Chapter 22

Elizabeth walked by the window of the café and noticed Jack and Frank escorting a man toward the jail. The unknown man was walking with his hands behind his back. Abagail noticed Elizabeth staring out the window. She stepped beside Elizabeth and looked out the same window.

"Who is that?" Elizabeth asked Abagail.

"I don't now his name. He has been in here a couple of times. Do you think he is responsible for the accidents at the mill?" Abagail's voice was soft and slow in asking.

"I'm not too sure…it would make sense since the explosion was just a little bit ago. Why else would Jack and Frank be escorting someone to the jail with his hands tied behind his back."

"Maybe it's over." Abagail said hopefully. "Lee needs to catch a break."

"Yes he does."

…

Hickam walked up the steps to the mill's office with a smile on his face. Lee was standing on the edge leaning against a post. A worried look plastered on his face. The smoke was lessening, but his nerves were still raddled.

"Hey Hickam…was there any more damage to the engines?" Lee asked very concerned about his business.

"No. The explosion wasn't intended for the engines this time."

"What was he after?"

"The stockpile of lumber."

"This has to end." Lee stated with determination in his voice.

"Jack caught a man running away from the mill. Jack came and asked for a length of rope to tie the man up. He walked the site for a few minutes and then left."

"Do you think it was the guy?"

"It has to be…but I don't know."

"Let's pray it is…we can't handle much more of this."

"We're holding on, Mr. Coulter. We are only behind on a few orders, but we're ok. The men are working hard."

"I know. This mill needs to continue to run. Too many people are depending upon it."

"It will, sir. It will."

…

Charles stepped off the steps from a customer's office. He secured another shipping contract and was excited to send word to his boss about the arrangement. That thought was short lived. His mind went back to Elizabeth. He was one overnight wait to see her. As much as he thought about her, he just couldn't figure her out. He has known Elizabeth most of their lives. They grew up together. No one knows Elizabeth as well as he does. He just didn't understand. "How could she be acting this way? How could she possibly want to stay in that little boondock town? There is nothing there for her, except that mountie and those kids." He whispered to himself. "It must be those children. There is no way she would pick that…that mountie over me." The disgust could be heard in his tone. "That mountie will never equal to who I am. He can't support her like I can." Charles looked up when a gentleman cleared his throat. Charles nodded his head and continued walking down the sidewalk.

How do the Thornton boys have such a hold on the younger Thatcher sisters? This doesn't make sense. I have so much to offer Elizabeth. She wouldn't have to chase a room full of kids all day. She could spend her day anyway she chooses to. She could write…perform charity work…anything she wishes. When children come, she could have the best governesses we could hire. What am I missing?

He was so lost in thought he didn't hear the gentleman asking him if he was Mr. Kensington.

"Sir. Sir! Are you Mr. Kensington?" The gentleman asked the third time.

"Oh, pardon me. Yes. I am he."

The gentleman handed Charles a folded telegram and wished him a good day.

After unfolding the telegram, Charles began to read it.

Charles,

Something has happened but not sure what. Be careful and watch yourself. Let me know what you find out.

W. Thatcher

"What happened now?" Charles muttered to himself. "Why is this harder than it should be? It's Hope Valley…it's a one mountie town. If that guy was any good as a mountie, he wouldn't be in that town." He shook his head. He also noticed it was time to head to the hotel for lunch.

…

Walking in front of the café, Jack noticed Elizabeth looking out the door window. He slightly shook his head side to side indicating for her not to come out. She noticed and read his intent clearly. She slightly nodded her head to let him know she understood.

After placing the man in the jail cell, Frank and Jack stepped out on the porch. "What do you think, Jack?"

"I think he is our man. With the blasting cap and then the hidden box with weapons in it, I have enough to hold him as a suspect. I need to wire headquarters to let them know everything. I would also like to stop by and let Elizabeth know everything is fine and to avoid the jail house for the next few days."

As they stepped outside, they paused for a moment to allow their minds to catch up.

"Hey Jack, how did you know something was going to happen today?"

"I just had a feeling."

Frank stared at him. Jack knew he didn't buy that explanation. "Jack, you knew what trail do go down. You knew something was going to happen…how?

"You know the whole story with Mr. Kensington and Elizabeth?"

"I know most of it, if not all of it." Frank admitted.

"You know Mr. Kensington was supposed to arrive today. He sent a telegram to Elizabeth saying that he was delay unexpectantly."

"Ok…"

"You understand his feelings toward Elizabeth?"

