Chapter 89 – A Late Night Working (long)
After leaving the cafe, Wynn headed back to Abigail's office to get more paperwork done. He had barely sat down, when there was a knock at the door. He got up to see Bill standing there.
"Come in." Wynn said.
"I was wondering if you have a moment?" Bill asked.
"Sit." Wynn said.
When they were both seated, Wynn looked at Bill and could see something was wrong.
"So what is on your mind?" Wynn asked.
"I have been thinking more about the William Thatcher situation." Bill said.
"What about it?" Wynn asked.
"The last time I was in Hamilton." Bill said. "One of my contacts said something to me and I had forgotten about it until I was in the jail tonight thinking about things and how we can protect Jack and Elizabeth. I have been wracking my brain to see if there was additional information that I had without knowing it. I was thinking about the Gowen mess, but for some reason I remembered this."
"I take it that this contact is one of your confidential sources?" Wynn said.
"Yes, it was." Bill said. "He reminded me that William Thatcher employs a lot of private security, including Mounties and Pinkertons from time to time."
"What about it?" Wynn said.
"I was thinking what if he sent one of them here." Bill said.
"What do you mean?" Wynn said. "I know all the Mounties here and I think I would know if a Pinkerton was in town."
"I understand that." Bill said. "Here me out. Look at all the trouble that Jack and Elizabeth have had in the last couple of months, especially since they were married. First Price and then Rushman. What if they were paid to cause trouble for Jack and Elizabeth. Think about it. Something doesn't add up about Rushman, he wasn't like that when he was here for Jack's promotion in October. If he was, then he acted the completely opposite of how he acted this time. I couldn't put my finger on it before and it bugged me. I have been thinking about it for days. I mean other than him rubbing me the wrong way, it was little things that he said.
I know it may be out there, but then again, maybe not. I mean, it seems like one thing after another. It is something to think about. I know men less powerful than Thatcher that have paid to do less. Charlotte even mentioned something to me about the difference in Rushman from October to when she saw him this time. I mean something is not right and it is bothering me that I can't figure it out. I get that William Thatcher is not happy that Elizabeth went against his wishes, but why is he working so hard to discredit her marriage. Just something to think about."
Wynn sat back and rubbed his chin. He hadn't thought of that, but he wouldn't put it past his brother-in-law. As he was sitting there, Wynn realized that both Price and Rushman knew an awful lot about Elizabeth and her family, things that weren't common knowledge as far as he, Wynn knew. The more that he thought about it, Rushman's actions were out of character as far as he knew. He knew that Rushman had had cushy postings, but he had never been one to be out to get others. Wynn wasn't sure what had changed about Rushman and listening to Bill, it was possible that Rushman was paid to cause trouble.
Wynn was also privy to information that he was sure that Bill didn't know about – mainly the provisions in the papers of Hamilton Shipping and Thatcher Industries. Wynn realized that William must think or at least suspect that Elizabeth knows about the papers and what they say.
"You make a point." Wynn said. "How do we prove it?"
"Price." Bill said. "He will be the key. Well his father will be the key."
"I don't follow." Wynn said.
"I looked into Price." Bill said. "Unofficially. I learned that his father works for the Minister of the Interior. I also did a little digging into Thatcher Industries which Hamilton Shipping is a subsidiary."
"Okay." Wynn said. "Tell me something that I don't know. Remember, I am married to a Thatcher as well. I also knew about Price's father."
"Did you know that one of Thatcher Industries' companies is a printing mill?" Bill asked.
"No." Wynn said. "What is your point?"
"The mill in question has an exclusive contract with the Minister of the Interior." Bill said. "Signed by none other than …."
"Price's father." Wynn said.
"Exactly." Bill said. "From what I learned, this contract was a no bid contract. It is also a very lucrative contract for Thatcher Industries. My first question would be how did they get the contract and then I would want to know if there were strings attached on either side."
"I see your line of thinking Bill." Wynn said. "But it is a stretch. Do a little more unofficial digging and see if you can come up with a more concrete connection between Thatcher and Price or Rushman. I don't want to open a can of worms that we don't have to."
