Chapter 74 – Unexpected Twist (long)
Wynn and Dee exchanged looks. They were trying to figure out what Andy was getting at. Abigail was also listening as she was looking for the paperwork for Andy.
"What about the furniture?" Andy asked.
"I was working to try and secure a donation from some businessmen back in Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa, but haven't heard back." Wynn said. "I ordered the paint and window panes with emergency funding that I had access to. I can't order things until we have funding."
"What is needed?" Andy asked.
"We were just going to get the basics." Wynn said. "There are some things in the row houses, but to settle families in them we would need beds. I don't think that there are any in the row houses and I know that there are not in the apartments. For the apartments, we would need four sets of tables and chairs. Also, four ice boxes and stoves. Even if I ordered them tonight, they won't be here for weeks. This is just for the families from Silverton for the housing that we have figured out. We still have to figure out what is going to happen with the men who have children from Rock Creek. That may take a few days to work out those details. But at this point, we are just waiting on supplies to get the families into housing. There is other housing, but they all need more work and wouldn't be ready for weeks and I don't even have a list of what is needed for those yet."
"Dee." Andy said. "Can you send an urgent wire out?"
"Yes." Dee said. "What do you need?"
"Here." Andy said writing. "Figure out the beds, extra never hurt. Then send this to Union City and have it marked extremely urgent. Use my name and tell them that they better have things here on Friday. I work with a number of suppliers to get things for hotels and things that I own. They usually have a number of things on hand for me just in case."
Andy handed Dee a piece of paper. Dee looked at it, then looked at his dad and then back at Andy.
"I will cover the costs." Andy said. "They will know to put it on my account."
"Go." Wynn said. "Do as he says."
Dee nodded to his father and left the office to send the messages. While Dee was gone, Abigail continued looking for the permits that Andy needed. She was surprised to find copies of almost everything she needed. She pulled out the last one that she needed. She would have to have a few more typed up. She was okay at typing, but learned quickly that it wasn't one of her strong suits. She had learned to ask people for help with certain tasks. She was hoping that at some point in the future, that she would have the budget to have a secretary for the mayor's office at least part-time.
It had only been a couple of months since she was thrust to the leadership position and she was still learning the lay of the land. At least the people of Hope Valley were being patient with her. She also had great people in Bill, Lee and Jack to help her along the way. For now, Abigail planned on asking Dee to make her a couple of copies. Abigail handed the papers to Andy and he started to look through them. He made a mental note that she still had one in her hand. He figured that she needed to make a copy of it.
"I will get you this one later." Abigail said. "This is my last copy."
"No problem." Andy said. "I figured. This will get me started. I am looking forward to working with you. Who knows, maybe I will be able to make Hope Valley my new home at some point in the future."
"We would be glad to have you." Abigail said. "Feel free to sit and work on the paperwork here while you wait for Dee to get back. I am just going to work at my desk and I am sure that Wynn wouldn't mind."
"Go ahead." Wynn said. "I have my own paperwork to do."
"Thank you." Andy said.
Andy started looking at the paperwork that Abigail had handed him. Abigail went back to her desk and entered the information about the sale of the mine into a ledger. She also entered the amount that Andy had given her to help cover the costs of the rescue. She also made a note about the rental of the office. Abigail got all three checks ready to put in the bank the next day. She got up and put the checks in the safe in the back room. She was glad that they had been able to reach an agreement and Andy seemed like he was willing to make a positive difference in Hope Valley. She knew that the town might take some time to be accepting of him, but it would go a long way if he was working with her and Lee. She just hoped that she had done the right thing. She knew that some people wouldn't be happy, but she also knew that there was no pleasing some people. She had seen that at the meeting. She also knew that many of the widows felt like she did, that they needed to move forward. She also realized that Charlotte was right. Abigail closed her eyes and breathed a prayer that she had done the right thing.
While Abigail was doing that, Wynn worked on things that he had in front of him. He knew that they were moving forward and there were things that he needed to do. He knew that Constable Jacobs would be arriving some time in the next few days. He knew that he needed to get back to Hamilton, but he wanted to make sure that Jack was going to be okay. He was also confident that Superintendent Anderson and others could handle anything that came up. If not, Wynn was positive that they would notify him. It wasn't like he was completely unreachable or on vacation. He may not have a telephone, but they had the wire and that was easy enough to use to communicate back and forth. He also wanted to make sure that things in Hope Valley had been taken care of. It also wasn't like he took a lot of time out of the office. He knew that he was working, so if someone had a problem, he had no problem telling them that he had a right to choose where he worked from. Wynn knew that getting the men back to work at the mine would be a step forward. He also knew the next couple of steps would be to get the families that were staying settled and school restarted.