Frank nodded his head as they stepped off the lasts step and onto the main street.

"With her turning him down and coming back to Hope Valley, what could be more important than for him to come here to win her back?" Frank didn't say anything, so Jack continued. "I didn't follow Elizabeth to Hamilton because I knew she accepted Mr. Kensington's proposal. He isn't the type of person to think that Elizabeth would lower herself to live here and be with someone like me."

"Maybe…"

"So, if he knew he could win her back, what was so important to delay him from coming here as fast as he could?"

"I don't know."

"Unless he knew something was going to happen today. He didn't want to arrive on the same day there was an explosion. It would have been too coincidental. The timing would have brought too many questions and attention to him."

Frank stopped walking but didn't turn to Jack. He only stared at the ground in front of him. He was thinking everything through.

"So, he delayed coming here to avoid the appearance of him being involved? But he must be involved to know that something was going to happen today." Frank spoke out loud thoughtfully.

"Yes." Jack nodded while he spoke. "That would be the only thing that could keep him from coming. If the stagecoach had an issue, Charles would just use his resources to hire a private coach to bring him. I would have also received a telegram informing me of the issue with the stagecoach."

"He must be involved…"

"That's what I'm thinking." Jack stated. "He truly believes he can convince Elizabeth to go back to Hamilton with him."

"Do you really think he thinks that?" Asked Frank as he turned toward Jack.

"I think he does." Jack stated. "Being that confident, nothing would keep him from coming."

"How are you going to prove that?"

"With this man's confession."

"You think he will confess?"

"I do if I play my cards right, he will." The two men continued their walk to the café.

…

Jack stopped by the café and spoke with Elizabeth. He wanted her to know he was safe, and things were good.

"I came back as fast as I could." Jack teased as Elizabeth raised her head from her book when he walked into the café.

"Finally." She teased back.

Jack opened his arms and Elizabeth immediately walked into a hug. He wanted to hold onto her longer, but there were a few customers in the dining room.

"I have someone in jail. Please don't come over for the next few days until I can have him transported to Medicine Hat."

"Why?"

Elizabeth looked into Jack's eyes. He didn't say anything, but she understood the meaning.

"I won't. I'll tell JJ to do the same."

"Thank you. I'm sorry, but I need to head back."

"Be safe, Jack."

His smile gave her the answer she was wanting.

…

Jack walked to the mercantile to send a telegram to headquarters. He asked for a transport team and informed them of the arrest. Before leaving the mercantile, Jack received a response. He was a little surprised at the quick answer. He was informed that a group of six mounties will be arriving in a couple of days. Jack was shocked at the number of mounties in this transport team. Usually there are two mounties for one prisoner.

Walking through the jail door, Jack glanced over at the prisoner. Jack had every interest in questioning him, but he didn't want to seem too eager. If he came across that way, the prisoner would hold the upper hand. He already had too much power in Jack's opinion. Jack didn't even know his name. He needed to figure out a way to get the information he needed without the prisoner calling the shots and being in charge.

"Constable...Hey Constable!" The man shouted. "Hey…I'm talking to you."

Jack briefly glanced in his direction but didn't say anything. He sat down at his desk and started working on some make belief paperwork. He was trying to act nonchalantly and look busy. Jack was also trying to show the prisoner that he wasn't the most important person in Hope Valley.

"Hey, don't you know who I am? I'm…" He stopped himself before telling too much information.

To his credit, Jack didn't look up. He was eager to get the information. He needed to do this as quickly as possible, but he needed to do this the right way.

"Hey Constable. Don't you even care who I am?"

"No. I do not. The mountie transport team will be here in a couple of days to take you to Medicine Hat to be held for the judge. There will be a trial and you will go to jail for several crimes including arson, damage to a business, and attempted murder." Jack never looked up from the papers in his hands. He said it as matter of fact…like he was giving a weather report.

"What! Attempted murder? No! That guy wasn't expected to be there! It was a mistake! An accident!" The man stood from his seat in the cell and grabbed on the metal bars of the cell.

"Are you admitting to causing four explosions at the mill?" Jack finally looked up.

The prisoner thought about this for a few moments. He knew he was caught, the question that was before him now made him wonder how long he would be in jail. "I haven't admitted to anything. But what would you offer if someone would help arrest those who were in charge of everything?"