"Okay." Bill said. "I will keep digging."
"Just be discreet." Wynn said.
"Understood." Bill said.
"I mean it." Wynn said.
Bill left Wynn alone in the office. Wynn leaned back in his chair and wondered how far his brother-in-law would go to get his way. He hated that William was causing trouble for Jack and Elizabeth, but even more he hated to think that a Mountie in his command would do such a thing. Wynn also realized that men did a lot of things for money, but he held his Mounties to higher standards. He realized that Bill had a point, but they had no proof. He also realized in that moment that if Bill found proof, it was opening more than a can of worms with his brother-in-law. It would also mean looking into one or more Mounties. It had been a hard year for the Mounties with the high profile arrest of Sr Inspector Houston. Wynn blew out a harsh breath, the last thing that he wanted was to find more dirty Mounties. He knew that there were things that needed to be addressed in the ranks, but what Bill was suggesting was something that Wynn wasn't sure that he could deal with. He wasn't sure that he could eliminate greed, it was as old as time.
Wynn wondered if his wife would be able to stop her brother before he actually got himself into trouble. He knew that if William continued to push Elizabeth that it was going to end badly for him, especially if he tried to force Elizabeth to leave with him. If he did that, Wynn would have no choice but to arrest him and he knew that even out here that it would be hard to keep it quiet. He also wondered if the reason that William was pushing so hard was that he knew that Elizabeth would assert control if she knew about the clause in the will. Wynn wondered if that was what was behind William pushing so hard. Did William want to dictate Elizabeth's future so he could dictate the future of the company? It was something that they were going to have to consider. Wynn also realized that it might not just be William that wants to dictate the future of the company. Wynn was starting to make a list of people that would possibly want to influence the company when another knock on the door brought Wynn out of his thoughts.
"Enter." Wynn called.
Wynn turned to see McGinty step into the office.
"Sir." McGinty said.
"What?" Wynn asked.
"I have another message." McGinty said. "I wired Mia back and she got back to me."
"What does it say?" Wynn asked. "Or do I even want to know."
"Here." McGinty said.
McGinty handed the message to Wynn.
Joe – WT, Lawyer, CK3 & EM boarded 3pm train heading West. Staff ordered to prepare E's room. WT expected to return Monday. Talk of wedding to follow return. ~Mia
Wynn just looked at McGinty.
"Any idea who the other two would be?" Wynn asked.
"I would assume that CK3 is Charles Kensington III." McGinty said. "Not sure who the other would be,I have a few guesses, but I don't know how they fit into it and no I will not share since I have no proof. Also I thought Kensington was one of Thatcher's lawyers. I also know that he is a sales rep, he has a dual degree in business and law. Many have also expected that he was to marry Elizabeth as people in the know know that William has been grooming to take over the business for years."
"If I remember correctly." Wynn said. "Kensington failed an exam and wasn't granted a barrister license."
"Got it." McGinty said. "Should I talk to Jack and Elizabeth?"
"No." Wynn said. "I will tomorrow. It is late and I know that they both turned in already. If he boarded the train this afternoon, he could be here tomorrow afternoon. I would assume that they would get an early stagecoach from Union City. If that is the case, I want you and Bill in town after the funeral just in case. I have already told Carver and Green that they could leave after the funeral if they wanted and both were planning on it. Go get some sleep and we will talk in the morning. I will talk to Bill and Dee in the morning."
"Thank you, Sir." McGinty said. "I am sorry that things are not better."
"No." Wynn said. "Not your fault. At least we had a heads up."
"Night, Sir." McGinty said.
"Night." Wynn said.
Once again, Wynn was left with his thoughts. He had enough to deal with, the last thing that he wanted was to deal with his brother-in-law. Wynn pushed that from his mind and went back to the paperwork that he needed to get through. Abigail had been right, they were missing a piece of the puzzle and Wynn was determined to find it. Wynn sat back and thought for a moment. He then pulled out a piece of paper and wrote what he knew. He then wrote out a list of questions based on what he knew. He then turned to the paperwork and started looking for answers, but for every answer that he found, he had at least two or three new questions. Wynn ended up creating a second list of paperwork that he wanted if he was going to be staying in Hope Valley for a bit. He also knew that he was going to need help to find the answers. He wondered how much Dee would be able to answer.