An idea popped into Wynn's head, he knew that he would have to talk to Jack about it, but he had a plan to help Jack out as he recovered. Wynn knew that it could be months before Jack was back at full strength. He also knew that Jack had been through a lot including getting shot back in January while arresting the Garrison gang. Not to mention all the emotional upheaval that both Jack and Elizabeth had to deal with. He knew that he would be leaving McGinty for at least a little bit of time. He also had the idea of assigning a new Mountie to Hope Valley to help Jack and learn from him. The only problem was that the Mountie that he was thinking about wouldn't be done with the academy until the start of June. Then again, with Elizabeth expecting, sending someone to help Jack over the summer while they learn might not be a bad idea.
As the three each worked on their own paperwork in front of them. Dee returned to the office with a couple of messages and a satchel with a Mountie seal on it. He handed the satchel to his father, as well as a couple of messages. He then handed a message to Abigail and two to Andy. It had taken longer to get back then he thought. He waited for a reply from the message to Union City since he knew that it was important.
"Done." Dee said. "The message was that the stuff would be here, but it was going to cost you for a rush order."
"Dee." Wynn said, holding up the satchel. "Where did this come from?"
"Rider from Union City." Dee said. "All he said was that it came off the train and he was immediately dispatched to get it to D.C. Delaney in Hope Valley as fast as possible. He saw my red serge and asked. I told him that I could take it. He handed it over and was off again. Didn't say anything else."
"Is something wrong?" Andy said.
"Give me a minute." Wynn said.
While Wynn was opening the satchel and looking through the paperwork, Abigail read her message and then looked at Dee.
"Did you read this?" Abigail asked.
"No ma'am." Dee said. "Ned just asked me to deliver it. Katie was out helping with the children. She has become attached to the twin girls and they have taken to her. Ned and Katie have also taken in the young woman that Bill brought back, Lucy. She has also been helping with the twins."
"Well." Abigail said. "That is good. Maybe there is something that can be worked out to keep them here. Since they lost both parents. Also I am glad about Katie and Lucy. I know that Bill was worried about her and what was going to happen. From what Bill said, she has no other family. Here read this."
Abigail handed him the message that he had just given her. He looked at it and smiled.
"Good news, right." Dee said.
"Yes." Abigail said. "I am surprised, the last message wasn't so positive, so I wasn't hopeful that this would happen so soon."
"Care to share?" Andy asked.
"Sorry." Abigail said. "I didn't mean to be rude. In early December, two orphans were found just outside of town. A nine, almost ten year old boy and his fifteen year old sister. They had run away from an orphanage near Fort Garry and were making their way across the country. I took the children in. The girl fell seriously ill, just before Christmas. She was rushed by horseback to Buxton to the doctor who was there at the time. It was Dee here who helped get her there safely, along with Constable Thornton's mother. The girl, Becky, ended up being transferred to the hospital in Union City and has been there since. I just received a message that she would be arriving back here in Hope Valley on Friday."
"That is great news." Andy said. "Wow. You really have your hands full – mother, mayor and business owner."
"Wouldn't have it any other way." Abigail said. "Hey, let's not tell Cody and surprise him."
"That sounds good." Dee said. "I guess two people are getting a surprise on Friday. Apparently, Mother sent a message that a surprise would be arriving for Dad on the stagecoach. I wonder what she is up to now."
Abigail saw the glint in Dee's eye, but she didn't say anything. She knew that Dee knew more than he was saying. She also didn't want to ruin the surprise. Just as that happened, Wynn pushed back his chair and slammed paperwork down on the desk.
"Wynn." Abigail said concerned something was wrong.
"Dee!" Wynn almost bellowed. "I want Bill and the other three Constables here NOW! I also want you to wire Buxton and I want Captain Taylor and Constable MacDonald here. They are to come tonight and tell them to bring an extra horse."
