Chapter 129 – Early Morning Surprise
Early Saturday morning Elizabeth woke with a start. She tried to sit up in bed, but couldn't because of Jack's strong arms around her. Her struggle woke Jack up.
"Bella." Jack said softly. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know." Elizabeth whispered. "Something startled me awake."
Jack sat up and listened. He didn't hear anything.
"Do you want me to check downstairs?" Jack asked.
"Please." Elizabeth said.
Jack pulled his pajama pants back on then wrapped a robe around himself. He quickly opened the drawer next to the bed. He checked his sidearm and slipped it in his pocket.
"Stay here." Jack said softly.
Elizabeth nodded. Jack quietly crept downstairs. He didn't see anything amiss. He checked the front door and it was bolted. He checked the fires and they were banked. He quickly looked in on Dee and he looked sound asleep. Jack found everything as it should be, then he heard it – a noise outside he didn't recognize. He paused and slowly made his way to the window. As he was looking out the window trying to figure out what the sound was, he felt someone behind him. With his hand on his sidearm, Jack slowly turned to see Dee standing there. Upon seeing Dee, Jack let out a sigh of relief. He had kind of figured that it was Dee, but to actually see him was a relief.
"What is going on?" Dee asked.
"You scared me." Jack said.
Jack took a couple deep breaths to try and regain control of his emotions after Dee scared him.
"Sorry." Dee said.
"Something startled Elizabeth." Jack said. "I didn't find anything down here, but heard a noise outside."
"I heard something as well." Dee said. "That is why I am up. I was relieved to see you downstairs and not an intruder."
Dee moved to stand next to Jack, as they looked out the window, they saw what was making the noise. There in the field right in front of the row houses were three moose.
"Wow." Dee whispered.
"Look at the rack on that bull." Jack said.
"I have never seen a moose this close up." Dee said.
"Most people haven't." Jack said. "I have seen a few when I was living on the ranch, but never this close. They tend to be more scared of humans than we are of them. They are also very protective when there is a little one."
As Jack and Dee were watching the moose, suddenly a shot rang out. Jack and Dee both quickly drew their sidearms, but didn't see where the shot came from. As they were looking, the moose took off back toward the trees across the field toward the mountains.
"Do you know where the shot came from?" Dee asked.
"I would say town." Jack said. "Considering the moose ran the other way. They usually don't run toward the sound."
Jack and Dee went to the door and stepped out. At first they didn't see anything, but when they looked at the side of the house, Charlotte was standing there with a rifle pointed at the grove of trees.
"Please tell me you didn't fire that shot?" Jack asked in a low voice.
"No." Charlotte said. "I heard something and felt that someone was watching me, so I carefully slipped out of the tent about an hour ago and have been sitting here in the shadows. The shot came from the small grove of trees."
"Keep an eye out." Dee said. "I am going to slip my serge on."
Charlotte nodded but didn't take her rifle off the grove of trees. It only took a couple of minutes and Dee was back outside dressed in his serge and carrying his rifle. Jack was going to trust his mother, she had instincts better than most Mounties. If she said someone was watching her, then someone was watching her. Jack also knew that she wouldn't shoot if she didn't have a clear visual of the target. Lee came out of his house as well having heard the shot and then the voices.
"Everything okay?" Lee asked.
"Don't know." Jack said. "Something startled Elizabeth, so I came down to check. Dee and I saw some moose, then someone fired a shot."
"Go to Elizabeth." Lee said. "I will back up Dee."
"Ma is out there as well." Jack said.
Lee nodded and moved around to stand next to Dee.
"Go." Dee said. "We got this. Go be with Beth."
Jack nodded at them, then slowly turned and went to stand on the porch. As much as Jack wanted to help, he knew his place was with Elizabeth. Lee and Dee moved slowly to the side of the house. Jack wanted to see what was going on, he knew Elizabeth would be worried. He stood there for a moment, before Charlotte looked back and glared at Jack. He went inside and closed the door. He locked it, leaving the back door unlocked like it was before. After warming at the stove for a second, he headed up to let Elizabeth know what was going on.
After quietly talking for a moment, Lee, Charlotte and Dee split up, but kept Dee in sight as they slowly moved toward the grove of trees. The trio used the low light of the early morning to their advantage. Charlotte was the first to spot the man that was hiding in the trees. She motioned for Dee to go around. Dee in turn motioned to Lee to watch and cover him. Charlotte quietly moved to where she had a better shot of the man and could catch him by surprise.
"Don't move or I will shoot." Charlotte commanded, aiming the rifle at the man.
The man turned and looked at Charlotte, his rifle still in his hands but not aimed at her.
"A woman." The man laughed. "I ain't scared of no woman."
Just then Dee snuck up behind the man and put his sidearm to the man's back, having slung his rifle over his shoulder.
"Don't move." Dee said. "Or I will let her shoot and you will be dead before you hit the ground."
The man laughed again, so Charlotte picked a spot right in front of the man's foot. She then looked at Dee and he nodded at her. The man noticed the change in Charlotte's aim and went to move. She fired, hitting half an inch in front of the man's foot.
"I told you not to move." Dee said. "The next shot she fires will hit you. She did that on purpose."
The man froze again. Charlotte held her ground with the rifle aimed at the man's heart.
"Lee." Dee called.
It took Lee a moment to come up behind Dee.
"Right behind you." Lee said.
"Take this man's gun and render it safe." Dee said.
"On it." Lee said.
"Surrender the weapon or she will shoot." Dee said.
The man let go of the rifle when Lee grabbed it. Lee safetied the rifle and leaned it against a tree out of the man's reach.
