Chapter 14: Gathering the Troops
The fire was popping and crackling before them as Nathan and Gabriel settled themselves in front of it with their loaded saddle bags. They had ridden until almost dusk before they stopped to set up camp for the night just a few hours from Nordegg. It was a cool evening, and as they suspected, the temperatures plummeted after the sun went down.
Thankfully, the fire was hot and bright, and their early dinner at the hotel had them hungrily digging into their saddle bags to compare care packages from their ladies. They sat close together, huddled in the firelight with their saddle bags across their laps. As expected, Gabriel gave Nathan a hard time about his floral stitched hankie that still wrapped his stash of oatmeal cookies, dried fruit, and biscuits.
Lillian had sent Gabriel off with a freshly baked half loaf of cinnamon bread and dried apples. She had tucked in a sweet note between the apple slices that Nathan spotted and quickly snatched to read dreamily—much to Gabriel's demise.
"Oooh… 'Dear Sweetcakes'…" Nathan teased.
"It does NOT say that!" Gabriel argued while nervously craning his neck towards the note to confirm. "Give me that!"
"Fine. It says, 'Dear Gabriel, Stay warm and be careful.' ….She knows you're with me, right?" Nathan teasingly questioned.
"Yeah. That's probably why she's telling me to be careful," Gabriel deadpanned.
"I'll keep you safe and warm." Nathan batted his eyes with a laugh responding to Gabriel's eye rolling response.
"You'll probably even drag me off my horse."
"Free of charge." Nathan's grin crept across his face at the memory of yanking Gabriel off of Apollo in a snowstorm. He surrendered the note to his friend who happily snatched it back. Gabriel read the remaining written sentiments from Lillian privately as he ate a piece of her cinnamon bread.
Nathan gobbled down another oatmeal cookie before Gabriel spoke again. "Lillian is really something. Seems like your teacher likes you a lot too." He said nodding towards Nathan's hankie-wrapped snacks.
Nathan blushed. "I think she does. I still can't really believe it."
"Well it's about time. You've been pining for her and her little boy for years now. Can't say that I'm surprised. She was bound to fall in love with you and Allie." Gabriel patted his friend on the back in a sitting side-hug before grabbing another snack from his care package.
"I wish I had your confidence then. She seemed awfully interested in Lucas for awhile there too." Nathan reflected somberly as he stared deep into the glowing embers.
"The saloon owner?!" Gabriel let out a belly laugh, "anyone with eyes could see that was never gonna work. Jack would have rolled over in his grave! Can you imagine that guy raising Jack Thornton's son?!" Gabriel was bent over laughing, still clutching his dried apple slice.
Nathan smiled as well—feeling relief that his fear of that outcome would never happen now. "Well that wasn't why I came to Hope Valley, Gabe, and you know that better than anyone."
"I know…I know. And I think it was honorable what you did going to serve there at Jack's post. Some things you just can't outrun, Nathan. As much as you think you chose to go there, I wouldn't be surprised if you were destined to be there, my friend. Just look at how much Hope Valley has helped Allie."
Nathan nodded knowing Gabriel was probably right. How else could he explain it? He had never planned this, but now he couldn't imagine his life being any different.
"Well, I'm happy for you Nathan. Just invite me to the wedding." Gabriel playfully side-eyed his friend, weighing his reaction.
"Gabe, we're just barely courting." Nathan's face flushed red, while a smile tugged at his lips, and his heart raced in his ears at the potential thought.
"Uh-huh. You'll be married by spring. I'm calling it now," Gabriel retorted. Nathan's smile broke totally free now, though he looked down at his half-eaten cookie, attempting to hide his hopeful smile.
"What about you and Lillian? When will you marry her?" Nathan tried to deflect.
"Whoa there, Buddy. She and I don't have the same history you two do. We're taking our time to get to know one another better. She wants the orphanage to be well established, and it's hard for us to get much time together with the kids around—you know what that's like."
