Chapter 164- Final Salute
"Ready!"
The metal against metal sound of rifle chambers being loaded answered Nathan's command. Their clicks into place, telling him they were indeed ready for his next direction.
"Aim!"
He watched the men in front of him draw their Mountie-issued Lee-Enfield firearms to position. He swallowed the lump in his throat, hoping the action would steady his voice for the final instructions.
"Fire!"
"I regret to inform; Constable Warren Tremblay was killed three days ago in the line of duty while honorably serving his post in Cadotte Lake. While I do not know the details surrounding Tremblay's death at this time, I do know your family and the constable were close. I'm sorry for your loss, Sergeant Grant."
It had been a week since Chief Superintendent Sam Collins called Nathan to inform him of Tremblay's death. The news brought with it a dark cloud of mourning to Hope Valley, gripping its inhabitants and refusing to release its stronghold.
The town had met Warren over his stay with the Grants at Christmas time. No matter how brief their meeting with the constable, the community had come to know he was a good and honorable man and for that they grieved. Nathan also understood that Warren's death came with a reminder of the loss the town felt from Jack Thornton's death many years before.
But for the Grants, they lost a piece of their family that day. A brother.
The day they were informed of his passing, Nathan held Charlotte close for a long time on the porch of their home. He stroked her hair in gentle reassurance and her fingers found a stronghold in the waves at his collar. And they wept. He never said a word to her. She knew. Something in him had silently spoken to something in her. Warren was dead. Just like Nathan feared would happen when he first found out about Tremblay's solo posting up North at the Mountie Ball last year.
Thank God, their friends were there to pick up the pieces.
Joseph prayed with them. Minnie orchestrated things around the house. Lee and Rosemary were attentive and caring for Liam, and Bill… Bill was their strength.
He'd been through this before, he knew the mix of emotions associated with the loss of a brother in arms. The loss of family. The loss of a good man. Even though Bill was no longer a member of the RCMP, he believed in Nathan's gallant manifesto before his verdict was delivered at the inquiry all those years ago. About knowing the best way to honor the men lost in the line of duty would be to continue to serve in an honorable fashion. That's what Bill had done for Jack. That's what he would do for Warren.
Nathan and Charlotte were slow to emerge from their fog. One minute they were on the steps of their porch. The next they were sitting in the kitchen the next morning, a cup of coffee in their hands, trying to determine how in the world they were going to break the news of Warren's death to Allie when she returned on the train in a few hours. They knew it would test them as parents and be one of the hardest things they ever did in this life.
From his years of service with the Force, Nathan knew no amount of planning or well-chosen words would temper the hurt that came with giving someone news of a loved one's death. All that could be done was to pray for God's guidance, healing, and grace. To hold each other a little closer. To say 'I love you' a little more. And at some point, be able to look back on the memories shared, not with sadness, but rather, a warmth. Maybe a laugh or a small tear. Instead of haunting the present, their memories would provide a blanket of comfort. A knowledge that those times happened. That the person lived, and they touched others in a way that would live on, long after they left this earth.
"Reload."
"Ready!"
Nathan dipped the corner of his Stetson hat ever so slightly. When the first salute blast sounded, he witnessed the way Charlotte and Allie's bodies involuntarily flinched at the ringing rifle fire. Their visceral, yet involuntary reaction, felt like a hot knife to his gut.
"Aim!"
The lowered position of his brim was done in hopes to conceal his family's hurt from him while he completed this duty for a fallen brother. He quickly realized though, no amount of wide, flat brim could hide the way Charlotte took in a deep breath and set her shoulders beside him, bracing herself against the shots to come.
"Fire!"
After making sure his family was handling the news of Warren's passing as best they could, Nathan felt compelled to reach out to his comrade's parents and sisters back East. By then, the Mounties would have informed them of Tremblay's death. Nathan sent his sympathies and told of all the happy memories he shared with Warren from Fort Clay, to Potter's Creek, Calgary, and their past Christmas together in Hope Valley.
Nathan's next letter was to Nimi, Warren's fiancé. He wrote how it was clear to see the love and devotion Tremblay felt towards Nimi whenever Warren would talk about her or mention her in a letter. Nathan knew the weight she was feeling, losing not only her remaining family in Cadotte Lake, but now also Tremblay. If it was still her wish to settle elsewhere, Nathan wanted her to know that Hope Valley could still be her new home if she chose it. His family and their friends would see that she would always be surrounded by the love and support Nathan undoubtedly knew Warren would have given Nimi over the course of his life.
While Warren's body was transported by the Force back to his family in the East, Allie asked Nathan if it would be alright to hold a special remembrance service for him in Hope Valley and invite those in the community who wanted to pay their respects to Constable Tremblay.
Over the following days, Nathan worked fervently to make Allie's idea come to life. He reached out to those at headquarters, and the Mounties in the surrounding communities. The people in Hope Valley also stepped in to help in any way they could. Providing food and lodging for those coming from out of town and preparing the church for the remembrance ceremony. Not only was seemingly everyone from town and the surrounding areas there, but also those from Brookfield Tremblay had come to know in Calgary at the Mountie Ball.