Jack smiled at himself. Great, I have found out he was involved but not in charge. And there is more than one person who is involved. Jack's mind went to Charles and maybe Mr. Thatcher. Jack had to control his emotions and his mind. He didn't want to begin this process with his mind already made up. He had to allow the evidence to guide him to the outcome. He couldn't create the outcome and force the evidence to take him there.

"I'm not sure." Jack started calmly. "Let's face it, I have you and all the evidence that was collected off you and the box by the tree. I think I have enough to send you away for years."

"Come on Constable. Don't you want to know the whole story?"

"I think I have it." With that statement, he walked to the back room for a few minutes to let the prisoner think. He learned over the years as a mountie, the worst thing he could do was to let the prisoner have total control. One of the best things he can do is to let the prisoner sit and think. If the prisoner was on edge, he or she would always want to be in control and would usually make a mistake to gain it. So far, the ploy was working. Jack learned there were more people involved in the explosions, he just needed to learn who this guy was and who the other people involved were.

Jack sat on the seat at a small two person table in the room he used to live in for only a couple of minutes before the prisoner called out for Jack.

"Constable, I think we need to talk."

…

Frank and Abagail were standing in the kitchen. She was attempting to make lunch, but Frank was doing his best to distract her. As much as she hated to admit, he was very successful. He found that she loved it when he paid attention to her neck with his gentle kisses.

"Frank," she exasperatedly stated. "I need to work on lunch, and you are making it impossible to do so. Can you please help me instead of distracting me?"

He leaned away, and she immediately missed his attention. The grin on his face made her regret ever telling him he was successful in his desire to distract her. "Oh, goodness. I shouldn't have said that." She mentioned it in a whisper.

"So, you're telling me I'm a powerful distraction?"

Oh, the pride in his voice and the victorious look on his face made her fall deeper in love with him and frustrated her even more. She always liked it when she won these little battles, but she quickly realized she lost this one.

"Yes, I mean no." She was flustered and couldn't stop her mind or her mouth. "I need to finish this. Please, could you set the tables and cut up the fruit?"

While he did exactly what he was asked, he did it with great pride in knowing that he could get to Abagail that way.

"We need to be married." He stated under his breath without the intention of anyone hearing, especially Abagail.

However, Abagail did hear him. Her smile only grew at the thought. She also had to admit there was a little bit of verves that came along with that thought.

…

Elizabeth walked into the room and immediately realized she was intruding. "I'm sorry. I'll come back later."

"No. No. Come in Elizabeth." Abagail smiled at her friend and sister. "Do you need anything?" Abagail was grateful for the distraction.

"I was hoping we could talk." Elizabeth stated as she looked between Abagail and Frank. Abagail looked at her friend for a few moments and thought she knew what Elizabeth wanted to talk about. Elizabeth's face was a little flush. She looked at Frank and asked him to take some coffee and tea to the dining room.

Once he left, Abagail took Elizabeth's hand and escorted her to the chairs in the corner and had her sit down. "What's up Elizabeth? You seemed a little flustered."

"Well, I have a problem and I need your help." Elizabeth's upbringing did not allow for such conversations involving intimacy. Her mother's description between husband and wife was very dry and not intimate at all. It was the wife's duty to be with her husband. It would eventually get better with time, but it was a duty. The feelings Elizabeth was having toward Jack was not the feeling of one's duty. She desired Jack in a way she never experienced. She couldn't think of anything else. The kiss, sleeping in his arms, the hugs, and feeling his breath on her face when he whispered in her ear only drove this desire even further.

Reading Elizabeth's facial expressions and being her best friend and honorary sister for a few years, Abagail knew the emotions Elizabeth was dealing with. Abagail reached over and took Elizabeth's hand.

"Elizabeth, the feelings you are feeling are perfectly normal when two young people are in love. I would be concerned if you didn't feel this way."

While speaking with Elizabeth, Abagail glanced in the dining room and notice Frank talking with a couple of customers. She thought, Maybe…you don't have to be a young couple to feel that way?

"Abagail, are you alright?" Asked Elizabeth.

"I'm sorry. What? Oh, I'm fine." She quickly gathered her thoughts. "Elizabeth, you should be feeling this way. You love Jack and you have decided to live your life with him."

"How did you know that's what I was struggling with?"

"I'm not that old, Elizabeth." Abagail stated with a slight smile. "Well, to be honest, I am struggling with the same thing right now." Her voice trailed off realizing she said those words out loud.

Both ladies laughed so loudly the diners in the dining room stopped eating and looked into the kitchen. After a few seconds, Frank appeared in the doorway asking if there was a problem. They pierced their lips together and with raised eyebrows, shook their head side to side.