Finally frustrated, Wynn sat back and looked at the clock and realized that it was quite late. He hadn't meant to stay in town that late. He knew that he had a long day coming up so he decided to call it a night. Wynn turned down the lamps, locked the doors and headed to the row house. He had a quick bite to eat and then turned in for the night, glad not to wake Dee who was sleeping in the front room by the stove.
Thursday morning dawned slightly overcast. It looked like it might rain later in the day, but hopefully they would get through the funeral before that happened. It didn't take long for Hope Valley to wake from its slumber and before long the town was bustling with activity. The cafe was busy as people wanted breakfast before they headed off to work. The smell of sawdust was already in the air. The sound of hammers and other construction noise could be heard throughout the town. The men that had been sent to Hope Valley were serious about working and had been up with the sun making their breakfast over open fires before they got to work. Kenneth had talked to Lee and Bill again the previous evening and together the three worked out a list of what was to be done. Lee had let Kenneth know that he would be around, but he couldn't be out there overseeing everything all the time. Kenneth had assured both Bill and Lee that he would supervise the men if they had a clear list of what needed to be done. That made Bill and Lee feel better. It had also been decided that a smaller storage shed would be built behind the schoolhouse to store things for the building. Pastor Frank and Wynn had both liked that idea.
It was just past the breakfast rush of the lumberjacks when Elizabeth ventured downstairs. Instead of finding Abigail in the kitchen, she found Clara, Charlotte and Ann Grady.
"Morning." Charlotte said. "I will get you breakfast in a moment."
"Where is Abigail?" Elizabeth asked.
"She already headed over to the office." Ann said. "She is needed there. Only she can handle those things and there are more than enough hands here to help."
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "I am sure that she appreciates the help. She may not have said anything, but I could see that she has been stressed the last couple of days. No Mary today?"
"I gave her the day off." Charlotte said. "She needs to rest. She said her back was hurting."
"That is no surprise that Abigail is stressed." Ann said. "Lots of changes. People are not happy with decisions. I feel for her. I also know that she is trying to be a mother and business owner as well as mayor looking out for everyone else."
"Again." Elizabeth said. "Thank you. Abigail means a lot to this town. She took me in and helped me when I first arrived almost a year ago. I don't know what I would do without her. I take it that the meeting last night didn't go well."
"Glad to help." Ann said. "No, not really. Lots of people were grumbling. Lots of questions and not happy with the answers. And a lot of the grumbling didn't come from the new people, so I am sure that added to her frustration. So we really haven't had a chance to talk. Where are you from dear?"
Elizabeth thought about what Ann said. She knew that she was going to have to talk to Wynn and Dee about it. She was also concerned about Abigail even more. Elizabeth knew that Abigail had trouble asking for help, so she was going to make a point to talk to Wynn about making sure that Abigail was taking time to process things. She also figured that with everything that had happened, it was most likely bringing up the loss of Noah and Peter. It also made Elizabeth think that she really should get out and talk to people more since Jack was feeling better, but she really didn't want to leave quite yet. Elizabeth also was sure that she knew who was behind the grumbling, especially after the town council meeting. She then wondered how much trouble Florence was going to be with the school. Elizabeth knew that she would have something to say about Charlotte helping.
"Lizzie." Charlotte said. "Ann asked you a question."
"Sorry, I grew up in Hamilton." Elizabeth said. "I came out here to be the school teacher when they needed one after the mine disaster here last year."
"Very kind of you." Ann said. "I don't have children, but I know how important an education is. It was the best things I ever did."
"Amen to that." Charlotte said.
"It was so good that your husband could be posted here as well." Ann said.
"Oh." Elizabeth said. "Jack and I were just married at Christmas. We arrived here in then Coal Valley at about the same time. He came the day after I arrived in the beginning May."
Ann looked between Charlotte and Elizabeth.
"Sorry." Ann said. "I just assumed that you have been married for some time the way you are together or at least have known each other for a long time."
