all he said.
Faith was always happy when Nathan came to the hospital but she quickly swallowed her friendly greeting when she realised that his mood was far from that. "Er, Nathan, how can I help you?" she managed to stammer out. Even in the lowest moments they had shared together she had never seen him so angry or detached as he was now.
"I'm here to see Elizabeth." He walked straight past his friend towards the hallway leading to the wards, his manner clearly indicating that there was no point in trying to stop him. As he reached the door to her room the young Mountie on duty jumped to his feet. "Superintendent Grant, I wasn't told you were coming." Muttering that something had come up suddenly he dismissed the young man for a few minutes, telling him to take the time to get a coffee. Now finally he stood still, taking a deep breath to calm himself, realising that he had not even thought about what he was going to say. What did he actually need from this woman to enable him to finally bury this part of his past the way his daughter had?
Elizabeth glanced up from her book when he walked in, immediately placing it on the table and reaching down to straighten her skirt when she saw who was standing there. Then she gave him a small smile, a barely audible "Nathan" whispered to herself. She was looking better than he expected, nothing like the woman he had last seen when she had her breakdown out at the row houses. He knew he couldn't think about that and how easily he could have lost Cecilia that day. He had to focus on why he was here. Then suddenly he felt guilty about the way he had just walked past his wife and daughter. But he needed to do this now. Not later. Not tomorrow. Now. "Hello Elizabeth, you're looking well."
She smiled again, this time with more confidence, and for a moment he was taken back to a point in his life when she had been the one who represented the future that he thought he wanted. But that was so long ago and the person in front of him now was someone he had come to realise he had never actually known. "I must admit, this is a surprise. Are you here to continue listing my faults in the way Allie and Abigail did? I wouldn't blame you if you were."
Looking at her he understood what Abigail had meant about how small she looked, as though she had shrunk into herself now that the truth of what she had done was known. "No, I don't need to do that. I understand they both did an excellent job of helping you see what you had become." He tried to keep the sarcasm from his voice, not knowing whether his disdain for her would have a different effect than that of the two women. But his anger was clearly there. "I just need to understand why."
Elizabeth dropped her head, "You know the answer to that Nathan."
He turned away for a moment, not sure he could look at her without exploding. Then spinning back he fixed his eyes on hers, his tone resolute. "You hurt so many people, not the least your own son. And my daughter." He could feel his anger building again. "For God's sake, they are children! Are you so selfish that you couldn't see what you were doing to them?"
She spoke then, a sadness to her voice that stopped him saying any more. "I had to do it. Nothing else mattered but Jack." Her eyes were pleading with him to understand but he wasn't fooled. "I have so much to apologise for that I don't know where to begin. Abigail was right, unless I can make things good with you there will be no chance of redemption."
He shook his head, a broken laugh his first response to her words. "So you're still just thinking of yourself? Don't you see that things can never be good with us Elizabeth. Once I walk out of this door you will only exist for me as a criminal I am bringing to justice." She went to reach out to him and he stepped back, not wanting to be in contact with her in any way.
"Just tell me one thing. Why did you believe Helen Bouchard when she told you the lie about Fort Clay? You knew me by then. Knew the kind of man I was. That I loved you. Why didn't you come and ask me if it was true? I could have explained everything."
Nathan waited for her to answer but she remained silent. Then as he turned to leave she quietly said, "Because in order to stop myself from falling in love with you I had to find a reason to hate you and what they said gave me that."
That was it, he thought. So simple. The cause of so much pain. Suddenly he was tired of battling everyone and everything. He needed to find Cecilia and tell her he was sorry, although he knew she would have forgiven him the moment he walked away for she would understand. She knew what fear could do to a person.
He didn't bother to say goodbye but just walked out, the sound of Elizabeth's sobs following him down the hallway. So many thoughts playing around inside his head. He was ashamed of how he had let his frustration get the better of him and manifest itself in anger that he then directed towards others who he knew didn't deserve it. But he still believed he had a right to be annoyed by the way he was being sidelined and maybe it was good that he chose that time to visit Elizabeth. He had certainly left her in no doubt about what he thought of her and felt as though he had finally cast off the shackles that had tied him to her for so long.