"Thank you, Lee." Dee said. "Now, please take the cuffs out of the pouch near my hip and cuff this guy. I don't trust him to do as he is told."
Lee quickly moved to Dee again and got the cuffs. Then just as quickly moved to cuff the man. As he started, Dee motioned for him to cuff the man behind his back. Lee did as Dee wanted. Once the man was secure, Dee motioned for Charlotte to lower her rifle.
"Ma." Dee said. "Lee and I will take this man into town. Please go back to the house and sit with the kids."
It took Charlotte a moment to understand what Dee was doing, but quickly realized that he didn't want to give away their identities since they didn't know who the man was.
"Sure, son." Charlotte said. "I will have coffee ready when you get back."
"Thank you." Dee said.
As soon as Charlotte turned to leave, Dee grabbed the man by his cuffed hands, still holding his sidearm.
"Lee, grab his rifle and pack over there." Dee said. "Then please run ahead and let the other Mounties know."
"No problem." Lee said.
Lee also realized that Dee didn't want the use of his name. Lee quickly did as asked and headed for town. Dee waited a moment before turning the man and heading that way as well, frog-marching the man toward town.
"If it wasn't apparent." Dee said. "You are under arrest. What is your name?"
"You ain't got nothing on me." The man sneered. "And I ain't telling you nothing."
"Have it your way." Dee said. "Then you can sit in jail until we can identify you. And I have you for reckless discharge of a weapon near a residence. Have fun sitting in jail, the local sheriff doesn't really like people who endanger the people that he cares for."
Dee didn't say anything else, but walked the man toward town. Just before they reached the edge of town, they were met by Bill and Jacobs.
"So what you got here, Dee." Bill asked.
"Reckless discharge of a weapon." Dee said. "Also he refused to give me his name. He fired at some moose in the field just in front of the row houses."
"We got it from here, Constable." Jacobs said. "Please head back home and let everyone know that it is alright. Then please write up your statement. Please check with the neighbors and see if they heard anything. I want those reports this afternoon."
"Yes, Sir." Dee said.
Once he had handed the man off to Bill, Dee exchanged a salute with Jacobs.
"What about the woman who held me at gunpoint?" The man hissed.
"She was helping the Mounties." Jacobs said. "There will be no charges, she has been authorized to have a weapon and use it as she saw fit."
"She shot me." The man bellowed.
Jacobs and Bill looked at Dee and then at the man.
"Clarification." Dee said. "She fired near him. If she had wanted to hit him she would have. He was told not to move and he made to raise his rifle at her, so she fired and hit a spot right in front of his foot."
"Please have her write up what happened." Jacobs said.
"Yes, Sir." Dee said. "I will have it with the other reports."
"Very well." Jacobs said. "See you later."
With a nod, Jacobs and Bill took the man into town and Dee headed back to the rowhouses."
The moment that Elizabeth saw Jack, she quickly rushed to his arms.
"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked. "What is going on?"
"Slow down." Jack said. "Let's go downstairs, I have the fire going. We can warm up and I will tell you everything."
Elizabeth wrapped her robe around her and went with Jack downstairs. When they got there, they sat on the couch. Jack wrapped them in a blanket.
"Okay." Jack said. "When I got down here, I didn't notice anything different. Then I heard a noise, I went to the window and saw some moose in the field out there. Next thing I knew, Dee had come up behind me. As we were looking at the moose, a shot rang out. As the moose ran in the opposite direction, we opened the door and looked around. Not seeing anything, I looked to where Ma was. She was standing with her rifle pointed at the grove of trees. When I asked her if she fired the rifle, she assured me she had not. She said she felt someone had been watching her and she was waiting.
Dee came back in, quickly dressed in his serge and grabbed his rifle. He then came back out. Lee came out about that time as well. I wanted to help, but they told me to come back to you. The three of them went off to see what was going on. I am sure that one of them will let us know what is going on as soon as they can."
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "But I am worried, what if someone gets hurt. That shot was really close."
Jack held Elizabeth close and kissed her temple.
"Elizabeth." Jack said. "I fully trust Dee and Ma is an excellent marksman. I am more worried that she will hit someone then of her getting hurt. I am also confident that neither will let anything happen to Lee. I am also sure that the shot was heard in town and Bill and/or McGinty and Jacobs will be along shortly."
"I am sorry." Elizabeth said. "I guess that I am still frightened by whatever woke me."
"It is okay." Jack said. "You didn't feel safe and you let me know. Right now, there is nothing that I can do, but hold you. Trust me when I say that I won't let anything happen to you. You also know that Dee is an excellent Mountie and will do everything to keep us safe."
"I know." Elizabeth said. "I guess that I'm just emotional."
"And that is okay." Jack said.
"Do you want some breakfast?" Elizabeth said. "I need to eat. I don't want to wait and let my stomach get upset. Besides, your child is hungry."
"My child." Jack said.
"Yes." Elizabeth said with a grin.
"Okay." Jack said. "You start breakfast. I want to go get dressed for the day. Once I am dressed, you can go get dressed and I will keep an eye on breakfast."
"Sounds like a plan." Elizabeth said.
They stood and kissed before parting for a bit. Just as Jack went to go upstairs, another shot rang out. Elizabeth looked around and then went to Jack. He held her for a moment, before leading her to the kitchen.
"The front door is locked." Jack said. "I will be right back."
"Okay." Elizabeth said.
Jack released Elizabeth and headed upstairs to change while she started breakfast. Once she got things going, Jack was back downstairs and she quickly went up to change.