Dee didn't wait to find out what was going on, he scrambled out the door and did as his father wanted. He first went to the mercantile to send the urgent message to Buxton. Then he went to the mining office and found Green. He ordered him to find Carver and McGinty and report to the mayor's office on the double. Carver just looked at him, but then realized that Dee meant business. Dee then went to wake Bill. That was not a task that he was looking forward to. When he got to the jail, Dee closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he walked into the jail, he found McGinty. He let him know to head to the mayor's office on the double. Dee then went to wake Bill. Bill was quickly up and pulling on his boots to follow Dee. As Bill and Dee headed to the mayor's office, they saw McGinty and Carver heading to the cafe. Dee figured that it was serious if his dad had sent for Jack as well. They had pretty much been letting Jack rest. It didn't take long for McGinty and Carver to return with Jack. They helped him up the steps and sat him down in a chair. The group found Wynn pacing the room. Abigail and Andy looked confused. Dee knew things were bad if his father was pacing like he was. At the moment, Dee didn't know what had happened, so he couldn't anticipate what his father was going to need. Dee hated when his father was like this, because it usually meant that he wasn't thinking things through. It had been awhile since Dee had seen his father like this.
"Sorry, Jack." Wynn said. "This is important enough that I felt you needed to be here. First Andy, this is Corporal Jack Thornton. He is the full-time Mountie here. Jack, this is Andy Yeager. He is the owner of the Silverton, Rock Creek and Hope Valley mines."
"Nice to meet you." Jack said. "Sorry, I haven't been out."
"That is okay." Andy said. "I heard you were injured trying to rescue a child at the Silverton settlement. I wish you a speedy recovery and look forward to working with you in the future. Is the child okay, by the way?"
"Yes." Jack said. "Maggie is doing great, she was unharmed. Now, what is going on and why am I here?"
"Everyone please sit down." Abigail said, trying to calm the tension in the room.
"I will let you guys meet." Andy said, gathering his paperwork.
"Sit down Mr Yeager." Wynn said sternly.
Andy sat down and instantly realized that the tone of this meeting had changed. He wondered what happened. He looked around the room and everyone looked as confused as he was. Granted the Mounties hid it better then he did.
"First." Wynn said. "Besides Jack here, who else had been out to the Silverton settlement."
"Sir." Jack said. "McGinty rode with me a couple of times. Bill also helped me with patrol out there. I don't know about the others. Why?"
"This question is then directed to you three, first." Wynn said. "At any time, did the residents of the settlement talk to you about who was collecting the rent for the land they were on."
"The only thing I heard was a couple of the children say they didn't like the bad man." McGinty said. "When I pressed them, they started to shut down. All I could learn was that the man had gotten angry at some of the moms and their children were scared, so they called him the bad man."
"When we are done." Wynn said. "Would you be willing to try and get more information from the children, if possible. Maybe Charlotte can help you."
"I will try." McGinty said.
"Ma rode out to the settlement with me before everything." Jack said. "She seemed to connect with some of the women and I am sure that she would be more than willing to help."
"Anyone else?" Wynn asked.
"I … all I know is what Jack told me." Bill said. "The only time that I was out there, we were trying to talk the women into coming closer to Hope Valley to be safer. This was right before the flooding. When they refused, we came back here. I don't think I was out there any other time, at least not when I was talking to people. I rode by a few times on patrol."
"Jack." Wynn said.
"It was when I was trying to convince them to leave." Jack said. "I was trying to get them to come into town for safety reasons. I knew the river was rising and wanted them to be safe. They were afraid of losing their land, so they chose to stay as a group. All I learned was that they had originally rented the land from Henry Gowen and then a lawyer would show up to collect rent. That started in January, I think. No one knew what had happened to Gowen until I said something. Sorry I dropped the ball on that. There was just so much going on and I forgot to let you know. I was worried about what was going on, but I was so focused on trying to get the emergency plan in place."
"Okay." Wynn said. "I understand, things happen. That is part of the reason that I wanted you here now. You let Abigail know and she let me know and we are getting to the bottom of what is going on. Did the women tell you anything else?"
"No." Jack said. "I knew that there was more, but I also knew that they were scared. I don't think that they fully trusted me yet. I had planned on trying to get information and then going back to talk to them to see if I could get them to talk."
"Wynn." Abigail said. "Did something happen? I feel like I am missing a huge piece of information here."
"I agree with Abigail." Bill said. "What happened? And why are we here?"