Now as he walked back to the newspaper office, hoping Cecilia and Allie were still there, he resolved to take a different approach to everything from here on in. Oblivious to those who were watching him he talked away to himself as he made his way at a much more leisurely pace than before, not letting the red serges he could see gathered in Bill's office get to him. Whatever they were doing he would discover when the time was deemed right and there was nothing he could do to change that.
He could see Cecilia sitting at her desk, head bent in concentration and from her relaxed posture he knew that she had understood. Pausing for a moment to watch through the window he couldn't help but marvel at the difference in the two women he had given his heart to over the years. Only one had shown herself to be deserving of it and returned that love in a way that humbled him at times. Cecilia looked up then, a smile breaking across her face at the sight of him standing there. Sometimes words weren't required he thought. When you truly loved someone a simple look could say so much more.
They did talk then, Nathan pouring out everything to her as he explained how it had all built up inside him. "It was this feeling I had that once again Andrew Hargreaves was controlling my life since it was my connection to the incident at Fort Clay that made me remove myself from the investigation". Cecilia looked back at him with an amused expression, wondering how men could be so blind to things at times. "Did you just hear yourself Nathan Grant? You removed yourself, no-one asked you to step down, so now maybe it's time for you to get yourself right back in there. Undoubtedly there will be things it is better that you aren't involved with but that is not everything."
He knew she was right. "I know. But the first thing I need to do is find Bill and apologise."
She was so proud of this man who was always honest about his failings and tried hard to deal with them. "Yes, you do. Bill cares so much for you Nathan. He came over here after you walked out. All he said was to tell you not to worry, he has your back and everything is going to be fine."
Lee Coulter pulled his car up outside the livery where the vet had been treating Dougal. His office had been built on to the side a few years ago and while he mainly dealt with cattle and horses, working with Chuck Stewart had given him more experience with domestic animals. The small dog had sustained a bad bite to his neck so Lee was prepared for the worst despite spending the past few hours assuring Rosemary and the boys that everything was going to be fine. Rushing around to open the door for Charlotte he wasn't surprised when she brushed his hand away, muttering something about not being that old to need help yet. Inwardly he laughed, life was going to be interesting in the Coulter house over the coming months with her staying and he wasn't sure that he was ready for it.
She had just arrived this morning when Patrick started shouting from the edge of the woods, followed quickly by Little Jack as he came running up the path. It was therefore Charlotte who had been first on the scene and with no concern for herself had told the boys to stay back while she gathered the injured dog in her arms to carry him to the house. Then, after wrapping a clean cloth over the wound she had cradled the trembling pup, his cries breaking her heart, as Rosemary drove as fast as she could into town with two very frightened boys holding tight to Hamish in the back.
There were many who said they were only dogs but Charlotte knew differently. There was a special bond between them and their humans, something they had all watched develop over the few weeks that they had been with the boys. Nothing else could have done more to alleviate any anxiety the two six year olds may have had after the incident in Brookfield than the immediate love of the two pups and if Patrick was to lose Dougal then it would be devastating for him.
Peter McGregor was sitting at his desk writing notes when they walked in and being the dour Scotsman that he was it was hard to tell from his expression what the situation was. He jumped up, with a glance to the back room before walking towards them. "I was just about to telephone you, to save you a journey into town."
Looking across at Charlotte, Lee could see that she was thinking the same. Mentally he switched off to what was being said, trying to work out how he was going to break the news to the boys.
"…and so I think it will be better if he stays here for a few days to recover. I have him in a cage out the back and can check on him every few hours during the night as I live upstairs. This way he will get the rest he needs to recover."
Lee was now suddenly alert to what he was saying. "You mean, he is going to be ok?"
The veterinarian laughed then, "I thought that was what I just said! He is a very lucky dog. The coyote bite didn't puncture anything major internally and so it has just been a matter of cleaning out the wound and some suturing. Of course we will have to make sure it is kept clean so that infection doesn't set in. He is sedated for now but if you want to bring the boys to see him in a few hours then that would be ok. Just make sure they know he isn't to get excited."