"Well, like Elizabeth said, don't take too long. Time isn't promised to anyone." Nathan looked up cautiously at his friend, knowing he would understand the reference.
Gabriel somberly nodded at the wisdom of the sentiment. He took another bite of his apple slice before he carelessly tossed it in the direction of the horses for them to finish.
Nathan's eyes flared in recognition. "Don't feed Newton any apples!" But it was too late. The horse eagerly gobbled up the snack and dropped a load behind him in response.
Gabriel's eyebrows raised in question.
Nathan rolled his eyes and sighed, "Bill."
"Bill?" Gabriel smirked as his eyebrow arched further, "Now I've gotta hear this."
Nathan sighed again buying himself some time. "Bill trained Newton to poop in front of the saloon, and he would give him an apple whenever he did it."
Gabriel held back a laugh as he listened intently before he doubled over laughing. "Oh…that's hilarious. I knew you'd have solid backup. Bill was never going to allow a guy like Lucas around. He sounded like a real piece of work. So what happened to Lucas anyway? How is he taking all this between you and Elizabeth?"
"He ran. We haven't seen him in weeks. Closed up the saloon and everything. Can't say I've been sad to see him go. Not that I'm supposed to feel personally about citizens in town..." Nathan trailed off.
Gabriel laughed. "Sounds like he gave you plenty of reasons to feel that way. Well, good. I'm glad he's gone."
Newton whinnied and stomped. Both Mounties turned and shouted a collective, "NO!" Newton let out an irritated snort and Gabriel and Nathan laughed.
"No apples, got it. Well, Friend, I'm headed to bed. You want me to bank this fire or are you staying up?" Gabriel stood to his feet and dusted himself off.
"No. I'll get it. I'll bear-proof the bags and hang them. I'm heading to bed too. G'Night Gabe."
"Night Nathan."
Nathan banked the fire, hung the bags from a nearby tree, and crawled into his tent with thoughts of Elizabeth, Jack, and Allie permeating his last thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.
….
It was still dark when Nathan woke to the distinct sound of someone creeping around their camp. Instantly on high alert, Nathan gripped the pistol that was next to his bedroll while he slowly peeled back the canvas of his tent.
It was a new moon, and only the stars gave light alongside the last glowing embers of their still smoldering logs. The smoke snaked quietly through the brisk air.
Nathan squinted into the night, but saw nothing. Unable to alert his friend, Nathan saw no movement yet over at Gabriel's tent.
He sat motionless peering out the door of his tent—waiting for whatever was lurking in the darkness. The crunch of boots revealed a crouched figure behind a nearby bush. Nathan's breath came fast and hard as he cocked his pistol prepared to defend himself.
The unmistakable sound froze the man in place except for reaching for his own gun. "Nathan?!" The familiar voice called out.
"Gabe?! GABRIEL LYNN KINSLOW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I could have shot you!"
"Sorry…. I had to go to the bathroom. Remind me tomorrow night not to eat so many apples before bed. My stomach is rolling." Gabriel responded rather sheepishly.
Nathan ran a hand through his unruly bed head before he laughed to himself. "Well…I'm up. What time is it?"
"Almost dawn I think. Sorry! No more apples for me either I guess," Gabriel chuckled.
"You're worse than Newton," Nathan challenged lightheartedly.
"You'd better hope not. You'll have us both at headquarters later. Hate to embarrass you."
"Good point. Well, we might as well eat and pack up. No way I could fall back asleep now. I'll trade you one of my biscuits for a slice of your cinnamon bread…." Nathan ventured cautiously.
"Deal. I'll feed the fire and put the coffee on," Gabriel agreed.
They ate quickly, dressed, and readied the horses. They were just packing up the rest of camp when the sun peeked over the horizon—lighting the jagged outline of the surrounding Rockies.
A few minutes later, they mounted up and headed South. Rather than continue their regular teasing banter, they rode quietly and cautiously—listening as they rode, knowing the robbers could potentially be anywhere in their vicinity.