Frank gave them each a knowing look before he turned to walk back into the dining room.

"Marriage intimacy should be enjoyed by both people. It is not a duty. Where is the fun in that?" Smirked Abagail. "Relax. What you are experiencing is a great thing. You desire Jack, whom you love with your whole heart. Be patient and enjoy the process of getting there."

Elizabeth slowly exhaled a deep breath. "I know what you are saying, but Abagail, it is getting more difficult to walk away. Why is that?"

"Because you finally made up your mind and followed your heart. Once you made that decision, you tore down the walls you built years ago. Jack was the key to that. He is your soulmate. I have known it for years but you two just couldn't figure things out. You allowed so many outside forces to get between you two."

"Yes, I know. I can't believe I have taken so long to see what was in my heart. I allowed many of those outside forces to cause division between Jack and me. I can't believe I almost allowed any one to come between us. He is my greatest strength and weakness."

"Just like it should be." Abagail shared a knowing look. "Oh, I forgot, Mr. Yost came after you left a little while ago. This telegram came for you."

Elizabeth's eyes lowered to the floor after she read the signature line. She looked at Abagail and sighed. "This is the second telegram from Charles today. He will be here tomorrow. He is hoping I have reconsidered his proposal and will head back with him permanently to Hamilton."

"Oh, Elizabeth. What are you going to do?"

"I hate to lose a close friend after so many years, but I am not losing Jack for any reason. Jack does not like Charles, and I have given him plenty of reasons why. I will never give him another reason to question my heart again. I can't be rude, but I need to be honest and straightforward with Charles. He needs to understand my love for Jack and if he can't then he must leave me alone."

"Good for you, Elizabeth. You don't have to be rude to get your point across, but you do have to know what you want. Then you need to share that with the people who need to know it."

"And I do know what I want. That is Jack. The future I can only see for myself is with Jack."

"Ok. How are you going to handle this?"

"I'm not sure, but I will need to discuss this with Jack. One thing I am certain of is that I will not have any more misunderstandings between Jack and myself."

…

"Constable! Aren't you listening to me?" At Jack's silence, the man was getting a little frustrated and worried. "Did you really say attempted murder."

"Yes." Jack answered without even looking up from his desk. "The definition of attempted murder is when a person is trying to unlawfully kill someone. With that explosion, you almost killed a man but thankfully you failed. That's why I am charging you with attempted murder and not murder."

"He wasn't supposed to be there! The explosion wasn't intended for him!"

"How do you know what the explosion was intended for?"

"Well, if we can work out a deal, I will tell you everything and everyone involved."

"Why should I trust you? You tried to kill someone."

The man hesitated for a few long moments. "I have proof."

This caught Jack's attention. He was short on evidence for the other people this gentleman talked about, but still wasn't convinced this man was going to be honest. "Tell me what you know and share this evidence and if it is helpful, I will talk with my superiors to see what kind of deal we can work out for you."

"That doesn't sound like a good deal for me."

"Fine. We'll just charge you like I stated before and you can take the entire hit for the crimes you committed." Jack emphasized the word 'you'.

This man was certainly not liking the constable now, but he also realized the predicament he is in. He just wasn't going to come out of this on top.

"Fine. Get us something to drink, then pull up a chair. You will not believe it."

…

JJ came barreling in the café with a couple of his friends. "Mommy! Mommy! Are you here?"

"I'm here, JJ. What are you up too?"

"Playing with my friends. What are you doing?"

"I'm talking with Auntie Abagail. Are you having a great time with your friends?"

"I am. May I ask you something?"

"Sure. What's on your mind, sweetie?"

"Are you spending the night again tonight?"

Unfortunately for Elizabeth, the dining room was not completely empty. If she could have melted into a puddle under her chair, she would have done it. Her face instantly turned red, and she buried her face in her hands.

"Oh…I…um…I…um…" She couldn't turn any thoughts in her head into words, even if she did have thoughts. Her mind quickly went to the individuals in the dining room. She knew this gossip was going to spread like wildfire.

Abagail gasped. She smiled at JJ's innocence. She decided to end Elizabeth's embarrassment. "JJ, Elizabeth and Jack fell asleep talking on the couch after you went to bed. It wasn't on purpose, just an accident."

JJ nodded toward Auntie Abagail. He turned his attention toward Elizabeth. He was still waiting on the answer to his question. It made he feel good that his mommy stayed with them last night. "Well…?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"I won't stay the night, but if Jack is ok with it, I may stay for dinner."