Charlotte let out a little cry. "Thank God! I know this is going to sound silly but there have been so many bad things happening for so long that I'm not sure my heart could take any more." Lee was about to step across to hug her but she had already composed herself, never one to give in to emotion more than she could help, but inwardly she knew it would have been too much to have to watch the heartbreak of her two grandsons.
Patrick O'Reilly sat back in his chair, wondering if he should check all the information one more time to be sure. It had finally come down to one case that tied everything together and now he could see the pattern of who Hargreaves had worked with and when. In each instance something had happened that had changed the direction of the investigation, exonerating the original suspect and invariably leading them down dead ends with no final conclusion being reached.
He had almost given up when the thought came to him that he needed to approach this from a different angle. That they had all been looking in the wrong place. It wasn't the convictions that Hargreaves had been involved in but what were now cold cases where the decision had been made to no longer pursue a particular lead. In all these cases a number of things stood out….he could trace the person freed back to the mobsters or other gangs, Andrew Hargreaves was either involved in the investigation or in the decision to bench it, and one other name came up in all of them.
Grabbing his jacket he picked up the folded chart he had just finished drawing up and placed it in his satchel. He needed to speak to Gabe and Nathan right away. This was an irrefutable connection between Hargreaves and corruption but the most worrying thing was that there was still someone out there with the capability to help him. At least one he had the name of and despite the huge efforts that had been made to weed them all out there were possibly still more hidden.
Not being sure what interrogations were taking place today he headed for the Mountie office, hoping that someone there would be able to advise him. It was Greg who met him as he was walking around to the back steps to the upper office. With the investigation having been halted for now as Bill was tied up with the Inspector and his men he had come back to catch up on some paperwork, always keen to make sure the records were up to date. "Patrick, it's good to see that you do actually crawl out of that study at times. I was beginning to think you had just swapped one hermit existence for another." He laughed as he said it, keeping the conversation light although it had actually been a concern for him to see his old mentor hidden away like this.
Patrick could see that the younger man was genuine in his feeling and was appreciative that he had people in his life who cared. "You know me Greg, once I get a sniff of something I don't rest until I have gotten to the truth."
"Are you telling me you've found something that will help us?" Greg didn't want to get too excited but they definitely needed this as both Helen Bouchard and Andrew Hargreaves were proving difficult to break.
"Yes, I've managed to link a number of cases together that confirm Hargreave's role in a lot of this, the rest should be easy to tie him to. Helen Bouchard will fall into place between this evidence and what Lucas is telling you so I think you're nearly there." Greg had stopped midway down the stairs and now looking down at Patrick he was surprised that he did not seem as happy as he would have expected. "There's something you haven't told me though, so come on, out with it!"
Looking to see who else was around Patrick stepped back. "Let's go for a little walk. Right now the fewer of us who know this the better because we are going to have to be careful how we deal with it. We need to find Nathan as he will probably know what is the best thing to do."
Ned Yost stood out the front of The Mercantile, broom in hand as he looked along Main Street, oblivious to everything that had been going on around him. He was smiling as he swept. This was his town and he was happy to finally be able to start planning how he wanted to grow his business to suit the changes he knew were finally coming. That there would be some hiccups along the road he had no doubt but they would deal with them when they happened and then move on, working together once again as a community. He was already thinking of how he could rearrange the shop floor to have more items out on display, with a larger stock of goods kept out the back so that customers no longer had to wait for deliveries. One thing wouldn't change as long as there was a large contingent of Mounties in town. Their room would remain until it was no longer needed.
He looked across to where the old offices of Gowan Oil lay empty and in his mind he could picture window displays of the latest living and dining room furniture, alternating sometimes with one of the magnificent mahogany bedroom suites he had seen on his last visit to Union City. Yost's Furniture Emporium. Yes, he thought, things were definitely looking up here and he was going to be right there in the middle of it, providing people with the perfect goods to suit the life they would have in a modern booming town.