The mountain tops glowed at their summits as the first rays of morning sun illuminated their snowy peaks. The ridges were bathed in shadows lending contrast to the beautiful show of color across the early morning sky. It may not have been their intent to rise so early, but as a consolation, the morning light show in this part of the country was simply spectacular.
After a few hours of riding, they saw ahead of them the outskirts of the growing coal mining town, Nordegg. It was nestled in the foothills of the Rockies with a wide main street lined with Mountie-police horses at all of the various storefronts. There was the Nordegg post office, The Bellevue Cafe, a general store, a saloon, an office front for Brazeau Colleries, an inn, and surprisingly, a RCMP barracks.
Glancing to the left, Nathan noticed a train pulling in to the nearby station. Just a few years ago, Nordegg was unreachable to most of Canada except by horse. But now, because of the success of the mines, The Canadian National Railway ran tracks through to Nordegg at the Brazeau station.
A shrill train horn sounded, and a dozen more Mounties unloaded from the recent train to also check into the new case headquarters. There were several of the Mounties in the classic red serge as well as several pairs in the new brown serge—presumably arriving from the larger cities.
Gabriel nodded to Nathan noting the RCMP office off to their right with dozens of Mounties already gathered and awaiting instruction. Tipping their hat to those who noticed them, Gabriel and Nathan found an empty spot at a nearby hitching post and tethered Newton and Apollo before refilling the water trough.
Nathan and Gabriel walked over towards the office and were immediately greeted by a few fellow officers. One was an older man with broad shoulders and a slightly rounded belly. He had thick dark hair that was heavily peppered with gray and was trimmed neatly at the sides. His short beard, in contrast, was almost entirely white.
The other man stood slightly shorter and was much leaner with beady brown eyes and a short cropped mustache above his lip. The man seemed to be a bit withdrawn in the crowd, and although seemingly polite kept mostly to himself.
"This is Constable Jean LeClair and I'm Constable James Morley. Where are you boys from?"
Nathan extended a hand to Morley, "Nathan Grant from the little town of Hope Valley."
Morley shook his hand as recognition of the name washed over him. "Jack Thornton's Hope Valley?"
"Yes, Sir." Nathan nodded.
"Please, it's James. That town has been through an awful lot. Not many men would take that posting. It's a pleasure to meet you Nathan."
LeClair shook Nathan's hand without a word as Gabriel spoke up.
"I'm Gabriel Kinslow from the little town of Brookfield."
Morley shook Gabriel's hand, "Frontier men then. Nice to meet you. I'm posted in Canmore south of Banff."
LeClair spoke up in his thick French accent, "And I 'em from Lacombe n'er Red Deer."
"Well that explains the brown serge LeClair. Nice to meet you both." Nathan smiled at them with a nod.
Both men nodded, and a middle aged man in red serge sporting a double chevron on his sleeve addressed the crowd. "Good morning Gentlemen! My name is Corporal Ernest Usher and I'm overseeing operations this morning to send you all out in teams on your assignments."
The man gestured to his left as a short blonde man stepped up next to him on the office steps. "This is Constable Frederick Bailey, my second in command for this mission and the constable of this region for the Alberta Provincial Police. He is an excellent resource for all of you should any questions arise for the local area."
Usher scanned the crowd before continuing. "You'll be sent out in teams of four. Today, the majority of you are tracking the immediate area. The two remaining suspects: George Arkoff and Thomas Bassoff. They are both Russian men with a medium build, and short dark hair. Thomas Bassoff, believed to be the leader of the train robbery, was last seen with a mustache and was wearing a coal miner's jacket. George Arkoff was clean shaven with a leather jacket—however their facial hair and clothing could change if they have the resources to do so."
Seeing no questions yet, Usher continued, "They were spotted in town yesterday morning at Nordegg's General Store after they attempted to sell the conductor's engraved pocket watch. The General Store owner did not raise the alarm to the authorities until after the suspects left town, fearing that the robbers could have been armed. We have reason to believe that they are hiding somewhere locally in the mountains and are in need of money as well as food. We must have every cabin and corner checked before they potentially leave the area."