JJ nodded his head and turned to run outside after grabbing a cookie from the counter. The whole conversation was lost on him. He did not realize the embarrassment he had caused.

Elizabeth was still unable to process anything. She looked around and noticed a couple of people staring at her.

"We all know Elizabeth and Jack very well." Stated Abagail with a sense of authority. "We know they are honorable. They are courting and this was just a simple mistake. There is no need to spread false gossip about these two outstanding people."

Everyone grinned at Abagail's statement and at Elizabeth's embarrassment. Everyone nodded their head and turned their attention back to their lunch.

…

Jack sat on the chair beside the jail cell for the last hour and a half listening to this man. He said his name is Louis Franklin. The story was so farfetched that it couldn't be true. However, Louis stated that everything was backed up with telegrams, gifts, and a few handwritten notes.

"My name is Louis Franklin. I'm originally from Toronto but I have lived in Hamilton after secondary school." He began the story. "After school, I began working with an excavation company in Hamilton. I traveled and became foreman of a crew of about 35 men. My background consists of explosives, some tunneling, and tree work."

Jack listened intently to Mr. Franklin. This was becoming very old since this information was not helpful to his investigation. Jack felt the man was stalling. "Mr. Franklin, this isn't useful at all. Get to the information I need quickly, or I have more important things I could be doing."

"Yes, Constable." Mr. Franklin skipped the early years of employment and started into the more pertinent information. "After coming back a few weeks ago from a long work trip up north to blast a new railroad through the forest, I was approached by a man named Charles Kensington. He wanted to know if I would like a new job. I told him I was very happy with the one I had, but he was adamant about having lunch with me to discuss a possible job he knew about. I wasn't interested in the job, but who turns down a free lunch at some fancy place? So, I went."

"Do you have proof of this?"

"Yes. I have the contract between me and the older gentleman."

"The older gentleman?"

"Yes. He joined us at lunch to discuss the job. He was in charge."

"You had a contract formed during that lunch?"

"Yes. I only look like a simpleton." He gave a smirk knowing most people think he is just a simple man. "Constable, I may work in the fields and woods, but I'm not a dumb man. I have several pieces of evidence."

"May I see it?"

"You need to get my bag from room number five from the hotel above the saloon."

"Ok. What other evidence do you have from that meeting?"

"I had a watch that I stole from the younger man. I didn't like him when I met him. I had the chance to still a pocket watch when he wasn't paying attention. It was a very nice pocket watch. I stole it just out of spite. His initials, CKIII , were engraved on the back along with some inscription I don't remember. I lost it several days ago. I don't know where it is."

Jack stood and walked over to the desk pulling the pocket watch out from the top drawer and opening the cloth pouch he stored the watch in. "Is this the pocket watch?"

"Yes. Where did you find it?"

"At the third explosion. It was the only evidence I found at the site other than the modified blasting caps."

"Oh yes, the blasting caps." Mr. Franklin stated with pride as he leaned back in his chair. "They were really a work of beauty. They were not easy to make. I had several trial and errors before making them work properly."

Jack thought for a few minutes. "Before I go to your room, I would like to ask you one question."

"Go ahead."

"What was the purpose of shutting down the mill if it wasn't for injuring Mr. Lee Coulter?"

"Please listen to me Constable. Mr. Coulter was never the purpose of destroying the mill. He was an accident. I would never have done this if he was the intended target. He wasn't supposed to be in that area at that time."

"Ok. Why?" Jack asked.

After listening to his answer, he was surprised but not shocked. He just couldn't believe it. After a few minutes of replaying Louis' statements, he stood and walked around the jail. Finally, he stopped walking and turned to Mr. Franklin and asked, "I will go to your room and pick up your bag. I want two or three other people to come and listen to what you have already told me along with the other information I don't know about yet. Is that ok with you?"

"Will it hurt my chances of getting out of trouble?"

"You will not entirely get out of trouble, but it wouldn't hurt your chances to get a lowered sentence."

"That's fine with me. I am a little hungry. Could you bring something to eat?"

"Yes. I'll be back in about thirty minutes."

Jack stepped out onto the front porch of the jail. He was still trying to understand everything he was told. He was having trouble gathering his thoughts and he knew he hadn't heard everything yet. He was afraid how this was going to affect Elizabeth. His first stop was Abagail's.

…

"Hey Abagail." Jack stated as he walked into the café. "Would you be free for the next hour or so?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Could you make a meal for the prisoner I have and bring it by the jail in thirty minutes?"