Members of the Force arrived from near and far. Constable Caleb Landry received special leave to mourn the loss of his comrade who served beside him through their early days in the Mounties and then again in Potter's Creek. Superintendent O'Reilly arrived two days prior to the service and orchestrated the Mounties coming into town to provide Tremblay with a proper send off. Complete with full regimental rights given by those who knew him best.
The evening before the prayer service and ceremony were to take place, Chief Superintendent Collins and his wife Nancy arrived by train. The pair were also traveling with Mrs. Mary Macleod, the widow of the late Commissioner James Macleod, whom the Grants met at the Mountie Ball in Calgary. The two groups of people exchanged pleasantries at the train station, but Collins asked to speak with Nathan and Bill alone in the RCMP office while the women were settled into their accommodations for the evening and given a chance to freshen up.
Once the three men were in the office, Chief Superintendent Collins produced the initial reports filed on the death of Tremblay. Nathan tucked into the pages like a ravenous wolf, his stomach churning as each detail leading up to Warren's untimely death came to light.
It was what Nathan expected. Or rather, what he had feared.
Tremblay received word that there was more illegal trading of liquor to the people of his community. With little information, Warren was unsure of who it was or where the person was working, or even if there was more than one. But it was his duty to investigate. Tremblay sent a runner to Peace River with the limited intel he was working with, the direction he planned to travel to find the criminal, and the request for Constable McKenzie to send back up as soon as possible.
When word reached the RCMP office in Peace River, McKenzie and one of his men immediately set about packing their gear and preparing for the trail to Cadotte Lake in the hopes of catching up to Tremblay in his search, but they knew they were at a disadvantage. While the runner Warren sent was a fast boy from the village, it would take them longer to travel back to Cadotte given the amount of ammunition and supplies they carried as well as not knowing Tremblay's exact location in his manhunt.
After about a day's travel, McKenzie and his partner, Constable Myers, search for Tremblay and the outlaw came to an abrupt halt. Finding both men deceased in what appeared to be a botched escape attempt along the trail to Peace River. Surprisingly though, McKenzie and Myers were not the first Mounties to come upon the crime scene in the area of Three Creeks. Assistant Commissioner Duncan Aitchison was already there, crouched over the two bodies, investigating the scene, and piecing together the limited evidence of what must have transpired between Tremblay and the outlaw.
It appeared, the criminal was somehow able to attack Warren, pulling his gun and wounding the young Mountie before Warren could regain control of his revolver and subdue the bootlegger with a second round fired from his pistol. The two gunshots ricocheting off the still autumn wilderness were what drew Aitchison to their position. While he arrived quickly, both the criminal and Tremblay had already passed from their injuries before he could provide first aid.
The reports confirmed Aitchison was already scheduled to be in the area, inspecting different postings throughout the North before winter made it impossible for him to do so. He was on his way to Peace River from Chinook Valley when he heard rumors of the liquor trade happening around Cadotte Lake and changed his itinerary to provide aid to the young Mountie posted there.
Statements later collected from those in Cadotte Lake said that Warren arrived back to the village over a day after he originally left. The whiskey runner secured as his prisoner. Other than a flesh wound in Warren's leg from the scuffle he and the criminal had gone through in the apprehension, both were unharmed when they left town for Peace River hoping to meet up with McKenzie along the way to help transport the prisoner on to Edmonton.
It would come to be the young Mountie's final mission.
"Reload."
"Ready!"
Petite fingers found his gloved hand. Nathan squeezed them tightly in return. He knew it was against regulations to have Charlotte by his side and to hold her hand during this portion of the regimental service. He didn't care. They both needed one another's support and clung to it like a lifeline.
"Aim!"
Newton pawed restlessly at the ground on his other side. Unsettled by the rounds of gun salutes.
"Fire!"
Nathan was able to hold it together through the service at the church, where Joseph gave a moving eulogy in remembrance of Warren and prayers for his peace and rest with God. The procession then moved slowly from the church to the cemetery with sullen, military precision to the memorial stone that was placed along the far side of the hallowed ground past rows of headstones and crosses.
Warren's memorial stone was simple, like the man it was made to remember.
IN MEMORY OF CONSTABLE WARREN TREMBLAY
A LIFE DEDICATED TO SERVING HIS COUNTRY
WITH COURAGE, HONOR, AND COMPASSION
A LOVING SON, BROTHER, HERO, AND FRIEND
Allie stood tall, and dignified to the right of the memorial stone, with an inner strength that reminded Nathan so much of his sister Colleen. The way Allie carried herself with dignity and grace made him beyond proud of the woman she had become and would continue to carve out in her life ahead.
She asked if she could say a few words at the cemetery before the Force performed their final rituals of honoring a fallen brother. Nathan, Charlotte, O'Reilly, and Collins all gave her their blessings to proceed once everything, and everyone was in place.