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "But Jack and I started courting in September, were engaged at the beginning of November and married just before Christmas."
"Well." Ann said. "When you know it is the right person, you just know. My Tom and I knew each other for only a couple of months before he proposed and we were married six months later."
"I am detecting a hint of an accent." Elizabeth said. "Where are you and Tom from?"
"You're good." Ann said. "Tom and I came to this country five years ago from Ireland. I was born and raised in Killinick. I met Tom on my travels. He is from Dublin. We were married just before we came here. Our honeymoon was spent on the ship."
"Fáilte romhat, tá tú sásta go bhfuil tú anseo." Elizabeth said. (Well welcome, glad you are here.)
Ann looked at her stunned for a moment.
"Beannaigh do chroí." Ann said. (Bless your heart.)
"Irish, Elizabeth?" Charlotte asked.
"Yes." Elizabeth said. "I am Irish on my father's side of the family. It is one of many languages that I speak. Jack is still learning that."
Charlotte shook her head. She knew that learning a second or third language wasn't always the easiest thing to do.
"How many languages do you speak?" Ann asked.
"Five, fluently." Elizabeth said. "But I understand bits and pieces of at least seven others."
"Oh my." Ann said. "I take it your parents put stock into learning as well."
"I guess." Elizabeth said. "When I was younger I would read whatever I could get my hands on. I listened to others speak and wanted to learn what they were saying. I made a point of wanting to know everything I could. My aunt was a teacher and she was the one who encouraged me to try new things. My parents indulged me and found tutors when I wanted to learn something. One of my close friends growing up, spoke Norwegian so he taught me. I picked up the Irish from my aunt and grandmother. I mean I had a tutor for both as well. My sisters never understood why I always had my nose in a book. I thought the languages were fun. My two cousins also speak several languages so we can talk to each other without others knowing."
"Well we are going to have to sit down and talk about Ireland then." Ann said. "We decided that my mother, Marsha, and I are staying here in Hope Valley. Tom is going to be working in Rock Creek until the mine here is open. But felt it would be easier for her and I to be in town with proper housing."
"When did your mother join you here?" Charlotte asked.
"About a year ago." Ann said.
"Let me know." Elizabeth said. "But as we were sitting here, I thought of something and if you are willing, I would love for you to come talk to the children and tell them about Ireland. I mean I can teach them what the books say, but to hear it from someone that has actually lived there. I think that would mean more."
"My mother and I would love that." Ann said.
"Good." Elizabeth said. "We will do it. Let's let things calm down a bit, but I am looking forward to it. I have always wanted to go to Ireland."
"I think you would love it." Ann said.
Just then Jack came downstairs.
"Morning ladies." Jack said.
Morning, son." Charlotte said. "How are you feeling today?"
"Little better." Jack said. "Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. As much as I love Abigail and am grateful to her, I want to be in my own home."
Elizabeth stood as Jack came over to her. She leaned up and gave him a kiss before going and getting him some coffee and breakfast.
"Sit both of you." Ann said. "I will have your breakfast in a moment."
Charlotte came over and gave each Jack and Elizabeth a hug.
"I am going to the funeral." Charlotte said. "Also have the list of names for you."
"Thanks, Ma." Jack said. "I want to see it, but at the same time I don't know if I can bear to read it. All those children. I only got to know two of the women as I was dealing with an issue that concerned them, but I spent a few hours helping the kids gather firewood while we talked."
"Take your time." Charlotte said, handing Jack a folded piece of paper.
Jack sat down and just looked at the paper in his hands. He didn't open it, but set it aside. Elizabeth took his hand and squeezed.
"I am right here." Elizabeth said.
"Will you sit with me later when I open it?" Jack asked.
"Of course." Elizabeth said. "How about we do that after breakfast, upstairs alone."
"Okay." Jack said.
Just then Ann came over and set two plates down. She had made Jack and Elizabeth Abigail's biscuits and sausage gravy. Jack took Elizabeth's hand again and they bowed their heads to pray. Ann smiled as she watched the two of them. She still couldn't believe that they hadn't known each other for a year and were married only for months. She could have sworn that they had known each other most of their lives.