"Sure. I can do that. Any recommendations on the food?"

"No. Whatever you have will be fine. Do you know where Elizabeth and Frank are?"

"Elizabeth is in the living room with JJ. I think Frank is at the church. Why?"

"When you deliver the food, I would like for you to stay and listen to the prisoner. I would also like to have Elizabeth and Frank there as well."

Abagail gave him a look he perfectly understood.

"Elizabeth needs to hear this and she may need her best friend and sister with her when she does."

"Jack, what is going on?"

"Abagail, I don't know the whole story yet, but what I have been told by the prisoner is quite appalling and disturbing. She will need you there."

Abagail understood his meaning. "I will get her and bring her when I come."

"I will step in and ask her to come with you. Then I will find Frank and then I need to go to the saloon to get into the prisoner's room for his bag. I will see you in thirty minutes?"

Abagail simply nodded. She had a gut feeling this was not going to be a good conversation.

…

Jack stepped into the dining room. Elizabeth was sitting at a small desk and he noticed a sketching pad in front of her. She had several pencils laying around the desk and was holding one in her hand. He looked at her a little confused.

"What do you have there?" he asked.

"Oh, Jack. I didn't see you." She tried to gather all the pencils and close the pad before Jack was able to look at what she was doing.

"I can see that. What are you doing?" He asked as she was franticly reaching for the pencils. "When did you start sketching?"

"Um…I…um" Elizabeth was a little nervous at telling Jack. She only began sketching and she didn't think she was very good at it. Plus, she took it up to feel closer to Jack when she was in Hamilton. "I was just playing around. Nothing important."

"May I take a look?" Jack was intrigued and wanted to look at what she was doing.

"I'm not finished with it. I was just playing around…" She was flustered and trying to hide her work.

"When did you start sketching?

"I took it up in Hamilton. I was walking around town trying to work things out in my head one day and came across a store that sold all of this. It caught my attention, and I went in to look around. I felt closer to you looking at the sketches and supplies. Before I knew what I was doing, I purchased a couple of things. I'm not very good at it, but I…" she trailed off as she spoke.

"But you what?"

"I feel closer to you when I sketch." She said embarrassingly.

"Oh…may I look?"

She finally relented and allowed him to see what she was drawing.

"What's this? A house?"

"Yes. Our house." She stated just above a whisper.

After looking at it for a few moments, he broke out in a huge smile.

"I love it. You are very good." Jack hesitated before continuing. "Elizabeth, can we discuss this later. I would love to get your ideas about our home, but I need you to come to the jail with Abagail in a few minutes. Would you do that?"

"Sure." She had questions, but Jack pleaded with her to just come with Abagail. After a sweet kiss on her lips, he left to find Frank.

…

Frank wasn't at the church, instead Jack found him at the saloon talking to a new couple in town.

"Frank, could you please join me for a little while?"

Frank noticed Jack's facial expression and knew this wasn't going to be good. "Sure Jack." Was all he stated as he excused himself from the young couple and followed Jack up the stairs.

"What's going on?"

"The prisoner's name is Louis Franklin. He has been renting a room in the hotel the last couple of days and asked me to get his bag. Evidently, he has all the proof in the bag to the story he has been telling me. I haven't heard everything yet, but if he can prove what he has already told me, Elizabeth will have a very hard time dealing with things. I have asked Abagail to join us so she could be there for Elizabeth. I want you there as another set of ears."

"This is bad isn't it, Jack?"

"Absolutely."

…

Jack and Frank walked into the jail. Mr. Franklin stood expecting to get something to eat but was disappointed when Jack didn't have anything with him. Jack noticed his disappointment and informed Louis the food would be here shortly.

Five minutes later, Abagail and Elizabeth walked through the door with a plate of food.

"Perfect!" Exclaimed Louis.

As they all sat down in chairs Jack had around the jail cell, Jack introduced everyone beginning with Frank and ending with Elizabeth.

"Mr. Franklin, this is Pastor Frank Hogan, you know him when I arrested you. This is Ms. Abagail Stanton, who prepared the meal for you. And this young lady is my girlfriend, Ms. Elizabeth Thatcher.

Louis froze upon hearing Elizabeth's name. "This is her?" He stated very slowly and softly nodding his head toward Elizabeth. He was shocked. "The Elizabeth…?"

"Yes." Was Jack's simple reply.

Elizabeth sat frozen in place. "How do you know who I am?"