A hand was raised in the second row. "Sir? Are there any known connections in the area for Arkoff or Bassoff?"
"None that we are aware of. The clothes descriptions matched the conductor's description from three days ago so we have reason to believe that they are here alone and still on the run."
Whispering ensued among the gathered serge. "If there are no more questions, you'll be paired for tracking," Usher announced. Silence fell on the group as every head snapped forward again to the senior officer. He raised his clipboard and started checking off his list of names.
"Very well. LeClair, Montrose, Eckert, and Mackenzie you will be searching southwest towards the Cline River.
"Grant, Kinslow, Fraser, and Morley you will be searching due West remaining North of the Cline.
"Beggs, Hanbury, Frewin…." Corporal Usher continued to hand out assignments, but Nathan stepped forward towards Constable Bailey to claim the local detailed map for his group.
He returned to Kinslow and Morley greeting a much younger man that couldn't have been more than a year since graduating the Academy. He wore large round glasses over his freckled cheeks with ears that stuck out predominantly under his campaign hat. He stood stiffly and shifted a bit awkwardly—seemingly uncomfortable as the youngest of the group by far.
Nathan smiled at him and stuck a hand out in greeting, "Constable Nathan Grant from Hope Valley. Pleased to meet you."
The young Mountie's posture seemed to relax as he shook Nathan's hand and introduced himself, "Constable Edwin Fraser, Sir. Pleased to be with you."
Nathan chuckled at the young Mountie's formality—remembering his own first assignments. "No Sir. Just Nathan is fine. Edwin, is it?"
"Uh…actually I go by Ed most of the time." He glanced nervously at the others and tugged at the neck of his brown serge.
"We can call you Ed if you prefer. Where are you from?" Gabriel briefly placed a reassuring hand on the young man's shoulder.
"Uh…I'm posted at the fort in Red Deer, but I grew up here in Brazeau." The young man cast a glance down at his boots missing the approving glances among the older, more experienced Mounties. His local knowledge would be a big help to their tracking.
"Excellent." Morley responded. "We have a lot of ground to cover, and we could use your expertise with the area. Do you still have family in the area, Son?"
Ed blushed as he nodded growing more confident at the unexpected praise. "My father still works in the mines with my brother-in-law. My mother cooks at the cafe, and my sister is a waitress there. My aunt and uncle own a cattle farm just out of town."
"Well, I know that Gabe and I haven't eaten since early this morning. How about we grab a quick lunch from the Cafe and look over this map with Ed's insight before we head out?" Nathan ventured to the group.
Everyone agreed with the plan, and the group headed across the street to the Bellevue Cafe.
Opening the door to a sea of red and brown serges with matching campaign hats on all the heads, their group found a corner table and sat mirroring the other tables with similar plans to eat and strategize.
The Cafe was a surprisingly large establishment with many tables. It had several modern amenities for a frontier mining town—including electric lights and running water. Ed had mentioned that the Cafe is typically only open for breakfast and lunch and otherwise remained closed while the miners worked. This week, however, the cafe would be running extended hours to feed the masse of incoming Mounties for the manhunt.
A young lady with long dark hair, freckles across her nose, and an apron wrapped around her trim waist approached the table and greeted them. "Constables, welcome to The Bellevue Cafe. My name is Effie and I'll be your server today. Can I get you started with something to drink?" She handed each man a set of silverware rolled in a cloth napkin.
Ed slumped lower in his seat and raised his menu over his face to hide the deep red blush darkening against his cheeks.
The little head tilt and smirk from the waitress wasn't lost on the older Mounties. She was a perfectly feminine version of her younger brother and seemed tickled to get to witness him on his first assignment.
Gabriel rescued him first, "Water for me please."
"Water is great thanks," Morley agreed.
"A water for me too." Nathan responded.
"And for you, Sir?" The waitress over emphasized the Sir. "Constable Fraser, is it?"