So immersed was he in his dream he almost didn't see the figure dash out from the rear of that building, then cross the road to the side of Minnie's Place, the red serge just catching his eye as it disappeared behind the cafe. Now what was that fellow up to, he wondered?
He kept up a pretence of sweeping, moving around to the side of The Mercantile in time to see a young Mountie, the one who had been helping with the Chinese goods earlier, appear from around the back. He held his finger to his lips, indicating to Ned not to say anything. Was this a training exercise, the storekeeper wondered. How exciting to be involved if it was. The Mountie indicated to the door leading to the storeroom and Ned nodded his understanding, turning to make his way quickly through the shop floor to unbolt it from the inside. Barely had he opened the door than the young man slid in and pushed it shut behind him.
Ned wasn't sure what was happening so he waited for George, he was sure that was his name, to catch his breath before asking, but the Constable spoke up quickly. "There is something strange happening and I'm not sure what. I have to speak to either Sergeant Kinslow or Sergeant Aldritt, or preferably both of them. But I can't go to the Mountie Office so I need you to go and ask them to come here."
"Only those two? No-one else?"
George nodded. "If they are not there ask others to get them for you. But they are the ones who will know what to do. Or Superintendent Grant, but I don't think he's in charge anymore. Whatever you do, don't go to the judge's office."
Seeing the seriousness in the other man's expression Ned started thinking about what he should say so as not to raise any suspicion. "I'll pretend I have a telegram for them. That is something I have to hand over directly. If I write the message on it then it won't matter if there are other people around, they will read it and come." Feeling confident that this would work he began untying his apron, hoping that he would give nothing away to his wife. If Florence noticed anything odd about his manner she would start asking questions and he could never lie to her.
At the Avery house another Mountie was watching. He had taken the path that led through the side gate and now stood in a corner of the garden that kept him hidden from view. He could see the judge's wife working in the kitchen, humming to herself as she was clearly preparing vegetables for the evening meal. He didn't want to frighten her so if necessary he would have to find a reason to get her to invite him in and to then keep her there until he got word from his partner. He hoped he wasn't going to have to get her to go with him as that was much more dangerous. Plus she was a redhead and they were always much more feisty and difficult to reason with.
In the kitchen Molly started humming a little louder. Aware that someone was outside she tried hard not to look, only glancing out of the window as she stood at the kitchen sink. Bill had warned her that there may come a time when the gang members of a criminal he had put away or a farmer disgruntled by the ruling he had given may come after her to get back at him and so she had honed her listening skills and learnt how to identify something that wasn't normal. It was the slightest crunch of a stick as it broke that had alerted her and she had to fight the immediate reaction to look up. Instead she had moved across to the corner cupboard, out of sight of the garden, where behind a few of his bottles of illicit whisky Bill had placed a gun, having taught her how to use it should the need ever arise.
Now she could feel the weight of it in her pocket. She wondered if she should telephone Bill but then thought how silly she would look if she took him away from his interrogation because she had heard a noise. He would probably laugh at her but also feel annoyed by the interruption. Then she sensed rather than heard more movement outside, followed by nothing. Perhaps it had just been a fox and with so much having happened here in recent weeks she was just being overly dramatic. Still, she kept the gun in her pocket where she had placed it.
When you had been in the force as long as Bill Avery there was little you hadn't heard or seen but even he had to admit this was a new one for him. Why Headquarters would want to be secretive about what was being planned he couldn't quite figure out and what these men thought they were doing by excluding Nathan at this point was beyond him. However, he knew how to play the waiting game and so was going along with them for the moment, his mind working overtime as he sat down behind his desk to listen to what Philip Simpson had to say.
The man checked his watch again, looking at the door straight after, and that made Bill suspicious but he resisted saying anything. Was there a precise time for him to make a proclamation or something? "I must admit, I hoped my telephone call to Headquarters would be acted on but I didn't expect anything to happen quite so fast. What I can't understand is why they didn't contact me direct rather than have you race over here from Clearwater. Is it because I'm only temporarily back on the force? That didn't seem to bother them when I was taking information to them."
Philip Simpson didn't comment, his eyes once again drawn to the outside as though waiting for a signal from someone.