"I first met Warren Tremblay when he was a new recruit, fresh off the train, arriving at Fort Clay where my dad was an instructor. It wasn't until he escorted me to my first Mountie Ball, did I see the true character and man beneath the red serge. Through our time spent together and the numerous letters between us, I came to know and admire him as a dear friend and more so, a member of our family." Allie glanced to her side, where Charlotte and Nathan stood.
"I can still see his smile that accompanied his gentle teasing or hear his hearty laugh that came as easy as the breeze through the trees. Warren knew who he was and who directed his steps along his life's path." She brushed a tear from her cheek. "And while I may never know why that path was cut short, I will always be thankful I was able to share the road with him for a part of his journey. And that he will always be a part of mine."
Allie's voice cracked then, and Nathan saw his daughter's hand slip into the pocket of her coat. She closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a deep, steadying breath. "A year ago, Warren was who I turned to in my time of need. I traveled to the North and started hiking my way to Cadotte Lake when a flash flood came along and without God's saving grace, I wouldn't still be here today." She drew a small piece of metal from her pocket and instantly Nathan recognized it as the trinket he witnessed Tremblay giving Allie when they said their goodbyes at the train station in Peace River. Nathan was closer now than he had been that day and knew exactly what it was that Allie held in her hand. "This is a hat badge, given to recruits of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police upon their successful completion of training. Warren received this badge at his graduation ceremony from Fort Clay. It was presented to him by my dad. Warren gave it to me on the platform in Peace River last year, saying that after surviving in the North by myself, I deserved it just as much as any Mountie did."
Nathan saw Allie's finger tighten around the badge and she moved to hold it close to her chest. "Being raised by a Mountie, I've come to know and appreciate the sacrifices that not only members of the Force make, but also the sacrifices of those who love them most. I've learned that the greatest way we can honor those whose lives have been lost in the line of duty is continuing to serve in an honorable fashion. And service isn't just for those members of the RCMP. All of us in this life have the ability to serve others. To protect our community in different ways. To see those who live beside us every day, and I mean really see them. See when they are struggling. See when they need a helping hand, or maybe just a friendly smile. Constable Warren Tremblay was one of the finest Mounties I will ever have the honor of knowing, but he was more than that. His lasting legacy is a man more than the serge. A man of faith, devotion, and incredible integrity. While I will always wish our time together was much longer, I will be eternally grateful for the time we did have together and the memories and love we shared."
Nathan didn't know how it was possible for anyone to follow Allie's moving speech, but Bill gave it his best attempt. Giving his words of praise for the young man he had come to know and respect. "Constable Warren Tremblay was a true hero. He served his country with honor and dignity. As Mounties, we swear an oath to live up to that high ideal, no matter the personal sacrifice, and Warren paid the ultimate sacrifice, but he did so valiantly and bravely. He led the life he was born to lead. He followed his destiny and protected everything he held dear. No life can be better lived than that."
After Bill, Chief Superintendent Collins turned his attention and focus on all those gathered. "The Bible says 'Don't hide your light. Let it shine brightly before others, so that your commendable works will shine light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.'. Warren Tremblay was a light. Let his flame within each of us, bring light back to our communities and our homes. Because only light can banish the dark corners of our country where crime still thrives and where law enforcement is threatened. Let us make our country brighter, safer, and more hopeful, and in doing so let us honor the memory of our fallen heroes every day."
To conclude speeches, Joseph gave his final words and blessing, his gaze never leaving the Grant family as they stood across the way from him. "Though there is no speech or ceremony to ease your pain, no tribute or salute that will bring your loved one back to this earth, take comfort and know our friend Warren Tremblay is in a better place. We read in the Scriptures, 'Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.'. Let us remember those words today and always. And in deep gratitude, let us be secure in the knowledge that our dear friend rests in peace and in the highest place of honor."
With the last blasts of gunfire, Mike Hickham stepped forward from the assembled crowd and drew his trumpet to his lips. Sounding 'Last Post', pausing for a moment of silence and then playing 'Rouse'.
"I don't know if I can do this," Charlotte whispered beside Nathan. He could tell that the murmured words were more a verbal recitation from her inner thoughts than anything she meant to speak aloud.
Nathan broke form and leaned his shoulder into hers. "You don't have to."
She tilted her face up to him, their eyes connected and held for a long moment. Speaking to one another when no words seemed possible. Or necessary. Charlotte's hauntingly grey eyes told him she needed to do this. It was her way of saying a final goodbye to a man who had become such a dear part of their family and her heart.
Nathan nodded his head in understanding. "Then I'll do it with you."
He watched the relief sweep over her face and she silently mouthed the words 'Thank you' to him.
They paused for a moment to collect themselves and then in sync let the beginning of their harmonized notes carry on the still mountain air around them. Their sorrowful lament, haunting and faint, but reverently sung as though a prayerful offering instead of a simple hymn they had sung countless times before.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear.
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come.
This grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.