Bill and Abigail both looked at Wynn and implored him to calm down. They didn't know what was going on, but Wynn was worked up and Abigail was worried he would have a heart attack. Bill was running information through his head trying to figure out who or what upset Wynn. He had never seen the man that angry and it was a bit scary, even for Bill
"Sorry." Wynn said, sitting down. "Sometimes when I am angry, I get ahead of myself. Apparently, a rider brought this satchel here from Union City. It is from Mountie headquarters in Hamilton. I was waiting on some information and apparently, headquarters thought it was important enough to dispatch a rider to get it to me and not wait on the stagecoach. When I broke the Mountie seal, I found the information that I was waiting on and more. Apparently, the information that I requested was already on the way to Calgary. When the Mounties got my request, they had the information transferred from delivery to the Inspector's office in Calgary to me here. It appears that even from the grave, Henry Gowen is causing trouble for people. We are not going to leave here until we get to the bottom of things and I am satisfied with the answers to the questions that I have.
Now, Mr Yeager, I am going to ask you some questions and I suggest that you are completely honest with me. If I find out that you are lying to me, there is not enough money in the world to help you. Let's start with a couple easy ones. First – how long have you known Mr Mullins? Second – how long have you been in business with him?"
"I have been nothing but honest with you." Andy said. "First, I have known Chris most of my life. He grew up with my cousins and is older than I am by about seven years. As far as being in business with him, technically I am not. I own FootHills Mining. Yes, my uncle who owns Rocky Mountain Mining out of Boulder, Colorado, is my primary investor. But the businesses are completely separate. My uncle sent Chris here to check on the investment and Uncle has since fired him for the mess that he made in Crownsnest. He used my uncle's name and went into business as direct competition to me, which is something that he had said he wouldn't do.
My uncle is not happy and is willing to turn Crownsnest over to me, once we get things straightened out. Uncle has no interest in owning a Canadian mine, he has his hands full with the ones that he owns in the States. As far as what Chris has been up to, I don't know. The more I learn the angrier I am with him. I have spent the better part of the last two months trying to fix what he has done. What has he done now?"
Bill was starting to figure out what was going on. Jack and the other Mounties were still confused. Abigail was also starting to piece things together based on things that Jack had told her and things that she had talked to Wynn about.
"Before I answer that." Wynn said. "I need to ask you some more questions. When did you buy Silverton and Rock Creek and who did you purchase them from? As in who did you deal with?"
"I bought Silverton and Rock Creek at the same time from Pacific Northwest Mining." Andy said. "It was shortly before the trial, so maybe mid to late September. According to the Bureau of Mines, my official ownership was dated the third of October since that was the first official business day of the month. I dealt with a lawyer, I don't remember the name off the top of my head. It might have been Gentry, but I am not sure. I wanted to buy the Coal Valley mine as well, but I didn't want to deal with Gowen. Pacific Northwest held fast that Gowen had done nothing wrong and that if I wanted the Coal Valley mine, I would have to deal with him since he was part owner of that mine. I didn't know that and because I didn't like the way he did business, was part of the reason that I passed. After that, I didn't look into Coal Valley anymore. Is this going to affect the sale of the mine that we just did?"
"William Gentry." Bill said. "He was the lawyer that was here to defend Pacific Northwest at the trial. He worked closely with Gowen. He was in and out of town for some time before the actual trial, but left pretty quickly after it ended. I also remember the prosecutor, Ms Madison said that Gentry was pretty cozy with the judge. I hadn't realized that Gowen was part owner of the mine here. That explains a lot of things and how he wielded so much power over the town and the people that worked for him. I tried to tell that lawyer, Madison, that Gentry was a snake. But she didn't want to listen to theories, she only wanted to listen to what she could prove. She wasn't interested in looking into anyone deeper. She might be a good lawyer, but she didn't seem like she wanted to do the leg work, but wanted a complete case handed to her. I didn't like how close those two, Gowen and Gentry, were. What is going on? I still feel like there is a huge piece of information that we are missing."
Dee looked at his dad and understood that he wanted everything on those lawyers as soon as possible. Dee wondered what can of worms they had just opened. He had spent months looking into Pacific Northwest and that was even before the mining trial started. He was wondering if he missed something, Pacific Northwest was the first case that he worked as he was recovering. Granted he was mostly doing research and handling paperwork as he recovered. Suddenly, Dee was questioning if he had missed something because he was recovering and still had symptoms.