Fraser dropped the menu now with a look of brotherly annoyance. "Yes, M'aam. Water would be great." He over emphasized the M'aam mirroring his sister's teasing.
"Coming right up." The waitress announced in a sing-song tone before she turned on her heel to hide her mischievous delight.
"My sister would have done the same." Nathan reassured young Ed once their waitress was out of earshot. Fraser's cheeks were still flaming red, though he managed a small smile in thanks.
"Rite of Passage, Son. I think we've all been there with siblings." Morley added. "What do recommend on the menu?"
"Well from what Mom mentioned, I'm pretty sure we're all getting the Mountie Special today. The trains this morning brought in provisions for the influx of officers this week. Don't worry though. Mom is a much better cook than the guys at the Academy." A smile crept across Ed's face as he watched the reactions in his partners' faces.
Nathan, Gabriel, and James laughed, remembering their own culinary experiences during Academy.
"Ok Gents, waters all around and four Mountie Specials compliments of The Force." Effie placed a plate in front of each of the gentlemen and added a little squeeze to her younger brother's shoulder—much to his annoyance.
Ed opened his napkin only to quickly close it again when a small slip of paper read, "Be Careful. Love you! -Mom." Gabriel noticed, but chose to say nothing for the teen's sake.
The steaming plates before them held a large piece of toast slathered in a creamy white gravy containing strips of dried beef.
Nathan took a bite and decided it wasn't half-bad, and a warm meal definitely hit the spot. The group remained silent as they eagerly ate. Effie came back to clear their plates and wipe their table, after which Nathan unrolled the local map to chart the area.
Ed proved to be a great help highlighting some of the areas of interest within today's search parameters. There were plenty of cabins and caves to check in their territory. Within a few minutes, the Mounties managed to map out a loop of about ten miles to check before sunset. The suspects were presumably still on foot with no reports of missing cars or horses in the area.
Nathan rerolled the map and left a generous tip for Fraser's sister. The Cafe was filled to the limit and yet still she kept their waters filled and kept their table clear for them to plan. Morley and Gabriel followed suit, with the exception of Ed who seized the opportunity to empty his pocket of the smallest coins he had. He left his tip strategically at his place in payback to his meddling older sister.
"All right that's enough, Ed. Let's head out." Morley chuckled at the continued sibling antics before redirecting Fraser to their mission at hand.
They left the busy cafe and located their horses before mounting up and heading out. They had several hours still before returning to Nordegg to report by nightfall, but with suspects on the loose nearby time was of the essence.
A/N:
Sorry for the slow update! I'll be back in a few days with the first chapter of my challenge story too which is a prequel to this one set in early s7. *Aaaand there is a story reference to it in this chapter.
Gabriel Lynn Kinslow…that's for you nebula2 in celebration that I finally wrote a chapter without having to fix Gabriel for "Gabe" multiple times. I'm learning. Ha!
Thanks to Eoin MacLean for tons of Mountie uniform & protocols help in this chapter too & I still may have messed it up some. Sorry!
I'm kinda sad about the brown serge starting to phase out here historically.
**Several names, places, and events that I dropped in this chapter have historical significance so although their names are real, their character and interactions are my own imagination to bring history to life.
IE: the suspect names are real, some of the Mountie names are important, the conductor's stopwatch was really pawned at a pawn shop in the US historically, and The Bellevue Cafe is significant (although moved to Nordegg for this story).
I was so proud of my cool OC character name which was originally Jacob Morley. So cool…until I remembered A Christmas Carol has Jacob Marley. Mannnnnnn. I even considered Robert Morley so we could have a low-key Bob Marley, but meh…James Morley it is.
The tossed apple slice to Newton is my nod to all of you sweet ladies on Sunday NightSerge Zoom call last Sunday. Thanks for the support! So fun to meet you all.
"The Mountie Special" at the cafe is SOS/chipped beef. It's my hat tip to Lynn, Sherri pn1thrasher, Eoin and all of the other veterans out there reading! Thanks for your service!